Chapter Summaries

Dick accepted a commission to hunt a monster that attacked drunken villagers around midnight, then prepared to investigate its habits. After upgrading his Swordsmanship, he headed out shortly before midnight to search the road where the victims had died.

• Dick agreed to hunt the monster for fifty crowns and learned it attacked only at midnight, targeting drunk people while avoiding armed groups.
• Dick suspected the monster's attacks were connected to blood and drunkenness, and asked the innkeeper for liquor.
• Brown arrived at the inn and refused a drink, while Dick prevented a Black Cat Mercenary Company member from starting a fight with him.
• Dick spent 400 energy points upgrading Swordsmanship from [Professional] to [Elite] and rested while conserving his strength.
• At half past eleven, Dick went with the young waiter to the courtyard gate, where the waiter pointed out the road where the villagers had died.

Dick lured out and fought a werewolf, then tracked it to a hunter’s cabin, where he discovered the monster was Brown. As Brown lay dying after Dick stabbed him, Dick asked why he had killed the villagers.

• Dick used wine and drunken singing to lure the werewolf out, then wounded it with his silver sword and Fire Sign.
• When the werewolf fled, two wolves attacked Dick, but he killed them and followed the werewolf’s scent into the woods.
• Dick tracked the scent to a cabin and warned the hunter inside, recognizing his voice as Brown’s.
• Brown attacked Dick from inside the cabin, and Dick dodged his claws and wounded him with his sword.
• Dick killed the werewolf by stabbing it through the heart, and it transformed into the dying hunter Brown.
• Dick asked Brown why he had killed the villagers.

Dick killed Brown, a werewolf, and completed the innkeeper’s commission. After receiving a private warning, he prepared to leave with hot food stored in his spatial bag and rode toward the crossroads.

• Brown confessed that a white wolfman had bitten him and turned him into a werewolf before dying, and Dick received energy points for the kills and completed commission.
• Dick brought the two wolf carcasses to the inn, told the innkeeper that Brown had been responsible for the villagers’ deaths, and collected his payment.
• The innkeeper agreed to prepare hot food in iron boxes, and Dick learned that Brown had hunted near the woods and hills before deciding to postpone searching for the wolfman.
• The innkeeper privately told Dick something that prompted him to thank him for the warning and promise to be careful.
• The next morning, Dick put the warm iron boxes into his spatial bag, mounted his horse, and rode toward the crossroads.

Dick was ambushed by the Black Cat Mercenary Company after defeating several of its men in a barehanded fight. Wounded by an arrow from a hidden group of crossbowmen, he planned to escape to Spotty and recover before settling the score.

• Dick met the Black Cat Mercenary Company on a snowy country path, where its leader demanded compensation or a barehanded fight.
• Dick dodged the leader's attack and killed another mercenary who tried to stab him with a concealed dagger.
• Dick used a Mind Shockwave and his steel sword to drive back the attackers, then demanded they surrender their valuables.
• The mercenaries threatened the crossroads innkeeper and his son, so Dick decided to kill them rather than hand them over to the authorities.
• Hidden mercenaries fired crossbows at Dick; he blocked most of the arrows but was hit in the shoulder.
• Dick saw that Spotty was about fifty meters away and planned to escape, remove the arrow, and recover before fighting the mercenaries again.

Dick used a Samum Bomb to defeat the mercenaries who ambushed him, then pursued the surviving “pretty boy” for answers. Kayn arrived, killed the fugitive, and confronted Dick with a chilling laugh.

• Dick fended off the mercenaries’ crossbow attack and pretended to be badly wounded so they would lower their guard.
• Dick threw a Samum Bomb into the mercenaries and killed them in the blinding mist with his longsword.
• Dick chased the surviving “pretty boy,” intending to question him about the ambush and the lord the mercenaries had mentioned.
• Kayn rode in, killed the fleeing mercenary with his ring-shaped warblades, and approached Dick.
• Dick taunted Kayn, who laughed maniacally while keeping his eyes fixed on him.

Dick recovered after Kayn intervened in an ambush, then found a letter ordering the mercenaries to kill him. He persuaded Kayn to help hunt a wolfman, but Kayn turned his attention to his horse, leaving Dick wary of what he intended to do.

• Kayn mocked Dick and inspected the mercenaries’ bodies while Dick healed and searched them for valuables.
• Dick found an opened letter ordering the mercenaries to kill him, marked with an unfamiliar seal of two wings.
• Kayn warned Dick that Master and the School of the Wolf witchers would soon reach Odinburg and ask for an explanation about Xiya.
• Dick told Kayn about a wolfman, and Kayn agreed to help hunt it after discussing preparations and supplies.
• Kayn decided his horse would slow them down and stroked his dagger’s hilt, making Dick suspect he planned to kill it.

Dick and Kayn returned to the Inn at the Crossroads after dealing with the mercenaries, and Dick accepted a bounty contract to investigate a werewolf and its wolf pack. They then headed toward Brown's former home, while Kayn questioned Dick's closeness to ordinary people.

• Kayn released his injured horse and rode a horse taken from the mercenaries as he and Dick traveled back to the Inn at the Crossroads.
• Kayn remarked on Dick's recent strength and fast-healing wounds, but Dick kept the reason for his unusual recovery secret.
• At the inn, Dick paid the attendant to care for their horses and asked him to reserve two rooms for their return.
• Dick took a half-month-old bounty contract from Magistrate Darwin to locate or subdue a gray-furred werewolf and its wolf pack.
• Dick and Kayn set out toward Brown's former home, where Kayn criticized Dick for treating commoners as equals.

Dick and Kayn tracked a manwolf to a cave and fought the wolves and werewolf inside. They continued deeper into the cave and found a silver-glowing gate on a stone platform.

• Dick followed human footprints accompanied by wolf tracks, and he and Kayn found a cave filled with beasts.
• Kayn charged into the cave, killed two wolves, and attacked the werewolf while Dick fought the remaining wolves.
• Dick killed the werewolf before Kayn could deliver the finishing blow, then convinced Kayn to save his strength for the manwolf ahead.
• Dick and Kayn continued through the cave and discovered a silver-glowing, oval gate on a stone platform.

Dick and Kayn entered the monster-infested Mist Swamp to hunt a wolfman, where Kayn explained the swamp’s deadly poison and its role as a natural barrier. They were surrounded by wolves and werewolves, then confronted by a white-haired man whom the monsters treated with deference.

• Kayn coated his ring blades with Hybrid Oil and told Dick that Dragon Tear Gems had been fused into his weapons.
• Dick and Kayn prepared their potions and oils, then stepped through the portal into the Mist Swamp.
• Kayn explained that the swamp poisoned ordinary people, could harm witchers, and was preserved as a barrier against the Noldor.
• A pack of gray wolves and two werewolves surrounded Dick and Kayn without attacking.
• A white-haired man in white robes walked through the monsters, who lowered their heads respectfully as he passed.

Dick and Kayn fought the wolf-man’s monsters while the wolf-man watched from the sidelines. After they killed the wild wolves and werewolves, Kayn charged the wolf-man, who blocked his attack and dodged the second blade.

• The wolf-man revealed that three Broom Witches had helped build his portal and sent his monsters to attack Dick and Kayn.
• Kayn fought two werewolves while Dick battled the wild wolves and used his new spinning sword technique, which he named [Panther Zither Jade].
• Dick repeatedly used his crossbow to finish off the werewolves Kayn had weakened, then unleashed a second Mind Shockwave when wolves pinned him down.
• After Dick drove the remaining wolves back, Kayn attacked the wolf-man with sword aura, but the wolf-man blocked one blade and dodged the other.

Dick and Kayn fought a werewolf in its human form, using coordinated attacks and fire to force it to transform into its true wolf form. The werewolf overwhelmed them, and the chapter ended as Kayn threw a Samum Bomb at it while Dick rolled clear.

• Dick healed his wounds with a Swallow Potion and joined Kayn, who had been badly injured by the werewolf.
• Dick and Kayn coordinated their attacks, and Kayn's fire and Dick's Mind Shockwave left the werewolf burning.
• The werewolf transformed into its white-furred wolf form and lunged at Dick, breaking his steel sword and injuring him.
• Kayn distracted the werewolf while Dick attacked with [Panther Zither Jade], but the werewolf stopped his assault and slammed him into the ground.
• Kayn warned Dick to move and threw a Samum Bomb at the werewolf, while Dick rolled away.

Dick and Kayn fought Warwick in the Mist Swamp, but Warwick grew stronger as Kayn weakened and nearly overcame them. Dick used a Dimeritium Bomb and a burst of fire to create an opening, then threw his dagger at Warwick's exposed heart.

• Dick and Kayn waited for the mist from the magic bomb to clear and found Warwick badly wounded, while Kayn was also injured.
• Warwick revealed his name and grew faster and stronger as he attacked the weakened Kayn, sending Dick flying when he tried to intervene.
• Dick decided to keep fighting and used a Dimeritium Bomb to suppress Warwick's magical ability and blow off his right arm.
• Dick thrust his sword toward Warwick's exposed heart, but Warwick caught the blade with his remaining hand and stopped him.
• When Warwick offered to let Dick and Kayn leave through the portal, Dick refused, blasted Warwick's mouth with fire, and threw his dagger toward the werewolf's heart.

Dick killed Warwick in the swamp and escaped through a portal with Kayn, then returned to the inn and recovered. He completed Sheriff Darwin’s commission, spent 400 energy points to raise Mind Shockwave to Elite, and planned to leave for Odinburg in the morning.

• Dick killed the wolf-man Warwick, carried the wounded Kayn through the portal, and escaped before the monsters arrived.
• A snake-headed monster ordered the pursuit, but the portal exploded before the monsters could reach it.
• Dick bandaged Kayn, brought him to the inn, and told the attendant where to collect the wild wolf corpses.
• Dick reviewed his rewards, received 300 energy points including the commission reward, and raised Mind Shockwave to Elite for 400 points.
• Dick went to sleep, planning to leave for Odinburg the next morning.

Dick learned the Hypnosis Sign from Kayn before returning to Odinburg, where he heard that Little Odin had defected to the Lion-Hunting Kingdom. Captain Fisher then approached Dick with matters to discuss.

• Kayn taught Dick the Hypnosis Sign, bringing Dick to novice level and completing his knowledge of the Witcher Signs.
• Kayn suggested that he and Dick might kill Master, but Dick deferred deciding until after the Witcher Order trial.
• Dick rode back to Odinburg and learned from a guard that Baron Odin III had returned and Little Odin had defected with several dozen troops.
• Captain Fisher stopped the guard’s gossip and told Dick he had a few things to discuss with him.

Dick learned that his master, Master, and senior brother Russell had arrived in Odinburg with sorceress Ruiwen and three School of the Coyote witchers. He entered the castle and came face-to-face with Master, Vesemir, and Geralt, while Fisher went to bring a witness.

• Fisher told Dick that Kebi had returned to the Order of the Falcon and that the Witcher Order had arrived at Odinburg Castle.
• Dick recalled Russell’s kindness and learned that his senior brother had come with Master, Ruiwen, Vesemir, Geralt, and Ivan.
• Fisher said he would stay outside to patrol and bring a witness, and Dick entered the castle alone.
• Dick met Ruiwen in the sitting room, then watched Master, Vesemir, and Geralt descend the stairs.

Dick faced an internal Witcher Order trial in Odinburg after Xiya reported his conduct, with Ruiwen and several witchers overseeing the proceedings. Master and Geralt read out accusations against him, ending with a charge of suspected child trafficking with monsters.

• Ruiwen, Master, Vesemir, Geralt, and other representatives gathered with Odinburg residents to investigate Dick.
• Master explained that Xiya had reported Dick for behaving lawlessly in Odenburg and said the Order would investigate him according to procedure.
• Vesemir joked with Dick about dancers and defended him as a fellow witcher and a source of pride for the Order.
• Ruiwen opened the trial, and Master read accusations that Dick had bullied merchants, eaten without paying, beaten shopkeepers, and entered private homes.
• Geralt read charges that Dick had neglected monster-hunting duties, leading to deaths, and had killed three mercenaries while drunk and damaged a tavern.
• Geralt ended by naming the final accusation: suspected involvement in child trafficking with monsters.

At Dick’s hearing, the people he had harmed withdrew their accusations, leaving the deaths of the mercenaries as the only charge that could stand. Ruiwen began using Detect Thoughts to examine Dick’s memories, and the chapter ended as his thoughts became disordered.

• A witness testified that Dick had entered his home but asked Ruiwen not to hold him accountable, and other residents joined in to praise Dick and withdraw their complaints.
• An old man denied that Dick had abducted his grandson, while a peddler withdrew his accusation over Dick eating without paying.
• After all the witnesses left, Ruiwen said only the charge of killing the mercenaries remained, and the witchers argued that Dick had acted in self-defense.
• Ruiwen announced a final check for overlooked offenses and began casting Detect Thoughts on Dick.
• As phantom hands searched Dick’s memories, Dick’s thoughts became disordered and his past experiences rapidly surfaced.

Dick’s judgment ended with a sentence to complete three more commissions in Odinburg, while Ruiwen agreed to compensate him for probing his memories. Captain Fisher then reported that two witchers had fought mercenaries at a tavern, leaving six dead.

• Ruiwen searched Dick’s recent memories, and Dick broke their mental connection when she intruded on a private memory.
• Ruiwen offered compensation, and Dick secured one Dimeritium Bomb, two Samum Bombs, and four Grapeshot Bombs.
• Master ruled that Dick had to complete three more commissions for Odinburg’s residents before returning to Kaer Morhen.
• Captain Fisher arrived and announced that two witchers had killed six mercenaries in a tavern.
• Master reacted angrily when Fisher’s report implicated Russell.

Dick went to the tavern to investigate the deaths caused by Ivan and Russell, accepting Geralt’s proposal that resolving the incident would count as one of Dick’s commissions. He entered alone, while Master stayed outside and spoke with Carter.

• Vesemir agreed to inspect the tavern, and Fisher insisted that the killings be handled according to the kingdom’s laws.
• Geralt proposed that Dick resolve the tavern incident as his first commission, and Dick accepted.
• On the way, Dick reflected on the flaws of the School of the Lynx and its few remaining members.
• At the tavern, Dick reassured Carter that the potion he had given him would not harm his health, then entered alone.
• Master approached Carter and introduced himself as Dick’s kindly teacher, claiming he disliked killing and slaying monsters.

Dick arrived at the tavern to investigate a deadly fight between witchers and mercenaries. After hearing both sides, he learned that Russell had only intervened to protect Ivan, but Ivan recognized Dick and mocked him.

• Master questioned Carter about surviving a witcher potion and noted that he was too old for the process he had in mind.
• Dick entered the wrecked tavern with Master and found Russell and Ivan facing a surviving mercenary among several dead men.
• Dick announced his authority and calmed Russell before ordering the mercenary to sheath his sword and explain what had happened.
• The mercenary admitted that his captain had provoked Ivan after pursuing a dancer, while Russell said he had only blocked an attack and had killed no one.
• Ivan looked at Dick through his drunken haze, recognized him as the [School of the Lynx]'s dead last, and laughed at him.