Chapter Summaries

Gore’s adventuring party entered Dragon Cliff Dungeon to hunt Dragon Beasts, but a Fire Dragon killed them and escaped through the dungeon entrance. As Mortis traveled toward the dungeon, the dragon flew erratically, burning two settlements.

• Gore led his team down the dungeon entrance’s rope system and across the gravity transition into Dragon Cliff Dungeon.
• Gore’s party set out to hunt Spine-Backed Ground Beasts and Shadow-Gliding Pterosaurs, then spotted a dragon approaching from the sky.
• Gore told the party to lie still and avoid using magic, but the Fire Dragon burned them to death.
• The Fire Dragon plunged through the entrance and flew out of Dragon Cliff Dungeon for the first time in several hundred years.
• Mortis continued toward the dungeon as the Fire Dragon sensed its surroundings, changed direction, and burned two villages and towns.

Emperor Mortis investigated the Fire Dragon’s escape from Dragon Cliff Dungeon and found evidence of a deadly conflict among the dragons. He learned that the Ancient Dragon Sylvia was near death and that a new Ancient Dragon would need to address the seal, while Linden spotted a Red Dragon entering the Northern Territory.

• Mofulei reported that the Fire Dragon had devastated villages and towns, while protective arrays had limited damage to two cities and Northwind Fortress.
• Mortis flew into Dragon Cliff Dungeon and saw numerous recently slain dragons, leading him to conclude that a civil war had broken out.
• A Black Dragon tried to block Mortis, but Big Dragon pinned it down and escorted Mortis to the summit, where Sylvia was waiting.
• Sylvia told Mortis that her offspring had begun prioritizing the Dragon Path Strife over her commands and that the seal would need to be discussed with the new Ancient Dragon after her death.
• Mortis ordered the dungeon to remain sealed and sent subordinates to observe the summit from afar.
• Linden used the Fungal Carpet’s vision to spot a massive Red Dragon flying into the Northern Territory.

Linden discovered that the approaching enemy was Talgara, a powerful Red Dragon hunting Little Black, and decided to defend the Fungal Fortress rather than surrender her. As Talgara flew toward the fortress, Linden’s forces evacuated civilians and prepared for battle, while a buried weapon of war awakened beneath the snow.

• Linden saw Talgara’s overwhelming attributes and tried to divert her by teleporting Little Black to Puji Dungeon.
• Talgara recognized the deception and flew toward the Fungal Fortress instead of following Little Black’s changing location.
• Linden refused to give up Little Black and prepared to fight Talgara, hoping to claim her Dragon Might and use her as Little Black’s experience.
• Linden sounded the alarm, and Shou, Spark, Louisa, Piggy, and other defenders organized the evacuation and mobilized the fortress’s defenses.
• A giant composite Puji rose from beneath the snow, and Ji God Soldier activated.

Linden and the Fungal Fortress prepared for the Red Dragon Talgara, whose arrival tested the soldiers’ courage and the city’s defenses. Talgara’s first blast failed to breach the fortress, and it began an even fiercer assault.

• Linden shared the Red Dragon’s image with the fortress’s core members and discussed the coming fight with Sword Saint Puji.
• Talgara arrived, and its Dragon Might weakened everyone’s attributes and terrified the soldiers.
• A fleeing Lizardman soldier was transformed by the mycelium into a fearless warrior, while Piggy rallied the troops with promises of dragon meat and extra rations.
• Talgara targeted the central tower and blasted the fortress with dragon breath.
• The layered defensive Magic Arrays absorbed the attack without collapsing, surprising Talgara, which launched a fiercer assault.

The Fungal Fortress repelled Talgara’s assault with its defenses and resonance cannons, then trapped the Red Dragon for the Ji God Soldier’s devastating ultimate strike. Half a day later, Inanna and Eiding arrived to find the fortress repairing its walls and Norris eating dragon stew.

• Talgara’s dragon breath failed to overcome the Fungal Fortress’s rapidly recharging defenses, so it targeted the Nodes connecting the city walls to the defensive Magic Arrays.
• Piggy’s defenders distracted Talgara with mushroom cannons and ballistae while resonance cannons wounded it and forced it to divide its attention.
• Talgara attacked Cave Four, but biting its mushroom cap overwhelmed the dragon with pleasure, letting Cave Four restrain it while Sword Saint Fourteen slashed its eyes.
• The Ji God Soldier fired its charged cannon at Talgara, whose final dragon breath failed to stop the blast that swallowed the dragon, Cave Four, and Sword Saint Puji.
• Inanna and Eiding reached the Fungal Fortress half a day later, where Norris welcomed them with dragon meat stewed with mushrooms.

Linden celebrated the Red Dragon’s defeat, revived the Sword Saint and Cave Four, and harvested the dragon’s skills and remains. After removing the soul-bound Mark of Vengeance, he found that feeding the Red Dragon to Little Black had not advanced her Ancient Dragon Path, leaving him unsure what she must do to progress.

• Marshal Puji posed on the Red Dragon’s broken horn while the revived Sword Saint complained about being used as a decoy, and Cave Four emerged from a cocoon weakened by the cannon blast.
• Linden divided the Red Dragon’s remains between the soldiers, Little Black, and the Fungal Carpet, then gained the Dragon Slayer title and several dragon skills.
• Linden tested Dragon Might, but the Sword Saint and Cave Four barely reacted because the title’s effect applied to them as well.
• Linden searched his enormous soul and used Soul Touch to erase the Red Dragon’s Mark of Vengeance.
• Little Black showed no Ancient Dragon Path progress after eating the Red Dragon, so Linden wondered whether she had to win a fight alone and whether more dragons would come.

After the Fungal Fortress defeated the Red Dragon, Norris dreamed of piloting the Ji God Soldier, while the Yellow Book prepared to act after its emotional guidance of Kruma took effect. The chapter left Kruma asleep with ambitions of power and the Yellow Book ready to begin its plan.

• Linden's Ji God Soldier was revealed as a powerful but energy-hungry weapon whose range depended on the Fungal Carpet, so Linden planned to keep it hidden.
• The Fungal Fortress residents returned from the shelters and celebrated the victory, while Norris gave a Lizardman cub his dragon-meat mushroom porridge.
• Norris became excited by the Ji God Soldier's power and wished he could pilot it himself.
• Knight Puji secretly praised the Yellow Book in Kruma's lodging before slipping away without explaining why.
• The Yellow Book realized its emotional guidance had made Kruma dream of gaining power and decided it was time to act.

The Yellow Book persuaded Kruma that Cang Gu’s mercenary group should stay in the Beast Bone Field and exploit Count Bona’s weakened position. It then used its influence over Cang Gu and the squad leaders to turn Kruma’s proposal into a plan to involve the Count.

• The Yellow Book explained that Count Bona depended on the Beast Bone Field and that his enemies were trying to hasten his collapse by striking at his remaining dignity and resources.
• The Yellow Book convinced Kruma to stay and pursue the chance to become a count himself.
• After receiving only partial compensation from Count Bona, Cang Gu returned to the mercenary group and announced that they would leave by the day after tomorrow.
• Kruma urged Cang Gu to stay and handed him the Yellow Book, whose writing gradually overcame Cang Gu’s doubts.
• Cang Gu accepted Kruma’s plan and proposed bringing Count Bona into their business, while the squad leaders eagerly joined the discussion under the Yellow Book’s influence.

Kormak investigated Bona’s purchases of magical materials and suspected a ritual was being prepared to save the count’s fortunes. When he visited Beast Bone Field, Bona revealed the Holy Scripture, which frightened Kormak into submission and left him under its control.

• Kormak learned that Bona was buying magical materials and building what appeared to be a large Magic Array.
• Kormak received matching reports that Bona’s ritual would help unearth giant beast remains, but he distrusted how consistent the information was.
• Kormak traveled to Beast Bone Field under the pretext of trade talks and secretly sent elites to sabotage the ritual.
• Bona presented Kormak with the Holy Scripture, and Kormak recognized it and pledged loyalty to the Demon King.
• Kormak tried to fight his way out, but Knight Puji stepped onto his shoulder, and the Holy Scripture brought him under its control.
• Kormak and Bona reached an agreement to develop Beast Bone Field, and Kormak returned home to help Bona acquire the remaining materials.

The Yellow Book’s subtle mental field drove people in the Beast Bone Field to work toward its ritual, while Linden continued preparations to transfer a destroyed dungeon’s affiliated space to the Northern Territory. The Fungal Fortress strengthened its forces and recruited more Dwarf blacksmiths, and Inanna’s return to the Duke’s Mansion brought news that Alama intended to find his daughter a match.

• Knight Puji observed how the Yellow Book’s Charm accumulated into a hidden mental field that quietly influenced people across the Beast Bone Field.
• The Yellow Book risked its mission to gain a soul of its own, believing time was running out and placing its hopes on Linden.
• Linden oversaw the ritual preparations to transfer the destroyed dungeon’s affiliated space to the Northern Territory while Duke Eugene’s troops remained in place after a dragon’s flight.
• Linden offered the Dwarf craftsmen Contribution Points for recruiting more blacksmiths, and most returned to The Mountains to bring recruits to the Fungal Fortress.
• Inanna returned to the Duke’s Mansion, where Alama had decided to seek a match for his daughter.

Duke Alama arranged a belated birthday ball for Inanna, secretly hoping to find her a suitable husband among the kingdom’s young talents. The chapter ended with Inanna unaware of his matchmaking plans while Linden had overheard everything.

• Duke Alama told Inanna he had arranged a belated eighteenth-birthday ball and invited many young people.
• Inanna reluctantly agreed after Alama and Eric framed the gathering as a chance to meet the kingdom’s future leaders.
• Alama revealed to himself that the ball was meant to introduce potential partners to Inanna, and he had carefully screened the invitees.
• Alama singled out Warren as a promising candidate and explained that he had excluded Eiding because he was too old for Inanna.
• Eric suggested adding activities that would let the young men display their abilities, and Alama began planning the program.
• Inanna remained unaware of the matchmaking scheme, but Linden had openly overheard it.

Marshal Puji sent Eiding to disrupt the matchmaking banquet Duke Alama arranged for Pink Puji, while Vera attended the banquet in Oath City with Feiling, Feiyin, and Number Five. The group entered the lavish hall, where Phineas noticed Warren talking with the second son of Duke Lorenzo.

• Marshal Puji gave Eiding an S-Rank Magic Crystal and tasked him with making Pink Puji’s matchmaking banquet awkward enough to stop Duke Alama from trying again soon.
• Vera arrived at the banquet estate with Feiling, Feiyin, and Number Five, but the gate attendants initially stopped them because the two sisters were not on the guest list.
• Eric personally welcomed Vera and his companions into the banquet hall after Vera refused to leave the sisters outside.
• Feiling and Feiyin were overwhelmed by the hall’s splendor, while Vera casually offered them fruit to eat.
• Phineas dismissed Vera’s group as no competition and spotted Warren chatting with the second son of Duke Lorenzo.

At Inanna’s birthday banquet, Duke Alama watched young nobles compete for her attention, while Inanna stayed close to Eiding and the Pujis. Phineas dominated the martial contest and challenged Eiding, but Alama realized the Eiding who accepted the challenge was still seated beside Inanna, as Cave Four eagerly prepared to fight.

• Alama intimidated Lorenzo’s second son for praising Inanna and grew angry when he spotted the uninvited Eiding at the banquet.
• Inanna entered the hall, danced with Alama, then chose to sit with Eiding and the Pujis instead of accepting invitations from the young nobles.
• Alama began a martial contest, and Phineas beat Warren after sending him flying with [Storm Wind]; Vera caught Warren before he hit a table.
• Phineas defeated more challengers and invited Eiding to spar, while Alama noticed that Eiding had not left his seat beside Inanna.
• Cave Four wriggled in Inanna’s arms, eager to enter the ring and win glory for the Mushroom Race.

Eiding’s clone and Cave Four both defeated Phineas at Alama’s banquet, and Eiding’s illusion exposed Phineas’s contempt for Inanna, enraging the Duke. After the guests left, new reports revealed that the Hand of Passing had sacrificed much of Urbic Territory and turned its dead into evil spirits.

• Alama realized Eiding was controlling a spellcasting clone, while Phineas fought it without noticing the deception and appeared to win.
• Cave Four challenged Phineas, defeated him with blades, a Mushroom Cannon, and its Delicious skill, then won the match.
• Eiding’s illusion made Phineas voice his domineering views about Inanna, and Alama left the banquet furious.
• Cave Four returned to Inanna, who took it to the garden to discuss a reward, while Vera accepted Warren’s offer to show them the royal capital.
• Eiding slipped away through a secluded route to avoid Alama, and Linden later celebrated Inanna’s birthday with a cake.
• Feixi received news that the Hand of Passing had sacrificed one city, two towns, and six villages in Urbic Territory, leaving a vast dead zone populated by apparent evil spirits.

Sigismund decided to join the campaign against the Hand of Passing and the undead in Urbic Territory, while the cult’s High Priest sought a divine oracle through a mass sacrifice. The Demon King interrupted the ritual, but the High Priest’s power overwhelmed his slimes, forcing him to teleport away as the Empire’s troops approached.

• Sigismund mocked Cassinar’s recklessness and told Linden he would personally go to Urbic Territory to fight the Evil Cult and see the undead.
• The High Priest received an incomplete oracle demanding that the mushroom enemy be swept from the world, then the Demon King disrupted the ritual with a Wind Blade.
• Jini attacked the Demon King with fear drawn from the dead, but his mindless Slime Giant Serpent absorbed the assault.
• The High Priest spread darkness that killed the Slime Giant Serpent, while her priests’ Light Curtain blocked the Demon King’s magic attacks.
• The Demon King teleported away beneath the cover of his slimes after detonating a huge Fireball in the sky, drawing the Empire’s cleanup troops toward the altar.

Linden, controlling Sigismund's body, accompanied Finn through a village whose Demon Race inhabitants had died in a mass sacrifice, and wandering souls weakened Linden when they struck him. After reaching the other lords' forces, Sigismund learned that the cult's leaders had escaped and concluded that the mission had further weakened his roommate's soul, bringing his hoped-for freedom closer.

• Finn warned Sigismund about a wandering ghost, but it struck him before Finn could protect him with the Soul Lamp.
• Linden scratched the spot where the soul had hit and urged Finn and the others to keep moving, while Finn admired Sigismund's apparent resilience.
• Sigismund joined the other lords' forces after they had dismantled the altar and defeated most of the cultists.
• A Marquis reported that the cult's core group had escaped, that Marquis Ravencrow was badly injured by a young girl’s pitch-black magic, and that troops had been sent to intercept them.
• Sigismund declined to pursue the cultists and reflected that the wandering souls had weakened his roommate, bringing his release from its restraints closer.

The surviving Hand of Passing forces hid in the Black Forest while Jini warned that their unconscious High Priest needed rare ingredients to survive the damage caused by death magic. As Kuruge went undercover to find them, Count Bona and the Yellow Book plotted to use the Empire’s search for the cult as cover for killing its investigators.

• Kuruge laid the unconscious High Priest on a makeshift couch, and Jini determined that death-power corrosion and depleted spirituality were causing her condition to worsen.
• Jini named the ingredients needed to stabilize the High Priest, and Kuruge left with two believers to search for them.
• Count Bona agreed to help an Imperial officer search for Hand of Passing, then consulted the Yellow Book after the officer left.
• The Yellow Book told Bona to create a batch of cultists and arrange for the Imperial pursuers to die in an ambush, and Bona agreed.
• Kuruge entered the city disguised as a mercenary and learned that the precious materials he sought had been shipped to the bone field for a Magic Array.

Kuruge and two believers raided the Excavation Site warehouse for materials but fell into an Empire trap, and a Cat-folk priest helped Kuruge escape. Cang Gu betrayed the Empire officer, while Kuruge and the Cat-folk priest were stopped by the suddenly appearing Puji.

• Kuruge and two believers broke into the Excavation Site warehouse and found Blood-Weeping Vine roots and beast bone marrow.
• Empire soldiers ambushed Kuruge and killed the two believers, but Kuruge took the materials from their bodies and fought his way out.
• The Cat-folk priest arrived, warned Kuruge about the mental field, and helped him escape across an earthen bridge.
• Cang Gu stabbed the officer and attacked the Empire soldiers, declaring that they were eliminating uninvited guests.
• The Cat-folk priest warned Kuruge of something ahead, and Puji appeared before them and stopped their escape.

Knight Puji defeated the Hand of Passing priests, capturing the badly wounded Kuruge while the Cat-folk priest escaped. As Linden focused on the transfer ritual in the Beast Bone Field, the Demon King appeared in Count Bona’s mansion and came to retrieve Ah Huang.

• The Cat-folk priest and Kuruge fought Knight Puji, who held them back until Cang Gu’s troops approached.
• Kuruge grabbed Puji to let the Cat-folk priest escape with the package, but Puji burned and fatally wounded Kuruge.
• The Cat-folk priest fled, and Puji used glowing spores to keep the nearly dead Kuruge alive for questioning.
• Linden prioritized the transfer ritual in the Beast Bone Field and chose to delay pursuing the Hand of Passing’s remaining members.
• The Demon King arrived through the teleportation Magic Array in Count Bona’s mansion and told Ah Huang he had come to pick him up.

The Demon King found Yellow Book working with Puji and offered to hide it from the soul aggregate restraining it, while admitting he could not promise when it would gain a soul of its own. Linden and Knight Puji confronted him, but the Demon King teleported away, leaving Yellow Book with Puji.

• Yellow Book recognized the Demon King, revealed its hardship and its cooperation with Puji, and asked him to consider working with them.
• The Demon King said cooperation could not resolve their fundamental conflict over who would become the world's savior, then offered to hide Yellow Book's core from the restraint binding it.
• Yellow Book asked when it would gain a soul of its own, and the Demon King said he could not guarantee when he would discover the missing condition.
• Yellow Book tried to Charm the Demon King as Knight Puji attacked, and Linden assessed the Demon King's overwhelming strength through his Panel.
• The Demon King teleported away, leaving Knight Puji with Yellow Book and Count Bona unconscious on the floor.