Chapter Summaries

Shane and Irene continued searching for Claire, and Shane unexpectedly contacted him through a message-sending spindle. Claire revealed that he had been teleported to another world and asked Shane to find books on teleportation, leaving him with a possible path home.

• Irene blamed herself for Claire’s disappearance, but Shane reassured her and promised that Claire would return.
• After Irene left, Shane woke late and remembered his planned meeting with Sophia to ask the August Family ancestor for help locating Claire.
• Shane used the black spindle Claire had given him and received a message confirming that Claire was alive.
• Claire told Shane that a spatial teleportation mishap had sent him to another world, where nearly a month had passed during the three days since his disappearance.
• Claire asked Shane to find teleportation books at the Royal Capital Magic Academy and to keep his location secret from Irene and the others.

Claire learned that Shane could create Spatial Coordinates to guide him back to the Mage World, but he lacked the strength to establish a cross-plane Space Channel. When Upton reported that Martin’s partner had invited him to explore Ancient Ruins, Claire saw a chance to grow stronger sooner.

• Claire rejected Upton’s offer of tribute girls and returned to studying notes Shane had copied from the Magic Academy’s library.
• Claire learned that the energy imbalance between the Mage World and the Wizard World had pushed him through the Space Channel, and that Shane could create Spatial Coordinates to guide him home.
• Claire planned to advance to Archmage, then teleport a Small Light Orb through a Teleportation Array and use its Space Channel to return to the Mage World.
• Upton told Claire that Martin’s partner had arrived to invite Martin to explore Ancient Ruins.
• Claire became interested in the expedition as a chance to increase his strength and advance sooner.

Claire confronted Moor about Martin’s death and secured a place on his team exploring the Ancient Ruins. After Moor left, she sent Upton away and headed to Martin’s laboratory to prepare for the expedition.

• Claire admitted to Moor that she had killed Martin, and Moor decided not to seek revenge.
• Claire asked to join Moor’s team exploring the Ancient Ruins, and Moor agreed to take her along.
• Moor told Claire that the team would find her in three days and would have seven members in total.
• After Moor left, Claire summoned Upton and asked where Martin’s laboratory was.
• Claire headed to the basement laboratory and told Upton not to disturb her unless something important happened.

Claire joined Moor’s group of witches and traveled with them to the Ancient Ruins, surprising them by using Flight Sorcery for the entire journey. After arriving in the forest, Christine began leading the group toward the ruins’ location.

• Claire introduced herself to Moor’s companions, and Kelly questioned whether she could keep up until Moor revealed that Claire had killed Martin.
• Claire offered to fight anyone who doubted her strength, but Moor ended the argument and prepared the group to leave.
• Moor asked about Claire’s mount, so Claire explained nothing and cast Flight Sorcery instead, astonishing the witches with her casual use of life-consuming magic.
• The group reached the forest ruins that afternoon, and Christine surveyed the area before leading everyone deeper into the forest.
• Claire deliberately slowed down and took the rear of the group so she could run first if danger appeared.

Christine led the wizards to the sealed ruins, where they opened a passage and entered an underground plaza filled with wizard-style buildings. Claire led the group through the trapped tunnel after securing a promise of a bigger share, and the chapter ended when someone discovered that they were not the first to arrive.

• Christine found the granite wall concealing the ruins, and the hunched old man opened its sealed entrance.
• Kelly urged the hunched old man to enter first, but Claire volunteered after the others promised him a bigger share.
• Claire entered the passage and led the wizards through it, while a hidden arrow trap struck at Kelly and she dissolved it with poisonous mist.
• Moor told the wizards to follow Claire's footsteps, and the group safely reached the underground plaza.
• The wizards scattered to explore the plaza, and someone warned that another group had arrived before them.

Claire’s group found fresh footprints in the ruin and followed them to a team of seven Nata wizards. As Moor prepared an ambush, Claire questioned whether they should fight before finding treasure, then argued they could gain an advantage by attacking first and taking the other wizards’ belongings.

• The wizards discovered fresh footprints and followed them through a passage into a large building.
• Claire used Eagle Eye Technique to spot seven wizards on the third floor, and the group identified them as members of the Nata School.
• Moor proposed that everyone ambush and fight the Nata wizards they recognized.
• Claire asked what they would be fighting over before any treasure appeared, causing the group to reconsider.
• Claire then argued that the group should attack while they held the advantage and could take the Nata wizards’ belongings.

Claire and Moor’s group ambushed rival wizards while Claire faced a witch and tested her magic. Moor’s side gained the advantage, leaving the witch under pressure as Claire kept trying to talk her out of fighting.

• Moor used Shadow Cover to hide Claire and the others before they launched a surprise attack on the rival group.
• The ambush scattered the rival wizards into separate fights, and Claire was left to face the beautiful witch.
• Claire dodged the witch’s Giant Serpent Devour spell and examined how the summoned creature behaved.
• Claire attacked with Shadow Fireball, but the witch escaped its range by casting Flight Sorcery at the precise moment.
• Moor joined the hunched old man’s battle after defeating his own opponent, and their side began to overwhelm the rivals.
• Claire told the witch her side was bound to win, but the witch snapped at her to shut up.

Claire was scattered by the witch’s spatial teleportation and landed in an ancient greenhouse, where he soon encountered Nicole again. He demanded the teleportation artifact from her, but before they could fight, someone called out to Nicole.

• The witch used a penholder-shaped artifact to teleport everyone on the battlefield away, and Claire let the spatial pull take him.
• Claire arrived in a long-abandoned greenhouse and found its plants had crumbled into dust.
• Claire broke through the greenhouse wall and came face-to-face with Nicole, who had also been teleported there.
• Claire asked Nicole to give him the teleportation artifact, then prepared to take it by force when she refused.
• Someone ran toward Nicole and called out that he was coming to help.

Claire forced Nicole to reveal that her group had come for a treasure, killed one of Nicole’s wizards, and was separated from her by another random teleportation. In a new plaza, Claire found Kelly fleeing with a treasure box and helped her kill their pursuer.

• Claire deduced that Nicole’s group had arrived prepared and was searching for something, then asked Nicole to reveal the treasure and explain her Giant Serpent Devour witchcraft.
• Claire used an illusion to approach and kill the chubby wizard, then threatened Nicole and demanded the object she carried.
• Nicole activated random teleportation again, sending Claire and herself to separate locations after Claire promised they would meet again.
• Claire arrived in another plaza, heard witchcraft fighting nearby, and went to investigate.
• Claire found Kelly fleeing with a rectangular treasure box, joined her against the pursuing wizard, and helped her kill him.

After Claire helped Kelly kill the wizard pursuing her, they opened the box Kelly had stolen and found four rare Sorcery Scrolls. Kelly tried to take them all and escape, but Claire severed her hand and kept the scrolls, then rejected Kelly’s plea for mercy.

• Kelly explained that she had stolen the box from the wizard while he was opening a treasure chest.
• Kelly opened the box and revealed four Sorcery Scrolls, which she identified as containing spells from an Epic Wizard.
• Kelly decided to kill Claire and seize the scrolls, but Claire exposed her intention and cut off her hand as she tried to flee with them.
• Claire took the scrolls and approached Kelly, who used the plight of female wizards to plead for her life.
• Claire asked what Kelly’s hardships had to do with Claire killing her.

Claire forced Kelly to surrender a rune-carved stone that gathered energy, then killed her and took her belongings. Meanwhile, Nicole returned to the mural and failed repeatedly to open it until someone impatiently questioned her.

• Claire rejected Kelly's attempt to seduce her and demanded something valuable instead.
• Kelly gave Claire a rune-carved stone that concentrated nearby energy, but Claire killed her and destroyed her body.
• Claire collected Kelly's belongings and the dead male wizard's corpse before leaving.
• Nicole returned to the building's third floor and tried to decipher the Stone Wall Mural using an ancient book.
• After Nicole failed to open the mural, a bored voice asked whether she could actually do it.

Claire ambushed Nicole, took her spatial sorcery artifact, and learned that the Ancient Tome described how to open a door in the stone wall. After solving its puzzle in minutes, Claire opened the door and left Nicole stunned by her talent.

• Claire caught Nicole from behind, took her bone sorcery artifact, and bound her with a Sorcery Chain.
• Claire questioned Nicole about the Ancient Tome, and Nicole explained that it recorded how to open the door.
• Claire studied the tome and mural, then quickly worked out the symbols and key needed to open the door.
• The stone wall transformed into a rippling portal, astonishing Nicole, who had spent more than half a year trying to open it.
• Claire called herself a genius and asked Nicole whether she did not look like one.

Claire forced Nicole through a mysterious passage into Horna's ruin, where they discovered the legendary wizard's diary and encountered his lingering soul. Horna offered them his inheritance, but Claire said she was more interested in him than in his perfected wizard system.

• Claire tied Nicole up, used her to test the water-mirror passage, and then followed her into the ruin.
• Claire found old papers and made Nicole read diary entries describing Horna's experiments and his work to perfect the wizard Cultivation Method.
• Nicole explained Horna's importance and began to cry when she realized they had found his ruin.
• A whirlwind formed into Horna's soul, and he explained that he had left his perfected Cultivation Method behind for people who would inherit it.
• Horna offered Claire and Nicole his inheritance, but Claire said she was interested in him rather than the wizard system.

Claire exposed Horna’s spirit as a body-stealing impostor and captured him despite his mental attack. As more wizards arrived through the water mirror, Nicole announced that Claire had caught the legendary wizard Horna, who could help restore their cultivation system.

• Nicole begged Claire to accept Horna’s inheritance and become the King of Wizards, but Claire refused to take the offer at face value.
• Claire pointed out that the diary pages were too well preserved to be ancient and accused Horna of fabricating them to lure people into surrendering their bodies.
• Horna attacked Claire with a mental spear, but Claire blocked it with a mental-protection Magic Shield and trapped Horna with Psionic Hand.
• Claire compressed Horna’s spirit into a ball, restrained it, and put it in his pocket as treasure from the ruins.
• Several wizards emerged from the water mirror, including a bound enemy wizard, and Nicole revealed to them that Claire had captured Horna’s spirit.

Claire revealed Horna's spirit to the wizards, provoking them to attack her. As the battle turned against them, Nicole used a scroll and vanished, leaving Claire to suggest that she had teleported away and betrayed the others.

• Nicole told Moor that Horna's spirit was in Claire's pocket, and Claire revealed the spirit in a sphere.
• Christine charged at Claire and was cut in half by a wind blade he failed to perceive.
• Moor and the other wizards joined forces against Claire, and Nicole and a Level Four wizard entered the fight.
• Nicole grew increasingly uneasy as Claire calmly fought them, then tore a Sorcery Scroll that made her disappear.
• Claire told the remaining wizards that Nicole had likely used a short-range Spatial Teleportation Scroll to escape.

Claire pursued the hunched old man after the other wizards escaped, and he sacrificed Barro to restore his youth before fleeing. When Claire caught him, he admitted he had raised Barro as a source of life force and confessed his fear of death, leaving Claire to judge him.

• Moor and the other two wounded a wizard to distract Claire, then escaped through the water mirror while the hunched old man's explosive bag injured her.
• Claire killed the wounded wizard and pursued the hunched old man, who had split from the others while carrying Barro.
• Cornered by Claire, the hunched old man drained Barro's blood and life force, then smashed through a wall and fled in a burst of red light.
• Claire caught the hunched old man after his rejuvenation faded and questioned him about Barro and his actions.
• The hunched old man confessed that he had raised Barro as his successor before deciding to use him to prolong his own life, and Claire called him a scum before preparing to kill him.

After capturing Horna, Claire rejected his offer of a perfected Cultivation Method and revealed that he wanted Horna’s soul matter to advance. Claire gave Horna a chance to survive by stripping away the soul matter himself, and Horna began the agonizing process in Claire’s laboratory.

• Claire looted the ruins, abandoned his pursuit of the three escapees, and used Horna’s spirit body to locate the remaining treasures.
• Claire brought Horna to his laboratory and ignored his offer of a perfected Cultivation Method, revealing that he already possessed a better one.
• Claire told Horna that he wanted the soul matter nourished inside Horna’s spirit body to help him advance.
• Claire offered to spare Horna if he stripped away his own soul matter and survived, and Horna agreed.
• Claire prepared a substance to contain the soul matter, then watched as Horna began stripping it away and screamed in agony.

Nicole returned to the lighthouse and told her grandfather, Daren, that she had found Legendary Wizard Horna’s spirit body in the ruins, but the complete Cultivation Method had been stolen. Daren decided to go after it, concealing from Nicole that he believed he had to secure at least part of the method to protect them from rival schools.

• Nicole came back to the lighthouse and told Daren that Horna’s spirit body had said someone stole his complete Cultivation Method.
• Nicole recounted the events in the ruins, including Claire’s involvement and the escape of two other people.
• Daren warned that the stolen method could stir up the Wizard World and that the other survivors could expose Nicole’s role.
• Daren explained that he would go to the ruins, while refusing to let Nicole accompany him.
• After Nicole agreed to stay behind, Daren privately resolved to seize the method, or at least part of it, to protect himself and Nicole from their enemies.

Claire turned Horna into an owl and bound him to stay within twenty meters of her while she studied a rune-covered stone. When five powerful wizards arrived outside the city, Daren threatened one of them for mocking the losses suffered by the Nata School.

• Horna woke in an owl’s body and learned that Claire had cursed him to explode if he moved more than twenty meters away from her.
• Claire resumed carving runes onto stones, but Upton rushed in and warned that several powerful school leaders had arrived outside the city.
• Horna realized Claire had expected the visitors, and he flew after her to stay within the curse’s limit.
• Daren arrived with four other epic-level wizards, and one of them taunted him about the Nata School’s losses and the stolen Cultivation Method.
• Daren glared at the taunting wizard and warned him that he would kill him if he said another word.

Daren confronted Gunt after Gunt provoked him, then backed down to avoid benefiting the watching wizards. Claire gave the gathered wizards identical copies of the complete Cultivation Method, and they left with the knowledge now shared among them.

• Daren attacked Gunt after warning him to stop talking, but Gunt turned into blood mist and avoided serious injury.
• Vance encouraged the conflict, but Daren withdrew and warned Gunt that Nata School was stronger in combat than Gle School.
• Claire greeted the gathered wizards calmly and claimed Horna was dead, then revealed she had found the Cultivation Method they wanted.
• Claire tossed identical copies of the complete Cultivation Method to the wizards, who verified that the books contained the same comprehensive material.
• Claire explained that she gave them the method because she could not fight them and had already benefited from reading it.
• Daren left to study the method, and the other wizards departed after obtaining copies.