Chapter Summaries

Suren retrieved Ötzi the Iceman's Shroud from the Moon Hotel and used it to vanish from sight, escaping while Rena remained behind. The Umbrella Organization identified the shroud and ordered a search of District Four, then prepared to have Sergei and Samb intercept Suren before he could reach the Cross Society.

• Suren brought Rena to room 505 at the Moon Hotel, where he found the invisible Ötzi the Iceman's Shroud hidden in a ceiling corner.
• Suren learned the shroud could conceal his presence but drained his lifespan, then wrapped himself in it and disappeared from the mirror's view.
• Suren told Rena to claim he had kidnapped her and left the room; she kept her eyes closed until a rescuer arrived.
• The Umbrella Organization's Major General learned that Suren had escaped with the shroud and ordered a search of District Four's rivers, sewers, and smuggling routes.
• The Major General ordered Sergei to track Suren using his bloodstained clothing and Samb to intercept and kill him before he reached the Cross Society.

After escaping the sewers, Suren discovered that Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript could greatly improve his alchemy studies and decided to flee the city while the Umbrella Organization hunted him. On his way to collect his belongings, Sergei the Plague Doctor tracked him with crows and struck him with a curse.

• Suren escaped the sewers, injected himself with a Potent Antidote Potion, and survived the poison and Mutated Monsters.
• Suren examined Ötzi the Iceman's Shroud and Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript III, learning that the Shroud drained his lifespan while the manuscript improved his alchemy learning.
• Suren decided to leave the city, avoid returning to the Cross Society, and retrieve his belongings from Green Street before fleeing.
• Suren stole a motorcycle and rode toward South City, but red-eyed crows began following him and he recognized Sergei of the Crow Gang.
• Sergei's curse caused Suren to vomit a black crow from his throat as he rode through Outer City.

Suren endured Sergei’s plague curse and lured the Plague Doctor to the cursed basement at Number 88, where Suren vanished and Sergei was caught in the Cursed Space. The chapter left Sergei trapped inside, realizing too late that Suren had drawn him into a dangerous place.

• Suren identified the Plague Crow’s Septic Curse draining his vital essence and destroyed most of Sergei’s crows as he escaped toward South City.
• Suren decided to lure Sergei into the Grade T Cursed Space at Number 88, then abandoned his motorcycle and took a winding route to the villa.
• Suren rested and prepared his weapons while the curse weakened him and forced another crow out of his mouth.
• Sergei arrived at the villa in his Crowman form, and Suren pretended to flee before drawing him into the basement.
• Suren disappeared inside the basement, leaving a note explaining that it was a Cursed Space, and Sergei realized he had been trapped.

Suren lured Sergei into the Cursed Space and used a manifested Spider Queen to kill him, then lifted his Crow Sepsis Curse and took Sergei’s memories and mask. With the Umbrella Organization’s advance team likely arriving, Suren prepared to collect his belongings and flee the city.

• Suren summoned a Spider Queen in the Cursed Space, and it struck Sergei down twice after his crow Substitute Puppet absorbed the first fatal attack.
• Suren escaped the Spider Queen, took Sergei’s Storage Ring and Gray Mist, and returned to the basement at 88 Green Street.
• Suren found and swallowed the powder that lifted the Crow Sepsis Curse, then gained Sergei’s memories, Curse Technique knowledge, and the Straw Figure skill.
• Suren identified Sergei’s Plague Doctor’s Beak Mask but decided not to wear it because it could expose him to the Crow Gang.
• Suren concluded that the Umbrella Organization’s advance team had likely reached South City and prepared to return to Green Street and leave the city.

Suren retrieved the Black Scythe and used it with an invisible Living Corpse to break the Umbrella Organization’s ambush on Green Street. After surviving the fight, he feigned relief at Smoker’s arrival, then suddenly turned his scythe on him.

• Suren returned to his basement, attached the Black Scythe to the Rune Living Corpse, and concealed both with Ötzi the Iceman’s Shroud.
• The Umbrella Organization surrounded Green Street, and Suren killed two Second Tier Professionals with precise scythe strikes after they deprived him of sight and hearing.
• Suren used a puppet to block a cannon shot, severed the gunman’s legs, and narrowly dodged the man’s final blast as the scythe’s backlash destroyed the Living Corpse.
• Suren burned the bodies, fought through the remaining Umbrella Organization members, collected spoils, and escaped toward an alley as smoke spread through the streets.
• Suren pretended to welcome Smoker’s help, then drew the Black Scythe and slashed at him; Smoker Samb was left dumbfounded.

Suren confronted Smoker in the Inner City after killing three Umbrella Organization Tier 2 cadres, and their fight turned into a deadly contest of concealment and endurance. Suren used X Serum and a Mutation Inhibitor to withstand Smoker’s fire poison and prepare to strike back, while Smoker remained hidden in the smoke.

• Smoker blocked Suren’s path, and Suren attacked with the Black Scythe, severing Smoker’s arm before he escaped into the mist.
• Smoker warned Suren that another swing of the cursed scythe would kill him, while Suren taunted him and searched for his concealed position.
• Smoker filled the alley with fire poison, but Suren put on Sergei’s Crow-Beak Mask and provoked Smoker by revealing he knew about the poison and Sergei’s death.
• As the fire poison burned him and reinforcements approached, Suren injected X Serum and then a Mutation Inhibitor to heal the damage and suppress the serum’s dangerous effects.
• Suren used the serum’s regenerative power to prepare for another attack, intending to withstand both Smoker’s poison and the Black Scythe’s curse backlash.

Suren encountered a cloaked fighter who intercepted Smoker and killed him in a single exchange. He recognized the victor as Sister Chijou, whose unexpected strength raised new questions about the Cross Society and the Third Party Force.

• Suren fled south while Smoker pursued him in a cloud of smoke, and a cloaked figure stopped them and asked whether Smoker belonged to the Umbrella Organization.
• The cloaked figure attacked Smoker after he confirmed his affiliation, manifesting a Rakshasi-like phantom and overwhelming him with a single strike.
• Smoker recognized the cloaked figure before she killed him with a kick to the head.
• Suren recognized the cloaked woman as Sister Chijou, and she asked how he had identified her.

Qiantiao rescued Suren from the Umbrella Organization’s pursuit and arranged for him to leave Old Lindun with a Wilderness Hunter Group. As they headed outside the city, Suren gathered Smoker’s spoils, discussed his escape and injuries with Qiantiao, and left his belongings and friend Danny in her care.

• Qiantiao revealed that Rena had asked her to help Suren and explained that she had returned after learning he had escaped.
• Suren collected Smoker’s Storage Ring, job materials, and soul fragments, then destroyed the corpse with an Incendiary Bomb.
• Suren told Qiantiao how he had identified Smoker as a mole and confirmed that he had killed Sergei, while keeping Mr. Black’s secrets to himself.
• Qiantiao warned Suren about the Black Scythe’s lethal curse backlash and arranged medical help as they crossed the South City wall.
• Qiantiao arranged a new identity and a place for Suren with an Inner City Wilderness Hunter Group, and agreed to retrieve his belongings and protect Danny at No. 16 Green Street.
• Qiantiao noticed Suren’s blue skin after his X Serum injection and advised him to become stronger before seeking high-level secrets.

Suren traveled toward Dawn City disguised as the unaffiliated hunter Jonny, tested a new Voodoo Doll on Abagon, and learned more about the doll’s curse. The journey’s routine was interrupted when Tommy summoned Suren to an emergency meeting called by Abagon.

• Qiantiao arranged Suren’s identity as Jonny and placed him with the Thornbird Merchant Association Transport Group heading underground toward Dawn City.
• Tommy asked Suren to inspect his mask, and Suren helped him improve its mechanical goggles.
• At camp, Suren replenished the runes on his Living Corpse and reflected on how X Serum had greatly strengthened his body and Dark Spiritual Energy absorption.
• Suren tested the Voodoo Doll using Abagon’s blood, noting that the curse’s reaction slowed with distance and weakened as the blood sample was consumed.
• Tommy arrived at Suren’s tent and told him that Abagon had called the mercenaries together for an emergency meeting.

Suren traveled with the Thornbird Merchant Association’s transport team while deciphering Isaac’s Alchemy Manuscript, which described increasingly powerful alchemical heart implants. At a dangerous camp, the Iron Knight Bounty Hunter Group searched for the woman who had assassinated Lord House, and Suren faced exposure when one of its members ordered him to remove his mask.

• Mr. Abagon warned the transport team that Mutated Monsters had attacked caravans near D24, and Benson offered Suren protection if danger arose.
• Suren continued studying the manuscript and deciphered designs for Isaac’s Alchemy Heart (Level I) and Level II, finding no evidence of the supposed contamination.
• The transport team entered a high-risk area, where Hol and the Iron Knight Bounty Hunter Group arrived and demanded to search the camp for a wanted criminal.
• Hol revealed that the fugitive had assassinated Lord House and displayed a wanted notice depicting the woman who had blown up the laboratory.
• An Iron Knight member pointed his gun at Suren’s tent and ordered him to remove his mask, leaving Suren considering whether to kill them.

Suren watched the Iron Cavalry Group pursue Number Nineteen after Diviner Hargins used a costly divination to track her, then followed them to observe her ambush. Number Nineteen killed Hargins and the other surviving pursuers, while Hol transformed into an Abomination Warrior to chase her, drawing Suren’s attention to the potential Living Corpse material.

• A member of the Iron Cavalry Group found a damaged PX-911 Mechanical Limb, and Hol asked Hargins to divine the wanted criminal’s location.
• Hargins used a crystal necklace to guide the group toward a southwest cave, but the divination left him badly injured; Suren decided to follow them and consider killing the Diviner.
• Suren pursued the Iron Cavalry Group across the cavern ceiling and arrived as Number Nineteen’s explosive ambush began.
• Number Nineteen broke past Hol, killed Hargins and the other five surviving pursuers, then fled deeper into the Underground Chamber.
• Hol injected an Abomination Potion and transformed into an Abomination Warrior to pursue Number Nineteen, while Suren considered him useful material for a Living Corpse.

Suren waited for a chance to capture the Second Tier Abomination Warrior while Number Nineteen fought it and a Mechanical Warrior arrived. When Number Nineteen created an opening, Suren used the Invisible Living Corpse to kill the uniformed man and the Abomination, then approached the bodies.

• Suren pursued Hol after he transformed into a Second Tier Abomination Warrior, hoping to use him as material for a Living Corpse.
• Hol caught up with Number Nineteen, and the two fought fiercely while Suren hid and waited for a chance to act.
• A uniformed Mechanical Warrior arrived and quickly subdued Number Nineteen, severing her arms and demanding to know where something was.
• Number Nineteen trapped the uniformed man's arm with her legs to give Suren an opening, and Suren used the Invisible Living Corpse to cut off the man's head.
• The Abomination went berserk after the uniformed man's death, so Suren killed it with another spatial rift, picked up the scythe and Body Bag, and walked toward Number Nineteen and the corpses.

Suren repaired the Abomination Warrior’s corpse and negotiated with Number Nineteen over her Mechanical Limb while learning why she had betrayed the Black Tower. She then revealed that Suren had once lived Outside the Tower, leaving his missing past more mysterious.

• Suren reattached the Abomination Warrior’s head, collected the Mechanical Warrior’s memories and combat experience, and took Number Nineteen’s Storage Ring.
• Suren and the injured Number Nineteen traveled into the Underground Chamber, where he began inscribing runes on the Abomination’s corpse to preserve its revival.
• Number Nineteen told Suren that she had followed Yves Banks and his wife’s orders to destroy the X Serum project after the Number Seven Institute exploded.
• Number Nineteen offered valuable spoils and Black Tower intelligence in exchange for her Mechanical Limb and Suren’s help.
• When Suren asked whether they had known each other before the Black Knight’s Club, Number Nineteen said she had personally sent him out of the Black Tower and revealed that he came from Outside the Tower.

Suren learned that the Black Tower connected Old Lindun to a larger world above, and that people from there were exiled into the Outer City after their memories were erased. After confirming Number Nineteen belonged to Mr. Black’s organization, he agreed to help her obtain and connect a Mechanical Limb.

• Number Nineteen told Suren that she had escorted him from Outside the Tower and that other people were exiled there after their memories were erased.
• Suren realized Old Lindun was likely a place of exile beneath a vast upper world and resolved to grow stronger and explore it.
• Number Nineteen revealed that she knew about Suren’s identity, Sealed Items, and recent battles, including Qiantiao rescuing him from Smoker Samb.
• Number Nineteen said she had joined Mr. Black’s organization and asked Suren to help her acquire and attach a Mechanical Limb.
• Suren recognized the organization’s token in his Storage Ring and agreed to help Number Nineteen.

Suren completed an Abomination Living Corpse and traded mechanical parts and repair work with Number Nineteen. After upgrading her limbs, he learned that a powerful figure from Outside the Tower had discovered the Dawn City Ruins, where Grand Duke Raphael was also searching for something.

• Suren finished inscribing runes on the Abomination Warrior, stabilizing its vital signs and creating an Abomination Living Corpse that could regenerate from wounds.
• Suren showed Number Nineteen the PX911 mechanical limbs he had obtained, and she agreed to use them as part of their trade.
• Suren cut open Number Nineteen’s clothing and replaced most of her damaged mechanical limbs with the new PX911 parts while asking about Mechanical Warriors and the X Serum Project.
• Number Nineteen warned Suren that the Black Tower had allowed news of the Dawn City Ruins to spread and that Grand Duke Raphael was searching there for something.
• Number Nineteen said a young master from Outside the Tower had discovered the ruins while searching for a legendary altar, and Suren realized this was the person hunting the original owner.

After escorting a convoy to Dawn City Ruins, Suren entered the fortified Wilderness Hunter town and headed for its market to find advancement materials. He began browsing stalls where rare ancient goods and Silver Materials were sold openly.

• Suren appraised Sereia's Crystal Pendant, discovered its protection from low-tier divination, and concealed it on his wrist.
• Suren learned that the Black Market bounty came from the original owner's enemies Outside the Tower, then traveled with the convoy to Dawn City Ruins.
• Suren saw Storm Manor's expanding settlement and realized the Cursed Space there had been broken, while recalling Pestoya.
• Suren collected nearly one hundred thousand Liso, disguised the Abomination Warrior as cargo on a Steam Dog, and entered the town after paying the entrance fee.
• Suren learned that the town's major consortiums recruited Wilderness Hunters for exploration missions and chose to visit the market instead.
• Suren reached the market district and found ancient weapons, Cursed Materials, and Silver Job Advancement Materials offered at street stalls.

Suren bought the Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch and refused to sell it to Danzer Oliver and his teacher, the Puppet Master Lloyd Rodney. After noticing that the Oliver family had him followed, Suren disguised himself and took the Abomination Living Corpse toward the Wilderness Hunter's Guild to seek information and advanced materials.

• Suren bought several books and other items while browsing the market, then found more than twenty strands of the Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch and paid one hundred thousand Liso for them.
• Suren bought information about where the threads had been found and learned they came from a monastery near a red-brick tower in the East City ruins.
• Danzer Oliver and his teacher, Lloyd Rodney, arrived to buy the threads, but Suren refused to sell them and walked away.
• Danzer offered the stall owner one million Liso for the threads, but Suren refused the owner's attempt to reverse the sale.
• Lloyd concluded that Suren was likely a Puppet Master and possibly a wanted criminal, then had a bodyguard follow him.
• Suren detected the tail, changed his clothes and mask, concealed the Abomination Living Corpse with the Cursed Hair, and headed for the Wilderness Hunter's Guild.

Suren posted a request for information about awakening a Tier 2 Spatial Ability and met Tommy, who may have awakened an unusual innate talent. He joined Benson’s group for an expedition to East City’s Red Brick Tower District with the Abomination Living Corpse, unaware whether the Oliver Family’s plans would bring him into conflict with his pursuers.

• Suren posted a 5-million-Liso offer for information about awakening a Tier 2 Spatial Ability at the Wilderness Hunters' Guild.
• Tommy recognized Suren by a vague feeling and described a possible innate talent that he had awakened after nearly being killed.
• Benson invited Suren and the Abomination Living Corpse to join the Drunkard Group on a paid expedition to East City’s Red Brick Tower District.
• Suren realized the Oliver Family was organizing the expedition to investigate the same area where the Cursed Hair of the Weeping Witch had been found.
• Suren registered with the Oliver Family Wilderness Hunter Group under the Drunkard Group and agreed to leave for the ruins the next morning.

Suren gathered intelligence about the Dawn City Ruins, then joined the Drunkard Wilderness Hunter Group on an expedition toward the Red Brick Tower District. After giant bats attacked the hunters inside the ruins, Suren identified one as an Abyssal Bloodthirsty Giant Bat and wondered if it resembled the mutated monsters in Old Lindun’s sewers.

• Suren listened to hunters in the Black Knight tavern and learned about dangerous areas and recent expeditions in the Dawn City Ruins.
• Sabina, Banner’s woman, descended from the VIP floor with Danzer Oliver, and her charm briefly affected Suren before he resisted it.
• Suren met up with Benson’s Drunkard Wilderness Hunter Group, which included Benson’s son Tommy, and joined the expedition led by Bloom toward the Red Brick Tower District.
• On the journey, Suren heard rumors about his own wanted status, while Tommy described seeing a huge light around him and revealed his unusual ability to sense people.
• After the teams entered the ruins and a swarm of giant bats attacked, Suren helped defend the group, which suffered few losses.
• Suren examined a bat corpse and identified it as an Abyssal Bloodthirsty Giant Bat, then thought of the mutated monsters in Old Lindun’s sewers.

Suren discovered that the Weeping Witch’s appearance triggered the Bell Tower Monster’s Cursed Space and realized the Warblade Group was using other teams to investigate it. After Collins threatened Tommy, Suren rang the bell to move the confrontation into the Cursed Space.

• Suren and Tommy searched the ruins, and Tommy sensed a hidden Star Shard Gem beneath rubble that Suren appraised at no less than eight hundred thousand.
• Tommy sensed something strange about the ruined bell tower, but Suren found no unusual signs on the enormous bell.
• The Warblade Group’s investigating squad vanished, then ten of its members’ corpses appeared nearby, pierced by strands of silver hair.
• Suren identified the silver hair as the Weeping Witch’s and realized the bell tower’s Cursed Space appeared when the witch did.
• Collins ordered Tommy and Suren away from the corpses, and Suren sensed the Warblade Group’s hostility had become killing intent.
• Suren struck the bell, intending to enter its Cursed Space and change the battlefield.