The way Gonzo acted made one thing clear to whoever was controlling those undead creatures: they were not dealing with ordinary humans. The atmosphere—tense just minutes ago—began to settle. The attacks stopped, though the uncertainty of where the mastermind was hiding still crawled down their spines.

  “We need to get out of here and find the Foundation’s contact in this region,” Gonzo said urgently.

  “Master… who exactly is your contact?” Albert asked.

  “A cryptid. A kitsune, a nine-tailed fox. His name is Ginshu.”

  “What? You have cryptid allies? I thought all of them were evil…” Albert muttered, visibly unsettled.

  “You boys need to learn something,” Gonzo said with calm resolve. “Just as not all humans are good, not all cryptids, not all fae, not even all demons are evil.”

  “And what’s with you, idiot? Got scared of the zombies and decided to shut up?” Albert mocked Mason.

  “It’s not that. The master is right… we’re useless. Look at us— that woman was a weakened version, and she almost killed me. And she nearly took your hand,” Mason said, sinking into frustration.

  “Hey, relax, you’re exaggerating,” Albert tried to comfort him.

  “Do you not see the seriousness of this? We’re a burden to everyone else. How are we supposed to protect others if we can’t even protect ourselves? We couldn’t even take down a simple zombie together!”

  “The problem is that none of you cooperated… except when Albert stepped in to save you,” Gonzo interrupted firmly. “You rush in without thinking, without complementing each other’s strengths. And all your techniques are close-range. You have nothing for long-distance engagement. If you miss, you’re exposed. But all of that can be fixed. That’s why you’re with me.”

  They continued along the path. Mason walked silently, trapped in self-judgment, while Albert stared at the wound on his hand.

  “Master… could I create something like Damien’s ‘Dragon Skin’?”

  “Short answer: no. Long answer: that ability belongs to his Dragon Beast Koa. Some say it can endure an explosion capable of erasing a city—though I doubt it’s that extreme. Your Defender ability is only a simulation, but based on Nature Koa. It can still improve, though it won’t reach the same scale.” Gonzo explained.

  When they left the forest, everything changed. The thick fog was thinning out, and stepping past the trail felt like leaving another dimension. Waiting for them outside was a humanoid figure with white skin, about six feet tall, long silver hair with streaks of red.

  “Argh, another enemy,” Albert growled, preparing for battle.

  “Hello, Ginshu. Good to see you,” Gonzo greeted, raising his hand.

  “I’ve been waiting, my good friend Gonzo,” the fox-like humanoid replied with a gentle smile.

  Ginshu introduced himself and explained the situation: in recent weeks, more and more humans had begun arriving. It struck the locals as odd, but they didn’t interfere—“humans always come here to die,” they figured. But then supernatural creatures began appearing, something impossible: the death-energy that attracted humans was supposed to repel them, since most of those beings despised sharing their place of death with humans.

  “Ginshu… what if I told you this is the work of a necromancer?” Gonzo asked, recounting what happened with the Kete Kete and the Kuchihagi Onna.

  “I see… but what for? And if he killed demons of Mega-class at full power, he must be extremely strong,” Ginshu said, brows furrowed.

  “It doesn’t matter how strong he is. We have to stop him,” Mason intervened, stepping out of his earlier gloom.

  “And what’s with you? Five minutes ago you said we were useless, and now you want to go after the thing that killed the forest monster at full power?” Albert asked, baffled.

  “He’s a cursed thaumaturge,” Mason replied. “According to Master Yu-Han, those who use Koa for evil or selfish gain begin to rot their own essence. No matter how strong he is, he’ll never compare to those who use it to serve. We’re not losing.”

  Gonzo glanced at him sideways.

  The suicidal aura of the forest was already affecting him earlier… looks like it finally wore off. Thank goodness we got out of there.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Well then, we must think clearly about how to approach him,” Gonzo said. “Ginshu, have you noticed anything else? Anything off the main trail?”

  “The mountain creatures have gone into hiding. Everything is too quiet. The supernatural atmosphere these mountains used to have… it’s almost gone,” Ginshu replied.

  “It’s true… I feel only a faint trace of Koa. Except for…” Albert narrowed his eyes.

  “The summit of the mountain,” Mason finished.

  Gonzo smiled inwardly.

  Amazing. Their Koa sensitivity is developing faster than I expected.

  “That’s strange… I don’t sense anything, and I live here,” Ginshu muttered in confusion.

  “It seems he blocked your perception,” Gonzo explained. “You must be a problem for him, but for some reason he can’t get rid of you. So he restricted your ability to sense Koa. He must’ve been a talented thaumaturge before rotting himself.”

  “Then let’s not waste time. Even if I can’t feel it, these mountains are my home. I’ll guide you to the top,” Ginshu declared.

  They began the ascent. The wind grew colder, the terrain harsher. Even if the supernatural presence had faded, the path was far from safe. Still, Ginshu guided them effortlessly.

  “Master… just one thing. What class is Mr. Ginshu?” Albert whispered.

  “Mega… high.”

  “High? There are sub-rankings inside the rankings?”

  “There are. Ginshu is extremely strong, but also very calm. Though— wait.” Gonzo stopped suddenly. “Boys, prepare yourselves.”

  The cold wind sharpened into bone-piercing ice. The clarity of the path vanished as fog crept back in.

  “Great… just like that goddamn forest again,” Mason grumbled.

  “Whatever you do, do not deactivate your Koa,” Gonzo warned, surrounding himself with Beast Koa. “The fog has negative effects on living minds.”

  “I feel one… no, three Koas… and some feel even stronger than that woman from the forest!” Albert trembled.

  “Calm down!” Mason barked, slapping him. “We’ll get through this— and you’re helping!”

  The ground shook. Three massive, white-furred ape-like beasts emerged from the mist.

  “Damn it! Three Yetis— and Yetis are some of the strongest cryptids in the mountain!” Ginshu shouted.

  “They have wounds on their necks… the necromancer zombified them,” Mason warned.

  “B-but… those Yetis were nearly my level when they were alive… That guy must be insanely strong…” Ginshu began losing his composure.

  “Ginshu, focus. He wants to destabilize us. And it’s working,” Gonzo said. “We don’t have a choice. We fight.”

  “Master, let Albert and me take one of them,” Mason requested firmly.

  “Did you hit your head?! That thing is stronger than the Kuchihagi Onna!” Albert protested.

  “We can do it. But only if we work together,” Mason insisted.

  “Fine. Ginshu, take one. I’ll deal with the other.”

  Gonzo unleashed his Eagle Koa. With a few precise strikes, he neutralized his Yeti.

  Ginshu rushed to fight the next one. Though his speed matched it, the Yeti had the advantage in raw physical strength.

  “Hyōken!” the zombified Yeti roared, its fist coated in freezing Koa, turning everything it touched to ice.

  Ginshu dodged, but the monster’s speed increased suddenly. A Hyōken grazed his foot, forcing him to halt briefly.

  Damn… even zombified, it’s fast.

  The Yeti clasped its hands.

  “Hyōran!” A massive wave of ice-infused Koa surged forward.

  “Watch out!” Mason yelled.

  The attack struck Ginshu directly.

  He was instantly trapped inside a gigantic block of ice. Albert froze in horror.

  “D-damn it… we couldn’t even do anything…” Albert whispered.

  “Relax. Don’t underestimate Ginshu. He just… doesn’t like fighting,” Gonzo said with a calm smile. “Focus on your opponent.”

  Inside the ice, a warm light began to shine. Like a sun breaking through its prison, the block melted.

  “Hyōran!” the Yeti tried again— to no effect.

  “I hate using violence… but well, you’re already dead,” Ginshu muttered. His face grew more fox-like, more demonic.

  The Yeti lunged with another Hyōken. It never touched him; Ginshu was far too fast.

  “Hyōran!” the monster released another attack.

  “Reiki no Kekkai.”

  Ginshu’s body glowed with Legend Koa, forming a barrier that blocked the freezing blast entirely.

  “K-Koa Legend? Isn’t he a cryptid?” Albert asked in shock.

  “Heh. Ginshu is a yōkai— a demon. I just didn’t tell you because you’d freak out,” Gonzo joked.

  “Rest beside the soul you lost! Kitsunibe!”

  Ginshu switched to Beast Koa and fired a ball of mystical fox-fire that erased the Yeti instantly.

  Mason stood inspired.

  “We can do this…”

  Their own Yeti— the weakest of the three— was still incredibly fast. It smashed the ground with ice pikes and breathed out frigid waves to keep them at bay.

  “Damn it… this guy’s tough,” Albert hissed.

  “We need to follow the master’s advice. We don’t have long-range attacks,” Mason said.

  “So what do we do?!” Albert snapped, dodge-rolling away from another icy strike.

  “A distraction. Your technique has another side, right? An offensive mode.”

  “Yeah. When I use Defend my skin hardens, but my strikes are weak. If I use Attacker, it’s the opposite. Just tell me when!”

  “You’ll know,” Mason said, planting his feet before the monster.

  The Yeti inhaled sharply.

  “Kori no Koe!”

  A blast of freezing breath shot straight toward Mason.

  “It’s time… Goranchacha!”

  Mason unleashed his Legend Koa. The Sun-Shield of Sue clashed against the glacial attack. If he yielded even one step, he would die frozen.

  “That must be the signal!” Albert activated Attacker. His Nature Koa flared, followed by Beast Koa.

  “Crescent Moon Horn!”

  He delivered hundreds of blows, each as strong as a charging bull, to the distracted Yeti. Bones cracked. The monster stumbled.

  “Good. I’ll finish it,” Mason said, switching to Beast Koa.

  “Cerberus Judgment.”

  Spectral maws tore through the Yeti, destroying it completely.

  They had won.

  Gonzo nodded with satisfaction.

  “Well done, boys. It seems we’re not welcome here… which means only one thing.”

  He looked toward the summit.

  “We’re getting closer to the necromancer.”

  And they continued climbing the mountain—

  colder, harsher, and far more hostile with every step.