The morning sun lit up the Shan Gui Highnds in sharp contrasts, each jagged peak looking like part of some ancient beast’s backbone.

  We’d climbed higher in the night, and now we could see the whole range spread out before us—like the world’s biggest, most treacherous spine.

  Mount Bloodfang stood closest, its red-streaked cliffs disappearing into swirling mist. Parts of its rock looked smooth enough to have been cwed by giants, while the rest bristled with spires that could impale a sky whale. Little blue and green lights flickered between the crags, giving me chills every time I spotted them. It was an intense sight.

  The Jade Widow’s pale stone caught the sunlight just right, throwing sparkles across the valley. Tiny streams dripped down its face, each droplet looking like a mini star falling off the rocks.

  The steady drip-drip-drip echoed strangely, and Lilian’s ears kept twitching at the sound. “Kind of annoying,” she commented.

  But the Dragon’s Crown completely stole the show. Its jagged top speared the clouds, crackling with this weird, unnatural lightning. Emerald and golden ore ran through the dark stone like trapped rivers of light. The longer I stared, the more details I noticed—scales, cws, and fangs carved into the mountain.

  “It’s like,” Sora started, “it wants people to know who’s the ruler here.”

  I couldn’t be sure if that was the case. My knowledge from Arcane Crown informed me that the Phoenix Essense was located in the Shan Gui Highnds but not in which peak. But she was probably right. We’d have to ask around to be sure. It’d be a waste plus needless danger to head to any of the peaks without a prior guarantee.

  My Demonic Sphere picked up many hidden presences, lurking around us like ancient predators ready to pounce. The wind tore through narrow passes, carrying spirits who whispered in a nguage I couldn’t quite understand. The air was so dense with power that I felt like I couldn’t breathe normally. Thankfully, breathing techniques helped.

  “...Status,” I mumbled, and the usual blue screen popped up.

  °°°°°°

  Name: Iskandaar Romani

  Age: 19 years

  Race: Human

  Qi: 9330/11750

  Level: 60 | 23% EXP

  °°°

  Css: Myth Syer

  Css Level: [3/10]

  Css Skills:

  Mythrend [Active]Void Step [Active]Soul Sever [Active]Legendbreaker [Passive]Veil of the Syer [Passive]Astral Rend [Active]Fate Unraveled [Active]

  °°°

  General Skills:

  The Heavenly Demon Skill Tree [42.69%]Insight [Intermediate]Swordsmanship [Master]Kickboxing [Master]Inner Focus [Intermediate]Mana Manipution [Master]

  °°°°°°

  There wasn’t much of a change other than the thousand increase in Qi. Cultivating with Sora had sped up the process by a bit. Still, I was just a 5th Ascension in a pce where demigods ruled. I didn’t quite feel comfortable here.

  Fifteen levels to go before I could attempt the 6th Ascension. The gap felt massive. Each level past 50 required exponentially more experience, and the mountain spirits we'd fought st night barely moved the needle.

  I closed the window with a smile. The levels weren't the main reason why I'd come, so it was alright. The Demon Bde of Kurayami, the Phoenix Essense for Sora, and those special materials I needed. Everything else was secondary.

  A cold gust blew, smelling of snow and ancient rock. Something up above screamed—a noise that wasn’t exactly a bird, but definitely not normal.

  “Let’s get moving,” Ha-Yun said, patting me on the back.

  The scream echoed around until I couldn’t tell where it started.

  ****

  The next few days were a blur of climbing and run-ins with spirits. Every path twisted in ways that shouldn’t be physically possible, but we managed. It was mostly thanks to my Demonic Sphere. Ha-Yun had long grown curious about how I was so good at finding paths.

  Even with the sphere, though, often we’d march for hours only to find ourselves back where we started or travel a short distance that turned out to be miles long once we actually walked it.

  The mountains were messing with distance and direction like a bored trickster god.

  We had to fight sometimes. A pack of stone golems ripped free from a cliff, each one as massive as a small house. Three tengu dove out of nowhere with swords made of razor wind. A fox spirit tried to lure us off the path with illusions of cozy lodging and nice meals. Somehow, it was the st one that gave us the most trouble. Specially Lilian…

  Sometimes, after beating up a spirit, we’d rather ask questions instead of killing it. Killing when our life wasn’t in danger would needlessly anger the mountain gods.

  Fighting aside, we learned to negotiate too. That was where Ha-Yun really saved us. She knew all these customs and how to make tiny offerings to calm local spirits. Sometimes, a cup of sake at a half-hidden altar worked better than any fancy sword technique.

  That was what brought us here. After we released a bunch of spirits that we could have killed, Ha-Yun did something that summoned an entity before us.

  Now, we faced an older spirit—way older than anything else we’d seen. It looked like a huge white crane, its feathers glowing so brightly it hurt to look directly at them. Mist curled around its legs, moving like living silk.

  “O’ honored one,” I said, bowing as Ha-Yun had shown me. It was a little odd that something in me rattled at the prospect of bowing at a bird, even though logically it seemed simple. Something spiritual in my soul didn’t like it. I endured it, raising my head. “We’re looking for information on the phoenix’s remnants said to be here.”

  The crane cocked its head at an angle that would have been comical if not for its strong presence. Its eyes were molten gold, almost hypnotic.

  “Many seek. Few find. Fewer survive.” Its voice boomed in my mind, not my ears. “Why should you be any different, little demon-touched?”

  Gd you didn’t say the st part out loud, I thought with a wry–smile while sensing Sora tense next to me, her wings rustling. She rested a hand on my shoulder. The spirit’s gaze flicked over to her, and for a second, I swore it recognized something.

  “Ah,” it murmured out loud. “A child of fire returning to its cradle. Perhaps...” It spread its wings, and the mist peeled back to reveal countless branching paths winding up the mountains. “The remnants you want are three days’ climb that way, where the Dragon’s Crown meets the eternal storm. The route won’t be nice for anyone cking resolve, and I personally don’t recommend it. It can mean death.”

  “We have the resolve,” I said, trying to sound firm.

  Its ughter shook the stones around us. “So did the others. Their bones line the trail. I wish you good luck, oddity.” Then it burst into pure light, leaving behind an echo of its voice. “Choose fast, and choose wisely.”

  As soon as it vanished, Lilian whooped loud enough to echo off the peaks. “Level 89!” she announced, fshing her fangs. “I was waiting for when that bird would leave, ugh.”

  Level-ups came in many ways. Although our recent battle right before the crane was summoned didn’t cause any deaths, it was just enough to help her level up.

  “Show-off,” Sora muttered, but she looked happy for her fellow Star. She too had been improving, choosing to hone her fmes whenever we took a break, shaping them into detailed figures and using them for quick shield moves. She’d gotten a lot more precise.

  Ha-Yun, too, had improved her sword style—now it left these ghostly cherry blossom petals trailing each swing. She demonstrated a quick ssh that made the air shimmer. “Lord Crane was right about one thing,” she said, sliding her bde away. “The road ahead won’t be friendly. You guys ready?”

  We continued our travels.

  Information was our first priority, so Ha-Yun did her thing. Her status as Goryeo’s First Princess opened doors that would’ve stayed locked if we were just random travelers. She coaxed details from brave merchants and charmed the calmer shrine keepers. Seeing her flip from a regal princess to a humble wanderer depending on who she talked to was fascinating.

  We shared tea with a young man in old-fashioned robes at a small mountainside shrine. He called himself Xiaobai, and even though he looked about my age, something in his eyes suggested centuries of knowledge. Every movement he made was too smooth, almost inhuman. He was definitely a yokai of some kind.

  “More tea?” he asked, smiling and refilling cups before we could answer. Steam curled up like tiny dragons. “I don’t often get visitors who actually chat. Most people just leave offerings and run off.”

  “The mountains can be scary,” Ha-Yun said, taking her cup with a polite bow.

  “Oh, absolutely!” Xiaobai nodded, bouncing a bit. “That’s ‘cause they don’t understand the Spirit Kings. Each peak has its own ruler. They’re not all terrifying—well, mostly they are—but each is different!”

  Then, sometimes, he talks like a cheerful teenager. How odd. Wings fpped, and my pet spirit owl, Vyrn, nded on my shoulders. Ever since we’d come to the Highnds, he’d often bicker to come out. He didn’t py after coming out, but he liked the air here.

  I flicked a biscuit to his beak, and leaned in toward Xiaobai. “Can you tell us about them?”

  His eyes lit up. “Sure! Like Mount Bloodfang is Lord Kurogane’s domain. He’s an Oni-lord, as old as these rocks and a bit cranky. Loves his sake, though, and respects anyone who shows proper reverence. Just don’t show up during the new moon—that’s when he holds his warrior tournaments.”

  “Warrior tournaments?” Lilian perked right up.

  “Yep! But, uh, losers often end up part of his decor.” Xiaobai chuckled like that was no big deal. “The Jade Widow belongs to Lady Bai, who’s a Qilin. Very elegant, into poetry and music. Sometimes she grants wishes if your performance moves her heart.”

  Sora frowned. “What about the Dragon’s Crown?”

  Xiaobai’s grin turned secretive. “That’s the Green Scale King’s realm. The strongest of them all—an azure dragon. He’s been around since the First Age. Some say his treasure hoard is enough to make emperors cry. He’s been sleeping for a while now, so the other Spirit Kings handle business these days.”

  I sipped my tea, picking words carefully. “What about the Demon Bde of Kurayami? I heard it's buried somewhere here,” I said and realized that was a mistake.

  His change in mood was instant. Xiaobai’s friendly vibe vanished like someone flipping a switch. The warmth in his eyes turned icy, making them look more like gcier shards.

  “...Leave,” he said, no trace of hospitality left. The tea in our cups started to freeze around the edges. “Now.”

  “We didn’t mean any offense—” Ha-Yun started.

  “You’re digging where no one should,” Xiaobai snapped, his form flickering between human and something far… far older. Even I felt chilly. “That cursed thing is called the Demon Bde for a reason, and it’s been sealed for a reason. Why do you humans never think things through? Why do you think the Heroes killed the demon who wielded it but couldn’t destroy the sword? The Spirit Kings pulverized the st fool who went after it, nearly waking something that should stay buried.”

  Frost crawled over the shrine’s stones, the air dropping at least twenty degrees. Even Sora’s natural heat dimmed, and she almost made her wings abze as if to send a message. I stopped her with a raised hand.

  “Can’t you tell us anything?” I asked, and he growled.

  “Go,” Xiaobai repeated, his voice carrying a power that didn’t belong to a cute tea host. “While you still can.”

  Spoiler

  [colpse]****

  The campfire crackled quietly in the cold mountain air, painting our little clearing with shifting orange lights. Ha-Yun and Sora sat close to the fmes, their voices low as they chatted about different Eastern legends. Now and then, I heard Sora’s wings rustle with that metallic copper sheen in the firelight.

  Even from where I was perched on a fallen log, I could sense her excitement. She loved the Highnds and its sky. Perhaps knowing that her ancestor was from the East, she truly did feel at home here.

  I let my Demonic Sphere pulse out gently, keeping tabs on the dark beyond our circle of light. After the run-in with Xiaobai, I wasn’t about to get compcent. The way he’d frozen our tea like it was nothing… yeah, the Mountain Gods weren’t the only threats here. The problem was, I’d have to csh against people like those one way or another.

  I had to pave the path for that opportunity.

  Catching Lilian’s gaze, I flicked my head toward the trees. She arched an eyebrow but stood up anyway, her tail giving an annoyed twitch. I led her away from the glow of the fire, deeper among the tall pines, where the night air bit a little sharper.

  “What’s so important we have to wander off into the dark?” she muttered, arms folding as she trailed behind me. “I was finally warm and cozy—”

  I spun around, and in one fluid move, I pressed her against the trunk of a sturdy pine. Her eyes widened, but before she could protest, I leaned in and caught her mouth with mine. She made a muffled noise, half surprised and half something else, then melted into the kiss without pushing me away.

  When I pulled back, her cheeks were hot, ears flicking rapidly. “What the hell was that for?” she whispered, even though her tail was giving her away—twitching fast but not exactly angry.

  “Lilian, stop compining and listen to me carefully,” I murmured, lowering my voice. “Tomorrow, when the monsters attack—and they will—I need you to keep Ha-Yun busy. Her attention away from me. Get her away from me and Sora, no matter what it takes.”

  Her tail puffed up. “What? No. What are you pnning to want to be alone with Sora? I can’t believe you’re actually asking me this, bastard.”

  I let out a slow breath. “We can’t afford for Ha-Yun to see how I really fight. There’ll be harder enemies ter on, and I’d have to let my true energy slip. She’s no fool; she’ll notice things that don’t add up, and that’s the st thing we need.”

  “...And?”

  “So the pn is for Sora and I to head deeper while you and Ha-Yun stay out. Don’t worry, I have a task for you too,” I said.

  “This is so dumb,” Lilian hissed, ears fttening tight. “She’s blessed by the mountain gods, remember? Splitting off from her is just begging for trouble. Do you realize how dangerous this pce is? There are creatures as strong as grandmother. Or do you want another near-death experience to add to your collection?”

  “I know the risk,” I told her, meeting her gre. “But I’ve weighed the odds, and I can handle it just fine as long as one of the Mountain Gods doesn’t jump me from their resting pce. And they won’t do that unless I go crazy. Come on, Lilian.”

  Lilian’s cws sank into the tree bark. “You’re reckless,” she muttered. “You always are. Every time you say you’ve ‘calcuted’ something, we end up dragging your sorry body off some battlefield. And you want to leave me behind! I’m strong enough to protect you now, and you want to go without me!”

  Stepping in close, I gently cupped her face, feeling her breath hitch. “I trust you to have my back. And I trust myself. Whatever happens, I won’t die. You know that.”

  She snorted, but her face lost some of its anger.

  I kissed her again, deeper this time. Her protest turned into a muffled moan, and she let her arms slip around my neck. For a moment, the pine-scented air and the crunch of dead leaves underfoot were all I could focus on.

  When we separated, her face was flushed red. She tried to look cross, but the wagging of her tail gave her away. “Fine,” she whispered. “But don’t expect mere kisses to work as a bribe. You… owe me a real reward.”

  Before I could process what she meant, she sank to her knees, the leaves crackling as she moved.

  The chill mountain breeze blew around us, carrying the crisp smell of pine and a distant hint of snow. In the far distance, a nocturnal bird gave a lonely cry, its voice echoing off the silent peaks. For a little while, we forgot about the gods, ghosts, and the haunted mountains that watched us from every shadow.

  ****

  The air tasted different here, crisp and charged, like breathing pure lightning.

  We’d been climbing the Dragon’s Crown’s eastern face for hours, following a narrow path that shouldn’t have existed. My fingers brushed the golden veins in the rock as we ascended, the metallic warmth lingering long after we’d passed.

  From pying [Arcane Crown], I knew that the Phoenix Essence was in the Highnds, but not sure which peak. So we were going by the Crane’s suggestion. I felt like I was close, but I couldn’t be sure just yet.

  In the game, it was located near a pce called the Celestial Pavilion - it wasn’t really a building. It was more like a natural amphitheater where three waterfalls collided midair, their mist forming permanent rainbows over a shrine older than empires.

  “This feels… sanctified,” Sora whispered, her phoenix wings trembling.

  The Phoenix Mountain King had chosen the Highnds to die after the First Apocalypse, and the eternal fmes of her Spirit Essence kept the mountain’s corruption at bay. But I couldn’t be sure if the ‘sanctification’ here was from that fme, or from the dragon that resides in this pce.

  If it was the former, we were close. The game had made it a loot dungeon, but reality thrummed with raw power, making my Demonic Sphere recoil.

  Ha-Yun’s boot dislodged a pebble. It tumbled into the abyss, the ctter echoing seven times before silence swallowed it. “We shouldn’t be here, Iskandaar.”

  I kept my tone light, swinging off a rock ledge. “What’s wrong, Princess? We’re so deep already. Now you’re scared of a little hike?”

  “Scared?” She scowled at me. “That shrine keeper warned us for a reason. What if this is somewhere more dangerous than the pce where the Crane guided us toward? What if we’re at the wrong pce? This is the edge of Green Scale King’s territory, and he’s an angry one. You think that’s a coincidence that the air is growing hotter?”

  Below us, the mist began boiling. That was a good sign. I think we’re really close.

  Lilian sniffed the air, cws extending. “Something’s-”

  The attack came from above.

  Six lizardmen dropped like emerald-scaled hail, their obsidian bdes shrieking against the rocks. Not simple monsters, they were intelligent. Their levels were high, and their armor bore the serpentine motifs of the Dragon’s Crown guardians.

  [Thizzok, Level 42]

  [Sshaleek, Level 45]

  [Xorr’Zun, Level 41]

  [Kruxh-Va, Level 46]

  [Zz’qorrath, Level 48]

  [Grohhzz’Chath, Level 44]

  Dammit, I somehow missed their presence. But… that’s good. “Lilian!” I barked, and her grin fshed fangs as she lunged, subtly herding two foes toward Ha-Yun. The princess cursed, petals blooming around her sword as she engaged.

  I caught Sora’s wrist mid-backflip. “East waterfall,” I hissed. “There’s a cave behind-”

  A forked tongue shed past my ear. I spun, bde meeting scale, the csh reverberating up my arms.

  That was when I realized escape wouldn’t be so easy.

  The lizardmen descended in a scaly avanche, emerald armor cttering like broken gss. I blocked an obsidian bde with my forearm guard, and the impact shuddered through my bones. "Try non-lethal takedowns!" I said. "They're just doing their job!"

  They weren’t after our heads, we were the ones who’d entered illegal territory. It’d be rude to kill them, and could draw the wrath of a Mountain God.

  Lilian answered with a snarl that blended with the screech of cws on stone as she flipped over a spear thrust. Her boot cracked against a lizardman's temple, sending it tumbling into three others. "Easy for you to say! They're not trying to cuddle!"

  A forked tongue shed past my ear. I spun into the attacker's guard, elbow smashing into its sor plexus. The creature folded with a pained hiss. My sword bzed golden, Stelr Qi bright, as I swung ft-side first, the enchanted metal singing through the air.

  My Spirit Pendant shimmered. Vyrn the Owl wanted to come out and py. For once, he was interested in a battle. For once, I didn’t need him. I’d let him out soon, but not yet.

  Sora's wings fred crimson behind me. "[Scorching Waltz]!" She spun round, trailing fire that forced the lizardmen back without burning flesh. The fmes danced across their shields in harmless patterns - a distraction, not an attack.

  "Ha-Yun! Your left!" I shouted.

  Ha-Yun's bde bloomed cherry blossoms as she parried twin daggers. "I see them!" Petals swirled into a defensive vortex, disarming four attackers through sheer aesthetic violence. Their weapons cttered down the mountainside.

  “Just give up, outsiders!” One of the lizardmen shouted in human-tongue. The numbers kept swelling. Emerald scales flooded the narrow pass like a living ndslide. A massive brute with bone spurs erupting from its shoulders bull-rushed me, a battle cry echoing off the peaks.

  [Void Step]!

  I blurred behind it, the pommel of my sword cracking against its spine. The creature staggered into two others, sending all three tumbling into a pile of rocks. Stones rained around us.

  Lilian turned to ensure I was alright, and I waved at her. She nodded, and then her cws sparked against stone as she slid under a spear wall. "[Moonlight Gambit]!"

  Her tail whipped up a dust cloud, the particles shimmering with lunar energy. No, it was the Yin Qi that I’d talked to her about before. Simir, but not the same. Three lizardmen froze mid-lunge, ice on their feet, and eyes temporarily blinded.

  "Nicely done!" Sora swooped low, snatching a dropped spear mid-air. "Ah, be careful of my wingspan!" Her Phoenix Fre burst scorched a warning line across the stone, herding the next wave into Ha-Yun's waiting sword forms.

  The princess' movements turned deliberate, each ssh leaving petal traps that stuck to armor like glowing stickers. "Marked targets at two o'clock!"

  "On it!" I channeled Qi through my sword, the bde humming.

  [True Demon God Art, Third Form: Chaotic Requiem of the Hellfire Wasp.]

  Stelr Qi crackled, cshing violently with the incoming lizardmen. The force of the collision sent a shockwave through the area, which shook the very mountain around us. The energy darts shot precisely into the tagged scales, and lizardmen stumbled into each other, tangled by the non-lethal strikes.

  Well, the Third Form wasn’t quite non-lethal, but I’d weakened it for them.

  A smoke bomb exploded at our feet – not our doing. Through the acrid haze, I glimpsed lizardmen shamans gesturing furiously. Their scales shimmered with borrowed magic, the smoke coalescing into serpentine shapes and the smoke coalesced.

  "Sora! Formation Beta!" I shouted, announcing a code we’d figured out during one of our hunts in the Eldergrove Expanse.

  “On it!” Her wings snapped forward, creating a fiery vacuum that sucked the smoke upward. "Clearing the air!"

  The momentary distraction was all I needed.

  [True Demon God Art: Infernal Bloodstorm.]

  I called forth a storm of glowing liquid infused with Stelr Qi, creating a torrent of golden energy that devastated the battlefield. Usually, each droplet of the storm was razor-sharp, cutting through armor, flesh, and even magic. The bloodstorm was an extension of my wrath, growing stronger the more enraged they were.

  And… I wasn’t really enraged right now. I didn’t want to kill them all, as I said.

  What it achieved was pain, and confusion as golden light blinded them all. Chaos erupted as they attacked the air. Ha-Yun caught on instantly, and her petal storms reinforced the deception. "Well done, Junior!”

  "Gotta earn my keep!" I shouted back, already moving. I slid through the chaos, my sword's ft side knocking aside spears. "Lilian! Feint left and fall back to the shrine arch!"

  My maid, with her arms and legs now covered in fur, yelped as a tail swipe grazed her ribs. "Easy for you to- oh!" She caught my meaning a moment ter, deliberately stumbling into a retreat. The lizardmen surged after her, away from Sora's position.

  "Now, Sora! Full confgration!"

  Her wings became sun-bright. "[Inferno Waltz]!" The firestorm she unleashed was pure light and sound, no heat – a celestial firework show that left afterimages dancing in everyone's vision.

  In that golden heartbeat, I grabbed Sora's waist. “Eep!”

  I used [Void Step] as reality folded like origami, the world bleeding to monochrome lines. Three rapid teleports—across the battlefield, up the cliff face, and behind the roaring eastern waterfall. We were suddenly far from where we were a moment ago.

  We materialized in a hidden grotto, the waterfall's thunder masking our arrival. Sora stumbled against me, wings damp and glittering with mist droplets.

  "Ah… Ah, what happened?” She asked, rubbing the back of her head and looking around. Her face lit up a moment ter. “Oh, I get it now.”

  “You do?” I asked, panting as I tried to catch my breath. Such consecutive use of that technique took a toll on me. She grinned, her expression warming at me.

  “Yes. We're finally alone now," she said, moving closer as her fingers toyed with my colr. "I was getting frustrated with Lilian and the new girl hogging all your attention."

  I stepped back, clearing my throat. "First of all, Ha Yun is taken. It’s not like that. And secondly, please stop pying around.”

  “Awh.”

  “We've got maybe ten minutes before they finish and realize we're gone. We have to vanish further by then." My sword’s tip drew a glowing line on the stone. The bde's light revealed ancient carvings; a phoenix rising from a mountain's heart. "There. The shrine's inner path."

  Sora's pyful expression melted as she saw the symbols. "That's... the same markings as in my family's grimoire," she said. “I… never got to read them properly since they were destroyed during that horrible day, but I’m confident it’s the same.”

  "Or simir enough to help you explore the rest of your powers that you couldn’t unlock without your family’s guidance. At least that’s what I’m expecting, anyway," I pressed a palm to the stone, feeling dormant magic stir. "But stay sharp. If people’s fear about the Highnds is right..."

  The wall rumbled open, revealing stairs carved with molten gold. A sound like a heartbeat came from the depths below – and the faintest whisper of wings.

  “It’s a genuine worry that we might die here,” I stood back up.

  TheVeiledMan