Alex stood in the dark, damp mineshaft, a cigarette slowly burning between his fingers. His gaze was fixed on the group of teenagers who had managed to survive the night only thanks to his intervention. Beside him was Samantha, watching her friends as well. Alex gave her a light push forward—she should be with them, not standing apart.

His eyes shifted to Jessica and Matt, who had miraculously made it through this hell alive. Alex was genuinely relieved: tonight, no one had died. All that was left was to reach the lodge and wait for sunrise. Just one more hour, and they could leave Blackwood Mountain behind.

Deep down, Alex was already making plans: once the teenagers were safe, he would return here and purge the mountain of the Wendigos. He would make sure such a nightmare never repeated itself.

Meanwhile, Jessica bombarded Mike with questions: “What kind of monster dragged her into the mine? How was it even possible that Hannah was alive?” Samantha, Mike, and Josh just exchanged uneasy looks, not knowing how to answer. Any explanation would sound insane. In the end, Mike gave up and told the truth, shining his flashlight on Alex in the process.

The beam cut through the darkness, revealing him. Jessica and Matt turned around, and Jessica recognized him immediately.

“You’re that private detective Sam was flirting with…” she drawled. “Though… sorry, but you don’t really look like the kind of detective who could pull off something like this.”

“Jess, enough!” Mike snapped. “This isn’t the time for pointless questions.”

The corner of Alex’s eye twitched. He was genuinely surprised that they had only just noticed him, when a second ago he had saved their lives. And it was only the flashlight that allowed them to see his face. Samantha flushed, embarrassed by Jessica’s words—it wasn’t the first time someone had teased her like this.

Alex thought for a moment. He needed to say something that would shut down further questions without revealing who he really was. He felt their stares—Mike, Josh, Samantha—all of them wanted to know the truth.

He straightened up, put on a serious face, and said:

“You’re right, Jessica. I’m not a private detective.”

“Then who are you?” Samantha asked cautiously, unable to hide her unease.

Alex paused, then with the straightest face possible declared:

“I am the Warrior of Dranon. My name is Po, and I am a panda. I came here to save everyone. I don’t charge for being awesome. Or for being handsome.”

The mine fell into dead silence. Even the wind outside seemed to stop. All five—Samantha, Mike, Josh, Jessica, and Matt—froze, staring at him. Their faces showed a mix of shock and utter confusion.

Alex stood there, one hand covering an eye in a dramatic pose, barely holding back laughter.

Above him hovered Navi, the fairy-drone, still broadcasting everything. At that same moment, far away in Forks, inside Alex’s house, Lucina and Alice sat on the couch watching the stream. With them were Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Jane. When Alex delivered his “speech,” the same silence fell in the living room as in the mine.

A second later, Emmett burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. Rosalie turned away, covering her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Alice slid off the couch onto the floor, unable to stop herself. Only Lucina sighed and covered her forehead with her hand, wondering why her husband always chose the worst possible moments for his idiotic jokes.

“Oh God… I’m gonna die all over again,” Emmett wheezed between fits of laughter. “I thought he was about to say something heroic, something serious… And he comes out with that!”

“Hahahaha! That’s so Alex!” Alice rolled on the floor, gasping for air. “Such a tense moment, and he just shatters the whole atmosphere!”

Lucina only shook her head. She knew Alex far too well, and she understood perfectly: once again, he had ruined a dramatic moment with one of his ridiculous jokes. And not just in Forks. Even his other girlfriends, whether at home or away on missions, couldn’t hold back their laughter after hearing his absurd line.

In the guild, where Brunhilda, Koko, Saya, and Yuriko were working through piles of paperwork, silence reigned—until Alex’s words rang out from the big TV screen. All four of them simultaneously turned their heads. On the screen was Alex, standing in the dark mine in an overly dramatic pose. Brunhilda let out a heavy sigh, Koko doubled over with laughter, Yuriko covered her mouth to hide her smile, and Saya rolled her eyes in irritation.

Meanwhile, in Orario, another gods’ council was dragging on—tedious and dull as ever. Uranus spoke in his usual slow, monotonous voice, one that made even immortals struggle to keep their eyes open. But Freya, Hestia, Loki, and Hephaestus had found a way to pass the time—they were secretly watching Alex’s adventures being streamed.

When he put on a serious face and declared himself the Warrior of Dranon… and a panda named Po, the chamber shook with suppressed laughter. Loki and Hestia immediately burst out laughing, pounding their fists against the table. Freya allowed herself a faint, almost invisible smile—she always enjoyed it when Alex acted like this in the most critical of moments. Hephaestus, on the other hand, wearily pressed her palm to her forehead, wondering why her husband always had to spout such nonsense at exactly these times.

The sound of Loki and Hestia’s laughter, erupting in the middle of the council, made Uranus stop and glare sternly at them.

“Hestia, Loki, perhaps you’d like to share what’s so amusing?” he said coldly. “Let me remind you, we are gathered here because of the changes your husband has brought to Orario. Every week, we are forced to discuss his antics. Perhaps he intends to bring even more?”

“No, Uranus,” Hephaestus replied calmly, cutting off her friends’ laughter. “For now, Alex isn’t planning any changes. Mortals need time to adjust to the ones already made, before he decides to add anything new.”

“Hm… then let us continue,” Uranus said with a nod, turning back to the other gods. “We left off at the matter of the familia rankings…”

But his monotone voice once again lulled the chamber into drowsiness, while Freya, Hestia, Loki, and Hephaestus quietly returned to watching the stream.

At the same time, Alex’s mansion was filled with a lively atmosphere. In the kitchen, Alice, Erina, and Hisako were cooking, assisted by Gloria, Namiyo, and Kiriko, who had decided to take the opportunity to improve their culinary skills. When Alex’s words came through the TV, Alice laughed so hard she nearly ruined the dish. Erina raised an eyebrow, giving the screen a thoughtful look, while Namiyo and Kiriko exchanged glances and giggled softly. Gloria only smiled and shook her head.

“I thought he was about to reveal he’s a monster hunter or a member of some secret organization. And instead he goes, ‘My name is Po, and I’m a panda’… Hahaha!” Alice bent over in laughter, clutching her stomach.

“As long as he’s having fun,” Gloria said calmly. “Usually he can’t hold himself back for long, and that… ends in a mess.”

Namiyo and Kiriko both nodded in agreement.

“Could it really be that Alex gets bored so quickly?” Erina asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Hard to say… but it seems he’s enjoying himself right now,” Gloria replied thoughtfully, casting another glance at the screen, where Alex was still standing in the mine, striking a pose as the self-proclaimed ‘panda hero.’

Erina simply nodded, feeling that every new detail about Alex only fueled her interest. Everything about him sparked either amazement or laughter—he was far too unpredictable not to stir emotions.

Meanwhile, in another world, in the ancient Murim where martial arts ruled, a group of girls was on a mission. Cammy, Chun-Li, Juri, Shigure, Miu, and Renka sat in a local restaurant, enjoying their meal while also watching Alex’s adventures unfold. Their beauty instantly drew attention from other patrons, and men kept trying to approach. But anyone who dared got ruthlessly rejected. The stubborn ones, unwilling to take no for an answer, were met with swift beatings before being thrown out of the restaurant.

The girls were eating, laughing, and discussing Alex’s absurd joke, completely ignoring the astonished stares of those around them.

“I didn’t think he was capable of that,” Chun-Li said with a smirk. “I knew Alex could spout nonsense, but this… this was actually funny.”

“Oh, Alex as always,” Renka snorted. “At least he’s nothing like my father.”

“Yeah,” Cammy scoffed, leaning on the table. “No furious women would ever chase Alex for peeking at them in the bath.”

“More like the opposite,” Juri added with a sly grin. “They’d be chasing him to ride him, not to beat him up like your old man.”

“Fact,” Shigure noted calmly, playing with her chopsticks. “Strong men always attract women. Our husband is no exception.”

“No arguments here,” Renka sighed heavily. “My father is a complete idiot. Just last week my mother beat him up several times. And he still keeps building those underground ‘men’s clubs’ for perverts like him.”

“Alex is different,” Miu said softly with a smile. “He’s not the kind of man who would sneak peeks at bathing girls.”

“He doesn’t need to,” Juri drawled, lazily licking her lips. “There’s always one of us with him in the bath.”

All the girls nodded in unison, agreeing. Alex really didn’t need such petty things.

They returned to their meal and to watching the stream, completely forgetting about the rest of the hall. At that moment, a young man of about twenty entered the restaurant, dressed in white robes and holding a fan. Behind him followed a group of armed men—guards, who scanned the room with wary eyes.

The young man surveyed the place, and his gaze immediately locked onto the girls in the far corner. A predatory smile flickered across his face, his lips licking greedily—but almost instantly the lust vanished, replaced by a false mask of “kindness.” He approached their table with light steps.

“Beautiful ladies, may I have the honor of sitting beside you?” he asked in a soft voice, covering his mouth with the fan.

“Get lost,” Juri snapped, glaring at him with disdain. “These seats are taken. If you want to hit on girls, the brothel around the corner will be more than happy to see you.”

“How dare you!.. ” one of the guards began, clutching his sword.

But the man in white stopped him, placing a hand on the hilt. His mask of kindness twitched for a moment, but quickly returned.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Namgoong Min. I am the future head of the Namgoong clan,” he said smoothly, smiling. “Ladies, if you’re curious, I’d be happy to share more over a cup of wine.”

“Repeat, what did you say your name was?” Cammy asked coldly, lifting her gaze.

“This is my lord, Namgoong Min, heir of the Namgoong clan!” one of the guards declared proudly. “The youngest martial arts master, a sword genius, ranked number one among the Heavenly Dragons at just twenty years old!”

As if it were his own accomplishment rather than his lord’s, his voice carried shameless, pompous arrogance.

Namgoong Min couldn’t hide his smug grin when the restaurant’s patrons began whispering among themselves after hearing who he was. He clearly enjoyed the attention. As for the girls—they exchanged glances and gave each other the slightest of nods.

“Looks like we don’t have to search anymore,” Chun-Li said calmly with a faint smile.

“Beautiful ladies, you were looking for me? I’m touched,” Namgoong Min replied with feigned tenderness.

“That’s right. You’re our target. Shigure—do it,” Juri added, her eyes gleaming with predatory light.

Namgoong Min didn’t even have time to register the meaning of her words before, in the next instant, he felt a sharp jab to his throat. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of words, blood gushed out. His guards rushed forward, but froze in place the moment they saw a wooden chopstick sticking out of their master’s neck.

Without missing a beat, Juri sprang up, grabbed his head with both hands, and twisted sharply. His neck cracked, his head spinning a full one-eighty. Namgoong Min collapsed to his knees, never realizing how he had died.

The girls acted without hesitation—each of them pounced on the guards, and soon the entire restaurant floor was soaked in blood. The reason for their attack was simple: Namgoong Min was the heir of the former Heavenly Demon, already responsible for spilling much innocent blood—kidnapping girls, brutal murders, sacrifices for power. If he weren’t stopped now, he would soon become the new Heavenly Demon himself.

The clash with the Namgoong clan’s guards was so fierce that the restaurant was reduced to ruins.

“Well, now we can head home. That’s all settled,” Juri said, pressing her heel onto the throat of one of the dying guards.

“We were just lucky that this arrogant idiot came to us himself. I’m all for it—time to go home. Anyway, the food in this world leaves much to be desired,” Renka added, shaking the blood off her iron claws.

“Mmm… yes, tasteless. Lacking spices,” Shigure muttered, slipping her katana back into its sheath.

“And what did you expect? This place is still in the ancient era; spices are rare. Alright, let’s go. But first, we need to burn his body. The last thing we need is him coming back, as they like to do,” Cammy said, pulling a black orb from her pocket.

Everyone agreed. Cammy tossed the orb onto Namgoong Min’s body, and as soon as it touched him, a bright flame ignited. The now-empty restaurant was filled with the crackling of fire.

Moments later, a portal opened behind the girls. They stepped through and disappeared, returning to the Guild.

After their departure, only ruins remained—bodies of the guards and a handful of ashes from Namgoong Min himself. When reinforcements from the clan arrived, led by Namgoong himself, they were met with this horrifying scene. The head of the clan roared in rage and despair, vowing to find his son’s killers. But he did not yet know that the truth about his heir would be revealed too late—he would be accused of conspiring with dark martial arts masters, and the clan itself would be destroyed by the combined forces of all of Murim.

Meanwhile, the other girls were completing their own missions. However, one day they nearly failed—all because of a single remark Alex had accidentally made at the wrong moment.

This happened with Rika and Becca. They had positioned themselves on the rooftop of a high-rise a kilometer from their target. Rika lay in place, gripping her sniper rifle tightly, eyes fixed on the scope, while Becca sprawled beside her, phone in hand, watching the stream.

At the exact moment Rika was ready to pull the trigger, Alex’s ridiculous remark came through her earpiece. Rika couldn’t help but snort with laughter—the shot went wide. By a lucky coincidence, the bullet ricocheted and struck their target anyway—the head of a corporation who was secretly running a criminal organization aiming to control the world.

A similar near-disaster happened with Ada, Sherry, Jill, and Claire: under the cover of their new positions, they infiltrated the corporation to delete data capable of triggering the spread of a deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Ada was sneaking through the ventilation ducts, listening to the stream in her headphones—and nearly fell because of one of Alex’s phrases, almost giving herself away. One clumsy joke could ruin someone else’s operation—and more than once, girls on missions had narrowly avoided disaster because of this. Alex, without realizing it, nearly ruined their work with a single ill-timed remark.

Back in the mine, Alex still stood in a slightly dramatic pose, with Samantha, Mike, Josh, Jessica, and Matt nearby. The teenagers’ faces were unreadable.

“Alex, have you hit your head or something?” Mike muttered with a heavy sigh. “How else do you explain someone introducing themselves like that?”

“No,” Alex shrugged. “It’s just that your faces are so serious, I got tense. But does it really matter who I am? I saved your asses—be happy about that. Not many survive circumstances like these to then ask questions.”

“He’s right,” Samantha intervened, defending Alex. “The important thing is that he helped us.”

“Alright, time to go,” Matt said, looking down. “But… where do we even go? I have no idea how to get out of this mine.”

“Follow me,” Alex replied with slight uncertainty. “The exit isn’t far. Maybe.”

“Maybe? So you don’t even know where to go?” Jessica asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I know,” he answered nonchalantly. “We’ll be out soon.”

Alex moved forward, with Peach confidently leading the way. Everyone exchanged glances and followed the guide. Alex left the task of finding the path to Peach’s nose—he had saved them more than once before.

After a few minutes of wandering through the tunnels, Peach led them to massive iron doors. Alex pushed one open, and a cold blast of snowy air hit them in the face. In the distance, through the darkness, they could make out Josh and Hannah’s house—it was very close.

“I told you, we’d get out,” Alex smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

“Yeah, you said that. But how do we get down? It’s like ten meters down, if not more. There’s no way we can climb such a steep slope,” Mike said cautiously, peering downward.

“Then we’ll need the rope again,” Alex said. “Give me a few seconds, I’ll tie it and lower you one by one so no one falls.”

The solution seemed the only sensible one. Alex moved to the wall and searched for a sturdy beam to anchor the rope. He found a reliable support, wrapped the rope several times, and tied a knot. Nearby lay a rusty pickaxe—Alex grabbed it and returned to the group, handing it to Matt.

“And what do I need this for?” Matt raised his eyebrows in surprise, examining the pickaxe. “You want me to hack the wall with it?”

“No,” Alex laughed. “It’s for protection. Hit a wendigo on the head with the sharp end and the creature dies. Stop wasting time. Mike goes first, then Matt, then the girls, and Josh goes last.”

“Why Mike first?” Jessica asked, still holding Mike’s hand.

“He has a shotgun,” Alex explained calmly. “Think about why he’s going first.”

Mike broke free from her grip, nodded, and got ready. Alex untied Hannah from Mike’s back and handed her to Josh, then carefully wrapped the rope around Mike’s waist and began lowering him down the slope. Mike held the rope with one hand and the shotgun in the other. As soon as his feet touched the ground below, he tugged the rope—a signal that everything was fine. Alex gave a nod and repeated the process with Matt, who still didn’t fully understand how to strike a wendigo with the pickaxe but held it firmly.

“Alright, Mike and Matt are down. Now—Hannah,” Alex said, pulling the rope.

“I’ll help tie Hannah,” Samantha offered, stepping forward to assist.

Alex accepted Samantha’s help and together they carefully wrapped the rope around Hannah’s body to lower the unconscious girl. He moved slowly and cautiously, making sure Hannah didn’t hit her head. Below, Mike and Matt were ready to catch her. They gently received Hannah and immediately untied the rope. Mike tugged the rope, signaling that everything was okay.

Next was Jessica. She could no longer stay in the damp, dark mine and descended almost running. Then it was Samantha’s turn, and without waiting for Alex to tie her, she skillfully began her descent on her own.

Josh was the last. The boy was visibly nervous, gripping the rope tightly as if he expected to fall at any moment.

“Come on, Josh, you’re almost there!” Samantha encouraged. “We’ll catch you!”

Josh nodded, but fear still gripped him. Suddenly, the rope jerked. In an instant, he slipped and fell, hitting the snow below. Matt immediately ran over to help him up. Mike and Samantha looked up in alarm—the rope couldn’t have snapped on its own.

“Something’s happening up there,” Mike frowned.

“Hope Alex’s okay…” Samantha said quietly.

The reason became immediately clear: a wendigo had approached Alex and cut the rope. And it wasn’t just one monster—it was several at once. Alex killed two in seconds, but the third was too agile. His irritation grew, and he was about to use magic when the wendigo suddenly pushed off the wall and leapt straight at him.

Alex only raised an eyebrow, puzzled at why the creature had taken such a risk. But everything became clear: behind him, the iron doors were wide open, and beneath him yawned a ten-meter drop. The wendigo knocked him off balance.

As he fell, Alex managed to twist in midair and ended up on top. Samantha screamed at the sight, her eyes wide with horror. In the next instant, the wendigo’s body slammed into a sharp branch protruding from a log, while Alex crashed down beside it, face-first into the snow.

He rolled onto his back heavily, staring at the sky, which was gradually brightening. Thoughts swirled in his mind, but aloud he only let out a tired sigh. Without getting up, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and calmly exhaled smoke.

such a height and could have been seriously injured. The others watched just as anxiously.

“Alex, are you okay? Does anything hurt?” Samantha asked, leaning over him.

“Samantha…” he murmured, not taking his eyes off the sky.

“Yes? Are you in pain? Come on, I’ll help you up,” her voice trembled with panic.

“I want coffee,” Alex said wearily.

“I’ll get you coffee, just get up,” Samantha replied hastily.

“And a pastry,” he added, turning his head toward her.

“Alright. I promise, you’ll get both coffee and a pastry. But first, get up! You could’ve been seriously hurt!” Samantha squeezed his hand tighter.

“Perfect,” Alex smirked. “Then it’s a deal. Thanks for caring, but I’m fine. The snow and that wendigo’s body softened the fall.”

He got up and began brushing the snow off himself while Samantha circled him, checking for bruises. The others exhaled in relief, especially Mike. Over the time they had spent together, he had grown to respect Alex and didn’t want to lose him like that.

“Damn, Alex,” Mike exhaled, patting him on the shoulder. “I thought you were done for.”

“Heh, a fall from that height isn’t nearly enough to kill me,” Alex smirked. “Alright, let’s go. Dawn’s almost here; we just need to wait out the last hour.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Samantha squeezed Alex’s hand even tighter, as if she still feared he’d been hurt.

This time, Alex was carrying Hannah—it was faster to get home that way. Heavy snow was covering the path, but the group moved quickly, unwilling to waste a minute.

When they reached the house, Alex pulled the door handle and nearly cursed—the door had frozen shut again. Holding back his irritation, he yanked sharply, and it opened with a crunch of the lock.

Once inside, the group immediately headed to the basement to wait out the remaining hours until dawn.

Descending, they heard familiar voices. Chris, Emily, and Ashley, seeing their friends return, smiled with relief. Emily rushed to Matt and hugged him tightly, glad they were both alive. But immediately after the joy came a punch to the chest and an angry shout:

“Idiot! You left me dangling over the abyss when the tower collapsed!”

Matt tried to explain, but he looked guilty. Meanwhile, Ashley and Chris couldn’t believe their eyes: not only had Josh returned, but Hannah as well.

When Alex once again briefly recapped how they had managed to save her, he changed the subject:

“Alright. Now let’s talk about something important,” he said seriously, placing the sleeping Hannah on the table.

“About what, exactly?” Samantha asked cautiously, noticing the expression on his face.

“For starters… monsters don’t exist,” Alex said, deciding to move straight to the more important matter.

“What do you mean ‘don’t exist’?” Chris frowned. “And what about everything we went through?”

“I’m telling you again: there are no monsters. If you don’t want to end up in a psychiatric clinic in a new set of straitjackets, or locked in a padded white room, remember this: there are no monsters,” Alex said in the same calm tone.

“I was kidnapped by a creature! It almost tore me apart! And you’re telling us there are no monsters?!” Jessica exploded. “Then what are we supposed to tell the police?!”

“It’s simple. It was an attack,” Alex replied calmly.

“An attack by whom? Wild animals?” Chris asked suspiciously.

Alex sighed heavily:

“Alright, listen carefully. I’ll say this only once. This will be your story. Because when we show up at the hospital like this, there will be a lot of questions. Doctors will call the police, and you’ll need to know what to say.”

He paused, then continued:

“You are a group of friends who decided to meet a year after a tragedy. Josh gathered you all to honor the memory of Hannah and Beth, who disappeared on this mountain a year ago.”

“Got it. And where do you fit into this?” Emily asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Easy. Say I’m Samantha’s boyfriend, whom she wanted to introduce to you. That’s why I came with her,” Alex said with a calm smile.

Samantha blushed deeply but said nothing.

“I don’t mind,” she whispered.

Alex nodded and continued:

“Next. You met to pay your respects. Mike and Jessica went off to spend some time together. Jessica was kidnapped by a maniac—a man who had been hiding on the mountain all this time. He also kidnapped Hannah and Beth. Mike rushed to save Jessica but was knocked out and got lost in the caves.”

“Jessica,” Alex turned to her, “you’ll tell the police that it was this maniac who locked you in the cage. That’s where you found out Hannah was alive. Beth died, and Hannah lost her memory due to the stress.”

Alex continued in a confident voice:

“This same maniac attacked Ashley, Josh, Chris, and Samantha. During the chase, Chris was injured, and the maniac wounded his leg. I returned just at the moment when the maniac was about to kill Chris, but I scared him off, and he ran into the forest. Old Jack is just the caretaker of the old sanatorium. He tried to help and was injured as well. If anyone asks what happened to the maniac, say he fell into the shaft while we were rescuing Hannah and Jessica.”

“Damn, Alex,” Chris rubbed the back of his head. “That sounds like a cheap horror movie plot about students being hunted by a maniac in a forest cabin.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to sound. But the police will buy this story if all of you tell the same thing. They won’t have a choice.”

Alex swept his serious gaze across everyone:

“Now let’s go over possible questions. So each of you knows what to say if the cops start digging deeper.”

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep