"Whoa. A Yoyo as your weapon?"

I watched in awe as Artemis skillfully manipulated a beautiful yoyo while we trekked along the snowy path.

Her mastery of the seemingly simple toy was truly remarkable. The fluidity of her hand movements, deftly controlling the string to maneuver the Yoyo as she pleased, left me speechless.

Her skill was almost enchanting, and she did all this while effortlessly navigating the snow-filled rocky trail without a single stumble.

"I've been playing with one since I was five," she explained. "After awakening, I realized that I am best with the Yoyo, so I asked Damien if I could use it as a weapon."

A wistful smile graced her lips. "He went beyond giving me advice and gifted me a custom-made weaponized Yoyo for my awakening present."

The Yoyo soared through the air with a flick of her delicate fingers.

"Here. Take a look. It's the latest model," she said, releasing the string.

I deftly caught the dangerous toy in my hand and inspected it. It was a truly amazing piece of craftsmanship.

Crafted from a special metal that efficiently conducts ardor, the yoyo boasted perfect weight distribution, allowing for a seamless range of movements.

Intricately carved runes adorned the faces, revealing a myriad of enchantments that rendered the seemingly innocent toy exceedingly perilous, even boasting an enchantment specifically designed to harm daemons.

The slender string, composed of the same nanomaterial as my bowstring, exhibited exceptional durability and responded effortlessly to the slightest movements.

As I examined the Yoyo, I noticed a continuous slit along the outer rim of the two robust discs comprising its structure.

"Hidden circular blades?" I guessed, scrutinizing the weapon closely as we walked.

Artemis affirmed with a nod. "Correct. Very effective against tough opponents. The blades only activate when my ardor is streamed through them."

"So if you're not dead from being walloped in the noggin by an ardor-enhanced Yoyo, the blades will finish the job," I remarked with an amused smile.

"Interesting." I tossed the lethal toy back to Artemis, who seamlessly resumed her skillful play as soon as she caught it.

Now I wish I could attach a Yoyo to Iris.

"Where do you think you're going?" I called out to Iris, who had ventured ahead of us.

"Minerva said to take a left turn here," she replied, turning around.

"That's the bloody right," I pointed out, standing beside Artemis and Ava on the correct path.

"Ah, oops," Iris stuck out her tongue, rubbing her head sheepishly.

I sighed. "And you guys followed her without a single doubt."

My gaze shifted to Krystal, Apollo, and Carlo standing with Iris. They looked sheepish as they made their way toward us.

"Really, Carlo?" I crossed my arms, expressing disappointment. "I thought you would guide Iris back."

"She looked so confident when she took the turn," Carlo explained, giving me the puppy-dog look with his abyssal black eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "Here's a tip: if Iris is very confident about the direction she's going, it's the wrong direction."

"Noted," Apollo quipped.

Opening the map, I examined our remaining route. Iris joined me, looking at the map as well.

"I guess we'll get there in an hour if we rush," she suggested.

"And how do we do that? Run toward the path?" I inquired.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Exactly! We're warlocks! Superhumans! Let's run and even do some parkour."

My eyebrows furrowed. "On a mountain filled with snow?"

"It would be a good challenge for our newbies."

"There are trees and rocks."

"Perfect obstacles!"

I sighed. "Fine."

Closing the map, I nodded to Iris.

She grinned and addressed the group. "Alright, guys! It'll take a lot of time if we go at this pace."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Let's run to our destination."

"Are you sure about that?" Ava asked, looking concerned. "I mean, we are in the most dangerous mountain range in the world."

"It's going to be fine. All of us are B-rank and above. Consider this intensive training," Iris reassured everyone.

"There are powerful wild ardimals in Les Anciennes, right? What do we do about them?" Carlo asked, expressing similar concerns.

Iris pondered his question. "Since we are high-ranked, they would most probably avoid us. But if they attack us, we must be sure to respond accordingly."

"So, shall we start running?" she asked, looking at everyone.

The newbies glanced at me, appearing very much concerned. I simply nodded with a smile. "No worries, guys. We're with you."

"That's what I am most concerned about," Ava said.

I chuckled. "Lucky you."

*******

"There's the path."

Artemis pointed at the side of the mountain towering before us.

From the small cliff providing a vantage point over the mountain's base, the stone path carved into the cold, unyielding rock wound halfway around the mountain before disappearing into the clouds and snow.

Apollo whistled, craning his neck to gaze up at the mountain.

"That is going to be one bitch of a climb."

We all nodded in agreement as our eyes followed the path down to its starting point.

"And those must be the ardimals the other group encountered," Carlo noted, pointing downward.

At the mountain's base, a vast swarm of ardimals, comprising multiple packs of Frost Hounds, a small group of Glacial Hornbears, a few clusters of long lizards resembling ice sculptures called Cryoscales, and a large group of humanoid ape-like creatures with white fur tinged with blue, came into view.

Even from this distance, the glint of their long claws and fangs made of ice was discernible.

"Those Frostclaw Primates sure look intimidating," Artemis remarked. "I assume most of those ardimals are about C and B ranks?"

"You're close, Artemis. Most of them are C ranked, with a few B ranks," I confirmed using my Omni contacts.

"Three of those ardimals are beginner A ranks, likely the strongest alphas in the swarm," I explained.

I focused on the largest and most formidable-looking Frost Hound, a massive Pookie Bear with two curling horns protruding from its head, and a humongous Primate with icicle tusks and glowing blue eyes.

Pointing first at Iris and then at Carlo, I declared, "The three of us will handle the A ranks."

I turned to the rest. "Can you guys handle the rest?"

I realize I am asking too much. Even if most of them are C ranks, there are a lot of these ardimals.

But to my surprise, all of them looked very confident.

"They're not daemons, Vice Captain. We'll take care of them," Ava replied with a smirk.

"I wonder if the ice would melt if we put Cryoscale meat on the grill?" Apollo mused aloud with a dreamy smile.

"I heard the icicle horns of the Hornbears are quite permanent. They would make good decorations for the room," Krystal said with a crazy smile.

"I need to test my Yoyo in low temperatures and snowy conditions. This is perfect!" Artemis exclaimed with an excited smile of her own.

I heard a chuckle and turned to Iris. "Now they look like they belong to the Lunatics."

Carlo looked concerned as he gazed at the A-ranked alphas. "You think I will be able to pull this off?"

"You're the strongest newbie I have ever met. You'll be fine as long as you don't panic," I reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Just imagine Mordred's face instead of your opponent's. It will even boost your attacks," Iris suggested with a wry grin.

Carlo grinned. "Yeah, that'll work."

"Hey!" I protested. "If you're envious of my divine charm, say it to my face!"

Iris rolled her eyes. "Oh, Incarni! Divine charm? How self-absorbed can you be?"

"Sounds like whining to me," I retorted.

"I'm not!"

"I know you're captivated by my otherworldly allure. You don't need to complain about it." I ran a hand through my messy white hair and grinned.

Iris shuddered. "You're getting delusional, Mordred."

Despite saying that, I could see her looking flustered, as if secretly agreeing with me.

"Says the one who spends half an hour in the bathroom admiring herself in the mirror and inventing strange scenarios," I teased.

Iris's eye twitched, and she cracked her knuckles. "You're itching for a beating, aren't you?"

Tendrils of darkness rose from her shoulders, and tiny black lightning crackled as her eyes glowed, and she smiled menacingly.

"I think I am." Blood seeped out of my skin through my pores and expanded to encircle my body.

The ground began to shake as our auras gradually rose in intensity.

We glared at each other, menacing smiles on our faces.

Just before we could clash, Carlo jumped between us.

"Whoa! Don't fight amongst yourselves," he spoke up and raised his aura as well.

"Let's direct that toward the ardimals," he suggested and looked down, only to swear.

"Shit. Looks like they noticed us."

Roars, barking, growls, and hisses resonated from below as almost every single ardimal at the base of the path looked up, their feral eyes locked on us three.

Howls pierced the air as the Frost Hounds rushed toward the cliff, followed by the Cryoscales and Hornbears.

The alphas slowly trotted behind, allowing the weaker creatures to act as a shield.

"There's a lot of them," Ava commented.

"I know," I agreed. "The other groups mentioned that the ardimals only attacked after they passed, so they didn't need to worry about a swarm like this."

"But there's no other way for us to climb the path," Iris added. "We'll have to clear them out."

"Fine by me," I said, cracking my neck and shifting my shoulders.

"Alright, Lunatics!" Iris called out, looking at everyone.

"Let's clear them out!"