Kaltsit is a doctor; even if her aloof face rarely shows it, she genuinely enjoys being addressed that way.
Whenever someone calls her that, Kaltsit feels a rare sense of fulfillment.
She is a doctor; she took the medical oath, and she must heal the sick.
Yet the illnesses Kaltsit seeks to cure go far beyond mere bodily ailments.
A nation's decline, society's fracture, racial strife, systemic contradictions, the abuse of technology, the insatiability of the human heart—these are what she strives to treat.
And there is more than just oripathy that Kaltsit cannot cure—
The continent of Terra is now diseased and teetering on collapse.
Calamities that do not exist in the real world are eyeing this land like carrion beasts stalking the dying, ready to pounce and tear when their prey weakens.
'From primitive animism to the monotheism of modern religion, worship of gods has never ceased on Terra. Even when Kazimierz's knights overthrew the rule of the Gods People, and Columbia's scientific mindset crushed blind superstition, faith in gods persists.'
In a slum clinic, Kaltsit stood before a small whiteboard, earnestly lecturing over a simple map of Terra drawn with a marker.
Now she had changed back into her classic off-shoulder green dress, wielding an ancient Sarkaz Staff that stored anti-psych Originium Arts units as a pointer while she explained.
Before her, across the clinic's Coffee Table, Goki listened attentively while Skadi yawned in boredom.
'But in truth, gods aren't as supreme as imagined—they're merely special beings wielding great power, even hazardous... Goki, must you cook right now, and with that thing?'
After only a few sentences she set down the Staff, folded her arms across a chest far flatter than Skadi's, and swept a frigid gaze toward Goki on the table.
The man in casual wear, looking nothing like the hunter he had been, was frying two eggs and a steak in a pan that had appeared from nowhere.
The steak, bought from a local supermarket, released a rich aroma after the spices hit the oil; the sizzle of fat filled the Lab, drowning out the strong antiseptic smell.
And the heat source for this culinary feat—the skull that had just scared Kaltsit into vaulting onto the fridge—was now radiating steady warmth beneath the pan.
—The Wisdom of the God of Burning Wind.
Although that brainless brute had no wisdom beyond brawling, at least the heat output was fierce, perfect for cooking.
Goki had gained plenty of ancient god wisdom in Yharnam, but none so conveniently hot it could be used for cooking; usually he stored them, exchanging them for Insight and knowledge when needed.
He figured Yharnam's Great Ones just happened to lack a deity embodying flame.
'No interruption at all—I'm just proving its safety to you. See? You sense a threat, but it's actually harmless.'
Balancing the pan atop the burning skull, he swirled it steadily and gave Kaltsit a thumbs-up while cooking.
'And look at you, Doctor Kaltsit: not a single vegetable in the fridge, only energy drinks and bars on the floor—if I weren't here, would you have subsisted on those again tonight? From now on, cooking is my job; you will eat and sleep on schedule.'
With a practiced flick he flipped the steak; Skadi tracked the airborne food, worried Kaltsit might snatch it.
Goki's expression was earnest, like an attentive pupil or a nagging parent.
'As for the danger of gods, I've seen it firsthand—one slap could pulp me. Without Skadi and the Rainforest warriors, I'd stand no chance alone.'
Recalling the might of the God of Burning Wind's Incarnation—and the constant Soul-searing pain—Goki never wanted a rematch.
'Luckily it was only a fraction of its power, or the Rainforest would be flat by now.'
He spared Kaltsit the gritty details of the fight and the cameo of the God of Yellow Sand, simply recounting how the God of Burning Wind had been banished.
'That was merely an Incarnation of those beings—banishing it is already absurd. If I didn't know you two, I'd think you were showing off. My health is my concern; I'm watching over something more important.'
Kaltsit put on her stern 'Sima face' and shot Goki a helpless glare.
'The lord of the Burning Wind Scorched Earth is one of the few historically documented gods, entrenched south of Sargon, launching repeated attacks... Its hostility toward human civilization is beyond doubt.'
She was discussing something grave, yet Goki fussed over her diet—couldn't he be serious for once?
But after a month traveling together, Kaltsit knew his flighty nature; whatever she said, he would remember, so she carried on.
'Wherever it treads becomes wasteland, yet Sargon's material defenses hold; its full strength cannot breach reality's boundary, and its effects on the world soon mend...'
Recalling millennia of research on these 'gods,' Kaltsit suddenly felt... unfamiliar with the topic.
It had been ages since she discussed it with anyone.
Apart from that one close friend, she rarely spoke of the world's nature or humanity's greatest threat.
Even to the greatest emperors, undefeated generals, or wisest scholars, Kaltsit seldom mentioned these things.
'Those who feed on meat are base and plan for nothing distant.'
Not that they were truly foolish, but their ruling position chained them to the capital; they could not squander precious taxes on a 'fantasized crisis.'
Right now, Kaltsit was discussing the crisis facing this world with two hunters she barely knew.
In fact, the girl named Skadi didn't understand any of it and couldn't be bothered to listen.
"Those who witness his form, without a strong will, are driven into endless fury and madness, slaughtering every living thing in sight... That is the God of Burning Wind recorded in history."
The most striking trait of Kaltsit's definition of a "god" is mass psychic contamination.
Even a so-called "shard of a god" can harm enough people to constitute a disaster.
"On the Sargon border, Alfonso was corrupted by the power of the God of Burning Wind and turned into an out-of-control human bomb—that's why I came to Saint Foucault City. Columbia's research is spiraling out of control; I have to stop it before something happens."
Kaltsit had come to Saint Foucault City for far more than a traveling doctor's rounds.
Just two districts away from the infected settlement lies Takra Valley, Saint Foucault City's top research zone.
And there, some researchers have already stepped blithely across the line that must never be crossed.
They might lure dangerous gods, thrusting greedy tentacles into the real world.
"Of course, I'm glad you drove a power not of Terra away, but beware—so long as the God of Burning Wind lives, his influence remains. We must stay on guard."
Though Kaltsit called herself omniscient, learning that Goki and Skadi had banished a god's power—even a shard—felt unbelievable.
"Relax, Gavial and I stayed in the tribe another week; everyone who fought is as lively as ever—Skadi! Don't grab it with your hand!"
The steak was barely seared; before Goki could plate it, a delicate-looking yet heat-proof hand plucked the sizzling meat straight from the pan.
"Mmm, Goki's amazing—when that final blast hit, I was scared, but then there was just a flash of white light and nothing happened."
Skadi stuffed the steak into her mouth with her fingers, not waiting for it to cool, utterly unfazed by the heat.
"Skadi, at least use a fork—no one's going to steal it from you."
Goki sighed, pulled a napkin from his pocket, and dabbed the corners of Skadi's mouth.
He knew that in Acahuala's temple the God of Burning Wind's power had agitated every warrior who fought, making them rash and irritable.
Yet after the battle both Gavial and Tomimi had calmed down.
They described regaining reason beneath a wash of white moonlight.
That was Goki's power—the moon-god force of paleblood from the Hunters Dream.
Only later did Goki realize that the energy he'd used to banish the God of Burning Wind had incidentally purified the whole group.
Otherwise the Tiakau warriors might have started fighting one another once the enemy vanished.
Only a Great One's power can counter a Great One's power—
just as hunters can replace and devour the moon god with the third umbilical cord, Goki had to grow stronger to face the Great Ones and their kin.
To better understand his own strength, treat the Seaborn Blood's effect on Skadi, and hunt new powers, Goki needed Kaltsit's help.
"We're not just here to catch up, Doctor Kaltsit. I happen to need research data on the Great Ones of this world—since you're investigating those institutions, why not take us along? Let's cooperate."
Standing, Goki offered Kaltsit his large hand, smiling.
To his surprise, she merely flicked her feline ears and shook her head decisively.
Friendly reminder: the site will soon be revamped, which may cause your reading progress to be lost. Please save your "Bookshelf" and "Reading History" (screenshots recommended). Sorry for the inconvenience!
"...No need. I have my own methods; I'm not like you—I understand you want to hunt those powers and make gods your trophies. Such arrogance is no different from those reckless researchers; no, you're even madder."
Goki hid nothing of his aim, and Kaltsit didn't mind spelling it out—she saw this hunter from Yharnam as another madman.
"You know what you're facing, how many fiends outside reality hunger to break in, feast on humanity, and how mighty they are—yet you want to hunt them?"
To that, Goki merely shrugged.
"That's how hunters work, Doctor Kaltsit. Call us arrogant, but every hunter is used to challenging far stronger prey, and our goal is still to protect the people."
Unfazed by the lynx's refusal, Goki pressed on, speaking earnestly.
"How are you different, Kaltsit? You try to warn Iberia's Inquisitors of the oceanic threat, want Gladiia to drop the Abyssal Hunters' pride and ask the land-dwellers for help, and hoped Alfonso would weigh himself before rushing to his death... all on your own."
Goki understood Kaltsit's purpose in striving for Terra and could cite more examples.
Still, they'd been companions only a short while, so he couldn't list arguments she herself didn't know.
"As you said, Doctor Kaltsit, this world faces countless threats, and everything you do strives to keep humanity from turning on itself—so we can face our common enemy together, right?"
At this point Goki's tone turned serious; setting aside build or romance, he truly admired Kaltsit for laboring to keep the world at peace.
"Let me repeat, Doctor Kaltsit—you're a great person, but trying single-handedly to paper over the cracks of Terra's broken nations is as wild and unrealistic as my own ideas."
Perhaps in the future she will have more to protect, but for now Kaltsit's only goal is Terra's peace.
After all, nobody wants to be happily eating hotpot one minute and then get smacked by a passing god the next, right?
"You need help, you need an organization to carry out your ideals—we have to unite. Are there any two better suited for that than me and Skadi?"
Pointing at himself, Goki volunteered with enthusiasm.
Whether Skadi agreed was another matter; Goki was quite happy to be the Big Lynx's errand boy.
Kaltsit fell silent for a moment, a little stunned, her jade-green eyes widening slightly.
For many years, even that Sarkaz friend of old had only learned the world's nature because Kaltsit herself told her.
The first to truly sense the final purpose of her wandering Terra... was Goki standing right in front of her.
This man... understands me?
At the thought, the white-and-green-furred Cat Ears atop Kaltsit's head twitched.
She felt she'd met a kindred spirit—no, not quite, more like... someone who understands.
Terra's population numbers in the billions, yet such people are few, and most are already dead.
Then, without hesitation, she retorted.
"...I'm not as noble as you say. I told you—I'm merely an ordinary scholar, Mr. Goki."
Kaltsit hadn't encountered anyone like this in years.
"Mmm, I agree."
Skadi gulped down her steak and nodded vigorously—she thought Kaltsit really wasn't that great; in fact, she was rather awful.
"You're a great person, Kaltsit. If I say you are, then you are."
Refusing to back down, Goki stepped from the Coffee Table to Kaltsit, meeting her eyes.
"Stop hiding behind coldness—you're a good person, Professor Kal'tsiit~~"
He extended his large hand again, earnestly asking to team up with Kaltsit.
"I want to learn which tech companies are researching powers that shouldn't be touched and get their data, while you want to stop them from courting death—at least in Columbia our interests align, right?"
Kaltsit regarded the man coldly, thinking rapidly, her jade eyes seeming to bore through his dark ones into his heart.
"Only within Columbia—you'll hand that skull over for my research."
Half a minute later she grasped his large hand and said coolly,
"Our goals may indeed be the same; what you seek is inside those corporate labs—Rhine Lab and Loken Tank. I'm looking for a way in."
Those two companies were her targets this time—they had crossed the line.
"No problem!"
Goki's smile brightened instantly.
Step one to turning the Big Lynx into a wife—achieved!
A small step for a Hunter, a giant leap for Rhodes Island's paradise plan!
"All right, then—happy cooperation. I'll take care of the housework from now on!"
Gently holding Kaltsit's slender hand, Goki gave it two shakes, then swiftly pulled an Apron and Feather Duster from the Shopping Bag on the sofa.
From the moment he arrived he'd planned on cohabiting with his two wives.
"Come on, Skadi, let's clear out a bedroom—help me move the bed."
Waving to the steak-munching Skadi, Goki looked forward to their upcoming Columbia adventures and to living with Kaltsit.
"Oh, I haven't finished my egg... and Kaal mustn't barge into our room!"
Hearing she'd live with Kaltsit again, Skadi pouted but followed Goki into the dusty Guest Room.
"...I never agreed to let you live with me—ha, whatever."
Kaltsit slapped her forehead, suddenly feeling helpless; these two Hunters always ruined her composure.
"The God of Burning Wind broke its Seal ahead of time..."
Turning back, Kaltsit looked at the skull still burning quietly on the table; its hollow black eyes sent chills down her spine.
"The crisis... may arrive faster than expected; there's more to be done."
Kaltsit felt an invisible pressure—she couldn't tell if it was responsibility or a burden.
Just then, an intangible pull suddenly burst from the skull's sockets, locking her gaze.
"Mortal, release me—and you shall have all you desire."
A whisper echoed around her, brimming with unseen allure.
"Ngh..."
Unable to resist, Kaltsit's hand reached toward the crackling, sallow skull——
—and plucked the Fried Egg Skadi hadn't finished from a nearby pan, popping it into her mouth.
"Did you think you could tempt a thousand-year-old ghost, God of Burning Wind? You're nothing but dregs."
She gave the skull a disdainful glance and set her Staff beside it.
Ancient Sarkaz runes shimmered with arcane might, suppressing the roaring flames at once.
"Phew, hot... it's runny,"
She admitted Goki's cooking was excellent; during their month together she'd already appreciated his skill.
"Fine—letting him stay might be nice; I'm sick of Energy Bar flavor anyway."
Carrying the skull, Kaltsit walked into the adjoining Lab.
And so, Goki's happy cohabitation with Little Orca and Big Lynx began in Saint Foucault City, Columbia.
----------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check it out.
Your support truly means a lot to me!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for being here!
And if you're having fun with the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone for me!