Flashback
"Ikiro, why did you call me here?"
"Katsa, listen. You're going to the Verdant Path, which is a pretty tough crew—it'll be hard for you to survive there."
"I know that, Ikirooo."
"See, in Verdant Path they don't fight with fists—they fight with brains. That's why it's the smartest crew in the affiliation."
"So?"
"So… you'll need to fight them smartly, and I know you can do it. But there's one more thing I want to tell you, and that is—"
"What!?"
"Be careful. Because in that crew, there's a monster who's on par with me."
"Who is he?"
"The savior of Verdant Path…The mastermind…The strongest…The smartest…The one who watches from the shadows…"
"WHO?!!"
Thorne Valric — #1 Verdant Path.
"Katsa, why are you laughing?"
"It's gonna be fun."
NOGSPHERE CITY
Nogsphere City is home to the Verdant Path—and that's where Katsa must go.
"This city looks huge… the buildings, the security—everything is tight. Wait, what is that!?"
Someone is standing on the top of a tall building, wearing a cape and a mask."Maybe… he's Thorne Valric."
"I have to go to the counter and join the crew."
COUNTER
"What do you want?"
"I want to join the Verdant Path."
"You mean the trading company?"
"BOVP."
"So you're talking about that, huh? You'll need to pass some tests first."
"Like?"
"IQ tests."
"Okay then, I'm ready."
Test 1:"Two doors: one leads to safety, one to death. One guard always lies, the other always tells the truth. You can ask one question."
"One is safe and one is death… So my question will be—"
"I'll ask either guard: 'If I asked the other guard which door is safe, what would he say?' Then pick the opposite door."
"Correct. You pass Stage 1."
Test 2:"It's a fight. If you impress your opponent with your IQ, you'll become part of Verdant Path."
"Who's the opponent?"
"A trusted member of the Verdant Path."
"Okay…"
"Wait… that's the man from above the tall building! Same outfit!"
"His name is No.4. You have 2 minutes to fight him—and it begins now!"
Katsa charges and punches No.4, but he dodges. That was her plan—she follows with a hook to his ribs, but he dodges again.
Katsa remembers—they're smart. She must use battle IQ.
She grabs No.4 in a deadlock and throws him into the nearby river.Then, she controls the water to trap him—
But he escapes!
Katsa sees he's soaked in water and uses her quick thinking—she channels electricity and shocks him!
No.4 gets angry and punches the ground, causing an earthquake across the area.
Katsa jumps onto a bridge as buildings collapse around her.She leaps from the falling debris, charging an attack—but—
She's blocked by No.4! He punches her in the face, sending her crashing to the ground.
The collapsing buildings bury her. No.4 believes she's dead.
But she isn't.
Katsa bursts from the river, unleashing the attack she'd been charging the whole time—
PURPLE SMASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
No.4 is blasted across the city as the two minutes end.
When Katsa returns to the counter, she's shocked—No.4 is already there, completely unharmed.
He says, "You thought only you could use clones?"
He whispers to Katsa, "You're selected."And he smiles—impressed by her fight.
The person at the counter hands Katsa a badge:
KATSA Squad 7# Newcomer