"Greeeaaahhh!" A shriek echoed from beneath a cloak as the figure fled from something in pursuit. Howls closed in, forcing it to run faster. Its awkward, wobbly gait was more comedic than threatening—like a toddler learning to walk. It clearly hadn’t touched the ground in ages.

  "Woof! Woof! Woof woof!" The Hellhounds relished the chase, especially with such a clumsy target. One pyfully nipped the edge of the cloak, startling the Reaper into tripping over its own feet and crashing into the ground.

  "Woof! (It fell!)"

  "Woof woof! (What are we waiting for? Finish it!)" The pack swarmed over the bck-cloaked figure, licking and slobbering all over the skeletal body beneath the cloth. Their tongues painted the so-called reaper with pungent, sticky drool, robbing it of any dignity.

  "Aaarrggghhh!" the Reaper howled in humiliation while the Werewolf y crouched nearby, trembling in fear. It dared not move or make a sound, terrified Fethan would turn his wrath on it next.

  Fethan sat atop a stone ptform, face expressionless as he watched the punishment unfold.

  "Let it go. Let it run another p," he commanded coldly.

  The Hellhounds obeyed immediately, retreating from the saliva-soaked Reaper. But instead of fleeing, it colpsed on the ground in defeat. It had tried running five times now—and given up. How could a floating wraith outrun a pack of quadrupeds?

  "So? How’s it feel to get chased down by a bunch of good boys? I found the experience so moving, I had to share it with you."

  Thank you—but never again! The Reaper’s hopeless gaze said it all. The Hellhounds dragged it back to Fethan’s feet, thrilled to bully a creature they once feared. The Werewolf shrank smaller, praying Fethan would forget it existed.

  "Lumi, got anything you want it to do?" Fethan turned to his girlfriend. Luminus rested her chin on her hand, considering. The Reaper looked up at her pleadingly.

  "I wonder what a Reaper would taste like in hotpot."

  "!!" The Reaper dropped its jawbone in shock. Even Fethan stared at her, stunned. While he’d been thinking of revenge for the trouble it caused in the Hollow Gate, she was busy wondering how it’d taste stewed with spices and herbs. He had no desire to eat it, but he knew the Hellhounds would definitely be interested.

  After enough humiliation, Fethan had the Reaper kneel before him. Surrounded by snarling wolves, it shook. There was something he’d wanted to ask since the Nameless Forgotten City.

  "Why were you so obsessed with Lumi’s soul? Was it that valuable you had to kill me to get it?"

  The Reaper still couldn’t speak human nguage, so it scratched in the dirt with a bony finger:

  {I’ve been assigned to monitor Lady Luminus’s soul for a long time. I was ordered to escort her to the Realm of Dreams to face my former master. If I failed… I would be destroyed. I had no choice.}

  "Even with such an important mission, you pyed around instead of finishing it—and got yourself killed?"

  "..." The Reaper clutched its bony chest. Did its new master coat his words in venom? Every sentence made it want to evaporate from shame.

  "Who’s your former master? Why did they want Lumi’s soul?"

  {Cannot answer.}

  The Reaper scrawled quickly, fingers shaking.

  "Why not?" Fethan narrowed his eyes, pressure mounting. As Lord of Evernd, he could compel loyalty—but the Reaper trembled violently, resisting with all its might. Fethan crossed his arms and applied more pressure, but it refused to comply.

  "Fine, new question. I stole Lumi’s soul from your old boss. Will they send someone to get her back?"

  The Reaper shook even harder. Its soul seemed to be fracturing from within. Fear and guilt flooded its posture. It struggled to respond.

  {Cannot answer.}

  "Do you know the name ‘Pharaoh Bck’?"

  "!!" The Reaper nearly went insane. It immediately scratched a reply:

  {You must not speak that name!}

  "Got it. Thanks."

  "??" The Reaper blinked. No more questioning? It was released, finally free. If it could cry, it would have. Fethan reviewed the fragmented answers.

  Luminus had been targeted long before her death. The Reaper’s former master—Pharaoh Bck—pced immense importance on her soul. Their power was strong enough to defy even Fethan’s authority.

  ‘It warned me not to speak his name. A being that must not be named...’

  All signs pointed to one thing:

  A Dark Dimensional God.

  These gods defied human comprehension. No one knew who they truly were, or what they wanted. They were the source of dark magi power—but even that was guesswork. The only thing mortals knew about them:

  Never speak their name. Never question. Never think of them.

  Fethan’s high school history teacher had said it best: "The stupidest thing mankind ever did was try to study the nameless gods."

  Fethan’s dread peaked. If he hadn’t noticed the notification log, he might never have learned the name ‘Pharaoh Bck.’

  [Pharaoh Bck is watching you.]

  He knew this god wouldn’t let him go.

  ‘How much does he value Lumi? Can I even protect her?’ Fethan clenched his fist over his mouth, pacing like a headless fly.

  "Fethan, don’t overthink it. Let’s start with what we can do." Lumi gently touched his shoulder. He paused, then smiled at her.

  "Yeah. You’re right." He opened a golden system window. If he wanted to protect Lumi and beat the clock on resurrection, he needed power—real power. Evernd Dominion was his best shot.

  [Evernd Dominion] [Glory: Level 1] [Territory: 10,000 sqm] [Popution: 253] [Soul Coins: 3.84] [Monthly Tax Income: 24.3 Soul Coins] [Special Structures: 0]

  [Fethan Bloodstar] [Level: 30] [Css: Dark Magus] [Titles: Lord of Evernd, Cursed Son, Heir to Dark Magic, Manaless Mage, Top Graduate, Whisper Resister] [HP: 100/100] [Stamina: 100/100] [Holy Power: 2/2] [Mana: 20/20] [Soul Power: 200/200] [Divine Authority: 0] [Arcane Authority: 25] [Dark Authority: 25] [Magic Resistance: 20] [Curse Resistance: 40] [Strength: 24] [Endurance: 18] [Agility: 19] [Perception: 18] [Intelligence: 17]

  Skills: Evernd Dominion:

  Deathseer Eyes (C) LV.1Gate to Evernd (B) LV.MAXSoul Harvest (A) LV.MAXSoul Fusion (S) LV.1Emperor of Spirit Magic (SS) LV.1God of Death’s Descent (SSS) LV.1General:

  Basic Mana Control (E) LV.6Martial Style:

  Eastern Guardian Sword Style (D) LV.2Spells:

  Basic Magic Arrow (F) LV.5Magic Shield (E) LV.3Magic Bullet (F) LV.6Basic Physical Enhancement (E) LV.2‘So I can farm Soul Coins using my undead army. But thanks to the curse, I can’t earn EXP from normal monsters anymore. That’s brutal. Other Dark Magi can still farm monsters and run rituals to get EXP from dark gods...’

  But not Fethan.

  He couldn’t gain a single drop from monsters, nor could he perform dark rituals for EXP from dimensional gods. Even he didn’t know why.

  ‘Did my benefactor piss off the other gods so badly that they cut me off? Whatever. I never pnned to sacrifice people for EXP anyway.’

  Fethan had gone all-in on the Dark Magus path, but he swore never to harm innocents. Human sacrifice wasn’t even on the table.

  That meant he had to find another way to grow.

  If he couldn’t increase mana or EXP directly, then Soul Power was the path forward. His magic scale was 1 mana per 10 Soul Power. Boosting Soul Power would boost everything else.

  Evernd was thick with ambient soul energy. Fethan had heard of sacred pces rich in mana or soul power—but he’d never imagined owning one. Now he did.

  [You have officially entered Evernd. Starting gift granted.]

  He opened the gift icon.

  [Rewards Received: Evernd Castle (Special), Immortal Barracks, Evernd Shop, 1-Month Tax Card, Beginner Soul Cultivation Manual.]

  [Evernd Castle LV1: The Lord’s residence. Comes with Training Room, Bedroom, Library, and Office. Uses 2000 sqm.] [Evernd Shop LV1: Trade Soul Coins for goods. Uses 500 sqm.] [Immortal Barracks LV1: +10% EXP/skill gain while training. Uses 5000 sqm.]

  "Lumi, have you ever pyed city-building ga—"

  "No." Her tone was final.

  "Lumi?"

  "I’ve never touched that cursed genre."

  "..."

  "If you don’t want this pce destroyed, keep me far away from it," she said, deadly serious. Fethan finally understood why she avoided design games—her aesthetic sense was lethal.

  Fethan picked a site and deployed the buildings. They materialized instantly—no resources needed. A towering European-style castle rose from the earth, fnked by a shop and a barracks.

  The hundred-plus Hellhounds immediately dove into the sand, rolling gleefully. The Werewolf spun in circles, while a few dogs stood upright behind him with dumb grins. Hard to believe they once tried to murder Fethan.

  "Do spirits lose IQ or something? Wait, do spirits even have brains?" he muttered.

  "Eep! Don’t say that! I don’t want to get any dumber," Lumi clutched her head.

  "Fethan, if I turned into a monkey from stupidity, would you still love me?" she asked.

  He shot her a look.

  "I’ll try to prevent that."

  "So if I do become a monkey, you won’t love me? Hey! Fethan!" She chased after him as he went to inspect the castle. Fortunately, she got distracted exploring. Two wolves trailed behind her like royal guards. Though the nd wasn’t vast, the multi-floor design made the castle feel massive.

  "Fethan! I’m a princess now! A real princess with her own castle! That’s dream #111 come true!" she shouted from the top floor while he toured the ground level. She even recruited the wolves to sniff out hidden rooms.

  Meanwhile, Fethan reviewed the rooms:

  [Training Room LV1: Soul density +50%. Cultivation +10%. EXP and skill gain +5%.] [Bedroom LV1: Sleep efficiency +30%. Fatigue recovery and curse resistance +20%.] [Library LV1: Reading efficiency +5%. Blocks outside noise. Reading variety boosts bonus.] [Office LV1: Access advanced development functions.]

  Once he finished his tour, Fethan stepped back through the portal.

  He returned to the hospital immediately—afraid someone would notice his absence. He had no way to expin he'd gone to another dimension.

  He only hoped no one else ever found out his secret.