“Thanks for helping, Milo.”

  “No problem. Friends help friends,” came the soft voice over the phone. Fethan wasn’t in Everland; he was in his bedroom at home. As soon as he clicked to open the file, it landed in his email — Stella’s adoption history, a ten-page document.

  Fethan had adopted his half-sister a while ago. Stella was like a delicate little flower, but anyone who touched her out of curiosity would be pricked by invisible thorns. Her background was full of mysteries, and she always avoided talking about it.

  Not wanting to pressure her, Fethan had asked a detective friend to dig into Stella’s history. A private investigator with police connections — finding the past of an ordinary orphan wouldn’t be difficult.

  “Your half-sister is seriously interesting. I can’t wait to see how long you survive.”

  “Shut your filthy mouth.”

  “Oh, sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to jinx you, but her background… it’s fascinating! Let me see her for myself!”

  “No. Stay away from my sister, you creepy detective.”

  “So cruel...” The voice on the line softened dramatically, but Fethan knew Milo was just faking sadness.

  “I’ll transfer your payment.”

  “No need.”

  “I’ve got some income now. I’ll pay. If you’re really my friend, shut up and take the money.” Fethan filled in Milo’s account info and transferred the amount before Milo could refuse. The scariest thing about friendships? Debts. Because you never know when a favor might be thrown back at you in a fight.

  Fethan’s rule of friendship: aside from a wife, never owe anyone anything — not even a friend you once ran around with in your underwear.

  “So aggressive. Fine, fine. Since you paid, I’ll throw in something extra. Onnacaster's had a surge in kidnapping cases lately. The detective office next to mine got flooded with missing child cases. I even picked one up myself.”

  “Missing kids?”

  “Girls, mostly. Watch your interesting little sister closely! Later.” Milo hung up.

  Fethan sat quietly, reading the file carefully. Stella wasn’t without a past; her life’s history was clearly documented. But the more he read, the more wrong he felt. Every family that had adopted her either went bankrupt, suffered tragic accidents, died mysteriously, or ended in ugly divorces.

  His half-sister was like a harbinger of disaster. No wonder Milo found her fascinating — she was a walking curse everyone instinctively avoided.

  'No wonder she was so nervous back then... She must be terrified of being abandoned.'

  “Fethan, what are you going to do?” Lumi, who had been silently listening, finally spoke. She gazed at the young man deep in thought. Her question seemed to tap into something inside him. As a former exorcist, Lumi had a keen sense for anything related to dark arts.

  Stella’s streak of misfortune was suspiciously unnatural, and Fethan understood her concern.

  Dark mages excel at luring and deceiving victims. As a fallen exorcist cursed by the Deathborn Spell, Lumi wanted Fethan to be cautious — even around his own sister.

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  “I’ll be honest. I believe Stella is a good girl. She’s my sister, the last family I have. Maybe she’s just unlucky. And if something is causing that misfortune, I’ll find it and destroy it myself.”

  Fethan trusted the tears Stella shed from happiness. She was pure — a white sheet in a dark world.

  Even if their time together had been short, her joy when eating good food, her energy while cleaning the house, and her peaceful relaxation spoke volumes. Every moment in this house was precious to her. She was a girl who craved love and belonging.

  “I believe in Stella. I’ll believe in my precious sister—just like I believe in you, Lumi.”

  He met Lumi’s gaze with firm determination. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, touched by his sincerity.

  “Ugh, it’s because of stuff like this that I can’t leave you, you idiot.” Lumi turned away to hide her blushing face. Fethan laughed as he noticed her red ears. Who would've guessed that even during serious conversations, he’d find a way to attack her heart?

  “Critical hit to Luminus Sterling’s heart.”

  “Hey!” Lumi glared, her cheeks flaming.

  “Player Fethan has suffered a status ailment: Bewitched. Oh no, faced with a beauty, he's hopeless!”

  Fethan smiled gently. Lumi covered her face, wanting no more teasing. Too bad she was in spirit form — who knew what she'd do if she still had a body?

  The next day, Fethan and Stella went shopping. The first foster payment from Jonathan had landed in Fethan’s bank account. He used it to buy Stella a school uniform and supplies. She wore a fancy red backpack costing thousands.

  The two siblings walked home along the street.

  “I really don’t have to go to school,” Stella said, trailing behind Fethan, eyeing his swinging hand.

  “No way. I think you look adorable in that uniform. It’d be a tragedy if someone who suits it so well didn’t attend school,” he said, smiling. Stella flushed pink, twisting shyly from the praise.

  “Thank you for taking care of me, giving me allowance, letting me go to school, buying me tasty food. I don’t know how to repay you,” she said.

  “You don’t need to repay me. Honestly. I take care of you because I want a family. Growing up alone was lonely; having a sister fills a hole inside me. So really, thank you for coming to live with me.”

  “Really? You’re really happy I’m here?”

  “Of course. Absolutely. If I'm lying, may lightning strike me.”

  “No!” Stella panicked, terrified he'd get struck. Fethan laughed out loud at her innocent tears.

  “Okay, okay. I get it. I’m not worried about lightning. But Stella, are you happy having me as your brother?”

  “I’m very happy! You’re so kind—like a big brother, even like a dad,” she said.

  “If possible, I’d love it if you called me ‘Big Brother Fethan.’”

  “I-I’m too shy,” Stella mumbled, face buried down.

  “It’s fine. Take your time. I’ll wait,” Fethan said, warmly and patiently. No pressure, only genuine goodwill.

  Stella bit her lip. She reached for his hand but hesitated. Fethan grasped her small, delicate hand first, letting her feel the warmth and strength there.

  They walked together until they reached a riverside. Suddenly, the atmosphere turned chillingly quiet. No birds, no wind, no passing animals — dead silence.

  Fethan had never realized the road home could feel so desolate. His heart raced. Stella’s hand was icy cold, and she was clearly struggling to breathe.

  “Fethan! We’re in a spell zone!” Lumi cried.

  Aside from Hollow Gates and Hollow Zones, there was something else to fear: spell zones. Step into one, and you’d face terrors worse than monsters.

  If it wasn’t a dark mage’s doing, then it was something even worse.

  Fethan’s Death Sight saw it: a human-shaped being a street away. Its black, segmented body was stuffed into a tattered business suit, massive muscles threatening to tear the fabric.

  And most disturbingly — it had eight arms and a face covered by human skin, with tusk-like fangs and a bloated tongue thicker than a child's arm, dripping saliva onto its expensive suit. Its green-red eyes locked onto—

  Not Fethan.

  The girl behind him.

  “Let me lick you,” it croaked, its voice neither male nor female, drooling uncontrollably.

  “Let me lick you.”

  “Let me lick you.”

  The hunger to consume spread in waves.

  Stella trembled violently, clutching Fethan's hand like it was her only anchor.

  Fethan summoned his Ninetails Blade, shielding her. He instantly knew: no option but to fight.

  Because the system message arrived, cold as death.

  [Warning: Grade Three Cursed Spirit detected.]

  [Side Quest: Ricky the Slobbering Licker Eliminate the Grade Three Cursed Spirit Ricky and escape the spell zone. Rewards: 20 Soul Coins, one Grade Three Cursed Spirit Purification Card, one 1-Month Tax Collection Card. Penalty: Death.]