The young man safely brought his half-sister back home. His right arm was coated in black markings from using the curse. It was known as a Demon Brand—a symbol marking a dark mage who had plunged deep into the path of cursing. Fethan’s Demon Brand resembled a burn, and it radiated searing heat throughout his body. The young man endured the torment while listening to Stella’s confession.

  “So basically, no matter where you move to, a cursed spirit chases you down and dooms the whole family?”

  “Yes,” Stella revealed the truth while observing Fethan’s expression. Yet this half-brother of hers didn’t appear shocked. He had already asked Melo to investigate and had read every single tragedy Stella had faced—over ten incidents since her first orphanage.

  ‘Gamo’s book mentioned something like this. A child cursed from birth to attract calamity. I think they called it a Doom Vessel.’

  Fethan remembered the content in Gamo’s notes well. There was a chapter detailing the theory behind the creation of a Doom Vessel.

  Doom Vessels had a gravitational pull toward cursed spirits. Cursed spirits that fed on the body and soul of a Doom Vessel could drastically amplify their curse power—cutting down cultivation time by a hundred years or more. Conversely, if the Doom Vessel learned to control curse power and grew into adulthood, they could become the most powerful curse-user of all.

  It was a talent that brought both fortune and misfortune in equal measure. For a child like Stella, with no strong backing, it was a tragedy.

  “Did you ever tell any of your foster families?”

  “I did. I told them, but no one believed me. One time, a family that took me in brought me to a priest. But the next day, they sent me straight back to the orphanage.”

  Stella lowered her gaze, her expression dim and pitiful like an abandoned puppy. Once, she had believed a priest could solve her problems. But in the end, she had been discarded just the same. Since then, she never told anyone else. And interestingly, that family was one of the few to avoid tragedy.

  “Do you remember the priest’s name?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “I see…”

  Fethan understood why families abandoned Stella. Calling her unlucky was too mild—cursed spirits weren’t the only things drawn to her. She attracted inexplicable calamities. Even knowing the root of her misfortune, Fethan still had many questions.

  If everyone around her met a tragic end—then why had she remained completely unharmed?

  “Stella, I’m sorry to ask this directly, but why you? Why are you the only one who always survives?”

  “I don’t know. But maybe it’s because of my guardian angel.”

  “Guardian angel?”

  “Yes. When I get sick, my guardian angel comes to watch over me. When things try to hurt me, I always wake up fine. She must be protecting and healing me. That’s what I believe.”

  Stella explained with a smile and eyes that sparkled. She had always felt thankful to her guardian angel—even if she had never seen her face.

  The idea of guardian angels came from ancient fairy tales. It was said that each child had a divine protector shielding them from harm. But there was no evidence they truly existed.

  ‘Reaper Eyes.’

  Fethan activated the Reaper Eyes to examine Stella. These eyes could see all types of curses and death signatures.

  But—nothing. No information appeared at all.

  Maybe the Reaper Eyes were just too low level?

  Still, he was convinced—this girl had secrets not even she was aware of.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “I’m sorry. I’m a problem. I only cause trouble for you. You can send me back to the orphanage if you want…”

  A few tears slid down Stella’s cheeks as she forced the words out. Her small heart felt like it was being stabbed as she said them.

  “I told you—I’ll take care of you. Someone once told me: ‘Every problem has a solution. We just haven’t found it yet.’”

  Fethan glanced toward the spirit only he could see.

  He gently placed a warm hand on the trembling head of the little girl.

  “Besides, I’ve already used a curse in front of you. Whether I want to or not, I have to keep you with me now. You’re not going anywhere.”

  ‘Wait—?!’

  Stella suddenly jumped up, rushed into the kitchen, and came back with a kitchen knife.

  “P-please don’t hurt yourself!”

  “I’m not going to kill you!”

  “If it’s for you, Mr. Fethan, I’d rather die!”

  Stella pointed the knife at her own throat. Her fear pushed her close to doing it.

  “My dear little sister, please treasure the life I saved.”

  Fethan sighed, stood up, and wrested the knife from her.

  This little girl had no confidence or desire to live. The overwhelming emotions drove her toward dark thoughts. He had to help her fix that.

  “From now on, I forbid you from touching anything sharp unless I say it’s okay. Got it?”

  “Yes… I understand.”

  “And no more talk about leaving or dying. It’s unlucky—and bad for your mental health. Not mine—yours. The one who suffers from thinking like that is you.”

  “Okay…”

  It was the first time Stella had ever been scolded. But instead of fear, something warm blossomed in her chest. It calmed her.

  That night ended with everyone going to rest. Fethan took a bath, then opened the gate to Everland.

  But what greeted him—was chaos.

  “Chiiid! Chii chii chii!! (Don’t act so high and mighty, newbie! Show respect to your seniors!)”

  “Woof! Woof woof! (You damn cockroach! You killed my brother—I’ll kill you!)”

  “Grrr! (Bring it on, bug-face!)”

  The Hellhounds and Death Rats, known for daily squabbles, had joined forces to fight the human-sized cockroach.

  Ricky bared his fangs and swatted away anyone who got close. The cloaked Reaper dove in with its scythe, but Ricky dodged as if peeling a banana—easily. He was too fast, even for the Reaper.

  He ran freely, grabbing small Death Rats and shoving them whole into his mouth.

  Fethan’s face went pale.

  I built the Cursed Prison to lock away cursed spirits—so what the hell is going on?!

  He turned to see ruins. Some rats had escaped and were now frolicking in the fields like tourists.

  Fethan’s expression went cold.

  “What the hell is this?!”

  He was about to explode. Not just the prison—the barracks and even his castle were damaged. The signs of battle weren’t even the worst part. Everland’s population had dropped—from 1000 down to just 891.

  “It was you, wasn’t it? You perverted roach bastard.”

  Fethan pointed at Ricky. Each spirit had been painstakingly gathered—through dangerous expeditions into narrow, foul-smelling sewers. What Ricky had devoured in hours had taken him days.

  A small Death Rat ran up, eyes full of tears.

  “Chii chii chii! (That roach ate over a hundred of my siblings! Not even the Reaper could stop him! Please, do something!)”

  The little rat wept. It had dreamed of a bright future in Everland with its siblings—but now, they were all gone. Only blood could settle this.

  “Unforgivable! Fethan, let’s send him straight to hell!”

  Lumi drew Ninetails upon hearing the Death Rat’s plea. She didn’t care about justice—but some of those dead rats might’ve owed her money. If they were gone, who was going to repay her?

  ‘Looks like the system knows we can’t beat him alone.’

  Fethan pulled out a card—a reward from the last quest.

  [Tier 3 Cursed Spirit Cleansing Card (One-time Use): Sacrifice 10 Soul Coins. Choose one cursed spirit (Purple Grade, Tier 3 or lower) and instantly purify it.]

  Fethan opened the spirit list and selected: Ricky the Lecherous Roach.

  Golden light poured down.

  Ricky let out a shriek as black smoke burst from his body. The leather mask fell away, revealing a round face. His massive body shrank to adult human size.

  “I’m not hungry anymore.”

  Ricky spoke in human language. He nervously touched his fingers together as hundreds of eyes stared at him.

  Fethan sighed in relief that the card had worked.

  “There’s no need to eat here. There’s plenty of spirit energy to absorb—and eating anyone is absolutely forbidden.”

  Fethan stepped forward.

  “Ricky’s sorry. Ricky didn’t mean to.”

  Ricky lowered his head in guilt. He understood what he had done.

  “Wrongdoers must be punished. Here’s your sentence: you’ll repay the rats you ate by doing their jobs and compensating their families. Also—your tax rate is now 50% for six months.”

  “Ricky accepts. Ricky will work hard.”

  Even if it was unintentional, Ricky accepted his punishment. He planned to stay in Everland—and making enemies of the largest population group, the rats, would be a bad idea.

  And once Fethan made a decision, everyone else had to accept it.

  ‘Ricky’s biggest strength is his durability. I’ll use him as a tank.’

  Fethan checked his stats. Ricky had twice the HP of Lumi and the werewolf combined. Plus, he had regeneration and limb-regrowth skills.

  ‘That curse really hurt him bad.’

  Even better—Ricky’s taxes were higher.

  Lumi, the werewolf, and the Rat King each paid 1 Soul Coin.

  Ricky, though purple grade like them, paid 3. And with the penalty, that rose to 4.5 per month.

  ‘Killing him would’ve been a waste. From now on, I’m taxing hard. Let’s hope more people break the rules.’

  Fethan rubbed his hands together and grinned.

  If the spirits of Everland knew what their dark-hearted Lord was scheming, they’d never dare poke their heads out of their holes again.