Truthfully, there wasn't much that was new to me. Aurora filled in the parts I didn't know, like when she left to escape the abuse she suffered at the hands of our parents, she had come into contact with the authorities, who kept her in witness protection. It more or less explained why she couldn't truly come back for me or openly contact me. Furthermore, the authorities had stalked out the place our parents and I lived, gradually gathering evidence and eventually cracking down on the criminals that were harassing us.

Turns out, our parents had been heavily addicted to drugs that were rampant in the area we lived in, much like many of the neighbors there. They began to borrow money from gangs, one in particular that was extremely violent and methodical in their crimes.

As such, that gang was careful in how they conducted business, cleverly supplying both the drugs and the money in less regulated neighborhoods. When it came time to collect their dues, the gang wasn't discriminatory, taking payment in various forms. That was probably where my sister had come in.

I felt sick as Aurora vaguely recounted that part, noticing that Gigi seemed disturbed as well, though not as much as I was. She probably already heard about it from my sister, but it was definitely not an easy thing to hear about again.

Finally, after the authorities managed to dismantle the majority of the gangs, our parents were left to face the consequences of their actions. Suffering withdrawals and lack of money, their conditions worsened rapidly, which led to their deaths and me alone at their hastily organized funeral. That came out of what little money they had left for me.

Whether or not our parents still had a shred of conscience left, the few remnants of the gang members never looked for me, as if they didn't know I existed. For sure though, they tried coming after Aurora, but since she was in witness protection and heavily guarded at all times, they couldn't get to her.

"I'll admit it," Aurora quietly wrapped up, averting her gaze from me. "When I saw you, you were already in college, hanging out with Tommy and whoever that girl he was dating at the time. You looked... happy. And I didn't want to ruin that. Those gang members were still out there, and I didn't want to uproot your life. I wanted you to be free of all that."

Gigi, in between us, sniffed quietly. I clenched my jaw.

"That and the fact that my body was ruined to the point where I can't exactly... start a family anymore," Aurora quietly added, glancing at me. "I felt disgusted and ashamed to face you, knowing that you probably thought I abandoned you. I also didn't want you to know what had happened to me. I thought it'd be easier for you if you didn't have to worry about... me."

I didn't say anything for a while. I swallowed hard.

"I... I never knew," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper. "I wish I could have done something to help you."

"What could you have done? You're my little brother, it's my job to take care of you," Aurora said, reaching out and gently caressing my cheek. Her touch felt foreign and unfamiliar, but somehow soothing. "I didn't want to burden you with my problems. I was selfish, I know."

I pushed her hand away, gently. "This... yeah, I understand why you had to do what you needed to, but it still hurts."

"I don't expect you to forgive me right away," Aurora leaned back, her expression pained. "I know whatever hatred you have against me is due to both my actions and what our parents dumped on us. If you need more time, I get it."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't... hate you. I'm just angry because I was left in the dark all this time. Bitter because you had me thinking you didn't care about me anymore. Hurt because I thought you of all people would be there for me no matter what."

In spite of the heaviness, Aurora had a small smile on her face after I had said I didn't hate her.

"I'm very much still upset with you, but I guess just give me some time to process everything," I continued. "I don't think I can just fall back into the same relationship we had when we were younger. Honestly, it's hard to remember what it was like."

"That's... fine by me," Aurora nodded slowly. "I'll give you all the time you need."

Her words seemed to hang in the air for a moment, and I could see the hurt in her eyes. It was a stark contrast to the confident, competitive, and arrogant girl I'd known before, and it made me feel a pang of guilt deep in my chest.

There was another wordless moment between the three of us until Aurora cleared her throat.

"Anyway, now that that's out of the way, do you remember what I said about PKs?"

"Huh? O-oh, yeah, something about the loose criminals being a part of the PK syndicates?" I said, recalling what she had mentioned earlier.

"Right. So, Enigma and the top ten guilds work with the authorities to help stop PK crimes, but recently, there's been a surge of them happening, all traced back to a particularly powerful syndicate only known as Squall."

"Squall's influence has been growing, so much so that they've been assimilating other PK syndicates into their ranks," Gigi added, seemingly relieved to change the topic. "We've been trying to gather intel on them, but it's been difficult. They're very careful about keeping their operations under wraps."

"The only evidence we have of them come from PKers from lesser syndicates that revealed the existence of Squall," Aurora explained. "They're a secretive group, and their members are incredibly loyal to one another. It's hard to infiltrate them, much less find an actual member."

Gigi nodded in agreement. "But we can't ignore them either. They're becoming a major threat to the community."

I found myself glancing at Gigi again, unable to shake the feeling that there was something more going on beneath the surface. "Do you think there's any way to stop them?" I asked. "I mean, to stop them from killing Players?"

"Hypocritical as it seems, Enigma, the top ten guilds, and the national governments have unanimously agreed to... fight fire with fire," Gigi answered, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Wait, you're saying–"

"The only way to really stop Squall and the rest of the PK syndicates is to use lethal force," Aurora explained. "But the problem is, if we're caught doing that, we're just as guilty as they are. It's a delicate balance."

"Er... does that mean that you guys have...?"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Gigi and Aurora silently nodded. Suddenly, Gigi didn't seem so angelic to me anymore. Well, I still idolized her, so it didn't really make much of a difference, but it was a bit shocking to know.

Actually, now that I thought about it, Rhys and Vella weren't as shaken by slaughtering the royal army and the villagers either back in the dungeon. They probably had their fair share of syndicate hunting as well. If that was the case, then it would've explained why Aurora's level continually increased every time I saw her.

"So, um..." I hesitated, "Do you need any help with that? I mean, if you ever need someone to watch your back or anything..."

"Appreciate the sentiment, Lu, but I don't need my back being watched," Aurora flashed a wry smile. "Maybe Gigi, but then again, I'm not really enthusiastic about having my little brother in danger again."

"Aurora, Luquier has been growing exponentially strong every day. He's pretty much already surpassed you at this point," Gigi smiled gently at Aurora, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That being said, I wouldn't mind having him watch my back if we were to go on an operation."

[Cool it, Luquier...] Sephera's message flashed before I had a chance to even think about it.

"I know, but every time I see him, I just see a little kid who looked up to his big sister. I think that's why I feel so protective of him. It's like I'm watching over a part of my life that I've lost," Aurora explained. "But, Luquier, if you're serious about helping, maybe you can join us for a few practice sessions. Gigi and I have some moves we've been working on that you might find useful."

"Practice sessions?" I asked, ignoring the weird feeling hearing my sister talk about me like that. "Like... sparring?"

"Of sorts. I think you'd benefit from it." Aurora's tone was firm, almost commanding. "You'd do well to learn some techniques."

"But... at the rate I'm going, I'll soon become the strongest Player in the world," I said without an ounce of arrogance. Honestly, I was still sitting on roughly a hundred million Stat Points, and even if I used them on my Items or other abilities, I'd very quickly gain it back through other means.

"I can tell your stats are overwhelming, Lu, but this world isn't so peaceful that you can just keep getting stronger and stronger without anyone ever trying to bring you down," Aurora said, her expression softening. "And if you're going to keep increasing your power, you need to learn how to properly defend yourself. You've just been getting by on your strength alone, right?"

"Er..." I mumbled, not quite sure what to say. I knew she was right, but I didn't want to admit it. Eventually, I just nodded reluctantly. "Alright, I'll come with you, but only to observe. No promises about actually participating."

"You have to come by tomorrow anyway. Enigma's gonna put you and Celine in a party, remember?"

I didn't. Honestly, with how hectic my day had been, that was the least of my worries.

"That's a start," Gigi added, putting a hand on my arm. That made my heart skip a beat. "I'm sure you think you don't need special training to completely dominate your opponents, but you never know. There may be a foe that halves your stats just like Levius, or maybe they have an ability that completely ignores differences in numbers."

Even so, I had a cheat-like Achievement that restored my cooldowns and a Skill that quite literally neutralizes other skills. But with Gigi saying that to me, I couldn't refuse.

"That's fine by me..." I mumbled, still feeling a little reluctant. "But I'm not promising anything." I glanced at Gigi, who gave me a reassuring smile.

"Then that's settled," Aurora stood up and stretched with a big yawn. "I'm gonna turn in for the night. You're welcome to stay here, little bro. Or do you need me to take you back home?"

I really wanted to stay the night, if not to be in close proximity to Gigi, but a blue message screen popped up in front of my face.

"No- I can take myself back," I reluctantly denied, standing up. "I've got something to do at home."

"Alright, then. Goodnight, Lu," Aurora said, smiling. She waved goodbye as she walked away from the table.

As much as I was conflicted about how I felt about her still, I had to admit, my sister was either mentally resilient or a good actor to maintain such a lax and cheerful demeanor in the face of everything. I could only imagine what it was like for her, having to hide such a dark secret from the world.

"Night, Aurora-"

She paused in the doorway of her room, but didn't turn around. Really? I thought we were over this.

"-night, Awra..."

"You don't have to call me by that anymore, Lu. But it's adorable how you did so even when you won the bet." My sister giggled as she disappeared from view. Right, so at least I knew she'd always be annoying.

I sighed and stood up, beginning to head for the door.

"Don't forget your food, Luquier!" Gigi smiled warmly at me as she held up my leftovers. I almost folded and changed my mind, but I accepted the food graciously. "I'm sure you're hungry after such a long talk."

"Thanks, Gigi," I said with a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

----------------------------------------

With a mouth full of food, I stared at the message screen that popped up earlier at Aurora's place.

[System alert: Even Death Can't Stop Me! has finished calculating rewards.]

[You have been granted (3) options.]

[Legendary Item] [Legendary Skill] [Legendary Weapon]

I swallowed my bite, taking out the Soultaker that had been shaking ever since the notification appeared.

"Finally- hey, wipe your greasy hands before handling me, will you?" the sword complained as I set it down next to me on the couch.

"Then don't annoy me into bringing you out," I grumbled as I set my food down on the coffee table. "What are you so eager about that you just couldn't wait to tell me?"

"Take the Item. Or if not, then a Skill would be just as good."

I blinked, trying to catch up to how quickly it answered me. "Okay... why?"

The Soultaker fell silent, as if embarrassed to explain.

[! It's cause it thinks you might replace it if you get a better weapon XD]

"N-no, that's not it," the sword stammered. "It's just that..."

"Hmm, as much as your personality could use an upgrade, I doubt I'd replace you," I murmured, picking it up and injecting another two million points into it. I ignored its soft moans as I studied the blue runes on the blade. "You have nigh infinite scaling and you're another lifeline of sorts, so unless there's another weapon that does the same without any drawbacks, you're stuck with me."

"Well, there's always a chance you'll find something better, you know."

"Still, we did make a deal. You help me survive, I help you find your master," I replied, setting it down as I stared at my reward options once more. The Soultaker shivered once before growing quiet.

"You know... perhaps my master wanted me to find a new one. Someone who would make greater use of my strength."

"Is that so? Are you coming around to the idea of accepting me as your new master?"

"Far from it, but it wouldn't seem so bad..."

[You guys are practically writing the fanfiction yourselves...]

"Shut up!" The Soultaker and I said in unison, which didn't help my case.

"If you don't have anything else to say regarding what I should pick, then just keep quiet," I scowled at Sephera's messages.

[Fine, fine... if you want my wise opinion, I'd have to agree with the sadist sword. An Item would be pretty useful second to a legendary Skill.]

"Yeah, that's what I was leaning towards too," I tutted, reaching out to touch the Item option. "What sucks is that I thought I'd have a lot more rewards for dying so many times. But I guess more than four hundred deaths is equal to a legendary tier. Is legendary even that great?"

[To put it in perspective, think of the common tier as a knife. Legendary tier would be like a nuclear bomb.]

Oh. Yeah, that was an enormous gap. My heart raced with excitement as I tapped the reward, eager to see what I got.

****

[Updating…]

[Stat Points: 104094215]

[Items]

[Soultaker (10125700)]