As Zeke and I left the Auction House, the sky was cloudy, and not a single star was visible. The air was cool, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees lining the cobblestone streets. It was the perfect night for a leisurely stroll, but we couldn't shake off the lingering effects of Darius's aura.

"Kael, don't trust that old man too much. That crazy old man will throw you into a pit of dogs if he gets bored of you," Zeke grumbled, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"I admit, he's not the easiest person to deal with, but the benefits outweigh the costs, and thanks to him, we don't have to go through all the trouble to distribute the TSIs," I replied, trying to look on the bright side. "We're now connected to his vast resources, and we have access to the auctions. That's not so bad, right?"

Zeke sighed, clearly not as convinced. "Be careful, he might beat your ass if he feels like it. By the way, there's an immature thief that's going to jump us at the next corner."

We were suddenly interrupted by a young girl stepping out of a dark alleyway. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her clothes were tattered and dirty. There was a wild, desperate look in her eyes that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Give me all your money!" the girl demanded, brandishing a rusty, long knife in our direction. "Do it, or I'll cut you!"

Zeke and I exchanged glances, both surprised and somewhat amused by the situation. "Hmhmhm, seriously?" Zeke chuckled, shaking his head. "You're trying to mug us, little girl?"

The girl's eyes flashed with anger and fear. "I'm not joking! Give me your money, or I'll stab you!"

"Hmhmhmahaha! Hey, Kael, this kid is quite stupid, mmhmm maybe you need a good beating, little girl."

There was something odd about this girl. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her. She was clearly desperate and scared, and it was evident that she was doing this out of necessity rather than malice. However, there was something else; she was not normal. The next second, the system window appeared.

[Calamity detected] ➩ [Sudden mission]

[Calamity ➩ Desolara Mortis]

[Desolara Mortis is a young girl shrouded in pain; her very existence has been "defined." Born into a world that she was never meant to inhabit, her core has been fused with a devil, a catastrophe waiting to happen.]

[Corruption ⇮] ➩ [17%]

[Option One] ➩ [Termination reward] ➩ [Unique skill: Sensory Suppression]

[Allows the user to selectively enhance or completely block one or more of the six basic senses] ➩ [Can enhance the user's senses by up to 130%] ➩ [User may forcefully use all senses despite restrictions] ➩ [Detects all emotions within a 50-meter radius] ➩ [User can negate all suppressions]

[Eliminating the Calamity will prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands]

[Option Two]➩[Help the Calamity Desolara Mortis stabilize and control her core]

[!WARNING!] [!WARNING!] [!WARNING!]

[She brings casualties wherever she goes, Since she is corrupted she will attract demonic creatures. The chances of rifts occurring will increase by 8%]

[Reward upon completion]➩[????]

Huh? What the hell is going on? Core fusion? That's not supposed to happen until the end of the story. No, first of all, how can there be more than one fusion? A devil is an existence that lives in a sealed realm, and because of that, if it ever wants to escape the realm, it needs to fuse with someone. The best way to do that is to fuse with someone's core and corrupt them over time until the devil gains full control. But how is this happening? I only introduced one devil in my story, and the devil was in a sleeping state, so it couldn't be that devil. Tsk, seriously, this kid poses an absurd amount of danger. I'm not sure if the devil woke up early or if it's a completely different devil, but regardless of that, I need to deal with this properly. Although killing the kid is tempting, the devil might attempt to fuse with someone else. If it's the same devil as the one in my story, it might have been fine, but what if it's a completely different devil? Having two devils running around would be a nightmare. I sighed, realizing the gravity of the situation. The best course of action would be to help Desolara gain control over her core and neutralize the devil's influence. As much as it was a risk, it was the only way to prevent further damage and potentially save countless lives.

"Hey, Zeke," I whispered, keeping my eyes on Desolara, who was growing increasingly agitated. "I know this seems like a ridiculous situation, but we need to take her with us."

Zeke raised an eyebrow, clearly debating how to traumatize the kid. "What are you talking about, Kael? Don't tell me you're into little girls. Seriously, man? I thought you were better than that, but hey, you do you."

"No! Where the hell did you get that idea? Do I look like a bastard who likes kids?!"

"I SAID GIVE ME YOUR MONEY! DON'T THINK I WON'T STAB YOU!!"

"Oi, girl, don't you see I'm trying to save you from this pedophile!? Show your elders some respect, will ya?"

"When the fuck did I become a pedophile!? Don't be spouting bullshit, Zeke! Listen, Zeke, just knock her out, but don't cause any fatal damage."

Zeke's aura suddenly changed, and all his emotions disappeared. He got his knife and started licking it like a psycho. "WAHAHAHA, you heard him, kid, today your luck ran out! This weirdo over here wants to have fun with you!" "Whack!"

"Seriously, Zeke, why did you scare her like that? Now she's gonna think we're some horrible people, you know?"

"Hey, you're the horrible person here. I'm not the one that's into kids."

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT A GODDAMN PEDOPHILE!!"

"Then why do you want to take her with us? I can't think of any other reason than your urges."

"Don't act like you don't feel it; you know what I'm talking about, right? She's not normal; her mana is different, it's too chaotic."

"Hmm? You can feel her mana? You're most definitely not even a rank one mage, how can you feel her mana? Did you perhaps awaken your attribute?"

"That's a trade secret. Regardless of how I noticed, we gotta take her back with us."

"I understand that she's not normal, but why do we need to take her? We're not some saints that help people; there's no benefit."

"I'll explain it later; let's go back to our shop."

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

"What the hell do you mean, bathe her!? Who the hell do you think you are!? I'm your colleague, not some employee you can boss around!"

"Ugh, come on, Eira, don't be like that. I mean, look at her; she stinks, and you're the only other woman here."

"Why does that matter!? Just wake her up and tell her to bathe herself!"

Seriously, Eira is supposed to be the oldest here, and she acts like a damn kid. "Look at this; we made all this money. I'll hand it over to you if you hurry up and clean her." I shake the bag of money. There's one thing I've learned in life, and that is that money is a powerful persuader, capable of convincing even the most stubborn of souls to compromise their values and commit unspeakable deeds in pursuit of its alluring promise. Money truly is the greatest.

"You better have the money in my office by the time I'm done. Seriously, why did you bring a random kid in? Don't tell me, are you into little girls? Seriously, I thought you were better than that. To think you would be that type of person, poor girl, she really got unlucky meeting you."

"That's what I said; this guy really didn't seem like that type of man, but I guess you can't judge a book by its cover."

"To think we would both agree on something, you psycho. Today has truly been a surprising night."

"FUCK, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY I'M NOT A PEDOPHILE!!!"

Eira and Zeke exchanged glances, chuckling at my outburst. "Alright, alright, Kael, we get it. You're not a pedophile," Eira said with a smirk, before turning her attention to the unconscious Desolara. "I'll clean her up, but I expect a proper explanation later."

With that, Eira took Desolara into the back room to get her cleaned up. Zeke and I sat down in the main area of our shop, waiting for their return.

"Alright, listen, Zeke," I said, putting on a convincing smile. "I know it's strange, but I have a gut feeling that this girl could be of use to us. Let's just take her in and hire her to work in our store while keeping an eye on her. We could use the extra help, right?"

Zeke raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "You want to hire her? A street thief who just tried to mug us? Are you sure you're not into little girls?"

I nodded confidently. "Yes, I'm sure. Don't act like you're not interested in researching her. Besides, she seems to have some skills that could be useful to us."

Zeke sighed, finally giving in. "Alright, Kael. If you say so. But you oughta deal with her attitude."

"I don't believe she's a bad kid; she's probably had a tough life. Well, hopefully, she understands."

Eira took Desolara into the back room to get her cleaned up, while Zeke and I sat down in the main area of our shop, waiting for their return.

Once Desolara had been cleaned up and was in fresh clothes, she looked less like a desperate thief and more like a vulnerable young girl. We headed to the room she'll stay in to discuss the situation.

"Hey kid, we've decided to give you a chance to work with us at our store. Although your first impression was not ideal, we can't let you starve out there," I said gently, trying to make her feel at ease. "We believe that everyone deserves a chance to turn their lives around, and we'd like to offer you that opportunity."

Desolara's eyes widened in disbelief, and tears filled her eyes. "You... Please don't touch me! I'm just a kid! I'm sorry for attempting to rob you; can you please let go?"

"Hmhmhahaha, Seriously, Kael, how could you be such a horrible person?"

"Fuck you, Zeke! You bastard, you're the reason this is happening! Hey, little girl, I'm not a pedophile; don't let that psychotic guy get to your head."

"You're lying! All you people are the same; you say you won't touch me, but you eventually will. You men are disgusting!"

Zeke, that bastard, this damn kid is convinced I'll touch her. Ugh, seriously, I don't have the energy to deal with this today. "Alright, you seem too tired to think properly. We'll talk about your job tomorrow. This is your room; don't worry, no one will come in." God, please let this kid have common sense and not think of me as a pedophile tomorrow.