"Welcome to our humble little town, Alcoria," Kuro said as we stepped through the town’s gate.


    Unlike Maceria, Alcoria was surrounded by towering living trees, though not as massive as the colossal ancient tree in Castor Town.


    "Those are Whitewood Trees," Kuro explained, noticing our gazes fixed on the majestic trees.


    "The residents and I hunted monsters to gather enough Whitewood Saplings to cover the entire town."


    "Are they sturdy enough, Big Sis?" Earl asked curiously.


    "I wouldn’t know," Kuro admitted. "I made sure no monsters got anywhere near our town during the Monster Siege."


    "Why do you ask, Earl?" she added.


    "Big Brother’s city is surrounded by black walls made from black corundum, it can withstand an attack from level 50 monsters," Earl explained.


    "Oh, so essentially, the Guildmaster and I had the same idea, to protect our home with walls," Kuro mused.


    As we walked past Alcoria’s gate, Kuro suddenly asked.


    "By the way, what brings you two here?"


    "We took a gamble," I said.


    "What do you mean, a gamble?" she asked, puzzled.


    "Big Brother Asriel and I decided to check if we could find a guild member at one of the Ancient Pillar locations marked in green on the map," Earl explained.


    "Wait… are you saying those map markers could indicate where our guild members are?" Kuro asked, quickly pulling up her own map.


    A small smile crossed her face as she studied the regional layout.


    "So Big Brother and I are planning to check the other locations in case more of our members are there," Earl continued.


    "I also ran into Deirka in an instance dungeon," I added.


    “And your apprentice Hazel was with him, but she stayed behind to defend their town."


    "It would be nice if we could gather everyone," Kuro said thoughtfully.


    Then, as if struck by an idea, she asked, "Are you two free tomorrow?"


    "We can stay another day, I think," I replied.


    "Great, then you’re staying at my house," Kuro said.


    Then, with a teasing smirk, she added, "And that wasn’t a suggestion, Guild Master and Vice Guild Master."


    I let out a small laugh. "Well, I guess we have no choice then, right, Earl?"


    "Yes, Big Brother," Earl agreed.


    "Don’t worry, I live with my little brother," Kuro assured us.


    "Is he the one who reported that we rode a white wyvern?" I asked.


    "That’s right, Riel," Kuro confirmed.


    "I see it’s not just your eyes that are sharp, but your ears too."


    "Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment," I replied.


    Before long, we arrived in front of a modest one-story house.


    "This is my home," Kuro said.


    "Excuse us for intruding," we said as we stepped inside.


    The house had a simple, cozy atmosphere, nothing like what I had expected.


    "Are you surprised that my house looks so… normal?" Kuro suddenly asked.


    "Well, I did expect something a bit more gothic," I admitted.


    "Honest as always," she said with a chuckle.


    "You guys can use the empty room on the right," she added.


    The room was spacious, with two neatly made beds.


    "Are you two okay with reheated red boar meat curry?" Kuro asked.


    "I love curry!" Earl responded enthusiastically.


    "I’d like some too," I said, taking a seat at the dining table.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    As Kuro reheated the dish, the rich, sweet-spicy aroma of curry filled the air.


    A few minutes later, she served the plates.


    "Big Sister Kuro, this is amazing!" Earl praised, making Kuro blush slightly.


    "It’s delicious," I agreed.


    "Thanks, it’s my mom’s recipe," she said with a small smile.


    "Your mom must have been an incredible cook," I said absentmindedly.


    "She was," Kuro replied, her voice turning somber. "My brother and I loved all of her dishes."


    "...Was?" I asked cautiously.


    Kuro’s expression darkened.


    "Mom and Dad died the day the monsters first appeared," she said quietly.


    "Big Sister Kuro…" Earl murmured, worried.


    "I thought I had accepted it, but then I remembered, Arcadia has a special class capable of temporarily resurrecting the dead," Kuro said.


    "You mean the Necromancer class?" I asked.


    "Yes, exactly," Kuro confirmed.


    She continued, "The group that was killed by those black-hooded figures was exploring an underground catacomb beneath an abandoned cabin."


    "And according to one of the survivors, they encountered a strange boss monster there named, Malacy the Dead Whisperer, Level 75,” she added.


    "I''m fine with checking it out," I said.


    "We could also test whether resurrection using Death Cards is actually possible."


    "I''m a little scared of catacombs," Earl admitted.


    "But if Big Sister needs my help, I’ll go", Earl added.


    "Thank you, both of you," Kuro said warmly.


    A hopeful glimmer appeared in her eyes.


    "I just… I just want to talk to my parents one last time."


    I understood her hesitation.


    In the old world, bringing back the dead was never an option.


    But sometimes, there are words you long for the other person to hear, words you need an answer to.


    "There’s plenty more curry if you’re still hungry," Kuro said as Earl and I finished our first servings.


    She started eating her own meal, looking a little more hopeful than before.


    "So, it’s just the three of us tomorrow, Big Sister?" Earl asked.


    "Yes," Kuro replied. "I don’t think anyone else in Alcoria is strong enough to handle the Silent Catacombs."


    "Besides, just having you two should be more than enough to take it on, right, Riel?" she added with a smirk.


    "True," I agreed. "The three of us should be strong enough to defeat Malacy."


    "By the way, Guild Master, what classes do you have now? I already know Earl is an Archmage," Kuro asked.


    "I have the Enchanter class, which I used earlier, and the Blade Dancer class," I answered.


    "I’ve unlocked the Witch class, and I’m currently Level 71," Kuro said.


    "And as you saw earlier, Mourning Misfortune is my strongest skill right now… though it’s not exactly effective against Arcadia’s number one Swordmaster."


    "Undead creatures have high resistance to ailments," she continued.


    "So I’ll be relying on you two when it comes to dealing with them."


    "Of course, you can count on us, Big Sister!" Earl said enthusiastically.


    I couldn’t help but feel a little concerned.


    Earl was brave in battle, but when it came to ghosts and eerie places, he was a total scaredy-cat.


    "Thanks for the food," I said as I finished my plate.


    "Just leave it in the sink, I’ll wash it later," Kuro offered.


    "Alright, thanks," I said, placing the plate down.


    Earl finished his second helping and leaned back, satisfied.


    "Isn’t your brother coming home tonight?" I asked.


    "He won’t be back, he’s on night watch duty," Kuro explained.


    "I see," I replied.


    "Big Sister, Big Brother, I’m heading to bed," Earl said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.


    After Earl disappeared into the dining room, Kuro suddenly turned to me with a question.


    "Guild Master… I mean, Riel," Kuro began,


    "Is there anything you''d want to say to a special someone who passed away?"


    "I think most people do, not just you and me," I replied.


    "After all, there are always things we wish we could have done with our loved ones, but sometimes, life gets cut short by death," I added.


    Kuro suddenly smiled.


    "Well, at least in this lifetime, I got to meet the person I’ve been playing with for years."


    "I feel the same," I said, catching her off guard and making her slightly flustered.


    "I’ll head to bed now. Make sure you get some rest too, Miss Kuro," I said.


    "Good night, Guild Master," she replied.


    "Good night, Miss Kuro," I said as I left.


    Before the sun had even fully risen, the three of us stood at the entrance of the Silent Catacombs, ready for the challenge ahead.


    Fortunately, one of Alcoria’s taverns opened early, allowing us to grab a delicious breakfast before making our way to the abandoned cabin deep in the Western Woods.


    Before stepping inside, I cast all my Enchanter buffs on our party.


    Earl, an Archmage, and Kuro, a Witch, both received Stone Skin, Status Boost, and Sharp Edge.


    Afterward, I quickly switched to my Blade Dancer class.


    "I know it’s not much, but these are for you two," Kuro said, handing each of us a silver necklace.


    Item Name: Silver Cross


    Increases Ailment Immunity by 30%


    Reduces damage from the Undead by 30%


    "Now we all have matching necklaces," Kuro said, showing us hers.


    Earl grinned as he examined the item’s stats.


    "I think I feel a little braver now, Big Sister Kuro."