Chapter 140 : Lily’s brithday and the systems gift to her (2)

Chapter 140: Chapter 140 : Lily’s brithday and the systems gift to her (2) Seeing the siblings hug so warmly, everyone’s heart melted like snow under spring sunlight. One by one, they stepped forward. Seraphina was the first. Graceful and calm, she placed a hand on her chest and gave a slight bow. "My name is Seraphina Starlight," she said with a warm smile. "I’m one of Alex’s friends." Charlotte followed, beaming. "I’m Charlotte Evergreen—also a victim of your scatter-brained brother." Ava giggled and waved. "And I’m Ava Dawn. It’s really nice to meet you, Lily." Lily looked at the trio in awe. Her crimson eyes sparkled. "All of you are so beautiful... Are you all nobles or something?" All three exchanged amused glances... then smiled and nodded confidently. "Yup," Charlotte said with a wink. Lily’s jaw dropped slightly. ’My brother... brought three noble beauties?! How is this even possible?!’ Then Alden stepped forward with a proud smirk. "Ahem. I’m Alden von Crestvale, unfortunately also that silver-haired guy’s friend." Before Alex could snap back, Lily gasped and pointed at Alden. "Wow! Big Brother Alden, you’re so handsome! Way more than this idiotic brother of mine!" Everyone froze. Like, physically froze. Alex felt like someone had just stabbed him with a lightning spear. ’W-WHAT?!’ his brain screamed in betrayal. Alden, meanwhile, stood there blinking. Then, slowly, a smile curled across his face. A big one. A really big one. "FINALLY!" Alden shouted with near-maniacal glee. "Finally, someone who knows what real beauty looks like! You, Lily—you’re my favorite person in the world now!" He laughed loudly, then suddenly walked over, knelt like a knight, and gently took Lily’s hand. "I want you to be my little sister and adopt you. Right here. Right now. You can eat as many sweets as you want, and I’ll treat you ten times better than this poor excuse of a brother. What do you say?" Lily’s eyes gleamed like twin suns. "Really?! Big Brother Alden?!" Alden smiled warmly. "Yes, of course." Just then, Alex came rushing forward like a panic-stricken father. "Hey! You bastard! Go find your own little sister! Take your shady noble hands off mine!" He turned to Lily, scandalized. "And YOU! Why are you even considering that guy’s offer?!" Everyone burst out laughing. Alden leaned closer and whispered to Lily, "Big Brother Alden’s offer will always be on the table. You can contact me anytime." Lily gave him a cheeky thumbs-up. Alex sighed, shoulders drooping. ’This family reunion is turning into a recruitment fair.’ Then Lily turned serious, her soft voice drawing everyone’s attention. "Everyone... thank you. For taking care of my scatter-brained brother. I know he’s a handful and constantly gets into trouble." She bowed slightly. "Please... take care of him." Everyone melted. "Awww~!" Seraphina squealed. Charlotte, Ava, and Seraphina immediately glomped Lily in a triple hug. "Don’t worry," Charlotte said, grinning. "We’ll take care of him." Seraphina nodded. "And if he does anything stupid, we’ll report directly to you." Alex stiffened like a statue. "W-Wait—what kind of system is this?!" Lily chuckled, clearly enjoying his suffering. "Of course you can. I’ll deal with him personally." Alden strolled toward Alex, shaking his head dramatically. "She’s way too good for you. I’m jealous." Alex smirked. "I know." Then Seraphina clapped her hands. "Alright, time to cut the cake!" Alex brought out the chocolate cake Ava had gifted. Lily snatched it from his hands like a dragon claiming its treasure. Candles lit. The room darkened slightly. Everyone sang in sync, laughter and warmth filling the air. Lily cut the cake and gave the first bite to Alex, who dramatically pretended to cry from the honor. Then—without warning—she hugged the whole cake to her chest like a survival rations pack. "Mine." Everyone burst out laughing. ’She’s still the same feral gremlin,’ Alex thought, smiling fondly. Then came the time for gifts. --- Seraphina stepped forward, offering a small, elegant token with her family crest carved into it. Lily tilted her head. "What’s this?" Seraphina smiled. "A token of ownership. My family runs one of the biggest luxury airship and jet enterprises in the empire. That token is your key to your very own private jet." Lily’s mouth opened... then closed... then opened again. "Say WHAT?!" Alex’s eyes bulged. ’Private jet?!’ Before he could say anything, Charlotte walked over and casually tossed a set of keys into Lily’s hands. "A 200-million-credit luxury car. It’s the latest model, also the fastest, mana-efficient, has autopilot, and it sparkles with a pink color." "..." Then Alden stepped forward and handed her a shimmering platinum token with his family crest carved on it. "This is the ownership token to a luxury cruise ship worth 150 million credits. It’s yours now." "..." Then Ava pulled out a shimmering box from her storage ring and handed it over with a small blush. Inside was a collection of dazzling, high-end jewelry that sparkled like stardust. "My family deals in jewelry... and my dad’s a high-ranking official in the central government. We have enough to spare, so... it’s yours." Lily just kept staring. Draven casually stepped forward next, handing her a sleek high-tech wristwatch. "This is the latest smartwatch developed in the dwarven empire—worth millions. Holograms, biometrics, personal assistant AI—top-of-the-line." Alex stood frozen like a statue. One by one, he watched as his little sister was gifted enough wealth to start her own empire. In a span of a few minutes, Lily almost became ten times richer than the current Alex. ’...I’ve officially been outclassed by all of them. Damn these rich kids.’ Then—suddenly—all eyes turned toward him. Lily tilted her head, blinking innocently. Everyone else raised an eyebrow, expectantly. As if daring him to give a gift better than theirs. ’Ah, so. It’s my turn to get humiliated now, huh.’ Alex sighed. He stepped forward, pulled out a sleek black-gold token, and handed it to Lily. "This... is the ownership to that mansion you always dreamed of. I bought it with my own money. Not daddy’s." He gave his friends a pointed look at the end. A few of them twitched. Charlotte avoided eye contact. Alden scratched his cheek. Seraphina whistled awkwardly. They all knew it was true. Alex smiled smugly. ’Score one for the self-made man.’ He didn’t add that said "money" came from borderline scams and blackmailing a few of the most powerful noble ladies in the academy. Lily looked at the token... and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "It means so much to me," she whispered. "You’re the best big brother anyone could ask for." She began to cry, voice trembling. "I know I’ve always been a burden... holding you back... but you never gave up on me. Thank you. But I also want you to focus on your life too from now on. Don’t always keep worrying about me." Alex felt a lump rise in his throat. "Don’t you dare say that," he snapped, stepping forward. "If you ever say something that stupid again, I’ll never talk to you. Got it?" Lily nodded rapidly, and he hugged her tightly. The room went quiet. Seraphina wiped her eyes. "Now I miss Sophia..." Everyone chuckled softly, the mood light and warm. But inside, Alex’s mind was racing. ’Why did she say all that? Did... something happen?’ He gently broke the hug, glancing toward the hallway. "You guys chat with her for a bit. I need to speak to her doctor." Everyone nodded. Without another word, Alex left the room and walked down the corridor, his footsteps swift and silent. --- He reached the office labeled Dr. Emma. Taking a breath, he knocked once and entered. Inside, Dr. Emma was sorting through a pile of documents. She looked up as she sensed someone enter. She froze. Standing before her was a tall, silver-haired, blue-eyed young man with an air that made the room itself seem brighter. Her lips parted in surprise. "Alex... is that you?" He nodded wordlessly. She blinked, then smiled softly. "You’ve... changed. You’ve become even more good-looking." But Alex didn’t return the smile. His expression was serious. Dead serious. Something was wrong—and he was here to find out what. --- "So... how’s her condition?" Dr. Emma glanced at him, then gestured toward the chair. "You should sit down first." Alex clenched his fists. "Just tell me if her condition is alright or not!" Emma flinched slightly at the sudden outburst, blinking in shock. Realizing his tone, Alex’s eyes widened. "I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, Ms. Emma." Emma’s expression softened. She smiled faintly, her voice calm and kind. "It’s okay, Alex. I understand... she’s your only family." He nodded and quietly sat down, his body tense as if bracing for a storm. Emma tapped a few keys on her console, then looked him in the eye. "Actually... I was about to call you. The latest test reports just came in." Alex’s heart pounded. "What do they say?" Emma’s face darkened. She hesitated for a moment... then finally spoke. "I’m sorry, Alex. It’s... not good." Alex felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. ’No. No no no—’ "W-What do you mean?" he stammered. "What’s wrong now?" Emma folded her hands on the table, voice grave. "We’ve used every cutting-edge treatment, every corruption-neutralizing technique, and the most advanced abyssal inhibitors in all of Avaloria. But all we’ve done is slow it down. The corruption is no longer dormant—it’s spreading faster than before. It’s taken root in her body, deeply." Alex’s breath hitched. ’No. Please, no...’ "Isn’t... isn’t there anything left?" he asked, eyes wide, voice cracking. "Any spell, any potion, artifact, technology—anything?! Money’s not a problem anymore, I’ve got that covered! Please, just... do something! She’s the only family I have left!" Tears shimmered in his eyes, trembling on the edge of falling. Emma looked away for a moment, struggling to keep her composure. She remembered all those years Alex worked odd jobs, exhausted, hungry—but always smiling when he returned to see his sister. What he didn’t know was that back then, she had secretly covered Lily’s treatment bills more than once, moved by his dedication. And even after he started flooding the hospital with more funds than she’d ever expected, she’d tried everything: relic-based healing, divine priest intervention, mages, experimental nanotherapy—but nothing worked. Finally, she said the words that hurt the most. "I’m sorry, Alex." She paused, then added, "Our last hope was the Hero, Ethan. Since the Abyss Corruption has no effect on him, we extracted samples of his blood to develop a possible antidote. But..." she sighed, voice heavy, "it didn’t work. His blood didn’t react at all. No change in any patient." "We’ve run out of options." Alex stared blankly at her. His thoughts dulled, his world greyed. "...How long?" he asked in a whisper. Emma bit her lip. "A month. At best." Alex’s soul almost left his body. ’A... month...?’ He stood up suddenly, chair scraping across the floor, and turned to leave. "Alex—!" Emma called behind him. "Alex, wait!" But he didn’t stop. He stepped out into the hallway and immediately saw Charlotte standing outside, arms crossed, worry etched across her face. "So you heard everything, huh?" he said quietly. Charlotte nodded. "I didn’t mean to... But please don’t lose hope. We’ll find a way, I promise." Alex didn’t answer. He just kept walking. Charlotte fell into step beside him. His mind was blank—cold and silent. Until— [Host, list—] Alex snapped internally. ’Shut up. Don’t even start with that fake sympathy crap. Don’t tell me it’ll be alright. Shove it up your artificial ass.’ [Hos—] ’I SAID SHUT UP.’ But then— [You brainless jackass, LISTEN TO ME or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!] Alex blinked. ’What?’ The system’s voice, sharp and scathing, continued: [I think I know why Ethan—despite his immunity—couldn’t help develop an antidote.] Alex slowed his steps. ’...Where are you going with this?’ The system began to explain: --- [Ethan’s Physique of Eternal Rebirth is a divine-grade paradoxical body. It doesn’t "heal" corruption—it denies it. Any trace of Abyss Corruption is instantly rejected, never allowed to interact with his cells or mana pathways. His regeneration isn’t biological or magical. It’s conceptual—a divine override that erases corruption before it even exists. So his blood? It has no trace, no memory, no antibodies. It’s like the corruption never existed. That’s why they couldn’t use it to create a cure. There’s nothing to study. No reaction, no conflict, no residue. Just perfection. Trying to make a cure with his blood is like trying to recreate a phoenix by analyzing its ashes—it’s already reborn, leaving nothing behind.] --- Alex’s eyes widened slowly. "Are you... sure about this?" he muttered aloud. [I’m at least 90% sure.] [Now... do you get where I’m going with this?] Suddenly, a realization slammed into Alex like a tidal wave. ’No... No way—’ [Yes way.] A glowing hologram appeared in front of him, shimmering with ancient runes. --- Physique: Primordial Genesis of Creation and Destruction 1. Supreme Adaptation Your body evolves constantly in response to threats, environments, and energies. It does not grant static power—it grants dynamic survival. Whether poisoned, burned, cursed, or thrown into space, your body adapts not only to endure but to counter. --- The system spoke slowly, dramatically: [Your body doesn’t erase threats instantly like Ethan’s... it learns from them. It adapts. It creates countermeasures. It can produce antibodies, even against conceptual things... given enough time. Which means—] A pause. [We can develop an antidote... with your blood. That’s my gift too Lily for her Birthday. ] Alex, stunned, stared at the projection. His breathing grew heavier. His hands trembled—not with fear, but with something else. Then—he began to laugh. A low chuckle. Then a louder one. Then a roaring, unrestrained, almost maniacal laughter exploded from his lungs—echoing across the halls of Avaloria Central Hospital like a storm of madness and hope. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAHAHA! HAHA—!" Charlotte, startled, grabbed his shoulder. "Alex?! W-What the hell?! Are you okay?!" She blinked. ’Wait... don’t tell me... he’s finally gone nuts from hearing about his sister—?!’ ---------- A/N: So how was the Chapter? Tell me in the comments! Thanks for the ???? gift @Anju09 i really appreciate the support. Thanks for the golden tickets: @Goncalo0110, @BluuuuTea , @Daoist7jKADW , @Unknown_6 @Alice_Loru, @Divo_the_Gamer @DaoistP5ZNDv , @Bjarne_H , @Nemo637281 , @BluuuuTea , @Arist_Babi , @Superironman552, @Arist_Babi, @Devanand_Gupta_6388, @EventfullMars, @mohammeddmmo75, @JUST_justin, @Kevin_Lista , @Capnmoonfire I really appreciate the support, guys. ????