Cursed System-Chapter 88: CURSED CREATURE

RAGNA POV...

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Unfortunately, even now I still didn’t truly understand how the so-called mana core phenomenon actually worked, its stages, its depth, or its limits—everything beyond the crude number of mana points displayed to me was still a complete mystery—and so the only conclusion I could reach, crude as it was, echoed clearly in my head:

’I’ll just have to keep pumping natural mana into her nonstop; it should at least help her recover some of her vigor faster, even if I don’t know what I’m really doing.’

As that thought settled, I glanced at my sister once more, almost out of habit, and that was when I noticed it—something blinking faintly at the edge of my vision, hovering right beside Belle’s body—and the moment my eyes focused on it, my breath caught, my mind freezing for a split second as I tried to process what I was seeing.

At first, I honestly thought it was just another leftover notification from the system, probably something related to the Cursed ritual process I had just completed, but the longer I stared, the more my heart began to pound, shock stacking on shock until disbelief twisted into something close to terror.

[Host has completed System Quest: Create a cursed creature: Banshee]

[Quest Reward]

<Host has received +5000 Exp>

I was shocked—no, flabbergasted—but if that had been all, I wouldn’t have been standing there staring at Belle in a dazed, almost trance-like state, my thoughts grinding to a halt as if my soul itself had been yanked out of alignment.

’Am I dreaming?’ 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

To avoid the awkward silence that was creeping in, and also because I genuinely thought I might have lost too much blood to think straight, I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing a bitter smile inwardly as I muttered, Yeah... that has to be it.

But when I opened them again, the world didn’t correct itself—instead, even more characters flooded the space before Belle, sharp and undeniable.

[Family: Oge Ringwood]

[Level: 1]

[Class: Cursed Creature]

[Race: Banshee]

[Exp: 0/10]

[HP: 10/10]

[Strength: 1]

[Perception: 1]

[Agility: 1]

[Bravery: 3]

[Stamina: — ]

[Attribute Points: 00]

{Abilities and Skills}

©Abilities

[Sprint – Level 1]

[Banshee Regeneration – Level 1]

[Immunity to Toxin, Fire, Cold, Illusion – Level 1]

[Harbinger of Death – Level 1]

[Vision – Level 1]

’What... the hell... happened?’

I stared at the system panel like I was witnessing a pig sprout wings and take flight for the first time in my life, my thoughts scrambling uselessly, and when I looked at Belle herself—who wore nothing more than a confused, slightly worried expression—it hit me even harder.

She couldn’t see it.

No matter how obvious the panel was to me, it was as if it didn’t exist at all to her, and the realization sent another wave of disbelief crashing through my chest. Unknown to me then, the moment she became part of my family, she had also gained a system—one that only the family head could perceive.

I glanced at her again, just to be sure.

"What’s with that look on your face?"

Oge asked, her voice tinged with concern, and that single sentence confirmed everything I feared and suspected.

"Oh, nothing," I replied quickly, forcing myself to smile. "I was just wondering how strong you must be now."

’That’s it, I thought. She really doesn’t know about the panel floating right in front of her.’

After everything settled, I brought Oge back home and tucked her into her room, letting her rest, though not before telling her the truth of what she had become—a Banshee—because she deserved time to let everything she’d gone through sink in.

OGE POV...

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I felt was the soft bed pressing gently against my bare skin, and almost immediately I realized something was wrong—no, different.

My body felt lighter, almost unnaturally so, my five senses sharper than ever before, but most of all... everything smelled stronger, unbearably so.

’Did I fall into an open waste bin or something?’

Frowning, I tore off my dress and tossed it into a corner, but the stench stubbornly clung to me, refusing to fade. After the awakening, my appearance hadn’t changed much; I now looked like a gorgeous young teenager, somewhere between tall and average, my body carrying perfect proportions and a delicate, tanned ebony complexion that almost didn’t feel like it belonged to me anymore.

I stared at myself for a long while, at my reflection and at the world around me, until a single thought snapped me out of my daze.

’So... I’m not human anymore? But why do I feel no different from before?’

’Yesterday, little brother mentioned something about a Banshee... does that mean I have abilities too, like him?’

A sigh slipped from my lips as another thought followed. How long has he been carrying this burden alone?

As I changed into my bathing robes and walked toward the wooden bathing yard beside our house—a place made possible only through my little brother’s hard-earned money—my thoughts refused to quiet down.

’All these years... how hard has his life been? Enduring everything on his own?’

I submerged myself into the warm water, and only then did my mind begin to calm, the heat loosening the tight knot in my chest.

’I already know too much, I thought. Telling mother, father, or sister would only cause fear and worry, just like little brother said. Even if hiding the truth is hard, I have to try—I don’t want them living in fear.

Once little brother comes back from those people... I want us to see the world together. But right now, this place feels like nothing more than a cage to him.’

I remembered how he grew up, how calm he always was, even while being mocked as a Cursed child, even when villagers whispered his name like it belonged to some hideous monster they used to scare their children to sleep.

And yet, he never wavered.

If he hadn’t told me even a fraction of the truth, I would still be living peacefully in ignorance while he protected us from the shadows, and all I want now—more than anything—is for our family to reunite happily.

’If only I were stronger, I thought bitterly. Right now, I’d just be a burden to him... someone he’d have to protect even more.’

I still don’t fully understand why he endures so much, but after catching just a glimpse of his world, I finally understand how impossible living normally must be for him now—and despite knowing that, he has never once complained, never shown weakness, never let his pain spill out.

I sighed softly, sinking deeper into the water.

My whole life, I thought I would never be well again... yet my little brother saved me. I thought this would be a new beginning, a life free of worry—but fate, as always, had other plans.