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*****
"What are you dazing off for? Hurry up and speak."
The girl's fair little hand waved in front of Fini's eyes as she urged him with a look of dissatisfaction. "My time is very precious. Tell me quickly, what was the deal with that guy just now?"
"What are you busy with?"
His memories interrupted, Fini snapped back to reality. He frowned at the girl and said, "Are you still investigating that matter!? Skye, I've told you many times—that thing is dangerous. Now is not the time to be looking into it."
Skye Halsey was the girl's name. She was Fini's sister, though not by blood. She wasn't a half-sister or an illegitimate daughter either; rather, she was someone he had accidentally brought into his life using 'Ars Magna.'
It was also because of her that Fini had successfully used the ability for the first time.
After drawing 'Ars Magna,' the infant Fini spent every day—aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping—studying the system. Although 'Ars Magna' was incredibly strong, there were countless other skills in the world of anime, and he certainly wouldn't mind having more.
How to perform another draw became his primary research topic every day.
Fini observed its changes in his mind daily. After watching it for an entire month, he saw it move only a tiny sliver each day. This worried him; at this rate, he didn't know how many years it would take to unlock a second draw.
Furthermore, as a toddler who couldn't even crawl properly, he had no way of solving this problem in the short term.
And, as the saying goes, blessings never come in pairs, but misfortunes never come alone. When he was about a year old, he discovered the true nature of this world.
At the start of his transmigration, Fini had noticed that the era seemed relatively early. While there were many appliances in the house, they all had a certain 'outdated' feel to them.
Until one day, having already learned the language, he heard a broadcast on the TV. It mentioned the 5th anniversary of the passing of the great billionaire Howard Stark and his wife, and what achievements his son, Tony Stark, had recently made. It was then that Fini realized what kind of world he had landed in.
At that moment, his heart filled with tension. Any previous plans for making money or living a comfortable life were tossed completely out the window.
Marvel. Fini was no stranger to this word. In his previous life, he loved watching the movies, but he never imagined he would end up in such a world.
This was a world where aliens walked the streets and various superpowers were as common as stray dogs—a world where the universe itself was divided into many layers.
After the death of the future Iron Man's father, Fini began to actively learn about the outside world. Fortunately, being just over a year old, showing a bit of curiosity didn't make him seem too much of an outlier.
Through his research, he learned that there were no Mutants in this world. This indicated that the daily danger coefficient had dropped significantly, allowing Fini to breathe a slight sigh of relief. However, he confirmed he was indeed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—after all, places like the Captain America Museum existed.
Just thinking about the possibility of turning into ash because of a certain Purple Sweet Potato's snap filled Fini with a sense of urgency. He didn't want to gamble on a fifty-fifty chance. Moreover, in a disaster-prone city like New York, without a bit of luck, it was hard to say if one could even survive until the Snap.
And so, while Fini worriedly studied how to use 'Ars Magna,' seven years passed in the blink of an eye. During these seven years, he tried safe electrical contact, increasing food intake, and other gentler methods to stimulate the growth of the experience bar, but unfortunately, none of them worked.
However, perhaps it was fate. In that year, he released 'Ars Magna' for the first time, and he did so under circumstances he absolutely never expected.
Because he possessed memories of his past life, Fini had been exceptionally bright, clever, and well-behaved since childhood. But he never exposed any abnormalities; after all, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra were still quite terrifying at this time. If he were discovered, it would be over.
Even so, his parents—who had him late in life—spoiled him excessively.
Having lived a second life, Fini was very uncomfortable with this kind of doting. He had tried resisting the changes or explaining himself, but he stopped just short of acting like a "brat" to cause trouble everywhere.
So, in his seventh year, on his birthday, after being dragged through a mall for an entire day by his parents and forced to accept a mountain of childish gifts, he finally couldn't take it anymore.
That night, in his room, sitting atop a pile of speechless, "cute" stuffed animals, he felt an unprecedented level of calm. Staring at the ceiling lamp, he pondered how to become an annoying 'brat.'
But at that moment, a sudden, inexplicable thought arose in his mind: "It would be great if I could have a sister!"
Fini's actual thought was that if someone else were there to help share his parents' affection, it might be better. As for why it wasn't a brother—in his impression, the vast majority of brats were boys, and he didn't want the trouble.
As for a younger sister, he was only seven years old. If a baby arrived, he might get a temporary reprieve, but it might be even more troublesome in the future. So, by process of elimination, he chose an older sister.
Originally, this was just a sudden whim. He was an only child. No matter how formidable his old man was, it was impossible to produce an older sister for him after his birth but before his transmigration.
But right after that thought finished, Fini suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. His vision went black and he nearly fainted. Even though he didn't pass out, he felt groggy, as if he had been hungover for three days and nights.
At the same time, at the entrance of the Halsey home, a cute little girl suddenly dashed forward in a panic and slammed headfirst into their door, sitting down on the ground while clutching her head.
The pain in his head left Fini extremely dazed, but immediately following that, the thrill of the "word-becoming-law" success sent him into a frenzy of excitement.
Seven years! Seven whole years! Does this broken skill know how he spent these seven years!?
After recovering for a moment, he immediately checked the system in his mind. He was surprised to find that the energy bar, which had naturally grown to just over half, was now full.
He could draw again!
However, just as Fini excitedly prepared to draw a skill, the shouts of his parents came from downstairs, reminding him of what had just happened.
"Did it take effect that quickly?"
Fini muttered to himself, temporarily setting aside the thought of drawing a skill and steadying himself to go downstairs.
In the living room, a girl sat awkwardly on the sofa. She had clear, bright amber eyes, curved willow-like brows, and long eyelashes that trembled slightly. Only the large bump on her fair, flawless forehead slightly marred her appearance.
His parents sat beside the girl, and across from them stood a man and a woman with expressions of slight helplessness.
"Fini, this is Ma—"
"Skye!" The girl interrupted Fini's father. With a crisp voice and a look of determination, she said, "My name is Skye!"
"I am very sorry, Mr. Halsey. We've disturbed you tonight, but we really must return to St. Agnes," the man across from the girl said as he stood up with an apologetic face.
"St. Agnes!?"
Although Fini felt quite unwell and wasn't sure why the skill had taken effect in this manner, he didn't want this person—who could help him get rid of his troubles—to just leave.
"It's an orphanage."
Fini's mother walked over with a look of pity and took his hand, explaining, "Fini, your father and I want to adopt her. Is that okay?"
"Of course it is!"
Fini nodded quickly. Wasn't this exactly his goal? To find a sister to share his parents' doting.
It was obvious his parents already liked this girl very much.
Hearing Fini's parents, a flash of surprise crossed the girl's eyes, but there wasn't much joy—only loneliness and sadness. Having already been through three foster homes, she didn't want to endure the pain of being kicked out again.
However, her emotions couldn't change the effect of 'Ars Magna,' or rather, the kindness of his parents.
The next day, Fini's parents, who were lawyers, took only two hours to finish all the paperwork. Just like that, he had an older sister.
After bringing Skye home with 'Ars Magna,' Fini had a general guess about this skill-drawing system. He suspected that in addition to natural growth, the experience bar might also increase with the use of skills.
However, what truly confirmed his suspicion was the second skill he drew.
(End of Chapter)