Caleb Ward, an external testing specialist for Austin Games, was granted the previously unrevealed SSS-grade talent “Hand of Fate” in the final moments before the shutdown of the large-scale online role-playing game “Mythical Frontiers.” This talent allowed him to capture an enemy’s skills, equipment traits, attributes, or class credentials simply by touching them. When the countdown reached zero, he didn’t quit the game; instead, he fell into the game world of Vela along with his physical body, arriving there a full year ahead of the main timeline. The system assigned him the status of not a hero, but rather a “Spiritual Bondmate” purchased by the Duke of Blackwood through a debt contract. Evelyn Blackwood, the duke’s heir, was afflicted by a curse of the Ice Soul, and her family planned to use this dual spiritual bond to drain Caleb’s life force in order to sustain hers. On the verge of death, Hand of Fate reversed its effect, drawing energy from Evelyn’s dual circuitry, which enabled Caleb to level up overnight and turned him into the most dangerous secret of the duke’s household. After that, he acquired the ability “Shadow Step” from the duke, ice-themed armor from his sister-in-law Maeve’s dress, poison resistance from poisonous flowers, endurance from giant tortoises, and the unique class “Frontier City Builder” from a wandering priest.
