Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Parker's stomach growled—loud, angry, demanding. "Ugh... Seriously? Now?" He clutched his abdomen, glaring down at his own body like it had betrayed him.

It was so loud it echoed in the forest like it was challenging whatever would growl in the distance.

"Ere! Let's go!" he called, already moving.

Ere, however, was comfortably sprawled out on the still-warm corpse of the Shadow Wolf, lazily kneading her claws into its fur like it was some kind of luxury mattress. Her tail flicked.

"Master… what about this?" She gestured with a paw at the beast's body.

Parker blinked. "What? You think this is some kinda fantasy world where we sell monster carcasses for gold? This isn't a damn RPG."

Ere shook her head, eyes narrowing like he was the idiot here. "No... it's meat." Her voice dropped lower, almost... shy?

Parker stared at her. "...You're kidding me. Seriously? After all that? No. Just—come on. I'll buy you all the meat you want when we get back! Let's go."

Ere sighed dramatically but hopped off the corpse, landing lightly beside him. "Fine... but I expect filet mignon, not supermarket scraps." Without another word, Parker willed himself out of the Dream—

—And reality snapped back.

****

Back in his bedroom.

The first thing to hit him was the exhaustion.

His body felt like it had been hit by a truck. Muscles burning, legs sore, and the dull ache from where the wolf had crushed him lingered and running so fast. His body wasn't used to it.

"This is why I didn't want unlimited stamina right off. I can overexert this weak body and when I rest, it all comes back crashing! My mind can you withstand unlimited stamina but not my body!" He staggered slightly, pressing a hand against his desk for balance.

What the hell? He hadn't felt this drained in the Dream. There, he had been fine—tired, sure, but nothing like this. So that was the first side effect.

Training there? It did affect his body here.

He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.

The room was exactly as he had left it. The dim ambient glow from his outside view still filtering in through the blinds, the time barely having shifted.

It was as if no time had passed.

But Parker knew better now.

The Dream was real. The connection was real. And tomorrow...

Tomorrow, he would face the Blackwoods, no more distractions. He sank onto the edge of his bed, forcing himself into a meditative pose.

Tonight, he'd focus. Prepare.

Because next time?

He wouldn't run... Oh how long he was...

The video call with Tessa had been eventful—if by eventful, one meant Ere completely losing her mind.

The second Tessa's face filled the screen, Ere had puffed up, fur bristling, and lunged at the phone with both paws, clawing at the screen like she was personally trying to erase Tessa from existence. Parker had to pry her off, the screen now covered in a mess of faint claw marks.

Yeah, he knew exactly what her problem was.

She was hungry just like him.

The only reason she hadn't full-on sabotaged the call was because she wanted meat which she might not get if she angered him, she feared. But his conversation was delaying her precious dinner.

Ere couldn't exactly walk up to Naomi and declare, "Hey, you! Chop me some filet mignon."

So, here he was, descending the grand staircase, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. Evening was creeping in. The mansion felt... different.

Clean. Alive.

No longer filled with that eerie silence. There was a hum of soft activity—muted footsteps, quiet conversations somewhere in the distance.

It was starting to feel like a home.

Down in the lounge, Naomi and Elena were on their phones, relaxed but still keeping that professional posture.

At his arrival, both immediately straightened and bowed slightly.

Naomi's face brightened, her eyes immediately drifting to Ere, who had curled proudly on his shoulder like she owned the entire world.

With her silvery eyes and sleek black fur, Ere was undeniably adorable—impossibly so. Elena, of course, remained more composed, but even she snuck a glance at the magical cat.

Parker, arms crossed, gave Naomi a pointed look.

"Hey, mind prepping some meat for her? She's starving."

Ere, as if hearing her order being placed, perked up, practically vibrating in place with anticipation. Naomi, clearly suppressing a grin, nodded. "Of course, sir. Right away."

Ere didn't even budge. She stayed perched, tail swaying, waiting for the meal as if she was some royal guest being served.

Parker exhaled, scanning the space.

Most of the furniture was being replaced tomorrow. Everything. Modernizing the mansion. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire

He wouldn't be around to see it, though.

Tomorrow, he was driving back to the Blackwoods.

And in just a few weeks... he'd turn eighteen.

Finally. Freedom.

No more of the Blackwoods using his age as a leash, forcing him to stay under their roof.

They were still his legal guardians. Still had the power to control him.

But not for long. And by then, this mansion would be fully transformed.

There was just one other thing he had to do before turning 18—Visit the old mansion. He only went there once a year. The day he honored his parents' death.

That estate wasn't just a mansion. It was a full estate, one of the largest in Beverly Hills. Generations old, ancient yet pristine—kept perfectly clean, as if someone was still living there, even when he knew it stood empty.

Maybe his aunts were secretly paying someone to maintain it?

Or maybe... No. He didn't want to think too deeply about that his parents had been its keepers. Until their deaths.

And now it just... lingered,a hollow, quiet monument.

That's how he celebrated his birthday—honoring them.

Because, after all, his parents had died just a day before his actual birthday.

It was easier to merge the two.

Of course, the Blackwoods never failed to remind him why his real birthday was such a nightmare... Annabelle.

His younger cousin. The Annabelle Blackwood, she shared the same birthday as him.

And every year, his birthday was overshadowed by her grand celebrations, her family making sure to subtly remind him—he was born on the wrong day.

Maybe that's why he chose to celebrate his parents' day instead... Subconscious guilt?

Whatever.

A sharp clang of a plate hitting the counter broke his thoughts.

Ere was now fully munching away at her meat, devouring it like a little black hole.

Everyone just... watched.

Stunned.

How?

Where was all that food even going?

Naomi gave Parker a wide-eyed glance as Ere took another massive bite, chewing with this feral energy that didn't match her elegant, petite frame at all.

Elena raised a brow. "Is... is she okay?"

Parker sighed with a smirk "Don't ask. I've also given up trying to understand."

Ere didn't even notice the stares. She kept eating.

And then—

His phone rang.

The sharp chime echoed through the lounge, silencing everything.

Even Ere stopped chewing, eyes narrowing as Parker pulled the phone out, checking the ID.The name on the screen made his stomach drop.

Scarlet Draven.

His entire mood shifted.