EVIL SYSTEM

Ben arrived home and, without much thought, grabbed his backpack and stuffed in three changes of clothes.

Whatever he found first—he wasn't the type to be picky about what to wear.

He didn't own much, nor did he think it was necessary to take much.

He went down to the living room and sat on the couch to wait for everyone to be ready to leave.

The first to come downstairs was, of course, his father, who didn't say a word to him and simply waited.

Next were Susan and Stefany, who were clearly excited. Both carried large suitcases, as if they were going on some sort of vacation.

The last to come down was his mother, who had a strange expression on her face, almost as if a thousand problems were circling in her mind.

Although they had a car, they decided to take two taxis for comfort.

At the airport, they all waited for a while.

"Who are we waiting for?" Ben asked impatiently. "We need to check in."

"We're waiting for someone," his father replied, glancing at the watch on his right hand. "They're taking too long."

The most anxious of all was Susan, who tapped the floor with her heels in impatience.

"Susan!!" a voice called out from a distance.

Susan smiled and jumped with joy.

Ben narrowed his eyes as he saw Susan leap into the arms of Charly, who was running toward her with a suitcase in hand.

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" Ben asked his father. "Why is he here?"

"Why not?" his father replied with a question of his own.

"We're going to my grandfather's funeral, not on some excursion," Ben said through clenched teeth. "This is a family matter; it's not for some random stranger to join us."

Slap!

The sound of a loud slap echoed through the airport as his mother struck him without hesitation.

"The only stranger here is you!" Mary pointed at him with a frown of anger. "You should be grateful we're even bringing you along."

His father nodded with an indifferent expression.

"And when he marries your sister, he'll be part of the family too," his father added, looking at his watch again. "So, of course, he also has a right to know what my father left behind."

Ben felt embarrassed, humiliated, and furious as he sensed all the stares in the airport directed at him. He wanted to hit back, to grab his father by the throat and smash his face with punches—but he held back.

He was now an elemental mage, and the slap didn't hurt as much as it usually would.

The real issue was the public humiliation he was enduring, all to defend a stranger who was sleeping with his sister.

Ben had always thought that gaining power would mean using it in moments like this, to put trash in its place.

But now he was discovering a new side of himself.

He didn't just want to hit them a little. He wanted to make them truly suffer, and that required meticulous planning.

He couldn't lose control and end up facing Charly and his father, both at the top of the elemental rank, not to mention airport security.

"This isn't over," Ben said, glaring at his mother. "Remember this moment... because I'll make you pay it back with interest."

Without waiting for a response, he went to check in and sat in the seat farthest away from his family, who seemed to have completely forgotten about him.

Seeing this only made his blood boil with rage. The worst part was that he still hadn't figured out a way to strike back.

Pulling out his phone, he texted the only contact he had.

"How good are you with computers?"

The reply came quickly, almost as if the recipient had been waiting for his message.

"I'm good," Dilan texted back rapidly. "What do you need?"

"Can you hack?" Ben asked.

This time, the response took a while.

"...A little."

Ben sighed and smirked darkly.

"I want you to find everything on these people..." Ben wrote down the full names of his entire family and Charly. "Look through their social media, comments, and any trail they've left online."

He hesitated for a moment before typing again.

"If you find anything dirty on anyone, I'll owe you a big favor."

He didn't like promising favors, but right now, he wanted blood.

"Consider it done!" Dilan replied with evident excitement.

Putting his phone away, Ben waited for his turn to board. Once on the plane, he left his shame behind and asked to switch seats with anyone until an older man kindly obliged.

The flight was only an hour long, and when they landed, Ben decided to take a separate taxi, trying to minimize contact with his family.

Fortunately, he already knew where they were headed.

His grandfather's house.

High Flower District, where only the city's wealthy and affluent gathered.

The neighborhood surrounded a central lake, where many had built their mansions.

Among them was his grandfather.

The taxi dropped him off at the main gate, where a guard stopped him.

"This is private property," the guard said with a stoic expression.

"I know," Ben nodded. "This is my grandfather's house, so let me through."

Ben tried to pass through the gate, but the guard stopped him.

"Do you think any beggar claiming to be the owner's grandson can just walk in? You'd better turn around and leave."

Ben sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"Listen, buddy, I'm in a really bad mood right now." Ben raised his head and continued with all the patience he could muster. "Why don't you ask your supervisor if he knows me? That way, you'll see I'm telling the truth."

"No!" the guard said firmly. "I can't bother my supervisor for every beggar who shows up."

Shoo!

The guard waved him off with a dismissive hand gesture, making a sound like he was chasing away a dog.

That was all it took.

Ben lost control of his emotions, and before the guard could react, Ben threw the first punch.

[Evil Points +100]

The blow landed directly and mercilessly on the guard's throat.

The man clutched his neck in panic, struggling to breathe, but Ben followed up with a kick to his legs, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground with a thud.

[Evil Points +70]

The rage Ben had been suppressing poured out into his actions. He no longer thought of the guard as a person but as a stand-in for Charly, his father, his mother, and his sisters.

Punches rained down on the guard, who began to pool in his own blood.

By the time other guards and the supervisor intervened, Ben's eyes were glowing with a barbaric, uncontrollable fury.

Even pinned down by several men, his eyes burned with a wild rage, silent but more expressive than any words he could have spoken.