EVIL SYSTEM

Ben didn't want to leave his room for the rest of the day.

He only left briefly to grab a snack from the kitchen before locking himself back in to avoid seeing his family.

Time passed quickly as Ben occupied himself downloading apps and browsing social media.

He began creating accounts on different platforms, exploring the digital landscape of this world. Here, YouTube didn't exist, but there was a replacement app called MeTube.

Ben found great amusement in videos that, in his past world, would have been considered ridiculous or laughable:

"How to Easily Increase Your Talent in Magic!"

"Exercises to Improve Particle Absorption!"

"Tricks to Master Spells More Easily!"

He spent hours entertained, switching between funny videos and ones filled with curiosities.

Before he knew it, it was time for dinner.

This time, Ben couldn't avoid it—he had to eat with the rest of his family.

The dining room was vast, with enough seats for all 22 people present.

The attendees included his immediate family of five, plus Charly.

His aunt Viviana was there with Julius and their three children: Holgram, Jan, and Adela. Adela had also brought along her boyfriend.

Uncle Ethan attended with his beautiful wife and their two sons, Diego and Antonio.

Uncle Erwin was there with his wife Ruth, Ruth's children from a previous relationship—Jennifer and Carlos—and their own children, Marcus and Daniel.

Each family unit seemed to follow an unspoken rule: everyone stuck to themselves.

Ben was seated between Stefany and Antonio.

The staff served the food with cold, practiced professionalism.

The meal was nothing particularly exotic but of high quality: a thick cut of prime beef with a sweet and sour sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, a fresh salad, and fruit juice. Some adults opted for wine instead.

Ben ate happily, savoring the meal. It had been a long time since he'd had anything so good, and he was grateful for the food.

In stark contrast, Ruth barely touched her plate before pushing it aside with disgust.

"It's not cooked properly!" she snapped, calling the staff over with disdainful gestures and throwing the plate at them. "Can't you even cook a simple steak?"

The poor servant lowered her head, enduring the insults while everyone else watched, unwilling to intervene.

Ben wasn't about to play the role of a knight in shining armor. He had endured his fair share of humiliations too.

"I don't like eating in silence!" Erwin declared, calming his wife while grinning at everyone. "What do you think Dad left us?"

"We'll find out tomorrow," Viviana replied curtly.

"You're as dull as ever," Erwin teased, pointing at her. "I, for one, think Dad's leaving me this mansion."

"Yes," Ruth nodded. "And when he does, I'll finally bring order here and fire all the useless staff." She glanced at the servant cleaning the floor.

The woman visibly trembled and continued scrubbing the floor.

"Hmph, damn opportunistic bitch," Viviana muttered under her breath. "This house still belongs to my father until tomorrow. Stop acting like you own the place."

"Exactly," James added with no emotion. "Besides, we don't even know who will inherit it yet."

"Ha! Don't tell me you think Dad's leaving this mansion to you, James?" Erwin laughed, pointing at him with a fork. "Of all of us, you're the least likely to inherit anything."

"Oh, really?" James set down his utensils and stopped eating. "And why's that, exactly?" he asked, frowning in irritation.

"Don't make me spell it out, James," Erwin shrugged and kept eating.

"I insist," James said, glaring, making the atmosphere in the dining room tense.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for Erwin's response. Finally, he looked up and sighed in resignation.

"Well, you're hardly the model son," Erwin began, gesturing to his siblings before pointing at James. "Out of all of us, you're the least talented."

James opened his mouth to protest, but Erwin didn't stop.

"Even when Dad paid for your college education, you couldn't graduate. Now you're just another wage earner who can't make it to the end of the month. Your life is so pathetic you have to ask Dad for money every month. Do you really think he was proud of you? That he'd leave you his most prized assets? Please!"

James clenched his teeth, his face filled with rage.

But Erwin wasn't done.

"Oh, and let's not forget—you're the only one of us who brought a normie into this world!"

All eyes turned immediately to Ben, who stared back at Erwin without flinching.

James, too, looked at Ben with a mix of anger and shame, but he wasn't about to stay silent.

"So you think I'm the family disgrace?" James asked.

"It's more than obvious," Erwin shrugged mockingly.

"Well, in my opinion, the real joke here is you," James snapped, glaring at Ruth. "Do you think Dad was happy when he found out you married a gold-digging whore?"

"Watch your mouth!" Ruth growled.

"Am I lying?" James spread his arms, addressing the entire family. "Everyone knows you had each of your children with a different man. And who knows? Maybe Erwin's kids aren't even his."

"You son of a bitch!" Erwin slammed his fist on the table, sending food scattering. "I won't let you insult my wife."

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" James crossed his arms arrogantly.

The ground began to tremble as a surge of magic radiated from Erwin, his eyes fixed on his older brother.

"Try me, and I'll show you exactly what I'll do."

Ben couldn't help but feel excited. He was thrilled at the idea of his entire family breaking out into chaos, with shouts and punches flying.

Maybe, amidst the chaos, he could even land a few hits on the people he disliked.

But nothing went as Ben had hoped; the fight was stopped by the intervention of Viviana and Ethan.

Ben went to sleep in his room, thinking about the arrival of his grandfather's lawyer tomorrow to read the will and reveal his final wishes.

Ben wasn't going to lie to himself—he had hopes that his grandfather had left him something.

After all, they had been good friends.