EVIL SYSTEM

The next day, Ben woke up very early.

He went to the kitchen and fried two eggs, which he paired with some bread and a cup of coffee. Once again, he avoided having to join his family at the table.

In his room, Ben observed his status screen with a contemplative look.

[Status]

Benjamín Clay

Age: 16 years

Physical: 19

Magic: 10

Affinities:

Lightning: Elementary Level

Curses: No Level

Spells: None

Evil Points: 3820

He had accumulated a lot of points and decided it was time to spend them. There was no use in hoarding them.

The first thing that came to mind, of course, was a spell.

There were hundreds of spells, but one could only imprint one spell for each level. At the elementary level, Ben could only engrave one spell into his stars.

Throughout history, countless spells had been created for all elements, but no one could claim to know them all.

However, there was a problem: spells were very expensive, especially the one Ben wanted.

He had reviewed the system's shop countless times and had meticulously chosen two spells designed to make him unbeatable at his level.

Because of this, he decided to level up his Lightning element.

The reason? Research.

It wasn't a coincidence that the vast majority of people in the world could only reach the elementary level and never progress to the intermediate level.

Many described the process as incredibly difficult and torturous.

Some blamed talent and genetic limitations.

But the truth was that no one really knew why it was easy for some to advance to the intermediate level while it was impossible for others.

Each level was subdivided into three minor stages: Basic, Mid, and Peak.

Ben was at the Basic stage of the elementary level, with only ten stars in his consciousness.

To reach the Mid stage, he needed 20 stars, and to reach Peak, 30 stars.

Ben began immediately.

[Evil Points -2]

As he added points to his element, he felt it immediately. A refreshing and revitalizing energy coursed through his body, seeking his consciousness to form a star.

[Evil Points -4]

The sensation was slightly addictive.

[Evil Points -8]

[Evil Points -16]

[Evil Points -32]

[Evil Points -64]

[Evil Points -128]

[Evil Points -256]

[Evil Points -512]

[Evil Points -1024]

Upon forming his 20th star, Ben felt his body becoming stronger, more flexible, agile, and resilient.

Overjoyed, Ben did a backflip and easily landed on his feet.

Although his Physical stat remained fixed at 19, Ben felt that the magic coursing through his body made him stronger in some way.

His Magic stat also increased, now reaching 20.

Ben considered advancing his Lightning element to the Peak stage, but after a quick calculation, he realized he didn't have enough points.

The best option now was to level up his Curses element, which he had ignored until now.

[Evil Points -1]

He added just one point, forming only one star.

But it felt profoundly different from his Lightning element. The dark energy, filled with negative emotions, felt deeply personal and familiar, as if he were reconnecting with something he had lost.

[Evil Points -2]

[Evil Points -4]

[Evil Points -8]

[Evil Points -16]

[Evil Points -32]

[Evil Points -64]

[Evil Points -128]

[Evil Points -256]

[Evil Points -512]

The ten stars formed, and for a moment, Ben felt the world grow darker—and he was fine with that. His eyes glowed with a sinister gray light, calculating and cold.

Dark gray streaks of energy emerged from his body as a surge of power flowed through him.

[Physical: 29]

[Magic: 30]

Ben felt better than ever, so powerful that he no longer felt any pressure or fear toward people like his uncle Erwin.

He had far surpassed the strength of an average elementary mage, and his magic level was equal to that of a Peak mage.

He didn't know how strong an intermediate mage was, but he no longer feared them.

After all those upgrades, Ben was left with only 750 Evil Points.

One thought lingered in his mind: he was completely ignorant when it came to combat.

He didn't have any technique or martial art.

On Earth, there were many fighting styles like karate, boxing, and taekwondo. But Ben had never practiced any of them in his previous life.

In fact, he had never even been in a fight.

So far, he hadn't needed a fighting style, but if he wanted to be above others in strength, he also needed to know how to use that strength efficiently.

It wasn't the same to be a muscular man who only knew how to throw a wild punch as it was to be a smaller man who could knock you down with a liver shot.

The system, of course, offered martial arts and combat styles.

But, as with the spells, they were very expensive.

"I need more Evil Points."

...

In the afternoon, the grandfather's lawyer arrived in an elegant black car.

He gathered everyone in what used to be the grandfather's study.

Apparently, everyone had to be present for the reading, even the young children like Marcus and Daniel, who were only five and six years old.

"Now that everyone is here, I will begin reading the will of the late Rupert Clay," the lawyer said as he opened a document and looked at the family. "If you're reading this, I'm already gone. You all know how I am—I'm not one for goodbyes. So I made arrangements beforehand to be cremated and buried alongside your mother. Now, since I know you all very well, I know what you really want to hear."

The lawyer paused briefly and then continued.

"You want to know what will happen to my fortune, what I left to each of you. Surely, after hearing my final wishes, some of you will mistakenly believe I loved some of you more than others, but that isn't true. Even though many of you didn't reach your full potential, I love you all equally."

The lawyer suddenly froze, his expression one of shock.

His reaction was an open book to everyone in the room, and it made the entire family hold their breath.

"I leave my entire fortune and properties to my beloved eldest daughter, Viviana Clay."

Everyone froze in shock and silence for a moment before erupting into chaos.

"Impossible!" Uncle Erwin jumped from his seat, his face filled with rage and disbelief.

"There's no way Father didn't leave us anything!" Ethan was visibly agitated, a stark contrast to his previously calm demeanor.

"This is a scam!" James pointed an accusing finger at the lawyer, his expression crazed. "This bastard must have conspired with Viviana to rob us all!"