EVIL SYSTEM

The police drove to the station. Along the way, they couldn't help but glance back occasionally.

They felt intimidated by Ben's presence, even though he hadn't given them any reason to feel that way.

When they arrived, they made Ben wait in a room while they spoke with their superiors.

"I understand," the older officer nodded. "Let's keep him in jail for a day to teach him a lesson."

"Sir," one of the officers interrupted. "He seems to be an intermediate mage."

The old officer frowned.

"What's his name?"

The two officers looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

The old officer rubbed his forehead and sighed in exasperation.

"You arrested a young man who appears to be an intermediate mage, without knowing his name or if he has powerful backing?"

The officers fell silent.

The old officer sighed and took his laptop to meet Ben.

"Good morning," he said as he entered the interrogation room.

"Good morning," Ben nodded.

The old officer stared at him for a few seconds, finding his face somewhat familiar.

"Sorry for the delay," the old officer said, placing his laptop on the table. "We've been a bit busy."

Ben nodded, not particularly caring.

"Well, the officers have already informed me about your case," the officer said, typing on his laptop. "But before we dive into that, I need to know your name."

"Benjamin Clay," Ben said concisely.

"Okay," the old officer nodded and began typing.

Gradually, the old officer's expression changed as he couldn't find a Benjamin Clay matching Ben's appearance and age in the database.

There were several Benjamin Clays, but none resembled Ben.

"Are you giving me a fake name?" the old officer asked skeptically.

"No, sir," Ben shook his head. "My father is James Clay from Karto City."

The old officer searched for James Clay from Karto City and found him easily.

"Is this your father?" The old officer turned the laptop to show Ben a picture of his father.

"Yes, sir," Ben nodded.

The old officer's frown deepened as he gathered the available information.

The database showed that James had five children. Four of them were girls, and only one was a boy.

A boy who had been reported missing and quickly declared dead.

The old officer searched for a photo of that boy, presumed dead.

"This is complicated," the old officer scratched his neck.

When he looked up Ben's information, it showed that he was just a normie, but the old officer kept staring at the Benjamin in front of him.

*This guy is definitely not a normie.*

Despite the fresh scars on his face, Ben was clearly recognizable.

When the officer checked the properties listed under Ben's name, he found the address of the house where Ben had just been arrested.

The old officer smiled ironically.

He thought about how Ben must feel, being arrested for entering his own house.

The problem was, it wasn't his house anymore.

After being declared dead by his parents, the first thing they did was sell the property.

The officer explained this to Ben patiently and sympathetically.

"Declared dead?" Ben couldn't believe it.

It hadn't even been a month since his kidnapping, and his family had already declared him dead.

The worst part was that they took the opportunity to sell his house.

He had never expected anything from those people, and yet, they always managed to disappoint him.

Ben clenched his fists on the metal armrests of his chair.

Small sparks of electricity surrounded his body as he thought about the house where his grandfather had grown up being sold by those heartless people.

"Please calm down," the officer tried to soothe him. "Since it's clear you're alive, we'll process the necessary paperwork to reinstate you in the country's database."

"For now..." The officer swallowed nervously. "Your status will remain that of a deceased person. You won't be able to receive hospital care, open a bank account, buy a plane ticket, or even a train ticket."

Ben frowned, annoyed, but didn't say anything.

"But unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to reclaim the property. The house was legally sold and purchased by the rightful owners," the officer shook his head. "In the event of your death, those owners would be your parents."

The officer continued.

"Since it's clear you had no intention of breaking the law and can even be considered a victim, you're free to go," the officer stood up and opened the interrogation room door for Ben. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

Ben nodded, accepting the apology, and left the station.

Outside, he looked up at the sky and shook his head.

There was nothing he could do about the property, which now legally belonged to the people living there.

But he wasn't going to let them keep the money his grandfather had hidden under the tree.

However, he had to take the money secretly. If the owners found out, they could claim it as theirs since it was on their property.

He had to break in and steal it.

He couldn't do it during the day. It had to be under the cover of night, where he could use his new spell to sneak in undetected.

Ben left the station with an idea in his head that could land him back in jail.

Inside the station, the old officer slumped into a chair and stared at the two officers who had arrested Ben.

"You idiots almost got me into a huge mess."

The two officers shrank back and said nothing.

The old officer waved them away.

He remembered the state of the chair's armrests and sat down, exhausted.

He didn't like dealing with individuals like Ben. If they lost control, it would be hard to handle them.

But the old officer couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity he had with the boy.

He knew he hadn't met him before, but his appearance felt very familiar.

He sat lost in thought for a while until he suddenly jumped up and began searching through his smartphone's gallery.

There were many photos, but the old officer was looking for a specific set.

His grandson's school trip.

His daughter had been too busy with work, so he had volunteered to take the boy.

It was an excursion to Valentia Castle, one of Shorecastle's few tourist attractions.

Among the various photos of his grandson, he found one where his grandson had taken a picture of him near a giant painting.

"Wow, they look so alike!"

The old officer was surprised. "Maybe he's one of his descendants. His grandfather was from this city, after all."

With his curiosity satisfied, the old officer relaxed on the sofa.

++++

**Ben headed to the lodging where the group was staying. He found that many of them were already awake and having lunch.**

Many greeted him with respect and admiration.

He looked for Dante among the group and quickly found him, always the center of attention.

Dante seemed to be telling a joke, but Ben pulled him aside, ignoring the reluctant looks from the others, and took him to a quieter place to talk.

"Dante, do you know what time the group plans to leave?" Ben asked directly.

"The guys are thinking of leaving in an hour or two."

Ben frowned.

"I need them to spend the night in this town," Ben hesitated for a moment before telling Dante everything.

"Those sons of bitches!" Dante seemed angrier than Ben.

He started shadowboxing, imagining Ben's parents in front of him.

"Don't worry!" Dante looked excited. "I'll take care of convincing the guys."

Ben nodded and handed him a small stack of bills.

"Here's 5,000 argens. Use it to organize a barbecue or something to keep them entertained."

"Don't worry about it," Dante refused to take the money.

"Take it," Ben placed the money in Dante's hands along with the new phone he had bought for him. "I know I can trust you. Besides, I'm really looking forward to some good grilled meat."

Dante's expression changed, and he nodded, lowering his head.

Leaving the group behind, Ben headed to the outskirts of town, to a small forest.

There, he used the necessary evil points to level up his last element to intermediate.

[Evil Points -20,000]

[Darkness: Basic Intermediate Level]

[Physical +2]

[Magic +100]

A strong and ominous dark energy began to surge from within him, spreading around him.

A surge of energy and strength coursed through Ben's body, making him feel invincible.

Clenching his fists, Ben stared at his physical stat of 140.

He was at least 14 times stronger than an average human.

And that wasn't even counting his magic.

With newfound determination, he returned to the city, walking through its streets and observing everything that might be useful to him.

At a hardware store, he bought a small shovel to make digging easier, and then he waited for nightfall.

He spied on the family from a good distance. Thanks to his high physical stats, Ben could clearly see what they were doing inside.

Now, all he had to do was wait for them to fall asleep.