Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Chapter 108 "Meat..."

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.

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.