Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Chapter 107 Plunderer

The forest was a blur. Trees, glowing vines, and moss zipped past him while the thundering sound of paws—big, terrifying paws—pounded behind him. And fuck, was the thing massive.

It wasn't just "big dog" massive. No, this beast was elephant huge—jaws snapping with fangs the size of his damn arm, each step shaking the ground like it was the final boss in some fantasy RPG. Leaves trembled, whole trees quivered, and all Parker could think was:

'I'm gonna die in a fucking dream.'

Ahead of him, Ere was tearing through the forest like she was channeling Cheptegei himself, her sleek black form darting between trees so fast she looked like a damn ninja blur.

"Ere, WAIT!" Parker shouted, nearly eating dirt as his foot clipped a root.

"Run faster, master!"

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Branches slapped him in the face. Vines brushed his legs.

Behind him, the beast roared, its hot breath practically singeing his back.

A tree root snagged his shoe— "Shit, shit, SHIT—"

He skidded forward, nearly face-planting but managing to twist his body into a sloppy baseball slide under a massive fallen tree branch. The bark scraped his jacket, leaves and dirt kicking up behind him as he narrowly avoided being decapitated.

Not cool. Not fucking cool.

The wolf lunged—

CRASH!@@@@

It plowed through the same branch like it was a toothpick, shattering it into splinters. Parker risked a glance back.

Big mistake.

The wolf was right there, golden eyes locked on him, claws gouging deep into the mossy ground as it closed the gap with terrifying speed.

"ERE! DO SOMETHING!"

"Why? Is this MY fault?!" Ere called back, leaping effortlessly from one tree to another like she was auditioning for the next Jungle Book remake.

"YOU SUGGESTED EXPLORING, THAT'S WHY!"

"You're the one who spun those stupid spins!"

"THAT DOESN'T—" Parker's foot slipped.

He tripped.

The beast lunged again, jaws wide—

Parker twisted mid-fall, just barely dodging a snap that would've taken his whole head off. The wolf's claws raked along his shoulder—just a graze, but the burning pain made him hiss.

Okay, screw this. This whole dream was rigged.

"Ere! I have a fucking sword! Why am I RUNNING?!"

"Because you're scared, master! Face it!"

"YOU THINK?!"

He wasn't stupid enough to fight a monster that looked like it could eat an SUV whole. His body was enhanced, sure, but not "fight-a-wolf-the-size-of-a-house" enhanced.

"USE YOUR MAGIC, MASTER!" Ere yelled from above.

"YOU HAVE IT TOO—USE IT!" They burst through a clearing. The moss turned soft, slippery—Parker's foot hit a wet patch, and for a split second, gravity betrayed him.

"Fuuuuuu—"

He went down—

—and kept going.

Not into the ground.

Nope.

Into a hole.

A stupidly small, shallow dip in the earth—barely more than a rabbit's burrow, but just big enough for his entire body to fall in while his sword clattered to the side.

"Oof!" He landed with a painful thud, sprawled awkwardly like he'd just lost a fight to the dirt itself.

Ere skidded to a stop outside the hole, blinking.

"...Seriously?"

Parker groaned, arching his back, completely winded. His ribs ached. His pride? Destroyed.

But the wolf—

The massive beast barreled into the clearing, claws tearing trenches into the moss as it skidded to a stop.

It stared at the hole.

It stared at him.

And then, with a low, growling snarl—the thing crouched qnd started digging.

"OH COME ON!" Parker flinched as dirt and moss rained down into the hole. Claws ripped into the earth, chunks of soil flying everywhere, but the hole was just deep enough—the beast couldn't quite reach him.

"Ere... do something.

Ere blinked. Then tilted her head. "Like what? You got yourself into this."

"TRAITOR."

Its own shadow had begun to flicker. Tremble. Distort.

A second Parker rose silently from the wolf's shadow, materializing directly beneath the creature's thick-furred neck.

Now.

The Phoenix Sword ignited—Phoenix Flames lit up a deep yellow and golden glow and Parker plunged it deep into the beast's throat.

The wolf howled in agony, thrashing wildly as the searing flames scorched through its flesh.The Parker against the tree—

—puffed out of existence like a burst of mist.

The real Parker strained, twisting the blade deeper. Blood misted the air—until the wolf let out a final, painful whimper.

And collapsed.

Right on top of him.

"SON OF A—"

THUD.

The weight slammed him flat.

Why was everything so heavy?

He squirmed. Grunted. His legs kicked out awkwardly from under the beast's bulk as he struggled to pull himself free.

"This is stupid. Why was I even running?!" He realized the beast was weak than he had feared. The wolf was massive, sure—but Parker was a Harmonic powerhouse, for crying out loud. This thing was what, Awakened-tier?

And yet here he was.

Flat.

Embarrassed.

But... weirdly? He felt nothing after killing it.

No guilt. No horror.

He had expected killing a living thing—magical or not—to feel... something.

But there was nothing.

Just... numb.

Until—

Light.

Small particles of glowing energy drifted up from the wolf's body—golden specks of power that flowed into his chest.

[Ding! Host is now connected to the Omni Nexus Realm! Host can now enter and exit as he pleases.]

Parker blinked.

A... connection? The moment the message appeared, he felt it—like a subtle thread linking him to the entire realm around him.

But there was more.

[Ding! Killed a Nexus Beast: Awakened Shadow Wolf.]

[Absorbing unawakened power... Compatible!]

[Ding! Shadow Manipulation bond created. Host can now wield Erebus's Shadow Manipulation as his own!]

The shadows around him twitched. Just a faint ripple.

"Holy shit..."

And then—

[Ding! 10 SP (Special Points) received!]

Parker blinked rapidly. "Wait... SP? What's that?"

[SP are points host can use to upgrade a skill, weapon, or item rank.]

"...Huh. Okay. Kinda cool. Wait—"

He frowned. "What about this power absorption thing? Explain."

[Host plunderer a compatible power after killing magical beings. If incompatible, the power converts into SP and Omni Energy.]

"...WAIT, WHAT?" He stared at his hands in disbelief. Did that mean... every magical creature he killed could give him abilities or SP?

"When the hell did you give me something like that?!"

[This power is unrelated to the system. Host should investigate himself.]

"...What."

[The System has no further information.]

"You're telling me... this whole 'steal powers from dead things' ability just exists in me and you don't know why?!"

Silence, "...Mysteries. Fucking mysteries."

Before he could process the implications— A deep, guttural growl echoed from the forest.

And it sounded pissed.