MTLNOVEL Chapter 116: [DING! HOST RUN!]
"So... what the fuck happened to you?" she said, head tilting as her eyes dragged over him, sharp and curious. "Seriously, Parker. Two weeks ago, you looked like some emo cryptobro shut-in, and now you're—" She gestured vaguely. "—what, hot? With a Lambo? You join a cartel or something? Because I swear, if this is some crypto nerd revenge story, I will laugh."
Parker felt his jaw tighten, but he didn't bite. Not yet.
Annabelle kept going, smirking wider. "Or wait... don't tell me your obsession with crypto actually paid off? Is that what happened? Because—hold up—didn't you try to mine Ethereum in the attic once? I still remember when I caught you on your laptop, looking like you were hacking the Pentagon or some shit."
Parker's face didn't shift, but inside, he remembered. Of course she remembered.
Annabelle had always been the one to sneak into his space, just to mess with him. Stir the pot. He'd been trying so hard back then. To be a self-made millionaire. To prove he wasn't just a Blackwood dog. And she had laughed.
Annabelle always found a way to make fun of him in that humiliating way in the mansion but she'd never been excessive like bullying him or humiliating him at the school. She was always ready to roast him.
But now?
Now the smirk on her face wasn't quite so certain.
Julian finally spoke up, voice calmer but still loaded with suspicion.
"Yeah, Parker. I've been wondering the same thing. You're... different. The car, the look. The attitude. Even that... cat?"
Ere blinked once, eyes meeting Julian's like he was barely worth acknowledging. Still, Parker could feel it. His whole body on edge.
Not from Julian. Not from Annabelle's teasing.
Vivian.
She was watching now. Not obviously. Not in the way Julian or Annabelle were. But Parker felt it.
The weight of her gaze.
For the first time in... hell, years, there was something behind those cold, dead eyes of hers.
And Ere felt it too.
The cat was staring at Vivian, tail lashing now, like she'd just remembered an ancient grudge from a past life.
The tension sharpened. What the hell was that? This weird sensation on his skin like he was being surrounded by predators.
Finally, Robert—who had been silent this whole time—snapped.
"Alright, enough of this bullshit. Parker. Speak."
His voice was sharp. Controlled. But there was something else there too—anger.
Robert Blackwood never got angry. Not like this, at least not so openly but now it felt like he was on the edge than others and the weird aura was coming out from him than the rest.
Parker's head tilted, an exhale slipping through his lips.
"Fine," he said quietly. 'But first... your status.'
Parker had prepared himself for this moment—thought he had. Made peace with every fucking nightmare this house had buried deep inside him. He had faced his demons, conquered his own mind, wielded powers now there was one last demon to conquer.
His fingers twitched, and his throat felt tight.
They were all here. The Blackwoods. His so-called family.
And no matter how much he told himself he was stronger than this house, it was digging in, clawing under his skin like a parasite. That old helplessness. The invisible chains. They had done a great job.
He forced the air out of his lungs. The tension gnawed at his mind like a constant static buzz. His power thrummed under his skin, that caged, energy whispering at him, reminding him just how far he'd come.
So, in that silence, he activated his system. Just to reassure himself.
'Appraisal.'
A translucent screen materialized in his vision, glowing faintly against the edges of his mind. He focused on Julian, still perched next to Robert, glancing sideways with that barely veiled suspicion.
[Name: Julian (???) Blackwood.
Age: 21
Race: ???
?? ERROR. SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE MORE INFORMATION!]
Parker blinked. No, he stared. His breath caught in his throat. The fuck? Parker's stomach dropped.
What the actual fuck?
Julian's information was... wrong. Not incomplete—corrupted. The question marks. The system error. What the hell did that mean? The system didn't just—no, it couldn't just glitch. This thing was flawless, created by forces beyond human comprehension.
Question marks?
Julian Blackwood. Julian. The guy he'd known since childhood. The most normal, annoying, arrogant pain-in-the-ass sibling figure he'd been forced to tolerate his entire life. His status had question marks?
The screen just... stared back. Unmoving. Silent.
Parker shook his head, his fingers twitching. No way. This had to be a glitch. Some weird anomaly. Right?
Try again.
He turned his gaze to Annabelle, slouched in the chair with that same smugness, like she was seconds from saying something that would piss him off.
That smirking, smug face, practically vibrating with chaotic energy like she always did.
'Appraisal.'
[Name: Annabelle (???) Blackwood
Age: 17
Race: ???
ERROR. SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE MORE INFORMATION!]
What the fuck.
His whole body stiffened. The world seemed to tilt. His stomach twisted. No. No, no, no. Same fucking thing. Same damn error.
It was like ice was threading through his veins, turning every beat of his heart into thunder.
His pulse hammered now, loud enough that the ringing in his ears drowned out everything else. He could feel the heat rising in his face, a bitter, hot knot twisting in his chest.
Helena called his name, her voice sharp, cutting. Annabelle said something too, probably her usual snark, but Parker didn't hear them. He was somewhere else.
This isn't possible. This isn't right. This can't be right.
The system had never failed him. Not once. It read even Chione, a fucking goddess for crying out loud. So what the hell was this?
Why were there gaps?
Why was it treating his family like they were some kind of untouchable mystery?
His mind was already spiraling, screaming for answers, as he forced his gaze toward Vivian next—the one person here who was always...just there. Indifferent. Like the world could burn down and she wouldn't blink.
Vivian was barely paying attention, scrolling her phone, completely disconnected from the tension. Not even a glance his way.
"Appraisal."
[Name: Vivian (???)
Age: 19???
Race: ????
ERROR. SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE MORE INFORMATION!]
Parker's lips parted. His pulse thundered. No fucking way.
No... No, this is impossible, he wasn't even breathing anymore. She had even question marks on her other name and on her age too.
His mind raced, spiraling faster than he could keep up.
It didn't make sense. It wasn't possible.
They're human. They've always been human.
Hadn't they?
Hadn't fuckin' they?
He clenched his teeth, the tension in his jaw so sharp it hurt. They're human. They were just human. He'd known them his entire life. If there was anything supernatural here, he would've sensed it.
Right?
His gaze snapped to Robert next, the patriarch of the family who'd always been the calm, collected figure behind every manipulative move in this damn house.
[Name: Robert (???) Blackwood.
Age: ?????
ERROR. SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE MORE INFORMATION.]
What the fuck— as if Robert had caught something off Parker, the aura around him increased.
Helena. Parker tried him aunt...
His head snapped up, eyes wide, staring at Helena, who was still silent, calm as always—but now that calm felt... wrong.
Like he was looking at something wearing a human shape.
"This can't be real... This doesn't make sense!"
Everything blurred around the edges. The air felt heavier, pressing against his chest.
His mind felt like it was burning.
"Parker."
Helena's voice, sharp, but distant.
"Parker!"
Annabelle, frowning now, leaning closer.
But Parker couldn't hear them.
Who the fuck are you people? The status for Helena finally appeared.
[DING!] ERROR!
NO INFORMATION ACQUIRED.
TARGET DOESN'T EXIST, HOST! Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
DOESN'T EXIST?!
Parker felt like his mind had just short-circuited. His legs felt weak, his entire body going cold.
No... she's right there. Right fucking there.
The system wasn't broken. It couldn't be.
The problem was them.
Who the fuck... what the fuck ARE YOU?!
His mind burned, an unbearable heat rising in his skull. The logic, the facts, everything was wrong—
BAM!
[DING! HOST RUN!]
"Master... Run!" Ere whispered in his mind!