05 - The system of corruption

Ethan awoke to the singing of birds and the rays of sunlight flooding through the cabin's single window, bathing the room in light.

It didn't take him more than a few moments to feel the absence of Valeria's soft, delicate skin pressed against his and the gentle, angelic breathing that accompanied her as she slept.

He rose quickly and checked his surroundings, but found no sign of the woman's presence.

"She left?" Ethan wondered, making his way over to a table where men's clothing and a black cloak were carefully folded next to a letter and a crumpled map.

Picking up the letter, Ethan felt a slight weight on his chest and began to read it. {"I'm sorry to have to leave like this, but my older sister must be worried about me. I promise we'll meet again someday. I left some fruits in the kitchen cupboard; you can eat it if you're hungry.}

"Hm..." Ethan exhaled deeply and sat down on the hard, uncomfortable wooden bed. He couldn't say that he was happy about the situation, but he understood that Valeria was a noblewoman.

With the decline of her family and the relentless persecution of it's descendants by the forces of the kingdom, she had a great responsibility.

"Ha... patience." Ethan sighed and closed his eyes, still feeling a faint connection in his mind that carried Valeria's aura and scent. It wasn't extremely precise, but he could still get a rough idea of her distance and location.

At least he was sure that they were connected and that he could easily find her if necessary.

"Now... the system." Ethan pushed Valeria's image out of his mind and finally decided to explore the gift Seraphar had left behind.

Systems were not uncommon in this world; in fact, they were central elements in much religious literature, where heroes received systems as divine blessings to help them achieve transcendental power.

As a young dreamer, Ethan had read countless fantasy books that told these stories and knew enough to be almost certain that this system was no different from those in literature.

'STATUS,' Ethan called out mentally, and an information screen immediately responded to his call.

[Name: Ethan DarkHeart

Race: ????

Lineage: Blood of the Black Dragon (Level 1)

Talent: SSS

Stage: Awakening (1/3)

Corruption store points: 8210

Soul mates: 0/1

Wives: 0/10

Lovers: 1/20]

" Amazing..." Ethan murmured, his eyes shining as he slowly absorbed all the information, some of it encouraging, some of it worrying.

Although he kept his last name, he seemed to have lost his family lineage, and his race was now represented only by interrogation points, making it unclear whether he was still human or not.

The talent also confused Ethan; he didn't know what "SSS" stood for or even if it was considered a high or low talent.

In this world, it was common for people to simply use a child's lineage and mastery of mana control to determine whether they were a great talent or a waste, and there was no official classification or way to define whether someone was more or less talented.

As he pondered these questions, Ethan remembered a fact that was present in almost every book he read: you could ask questions to the system!

With a little uncertainty in his eyes, Ethan asked, "System, what is this 'talent'? And how does this classification work?"

The moment Ethan's voice faded, the status screen in front of him disappeared, replaced by a floating text written in the air.

[Talent is a way of defining a person's magical and genetic aptitude.

The forms of classification are many, but in the [access denied] regions, the most common is the F to SSS system, with F being the lowest and SSS being the highest.

These are all the known classifications I have access to: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F.]

"I would expect nothing less from a primordial being, hehehe." Ethan laughed happily when he realized that his talent was at the top of the rankings.

After thinking for a second, he asked another question: "What is my current race?"

[Access denied]

"Hm, no access? Then why is my race marked with question marks?"

[Access denied]

"Am I still human?"

[Access denied]

A throbbing vein appeared on Ethan's forehead as the system once again refused to answer his questions. With a hint of anger in his voice, he asked stiffly, "And how the hell do I get that access?"

[Simply evolve your lineage using points from the Corruption Store].

"And how do I do that?"

[Open the 'Enhancements' section of your Corruption Shop].

"I see..." Ethan muttered before intoning in his mind, "Corruption store!

In response to his call, a translucent menu and system message appeared in his vision, floating ethereally through the air.

[Corruption Shop:

{Items}

{Skills}

{Bloodlines}

{Improvements}

{Miscellaneous Items}]

[This is the corruption shop; if you need an item with a specific function, let me know].

"Alright," Ethan replied to the system before focusing on the 'Improvements' option. As if by magic, a new translucent menu appeared in front of him.

[Enhancements:

{Lineage:

Your Blood of the Black Dragon (lvl 1) bloodline can be upgraded to Blood of the Black Dragon (lvl 2).

Price: 25,000 corruption store points}

{Your current cultivation level of 'Awakening (1/3)' can be upgraded to 'Awakening (2/3)'.

Price: 500 corruption store points}]

"So expensive!" Ethan's heart immediately sank when he saw the price for his cultivation. Even after having sex with Valeria for hours, he only got 8,200 corruption store points, more than half of which came from taking her chastity and making her his lover.

Of course, that was the gain from sleeping with an extremely talented woman from an ancient family; he didn't even need to be a genius to know that he would gain much less from sleeping with women of lesser talent.

According to his calculations, he would have to sleep with dozens of women for weeks just to achieve a single lineage evolution.

"Ah, at least there is something encouraging." Ethan muttered as his gaze fell on the cultivation improvement.

As someone who had lived most of his life as a cripple, Ethan had never had any real interaction with cultivation, except for the occasional moment when he watched his father cultivate when he was a child.

Even so, he knew the basics of what it took to advance to the next level: having enough mana in your mana heart and having great control over that energy, enough to manage it and force it to break through the limits of the mana heart, thus expanding your reserves.

Of course, this was only the method for advancing to the awakening stage; there were three stages, each with three levels representing the beginning, intermediate, and peak levels.

In addition to the Awakening Level, where one worked on the Mana Heart and its capabilities, there was the Foundation Level, where one worked on the meridians that were responsible for carrying the mana to the rest of the body, and the Refinement Level, where one worked not only on the meridians and the Mana Heart but on the body and the mind itself.

Ethan had already read books that spoke of an outer land beyond the Sea of Eternal Storm, where beings transcended far beyond these three stages, and the refinement stage was just the first step on an almost limitless journey of cultivation.

"Right..." Ethan made a decision: "I would like to buy an evolution to the intermediate level of the Awakening Stage."

Upon hearing Ethan's request, the system automatically deducted 500 points from the Corruption Store before sending a warning.

[First of all, I must warn you that it is not a good idea to make multiple ascensions in a row without first adjusting to your new level.

Advancing without full control of your powers can be unnecessarily painful or even fatal.

Your chances of surviving this breakthrough are 65%.]

[Breakthrough starting in 3... 2... 1...]

"No, wait!!!" Ethan shouted with a hint of regret in his voice, but it was too late.

The moment the system's countdown ended, Ethan felt his guts squirm and his mana heart expand almost to the point of collapse, like a water balloon being inflated beyond its limits.

"Argh! Shit!" Ethan clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, fighting to keep his composure. This was terrible pain, but he had experienced far worse pain during his father's countless experiments.

Ethan inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air, before exhaling slowly. He might not be a great cultivator, but he knew well that it was essential to keep his mind, heart, and body in harmony.

Calming his mind, he manipulated the mana flowing violently through his meridians, slowing it to a pulsating flow that accompanied his breathing and slowly channeling it into his mana heart.

Just like that, the pain stopped, and Ethan's long black hair fluttered as a powerful pulse of mana spread through the room, raising dust and shaking his already fragile frame.

[Breakthrough successful; use your new power wisely].

Ethan's eyes opened, and the world around him finally calmed down. His new power pulsed steadily through his veins, while his already large mana reserves had more than doubled.

"How powerful is my current bloodline?" Ethan asked, still intoxicated by the power flowing through his hands.

[Bloodline: Blood of the Black Dragon (Level 1)

A bloodline belonging to a being whose power transcends the boundaries of reality itself. Even at its embryonic level, it possesses considerable power.

Grade:???

{Black Dragon Body (Humanoid)

This body carries not only the power but also the libido of the black dragon and can be weakened or strengthened by it.

Current lust: 5% (A high libido will cause debuffs or buffs, depending on the situation.)

Physical Strength: +50%

Mana Reserves: +50%

Passive Regeneration: +100%

Desire: +150%.

Fertility: -99.999999999%.

Mana Quality: +100%

Life Expectancy: +1500 years}.

{Black Dragon Eyes (inactive)

???}]

Ethan analyzed the status screens carefully, but the more he looked at this collection of words and numbers, the more confused he became. He understood that his strength was 50% higher, but 50% higher based on what?

As if hearing Ethan's thoughts, the system replied:

[The numbers are based on the average of a superior human].

"What is a superior human? How strong are they?"

[Access denied]

"Ah... shit." Ethan sighed in disappointment before walking over to the table where Valeria had left some clothes for him.

Without haste, Ethan put on the clothes that were simple and common among commoners: brown leather pants, a thin and comfortable gray shirt, and a simple black cloak that seemed to be made of some thin and resistant animal skin.

Ethan then walked over to the kitchen cupboard and opened it, revealing a bowl full of fruit such as apples, strawberries, and grapes, as well as some dried meat.

Sitting down at the table, Ethan began to eat while looking at the map Valeria had left behind.

It was a map showing the entire territory of the kingdom of the Eternal Islands, with markings of all the territories and an indication that Ethan believed to be his current location.

Ethan looked at the map for a few seconds, and his eyes drifted to the northern end of the kingdom, where his family's territory was located. The slight smile on his face faded, and his heart trembled with anger.

"It won't be today or tomorrow." Ethan muttered as he rose from the table. "But one day I will take back what is mine." His eyes were filled with determination.

Before leaving the hut, Ethan took one last look at the upgrade tab and let out a stifled sigh as he realized that the cost of advancing to the next level had risen to 1500.

After all, he couldn't expect it to be that easy. Many people would take years to reach the peak of the awakening stage, and the mere fact that he could do it in a matter of weeks if he got involved with the right women was already a source of great pride.

"I need a sword; can you recommend anything?"

[Of course, this weapon is suitable for your current level.

{Simple Black Iron Sword

A generic long sword without many special attributes, it cuts well and can withstand a relatively high amount of mana stress.

Grade: F

Price: 80 points from the Corruption Store}]

"Ah, all right, I'll take it." Ethan spoke, and a sword in a leather scabbard appeared in front of him.

Ethan took the sword and strapped it around his waist before finally leaving the hut and following the map to the town of Stormerga, which was north of his position.