He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea that his fantasy "cheat" revolved primarily around sex, but he couldn't deny there was a certain appeal to it.
'Well… looking at it more closely, though, it doesn't explicitly say physical intimacy.'
Lucien glanced back at the screen and confirmed that it was true.
There were plenty of ways to define intimacy. Emotional closeness, trust, prolonged contact, even certain forms of bonding could all fall under it. He also found out that killing Hollowed creatures could grant him CP. Still, physical intimacy seemed to be the most effective form of purification.
'The Lucien of this world had engaged in casual relationships from time to time... In Aethos, at least in this city, intimacy for pleasure wasn't anything unusual.'
Lucien stepped toward the window, gazing out at the ruined city below with a faint expression.
"In a world full of corrupted humans… I have access to a lot of resources."
When the Eclipse occurred, the torn sky released a strange miasma that transformed those exposed to it for too long into Hollow.
That miasma couldn't be completely avoided, which meant everyone carried some level of corruption.
There were methods to resist or even cure it, though they relied on some of the diminished power of the gods, who had grown less active since the Eclipse.
He was in a merchant city called Vel'Sharim, part of the Asterian Empire on a continent known as Valdris. In this empire, worship of the Sovereign of Order, the Matron of Time, and the Sentinel of the Horizon was mandatory. Their places of worship could be found throughout the city. Except the Ever-Changing, the other eight major religions existed, with a few of them hidden like the Reaper of Ends, while most were tolerated and their followers coexisted without much conflict.
Because of the Eclipse, many of their followers had died in the first wave. With the gods' power drastically diminished, they had struggled to handle the surge of corruption near the scars left by the rift, making the first few months especially chaotic. Now, about six months later, things had somewhat stabilized, though the problem was far from gone.
"...Technically, I've already been grinding since last night," Lucien muttered casually.
'Lyla must have had some level of Corruption,' he reasoned. 'She had been purified in the Temple District some time ago, but with everything going on, it was impossible she had remained completely unaffected.'
He glanced toward the towering structure, the Luminous Spire. According to his memories, it stood at the center of the city. It was meant to absorb ambient Corruption, something that actually had existed before the Eclipse, just not in any truly dangerous amount.
Corruption, particularly the harmful kind, originated from something called the Abyssal Underplane.
He didn't fully understand the mechanics, but he had heard that magicians drew on cracks connecting to other planes to fuel their magic, including the Abyssal Underplane.
After the Eclipse, those cracks widened, especially the ones connected to the Abyssal Underplane. Its influence began to overpower the others, making magic more dangerous to use. The tower, for reasons he only partially understood, had stopped absorbing Corruption and instead turned into a major source of it within the city.
There was still a chance it could be fixed, apparently. At least, that was what people in the more stable districts believed. Several attempts had been made to reclaim it, though none had fully succeeded so far.
'Well, that's not something I need to worry about right now.'
Lucien shifted his attention back to the system.
'I should test these features first.'
Even though Lucien had transmigrated into the body of an assassin and seemed to retain valuable knowledge, experience, and muscle memory, he didn't fully trust those alone to keep him alive. With the System, however, survival started to feel like something within reach.
He tried to check whether the result of his intimate interaction with Lyla could be accessed, and the System responded immediately.
[Purification Record]
Target: Lyla Merrins
Initial Corruption: 8%
Final Corruption: 3%
CP Gained: 5
Total CP: 5 / 100
[End of Profile]
Seeing the total CP gained, Lucien tried to recall what had happened the night before.
'How long did it last again? About an hour?'
He remembered the System stating that efficiency depended on duration, the relationship with the target, and intensity.
'Our relationship is barely more than acquaintances, and considering it only lasted about an hour, I guess it wouldn't yield much by these standards.'
He focused, trying to check how the calculation actually worked.
[Absorption Formula]
CP Gained = Target's Corruption % × Relationship Multiplier × Time Factor
Example: Target has 40% Corruption (400 CP worth)
Relationship Level: Trusted (0.5 multiplier)
Session Duration: 1 hour
CP Gained = 400 × 0.5 × 1 = 200 CP absorbed
Diminishing Returns: Each subsequent session with the same target within 24 hours = -20% efficiency
Session 1: 100% efficiency
Session 2: 80% efficiency
Session 3: 60% efficiency
Resets after 24 hours or deepening relationship tier
[End of Profile]
'That's actually pretty solid math.'
As a junior accountant, he couldn't help but appreciate it.
As he skimmed through, he found the Relationship Levels and saw the tiers from Stranger, Acquaintance, Trusted, Bonded, and Devoted. From lowest to highest, they corresponded to 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% transfer efficiency.
'Seems like Lyla's calculation checks out.'
Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms, a thoughtful look settling on his face.
"Now, on another question, how am I supposed to farm CP efficiently?" he muttered. "With Lucien's connections, I could probably approach a few corrupted women… but I doubt they'd agree, even if their corruption levels are low."
Corruption was contagious, so anything involving close contact—especially something that intimate—was generally avoided. On top of that, pregnancy made Corruption harder to manage, which made someone like Lyla, who was willing to do it with him, incredibly rare.
Admittedly, she couldn't get pregnant anymore thanks to some kind of alchemical procedure, but that didn't make it risk-free. There was also the matter of his Inferni blood. The race was among the most persecuted even before the Eclipse, and things had only gotten worse since.
Forcing it on anyone was out of the question. Both versions of Lucien shared that line. They had been raised to respect women, largely because of their mothers. They had loved them deeply and mourned them just as much. In many ways, they were the same person, aside from the fact that one had lived as a killer.
'If I keep this ability hidden, convincing people becomes difficult. But making it public isn't an option either… If I could just control how the information spreads…'
At that thought, his eyes lit up slightly.
'There's a way.'
With a faint smile, he headed for the door.
***
A/N: I tried to make each chapter feel dense in an interesting way, but I'm not sure if I actually pulled it off.
Anyway, rate it from 1 - 5 with the reasoning as well, if possible. That'll help me covering what's lacking from the story.