It was soon time for their meeting, so Ash hurriedly went to the abandoned suburbs in the west of the city. He quickly entered an abandoned building and sent his location to Sophie. He didn't have to wait long. Soon, he saw her a very attractive girl walking quickly toward him.
Sophie came up to him and started feeling nervous.Hi, I'm Sophie, she said.
Hello, Ash replied.
Before Ash could say anything more, he heard the Black Index in his mind.
Hey, you can use your powers to check how much you have corrupted her, and then use your powers to make her more subservient to you.
"Okay, I got it," Ash replied mentally.
Show me her corruption value.
Then he saw a panel appear before his eyes:
[NAME: SOPHIE FROST] [CORRUPTION VALUE: 30]
This is quite a good result for you, considering she had a very negative impression of you before, the Black Index said.
The corruption value can be viewed as a passive effect of your hypnosis. It helps you understand how much favorability a person has toward you. For example, a passerby or stranger has 0. An acquaintance may have around 10 to 20. A good friend is around 30 to 40. A close friend is around 50. A person with a crush is around 60, love is around 80, and if it reaches 100, they are willing to die for you.
If a person's favorability is too low and you ask them to do something truly difficult, their mind will start resisting. This is manageable for ordinary people, but extraordinary beings have much greater resistance. If their rank is higher than yours, your powers may not work at all. However, the higher the favorability, the lower the resistance.
As the corruption value increases, the target will start following your orders subconsciously without realizing it. This is a gradual process, eventually becoming a habit.
"Okay, I get it," Ash replied mentally.
While Ash was communicating with the Black Index, he heard Sophie calling out to him.
"Are you okay, Ash?"
Ash quickly came back to his senses and looked at Sophie, who was smiling at him.
"I'm fine," Ash said.
Sophie asked, "Why did you call me here? This place seems a bit remote."
Ash didn't reply. Instead, he quickly activated his powers. Sophie's eyes dulled, and she seemed to enter a trance.
Ash commanded her, "What do you feel about Ash?"
Sophie replied calmly, "Earlier, I didn't like him, but now I think of him as a friend."
Ash quickly gave his next command. "You think you like Ash and are willing to help him."
Ash was about to issue another command when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. It felt as if all his energy had been drained.
This is a sign that your pulse energy is running out. You need pulse energy to use your powers, the Black Index explained.
Sophie quickly came back to her senses. When she looked at Ash again, her eyes contained much more warmth.
Ash noticed the corruption value above her head jump from 30 to 50.
Now Ash asked, "Sophie, can you help me with something?"
"Sure, what do you need?" Sophie asked.
"I need money and a remote place for personal use."
Hearing this, Sophie scratched her head cutely and said, "I don't have much money saved up. Is 500,000 pulse coins okay? This is all I have left from my pocket money."
Ash was shocked. Damn, I really am poor, he thought. He had believed that saving 100,000 pulse coins would last him a long time, yet she was casually offering five times that amount.
"That's fine. Just give me 500,000 pulse coins for now. As for a remote place, my family owns a small courtyard nearby. I'll look it up and send you the location later," Sophie added.
Ash then asked, "If I want to buy materials and cultivation resources, can you help me get some spirit pills? They're very expensive and scarce on the market."
"Don't worry," Sophie said confidently, patting her chest. "Leave everything to me."
"Let's meet tomorrow. I'll bring you everything you asked for," she said.
"Okay, let's meet tomorrow," Ash replied.
Ash thought to himself, This should be enough for now. Once I get these resources, I'll be able to improve my strength much faster.
Sophie is gradually becoming more obedient as the influence of my power manifests. For now, I should focus on improving my strength and becoming more familiar with my abilities.
Saying this, Ash said goodbye to Sophie.
You should head home too. We'll meet again tomorrow.
After that, Ash returned home and had dinner with his family.
Later that night, inside his room, Ash asked the Black Index, "I thought that with my powers, I could control people even if they didn't like me."
You can," replied the Black Index. "But for that to happen, your mental strength needs to be stronger than the other party's. Only then can you use your powers to manipulate them into performing simple actions. However, if your command is too extreme such as telling someone to die their mind will start resisting. If you want someone to completely follow your orders, your mental strength must be far higher than theirs.
Oh, I see, Ash said. So I can't rush things.
That's right," said the Black Index. "You need time to explore your powers. Mastery cannot be achieved overnight.
Now hurry up and get some rest. Tomorrow, I will give you a formula for a body-tempering liquid. You should also put effort into cultivating your body. That way, you'll have an extra card up your sleeve, and it will be beneficial to you in the long run.