Taking a deep breath, Alex stood up. He was still in his quarters, but he knew he couldn't put this off any longer. "Alright, let's see if I can find Elara," he said, mentally preparing himself for the interaction.
He stepped out of his room and walked through the dimly lit corridors of the castle. Each footstep echoed in the silence, but he was determined. As he reached the main hall, he spotted Elara sitting at a long table, engrossed in a scroll filled with magical symbols. She was stunning, with long flowing hair that glimmered like silver in the candlelight and deep, captivating eyes that seemed to see right through him.
"Hey, Elara," he called, his voice slightly shaky.
She looked up, a faint smile lighting her face. "Alex! It's good to see you. How did your training go yesterday?"
"It was... interesting," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I actually managed to summon my first clone. It was pretty intense."
Her eyes widened with interest. "Really? That's quite impressive!
The more time in training Alex spent with his clone the next day, knowing he had to realize its full potential. He needed to know how many clones at once he could summon, for how long they could last, and what exactly they were capable of.
This time, Alex called the clone again and gave more details in his instructions, observing its obedience without interfering directly. He ordered it to execute some complicated movements-to jump, to dodge, and to strike at imaginary targets. At each movement, the clone showed perfection in its execution, being fully charged with speed and agility.
But then Alex noticed something unexpected: the clone was fast and strong, but it did not have his endurance. After a couple of minutes of steady work, the clone began to slow down, its movements sluggish and labored, as if it-the thing-had become fatigued.
"Well, good," he thought, "at least it has some limitations. I won't be able to push too much for long."
He wondered if that was something he could improve by training more. Maybe the more he used the Clone Lust Nexus, the stronger clones would become. That at least was a thought.
Later, he sat in his quarters deep in his thoughts. He knew the clone was sure to be an asset, but he knew there was a lot more to come out of it.
This system was fathomably awakened inside him, giving him this unbelievable power-but why? What was it actually meant to do? Of all people, why had it picked him?
He sat staring into space, when suddenly a thought struck him. If he could get this clone to fight-to move on its own-what more was it capable of? Was it able to mix with people, spy on them, go places Alex couldn't be personally?
He needed to try that out. He got to his feet and called the clone out once more, felt it materialize before him. This time, however, he gave a different command.
"Leave this room and walk through the castle. Don't draw any attention to yourself. Just observe."
The clone nodded and then turned to go out, out the door with the same confident, calm stride Alex had exhibited.
Alex hung back to see how well the clone could blend in. As the clone made his way through the hallways of the castle, passing guards and servants along his path, no one seemed even to notice anything different.
It was almost as though they couldn't tell the difference between clone and real Alex.
Alex grinned; this power was more versatile than he'd imagined.
It resumed its silent patrol in the castle: down corridors, through rooms, without suspicion. It watched guards' routines, the layout of the castle, and even pieces of conversations by advisors to the demon king.
He dismissed it once he got back to Alex's quarters, let it fade away into nothing. He leaned his head back on the wall and went deep in thought. His clones could fight, or be an infiltrator, gather information-just so many things he could do with that kind of power.
But as this discovery's euphoria began to settle in, another thought crept into Alex's mind: what would the demon king do, able to do this? Was he to consider Alex more of a threat, or was he to try and manipulate the power for his warped purposes?
Alex shrugged a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to tread carefully: the demon king wasn't stupid, and knowing too much too soon would be worse danger. Until then, he would keep his newfound abilities down, tapping into them only when absolutely necessary.
He lay back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling; one thing shone as clear as crystal: this was a whole different ball game. It wasn't about surviving anymore, but planning and strategizing for that day when the tables would turn on the demon king.
And that day finally came, he would be ready.
The Demon King's castle was like any other on the morrow; Alex, however, felt that something had changed, as that night he had unlocked something-no, an ability which he thought no one would ever achieve-create clones.
There was a storm brewing in his mind over how to avail himself of the new power.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice spoke out in his mind.
Alex, are you ready to learn about the Lust Component?
Smoother, even inviting, the voice was almost melodic in a way. It was the system, for some reason sounding as if it was brimming with excitement.
"Lust Component?" Alex echoed, cocking his head in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm not sure I like the sound of that."
[Hear me out] the system continued.
This aspect enables you to siphon power from the female characters depending on the many interactions you have with them. The more you interact, your strength and abilities continue to grow; sometimes you may even pick up new skills. It is quite critical to survive and build on your character in this world.
Alex raised an eyebrow, curious yet skeptical. "But how does that work? I mean, is it just flirting? What kind of interactions are we talking about?
It varies from casual conversations to more personal ones, meaning personal interactions that have really hot sex. The deeper or more personal exchange one has, the more power you take; that's just how it naturally works and how many players have gotten ahead this far.
Alex furrowed his brow in a struggle of how all that could be possible. Him having to use emotional or physical attachment made him uncomfortable.
He had never been the kind, back in his old life, to mix business with pleasure. This felt different, vulnerable even. "What if I blow it? What if I don't know how to relate to them? I've never been the charming type."
[That's why I'm here]
the system reassured him.
Permit me to take you through it. Look at this as a skill to attain. And the more you practice, it's the better you shall get. It's not about attraction; it's all about building relationships and forging bonds.
Alex leaned back, weighed the offer. He had, until now, been in only survival and finding a way to defeat the demon king; he hadn't thought about building ties with others hitherto. But was he going to do this? Was he ready for others to get close, even if it meant using them in order to get stronger?
The system pressed on. "[This component you shall accept it; if you want to be stronger for defeating the demon king later]" "This is a great opportunity that will help you grow your capabilities and be able to survive in a world full of danger. You can change your fate by yourself.".
Alex waited for what felt like forever, taking a deep breath. "Alright, fine. I'll give this a try. But if it feels wrong or I get uncomfortable, I'm out."
[Agreed] the system replied, lightening its demeanor.
[Let's get started with evaluating your choices. There are a few females currently within your space. Each of them will bring unique interactions and power gains.
Alex's mind ran through the few female characters he came across so far: Elara, the beauteous sorceress, who was rumored to be as powerful as she was enchanting and closet to the demon king.
[The first step is to engage with one of them]
the system encouraged
Start small, just a simple conversation is all you need before we move on to the hot steamy part-my favorite-let's fuck them pussys.