Transmigrated with my corruption system

"Hahaha! Six freaking drops of aether?!" Ulric burst into a fit of unrestrained laughter as waves of aether coursed through his body, bringing his total to an astonishing seventy-three drops.

That alone was comparable to an entire night’s worth of meditation.

The more he thought about it, the wider the shit-eating grin spreading across his face became.

The urge to charge deeper into the Wastelands and unleash a bloody massacre upon every beast he encountered was almost irresistible.

Only sheer willpower kept him from acting on the impulse, allowing reason to prevail.

Not now. At least not yet.

Besides, Ulric mused as he recalled the previous battle, it had only been after he expressed his intent to pry into the tusked boar’s burrow that the beast had descended into a frenzied rampage, desperately trying to keep him away.

"Hiding some treasure down there, weren’t you?" Ulric chuckled, the excitement in his eyes growing brighter.

Given that the boar was now dead, it was only reasonable that everything it had guarded rightfully belonged to him.

Walking toward the edge of the burrow, he was just about to jump inside when he suddenly paused, his gaze falling upon the shriveled corpse of the boar.

Although he had drained every ounce of its energy, the body itself still remained, which he reckoned was a valuable resource in its own right.

If anything, he had a feeling it would make for an exceptionally nutritious meal.

He had read records back in Tempest stating that consuming the meat of high-ranked beasts could greatly accelerate one’s growth.

He doubted it would be of much benefit to him.

But the girls? That was an entirely different story.

Without another thought, he stored the massive corpse inside his storage ring before leaping into the burrow, unable to hide the satisfaction on his face.

He simply couldn’t bear to let anything go to waste.

That had never been part of his character.

With a booming crash, Ulric landed at the bottom of the tunnel, a slight gasp escaping his lips.

"Woah!"

Not only was the burrow far deeper than he had anticipated, but it was also engulfed in thick, oppressive darkness.

Even so, Ulric remained completely unfazed.

At this point, he viewed darkness as nothing more than an extension of his own being.

What truly surprised him was the hole itself. It wasn’t nearly as simple as he had expected.

The wild boar had constructed an elaborate network of underground tunnels stretching in every direction.

Had it known that one day some creature would attempt to rob it of its treasure and dug this labyrinth to throw intruders off?

With a single sweep of his Shadow Pulse, Ulric gained a basic understanding of the underground maze.

Most passages ended abruptly. Others interconnected, looping endlessly before eventually leading back toward the entrance.

"Interesting... very interesting..." Ulric muttered with a faint sigh, genuinely impressed.

It seemed the tusked boar had been far craftier than he had initially given it credit for.

Too bad... It hadn’t accounted for someone like him. Crouching slightly, Ulric placed both palms against the ground, remaining in that posture for several seconds.

Through his connection with the earth, the entire structure of the underground labyrinth gradually revealed itself to him in intricate detail.

Rising back to his feet, Ulric stepped into one seemingly ordinary tunnel before venturing deeper inside.

Making seemingly random turns and even burrowing through collapsed passages himself.

At the very end of it all... He could sense something mystical waiting ahead.

Even with his profound affinity with the earth, he couldn’t determine exactly what it was.

Something was actively repelling every sense directed toward it. It seemed one had to see it with their own eyes.

"Mysterious little piggy... what were you hiding deep inside this maze?" Ulric muttered to himself as he continued deeper. Before suddenly coming to a halt.

A few meters ahead, the tunnel gradually opened into a small underground cavern.

Whatever he had sensed, was inside.

Stepping forward, Ulric instinctively heightened his senses as he crossed the cavern’s threshold.

He wouldn’t have been surprised if hidden traps or lurking beasts awaited him within the darkness.

Yet the deeper he ventured inside, the more unlikely that possibility became. The cavern was eerily silent.

At its center lay nothing more than a small blood-red pool, its surface frothing and bubbling every so often as a mystical crimson glow illuminated the entire cave, painting the surrounding stone in a crimson hue.

At first glance, Ulric had assumed it was a pool of blood, given the overwhelming bloodlust it radiated.

But that wasn’t it. He had slaughtered enough beasts to recognize the scent of blood.

This...Was something entirely different. Unable to identify it from memory, he immediately activated his Advanced Appraisal.

Which turned out to be... Largely useless.

[???]

"Argh... thanks for nothing," Ulric cursed beneath his breath, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Advanced Appraisal had been becoming increasingly useless lately. It desperately needed another corruption upgrade.

Unfortunately... He was a little short on corruption points after all his recent purchases.

Looking back toward the crimson pool, Ulric rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He had already concluded it was some kind of treasure. Or at least... He certainly hoped so. Otherwise, all this effort would have been for nothing.

What he didn’t know was exactly how valuable it was. Good thing... He had his own way of finding out.

Ever since Advanced Appraisal began failing him, Ulric had developed another method of judging mysterious treasures.

Staring at the crimson pool, he muttered softly.

"Corrupt."

The more corruption points something required to upgrade. The more valuable he assumed it was.

[Ding! Upgrading Demonic Refining Pool!]

[Error! Upgrade failed. Required: 15,000,000 corruption points!]

Staring at the final notification, Ulric nearly spat out a mouthful of blood as shock flashed across his face.

Before bursting into another fit of manic laughter.

"Hahaha... I’ve struck a gold mine!"

He had no idea what the pool actually did.

But judging by the system’s evaluation...

He had a feeling it was unimaginably valuable.

Slowly regaining his composure, Ulric repeated the name beneath his breath.

"Demonic Refining Pool... Demonic... refining..."

How had something like this formed here?

Was this the reason the little piggy possessed such overwhelming bloodlust despite showing no signs of surviving countless life-and-death battles?

The more he looked at the pool... The more convinced he became that it was somehow connected to the mindless bloodthirsty beasts he had encountered.

Too many questions. Not nearly enough answers. But only one truly mattered.

How was he supposed to harvest it?

Leaving it behind wasn’t an option. Although it was exceptionally well hidden. Someone was bound to discover it eventually.

Driven by countless thoughts, Ulric stepped closer before crouching beside the crimson pool.

Slowly dipping one finger into its surface. Instantly, another notification flashed before him.

But he never had the chance to read it as a violent surge of energy exploded through his body like a bolt of divine lightning.

His surroundings dissolved. Replacing the cave with an endless expanse littered with mist and bones stretching as far as the eye could see.

It reminded him of the vision he had experienced when he first awakened his Asura’s Demonic Physique.

But he had no time to dwell on it.

Standing before him was a strangely familiar figure.

His back faced him with pure white hair flowing down to its waist. In each hand rested a blade seemingly carved from the bones of ancient creatures.

Before the white-haired figure. Countless grotesque abominations remained bowed in absolute submission.

As Ulric stared, something deep within him stirred. Almost as though his physique had recognized one of its own. His Asura’s Demonic Physique.

Was the being before him... An Asura?

Just as the realization struck him. The white-haired figure seemed to sense his presence.

His head slowly began turning toward him. But before Ulric could glimpse his face. The vision shattered.

His surroundings returned to the underground cavern. Taking several sharp breaths, Ulric inspected his sweat-soaked body.

What... Had just happened? Had the Demonic Refining Pool triggered that vision?

Before he could sink deeper into thought, he pushed himself off the ground. But the moment his palm pressed against the reinforced stone floor. It sank effortlessly into the rock as though it were merely water.

"This...?" Ulric breathed.

This wasn’t something he had been incapable of before. He had merely refined his strength enough to avoid accidentally destroying everything around him.

The only explanation. Was that his physical strength had increased by another massive margin.

Just as the growing confusion threatened to consume him, he remembered the notification that had appeared before blacking out. Along with the others that had followed.

[Ding! You have discovered a precious training resource: Demonic Refining Pool. Do you wish to absorb it into the Advanced Training Chamber?]

<Yes> <No>

[Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully refined your Asura’s Demonic Physique and stepped into the Intermediate level of Stage One!]

[All innate skills of the Asura’s Demonic Physique have been refined!]