Sophie was our neighbor. Her family was well-off. Her father used to work for some bigshot in the Inner City and had considerable influence in the Outer City. His family always acted high and mighty and looked down on everyone around them.
Sophie was a very beautiful girl with a very attractive figure, but she had an extremely arrogant attitude. Although she and I attended the same school and were neighbors, she always acted bossy and ordered me around to do things for her.
She would be the perfect candidate for my first target. Now I needed to plan carefully how to go about it.
"Hey, I have an idea for you. I know of a type of potion called the Dream Potion. It will help you when you use your powers on her. If she drinks the potion and then falls asleep, it will take effect and relax her mind. Whatever command you give her will have a stronger effect on her subconscious. It will help increase your influence over her mind."
"You can use this method for the first few targets. As your powers grow and your mental strength increases, these things will have less and less effect."
"Are you sure this is feasible? Her father has extraordinary powers, so she might awaken them too."
"If she is an ordinary person for now, there will be no problem. Don't worry—the potion has very little taste. If you mix it with something, it won't be noticeable. People with transcendental powers may sense something due to their heightened senses, but they generally won't find it unusual."
"Okay then," replied Ash.
"Now how should I do it? Should I directly give her something to drink and use my powers? No, that would be too obvious."
"I've got it. My part-time job is at a coffee shop. She usually comes there in the evening, so I can spike her coffee and use my powers to corrupt her mind while delivering it."
"At first, I'll use simple commands. As my powers continue corrupting her, I can completely subdue her and make her obedient to me."
"Hey, Black Index, if I ask you how much my powers have corrupted a target's mind, can you show it to me in numerical values for convenience?"
"Okay, got it," replied the Black Index.
"I forgot the main thing. What do I need to make the potion? Is it difficult to obtain or too expensive? Will there be enough time?"
"Don't worry. These things are not particularly hard to get, and the potion itself is not very powerful. It's your powers that do the real work; the potion just assists you."
"Fine. Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we have a lot to do."
The next day, Ash got up early and went to purchase the items needed to make the potion. He didn't tell his family anything about becoming a Transcendent, as he wanted to keep them out of it until he established himself.
Ash first went to the largest pharmacy in the Outer Town. He already had the list of materials needed from the Black Index the night before.
"Boss, do you have all these things?" Ash asked, handing the list to the shopkeeper.
"Well, that's quite a lot, young man. Fine, I'll get it for you," replied the shopkeeper.
"Here are all the things you requested. The total is 100,000 pulse coins."
"So much…" Ash looked surprised. The total amount he had saved from doing part-time jobs barely reached this much.
"Fine, here," said Ash as he swiped his smart band for payment.
"I got the money. Do come again," replied the shopkeeper.
Ash walked out of the pharmacy, lamenting. Without money, you can't do anything. Now he needed to quickly buy the remaining items like beakers, tubes, and other tools and carry out his plans.
After purchasing everything, Ash hurried home and locked himself in his room. He got busy making the potion according to the instructions given by the Black Index.
His first attempt ended in failure—he mixed a bit too much of one ingredient. The second attempt also failed. Finally, on his third attempt, he succeeded.
"See? That's why I told you to buy extra materials. This is your first time making a potion," said the Black Index.
Ash looked at the jar and saw a transparent liquid inside.
"This is the Dream Potion. It puts the user in a relaxed and comfortable state and leaves their mind unguarded against mental attacks like yours."
"I got it," replied Ash. "Now I just need to wait for the evening."
Ash had a peaceful lunch with his family. During lunch, his sister suddenly said, "Hey, Ash, why do I feel like you've become more handsome in just a few days?"
His parents nodded in agreement.
"It's probably because I've been exercising regularly to get in shape," Ash said, laughing it off. He couldn't tell his family that he had become an extraordinary being when the awakening ceremony hadn't even happened yet.
In the evening, during his shift at the coffee shop, Ash was distracted. He frequently looked at the door while working and felt anxious inside.
My shift ends in an hour. It's almost closing time. Why hasn't she come yet? Will I have to think of another method?
Just then, the shop door opened, and there she was—Sophie. She was smiling and talking to another beautiful girl beside her, clearly having a great time. Although she had a bad attitude, she was undeniably pretty. People inside the coffee shop kept looking in her direction after she entered.
"I'd like my usual. Make it quick," Sophie said.
"Yes, sure," Ash replied as he hurried to prepare her order. After making the coffee, he quickly looked around. When no one was paying attention, he added the potion to her cup.
Now I just need to give this to Sophie and use my powers at the same time.
While serving the coffee, Ash asked the Black Index to show her corruption value.
A box appeared floating above her head.
[Sophie Frost – Corruption Value: 0]
"Here's your coffee," Ash said as he served it to her.
Sophie casually drank it, completely unaware. Ash felt relieved as he activated his powers and silently gave his command.
When you wake up tomorrow, you will start having a crush on Ash and consider him a very close friend.
An invisible energy wave surged toward Sophie. She didn't notice anything.
"Anything else?" Sophie asked.
"No, nothing," Ash replied, snapping back to his senses as he returned to his work.
As he walked away, he overheard Sophie and her friend talking.
"Hey, isn't that guy your neighbor?"
"Who cares? They're just poor bumpkins. He's a loser."
Hearing this, Ash didn't get angry. He simply smiled.
Don't worry. From today onward, this loser is going to dictate your life