The Reason Women Dominate Men

The power system Leon had created for the game was a simple one because he wanted to focus more on other aspects of the game. He knew gamers wouldn't care too much either, as long as it felt rewarding and fun to use.

There were two types of energy in this world: Essence and Mana.

Essence was the natural energy present in the atmosphere. It followed cultivation-like principles—one had to meditate, breathe in the Essence, circulate it through their body, and gradually strengthen their foundation over time.

Mana, on the other hand, came from Abyssal Creatures. Whenever someone killed one, Mana would be extracted in the form of EXP.

In short, the game's system was a hybrid between a traditional cultivation system and a LitRPG levelling format.

Naturally, both paths had drawbacks, and not everyone could use them.

Essence cultivation had a slow and painful progression. One had to spend hours just sitting cross-legged, breathing in the ambient energy, trying not to doze off while also not exploding a meridian.

Meanwhile, Mana-based progression was more straightforward but far more dangerous. The Mana extracted from Abyssal Creatures was contaminated with the virus.

At lower levels, the contamination was minimal and usually manageable. But the higher one climbed in tiers, the stronger the exposure and the easier it was to lose control and fall to corruption.

Essence, on the other hand, was pure. Safe. Steady.

That was why men only used Essence to cultivate. They were far more vulnerable to the virus, and there hadn't been a single recorded male who absorbed Mana and lived long.

Women, however, had much better adaptability to Mana. They could resist the virus more effectively and cleanse corruption through sheer control and mental strength.

So men had only one viable option—Essence Cultivation.

They could also absorb purified energy through Soul Shards, the crystallized remains of Abyssal Creatures that formed after death. These shards were rich in clean Essence and could be absorbed by anyone.

Women, on the other hand, had both options available. Most of them chose Mana-based levelling, as it was far faster than Essence cultivation, even though it came with risks.

As for how power was ranked in this world, Leon had chosen the most classic, no-nonsense method: levels and tiers.

There were a total of 200 levels in the game, each tier consisting of ten levels. So Tier 1 was Level 1–10, Tier 2 was 11–20, and so on. The later tiers had some unique quirks and system additions, but the game hadn't reached that stage yet.

Both the Mana and Essence progression systems followed the same tier structure. It also meant men were generally lower-leveled than women—because their path was slower.

The gender disparity in power wasn't just because of the population ratio, but also due to this difference in energy compatibility. The strongest male on record had barely touched Tier 10. Meanwhile, there were several women who had reached Tier 16—Demi-God Rank. Though that wasn't made public yet for some reason.

And the gap between Tier 10 and Tier 16? It wasn't a simple jump. It was a chasm. A whole-ass abyss. As wide as the gap between heaven and earth.

Leon stared at the glowing interface before him, a small smirk tugging at his lips. He hadn't expected the system interface to show up so smoothly—but it was definitely welcome.

...

[SYSTEM INTERFACE]

Host: Leon Walker

Age: 19

Level: 04 (Tier 1 – Initiate)

Rank: Beginner

Race: Mutant

Bloodline: —

Talent: Grade 4

Affinity: —

Status: Stable

Skills

Passive: —

Active: Sprint Boost, Iron Skin

Inventory

Energy Orb (Level 7) ×1

Dungeon Access

Status: Awakened (Bound)

Core Name: ******

Current Zone: Floor 1 – Meadows of Salar

Time Flow: 1:1 (1 day inside = 1 day outside)

Sync Rate: 1%

Next Evolution: Unlocks Skill Stones

...

'My status is pretty normal. Race is "Mutant"? Huh. Is it because I survived the virus?' Leon wondered and felt that was probably right. 'Grade 4 Talent…'

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either. Just average. But considering he was a male, this "average" was actually kind of promising.

'Damn reservations,' he muttered internally.

He looked at the two Active Skills listed and sighed. If only he'd remembered having them during the dungeon fight… things might've gone very differently. But considering how many memories he'd inherited at once, some were bound to get buried to not get him overwhelmed.

'I'll test them out later tonight in the dungeon.'

His eyes fell on the Energy Orb in the inventory. It resembled the EXP cards from the game.

He had no idea how to pull items out of the system interface, so he just went with instinct. He focused on the orb and willed it to appear.

To his surprise—it worked.

A glowing red sphere materialized in his hand, warm to the touch and pulsing with energy. He blinked at it, speechless for a moment.

'Classic system logic… I can't believe that actually worked.'

'Now how do I use this? Do I just absorb it like a Soul Shard?'

Before experimenting, his gaze slid back to the last section of the interface—Dungeon Access.

'At least the location sounds familiar… and wait. Time dilation?!'

He didn't need anyone to explain that. The benefits of time dilation were obvious to any nerd with functioning brain cells. Especially in a world where cultivation took forever. While a 1:1 time ratio currently wasn't that useful, it would change once he ranked it up.

'If I can train skills there too, this changes everything.'

Then he remembered the sensation of dying inside the dungeon.

And instantly shivered.

That pain had been real. It still haunted his nerves.

'This'll only work if I can find a safe zone first. Also… does the dungeon even reset?'

He had no idea. There were so many unknowns. But he had a feeling the only way to figure it out was to dive back in and explore.

A scary thought, but necessary.

'Whatever. I'll die anyway if I stay weak. May as well take the pain head-on.'

His eyes drifted to the Sync Rate—1%.

He figured it was some sort of bonding rate with the dungeon core. As for how to increase it… no clue.

Same with the "Next Evolution" tab. That wasn't part of the original game mechanics either. But on second thought, it was probably just another way to showcase dungeon upgrades.

'In the game, rewards unlocked after each floor. So this must be the same.'

Just then, a rhythmic knock echoed from the dorm room door. A soft, clear feminine voice followed.

"Leon! Are you sleeping?"

Leon tensed, fingers tightening on the armrest of his chair.

'F-Fuck… Did I have a sugar mommy in this world or what?'