And then, for a while, he began to focus silently.

-Where did you get this?

"Why, do you want to see more?"

Smiling, I half-pulled out the bundle of papers from my pocket and waved it.

The combat machine lunged forward, trying to snatch it away.

I kicked the combat machine into a corner and said a single word.

"Mr. Fontana Unte. As an investor, I request a meeting."

-...Damn you. You broke my little toy.

"Your naming sense is terrible."

-Stop the sarcasm and come in.

A wall in the far corner opened, and bright light poured out.

I walked in confidently.

I had successfully entered Fontana Unte's secret laboratory.

*

"Is this all?"

A plump middle-aged man in a filthy state greeted me.

He almost snatched the bundle of papers I handed over and focused on examining them, delaying any formal greeting.

"Of course not."

"The rest? Do you have it now?"

"Here."

I tapped my head with my finger as I answered.

He glanced at me briefly and then buried his head back into the bundle of papers.

Is he less interested than I thought?

Impossible.

If it's Fontana Unte, he's the one person in the world who can make the best use of this knowledge.

While I was thinking that, he finished his review and sat down in front of a computer in the corner, typing something while asking,

"What are the conditions?"

"To be hired as the director of my research lab."

"For how long?"

"Until my information runs dry."

"Your name?"

"Leonard Monarch."

His movements stopped for a moment.

It was right after he heard my name.

"Monarch? That Monarch?"

"Damn, I stepped on a landmine. Can't avoid it now..."

Judging by his twisted expression, it seems there are circumstances I'm not aware of.

I've left a lot of messes everywhere.

Not many people remember me fondly.

"Don't worry. I have almost no contact with my main family, and the lab is entirely under my control. They won't interfere with the lab."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"One of my biggest investors and business partners is a legitimate prince of the Mohaim royal family. It would be hard to cause any friction."

"I've heard of him. Sahil Mohaim? He wrote a pretty decent paper. Still had a long way to go, though."

Fontana remembers Sahil Mohaim's full name.

'Maybe I should build my reputation too.'

Wandering around for a few days made me realize the necessity of social status.

Using the academy background was more effective than using Lemon's name, but the name "Monarch" held even more weight. Without it, even if you threw a bunch of money at them, they'd be suspicious.

Of course, while using the Monarch name had as many negative effects as positive ones, it was usable to a certain extent by leveraging its prestige.

"...It's done. It's done! Damn it!! Finally, the answer came out!!"

At that moment, Fontana Unte suddenly yelled out in excitement. He must have calculated something, as there were complex derivation values displayed on the screen.

"Damn it. I spent a whole month on this..."

"A month?"

I thought he had solved a problem he'd been pondering for half his life. Anyway, it's not a bad reaction.

"Mr. Fontana?"

"Call me Director."

"Alright then, Director. Have you resolved your questions?"

"No."

Fontana sat down in front of me, ready to talk.

"Tell me more about what's in your head."

"Sure. But first, sign this."

"A contract... What's this? A non-disclosure agreement? Do we really need to do this?"

"As you know, there's no trust between us."

"Well, fine. I have nothing to lose."

Fontana nodded and signed without hesitation. After confirming his signature, I began to speak. I was prepared to share some information to recruit a competent engineer. The more secrets we shared, the closer our relationship would become.

"Right. Let's start with this."

The following time was productive for both sides.

******

RTA Tactics

"Uuugggh!"

The aftermath of the outing was intense.

It's already been a week since returning.

Thanks to Rose and Sahil, who were determined to make up for all the missed training and studies, every day has been like hell.

Moreover, Rose has become even more aggressive, possibly from what she learned at the dojo.

Every sparring session leaves me half-dead.

Or maybe it's the aftereffect of the injury I sustained during the last practical test.

Anyway, she was kindly ingraining into me the ability to exert full strength even in a groggy state.

"Lemon, get up! You can still move."

"Wa…wait. Waaah!!"

I nearly died after briefly enjoying the comfort of the ground against my back.

Even though I should have no energy left, my body is surprisingly responsive in the face of crisis.

"Listen well. The existence of abilities and the root of physical limit enhancement are one. Our body's strength is a result of the planet's energy intervening."

For once, Rose is spouting difficult words.

She's explaining one of the mainstream theories that describe the fundamentals of martial arts, the theory of 'Li-Qi.'

During the early days of martial arts, the mainstream theory was the 'Qi' theory, but over time, it has been overshadowed by the Li-Qi theory.

For reference, the Qi theory posits that the body can become endlessly stronger through training. However, Li-Qi describes importance and effective way to train in the right method to reach the peak.

"So no matter how exhausted your body is, if you can control this different kind of energy, you can move as much as you want. The important thing is your mind."

"Ugh… So how exactly do you do that?"

She's explained the same thing over ten times today alone.

The reason she keeps repeating it is because I can't do it.

"Rose. Has the sparring with Lemon not ended yet?"

"Umm… Just a little more and we'll be done."

Sahil has arrived.

It's already late at night.

Worried that I might escape from this prison-like academy, Sahil visits me every day.

"Have you reviewed today's lessons? Lemon."

"…No, not at all."

Sahil looks at me with a stern gaze.

At times like this, he really seems like a teacher.

But there's just not enough time to do everything he says.

Just the time I spend with Rose and Sahil takes up half of my day.

On top of that, I have to constantly attend classes, along with other miscellaneous tasks, making for a truly murderous schedule.

These days, the saying "even two bodies wouldn't be enough" feels so true.

"Instead, today's class will end late."

"Cut me some slack…"

"Sleep less. Superhumans don't die from getting a bit less sleep."

"No, but even so…"

My sleep time has already been reduced to 4 hours.

But my life is so harsh.

The recommended usage time of the sleep capsule is 4 hours, but that's not enough to relieve all my fatigue.

I looked at Sahil with the most pleading face, but it didn't work.

"How is the establishment of the lab going?"

"It's in the final stages. We just need to fill it with people."

Before class began, we discussed the business.

The lab.

The 'Salmon Lab,' a name combining my nickname and Sahil's, was created as a result of brainstorming how to fully utilize my abilities.

The funding is split 20% by me and 80% by the Mohaim royal family, but the shares are reversed at 8:2 in favor of me, which is quite an unusual structure.

Of course, Sahil, knowing that it wouldn't have started at all without my abilities, was quite satisfied with this arrangement.

"I read the report written by Director Fontana. I can hardly believe how capable he is. Just how were you able to recruit him?" My partner inquired as we walked towards his dorm.

"As one of the shareholders, that's the least I can do. But even with all the people you recommended, it's still not enough to run the lab."

"As we discussed before, you can select the rest. Just fill the urgent positions first, and we can take our time with the rest."