“Now, you just have to sign it here.”

“Yes,” Nebula said, leaning forward and signing the papers. Then she pushed the paper and pen to me, and I nodded at her. I took another look at the [Contract].

I was selling my license to the recipe, not the recipe itself. The sharp difference between Licensing vs. Selling was that by licensing it, I would retain ownership of the recipe and only grant them the right to produce and sell the potion. This arrangement allowed me to earn ongoing royalties on each sale.

This way, I could also choose the recipe's exclusivity. I was selling it exclusively to Verdant Crucible, an alchemical merchant company affiliated with Prince Alaric. The contract was magical, and I hadn’t found any fault in it. I think I could trust it.

Then, a surprising system notification greeted me.

[Skill ‘Insight (Basic)’ has been upgraded to Skill ‘Insight (Intermediate)’!]

“Oh,” I blinked. It was the first time that Insight upgraded, despite the fact that I used it so much. Was it because I was trying to peer into the contract’s information?

Once again, my Inspect Skill came in handy as a window popped over the contract. I decided to take a minute to read that. It was written differently than the contract itself, giving me a more direct look at the papers.

----------------------------------------

[Contract Analysis]

Item: Formal Partnership Contract

Parties Involved: Alaric Roshmar, Iskandaar Romani, Nebula Carlstein

Purpose: Distribution and Sales of the Surging Blood Pill

Status: Binding upon signing

----------------------------------------

Contract Overview:

This document serves as a formal agreement for the distribution rights of the Surging Blood Pill, granting exclusive market rights to Alaric Roshmar’s Verdant Crucible. The terms ensure royalties and ownership shares for Iskandaar Romani and Nebula Carlstein.

----------------------------------------

Terms & Conditions Breakdown:

1. Royalties:

* Percentage: 30% of net profits on all sales

* Distribution: Divided in a 3:1 ratio between co-creators Iskandaar Romani & Nebula Carlstein

* Frequency: Monthly payments to designated bank accounts

2. Territory Rights:

* Exclusive Rights in the Roshmar Kingdom

* Non-competitive clause restricts any third-party sales within Roshmar without written consent.

3. Intellectual Property (IP) Ownership:

* Recipe & Production: Retained by creators with Alaric Roshmar granted non-disclosure and non-replication rights (cannot alter, share, or reproduce the recipe outside contract terms).

* Usage Restriction: The pill cannot be adapted for purposes beyond direct sales without additional consent.

4. Distribution Obligations:

* Promotion & Sales Channels: To be managed by Alaric Roshmar, with advertising rights delegated to him.

* Production Costs: Covered by Alaric Roshmar, with guaranteed supply percentages for both parties.

5. Conditions for Termination:

* Breach Clauses: Void if any party fails to uphold agreed terms (non-payment, unauthorized alterations, etc.)

* Exit Clause: Creators retain the right to retract the recipe if any conditions of the contract are compromised.

* Magical Binding: If the contract is broken by any party, by the grace of Goddess of Fate and Contracts, Aurethia, a powerful magical enchantment will activate, sealing the violator’s access to any residual knowledge, ingredients, or proprietary effects of the Surging Blood Pill. This enchantment also restricts the violator’s access to related alchemical processes, locking knowledge from conscious recall. Additionally, it grants you a ‘copyright’ which stops the recipe from being counterfeit and replicated by outsiders, by the grace of Aurethia.

----------------------------------------

Looks good. A Goddess was overlooking it, so I could rest assured. Prince Alaric was waiting patiently, not questioning my silence. Perhaps he was taking it for hesitation.

I nodded at him and then signed the contract. Iskandaar Romani. A light hummed out of the contract, a magic circle materializing over it. It shimmered and then vanished. The contract was active.

“Great,” Alaric said and stood up, reaching out a hand.

"I look forward to working with you,” I said as I shook hands with Alaric, his grip firm, his eyes gleaming with trademark confidence as he offered a final nod. On the table between us, the freshly signed contract papers lay stacked and sealed, glimmering with mana.

This was a small but monumental shift in all our plans, we both knew.

Alaric’s smile broadened. “You should see the advanced deposit in your account in a few days,” he promised, sounding as if he’d already envisioned every coin of it in play. “As for the royalty sales, they should come flowing in around the same time, too. Now that we’ve verified the safety of the pill, it will be released into the market in no time.”

This world’s banking system was still a bit of an oddity to me. It was based on the system from my past world, except the contracts were magical. It was odd, but for a world based on a game, or perhaps the other way around, I wasn’t surprised anymore.

Once the final pleasantries wrapped up, we stepped out, leaving the hum of voices and the echo of Alaric’s assurances behind. Nebula walked beside me and caught my eye, the faintest spark of excitement hidden in her gaze. Even she failed to hold back her smile. “I can’t wait,” she said.

We exchanged a look, and I could almost feel the shared anticipation humming between us. It was rare to see her this elated—even more rare for her to show it. Now, all that was left was to wait for the results of that promise to arrive in our account.

****

A few days later, Alaric lived up to his promise.

Nebula’s fingers trembled as she held the paper, her gaze frozen on the figure scrawled across it. She hadn’t looked up in minutes, just staring, her mouth slightly parted as if the number might change if she so much as blinked.

“That’s…” she finally said, looking up at me with a grin, “a lot of money.”

Beside her, Lilian was practically vibrating. "We’re rich!” she shouted, her face split into the widest grin I’d ever seen, and for once, she wasn’t exaggerating. “Do you realize how much pudding we can buy with this?”

A lot. A ton of pudding. Together, Nebula and I received a total of 10,000 gold. That was indeed a lot. It could let me buy a small castle. Only 3,000 of that said gold belonged to Nebula, and yet she was much happier than me. It was just like how the Royalty was divided, I got three times her worth. Yet, the amount was still insane for her.

I’d tasted luxury during my prime kickboxing days, and then I’d lost it all. Now… it felt better to have my own money again. This 10,000 was from the advanced deposit, the royalty should flow in soon as well. Alaric had released it to the marker, I heard.

“Pudding? We should buy more wolf blood sacs instead,” I couldn’t resist teasing Lilian. She scowled for half a second, but it vanished, her grin bouncing back like a rubber band.

Solara leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching us with a soft smile. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she felt it too—this was a win, something big. The more I succeeded, the chances of the Fenixia Family raising its head also grew.

Nebula finally exhaled, her voice barely above a whisper. “This is… really ours?” She looked over at me, her eyes a little wider than usual.

For once, Nebula Carlstein, usually armored in indifference, was shaken. It felt warm to see her look at me like that. “Get used to it,” I replied, leaning back with a smirk. “With this, we’re just getting started. Oh right! You can finally buy a Mana Staff now.”

“Come on, drop that already,” she whined before giggling softly. She stared at me, something shifting in her eyes—something that was hard to read.

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For all her guardedness, even she couldn’t hold back the dawning realization of what this meant. I was a money bank, and she happened to be engaged with me. If I had to guess what she was thinking at this moment, I’d say she didn’t regret rejecting the dance with Prince Orion that day.

But as they celebrated, laughing, even Lilian dancing around with her imaginary puddings, my thoughts drifted somewhere else.

Now, I had a stable capital flowing in. The pill was already a hit in the market, and it’d only grow the more people used and talked about this. I could make other pills too, but it wouldn’t be wise to garner too much attention. I wasn’t an alchemist, after all.

Regardless, I had money. I could now focus on the growth of myself and my cult. I’ve been holding back an idea for a while now, but now I could envision it.

I looked down at my right arm. The stump was a painful reminder of what I’d lost.

It didn’t matter that much in a fight, I was even stronger with my mana cannon beams, but my daily life was indeed harder. I couldn’t regrow my arm yet, for the 5th stage of Heavenly Demon Body would be more troublesome than useful as long as I was a student, but I had a different way I could approach this.

This money… it could fix things.

Not today, though. I needed to celebrate and then take the girls for a Level Up session. Lilian wasn’t going to let me do anything else, anyway.

She threw her arms in the air, still caught in her little victory dance. "First thing we’re doing—pudding feast!” she announced, all dramatic flair.

“First thing you are doing,” I corrected, letting the corner of my mouth quirk up.

****

The rich aroma of spiced meat and herbs swirled around us, the restaurant’s low lighting casting a warm glow over the plates. Every dish looked like it was prepared for royalty, and judging by Lilian’s expression, one might think she was about to inherit a throne.

She leaned forward, her eyes wide and glimmering as she picked up her fork, skewering a piece of roast with unrestrained enthusiasm. “Oh my gods!” she practically shouted, causing a few heads to turn. “This is... Iskandaar, this is next-level stuff!”

I fought the urge to smile, keeping my expression neutral. “Lilian,” I murmured, though without much hope. “Inside voice?”

She flashed a sheepish grin, her enthusiasm undampened. “But young master, you don’t get it! It’s like—” She took another large bite and rolled her eyes in bliss. “Like I’ve just been blessed by the heavens. I didn’t know food could taste like this!”

She’d always been obsessed with food, being from a tribe and all. But I thought she was used to lavish dishes in the year she spent in the Romani estate. Guess I was wrong.

Across from her, Solara couldn’t hold back her laughter, covering her mouth with one hand. “Lilian,” she said, still chuckling, “you’re going to make the chef propose if you keep going on like this. It’s just food, you know?”

Nebula gave a small, amused shake of her head. “Keep it up, and they’ll charge you for all the praise.” She smiled and raised her glass in a mock toast. Lilian, of course, was too far gone to care about the stares or the comments, her fork already reaching for the next dish.

I turned to my own plate, smiling to myself as I took a sip of soup. The girls, lost in the meal, barely noticed the stares or murmurs around us. Nebula was also at ease today, glancing around with that rare hint of appreciation she rarely let slip.

It was a good day.

Then a shadow fell across the table, and a sharp voice broke the calm.

“Could you keep it down?” A man said, his tone sharp, slicing through the conversation as he looked down at us, focusing especially on Lilian with thinly veiled irritation. “Some of us came here for a quiet meal, not a show. Well,” he scoffed, “what did I expect from a fucking demi?”

Lilian froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, staring at him as her smile dropped. The rest of us looked up slowly, taking in the newcomer’s scowl and his crossed arms. He wore the uniform of a Waybound third-year student, and his stance was aggressive as if he’d caught us committing a crime.

I scowled, my patience slipping. I’d have understood if he nicely told her to shut up, but he insulted her. The way he said the word ‘demi’ irritated me. I looked at his face carefully and failed to recognize him from the game. He wasn’t anyone important.

“Why don’t you keep walking, friend?” My words were polite, but my gaze wasn’t.

The man’s expression darkened, and his mouth opened to argue back, “Friend? I am not a friend of some Romani loser. Do you not know who I am?”

I stood up, towering over him as I looked down. The girls didn’t try to stop me. Solara and Nebula were also scowling at the bastard. They weren’t letting some nobody insult their friend. “I don’t think so. Are you anybody important enough to remember? Your uniform says you’re a third-year. A third-year student who’s only Level 41,” he blinked in surprise when I blurted his level. “How arrogant are you to call a freshman ‘loser’ when he’s higher level than you?”

[Alistair Raventhorn, Level 41]

“Alistair Raventhorn, is it?” I asked, watching his eyes tremble as he took a step back. I could see people’s names now, along with their Level. [Insight] was more useful than ever.

“I- you! Speak with respect!” He shouted at me, and I took a step forward. A waiter came running to stop us, but he stopped because a third figure stepped forward.

The restaurant's atmosphere somehow grew even more tense as a tall, long-haired young man smoothly slipped between us, patting a firm hand on his shoulder. He was large with black hair and a sharp green gaze that took in every detail. The newcomer’s face held a smirk that spoke of familiarity and disdain in equal parts.

I’d never met him.

But I recognized him.

Victor Seraph. A fourth-year, notorious for his arrogance. He looked down at us, letting his gaze linger on each of us, pausing at Solara for a moment before settling back on me with a condescending half-smile.

“Junior,” he said, his voice deceptively smooth, “I’d think twice before speaking like that in public. You represent Waybound Academy, and you’re disrespecting your senior in public. Even if you're a higher level, why rub it on his face? Surely you understand the concept of setting an example,” he smirked. “For example, I am Level 97. And yet I am not bashing your face into the table, am I?”

“....”

Solara and Lilian both tensed, and even Nebula’s eyes narrowed slightly. The wolf girl’s previous amusement was replaced with a cool, measuring look. She stood up, but Solara stopped her. Solara stood up herself, her gaze hardening as she stared down Victor.

“Victor,” she said. “Don’t cause trouble here.”

“Ah, the Phoenix Princess,” Victor bowed mockingly and stood back up. “However, your tone sounds quite rude, no? As one of the four Heavenly Beast Families, we’re equals. No, you’re nobody now. What do you mean by that tone?”

The atmosphere was intense. Some customers had started getting up and leaving, while the waiters feared for their lives to meddle between a clash of great houses.

I laughed. “Here I thought you advised me not to rub people’s weakness on their faces,” I said and met his gaze, our eyes leveling. “Seems to me you’re just mad your minion is a weakling. Hire better ones next time,” I leaned forward, whispering. “Ones that don’t try to kill people in dungeons.”

Victor’s eyes glittered as I spoke. He went silent for a moment, and then his smile sharpened, amusement flashing in his eyes as he shifted his stance.

“Interesting… You’re an interesting young man, Romani,” he said, pausing before he laughed. “Anyhow. Respect for your seniors isn’t something you pick and choose,” he said, his voice dropping as he turned around. “Word of advice—don’t overstep. Then again… it’s too late for that. You should have kept your mouth shut.”

He gestured to his companion. “Let’s go,” he said with a final, dismissive look. “Wouldn’t want to ruin their lively meal.”

As he walked away, the tension eased, and everyone’s shoulders relaxed. Lilian’s jaws were tight, but thankfully Nebula had been holding her down. Solara gave a low scoff, muttering something about “overgrown egos,” while Nebula took a sip from her glass.

“Well,” I said, lifting my own glass. “Here’s to making new friends.”

****

I thought there’d be trouble soon. After all, I’d confirmed to Victor Seraph in that stupid confrontation that I knew he tried to kill me and Solara. So I had to be prepared. I’d also have to tell Solara the truth soon. I’d suffered once hiding things from Nebula, I didn’t want something similar to happen with Solara.

So, I focused on growing our powers. Good money was flowing in, and all we needed to do was cultivate. I was going to push my Demonic Qi to the next stage while also teaching the two girls how to absorb energy from the atmosphere.

But for that, I needed a place where I could let the energy flow unchecked, a spot where a group of professors wouldn’t run in, sensing the demonic energy.

That’s where the academy’s local hunting grounds came into play. Once again, we were going to the Eldergrove Expanse. I had to receive permission from Katheran, but that was easy. Students were encouraged to hunt monsters, and he was more than happy to give me a leave permit.

Designed as training fields for first-year students, the forest was convenient, large, and most importantly, deserted since few of our classmates were driven enough to go train there. The creatures there were hardly a challenge, but it was more than enough to make this a worthwhile exercise.

Solara and Lilian flanked me as we made our way to the teleportation site, the same one Katheran had led us through before. We passed through the tall marble pillars that gleamed in the morning light. The teleportation field loomed ahead. The same vast circular platform, encased in metal runes glowed faintly, even under daylight.

“This place brings back memories, huh?” Solara said, nudging me as we approached the portal.

“I feel like I’m missing out,” Lilian chimed in. Despite being a maid, she was allowed to come along. After all, the maidservants of the Waybound students were their bodyguards. They weren’t told ‘no’ if they wanted to train.

The three of us moved to the center, mana humming faintly around us. The magic circle beneath us pulsed with an otherworldly light,

“Old Eldrin,” I said, looking at the man sitting outside the magic circle, fanning himself to cool off. “To Eldergrove, the first-year area. 48 hours.”

“Ah, younglings~ stay safe,” he said and then pulled the lever. Our surroundings lit up. In a blink, we found ourselves at the edge of a dense forest, a lake visible through the trees, its surface glassy and still under the afternoon light.

The air here felt thick with potential, an ideal environment for drawing energy.