9 Volume I - Chapter 8: First Connection

I sighed, looking at the man with short dark blue hair sitting at the small table in the small kitchen of my small dorm room.

Well, I expected something like this but I didn't think he would act so quickly, only a few hours after the presentation.

"Coffee or tea?"

I asked as carefully as I could.

"I'll have tea, please add half a teaspoon of salt."

The man said, his sharp golden eyes fixed on me. Even his taste was the same as in the game.

"Sure."

Without questioning him, I quickly prepared two teas. After putting salt in one of them instead of sugar, I put it in front of him and sat down opposite him.

"Can you guess why I came here?"

He asked me after taking a small sip of his salty tea and making a satisfied expression.

"I mean, I'd be lying if I said no."

Of course I knew you were coming here, after all, I'm the one who 'borrowed' the research you were working on.

"So you admit you stole it?"

He continued to sip his tea, not even breaking his posture as if what he said was normal.

"Well, rather than stealing, it would not be wrong to say that I completed a research that you have not even completed forty percent of."

The moment these words left my mouth, the atmosphere in the kitchen became heavy and I felt a slight chill.

So this is what they call 'pressure' in all these fantastic worlds... I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited.

"Mr. Tenebra, you know I can kill you in seconds, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then where does your courage come from?"

He was still speaking calmly, but I could feel him getting angrier and angrier.

Well, I would feel the same way if someone stole and completed research that I would have spent months completing.

"It's quite simple, Professor Ulka."

I took another sip of my tea and smiled. If I was afraid of him, then he would have no pity for me. This man, whose place in the story was quite important, was the kind of man who hated the weak. So I shouldn't show any sign of weakness in front of him.

"I want to make a deal with you."

His golden yellow eyes, with the coldness of a killer, were quite frightening. Still, I looked into his eyes, trying to ignore the feeling. I knew this man's personality well, so as long as I didn't do anything wrong, I had nothing to fear.

"A deal, huh? Let's hear it."

Yes, this man was not the type to lash out without thinking when he was angry. He thought about his every move, and if he sensed something that could harm him in the future, he would eliminate it without mercy. Right now he was analyzing which category I belonged to.

"As I said, it's quite simple. I will go through all the theories you are currently researching and fill in the gaps. Of course, you will always be seen as the one doing the research. I'll just do my part and get out of the way."

The atmosphere in the room grew heavier. I grinned involuntarily when I saw Professor Ulka's brow furrow.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling you stupid. My only goal is to make money and find someone to back me up. I know that you do research not just for the money, but because you really love it. I was especially watching you when I presented this theory, and at that moment you were not angry, you had no intention of killing me. You were just happy because you were so excited to learn something you didn't know."

The pressure on me suddenly became more intense. It was so heavy that if I let go, I could have fallen to my knees, but I smiled anyway.

Why? Because I was weak, and if I could withstand this pressure, it meant that Professor Ulka was not too hard on me. He was just trying to intimidate me.

"You... That was your goal all along, wasn't it?"

A smile appeared on Ulka's cold expression.

Honestly, if I saw a man like that on the street, I think I would think he was crazy and run away without even looking back, but now I had a purpose.

"Well, I think it's a win-win situation for both of us. Like I just said, my only goal is to make money and find someone to back me up when I need it. And all you want is to relieve your boredom by learning things you don't know. As a result of this deal, not only will I achieve my goal, but I will be able to keep my identity a secret, leaving you with the burden of the theories, and you can enjoy what you learn."

"If I understand correctly, you have a lot of theories to offer, don't you? No... It's ridiculous to even ask. Otherwise you wouldn't have come to me with such an offer in the first place. I'm just curious... How many of the theories you plan to present are mine and how did you access them?"

After his question, the pressure on my shoulders was suddenly relieved and the atmosphere in the room returned to normal.

All right... I managed to get Ulka on my side, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell him my secrets.

I put the index finger of my right hand to my lip to signal silence and smiled slightly.

"Let this remain my trade secret."

"I can get a report on everything you've done lately with a single letter to the kingdom, are you really that confident?"

"You can do anything you want Professor, like I said, it's a trade secret."

In the end, no matter how much he investigates, he won't find anything about me not being of this world. Well, he can look into my past, but the only thing he'll find is that I changed strangely overnight.

"Okay, fine. I'll take your deal, but I have two more questions. One is how much of a cut of the research you want. And secondly, can you at least tell me the subject of one of the theories you know about? You don't have to open it, I just want to hear the title."

"I'm thinking of taking thirty-five percent as a share, and I think that's fine with you. As for a theory I know..."

I went through all the theories that have not yet been revealed to this world one by one in my mind, but I wasn't sure which one to choose...

I don't want to change the course of the story by revealing something now that will be discovered much later, but on the other hand, I mustn't prolong the thinking too long... Otherwise, this maniac might think I'm trying to make something up, that I'm fooling him.

"How about The Source of Mana in the Atmosphere?"

I smiled as I said this and looked Ulka in the eyes.

Ulka looked at me blankly, trying not to show it, but I knew he wanted to jump with excitement because this was the kind of man he was, this character was nothing more than a psychopathic maniac hungry for knowledge.

"Can you prove it?"

"Yes, but I need time because there are some important things I need to be sure of."

Well... If I tell him that I know everything in a flash, he will lose interest in me after he gets the knowledge he wants. So there has to be a certain amount of time between the theories I present to him.

And that 'time' will be either when my money starts to hit rock bottom or when I don't have much time left to present something new as per our agreement.

"Haha... HAHAHA!"

Ulka started laughing hysterically and I watched this maniac laughing.

"Well, I assume you accept my deal then?"

When I held out my hand for him to shake, Ulka stared at my skinny hand for a while. Then he smiled madly and his golden eyes sparkled.

At first I didn't understand what was happening, so I panicked for a split second, but then the holographic window appeared in front of me and I realized what was happening.

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Ulka DeLaor would like to make a mana contract with you. The terms of the contract are:

1-) Aiden Tenebra will receive 35% of the money from the research for each theory he helps Ulka DeLaor with.

2-) Ulka DeLaor will support Aiden Tenebra to the best of his ability for the duration of the contract.

3-) Aiden Tenebra will be duly punished if he deceives Ulka DeLaor or fails to honor the contract.

4-) Ulka DeLaor will be punished appropriately if he violates the contract.

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Well, so he wants to make a contract.

There doesn't seem to be anything against me in the terms, and his only purpose must be to prevent me from escaping. So I have no reason to refuse.

I imagined accepting the contract and a small amount of mana was drained from my body. Then a checkmark appeared on the holographic screen and the contract was complete.

"Great... Great! I look forward to your theories, Aiden!"

Ulka got up from the table and walked toward the door of the room. He was like a little boy who had discovered a new toy. So much so that he left the dormitory without a word and I was alone in my room again.

I let out the breath I had been holding and grinned with joy.

Ulka was a character I liked in the game. I always liked mad scientists, but talking to him face-to-face made my blood boil. There's really so much I can experience in this world...

With a grin still on my face, I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes.

I've taken my first steps pretty well, the money problem is solved and I've got a solid background that I can use when I'm in trouble. Now all I have to do is rest until tomorrow and think about what I can do about my stats, apparently...