Blaze had no idea how this Leo had managed to create a potion that simultaneously neutralized Zenon Toxins while also treating Mana Overload.
Even if he didn't think about the toxins, just treating the Mana Overload in itself was the greatest discovery of recent times.
He had full understanding about how hard it was. So many scientists had tried to find a solution for this, even using rarest materials from other stars for their tests. But they all failed.
And now this unknown person, from a company that he never heard about, succeeded? If that was true, then they definitely had to make a good impression on that man.
"What is your name?" Blaze asked the frail young man before him.
"Timmy, sir!"
"Right. Timmy. You're coming with me," Blaze said, grabbing the terrified young man by the collar of his uniform. "You're going to tell me exactly where you picked this up, and about that person."
"B-b-but... my delivery and ship!" Timmy stammered, pointing towards the craters.
Blaze shot him a look that could melt steel. "Consider it delivered. The Guild will also pay you for the losses you suffered along the way."
With another sonic boom, Blaze shot back into the sky with a terrified young man.
"Things are getting interesting," Lightning glanced at the craters before his body also disappeared, traveling across the city no slower than Blaze.
The two heroes didn't leave the craters behind though. They had already arranged for the elixirs to be picked up by the Guild, along with the Zenon's head.
....
Back in a shady apartment number 769, Leo was on day ten.
He was now 90% lemon water, 10% regret. He had discovered that if he stared at a wall long enough, he could almost convince himself he was a cactus, who didn't feel hungry.
"Must... hold... on..." he mumbled, his eyes twitching in a rhythm that matched his rumbling stomach. "Only three more weeks..."
He was almost in the process of becoming a monk, sacrificing all his desires, when his glass slab chimed.
He ignored it initially. It was probably just an ad for a food he couldn't eat. However, it chimed once again, making him finally pay attention.
He picked up the glass slab, and Glitzy's tracking app rose through a hologram.
"Are they finally ready to alert me about my shipment being lost?" His sour mood immediately became better. He was ready for the beautiful alert.
Instead, his eyes were assaulted by a word so horrific, so disgusting, so dreadful, it made him gasp.
[Tracking: Order #969-A]
[Status: Delivered]
[Signed for by: S-Rank Hero Blaze]
[Thank you for using Glitzy's]
Leo stared at the hologram blankly like his soul had left his body. His brain, burdened by starvation, simply refused to process the information.
"Ah, I must be hallucinating because I haven't eaten anything."
He closes the hologram. He rubbed his eyes. Then he joined his hands together and prayed for a full five minutes before opening the app again.
Unfortunately, the delivery status didn't change. The shipment was actually delivered.
It would've been fine if it was delivered to the Guild and tossed out by them. But it was personally accepted and signed by Blaze?
Who was Blaze? He was the strongest Hero of Earth. Even though he couldn't control the entire Guild, his words still held the most weight in the Guild.
Why would a person like that be accepting deliveries? Something didn't feel right.
Leo didn't know why, but there was a sour feeling inside him. He couldn't be sure if it was only because of all the lemons he had consumed, or because he was having a bad premonition.
"Delivered?" he whispered. "Signed for... by Blaze? No. No, that's wrong. That must be a glitch. Timmy, you... you... How can you fail so spectacularly!"
"You incompetent... competent... fool! You were supposed to lose it! You've ruined me! One time your company decided to be competent and it just had to be with me? No five stars for you, you evil man!"
He was about to throw his glass slab at the wall. Fortunately, he remembered that he would have to pay to fix it.
"No, I don't have to be pessimistic. Even if Blaze accepted it, nothing will change. It's freaking lemon juice after all! No way, they would actually consider it an elixir, right?"
He was still trying to calm himself down when another chime came from his glass slab. It was much louder, echoing across the small apartment.
It was from the Galactic Bank. Leo's heart stopped at the sight of the notification.
[Galactic Bank: Official Credit Transfer]
[You have received a payment of 50000 Credits]
[From: Hero's Guild (Emergency Procurement Division)]
For a moment, Leo forgot to breathe. He just stared at the number.
"Fifty thousand credits?"
Wasn't there supposed to be a 950 credit loss. How did he get fifty thousand profit? What the heck was wrong with this world?
Did the Hero Guild have too much money for them to buy lemon juice at such a high cost? Heck, even if they wanted to buy it, why would they pay for free samples?
"Is the Hero Guild filled with idiots? How could they do this to me?"
If it was anyone else, they would have been dancing in joy over such a large profit. But for Leo, it was a nightmare.
Even though he earned fifty thousand, he couldn't use them on himself. It was no different than being buried five feet under ground.
The word felt disgusting in his mouth. Profit.
He felt sick. His entire plan. His foolproof, multi-step, guaranteed-failure plan had just made him... money!
He was still staring, his eyes twitching even strongly, when the cold voice he'd been so desperate to hear finally returned.
[System processing... Investment detected: 'Leo's Miraculous Elixir']
[Return on Investment: 50000 Credits]
[System Rule Violation: Host has generated a profit]
[Warning: Profits generated from investments cannot be used by the Host. All fifty thousand credits will be transferred to the System Re-Investment Fund]
[This fund can only be used for future investments]
Leo watched as the fifty thousand credit balance vanished into the system fund. He could still access it for investment in his company, but not a single credit could be spent on his personal luxury, even through loopholes.
He checked his total balance.
...........................
Bank Balance: 50.17 Credits
System Investment Fund Balance: 50000 Credits
...........................
He was right back where he started three days ago. No, he was even worse off! If he wanted to earn even a single personal credit through the system, he had to lose fifty thousand and beyond!
His grand plan to lose credits had failed so spectacularly that it had succeeded, which in turn made it fail all over again.
He was back at square one.
Leo's brain finally rebooted, and he let out a cry of pure despair. "You moth-"