The clear system prompt in his mind made Ian pause slightly.
He hadn't expected the process of awakening the dormant profession to be so smooth. He had thought he needed The Boys to become immensely popular before the Homelander profession, dormant within the system, could be unlocked.
Who would have thought?
Just two scientists' exaggerated compliments were enough for Ian to get his wish. It seemed that even though he was a privileged [Independent NPC], Ian wouldn't be able to get a script involving ten years of struggle.
"There's a faint sense of melancholy for some reason."
Ian glanced at his system panel.
[You have obtained the Corrected Profession—Savage Tyrant]
This was the profession name that appeared after the dormant Homelander profession revived. Ian didn't immediately check the details. Instead, he stared thoughtfully at the two scientists still engrossed in the comic book.
Don't dismiss them as ordinary people. They were protagonists in their own story. Perhaps the memorialization from people like them was more significant in the process of reviving a dormant profession than the memorialization from ordinary NPCs?
Ian was still figuring things out, but he thought of his deskmate. His deskmate, who had read the comic, must have also contributed, so he decided to save the two oranges in his pocket for the delinquent girl.
Just then.
"Although I don't quite like your caricature of Superman, I'm glad to see someone else, like me, notice the physics inconsistencies when Superman rescues an airplane."
"Oh, it seems I'm a very contradictory person—in any case, your work is really good, and I would be happy to offer more of my views on how Superman violates physics through his [Bio-Electric Field]."
Sheldon's eyes sparkled with anticipation, eager to try. "So, if I work for free, when do you plan to hire us as your comic assistants?"
He genuinely looked like he wanted to find the unscientific aspects of the [Bio-Electric Field].
"Free? That violates labor laws!"
Ian didn't need a comic assistant.
He just needed mature scientist oxen and horses.
And at that moment.
"Let me draft the contract. Please, I beg you, I really understand capitalists. I guarantee all eight thousand clauses of the contract will be highly advantageous for you to ruthlessly exploit us!" Sheldon rubbed his hands, pleading, transforming himself into Ian's devoted little accomplice.
This was simply his personality.
The thing he loved most in his life was drafting contracts.
It didn't have to benefit himself.
But he absolutely had to get the chance to write the contract—the minds of geniuses were always so hard to understand. Leonard, Sheldon's best friend, was utterly speechless about this.
"Sheldon, he wants to hire our intelligence as scientists, not as comic assistants..." He was still thinking normally. He covered his forehead and quietly reminded his friend.
"Oh, is that so? Then I can write two contracts! Yay! That's wonderful!" Sheldon clearly had a unique way of thinking, and he became excited like a child.
"Changing jobs is something we must seriously consider. After all, I have a chance to become a tenured professor at the university." Leonard's thinking was that of a normal person.
However.
His slightly thoughtful words only earned him a sarcastic remark from his best friend.
"Tenured professor? That's just what you think you can achieve... Networking, Leonard. You don't understand networking. To climb the ladder in academia, you can't afford not to know it."
"If you could be like me and give our recently divorced principal a copy of The Rich Women's Address Book, you might have a tiny chance."
He "educated" Leonard seriously.
"..."
Leonard offered a polite but fake smile.
"All the phone numbers in that address book of yours were made up."
He reminded him.
Sheldon wasn't flustered at all. Instead, he wore a look of self-satisfaction. "Of course they were. The gift I gave the principal was a lesson: don't trust rich women scams."
"As a gesture of gratitude, I believe he'll give me a private office next year." Sheldon was confident, as if he had a complete grasp of social dynamics.
"..."
Leonard was utterly helpless.
Ian, however, felt he had learned something. He believed he could follow Dr. Sheldon's line of thought. By extension, that meant he also possessed the qualities of a Nobel laureate.
"Of course, you can think it over. This is indeed a major life decision." Ian nodded in understanding. He knew the importance of taking things step by step.
The fourteen-year-old boy didn't expect to trick someone with just a few sentences. He knew that he was only an [Independent NPC] now and definitely wouldn't get the satisfying script where people bowed down at first sight.
The path to survival in the DC Universe.
It was still long and arduous.
"Can I have your contact information first?" Ian's request was not rejected. Leonard paused for a moment and quickly pulled out a piece of paper to write down his contact details.
"Perhaps we can first discuss your father's company's project? Of course, if we could get an official invitation letter from Wayne Enterprises, I think both Sheldon and I could persuade our parents..."
Leonard was still conflicted.
However, when he looked up, he realized Ian had vanished.
"Where did he go?"
Leonard was quite surprised.
"Hmm, he runs fast."
Sheldon, who had already started drafting the contract on his phone, also only realized this later.
"He was so enthusiastic just now... What a strange person." Sheldon still didn't stop editing the contract. Whether he needed it or not didn't affect the fact that this was his hobby.
"Considering he's an excellent cartoonist, I can actually understand—look, I've become much more understanding." He seemed to have discovered something worth celebrating.
Leonard found it hard to comment, so he simply changed the subject.
"Do you think we'll really receive an invitation letter from Wayne Enterprises?"
He was still thinking about the olive branch extended by a child, perhaps he wasn't that normal. The two eventually didn't step into the gym and naturally walked towards home.
Meanwhile.
On the other side.
Ian impatiently found a secluded corner, pulled up the system panel, and checked the newly unlocked Corrected Profession.
[Savage Tyrant: In every battle, the Savage Tyrant is the most dazzling presence, able to crush all enemies standing in their way with extraordinary physique.]
Another purely brute-force profession.
Ian had already guessed this and immediately chose to confirm the job change—just as he had previously figured out the system rules, he could indeed have more than one transcendent profession.
"There isn't even a prerequisite quest?"
Ian certainly had areas where his judgment was mistaken.
He had underestimated the system's affection for him.
[Job Change Quest: Gain sufficient public attention and support (0/100000)] This was the quest for the new profession. It seemed neither too difficult nor too easy.
Ian did have an initial [Superhero] account, but gaining enough attention with that "account" wasn't something that could be completed in a short time.
Of course.
There was always a shortcut.
"Super Brain! Engage!"
If a person takes enough shortcuts, that person naturally knows better how to find them. So, Ian only thought for a moment and, with his excellent intelligence, came up with a countermeasure.
Slowly accumulating popularity and support?
Ian didn't want to become the Metropolis Rickshaw Boy.
Precisely for this reason.
"Hello."
Ian, wearing three layers of nylon stockings over his head and holding cash with no fingerprints, walked into a shop specializing in cosplay costumes. Most of the time, this store did business with people who had specific fetishes.
However, today it welcomed a special customer.
"You... what do you want!" The owner, who was also the clerk, immediately went into an agitated state when Ian walked into his shop, pulling out a large blunderbuss and pointing it at Ian.
He clearly thought a robber had arrived.
However.
"Please give me a set of Batman's combat gear."
Ian ignored the person's 'Equalizer of All Beings' and deliberately lowered his voice to a low, gravelly tone, while politely handing over a stack of bills.
Yes.
This was the guidance of Ian's intelligence.
They were all billionaires. Although he was only a future billionaire, if Bruce Wayne could be Batman, why couldn't Ian Kent be Batman?
It was already getting dark.
The Dark Knight should be making his appearance.
Gaining attention and support, that's all.
The system hadn't forbidden Ian from hijacking someone else's account.
***
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