Drew barely got any sleep.

Yet despite how exhausted his body was, Drew still managed to wake up early. 

He was so focused on the experiments last night to verify that the extract from the roots of the Galigar Lotus is the key to achieving 20%. While that held, Drew and the company conducted some more experiments with the roots of the Galigar Lotus and even learned that using crushed, dried Galigar Lotus roots instead of the extract gave a better result. Now the success rate of the regiment was 30%. 

Drew found it odd that such a simple modification allowed the success rate to soar up this much. Then it came to him. 

Heartman, that bastard. Drew scorned in his mind. Heartman was playing with the Alchemy Circle. In fact, he had figured out how to reach 20% long ago. He was waiting. Waiting for someone else to achieve that success rate so then he could trample them with a regiment with a 30% success rate. If my assumptions are correct, he had probably figured out how to create one with around a 50 to 60 percent success rate. What a scumbag. Withholding such a live-saving regiment from the public for his own personal gain. Plus, holding the medicine market monopoly on Kraus, how far does his greed go?

"How did I end up looking up to such as man as my idol? I was really foolish." Drew scoffed to himself as he entered the South Wall Hospital lab.

"Oh, you're early! An entire hour early!" Rika greeted Drew. 

Drew forced a smile.  

"Morning, Mentor Rika." 

"Hey, hey." Rika chuckled poking a Drew. "You made a pretty good Iceberg regiment yesterday!" 

"Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what you want." 

Mentor Rika pouted. 

"Awww, I got found out too easily." 

Drew walked over to his designated workstation and removed his parka. 

"Well, it wasn't like you were trying to hide it from the beginning." 

"Fine! I want to purchase the Iceberg regiment from you! It's not every day where you can find someone who can make it that well!" 

This came as a shocker to Drew. He made Iceberg because it was a relatively easy regiment for him to create on the spot. He didn't realize that Rika would be so interested in it. Iceberg is a cosmetic regiment, so many women would quite literally kill for it, but it wasn't too special. One could purchase Iceberg easily online but why would Rika ask him specifically for one? She did say he made it well but according to Gerald, the quality of his Iceberg could be considered 'passable'. Plus, it doesn’t seem like she wanted to buy it from him to just save money. Could this perhaps be another test? Well whatever it was, at least Drew could make a bit of side cash.

Funny statement coming from a billionaire. 

 "Sure," Drew replied. 

"Splendid," Rika exclaimed. "Say, how much are you charging?" 

"I forgot to ask, isn't this illegal?" 

"Nope," Rika smirked. "It's legal since you're certified and I can vouch for you! I'm a C-Rank Alchemist so I have the privilege to do so."

Drew knew Rika was around her mid-twenties, but only the top 10% of Alchemists could become a C-Rank at such a young age. If that was the case, this also meant that Keith was of a similar rank. Drew couldn't help but be amazed. 

"Okay, just making sure," Drew replied in a slightly uncomfortable manner. Then again, as Snow and Dealer 3960 he's probably broken around half of Ozwarth's laws. 

"Say how much are you charging?" 

"For you, Mentor. I'll give you a special discount: 400 Kalas." 

The market price for a typical Iceberg regiment was around 500 Kalas. Drew was giving Rika a discount because the material cost was free. She was essentially being charged for labor and tax. 

"Eh, I like your sense of business. Alright 400, I'll just pay you here and now!" 

Btz.

Immediately, 400 Kalas was forwarded to Drew's account. 

"Pleasure doing business with you! I'll have that Iceberg regiment for you in an hour." 

"Sweet. Thank you so much!" Rika beamed before running off, minding her own business. 

"Seems like the Mentor likes you." A male voice chuckled from right next to Drew. "She knows you from somewhere?" 

It was a Unicron. He looked very similar to Rider except a little more feminine. Long silver hair braided off to the side on one shoulder. Silver eyes filled with stars that could see through everything. Dark tan skin contrasting his silver features and a long sharp horn protruding from the left side of his forehead. His aura was that of someone cool and collected, he was so calm that even chaotic asteroid belts outside of Kraus seemed to not move. 

"Yeah, she was one of the Medics assisting during the monthly exams at Star."

"I see." The Unicron replied. "So you're also from Star." 

The Unicron then held out his hand. There was no hostility to it at all. 

"Soren Khan, High-Class B." The Unicron introduced himself. 

"Drew Li." 

"Ah, you are indeed familiar," Soren exclaimed. His voice remaining calm.

Drew was caught off guard.

"You know of me?" 

"Who doesn't?" Soren chuckled folding his hands together as he watched Drew prepare to make another Iceberg regiment. "You were one of the substitute models for Kingman, Snow's assistant, and the Low-Class student who boldly stood up to Miranda Dutchfang. You're rather famous amongst the freshmen and a gutsy one too. I'd say your fame is pretty close to someone from the Elite-Class."  

Drew scoffed.

"Well, the fame was a bonus didn't want. I personally don't like drawing attention." 

"Seems the opposite to me," Soren said leaning against his chair. 

"Khan, hmm... are you related to someone named Rider Khan?" 

Instantly, Soren froze as if Drew hit a wrong note on his strings. 

"Yes." He said, his calm exterior seeming to break but Drew was too focused to notice. "Rider and I are indeed from the same family. The Khan Family of Bauxite. I'm from the main family while he's from a branch family. His family are Medics while mine are Alchemists."

"I didn't know that." 

"No surprise. Only those that live up there know our family pretty well. To the general public, we're known to have a large influence in the medical field. If I may ask, how do you know Rider Khan?" 

His words felt harmful. Digging into Drew's skin like sharp knives. Ready to penetrate it at any moment. 

"We're roommates," Drew replied simply before turning on the Otrio stove. 

"Is that so," He said almost feeling relieved. "Then I'll give you a warning." 

Drew froze. He suddenly felt a menacing aura loom over him. 

"I suggest you don't get too close to him. That Unicron is a stigma." 

Stigma? Rider is a stigma? What could he possibly mean by that? 

Drew hadn't known Rider for that long but he knew that Rider wasn't a bad person. 

"What do you mean?" 

Soren's face twisted but he was trying to hold it back. 

"I guess a Low-Class student like you wouldn't know," Soren smirked. "Rider is a Puppeteer." 

"Puppeteer!" Drew couldn't hide his shock. 

Puppeteer is a position that fell under the long-range Position category. They are known to use Otrio to create strings to control a person's body and mind. Because it's used for manipulation, it's considered a disgraceful Position amongst the Intergalactic Warrior profession. Most Puppeteer users utilize some form of Dark Otrio alongside a Puppeteering Ability. The most common of Puppeteering Abilities was [Marionette] a C-Rank Ability that attaches invisible strings onto an object or a living thing. By attaching these invisible strings, the Puppeteer can control the object remotely with their mind. Long story short, Puppeteers are a bootlegged version of Espers yet, despite that, becoming a Puppeteer is just as difficult. 

"Shocking." Soren scoffed doing jazz hands. "A Puppeteer in a prestigious and honorable medical family puts our name to shame." 

"So? What's the issue with him being a Puppeteer?" 

"What do you mean?" Soren flinched. 

Drew paused for a second. Placing down his tongs on the countertop. 

"Well, I'm just wondering if he has done anything bad?" 

"That is-"

"Has he caused any harm to anyone? Has he done anything illegal? What trouble has he caused for your family?" Drew smiled hammering Soren with questions. 

Soren couldn't respond. 

"Then I don't see why he's so bad? You know, people can't choose their Abilities. They're born with them. It comes down to how we use them, distinguishing those who are amiable and those who hold malicious intent." 

"But don't you understand, he's a Puppeteer." Soren stammered. "Aren't you afraid he might control you?" 

Drew shrugged as he stirred the crucible. 

"If he wanted to, he would've already done so. I'd rather hear it from his own mouth than listen to someone else blabber about it and impose their opinion onto me. Now, let me ask you. Beyond that very shallow reason, why do you want me and potentially others to distance ourselves from Rider?" 

Soren broke.

His eyes filled with hatred and rage. 

"It's personal. You don't have the right to know." Soren spat. 

"Fine." Drew sighed. "Besides, I don't believe you would like to fight here. Might end up destroying the lab." 

Soren became even more infuriated. He had only heard about Drew through rumors, but he always considered him insignificant and considered the rumors exaggerated. He even did a background check on Drew and besides everything else, he knew he learned that he was an orphan who worked hard to get into Star and that his qualifications were on par with a Middle-Class student. But due to the fact he took the Team Exam instead of the Individual Entrance Exam into Star, he was placed in Low-Class A. Soren thought he knew everything about Drew but he clearly underestimated him. Seeing him in the flesh, he is now realizing truly how terrifying he was. Especially with his words. 

Every phrase that had come out of Drew's mouth hurt even more than a punch to the solar plexus. 

This hurt Soren's pride. As Unicron's were one of the wisest races in the universe, Soren took for granted his insight and let his arrogance get the best of him. As such, Drew was easily able to perform conversation jujitsu with him. Soren knew that fighting Drew physically or verbally was not an option but there was one thing he could do to restore his pride. 

"We'll compete using civil means, Alchemy," Soren smirked. Unlike most High-Class students, Soren was definitely more cool-headed and reasonable. Plus, he had much confidence in his Alchemy skills. "I've heard that our first task will be making spray-type regiments for hair growth. Whoever makes the most by the end of the day will be considered the winner." 

"What are we wagering?" Drew asked. 

"Nothing much. This is just a matter of pride." Soren replied. "But I do wish for you to take my words regarding Rider into account."  

Drew chuckled. 

"Alright, I'll accept." 

Drew knew he was definitely at a disadvantage. He knew that people wouldn't make a bet without being confident that they could win it. Usually, some terms come along with the bet and obviously, the loser would have to comply with them. Drew was aware he fighting a losing battle going against Soren so he'd rather know what consequences he'd have to face if he lost. Lucky for him, this was just a man-to-man battle of pride with nothing to lose. Plus, it was a good opportunity for him to see how well he could fair against a more experienced Alchemist. 

"To make things fair, I'll even reduce my Otrio down to the same level as yours." 

Soren wasn't the type to trample over others with his advantages. He'd rather do things fairly unlike most of his classmates since it didn't feel right if he defeated someone who was clearly at a disadvantage. It made him nauseous. As arrogant as he was, he is still a decent person when it came down to sportsmanship. 

"You still have time to make an ointment-type regiment," Drew said pounding the Glacier Fig furiously in a mortar while pointing at the holographic clock behind him. "I think that'll do the job."

Soren picked up a small jade container and placed it down on his main workstation. 

"Then I'll make Iceberg. Shouldn't take as long as you."

Soren was obviously trying to assert his dominance over Drew but Drew didn't seem to be fazed.

"What's your success rate?" 

"Pardon?" 

"Success rate for Iceberg?" 

"95%." Soren gleamed puffing his chest out proudly. An average success rate of 95% for an E-Rank regiment was hard to attain even for skilled D-Rank alchemists. The average would usually be around 70% to 75% and in the cosmetic industry that average would be around 72%. This demonstrated that Soren was certainly a proficient Alchemist for his age. He could fall within the top 3% of Alchemist on Kraus. "You?" 

"100%." 

"Lies!" Soren scoffed with disbelief. 

Drew glanced over at Soren. As if he were some kind of idiot.

It was at this moment when Soren realized, Drew was telling the truth and where Soren felt his heartstrings squeezed so hard that they might explode. His Unicron instincts, screaming at him. 

He had only felt this kind of tension a few times but there was one thing in common every time he felt that sensation. 

Something was going to happen and it would not end pretty for him.