It's been three weeks since the Limited Time Deal tab was added to the system.
Lucien had been clearing dungeons at a steady pace, taking advantage of the new Limited Time Deal section that continued to refresh with dungeon keys. Most of them were C-rank, which provided decent experience and yielded many Elite-grade shadows worth adding to his collection.
But sometimes, he also received D-rank keys.
For those D-rank dungeons, he'd taken Anna along. Her control over her absorption ability was growing stronger with each encounter, and the lower-ranked dungeons provided perfect training opportunities without putting her in danger.
It was not like before when Lucien's Shadows grabbed the monsters for Anna... no, Lucien was making her fight.
She could only absorb a monster's powers after defeating it.
Her permanent stats were climbing steadily. She was approaching the low hundreds now, which put her well above most street-level heroes in terms of raw power. The confidence that came with that growing strength and fighting experience was visible in how she carried herself.
Just today, the Limited Time Deal section provided something more substantial - a B-rank dungeon key.
That meant another potential Knight-grade shadow, another significant boost to his army's capabilities. Lucien planned to clear it today itself.
It was currently mid-afternoon, and the apartment was quieter than usual. Illyana, Anna, and Laura were all in Limbo. Illyana had discovered that spending time there strengthened her connection to the dimension, helping her expand the area under her control more quickly. She'd taken the other two with her while protecting them from the toxic environment with her magic.
Though she'd mentioned that she could only maintain that protection for a few people at a time, which limited how many could accompany her safely. Daniel had opted to stay behind and work on his business ventures, while Jeff was napping in his usual spot.
Lucien was sitting on his bed, preparing to head out for the dungeon run, when he heard the apartment door open. Daniel's voice called out from the living room.
"Lucien? You here?"
"Yeah," Lucien replied, standing up and walking out to meet him.
Daniel looked tired but excited, carrying a manila folder in his hands. When he saw Lucien, his expression brightened immediately.
"Perfect. You're right here."
"What's up?" Lucien asked, noting the urgency in Daniel's tone.
"We need to talk," Daniel said, gesturing toward the couch. "Can you sit for a minute?"
They both settled into the living room, Daniel sitting forward on the edge of his seat while Lucien leaned back casually. Whatever this was about, it clearly mattered to Daniel.
"So," Daniel began, organizing his thoughts. "The Baymax units have been selling incredibly well. Better than I projected, actually. We've fulfilled all the pre-orders and have a waiting list of over a million people wanting to purchase units."
"That's good," Lucien said. "Congratulations."
"Yeah, it is good. Great, even. But there's a problem." Daniel ran a hand through his hair. "After our sales numbers went public, I've been getting invitations from various people. Investors, other tech companies, individuals seeking partnerships, and journalists looking for interviews. And I really don't want to socialize with any of them."
Lucien raised an eyebrow, waiting for Daniel to get to the point.
"I just want to research and create more tech," Daniel continued, his frustration evident. "That's what I'm good at. That's what I enjoy. But running a company apparently means dealing with all these people, attending meetings and parties, making appearances, and giving statements. It's exhausting and it's taking time away from actual development work."
"So what do you want to do about it?" Lucien asked, though he was starting to suspect where this was going.
Daniel opened the folder and pulled out several documents. "I want you to be the CEO."
Lucien stared at him for a moment. "You want me to what?"
"Be the CEO of the company. Handle all the business side, the socializing, the partnerships, the public appearances. Everything that isn't the actual technical work." Daniel's words came out in a rush, as if he'd been holding them back. "You're already helping fund everything, you're good at reading people, and honestly? You're way better at dealing with people than I'll ever be."
Lucien considered the proposal. He knew how hard Daniel had been working over the past weeks. The guy was putting in eighteen-hour days at the factory, personally overseeing production quality, troubleshooting technical issues, and already starting work on improvements to the Baymax design. Having to also manage the business and social aspects was clearly burning him out.
And it would lighten Daniel's workload considerably if someone else handled that side of things. Let him focus on what he was actually passionate about rather than forcing him into roles he wasn't suited for.
"Alright," Lucien said. "I'll do it."
Daniel's face lit up with relief. "Really? Just like that?"
"Just like that. You're right that it doesn't make sense for you to waste time on meetings when you could be developing new technology. Though you will have to be the one to do the dealing with how the company will operate and the business proposals... I will just be the face and deal with the parties and stuff."
"Thank you, man. Seriously." Daniel nodded as he practically shoved the folder into Lucien's hands. "I need you to sign these papers. It'll officially transfer the CEO position to you while I stay on as CTO and lead researcher."
Lucien opened the folder and began reading through the documents. Standard corporate paperwork, transfer of executive authority, and updated business registration. Everything looked straightforward until he noticed the company name at the top of the first page.
Lucien Corporation.
He looked up at Daniel. "Lucien Corporation, huh?"
Daniel had the decency to look sheepish. "I couldn't think of anything else while I was registering it. You were funding everything; it seemed appropriate, and I was on a deadline to get the paperwork filed. If you want to change it, we can, but it'll take a few weeks to process."
Lucien just deadpanned at him for a moment before returning to the documents. Honestly, he didn't care that much about the name.
As he continued reading, another paper caught his attention. It was a project proposal document with a header that read "Cybernetic Limbs and Implants - Development Phase 1."
"What's this about?" Lucien asked, holding up the paper.
Daniel's exhaustion seemed to fade as he shifted into excited-researcher mode. "Oh, that's another project I started working on. It's the next logical step after Baymax, really. Medical robotics that integrates directly with the human body rather than being external assistants."
He leaned forward, gesturing as he spoke. "Prosthetic limbs that connect directly to the nervous system, providing full sensory feedback and natural movement. Implants that can monitor health conditions in real-time and release medication automatically. Eventually, augmentations that could enhance normal human capabilities."
"And you think it'll be successful?" Lucien asked.
"It'll be another hit," Daniel said with complete confidence. "There are millions of people who've lost limbs to accidents, disease, or combat. Current prosthetics are clunky and limited. What I'm designing will be revolutionary - prosthetics that feel and function like natural limbs, maybe even better in some cases."
Lucien nodded slowly. The technology would certainly be valuable, and it aligned well with their existing medical robotics brand. Plus, it opened up potential applications in the superhero community - people who'd been injured fighting villains, soldiers who'd lost limbs in service, anyone who needed enhanced capabilities for dangerous work.
"When do you expect to have a prototype?" Lucien asked.
"A week if I can focus on it full-time," Daniel replied. "Which I can now that you're handling the business side." He grinned and stood up, heading toward the kitchen. "Fair warning, though - you're going to have to deal with some parties soon. It comes with the territory."
Lucien sighed as Daniel disappeared into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He looked down at the papers in his hands, at the company that now officially had him listed as CEO.
He felt like Daniel had trapped him.
Not in a malicious way, but in the way that good friends sometimes roped you into responsibilities you hadn't fully anticipated. The kid was smart - he'd waited until after the business was successful, until Lucien could see how much it was affecting him, until the request seemed completely reasonable.
And now Lucien was going to have to attend corporate parties.
He signed the papers anyway. Daniel needed this, and honestly, how bad could a few parties be compared to clearing dungeons?
After finishing the paperwork, Lucien left the documents on the coffee table and stood up. The B-rank dungeon wasn't going to clear itself, and he wanted to see what Knight-grade shadow he will acquire.
"I'm heading out," he called toward the kitchen.
Daniel's voice came back between bites of whatever he was eating. "Okay! Don't die!"
"Wasn't planning on it," Lucien muttered, heading for the door.
The subway station was only a few blocks away. According to the dungeon key's specifications, this particular portal needed to be activated in one of the abandoned subway tunnels that New York had plenty of.
Soon he reached at the location as he pulled out the B-rank dungeon key.
He held up the key and activated it.
The portal began to form, and it was a blue one.
Lucien had hoped for it to be a red one as they provide stronger foes which meant higher experiece.
Nonetheless, he stepped through.
....
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