I'm a Proper Student, I Only Drink Nine Potions a Day

She straightened up and looked down at Evan's gaunt face, which seemed especially young in sleep, genuine confusion in her voice.

"How did you even survive?"

Her gaze slid along the edge of the blanket to Evan's exposed arm.

Those golden vertical pupils were like two tiny lanterns in the night, letting her see even more clearly than in daylight.

The dark red syphilitic rashes on his arm were slowly fading, their edges already changing from copper red to pale pink.

The needle marks left by his earlier blood sales were shrinking as well, while the bruises around them visibly receded, changing from deep purple to yellow-green, then back to normal skin tone.

"No wonder the Sanguines used you to test drugs."

She straightened her back, folded her arms across her chest, and a complicated light flickered in her golden vertical pupils.

"This body is practically a naturally perfect medicine vessel."

"If this keeps up, this guy will probably become one of those Vampires' blood thralls."

She silently paced two steps through the room, her boots making no sound on the wooden floor.

"Such a fine prospect can't be wasted. Such exceptional drug resistance—he's a natural-born demon hunter."

Her lips moved faintly, her muttering softer than a whisper.

"I need to come up with a good way."

"The supernatural and mysterious are still far too bizarre for ordinary people. Telling him directly would be too blunt."

"And I can't let him think I'm some beautiful con artist miss. He'd easily throw himself into a Vampire's arms then, which would only be more troublesome."

She stopped, narrowed her golden vertical pupils slightly, and curled her lips into a thoughtful smile.

"He needs to go through a crisis and see the horrors of the Sanguines with his own eyes."

"Then I'll make my grand entrance and play the hero saving the beauty."

After muttering that, she gave Evan one last look, then turned and headed for the window, as light and silent as when she had arrived.

When she closed the window frame, its hinges still did not make a sound.

The night swallowed her whole.

The room fell silent once more.

There was only Evan's steady breathing, the rustling of rats digging at the base of the wall, and the lonely bark of a stray dog somewhere on a distant street.

At three in the morning, Evan opened his eyes.

Just like yesterday, there was no lingering in bed, no groggy struggle. His consciousness was like a lamp switch being snapped on, instantly shifting from darkness to clarity.

Fourfold concentration came online right on schedule.

But unlike yesterday, his body was sending him an entirely new sensation.

Comfort.

Unprecedented comfort.

The languid relaxation after soaking in a hot bath, along with a solid, full-bodied sense of comfort seeping out from between his bones.

Every muscle was warm, flexible, and brimming with strength.

His joints no longer ached, his chest no longer felt tight, and even his breathing had become deep and long. Every breath reached the very bottom of his lungs.

He sat up in bed.

"Eek~!"

As usual, the springs let out a bizarre scream.

Evan lowered his head toward the panel.

[You have reversed the side effects of the potion chain.]

[You have obtained a trace amount of Beyonder Characteristic: Basic Sanguine]

The words on the panel remained on his retina for a full three seconds, every character seeming branded into place with a hot iron.

Evan's breathing stopped for a beat.

"Beyonder Characteristic?"

His voice trembled with barely restrained emotion.

It was not fear, but something more primal—like someone who had groped through darkness for far too long and suddenly touched a doorknob with his fingertips.

He quickly pulled the panel upward.

Sure enough.

The three fields that had previously been blank—Profession, Rank, and Characteristic.

The "Characteristic" field no longer displayed the gray word "None."

[Characteristic: Basic Sanguine 2% (Click to expand details)]

He opened the details, and lines of explanatory text unfolded across his retina.

[Basic Sanguine: A low-level Sanguine possessing physical strength and regenerative ability far beyond that of ordinary humans.]

[Every 1% of progress increases regenerative ability by 1% and blood quality by 1%.]

[At 30% progress, the Basic Characteristic effect can be activated: physical strength greatly increases, regenerative ability greatly increases.]

[At 70% progress: obtain complete physical strength.]

[At 100% progress: obtain complete regenerative ability.]

Two Goals: Make Money, Get Potions!

After reading the panel's reversal effects, Evan got out of bed.

He clenched his fist.

The previously shriveled, sunken blood vessels bulged one by one as rushing blood filled them, spreading from the back of his hand all the way to his forearm. Veins twisted beneath his pale skin.

He could feel every heartbeat pumping strength into his limbs. The sensation was solid, full, and scorching hot.

He had finally touched the edge of the supernatural.

"It only mentions enhanced physical strength and regeneration, but says nothing about bloodsucking or fear of sunlight?"

He stared at the words "Basic Sanguine" on the panel, his pupils narrowing slightly.

"Does that mean I could eventually become the ultimate life-form that overcomes sunlight?"

Excitement surged from his chest like fire, but a bucket of cold water immediately poured over it.

"Considering these two bottles of potions and the Beyonder Characteristics, along with Professor Pulis's habits—his skin can't see sunlight, he wears a hooded trench coat year-round, and he makes no sound when he walks..."

"We can basically confirm that he's a Vampire."

Evan's lips pressed into a thin line.

"A noble Vampire who can openly conduct potion experiments at Sage University isn't someone an ant like me, who has only just reached the threshold, can contend with."

That thought instantly cooled more than half his excitement.

He rose from the bedside, his gaze suddenly turning alert as he rapidly swept every corner of the room.

The tabletop, the chair, the wardrobe, the floor, the walls, the window.

His gaze stopped at the window.

The old gray curtains were drawn tightly shut, just as they had been before he went to sleep.

But there was something wrong with the window frame behind the curtains.

Evan never cleaned the windows.

Everything in this apartment was covered in a layer of dust, and the dust on the window frame was especially thick because he almost never opened that window.

But now, the dust around the window hinges had fallen away.

The trace was extremely subtle. If he had not deliberately looked for it, he would never have noticed.

But it was there, like a silent signature, telling him that someone had opened this window while he slept.

"I understand."

A cold glint flashed through Evan's eyes.

"Pulis came here."

"He probably came to check my physical condition after I took both drugs together."

He paused, his mind turning rapidly.

"He probably did more than just look."

He turned up the kerosene lamp and adjusted the wick to its maximum.

Warm yellow light swelled through the room, illuminating every corner.

Evan extended his arm before the lamp and rotated it, carefully examining every inch of skin.

Fourfold concentration showed its greatest value at that moment.

His gaze was like a high-powered microscope, sweeping over his wrist, forearm, and inner elbow without missing a single pore.

Then he saw it.

On the inside of his elbow, hidden among the old needle marks left from selling blood, was an extremely tiny fresh puncture mark.

The puncture was almost invisible. There was no bruising or swelling around it, and the angle of entry was precise as if measured with a ruler.

Mixed among those rough old needle marks, it was like a grain of sand hidden on a beach, perfectly concealing itself.

Without the threefold concentration brought by Phenobarbital, he would never have noticed that detail.

"He drew my blood."

Shock flashed in Evan's eyes before quickly settling.

"A big shot like him personally coming to a dump like this to draw blood means he thinks rather highly of me."

He sat back down in the chair, unconsciously rubbing the nearly nonexistent puncture on the inside of his elbow as his mind raced.

"That makes sense. The others suffered massive side effects after taking the drugs. That kind of madness-inducing anemia alone would be enough to kill one or two people."

"But not only am I fine, I'm still lively as ever."

"In other words, at this stage, I have considerable value to him."

"He's still reluctant to kill me, or eat me."

A thread of tension rose from the base of his spine, but he quickly suppressed it.

"I need to be more cautious about how I act after taking potions in the future."

"I can't be sure whether a Beyonder is watching me in secret, nor can I be sure how far his senses extend."

"As for Professor Pulis, there's no need to expose anything, and no need to fear him."

"Keep playing dumb. Keep mooching potions."

"Anyway, I have the panel. I'm not afraid of him tampering with the drugs."

"Besides, I need to expand my connections."

"Vampires are already this rampant. I wonder if this world has any legitimate official Beyonder organizations."

He carved those plans and precautions into his mind one by one, then looked back at the status panel.

At that moment, Evan could already be considered a complete, normal person.

[Profession: None]

[Rank: None]

[Characteristic: Basic Sanguine 2%]

[Physique: 0.903]

[Spirit: 1.004]