Evan was still lost in thought when the silver-haired woman came over.
She tilted her head and brought her pale, finely shaped nose close to his shoulder, then sniffed.
It was as natural as a curious cat trying to identify a scent.
"Did you take another magic potion?"
Evan instinctively stepped back half a pace and scratched his head.
"If you mean the ones Professor Pulis gave me, yes."
Hill's golden slit pupils widened slightly. She leaned forward, openly curious.
"How are you not poisoned? How have you had no side effects?"
For the past few days, Hill had been watching Evan in secret.
She had watched the frail, penniless student swallow two kinds of magic potion every day, then grow stronger at an unbelievable rate.
His muscles were growing, his stamina was soaring, and his reflexes were getting faster by the day.
But where were the side effects?
Mutation, loss of control, poisoning, vomiting blood, skin ulcers, organ failure.
These symptoms were almost inevitable after taking magic potions, yet he had not suffered a single one.
Even she had once drunk just one extra kind of magic potion during her Demon Hunter Trial, and blood had seeped from the pores all over her body.
It had looked as though she were wrapped in a thin red film. She had nearly died on the spot.
Her Master had spent three days and nights pulling her back from death's door.
Yet this guy took several kinds of potion at once and was still full of energy. He even had time to haul sacks at the harbor.
Evan thought for a moment, then gave a vague answer that was not quite a lie.
"Maybe it's talent."
Hill hummed. Her golden slit pupils narrowed slightly as she considered it.
"That's possible. Innate drug resistance is rare, but there are records of it."
While she was thinking, Evan seized the chance to ask a question of his own.
"Are you a Beyonder with the Authorities? Are you here to protect me?"
Hill nodded, then shook her head.
"More or less. But saving you had nothing to do with the Authorities. I was personally curious about your talent."
Evan pointed in the direction the Vampire had disappeared.
"How did that Vampire lose control? If Professor Pulis sent him to watch me, he had no reason to kill so many people."
Hill's expression shifted subtly.
"I controlled his mind."
After saying that, she reached up and scratched the back of her head, tangling her long silver hair with her fingers.
A trace of embarrassment appeared on her face.
"I was afraid the Vampire would beguile you and you wouldn't listen to me."
"I thought I could use his rampage to swoop in and save you at the crucial moment."
She paused, her mouth twitching.
"I didn't expect you to be so clever. You got the situation under control yourself."
Evan looked at the Demon Hunter, who had so casually told him the whole truth, and felt his taut sense of caution ease a little.
He had not dropped his guard entirely. His first impression was simply that she was straightforward—or that she saw no point in hiding anything.
Before Evan could ask more, Hill looked him up and down, her tone turning more serious.
"You remembered to warn the homeless people to take shelter in a crisis. That tells me you have a decent sense of justice."
"You figured out Pulis was a Vampire by analyzing the potions you'd taken. That tells me you're smart."
She folded her arms. A fervent light burned in her golden slit pupils, and without even waiting for Evan to ask, she came right out with it.
"Interested in becoming a Demon Hunter?"
"Huh?"
Evan froze.
He had not expected this day to come so soon.
He did not even have to humble himself and beg. The door to the Beyonder world had opened for him on its own.
He suppressed the excitement surging inside him and kept just the right mix of confusion and curiosity on his face.
"Then... what can a Demon Hunter do?"
Hill's eyes lit up, as though she had been waiting for someone to ask.
"All sorts of things!"
She held out her fingers and began counting them off.
"Demon Hunters don't have to cram as many Beyonder characteristics into their bodies as other Beyonder professions do."
"We mainly rely on magic potions to enhance our bodies temporarily."
"Because the Beyonder characteristics in those potions are temporary, they don't cause permanent changes to the body."
"That's why Demon Hunters have the lowest chance of going mad or losing control of any Beyonder profession."
As Evan listened, he rapidly sorted through the information in his head.
He knew about Beyonder characteristics.
The "Basic Sanguine" progress in his body had already reached eight percent.
Judging by the attributes on his panel, Beyonder professions in this world seemed to gain power by taking in different Beyonder characteristics.
"But if you rely entirely on magic potions, doesn't that mean your strength only lasts for a while?" he asked.
Hill waved a hand smugly, her silver hair swaying with the motion.
"Of course not. Magic potions come in two kinds: permanent and temporary."
"If you're not afraid of going mad, take a permanent one and be done with it."
"If you are, take a temporary one. Use it when you need it. Stay flexible."
She planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. Moonlight traced a proud line along her profile.
"That's how we Demon Hunters work. We're versatile, flexible, and free to advance or retreat."
"And the cost?"
Hill's confident air deflated at once.
She coughed and looked away.
"Money. And magic potion poisoning is very easy to get."
She sighed, genuine frustration entering her voice.
"Brewing, testing, developing, and trialing magic potions all cost money. They take huge amounts of labor and materials."
"And the essential ingredients—the ones with Beyonder characteristics—either cost a fortune or have to be obtained by hunting Monsters yourself."
She spread her hands helplessly.
"If I had money, I wouldn't have to work for those Capitalists."
Evan blinked.
"You're a Beyonder, and you still have to bow to Capitalists?"
Hill's golden slit pupils widened sharply, as though he had stepped on her tail.
"Times have changed, kid!"
Her voice rose as she waved her arms, silver hair flying in the night breeze.
"The most powerful Beyonders today are those damned Capitalists!"
"Industry is growing and populations are gathering! Efficiency, wealth, finance, factories—those are what drive the world now!"
"The Monsters, Witches, Demons, and Prophets of the past all have to move with the times."
"You think the ancient Beyonder factions can still hide in Castles and rule like petty kings, the way they did in the Middle Ages? Not anymore!"
She paused, her impassioned tone turning grave.
"People are the foundation of Beyonder power. Whoever controls more people gains more power."
"That's the iron rule of this era."
Evan fell silent for a few seconds.
This world's Beyonder system was far from what he had imagined.
It was not a path of meditation and enlightenment. It was bound tightly to the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of capital.
But after everything he had experienced these past few days, he could understand it to some extent.
Pulis could openly conduct magic potion experiments at Sage University not because of his personal strength, but because of the protective web of money, power, and institutions behind him.
Hill continued, sounding like she was giving a new recruit basic training.
"Beyonder signifier: gold. The Fifth Beyonder Path was deliberately created within the last hundred years."
"It has flourished especially since countries shifted their currencies to the gold standard."
"It has three Beyonder professions: Tax Collector, Lawyer, and Factory Owner. Together, they're known as Capitalists."
Her golden slit pupils turned toward Evan, her gaze sharpening.
"The Bad Luck Curse on you came from a Tax Collector."
"By confiscating your money, the Tax Collector took your luck. That's why you've had such a terrible day."
Understanding showed on Evan's face, though he felt a strange unease inside.
This world's Beyonder powers were getting more absurd by the minute.
Collecting taxes could take away someone's luck? What kind of nonsense was that?
But he did not dwell on it.
He had a more immediate problem to solve.
"Then, Master, how do I break this bad luck?"
Being called "Master" made Hill straighten her back noticeably.
She could not keep the corners of her mouth from rising. Her whole face lit up, her golden slit pupils gleaming with the satisfaction of being respected.
"Easy." She cleared her throat, trying to sound experienced and composed.
"Whatever amount was taken from you, use twice that amount in a ritual to cancel it out."
"Two dollars and twenty-two cents," Evan blurted out.
He paused, then added, "I also got eleven dollars back from Mary."
Hill nodded. "Give me five dollars."
Evan counted out five dollars from his pocket and handed it over.
Hill held the money in one hand. With the other, she took a thumb-sized glass vial from the leather pouch at her waist, pulled out the cork, and dripped two drops of essential oil onto the money.
A strong herbal scent spread through the night breeze, sharp with a hint of sweetness. It smelled like rosemary mixed with something he could not identify.
Hill held the oil-dampened money on her palm, closed her eyes, and murmured under her breath.
The words were not English, nor were they in any language he had heard. Their syllables were ancient and obscure, like a spell lifted from a long-forgotten book.
A few seconds later, her eyes snapped open.
Smack!
She slapped the five dollars in bills and coins against Evan's face.
"Pay Back Double! Bad luck, begone!"
Her clear command rang out through the night.
Evan's body jolted.
He could distinctly feel something being stripped out of him.
It was hard to describe—like someone had suddenly pulled off clothes he had worn wet all day, or lifted a stone from his chest.
His body felt lighter, his breathing easier. Even the pain from the two bruises on his back seemed to have faded a little.
The bad luck was gone.
Evan peeled the money off his face, rolled his shoulders, and let out a lighthearted sigh.
"Even loan sharks only charge thirteen back for nine."
"You charge twenty back for ten. That's brutal."