I'm a Serious Student, Only Drinking Nine Potions a Day - Chapter 24

Evan stood behind her, watching her back. His right hand stroked his chin as the gears in his mind spun at high speed.

That laugh just now must have been hers.

Judging from that exchange, the Vampire was rational, and he was quite wary of and angry at this woman.

In other words... this woman was the one who made the Vampire lose control and start killing people.

Why?

The clues in his mind rapidly connected, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place one by one.

Evan's expression gradually turned a little strange.

Was this woman just trying to play the savior... and rescue a hero in distress?

He paused and corrected his wording.

No, it should be a beauty rescuing a hero.

You've Got Something Wrong with Your Beyonder Powers!

While Evan was still lost in wild thoughts, the silver-haired woman had already moved closer.

Tilting her head, she brought her pale, high-bridged nose close to Evan's shoulder and sniffed.

The movement was as natural as a curious cat identifying a scent.

"You drank potions again?"

Evan instinctively took half a step back and scratched his head.

"If you mean the ones Professor Pulis gave me, then yes."

Hill's golden vertical pupils widened slightly. She leaned forward, her posture filled with undisguised curiosity.

"Why haven't you been poisoned? Why aren't there any side effects?"

Over the past few days, Hill had been secretly observing Evan.

She had watched this frail, poor student swallow two potions every day, then grow stronger at an unbelievable speed.

His muscles were growing, his stamina was soaring, and his reaction speed was getting faster by the day.

But what about the side effects?

Mutation, loss of control, poisoning, vomiting blood, rotting skin, organ failure.

Not one of the symptoms that almost inevitably appeared after consuming potions had ever occurred in him.

Even she herself, during her Demon Hunter trial, had merely drunk one extra potion, and blood had seeped from every pore across her body.

She had looked as though she were wrapped in a thin red membrane, nearly dying on the spot.

Her master had spent three days and three nights dragging her back from death's door.

Yet this guy was taking several kinds of medicine at once, still bouncing around energetically, and even had the spare time to carry sacks at the docks.

Evan thought for a moment and gave a vague answer that was not exactly a lie.

"Maybe it's talent."

Hill hummed. Her golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, as if she were processing the information.

"That's certainly possible. An innate resistance to medicine is rare, but not unheard of."

Taking advantage of her moment of thought, Evan seized the chance to ask in return.

"Are you an official Beyonder? Did you come to protect me?"

Hill nodded, then shook her head.

"Sort of. But saving you has nothing to do with the authorities. I'm more curious about your talent personally."

Evan pointed in the direction where the Vampire had vanished.

"How did that Vampire lose control just now? If Professor Pulis sent him to watch me, there was no need for him to kill so many people."

Hill's expression changed subtly.

"I controlled his mind."

After saying that, she reached up and scratched the back of her head, her fingers tangling her long silver hair into a slight mess.

A trace of embarrassed awkwardness appeared on her face.

"I was afraid the Vampire would bewitch you and make you refuse to listen to me."

"I thought I could use that guy losing control to rescue you at a critical moment."

She paused, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"I didn't expect you to be so clever. You managed to stabilize the situation yourself."

Looking at this female Demon Hunter who so openly laid out the truth without holding anything back, the tightly wound string of vigilance in Evan's heart loosened slightly.

She was not very scheming. Or rather, she disdained hiding things.

Before Evan could continue questioning her, Hill looked him up and down, her tone becoming more serious.

"You remembered to warn the vagrants to take shelter in a crisis. That means you have some sense of chivalry."

"You deduced that Pulis was a Vampire through medication and analysis. That means you have a good head on your shoulders."

She crossed her arms. A blazing light burned in her golden vertical pupils, and before Evan could even ask, she spoke directly.

"Interested in becoming a Demon Hunter?"

"Huh?"

Evan froze.

He had not expected this day to come so quickly.

He did not even need to beg humbly. The door to the Beyonder world had simply opened itself to him.

Suppressing the surging excitement in his heart, he kept an appropriately confused and probing expression on his face.

"Then... what can Demon Hunters do?"

Hill's eyes lit up, as if she had finally been waiting for someone to ask that question.

"A lot!"

She raised a hand and began counting on her fingers.

"Demon Hunters don't need to stuff as many Beyonder Characteristics into their bodies as other Beyonder professions."

"We mainly rely on potions to temporarily strengthen our bodies."

"Since the Beyonder Characteristics within potions are temporary, they won't cause permanent changes to the body."

"So among all Beyonder professions, Demon Hunters have the lowest chance of going mad or losing control."

As Evan listened, he rapidly organized the information in his mind.

He knew about Beyonder Characteristics.

The progress of the "Basic Sanguine" in his body had now reached eight percent.

Judging by the stat panel's design, the Beyonder professions in this world seemed to gain power by accommodating different Beyonder Characteristics.

"If you rely entirely on potions, doesn't that mean your power is only temporary?" he asked.

Hill waved her hand smugly, her silver hair swaying twice with the movement.

"Of course not. Potions come in permanent and temporary types."

"If you're not afraid of going mad, drink the permanent kind. One solution, and you're set for life."

"If you're afraid of going mad, drink the temporary kind. Use them when you need them, then move on. Flexible and mobile."

She placed both hands on her hips and lifted her chin slightly. Moonlight shone across her profile, outlining a proud silhouette.

"That's how we Demon Hunters are: well-rounded, flexible, able to advance or retreat as needed."

"Then what's the price?"

Hill's imposing manner instantly deflated by thirty percent.

She coughed and looked away.

"It costs money. And potion poisoning is very easy to get."

She sighed, and her tone gained a touch of genuine helplessness.

"Brewing potions, experimenting, research and development, testing potions—it all costs money, along with huge amounts of manpower and materials."

"The most crucial Beyonder Characteristic ingredients have to be bought at high prices, or obtained by personally hunting magical creatures."

She spread her hands and made a helpless expression.

"If I had money, I wouldn't have to work for those Capitalists."

Evan blinked.

"You're already a Beyonder, and you still have to submit to Capitalists?"

Hill's golden vertical pupils widened sharply, as if someone had stepped on her tail.

"The times have changed, boy!"

Her voice abruptly rose. Her arms waved as her silver hair flew in the night wind.

"The strongest Beyonders nowadays are those damned Capitalists!"

"Industry is developing, populations are gathering! Efficiency, wealth, finance, factories—these things have become the mainstream of today's world!"

"The magical creatures, Witches, Devils, and Soothsayers of the past all have to follow the tide of the times."

"Do you think those ancient Beyonder forces can still hide in castles and rule like local tyrants as they did in the Middle Ages? Impossible!"

She paused, her tone shifting from impassioned to solemn.

"The foundation of the Beyonder world is people. Whoever can control more people can obtain more power."

"That is the iron law of this era."

Evan fell silent for several seconds.

This world's Beyonder system differed greatly from what he had imagined.

The traditional paths of cultivation, meditation, and comprehending the heavens were all gone.

Everything now was tightly bound to the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of capital.

But considering what he had personally experienced over the past few days, he could somewhat understand it.

Professor Pulis could openly conduct potion experiments at Sage University not because of his personal combat power, but because of the protective net of money, power, and institutions woven behind him.

Hill continued, her tone like she was giving a recruit basic pre-enlistment training.

"Beyonder symbol: gold. The fifth Beyonder path, artificially opened up only within the last century."

"Especially after every nation fully shifted to the gold standard, this path became even more prosperous."

"It has three Beyonder professions under its jurisdiction: Financier, Judge, and Factory Owner. Together, they are known as Capitalists."

Her golden vertical pupils turned toward Evan, and her gaze grew sharper.

"The curse of bad luck on you came from a Financier."

"By taking your money, the other party drained away your luck. That's why you were so unlucky today."

Understanding appeared on Evan's face, though a strange feeling also arose in his heart.

The Beyonder world in this world seemed to be getting more and more interesting.

Getting your money taken away could also make you lose luck?

It seemed that Financier was a profession that used money to wield its abilities.

It perfectly matched Evan's stereotype.

But he did not dwell on it for long.

There were more practical problems to solve right now.