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

"Then, Master, how do I break the bad luck on me?"

Called "Master," Hill's back visibly straightened a little.

The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably, and her whole face lit up with delight. Her golden vertical pupils gleamed with the satisfaction of being respected.

"Simple." She cleared her throat, trying to make her tone sound seasoned and composed.

"Whatever amount was taken from you, use double that amount to offset it through a ritual. That will lift it."

Evan blurted out, "Two dollars and twenty-two cents."

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 and pulled a thumb-sized glass bottle from the leather bag at her waist with the other. She removed the cork and dripped two drops of essential oil onto the cash.

A rich herbal scent spread through the night breeze, spicy with a cloying hint of sweetness, like rosemary mixed with something he couldn't identify.

Hill balanced the oil-stained money on her palm, closed her eyes, and murmured under her breath.

The words were neither English nor any language he had ever heard. The syllables were ancient and obscure, like an incantation unearthed from some dusty old tome.

A few seconds later, she suddenly opened her eyes.

Smack!

She slapped the five dollars in bills and coins straight onto Evan's face.

"Ten becomes twenty! Bad luck, disperse!"

Her sharp rebuke exploded through the night.

Evan's body jolted.

He clearly felt something being stripped away from his body.

The sensation was hard to describe. It was like having a set of wet clothes worn all day suddenly ripped off him, or like a boulder pressing on his chest being carried away.

His body became lighter, his breathing smoother, and even the pain from the two bruises on his back seemed to lessen.

The bad luck had retreated.

Evan peeled the money off his face, rolled his shoulders, and let out a lighthearted sigh.

"The mob charges nine and takes back thirteen."

"Your ten becomes twenty is way harsher."

First Kiss, Demon Hunter Beyonder Characteristic

Hill put the bottle of essential oil back into her waist bag and said nonchalantly, "Beyonders should be ruthless with themselves."

Evan put away the money from his face, looked down and counted what he had left, thought for two seconds, then pulled out two dollars and handed them to Hill.

"Thank you, Master, for helping me."

It wasn't that Evan was particularly generous.

He had noticed Hill's golden vertical pupils staring intensely at the money in his hand, her gaze precisely tracking every bill and every coin.

He knew that look all too well.

Back when he worked in sales on Earth, he had seen it countless times in the mirror.

Hill didn't stand on ceremony. She snatched the two dollars, stuffed them into her waist bag, and did it with crisp efficiency.

"Don't mention it!"

She patted the bag to make sure the money was safely inside, then her tone shifted and became more serious.

"Oh, and don't blame yourself too much over those gang members. The demons of hell should welcome this batch of new guests."

She glanced south toward the old factory. Under the moonlight, the ruins lay dark and heavy, like a crouching beast.

"You also don't need to worry about a police investigation afterward. With the Batrus Family's influence, they can clean up something this minor."

Evan nodded in understanding.

Batrus. Another new name. Better remember it.

He cautiously continued asking.

"Then can I still go to school normally? Can I still get potions from Professor Pulis?"

Hill said, "Just keep attending school as usual. He won't make a fuss."

"What happened tonight is trouble for him too. He'd rather pretend none of it ever happened."

"As for whether you can keep getting potions, that depends on how persuasive you are. You can tell he thinks highly of you."

She paused, her tone turning casual.

"There's no fundamental conflict between me and them. When all's said and done, we're all Beyonders enslaved by capitalists."

Evan blinked.

"Vampires are enslaved by capital too?"

Hill glanced at him, a meaningful glint passing through her golden vertical pupils.

"For the long millennia before this, they were called the Bloodthirsty Species."

Her voice dropped half a notch, as if she were revealing a secret not meant to be mentioned in public.

"Who do you think the name 'Vampire' is taking the blame for?"

"The little blood they drink is nothing compared to factories nowadays."

After hearing Hill's words, Evan remained silent for several seconds.

He had thought he had transmigrated into a Cthulhu-style world.

Monsters from the mysterious side lurked in the shadows, ordinary people trembled in ignorance, and the truth hid within ancient forbidden books and mad whispers.

But what she had just said made him realize the waters ran far muddier than he had imagined.

The supernatural wasn't an undercurrent separate from civilization. It had long since become entangled with industry, finance, and power, merging into the same river.

On the surface were sweatshops and stock exchanges. Beneath the water were potions and Beyonder Characteristics. And the people controlling the sluice gates fed from both sides.

"How did you discover Pulis's identity?" Hill's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Evan came back to himself.

"He makes no sound when he walks. He's afraid of light, wears a hooded trench coat all year round, and keeps his curtains drawn tight at all times. The medicine he gave me had a strong smell of blood."

"Most importantly, I got stronger far too quickly. That's not something ordinary medicine could do."

"I wasn't completely sure at first, until just now, when I smelled Professor Pulis's perfume on that Vampire."

Hill reached out and patted Evan on the shoulder with considerable force, making him stagger half a step.

"Good insight, boy! Looks like you've got talent for becoming a Demon Hunter."

Evan rubbed his aching shoulder, a fire burning in his eyes.

"Master, is becoming a Demon Hunter complicated?"

Hill nodded and began counting on her fingers.

"Very complicated. You need to gradually adapt to all kinds of potions and improve your drug resistance."

"You need to train your physical condition, understand the basic framework of mystical rituals, and become familiar with the traits of various herbs and magical creatures."

"Once you're ready, you can take a Demon Hunter Potion to undergo the transformation."

After hearing that, Evan directly asked what was on his mind.

"My drug resistance is strong. Can I take the potion directly?"

This world was far more dangerous to people at the bottom than he had expected.

Curses, Vampires, uncontrolled potion experiments—any one of them could kill him.

He wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible, at least enough to protect himself.

Hill looked him over from head to toe, her golden vertical pupils narrowing slightly as though she were making some kind of assessment.

"A Demon Hunter Potion contains the Beyonder Characteristic of a deceased Demon Hunter."

Her tone became more serious.

"Are you sure your current mental state can withstand it?"

Evan didn't hesitate for long.

"As long as it's a potion, I can handle it."

Hill stared at him for three seconds.

A trace of struggle flashed through her golden vertical pupils. Her lips pressed together, loosened, then pressed together again.

Then she gritted her teeth.

"Fine."

The next second, before Evan could react, a hand had already grabbed his collar.

Hill was astonishingly strong. She yanked Evan over, turned, and pinned him against the trunk of an old oak tree by the roadside.

The rough bark dug into his back, sending a burning pain through his bruises.

One hand held down his shoulder while the other lifted his chin.

Moonlight shone on her face. Her golden vertical pupils were right before him, reflecting his image.

Then she kissed him.

Evan's mind went blank for 0.3 seconds.

The instant their lips touched, the first thing he noticed was a fresh herbal fragrance, like mint mixed with sage.

Then a stream of scorching liquid poured from her mouth into his.

Its temperature was abnormally high, like melted wax or highly concentrated chili oil. It burned from the root of his tongue down his throat, then from his throat into his stomach.

He didn't even have time to swallow before the liquid seemed to possess a will of its own, burrowing down his esophagus and sinking deep into his body.

Hill released him.

Evan leaned against the tree trunk, lips slightly parted, his eyes still carrying a trace of bewilderment.

"That was my first kiss." Evan's tone carried the resentful grievance of a young girl forcibly kissed.

"Mine too. I didn't take advantage of you." Hill's voice was far bolder.

Evan didn't dwell on it. He licked his lips and asked, "What was that?"

Hill took a step back and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

There was a faint, barely perceptible pain in her voice.

"My master's Beyonder Characteristic. He took the wrong potion and ascended to Potion Planet."

She lowered her head, and her silver hair fell down to conceal half her face.

"After extracting his Beyonder Characteristic, I couldn't afford a permanent containment vessel, so I could only make it into a temporary potion and store it inside my own body."

Her hand unconsciously pressed against her abdomen.

"Every day, I can feel that power leaking away, while it also contaminates my own body."

"The longer it goes on, the more it leaks, and the worse the contamination becomes."

She raised her head, something complicated churning in her golden vertical pupils.

"That's also why I was so eager to find you."

Before Evan could process the information, a violent cramp suddenly tore through his stomach.

It was as though someone had shoved a ball of red-hot wire into his stomach, then viciously twisted it.

```