I'm a proper student; I only take nine kinds of potions every day.

"The Gus gang..."

Ivan was well aware of the Gus gang's methods.

He had heard of debtors having their arms cut off and the severed limbs thrown into the mud at the docks to feed crabs.

I witnessed firsthand how the owner of the food truck on the street corner was beaten to death by three men on the cobblestone road because he couldn't pay protection money, and none of the bystanders dared to call the police.

I once saw my parents being extorted by the Guz gang through a narrow crack in the door. My father was bent over, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, as he respectfully handed over the envelope.

"If being extraordinary is a privilege of the wealthy in this world, then a powerful force like the Gus Gang, which occupies a certain area, must also have extraordinary individuals."

Legend has it that the leader of the Gus gang is a mysterious prophet who can see many things and predict a person's daily fortune.

The old drunks in the tavern whispered that the reason the Gus gang was able to stand firm in this neighborhood was because of this.

It's not just because they're physically strong, but also because their eldest brother "knows everything."

Evan carefully stepped out of the bathroom, testing the floor's stability with his toes before putting his weight on it.

His 1.9-meter physique gives him keen hearing and vision, allowing him to capture many subtle details.

Which piece of floorboard is loose? Where are the burrs on the door frame? Which corner of the table is pointing directly at a person's temple?

The entire apartment became a map full of traps in his eyes.

He walked around the canvas sofa in the living room, went back to the bedroom, and locked the door.

"Zack will come knocking on my door soon. When that happens, I'm definitely not going to get away with it."

"If that's the case, then let's fight it out. If all else fails, we can always go find Pris."

"He used me for drug testing, so if he wants to continue testing drugs, he must provide me with protection."

"This is a transaction, not a beggar's plea."

Thinking of this, Ivan took out the thumb-sized glass bottle that Pris had given him from the inside pocket of his jacket.

The dark red, viscous liquid swayed slowly in the bottle, and a strong smell of blood could be smelled even through the glass.

It's already past six o'clock; in November, it's long before it gets completely dark.

Only the last, dim yellow light from the streetlamp shone through the gaps in the curtains.

He unscrewed the wax seal, tilted his head back, and poured the viscous liquid into his mouth.

A strong, pungent smell of blood exploded in my mouth, a mixture of rust, saltiness, and a deeper, more animalistic stench.

He thought he was going to throw up.

but no.

Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.

The liquid was spicy and warm, sliding down my esophagus like a mouthful of mildly spicy chili oil.

The heat started burning from my throat all the way down to my stomach, and then it quickly spread to my limbs.

You have ingested the Night Demon Potion. Effects last: 12 hours.

[Effect: When the drug is in effect and it is nighttime, perception is increased by 30%, and night vision is increased by 200%.]

[Did you reverse the side effects?]

"Reversal".

[Reversal progress: 4 hours.]

The world changed the moment the potion was consumed.

It was as if someone had simultaneously turned the brightness knob in his eyes and the volume knob in his ears to maximum.

The room was completely dark, with no lights on, but his eyes could see everything clearly.

Every word in the old newspapers on the wall, every scratch on the table, every crease on the bed sheet—everything is clearly visible, as if under the midday sun.

However, the color is on the cooler side, with a faint bluish-gray hue, like looking at the world through a tinted glass.

Their ears are incredibly sensitive.

The sound of old Tom talking downstairs and the baby crying in the next building all seemed to be right next to my ear.

"Pris's research is progressing so quickly? The Night Demon Potion is already finished?"

He had previously taken an "unfinished Night Demon Potion," which only crudely improved his physique and didn't match the name "Night Demon" at all.

To my surprise, the finished product was completed in just four days.

And this finished product truly lives up to its name.

Night ghost.

A ghostly perception and vision in the darkness.

Just then, Evan's incredibly sensitive ears caught a sound.

It came from downstairs.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from more than one person.

The thud of leather boots on the cobblestone pavement was accompanied by rough curses.

he knows.

Zach is here.

Ivan didn't wait for them to come up and kick the door.

He walked over and opened the apartment door.

Rather than letting the door get kicked down and having to spend money to repair it, it's better to save that expense.

Heavy, hurried footsteps echoed in the stairwell, growing ever closer.

Then the short, stocky Zach appeared at the top of the stairs.

Behind him were four teenagers, around seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing cheap work jackets and dirty boots, their faces showing the fierceness and excitement typical of young people who frequent the streets.

Mary huddled at the back, her left cheek swollen high, her right arm in a sling, her eyes red like a rabbit's, and she kept cursing.

As soon as Zach saw Evan standing at the door, he roared angrily.

"Arkham! You fucking want to die!"

After cursing, he kicked her.

That kick was fast and vicious, aimed straight for Evan's abdomen.

With the enhanced perception from the Night Demon Potion, Evan's body became incredibly agile.

He twisted his waist slightly, tilting his upper body less than three inches to the right. Zach's boot tip grazed the hem of his shirt, missing its mark, and the momentum carried his short, stocky body forward half a step.

Ivan took a step back, steadied himself, and spoke calmly.

"Zack, this is my house, not yours."

Seeing that Ivan dared to dodge, Zach was stunned for a second, then laughed in anger.

A twisted smile appeared on his rugged face, and the distorted snake tattoo on his neck twitched slightly as he clenched his jaw muscles.

"You fucking want to die."

He waved his hand.

The four young thugs behind him moved at the same time.

Two men pulled short iron bars from their jackets, one pulled out a piece of lead pipe wrapped in cloth, and the last one clenched his fist.

The four people spread out in a fan shape and approached Evan from three directions.

With a physical constitution of 1.9 and the Night Demon Potion boosting their perception by 30%, these people moved as slowly as if they were swimming in water.

The first iron bar swung from the right, and Evan saw its trajectory, speed, and landing point.

He dodged to the side, and the iron bar grazed his ear as it slammed into the door frame, sending splinters of wood flying.

"Damn it! You owe me for my door frame!" Evan roared.

Repairing this hole will cost at least 8 cents!

As he spoke, he simultaneously threw out his right fist.

The fist struck the thug squarely in the jaw.

The power from his 1.9 physique was concentrated on a single fist. The thug's head snapped back, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward like a plank of wood.

He slammed his head on the sofa with a dull thud, and the iron bar flew out of his hand, clattering as it rolled into the living room.

The second thug swung a lead pipe down from the left.

Evan dodged to the side, and the lead pipe struck the spot where he had just been standing, leaving a dent in the wooden floor.

He raised his right foot and kicked the thug in the chest.

The immense force sent the man flying out of the room, crashing into the stairwell railing with a dangerous crack. He slid down the railing and fell to the ground, clutching his chest and curling up like a shrimp.

Before the remaining two could react, Ivan had already moved in front of them.

With his left hand, he grabbed a fist that someone was swinging at him, clenched his fingers, and twisted it forcefully.

A cracking sound came from his wrist joint, and the thug screamed and fell to his knees.

Evan released his grip and slammed an elbow into the back of his neck, causing him to fall to the ground motionless.

The last one was so frightened that he turned and ran, but after only two steps, Evan caught up with him in a flash and kicked him in the lower back.

The person collapsed in the corridor, chin hitting the floor, a bloody tooth spitting out of their mouth.

It took less than ten seconds in total.

All four people fell to the ground.

Just as Ivan turned around, his extremely sensitive ears caught a faint sound.

The sound of metal rubbing together.

It was very light and short, but with the enhancement of the Night Demon Potion's perception, it was as clear as if it were right next to my ear.

That was the sound of the gun's safety being released.

Ivan's body reacted faster than his mind.

He leaped out of the door, braced his hands on the stair railing, flipped over, and landed on the platform half a floor below.

The sound of the boots landing was dull and steady, and the slight bend in the knees absorbed the impact.

Just as Zack drew his short-barreled revolver from his waist and before he could even raise the muzzle, Ivan had already disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

Ivan's voice echoed from downstairs, reverberating in the empty stairwell with a deliberate, provocative flippancy.

"A bunch of useless trash! Come down here if you dare!"

Zach gripped the gun, his hand, veins bulging, trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear, it was anger.

But he did not fire.

The nature of the matter completely changes when a shot is fired inside an apartment building.

The Gus gang can run rampant in this neighborhood because the police officers who have taken bribes turn a blind eye.

It's okay to beat someone up, it's okay to collect protection money, but breaking into a house and shooting someone will make the news.

If it makes the news, the city hall will have to send someone to investigate, and no one will have a good time if they do.

Zach had never been humiliated like this by a sickly person.

After shoving the gun back into his waistband, he kicked one of his men who was groaning on the ground.

"Get up! Get up, all of you!"

"Go, call a few more people over here!"

His voice echoed in the stairwell, rough and menacing.

"I'm going to break both his legs today!"