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

The small group class ended at 4:00 PM sharp.

The fifteen students breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously, and the classroom was filled with the rustling sound of textbooks and notes being packed up. The atmosphere of relief was as if they had just walked through the gates of hell.

The ordeal related to academic credits may not be over yet.

As a respectable institution of higher learning, the University of Sages naturally needs to address both the spiritual and physical aspects of education.

There is about half an hour of mandatory physical activity after class every day. Failure to participate will result in a direct deduction of credits, with no room for negotiation.

You can choose the type of sport.

Running, baseball, boxing, rowing, rugby... all count.

With his small frame, Evan naturally chose running, which has the lowest barrier to entry.

At 4 o'clock in November, the setting sun was already dark red, casting long shadows on the playground.

The temperature also dropped to around 9 degrees Celsius.

Ivan jogged slowly around the cinder track with the team, the cinder crunching under his shoes.

He clearly felt much more relaxed than yesterday.

Yesterday, I was panting like a stranded fish after running the first lap, and today I only started to feel the strain on the second lap.

My legs feel stronger, and my lungs don't feel like they're working a bellows every time I breathe in, like before.

"A mere 0.2 improvement in physique is already this noticeable?"

While running, Ivan glanced at the group out of the corner of his eye.

He noticed that more than a dozen students were running listlessly, with dragging steps, pale faces, and some even had an abnormal bluish-purple tinge to their lips.

One of the tall, thin boys suddenly stopped running, bent over, and gagged twice while holding his knees. He was then helped to the sidelines by his classmates.

Ivan knew two of these students.

They were all people who had signed agreements to receive subsidies for impoverished students and were participating in drug trials together.

"If I didn't have the power of the Nine Dragons, I'd probably end up like them."

As Evan thought to himself, his foot instinctively veered towards the tall, thin man who was retching, wanting to go and lend a hand.

But reason prevailed and suppressed the thought in the next second.

"You must first manage yourself before you are qualified to manage others."

"Those guys even dare to use students to test potions on universities. If I meddle and give myself away, I'll probably be walking out of the school gate tomorrow."

"At the very least, one must... reach the extraordinary level."

He looked away, lowered his head, and continued running.

Panting heavily, the half-hour of running and stopping finally came to an end.

Ivan was bent over, his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, hitting the coal slag at his feet and being absorbed instantly.

My shirt was soaked through and clung to my back; a gust of wind made it feel chilly.

Although his physical condition improved, there is still a significant gap between 0.7 and a normal person's 1.

It was already 5:10 p.m., and the setting sun hung on the rooftops of the western buildings, turning half the sky into a murky orange-red.

The elm trees by the playground cast long shadows, and their leaves rustled in the evening breeze.

Generally speaking, evening self-study time is from 6:30 to 9:30.

But Ivan has decided to be absent today.

He has more important things to do.

After resting for a while, he took out the leftover lunch from Professor Priss that he had packed at noon from his bag.

The delicious and colorful food that was served at noon is now mixed together and lumped together.

The condensed grease resembles wax.

Although the taste was vastly different from what he ate at noon, it was still many times more delicious than the black bread and mixed bean soup he usually ate.

He finished his food in large bites, left the school gate, and squeezed onto a tram heading to the south of the city.

The carriage was still crowded, filled with workers getting off work, housewives returning from shopping, and a few sailors with flushed faces and thick necks from drinking, all sorts of smells mixed together.

Holding onto the handrail, Evan swayed with the tram for thirty minutes before jumping off at a stop near Guding Street.

"You look great, Ivan!"

An old but hearty voice came from behind.

Evan looked up and saw Old Tom, the shoe repairman downstairs, sitting on a low stool by the door, a woman's leather boot tucked between his knees, and poking holes in the sole with an awl in his hand.

The old man was in his fifties, with a head of messy gray hair. He wore a pair of reading glasses with wire wrapped around his legs on his nose, and his apron was covered with shoe polish and leather scraps.

Evan smiled and said, "I got praised by the teacher today."

As he spoke, he squatted down in front of Old Tom and raised one foot.

"Old Tom, could you fix these shoes for me? The heels are uneven, and I walk with a limp."

Old Tom put down the women's boots he was holding, glanced at Evan's faded leather shoes over his reading glasses, pinched the heel of his left shoe with his thumb, then pinched the heel of his right shoe, and clicked his tongue.

"Take it off first. Three cents."

Evan took off his shoes and handed them over, then moved closer to the old man, lowering his voice: "We're neighbors, I even helped you take care of your grandson before."

Old Tom has three children, two sons and a daughter, and now has six grandchildren, the oldest being twelve years old and the youngest still breastfeeding.

Thanks to their shoe repair skills, they were considered to be living a decent life in this neighborhood; at least they didn't go hungry.

The old man seemed to be in a good mood today; he grinned, revealing a few teeth stained yellow by tobacco.

"Alright, two cents."

He pulled a pair of shiny black wooden slippers from a wooden box at his feet and threw them at Evan.

"Come pick it up in an hour."

"grateful!"

Evan caught the slippers and put them on, the wooden soles making a crisp clattering sound as he stepped on the cobblestone pavement.

He turned and went into the stairwell, dragging his slippers up the creaking stairs, and took out his key to open the door.

The door was pushed open a crack, and a short, stocky figure walked out.

Zach.

The gang leader had a cigarette dangling from his lips, the red glow of the cigarette butt flickering in the dimly lit corridor.

His shirt was unbuttoned, the collar was open, revealing the distorted tattoo on his neck.

He smelled of sweat, cheap cologne, and that cheap perfume from Mary Kay.

"Brother Zack!" Evan greeted him with a familiar smile and stepped aside to make way.

The short, stocky Zack gave a curt "hmm," didn't even lift his eyelids, brushed past him, and stomped down the stairs in his leather boots.

Ivan went inside and closed the door behind him.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom; Mary was taking a shower.

The off-key Irish tune started playing again, mixed with the sound of water splashing against the body.

The living room was a complete mess because of the two of them.

The cushions of the canvas sofa were askew on the floor, and two empty wine bottles and a used glass were on the coffee table, with amber liquid remaining at the bottom of the glass.

Several cigarette butts were scattered on the ground, some crushed, and a woman's stocking, like a shed snakeskin, was draped over the back of a chair.

Ivan didn't have time to clean up these things.

He walked straight through the living room, returned to the master bedroom, and locked the door behind him.

With a click, the latch returned to its original position. He leaned against the door and let out a long sigh.

Then he took the black medicine bottle out of the inside pocket of his jacket.

The bottle felt slightly cool in my palm.

He held it up to the kerosene lamp and looked at it in the light; he could vaguely see the outline of the pill inside the bottle.

"Potions generally take 12 hours to digest, and the same potion cannot be taken consecutively."

He was quickly calculating in his mind.

"What if I take two pills at once? The effect is stronger, the side effects are more severe, but the growth is also faster."

Risk and reward swayed twice in his mind like two ends of a scale, before being quickly dismissed.

"No, don't rashly show off your uniqueness."

He unscrewed the bottle stopper.

A strong, pungent smell of blood hit me, so strong it felt like I was standing right up to the top of the slaughterhouse's drainage ditch.

Evan frowned and looked down into the bottle.

Seven blood-red pills lay quietly at the bottom of the bottle, each one a size larger than the black pill of the Night Demon Potion, with a smooth and moist surface.

Under the kerosene lamp, it glowed with a dark, almost blackish red, like congealed blood.

"Could it be made of some kind of blood?"

Evan dispensed one of each of the two potions and held it in his palm.

The pill felt warm to the touch, unlike an inorganic substance; it felt more like something alive.

He put two pills into his mouth.

The moment my tongue touched the pill, a strong, rusty taste exploded in my mouth—sweet, pungent, and sticky, as if I had bitten my own tongue.

He grabbed the water glass on the table, took a big gulp of water, and swallowed the pills.

[You have ingested an incomplete Night Demon Potion. Effects last: 12 hours.]

[Effect: Permanently increases Constitution by 0.2]

[Reversal progress: 4 hours.]

……

[You have consumed the Blood Potion. Effects last: 12 hours.]

[Effects: While the drug's effects are ongoing, it greatly increases your desire to exercise and anabolic activity; it also permanently improves your physical fitness by 0.1.]

[Did you reverse the side effects?]

"Twist!"

[Reversal progress: 4 hours.]

Before Evan could even feel happy, a line of red warning text suddenly popped up on the panel.

[A chain reaction has been detected between the Blood Potion and the Night Demon Potion, producing terrifying side effects...]

[Did you reverse the side effects?]

Ivan's pupils dilated: "A trap for me?"

"Twist!"

[Reversal progress: 8 hours.]