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

Hill's expression subtly changed.

"I controlled his mind."

After she finished speaking, she reached up and scratched the back of her head, her long silver hair becoming somewhat messy from her fingers.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.

"I'm afraid you'll be bewitched by vampires and won't listen to me."

"I was thinking of taking advantage of this guy's loss of control to play the hero and save the day at a crucial moment."

She paused for a moment, then tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I didn't expect you to be so smart; you managed to stabilize the situation all by yourself."

As Evan looked at the witcher who so frankly and openly told the truth, the tension in his heart eased slightly.

This person is not cunning, or rather, she disdains to hide things.

Before Evan could press further, Hill looked him up and down, his tone becoming more serious.

"The fact that you reminded the homeless to seek refuge during the crisis shows that you still have a chivalrous heart."

"You've deduced that Pris is a vampire just by taking medicine and analyzing it, which shows you're quite clever."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her golden vertical pupils burning with intense light, and asked the question directly before Ivan could even ask.

"Interested in becoming a Witcher?"

"what?"

Ivan was stunned.

He never expected this day to come so soon.

He didn't even need to beg or plead; the door to extraordinary opportunities opened to him on its own initiative.

He suppressed the surging excitement in his heart, maintaining a perfect balance of confusion and probing on his face.

"Then... what can a Witcher do?"

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

"There are so many!"

She stretched out her fingers and broke them off one by one.

"Witchers don't need to cram too many extraordinary traits into their bodies like other extraordinary professions."

"We mainly rely on the temporary enhancement of the body by potions."

"Because the extraordinary properties of the potion are temporary, they will not cause permanent changes to the body."

"Therefore, among all extraordinary professions, we witchers have the lowest probability of going insane and losing control."

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

He knew about the extraordinary characteristics.

The progress of the "basic vampire seed" in his body has now reached eight percent.

Judging from the panel's attribute design, it seems that the extraordinary professions in this world acquire power by incorporating different extraordinary characteristics.

"If you rely entirely on potions, wouldn't your power be only temporary?" he countered.

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

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

"If you're not afraid of going crazy, just drink the permanent one, and you'll be done with it once and for all."

"If you're afraid of going crazy, just drink temporary drinks, use them and leave, be flexible and adaptable."

She stood with her hands on her hips, her chin slightly raised, the moonlight illuminating her profile and outlining a proud silhouette.

"That's how we witchers are: comprehensive, flexible, and able to advance and retreat at will."

"And what's the price?"

Hill's momentum instantly diminished by three points.

She coughed and looked away.

"It's expensive. And it's very easy to get poisoned by potions."

She sighed, her tone revealing a genuine sense of helplessness.

"The making, experimentation, research and development, and testing of potions all require money, a lot of manpower and materials."

"The most essential ingredients for extraordinary properties require purchasing at high prices or hunting monsters personally."

She spread her hands, making a helpless expression.

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

Ivan blinked.

"You're already an extraordinary being, yet you still submit to capitalists?"

Hill's golden vertical pupils widened suddenly, as if he had been stepped on.

"Times have changed, young people!"

Her voice suddenly rose, her arms waving, her silver hair flying in the night wind.

"The most powerful superhumans these days are those despicable capitalists!"

"Industry is developing, and population is gathering! Efficiency, wealth, finance, and factories have become the mainstream of the world today!"

"The monsters, witches, demons, and prophets of the past must all adapt to the times."

"You think those ancient supernatural powers can still hide in castles and act as local tyrants like they did in the Middle Ages? Impossible!"

She paused for a moment, her tone shifting from impassioned to serious.

"The foundation of the extraordinary is people. Whoever can control more people can gain more power."

"This is the ironclad rule of our time."

Ivan remained silent for a few seconds.

The extraordinary system of this world deviated greatly from his expectations.

Traditional methods of cultivation, meditation, and comprehending the Dao are no longer available.

Everything today is inextricably linked to the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of capital.

But based on his own experiences over the past few days, he could understand to some extent.

Pris was able to conduct potion experiments openly at the University of the Sages not because of his personal strength, but because of the protective network woven from money, power, and institutions behind him.

Hill continued, speaking in a tone as if he were giving a new recruit basic pre-enlistment training.

"The symbol of the extraordinary: gold. The fifth extraordinary path, which has only been artificially opened up in the last hundred years."

"This path has become even more prosperous, especially after countries around the world shifted to the gold standard."

"It encompasses three extraordinary professions: financiers, judges, and factory owners. They are collectively referred to as capitalists."

Her golden vertical pupils turned to Ivan, her gaze sharpening.

"The curse of bad luck on you comes from the financier."

"By taking your money, they have stolen your luck. That's why you're having such a bad day."

Ivan's face showed a look of understanding, while at the same time a strange feeling arose in his heart.

The extraordinary things in this world seem to be getting more and more interesting.

Will losing money also mean losing good fortune?

It seems that being a financier is a profession where one's abilities are exercised through money.

This perfectly fits the stereotype of Ivan.

But he didn't think about it for long.

There are more practical problems to solve right now.

"Master, how can I break free from this bad luck?"

When he was called "Master", Hill's back straightened noticeably.

Her lips curled up uncontrollably, and she became beaming with joy, her golden vertical pupils sparkling with the satisfaction of being respected.

“Simple.” She cleared her throat, trying to make her tone sound experienced and composed.

"If you were defrauded of a certain amount, you can use double the amount to offset the loss through a ritual, and that will undo the loss."

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

He paused for a moment, then added, "I also got eleven dollars back from Mary."

Hill nodded: "Give me five dollars."

Ivan counted out five dollars from his pocket and handed them over.

Hill held the money in his hand, and with his other hand, he took out a glass bottle about the size of a thumb from the leather bag at his waist, uncorked it, and dripped two drops of essential oil onto the money.

A rich herbal scent wafted in the night breeze, spicy with a hint of sweetness, like rosemary mixed with something he couldn't name.

Hill held the oil-stained money in his palm, closed his eyes, and murmured something as his lips moved slightly.

The words were not English or any language he had ever heard; the syllables were ancient and obscure, like incantations unearthed from some dusty tome.

A few seconds later, she suddenly opened her eyes.

Snapped!

She slapped a five-dollar bill and coins across Ivan's face.

"Ten out, twenty back! Bad luck gone!"

A clear shout rang out in the night.

Ivan's body jolted violently.

He clearly felt something being peeled away from his body.