"I want to ask, can I learn potion brewing?" Chen Shu asked earnestly. He had always wanted to learn potion brewing, as any Beast Master's elixirs were incredibly expensive.

And these were just low-grade elixirs, only suitable for Level 1 to Level 3 Contracted Spirits.

How much would the elixirs needed by a King-Level Beast Master be worth? It was a golden path paved with riches!

"Forget about it." The salesperson rolled their eyes and decisively turned away. Damn it! Chen Shu hadn't expected to be met with such disdain. Was his question really that stupid?

Chen Shu wandered around the department mall for a while and filed a complaint against the salesperson before quietly leaving the store.

Although he couldn't afford the elixirs, at least his Slime gained a bit of defense.

"Looks like I need to go back and study elixir knowledge."

After centuries of development, the human pharmaceutical industry had become incredibly advanced.

***

Chen Shu rode his bike homeward. Just then, he suddenly heard a woman's cries for help.

"Help! Help!" Chen Shu looked towards the dark alley. With the dim streetlight, he could barely make out the situation inside.

Two men were surrounding a woman, holding two shiny fruit knives, clearly in the act of robbery. At the same time, three options appeared before his eyes.

[Option 1: Ignore it and leave quickly. Reward: Small amount of Beast Power]

 

[Option 2: Fearlessly charge forward and take down the two thugs. Reward: Large amount of Beast Power. Note: Life-threatening]

 

[Option 3: Stop the thugs' actions. Reward: Skill Book: Gigantification!]

Chen Shu's mind raced, and he decisively chose the third option. He took a deep breath, held the bike handle with his right hand, pointed to the alley with his left, and shouted loudly.

"Stop! In broad daylight... cough, cough, under the cover of darkness, you dare commit a crime in public? I, Zhang Dali, will not let you off lightly!"

At that moment, Chen Shu seemed to transform into a messenger of justice, the streetlight casting a holy aura over him.

But in the next instant, he quickly steadied the bike handle with his left hand, his legs kicking off like a whirlwind, speeding away.

The two thugs were left staring dumbfounded at his retreating figure.

This seamless operation left the two completely stunned.

Meanwhile, a powerful singing voice echoed from afar. "When you see injustice, shout out loud, and keep moving forward after the shout!"

"Is that guy mentally ill?" one of the thugs said, shocked to encounter such a person.

He and his partner were dumbfounded. Just then, the woman in the alley suddenly pushed them aside and ran off, dialing the police as she went.

"Boss, should we chase her?"

"Chase my ass, didn't you see she called the police? What a rotten day, running into all sorts of people."

Chen Shu hummed a heroic song as he returned home. Clearly, the third option from the system was the most worthwhile.

The first was easy but offered little reward. The second had a good reward but was life-threatening, so Chen Shu dismissed it outright.

Although the third seemed difficult, the system only required him to stop them, not succeed in stopping them.

As long as he shouted, it counted as stopping them. As he had guessed, he successfully received the reward.

A golden skill book appeared in his hand, but he couldn't open it, only choose whether to use it. In an instant, the skill book disappeared, and the Golden Slime's skill list gained a new skill: Gigantification.

Gigantification: Temporarily doubles its size, slightly reducing speed. If combined with the Slime's Charge Attack skill, it should now be able to tackle a twenty-pound enemy.

Although it doesn't seem very useful, it indeed isn't very useful...

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

"Little Yellow, when will you grow to a few thousand pounds?"

Chen Shu patted the Slime, shaking his head.

A Level 1 Contracted Spirit's combat power was almost zero.

The next day, Chen Shu, with dark circles under his eyes, arrived at class. After spending half the night researching online, he finally had some understanding of potion brewing.

It was also a profession, and one with a very high social status, known as an Alchemist.

But the first requirement to become an Alchemist was to obtain a diploma from a Key University's Alchemy Major.

No wonder the salesperson looked at him with such disdain last night.

"Looks like potion brewing isn't a viable path." Just as Chen Shu was about to doze off, the class teacher, Fang Ke, appeared at the door. "Chen Shu, come to my office."

In an instant, Chen Shu perked up and went to the office.

"These are your results from yesterday!"

Fang Ke's usually kind face turned extremely serious, even more intimidating than 'Black Whirlwind.'

He waved his right hand, tossing the paper on the desk to Chen Shu.

Chen Shu, caught off guard, missed catching the paper. He glanced down and saw the score on the paper, feeling relieved.

"Teacher, I admit I've been a bit distracted lately, only scoring 91 points. I'll work harder next time," Chen Shu said with a sincere and determined look.

"That's damn 16 points!" Chen Shu looked down, picked up the paper, and realized he had read it upside down...

"Care to explain? Did you spend two years of high school playing in the mud?" Fang Ke's face was stern, and honestly, this score exceeded his tolerance.

This time, Chen Shu ranked last, and the second last had over sixty points, a huge gap.

Chen Shu was stunned, and options appeared before his eyes again.

[Option 1: Honestly admit your mistake and promise to do better next time. Reward: Double training speed for three days]

 

[Option 2: Seriously tell Fang Ke, "There's no mud at school." Reward: Master the brewing of Strength Elixir, unlock Basic Potion Science]

 

[Option 3: Request a retake to demonstrate stable performance. Reward: Medium Beast Power]

Who would have thought Fang Ke's question would trigger system options? The first option was too simple, clearly not worth considering, and the reward was mediocre.

He had no training talent, so doubling his training efficiency was useless.

The rewards for the second and third options were very tempting. Medium Beast Power could push his Beast Rank to the peak of a Level 1 Beast Master, though still at the bottom of the Beast Class.

The second option directly allowed him to master the brewing of Strength Elixir.

Chen Shu made up his mind and said seriously, "There's no mud at school."

"Hmm?" Fang Ke was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted.

"Get out and copy the test paper ten times!" He had never seen such a cheeky student, clearly not taking the teacher seriously.

Chen Shu left the office with a light step and a smile on his face. Although Fang Ke scolded him a bit, he had learned how to brew the Strength Elixir and unlocked the system's Potion Science.

"I'm rich, I'm rich..." Chen Shu walked away, grinning like a fool, clearly not a normal student.

Just then, a staggering figure came crashing into him, colliding head-on with the distracted Chen Shu.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan