My Disciples Grind, I Get 100x Their Progress

In the eastern part of the Slums lay an area the locals called Rust Drain, once, before the Invasion, it had been a water treatment and purification facility. Now, most of the buildings had been swallowed up by makeshift shacks, rusted-out pipes, exposed wiring, and cramped passageways that didn’t even show up on any official Safe Zone map.

And in this area lived an illegal Doctor who dealt in medicine. A place people came to when they needed cheap treatment but didn’t want to risk setting foot in a proper hospital. Ariel knew about this place because plenty of people from the Slums came here for cheap treatment. From overhearing them talk, he’d also caught wind that Varek quietly sold a few kinds of illegal Serums on the side.

Ariel led Julian and Kina toward a fairly large stretch of property. Having a whole yard tucked away in such a cramped alley already made it obvious the doctor here wasn’t exactly a nobody in this territory.

A group of big, coarse-looking men had gathered there, talking amongst themselves around the yard, the exact same kind of scene Julian had seen down in the tavern floor of the inn.

The moment they stepped in, Ariel and Clana might’ve gone unnoticed. But Julian and Kina immediately drew heavy attention, their unfamiliar appearance making it obvious they didn’t belong here at all.

’Ugh...’ Julian felt the weight of all those stares pressing down on him, forcing himself to ignore the discomfort and keep walking. They stopped in front of an old house, its walls noticeably thicker and more solid than the ones around it.

Without a word, Ariel pushed the door open, letting out a low creak, revealing the space inside.

The smell of medicine flooded Julian’s senses. At a glance, the inside looked like an ordinary pharmacy, nothing special about it at all. A shelf near the front held fever medicine, antiseptics, bandages, cheap painkillers, and the usual kind of Slum medicine, all laid out in plain sight.

’Or maybe this really is just a regular pharmacy?’

Julian’s thought trailed off the moment he heard someone exhale, a stream of smoke curling out from an old cigar clenched between their lips.

There, seated in a chair behind a desk, was a man in his late forties. His hair had thinned long ago, his teeth were mostly gone, and his skin had darkened with age. His fish-like eyes flicked toward Ariel briefly, then drifted over to the others.

”What are you all looking for? There’s no miracle cure that’ll fix you up here, and there’s no cheap medicine either.”

He looked utterly indifferent, glancing away as though none of this interested him in the slightest. Hearing that, Ariel stepped aside, clearing the way for Julian and Kina to move forward.

”I brought you here,” he said.

Julian nodded, then stepped forward with Kina trailing behind him.

”Do you sell Mimic Serum here?”

Julian asked it flat out, no hesitation. The old man coughed at that, choking on his own cigar smoke, waving the air in front of him before looking at Julian with watery eyes.

”...You want a Serum? That won’t come cheap, especially not a Mimic Serum.”

’How expensive are we talking...? That won’t eat up too much of Kina’s money, right?’

Julian looked visibly worried, though Kina herself couldn’t care less.

”We have money. Can we stop wasting time here? Your smoke smells absolutely disgusting.”

The man blinked, not the least bit offended by Kina’s words. He took another drag off his cigar and exhaled slowly. That made Kina wince, pinching her nose shut.

”I’m Varek. You can call me that. Now follow me.”

”....?”

Varek walked toward the far end of the room. Julian hesitated for a moment, then followed after him. There, a door hung, covered over with a dark cloth curtain.

Varek pulled the curtain aside, and immediately, a truly foul odor filled the air. Noticing Kina’s face scrunching up at the smell, Varek explained without even waiting to be asked.

”That’s the smell of the Serums. Remember? Serums are made from Alien body parts and organs, don’t go expecting them to smell like strawberries.”

”...I didn’t ask.”

Hearing how touchy Kina sounded, Julian stayed quiet. He couldn’t even manage to arrange his own expression right now, showing nothing but that same cold, indifferent look on his face.

It was a little painful to bear, but honestly, it still beat looking utterly ridiculous and inexperienced in front of his disciple, right?

Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Julian stepped into the room, following Varek ahead of him, with Kina trailing behind.

Inside, an old refrigerator sat there, along with glass containers holding pieces of Invader organs, several used surgical tools, and a locked metal box.

”Mimic Serum... Mimic Serum... Mimic Serum... Ah, here it is.”

Varek rummaged through the old refrigerator, checking through the contents one by one, then smiled and pulled out a small vial of the Serum.

It was tiny, about the size of a finger. Its transparent body revealed a dark purple liquid pulsing faintly inside.

”This is what you’re after. I’ll charge eight—a thousand credits for this one. I don’t negotiate.”

Looking at the Serum, Julian mulled it over for a moment. ”....How can I be sure this is the real thing, and not something faulty?”

’I really don’t want any chance of Kina using this Serum only to end up seizing on the floor and leaving me all alone out here. This world is genuinely terrifying. I’m getting way too paranoid.’

Julian’s mood soured just thinking about it.

”Tsk,” Varek clicked his tongue. But he didn’t complain, this was routine at this point. ”Watch closely. I’ll only use a small amount for the demonstration. A full dose lasts ten to fourteen days.”

He pressed the vial against his skin, letting the liquid seep in. He barely used any, just a few drops, enough to prove his point.

The very next second, his darkened skin lightened a shade, and the color of his eyes deepened, growing richer.

That lasted for about twenty seconds before Varek returned to his usual self, no lasting change whatsoever.

”See? This changes skin tone, eye color, hair color, and even alters your facial structure slightly. Don’t go expecting anything drastic, like getting taller, changing gender, that kind of thing, that’s way beyond what a Serum can do. Again, that’s a thousand credits.”

Kina’s eyes practically sparkled watching that demonstration. Hidden beneath the hood covering her face completely, a smile spread across her lips.

This was exactly the Serum that would get her back into the Central Area. With it, she’d finally get proper training and climb her way up from the bottom, proving once and for all how badly her family had misjudged her.

”I’ll take—”

”Five hundred credits, and we’ll buy it.”

Julian cut in first. Varek’s expression turned cold, while Kina froze stiff, twisting her neck to shoot Julian a bewildered look.

”Master...?” But Julian didn’t so much as glance her way. He showed no shift in expression whatsoever, leaving Kina speechless, lost in thought.

’Is that price really too high? But, I’ve got plenty of money. Hmm...’ Then Kina’s gaze shifted to Varek. ’This old man... he’s definitely trying to rip us off with some inflated price. Sure, we’ve got the money to spare, but that doesn’t mean he gets to just take advantage of us like that.’

Kina caught on instantly. Exactly what you’d expect from her Master. He’d figured this out in an instant, even though he’d only just woken up in this world, hadn’t he?

Her eyes lit up bright as she turned a sharp, displeased glare on Varek, radiating open hostility.

Meanwhile...

’A thousand? That sounds outrageously expensive! Isn’t a meal back at the inn only around fifteen credits?’

With a thousand credits, Julian could buy an enormous amount of food. He was fairly convinced the old man in front of him was trying to swindle him.

Sure, there was a real chance Julian simply didn’t understand how credit values actually worked in this world. But he didn’t regret it in the slightest. If anything, it’d be even better if he could save more credits, right?

He nodded to himself internally.

”Are you kidding me? Nobody sells a Mimic Serum at that price!”

’Is that so?’ Julian studied Varek for a long moment, hesitated briefly, then held up two fingers.

”Fine, six hundred credits, per Serum.”

”...Nine hundred, for one.”

”Seven hundred. I won’t go any higher than that.”

”Ugh... you damn bastard!”

Varek looked thoroughly irritated. The veins on his face stood out clearly, twitching with anger. Part of him wanted to refuse and throw Julian right out. But someone buying seven Serums all at once, even at a slightly lower price than he’d usually charge, still added up to a serious profit.

Could he really afford to pass this up?

No.

He’d regret it for sure if he let this one slip away.

”Fine, fine, four thousand nine hundred credits for all seven Serums.”

He clicked his tongue, turned around, grabbed the Mimic Serums, and wrapped them up in dark plastic. Then he handed the package over to Julian, saying:

”Payment up front, I don’t do credit here. And these Serums last ten to fourteen days. I’d recommend reapplying after ten days so the effect doesn’t wear off suddenly on you.”

Julian took the plastic bag, while Kina pulled out several long credit cards, each one worth a hundred credits per sheet. The cards were thick, built to last so they wouldn’t fall apart easily. After counting them out, Kina handed them over.

Varek recounted them, then nodded, waving a hand dismissively. ”Don’t get too confident about this. This Serum only changes what the eyes can see. Your Mana Signature, System Signature, and biological identity stay exactly the same. If they’re only checking your face, you’ll be fine. If they’ve got the real equipment on hand, this thing won’t save you.”

”That’s it, then? Get out of here. I told you clearly, no negotiations.”

Julian rejoiced silently, thoroughly pleased with himself. In his head, he was practically smiling, dancing around with sheer joy.

The Mimic Serum, successfully secured.