Human Genius? Sorry, I’m a Deviant-Chapter 5: Awakening Potion

Su Zhan could feel that his current strength was just one step away from reaching the Low-Risk level.
According to the original body's memories,
on Blue Star,
awakened individuals had five power levels, from lowest to highest: Dew Realm, Stream Realm, Tide Realm, Abyss Realm, and Ocean Realm.
The same applied to aberrants, categorized as: Low-Risk, Medium-Risk, High-Risk, Special-Risk, and Calamity.
Of course, immediately after initial mutation, one usually wouldn't reach even the first stage.
Su Zhan was currently in this phase, which had no official name.
People simply called it "Unranked."
Su Zhan returned to his normal state, the scales on his body gradually receding.
"I should rest for a while."
Su Zhan jumped backward, landing heavily on his bed.
Aberrants didn't have an easy life in this world.
Not only did they have to hunt humans to survive,
but they also had to evade detection by awakened individuals.
The days ahead would be tough indeed.
...
One month later.
Class 2-3, Jiangcheng No.3 High School.
When Su Zhan pushed open the classroom door, the noisy room instantly fell silent for a second.
Wearing a black windbreaker with the collar turned up, he silently walked down the aisle.
For this entire month, he'd felt no urge to hunt humans.
Yet the principle that aberrants could only survive and grow stronger by hunting humans was considered absolute truth on Blue Star.
This was strange. Extremely strange.
Aberrants couldn't gain energy from eating anything else -
only by consuming... that.
Yet this fundamental rule didn't apply to Su Zhan at all.
He could eat whatever he wanted without any issues for the past month.
What did this mean?
He didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried.
The relief came from not having to risk hunting anymore -
he personally found the idea of "hunting" repulsive.
The worry was: if aberrants needed that to grow stronger, did his abnormalities even make him an aberrant anymore? How could he grow stronger?
Having crossed worlds, how could he settle for an ordinary life?
"Isn't that Su Zhan?"
"I heard his parents were burned alive."
"How tragic."
Whispers spread throughout the classroom.
Su Zhan walked expressionlessly to his seat and stuffed his backpack into the desk.
He could feel his classmates' gazes -
pity, curiosity, avoidance.
"My cousin's in the fire department. He said the flames were especially fierce that night."
"Shh! Keep it down!"
"Why? It's not like his parents..."
"Quiet!"
A sharp voice cut through the murmuring.
A refined young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood at the podium.
After scanning the room, he declared: "The Awakening Day is the day after tomorrow, and you're still gossiping about irrelevant matters!"
Awakening Day.
When Daxia officials would assist all eighteen-year-olds in undergoing unified awakening.
This was their chance to climb the social ladder!
The students immediately hunched over their textbooks, pretending to study.
Su Zhan lifted his eyelids slightly.
The man at the podium was their homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang.
Despite his authoritative demeanor in class, he was actually quite friendly with students privately.
This paradox only made students respect him more.
"Su Zhan, come get your new textbooks."
After saying this, Mr. Wang left the classroom.
Su Zhan sighed and stood up.
His original textbooks had turned to ash in the fire.
He hadn't expected Mr. Wang to remember and prepare a new set for him.
Knocking lightly on the teachers' office door,
"Come in."
A clear male voice responded.
Inside, four teachers were busy at their desks.
By the window,
Mr. Wang, a young male teacher around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, looked up.
"Su Zhan."
Setting down his red pen, Mr. Wang pulled out a stack of brand-new textbooks from under his desk: "These are for you."
"Thank you, Mr. Wang."
Taking the books, Su Zhan inhaled their fresh paper scent.
Standing up, Mr. Wang was slightly shorter than Su Zhan.
He patted Su Zhan's shoulder gently: "The school applied for special hardship subsidies for you. You have my number - contact me if you need anything."
"I understand. Thank you."
Su Zhan actually had no financial difficulties -
he'd inherited 300,000 from his parents, more than enough for daily expenses.
"Good. You're all adults now, so I won't lecture you."
Mr. Wang changed the subject: "Did you buy the Awakening Potion yet?"
Awakening Potion.
A human-developed serum that increased awakening probability.
Only effective for first-time use, with diminishing returns thereafter.
Official data claimed it boosted awakening chances by 30%.
Important note: this 30% was calculated from humanity's base 10% awakening rate.
Meaning the actual increase was from 10% to 13%, not 40%.
Despite the mere 3% actual boost, prices remained exorbitant.
Countless brands flooded the market, all offering the same marginal improvement.
The average potion cost around 350,000.
Yet demand never waned.
Families routinely bankrupted themselves for their children's slim chance at awakening.
"Not yet."
Su Zhan replied.
Mr. Wang sighed, retrieving a document from his drawer: "New policy - more subsidy slots for seniors this year."
He paused: "Given your circumstances, you could get 20% off.
The Awakening Day is approaching. Buy soon if you're going to, but don't overextend yourselves. You're adults - just take responsibility for your own futures."
Su Zhan recalled another memory -
a couple in East District selling their only home last week to buy their son a Celestial Awakening Potion.
After three days of high fever, their child failed to awaken.
In despair, the father jumped from the pharmaceutical company's rooftop.
"The cheapest Dawn Potion still costs 300,000 now."
A young female teacher interjected: "Zhang Ming's parents in my class mortgaged their rural homestead...
Putting everything on the line, who knows how it'll turn out...
We can only pray at this point, and then there's also that student in our class who..."
"Ms. Jing, free for dinner tonight?"
Mr. Wang cut her off with a smile.
Ms. Jing rolled her eyes, seemingly regretting engaging with him: "Busy."
Su Zhan's lips twitched.
This was typical of his teacher - utterly unserious in private.
All the students knew this.
But Mr. Wang's teasing held deeper meaning to him now.
Ms. Jing's words had been demoralizing.
Mr. Wang's interruption, disguised as flirtation, had actually spared him additional pressure.
Turning back to Su Zhan, Mr. Wang said: "Don't stress too much. Natural awakenings do happen without potions."
In Daxia, what did being awakened mean?
Privilege. Status.
Even the most useless awakened ability guaranteed employment.
Awakened individuals had become corporate status symbols -
companies bragged about their numbers, even when their abilities contributed nothing to work.
Simply put, awakened individuals were organizational trophies - the more you had, the more prestige you commanded.
"I'll consider it. Thank you, teacher."
Gathering his new textbooks, Su Zhan left the office.
From here, he could see the giant billboard on the distant building:
[Celestial Awakening Potion - Your Child's Chance to Change Destiny!]
[Down payment starts at 80,000, 0% interest installment plans available.]
In this mad world, ordinary people's only hope for upward mobility seemed to be gambling on that sub-10% awakening chance.
But this had nothing to do with aberrants.
"Aberrants cannot become awakened."
This was the world's consensus.
"However, I'm still under suspicion."
Su Zhan reflected on the past month -
the suspicious figures constantly near his rented apartment.
The clumsy new pancake vendor at the school gate.
The new downstairs neighbor who coincidentally appeared whenever Su Zhan went out.
Most blatant was the baseball-capped youth who'd worn the same jacket while tailing him for five straight days, not even bothering to change disguises.
Couldn't even pretend properly.
These were undoubtedly Aberrant Purge Division agents,
seeking evidence of his aberrant nature.
Under such surveillance, even if Su Zhan wanted to "hunt," he couldn't.