Chapter 11: The Witch’s Chaotic Brew

Chen Fan returned home safely. After intense exercise, his body temperature did not rise but actually dropped; to be precise, he was no longer feverish, and much of the heat had faded from his body. There was still some time before midnight, when his abilities would refresh, but Chen Fan remained energetic, without the slightest trace of sleepiness. Normally, this would have been his bedtime, but now he could only read to alleviate his guilty conscience.

“The nightlife of a werewolf is rather rich—much better than coffee,” he mused.

He’d heard that even in college, one still had to study Chinese and English, so he hadn’t dared to neglect those subjects. Lacking university textbooks, he simply reviewed his high school materials, treating it as revision. Others claimed that mathematics had changed form, that a towering tree had sprung up in the soil of the math department, hung with many people, but Chen Fan found himself lost in such talk and decided to ignore it for now.

“In the past, revision felt like torture; I couldn’t wait to finish and crawl back to bed. Now, the more I read, the more exhilarated I become, even feeling the urge to solve problems. If only this card had appeared a few months earlier, maybe I could have gone to the imperial capital for university.”

Chen Fan picked up a glass of cool water and took a small sip, careful not to drink too much.

Watching the clock, only three minutes remained until midnight. He set aside his reading and brought out the set of cards, eager to witness the miraculous transformation once more.

“Five, four, three, two, one...”

With the final count, Chen Fan saw his body shimmer with a ghostly light, the frequency quickening and the brightness intensifying. He switched off the lamp, and the glow seemed even brighter, reminiscent of the will-o’-the-wisps he had seen as a child.

Gradually, the flickering light unraveled from his body like silk drawn from a cocoon and swiftly dove back into the cards. The fierce image of the werewolf reappeared on the card’s surface.

“So that’s how it works. Remarkable,” Chen Fan said, turning the lights back on and examining the werewolf card before him—the piercing eyes, the wolf claws extended in attack.

“Is this the creature that inhabited my body yesterday? Is this fusion merely a granting of ability, or is it a deep union of souls?” Chen Fan pondered.

Meanwhile, a similar light flickered among the card stack. One brilliant strand broke free, spiraled, and injected itself back into Chen Fan’s body.

“So today’s identity is...” Chen Fan hurried to inspect which identity card had emptied.

Host: Chen Fan
Identity: Witch
Ability: Magic Dissolver
Duration: 24 hours, refreshed daily at midnight
Note: You never know what flavor your next glass of mineral water will have

“A witch card, huh? What on earth is a magic dissolver?” Chen Fan wondered, touching his chest. Everything felt the same as before. The witch depicted on the card was a busty woman, seductively holding two bottles of potion, her long dress failing to conceal her fair legs, her gaze alluring like a bar hostess.

It seemed the fusion was only an infusion of ability and had nothing to do with the card’s gender or appearance. Having confirmed his guess, Chen Fan felt relieved.

“Try picking up a glass of water and drinking it,” the Elder card suddenly advised.

“Hm? Where’s the dissolver?” Chen Fan, half skeptical, drank the cool water and frowned. “Why does this water taste like cola?”

Surprised, he poured another glass. “This time it’s fruit tea, and icy cold too.”

“The magic dissolver is attached to your hand, but it only works on water you drink yourself; other liquids are unaffected. For now, your ability can only alter water’s taste. In reality, you’re still drinking water,” explained the Elder.

Chen Fan swirled the clear, pure water in his glass. “Is this an illusion? Also, the witch holds two bottles—if I can make the water taste as I wish, shouldn’t I also be able to make it taste unpleasant?”

“The dissolver attached to your left hand is the other kind. Without exception, the liquid it creates cannot be drunk,” the Elder replied, stroking his beard and nodding.

“Is that so? Let me try.” Since his ability lasted only twenty-four hours, Chen Fan dared not waste a single second. He poured another glass, this time holding it in his left hand.

To be safe, he sniffed it carefully, fanning the air, but detected nothing.

Chen Fan drank without a second thought.

“Pfft—my throat!”

He spat out the water at once, the burning sensation spreading through his mouth. He rushed to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and rinsed thoroughly.

The water had turned into concentrated sulfuric acid.

Seeing Chen Fan’s panicked state, the Elder smiled kindly. “Relax. It’s only a change in taste; the water remains water and doesn’t possess any properties of sulfuric acid. Even if you drank a liter of gasoline, your body wouldn’t ignite, and you’d be fine.”

Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed a few tissues to wipe the counter. “This would be perfect for pranks. No one would suspect a plain glass of water hides such mysteries. Or I could market it as water with unknown flavors—call it Chaos Drink.”

The Elder doused his enthusiasm. “It’s useless. Only you can perceive the change in taste; others will find it to be ordinary water.”

Chen Fan stacked the empty glasses, sighing, “Well, I suppose I’ll just enjoy free drinks. The Seer card’s power is still superior.”

The Elder corrected him, “Each identity card has its own strengths. The Witch’s ability is the most tangible; you simply haven’t mastered it yet. As your skill improves, the sensory transformation will deepen. In the end, water will no longer be water—it will become true concentrated sulfuric acid.”

Chen Fan shivered. Though the ability seemed formidable, if he accidentally drank actual sulfuric acid one day, it would be fatal. Clearly, safety needed improvement.

“A true master of Werewolf Card Game never overturns in the gutter. For now, focus on bonding with the cards; don’t worry about anything else,” the Elder yawned, closed his eyes, and appeared to enter a dormant state.

Chen Fan chuckled privately. “Even the card system gets sleepy—how human.”

He couldn’t help but yawn as well. Without the werewolf’s support, Chen Fan, unable to stay up late, was already exhausted. The rush of excitement had been propping him up, but now it all collapsed.

“Enough. Sleep. Tomorrow I get to drink all the beverages I want.”