Gowen had already fainted.
However, his life was not in danger, and his external injuries were not severe; he mainly had multiple bone fractures. Buhara, who was not far away, did not immediately faint after the Griffin's explosive attack, so he was still able to give himself a dose of healing potion. At that moment, he was resting against a broken tree trunk.
Menchi glanced at Buhara, and after confirming his condition, she quickly walked over to Gowen. She simply checked Gowen's injuries and then fed the healing potion into his mouth. After the medicine took effect, she would consider treating his bone fractures.
"How are you feeling now?" Menchi asked Buhara, who was nearby.
Buhara waved his hand slightly, indicating that he was just tired. From his appearance, it was evident that Buhara was still tall, but no longer as fat as a ball as before; now he could only be described as sturdy. He had consumed too much fat.
"Your appearance," Kevin said as he walked out of the forest, looking at Buhara with a joking tone, "at first glance, I might not even recognize you."
Buhara said helplessly, "All the fat I stored during this period was consumed here."
Kevin walked over to Gowen, first checking which parts of his body were fractured and the specific condition of the fractures. Although he carried a Bone Setting Agent, it was, after all, a potion that didn't even reach C-Grade—only capable of treating general fractures, meaning situations where the bone was not completely broken.
Although Gowen's fractures were not particularly severe, it was clearly not that easy to completely heal them with just one Bone Setting Agent. Kevin picked up nearby branches and vines and simply fixed Gowen's body.
When the effect of the healing potion was about to end, Gowen opened his eyes.
"It looks like you've completed the hunt?" He forced a faint smile.
Kevin smiled and nodded. "That's right. But now we need to deal with your injuries first. Your current fracture condition will probably require two Bone Setting Agents, and it will take some time to recover."
After everything was almost handled properly, Kevin began to search around.
Due to his fierce battle with the Griffin, the raven's corpse had been blown to an unknown location. This was one of his spoils of war, and he absolutely could not lose it like this. After searching for a while, he finally found the raven's corpse on a branch of a tree.
Kevin dragged the Griffin and raven's corpses to the temporary camp. Everyone looked at them with curious eyes.
"I never thought a wild beast could be this powerful," Gowen said, leaning against a tree stump, unable to help but exclaim.
After all, after possessing Nen ability, ordinary wild beasts seemed to be just that. Although some wild beasts were quite powerful, most were not much more than that. It wasn't until he encountered this Griffin that he realized its power was on an entirely different level. Gowen felt that if he hadn't diligently cultivated for ten years, he wouldn't dare to confront it head-on.
"This is a famous beast from stories," Buhara said, looking at the Griffin's massive body.
In various stories, the Griffin is often used to highlight the protagonist's prestige. Even in some mythological tales, great heroes needed to hunt Griffins in the early or middle stages to demonstrate their bravery. From this point, it could be seen that the Griffin was by no means an ordinary being. It was precisely because of its powerful strength that it had held a place in legends from ancient times to the present.
Menchi stood beside the Griffin's corpse, touching and examining it, saying with lingering fear, "This is the first time I've seen such a large beast use Nen ability."
Essentially, the ability the Griffin displayed was to transform its aura into wind. According to the human Nen ability system, it belonged to the Transmutation type.
"In stories, Griffins always fly out of storms, don't they?" Kevin said while exploring the Griffin's body, checking the parts that could be used as materials. "This might be an instinct of the Griffin species, and it might be different from how we humans use Nen ability."
"Speaking of which, how's the sound in your ear?"
Hearing this question, Kevin shook his head. "It has returned to normal."
Gowen looked at the raven's corpse and asked, "What kind of creature is this?"
"A raven. A magical beast whose intelligence is no less than that of humans," Menchi briefly introduced. After speaking, she looked at Kevin. "It seems to have Nen ability?"
Kevin nodded and briefly recounted his encounter with the raven in the space.
The group chatted by the bonfire. Perhaps because the Griffin had fought there, they were not disturbed at all throughout the night.
Until the next morning, only then did they begin their journey back to the village.
However, this time, they dragged a huge Griffin corpse behind them. After all, it was a Phantom Beast, and they had no intention of butchering it in the wild; instead, they planned to bring it back to the village intact. They didn't want to waste a single piece of meat.
When they returned to the village, the villagers gathered around. Those who heard the news and were free all came running, surrounding them in three layers.
"Brother Kevin, how did you hunt this big guy?"
"So amazing! This creature is so cool!"
"Can I touch it?"
Several children surrounded Kevin, chattering non-stop with questions. The surrounding villagers also exclaimed from time to time.
Because the Griffin was unusual—it was not a creature raised by the village's ancestors in the vicinity. It should be an alien creature that appeared after the Secret Realm formed nearby. After all, once the Secret Realm formed, the creatures originally raised by the village survived and reproduced in the surrounding area, resulting in a large number of giant creatures here. In such an environment with abundant food and rich nutrition, Griffins were naturally attracted to it.
Melusine, who rushed over after hearing the news, couldn't squeeze in and could only wave to Kevin from outside the crowd, carefully observing his body to check for any injuries.
After a long while, they finally managed to send away the villagers and those who tried to help cut meat, cook, and assist in butchering. Menchi had stated that she would personally dissect and dismantle the Griffin. Everyone was familiar with each other, and their Nen abilities had already been displayed, so there was nothing to hide. Kevin already knew the restriction conditions of Menchi's Nen ability. In this situation, he would naturally assist.
After a busy period, Menchi and Buhara dragged the Griffin to the slaughterhouse. Gowen's injuries had not fully recovered, so he returned to the inn to rest alone.
"You've been out for a long time this time."
Melusine was pushed in front of Kevin, and she stared directly at him as she spoke.
"There was a small accident," Kevin said. "I'm really sorry."
Before leaving, he had said he would be back in about a week, but he ended up staying out for more than half a month.
Lorian, standing behind her, said, "Miss was very worried about you. She even thought you had met with misfortune outside and secretly cried many times."
"I didn't!" Melusine turned her head, her eyes wide, and said with a displeased expression. "And you even peeked! I clearly said no one was allowed in."
Hearing this, Kevin smiled and half-squatted in front of Melusine.
"I'm sorry for making you worry. How about I tell you about my experience this time as an apology?"
Kevin's actions made Melusine's face flush slightly, and she unconsciously leaned back in her wheelchair.
"Mmm-hmm!" She nodded slightly in agreement.
Lorian watched this scene with a smile and suddenly suggested, "Why don't you come to the castle as a guest? You probably haven't been inside the castle, have you? It's very interesting inside. I'll show you around Miss's room then."
This sudden suggestion made Melusine's eyes widen. Just as she turned her head to speak, she heard Kevin speak.
"Alright. I'm curious about that castle too."
Kevin agreed, and Lorian showed a brilliant smile.
"Then we won't bother you." After speaking, the two said goodbye and left, pushing Melusine quickly toward the castle.
On the way back, Melusine said anxiously, "How could you invite Kevin to the castle? Grandpa won't agree. It will make him angry."
Lorian, however, didn't care at all and even said with disgust, "Who cares about that old man? If he dares to say anything, even if he's old, I'll punch him."
This made Melusine burst out laughing. "You can't beat Grandpa's guards."
"So what? Do his guards dare to hit me? If my brother finds out, they'll be in trouble."
"Brother Bian Locke is indeed quite scary when he gets angry," Melusine seemed to recall something and said with some agreement.
"Right, haha."
The two chatted and laughed all the way back to the castle.
Upon reaching the castle gates, Melusine fell silent again.
Because the village chief's guards were standing at the entrance.
Melusine's expression became calm, even somewhat cold.
"Saintess." The two guards bowed respectfully when they saw Melusine.
Melusine merely gave a cold, slight nod.
Lorian snorted discontentedly as she passed between the guards.
Entering the great hall, sure enough, they saw the village chief sitting on a stool, reading a book. He saw Melusine return, stood up, and walked over, his brows deeply furrowed—clearly displeased.
Facing the village chief's gaze, Melusine merely lifted her head slightly, her expression as cold as if she were looking at a stranger.
The village chief was about to speak but silently closed his mouth, then turned his gaze to Lorian.
"What are you doing? It's almost the end of the year—such an important time. How can you take the Saintess running around?"
"Tsk, what's it to you?" Lorian made no attempt to hide her disgust.
The village chief seemed accustomed to her bad attitude and ignored her, looking at Melusine again. His voice softened.
"The festival is about to begin, and everyone in the village is preparing for it. Please make sure to protect yourself. Afterwards, I will arrange for Kaxin and others to guard here to ensure your safety."
"You!" Lorian immediately flared up upon hearing this.
However, the white snake coiled around Melusine touched her with its head, stopping her impending outburst.
The village chief said no more. "Then I won't disturb your rest." With that, he walked out.
Watching the village chief leave, Lorian's face was filled with disgust. As soon as he left, her expression immediately fell.
"Don't be so gloomy," Melusine said cheerfully with a smile. "We still need to prepare. Kevin might come at any time!"
Hearing this, Lorian looked a bit dejected. "But the guards at the door won't let him in."
"They won't," Melusine said with a smile, completely unconcerned. "Kevin will definitely come in."
Lorian nodded, though she didn't quite understand.
Morning.
Kevin had a good night's rest and woke up feeling refreshed.
"How's your recovery?" Kevin asked Gowen, who walked out.
Gowen smiled and waved his hand, then moved his fractured parts. "It's fine now. Your potion works really well."
Kevin smiled, somewhat proudly. "Of course. And the bone recovery potion is just the most basic kind. If there were a higher-grade Bone Setting Agent later, you could have recovered completely on the spot yesterday."
Developing a potion was very time-consuming. After creating the Bone Setting Agent, Kevin spent almost no more time on formulating and researching upgraded versions because he had more important projects waiting for him. Now he realized that the ordinary Bone Setting Agent, after high-intensity combat, was not as outstanding in its effects compared to other potions. Of course, it was still much stronger than normal medical methods.
The two chatted as they looked around the inn but didn't see Menchi or Buhara.
"They couldn't have been at the slaughterhouse all this time, could they?"
That was indeed the case. When they arrived at the slaughterhouse, they saw Menchi, covered in blood but still excited, and next to her, the robust but exhausted Buhara. The Griffin's corpse was gone, replaced by a large amount of dismantled flesh, bones, and organs. There were even many wooden barrels nearby, filled with blood. The entire slaughterhouse was filled with a strong smell of blood.
"Oh, you're here."
Looking at the still excited Menchi, Kevin felt a bit helpless. "Aren't you tired? This isn't urgent. A night's rest wouldn't delay anything, would it?"
"How could it be!" Menchi replied excitedly. "It took us a lot of time just to drag the corpse back. If we rested another night, the corpse might spoil. How can we rest in such a situation? We have to process it first!"
Hearing Menchi's reply, Kevin waved his hand.
"Is everything processed?" Gowen asked, looking at the surroundings.
Buhara nodded. "Almost."
Kevin began to feel each dismantled part, assessing their quality levels.
As expected of a Phantom Beast.
Kevin couldn't help but sigh again.
First, the feathers: all the Griffin's feathers were C-Grade materials. The quality of the blood was ordinary, as was the common flesh on its body. But the claws, beak, eyeballs, throat, brain, heart, bones, and some special internal organs—all were usable materials. It could be said that the entire Griffin was a treasure.
Most of these materials were C-Grade, covering all levels from common to top-tier.
The heart was undoubtedly a B-Grade Mid-Tier material. Kevin estimated that he would only be able to attempt making a potion from it after his Nen amount reached 50,000. And his current Nen amount was still a bit short—perhaps it would be enough after he returned.
The throat was also a B-Grade material.
The last B-Grade material was an unknown organ within the Griffin's body, whose strength was only slightly weaker than the heart. Essentially, it could also be called a B-Grade Mid-Tier material.
A single Griffin, apart from its blood and common flesh, mostly consisted of materials. A pile of C-Grade materials, and three B-Grade materials. This could be said to be the highest-level creature Kevin had hunted at this stage.
"Good, good. This flesh and blood aren't what you need." Menchi sighed with relief beside him.
For her, the most practical parts of the Griffin's body were the blood and flesh. Other parts, in her opinion, were difficult to process—they were too tough, and the taste would be very poor. It just so happened that what she needed was what Kevin didn't need. This divergence in needs made her very happy. It meant there was enough food for her to cook to her heart's content.
"I'm so hungry!" Buhara shouted from the side.
"I know, I know. Haven't I already processed it?" Menchi replied helplessly.
Since the ingredients had been processed, the next step was naturally to start cooking.
"What about the raven?" Kevin asked.
"It's over there in that pile. Deal with it however you want—I don't need it," Menchi said.
Highly intelligent magical beasts were not within her culinary scope.
Kevin nodded. He didn't care about that. After all, these were just materials for making medicine. He had no psychological burden in this regard—and didn't seem to be soft-hearted.