Kevin went out again.
This time, he went and returned quickly, encountering no accidents along the way. His main purpose for this trip was to receive the delivered potions and materials from Locke.
Locke asked Kevin if he had encountered any trouble. After some thought, Kevin did not ask Locke to stay and assist. It wasn't that he didn't need help, but Locke wasn't quite suitable. After all, with Locke's Nen ability and personal strength, in complex urban terrain, it would be more appropriate for him to cooperate with companions in human-to-human combat. In this potentially unexpected situation, the role he could play was limited—he would be facing various large monsters. Most of these monsters had strong vitality, and his attack methods were extremely limited.
Upon returning to the village, Kevin began to act at his own pace.
Menchi and the others, besides communicating with the villagers, prepared abundant and nutritious food for Kevin. Fortunately, a large quantity of ingredients had been obtained this time; if a portion wasn't consumed, it would be difficult to carry when leaving.
While diligently training and increasing his Nen, Kevin also took some time to formulate potions related to the Griffin.
The materials related to the Griffin were quite abundant. Among them were three main B-grade materials: Throat Tongue, Heart, and Wind Core. The name Wind Core was chosen by Kevin at random; in reality, it was an unknown organ, the primary material in the Griffin's body most closely associated with wind elements.
For the first two materials, Kevin had not yet thought of suitable complementary materials and fusion agents. However, with Melusine's help, he had already found suitable recipe options for the Wind Core material. After slightly adjusting the different ratios of materials, he achieved the desired effect.
[Gold Scale: Wind Core (block - 10 grams) ]
[Silver Scale: Wing Bone (powdered - 15 grams) ]
[Copper Scale: Wind Leaf (extracted - 13 grams) ]
[Effect: The user can transform the nature of their Nen, turning it into wind. ]
This effect was simple and direct, exactly what Kevin needed. And undoubtedly, this was a B-grade potion.
However, Kevin currently only planned to make one dose, as he needed to devote more time and energy to uncovering his own Nen. Refining this—Kevin's most advanced potion at this stage—would almost completely deplete his Nen. At this stage, Kevin needed to accelerate his training and try to increase his Nen, so refining one for emergencies was enough.
Besides Kevin, no one else was idle.
At the village chief's house, facing Buhara who had come, the village chief remained silent for a moment before saying, "You Hunters always like to meddle. It has always been this way."
He was over sixty years old. He had experienced several ceremonies and met many Hunters. What kind of people were Hunters? He knew best. Willful, curious, naive, meddlesome. Of course, there were also some malicious individuals. It was just that fewer malicious individuals came to this village.
After listening to Buhara's narration, the village chief sighed and slowly walked to a chair to sit down. "However, this time, you Hunters know more than those in the past, hehe."
As he spoke, he seemed to fall into reminiscence.
"There were Hunters who came to the village at inappropriate times, ignorant and understanding nothing. When the ceremony began, they felt our actions were crazy and tried to stop the ritual. In the end, they merely became accompaniments to the sacrifices."
After speaking, the village chief turned to look at Buhara. "Do you think I want to send my granddaughter to be a sacrifice?" His emotions suddenly became agitated, then turned to helplessness.
"It's just her turn—just like that woman last time. I never stop those who try to challenge the ritual, just like our ancestors. If there was hope of breaking free from the current situation, who would be willing to be trapped in this damned cage, living in a daze?"
It was just that they lacked strength—they lacked ability.
Buhara agreed with the village chief's words, nodding. But what he wanted was not just such an answer.
"I understand. Not everyone is as open-minded as this old bone of mine. But you don't have to worry too much about the others. They are just too scared—they have been trapped here for too long. They need a god. You free people will not understand our feelings, nor can you understand them. If you can truly solve a problem that even I am helpless against, why would we stop you?"
In short, they would not actively participate, but they would not obstruct either. The village chief and the group behind him were gradually transforming into true believers, though currently still in the early stages of transformation. Although the villagers' mindset began to change, they were essentially still full of fear and dread. After all, if the problem could truly be solved once and for all, who would be willing to endure such a curse indefinitely? Intelligent life finds it unbearable—such a narrow birdcage.
"But I must warn you: that monster grows stronger each time. If you begin to fight, unless you achieve victory, death will be your only outcome."
He muttered to himself, giving the final warning. However, he held no hope for this either—merely another group of people satisfying their vain kindness. It was just that this time they were more capable.
Meanwhile, Menchi stood with her arms crossed, watching Rabik sharpening his weapon.
"Hunter from outside, what do you want with me?"
Menchi didn't beat around the bush, directly stating her purpose and revealing everything she knew.
After listening to Menchi's narration, Rabik stared at her. Like the village chief, he also spoke of those Hunters who, in the past, tried to interfere without understanding anything, and praised Menchi and her companions for being able to learn so much inside information.
"So you are here for that Saintess—you don't want her to become a sacrifice and be devoured by the monster?"
Menchi nodded, then shook her head. This was indeed one reason, but not the whole truth. If this operation succeeded, it would undoubtedly be a remarkable achievement, and Menchi hoped to use it to raise her Hunter rank. As the leader of the event, if successful, Kevin would very likely become a One-Star Hunter. They knew that Kevin had also made significant contributions during the crisis in Spiral last time. Correspondingly, their assistants would also receive generous merits, and after completing other tasks, it would not be difficult to subsequently become One-Star Hunters.
Secondly, each of them had their own goals. Gowen now basically knew the cause of his sister's death, and if there was a chance for revenge, he naturally wouldn't let it go. Moreover, the object of revenge was a non-human monster, so eliminating it was only natural.
As for Menchi and Buhara, they might not have had many clear goals before, but the situation was different this time. Simply because there was a sentence in the logbook: The flesh and blood of a snake's corpse after death are also among the top delicacies in the world. However, if the sacrifice ritual was completed and the monster's body remained, it could lead to some side effects, such as being cursed again. But if the monster could be completely eliminated, then the remaining flesh and blood could be fully enjoyed—for a Gourmet Hunter like Menchi, this was an irresistible temptation.
She had to consider if this was her only chance. That was a supreme delicacy praised by a Gourmet Hunter who had been to the Dark Continent. How could such a temptation not be great for two Gourmet Hunters like them? Not to mention that their companions also had the same goal. There was no reason to retreat.
Rabik looked at Menchi, seemingly opening up. He leaned back in his chair and lit a piece of tobacco he had grown himself.
"You must have sent someone to find that old man, right?"
Menchi nodded. There was nothing to hide.
"That old man will agree with your approach, but he won't take any action. When he was young, he was like me now, and when I get old, I might become like him."
As he spoke, Rabik suddenly chuckled, looking at Menchi and asking, "Do you know what will happen if the ritual is broken—if it's truly interrupted, or even if you succeed?"
Menchi looked at him and nodded slightly. Kevin had previously told them about the possible scenarios.
"You know? It seems you understand very well. Once the ritual is disturbed, that monster will get angry, and the curse on us will activate. Some monsters will rush into the village, just like during a hunt. These monsters will cause some destruction, which serves as a warning to us. However, such a thing hasn't happened for a long time—only the old folks in the village know. Even the younger man in your team's sister didn't make that monster angry."
As he spoke, Rabik spread his hands and continued with a smile, "You see, even though the consequences are so dangerous, the villagers have never thought of stopping you Hunters."
"Do you know? Actually, many villagers are quite happy to see your leader and Melusine getting closer. This means that when the ceremony comes, your leader will certainly not stand idly by—and he is very strong. Many villagers have never seen someone so powerful."
Especially that Griffin. It could be said that it gave many villagers great confidence. This was also why Kevin could feel so much goodwill.
At this point, Rabik's expression became somewhat despondent.
"When I was a child, I loved swimming in the nearby river, enjoying the feeling of floating on the water and gently flowing with the current. But every time I just get immersed in it, I have to stop, because I can't swim any further. The river can flow forever, but I cannot."
His eyes were full of memories, as if he recalled something happy, and a smile appeared on his face. But the smile was fleeting, and he turned to look at Menchi, his expression becoming serious.
"Do you know? When I was young, I hated Hunters—hated you guys who could freely enter and exit the village. Why can you be so free, while we are forever trapped in this small village? If we didn't know how vast the outside world is, perhaps we could stay here in peace, but reality doesn't have 'ifs'."
Cooperation with the Hunter Association allowed the village chief to obtain information from the outside world every year. Everyone in the village knew that the outside world was incredibly vast, and their own small village was so tiny. With such knowledge, how could they possibly be content to be trapped here forever?
Every year, several Hunters would come to the village, which made them even more envious. Sometimes, they even had to wonder if this was intentional on the part of the Hunter Association—deliberately making the villagers yearn for the outside world so they wouldn't completely lose hope. But then they had to turn around and thank them. After all, it kept them from truly becoming birds in a cage.
"So go ahead and do it. As long as you succeed, no matter how great the cost, it will be worth it for us. Those unwilling villagers in the village will provide help when you need it."
At night, after the few of them met, they began to integrate the information each had gathered.
"Based on the ritual design Kevin gave us and the key issues within it, we can almost confirm that once the ritual is interrupted again, the surrounding wild beasts will be attracted to the village. This is one of the main problems."
"Assuming Kevin gains an advantage or even wins in the battle, during this process, that monster will definitely instinctively detonate the curse."
"And if there is no sacrifice from the Saintess, the village's isolation barrier will also gradually weaken. This is the biggest problem, and also the most likely situation to cause an accident."
Menchi summarized the information and analyzed. The sacrificial ritual was exquisitely designed, and it was by a powerful Nen user from over two hundred years ago. The entire ritual could be said to have thoroughly analyzed post-mortem Nen, the settings of Nen ability, and the 'Divine' character.
The others nodded upon hearing this. These were indeed issues they had to consider carefully.
Based on the existing information, it was speculated that the reason the monsters from outside did not enter the village was simply that they intensely disliked it. Unless that giant snake forcibly controlled these beasts to rush in, but its control could not last indefinitely—this forced control had a time limit. Once the control was lifted, these wild beasts would quickly leave due to their instinctive aversion, and even the curse in their bloodline would no longer attract them. This was the origin of the village's barrier.
"Furthermore, we must consider another issue: if Kevin succeeds, he will likely be in an extremely weakened state at that time." That is, when making the potion, to ensure the entire process was not disturbed and to guarantee the giant snake's death at that moment, Kevin might even be unable to move.
"How many monsters will rush in then? What if an accident occurs? All of these must be considered in advance and countermeasures must be formulated."
"And once successful, the ritual will be over—its mission completed, the surrounding barrier will also disappear. But at this moment, the giant snake is still in the smelting phase. If the curse in its bloodline has not completely dissipated, the resulting attraction would be truly terrifying."
Too many unexpected situations could occur at the last moment, so they had to consider everything thoroughly.
"First, to be safe, we need to hunt monsters around the village during this period, which will at least reduce the pressure then."
Everyone agreed with this point. This was the easiest preparatory work to implement at present, and it would most likely be the most effective.
"There will be enough potions, but don't use them blindly when in danger." Kevin patted the box on the table and said with a smile. He had asked Locke to prepare quite a few potions to bring over.
"What's wrong with you?" Kevin looked at Gowen and asked strangely.
Throughout the discussion, Gowen had remained silent, even appearing somewhat dazed.
Gowen came back to his senses, smiled, then shook his head. "Nothing. Just a bit nervous. I wonder if my sword, my courage, and my will are enough to handle the situation ahead?"
He stared at Kevin, wondering what he was thinking.
"Haha, don't worry. Your sword is not weak." Kevin smiled and patted Gowen's shoulder.
This was not just casual comfort. Gowen's sword could cleave Nen, and it certainly had more than just this ability. After all, he had only displayed the trait of "courage" so far. Although his specific Nen ability was unknown, it was likely related to knightly virtues. And since only "courage" had been manifested so far, there was clearly a lot of room for development. Having understood Nen ability for two years, he had also roughly learned how to guess Nen abilities based on others' external manifestations and personality traits.
After discussing the general situation, everyone returned to their busy tasks.
Time was pressing, and there wasn't much left.
At night, Kevin lay in bed.
He felt that the current preparations were still not safe enough, as there were many powerful creatures in the Secret Realm, and Menchi and the others alone would likely struggle to cope. The people in the village could at most play a certain restraining role, or use their numbers to trap one or two monsters. If another powerful monster were to appear then, it would be troublesome.
Kevin held his phone, flipping through it and thinking—who would be suitable to invite for help?
He needed a helper who was powerful, capable of frontal suppression and causing destruction.
To be honest, among the people he knew, not many fit the criteria. Mori belonged to the combat faction, but he was primarily skilled at fighting people, and his current strength was insufficient. Begetto was a long-range attacker; when facing gigantic creatures, he also felt somewhat powerless and struggled to achieve a suppressive effect. He was more like a Hunter than a gladiator fighting monsters head-on.
Would Bisky be suitable?
Kevin was not clear about his master's specific Nen ability, only knowing that she was of the Transmutation type. And he knew that Bisky's petite loli figure was just an illusion. Although he didn't know the reason, this was probably a tactical deception. Although Bisky didn't explicitly say so, Kevin could feel that she was a combatant—and a very important point was that Bisky had been researching Nen ability for decades, making her a well-deserved veteran.
Furthermore, she had said before that her body had reached its peak a long time ago. Reaching the peak through training was an extremely exaggerated achievement.
In the current situation, there seemed to be no one more suitable than her.
Actually, in Kevin's mind, the better candidate was Jin, but Jin's whereabouts were unpredictable, and the possibility of him coming was extremely low. He couldn't even be considered, so he was never included in the invitation list from beginning to end.
"Although she is my master, I can't ask her for help for nothing."
Thinking of this, Kevin took out the gem from the remaining box.
This gem undoubtedly came from the Dark Continent—a rare souvenir. In this world, you could even say it was a unique item. From the Dark Continent, beautiful, unique, gem. Combining these elements, its value could be said to multiply. Even Kevin, who didn't really appreciate gems, could see its beauty, let alone a Gem Hunter like Bisky.
There was no better reward than this.
As for whether there was an overprice, Kevin didn't consider these things. Not to mention, Bisky's kindness to him was immense; even without this assistance, this gem would have been given to Bisky as a gift after he left. It was by chance that he first took out a gem—this was fate, as if heaven intended for him to invite Bisky to help.
Thinking of this, Kevin smiled, took a few photos of the gem under the moonlight, and then sent the photos along with the information.
Kevin didn't even close his phone—he just kept holding it.
Ding ding ding! Ding ding ding!
The message notification sounded.
Here it comes.
Kevin pressed the connect button.
"Kevin! Where are you? That gem—is it in your hand?"
Bisky's voice came out sharply from the phone. This was the first time Kevin had heard her voice so excited—truly a Gem Hunter, she couldn't help herself when she saw her desired prey.
"Don't get excited, Bisky. The gem is in my hand."
Bisky's heavy breathing came from the other end of the phone. It was a while before she calmed down.
"Tell me, you little brat, what do you need my help with?"
"Don't be so formal, Master. You are my respected teacher."
"Less nonsense! Get to the point!"
She was really in a hurry.
"Yes, yes, yes. I am currently in a Secret Realm. There is a very important matter at the end of the month—the time is probably—I need your help."
"At that time, we might face—"
"Coming right away!"
The call ended.
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