Kevin Carpenberg laid out the various potions he had crafted.
"My rapid growth has a lot to do with this Nen ability," he said with a hint of modesty.
In truth, it was more accurate to say his growth was due to the synergy between his two Nen abilities—"A Moment's Dream" and "Blank Meteor."
The two complemented each other perfectly, allowing Kevin's strength to skyrocket.
He began explaining to Biscuit how his Nen abilities worked.
After listening, Biscuit nodded slightly. Her initial assessment upon seeing his alchemy station hadn't been far off.
"With your ability, someone like Zambika or Kite would definitely be interested."
"Who?" Kevin had no recollection of those names.
Biscuit waved her hand. "Just some friends of mine. Don't worry about it—let's get back to talking about your Nen ability."
She picked up one of Kevin's potions and asked, "So you're saying these potions, when used on others, have some side effects?"
Kevin nodded.
"Since I lost my memory, I haven't had anyone else try my potions. So I'm still not sure what the side effects are exactly. All I know is, the side effects are never stronger than the actual effects."
"Hmm…" Biscuit fell into a brief silence, then said with some surprise, "That's odd. Your ability is undoubtedly support-type. For abilities like this, side effects on the user are the last thing you'd want."
She swirled the potion tube slightly as she spoke.
Kevin felt a little embarrassed.
There were no side effects in the past, but that was before the original body died.
Nen after death was often extreme and selfish.
Even in death, the original host hadn't cared about revenge against Jin Freecss, but only about continuing to create interesting potions.
This selfish obsession caused the potions Kevin made after taking over the body to carry side effects when used on others.
"But I can understand why that side effect exists."
Though Biscuit didn't say it out loud, Kevin caught her drift and nodded.
"In my opinion, the cost and outcome of this ability don't quite balance out."
Her expression turned a little disdainful.
"You have to prepare your own materials, face the risk of total failure, require expert-level analysis and research skills, and every use forces you into Zetsu. You didn't mention it, but I'm sure it also demands a minimum reserve of aura to activate."
"With all those restrictions, the result is just this?"
She gave the Strength Potion another shake.
Kevin was surprised. He hadn't expected Biscuit to think so poorly of his ability.
He'd always viewed it as his cheat—his golden finger.
Was it really that underwhelming in a pro's eyes?
If that was her impression after it had been upgraded, how bad must it have looked before?
"Zetsu is a major cost on its own. Add all the other restrictions, and the resulting potion should be far more effective."
Then suddenly, Biscuit leaned in closer to Kevin.
"No, I take back what I said earlier. Tell me about the Enhancement-type Nen you developed. Of course, only if it's not information that could get you killed."
She added that last part as a precaution.
At that moment, Yun Gu quietly moved toward the door, planning to leave.
"No worries, my ability isn't something that can be easily exploited."
Hearing this, Yun Gu grew curious and returned to his seat.
Kevin then gave a brief explanation of his new Nen ability—"Blank Meteor."
After listening, Yun Gu found nothing concerning or vulnerable about it, and breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Biscuit nodded in approval and patted Kevin on the shoulder.
"Not bad. You clearly understand your strengths and know how to combine them effectively."
She looked genuinely impressed.
In her view, Kevin's two Nen abilities weren't particularly amazing on their own.
But when used together—they painted a very different picture.
"So, the help you need from me—is it to see if I know any locations or sources for rare and valuable materials?"
"Exactly."
That was precisely what Kevin had in mind.
His entire Nen strategy hinged on materials.
With powerful enough ingredients, he could scale his strength exponentially.
But many materials weren't simply purchasable with money.
And Kevin had to personally verify whether they met his specific criteria.
"Heh."
Biscuit chuckled smugly and took a few confident steps forward.
Crossing her arms, she lifted her chin slightly.
"Yun Gu."
"Yes!"
Yun Gu pulled out a box from somewhere.
"This is a gift for you."
As a Hunter—especially a two-star one—Biscuit had access to excellent intelligence and resource networks.
She had also been casually keeping tabs on Kevin's movements.
His extravagant spending and online shopping for materials around the world hadn't escaped her notice.
It wasn't hard to guess that it was related to his Nen ability.
"Take a look. See if it's something you need."
Kevin nodded. "A gift? You're being too kind—thank you, Princess Biscuit!"
He didn't hesitate to shout it out.
Biscuit clearly enjoyed the praise. Then she asked a strange question, "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"
"…?" Kevin blinked. Was she criticizing his looks?
Still, he answered, "No, I kind of avoid mirrors."
"You should take a look. Maybe you'll stop avoiding them after that."
She handed him a mirror.
Kevin took it and glanced at his reflection—then his eyes widened in shock and he quickly turned the mirror over.
"This is… me?" His voice was full of disbelief.
"When I watched your match, I was honestly startled," Yun Gu chimed in.
Kevin looked again.
He felt tears welling up in his eyes.
The face in the mirror resembled how he looked in his previous world—about seventy percent similar.
The remaining thirty percent came from the body's original appearance, which had been decent but shrouded in a gloomy aura.
Now fused, Kevin looked like a bright and handsome young man.
The gloom was completely gone—he now radiated a warm, sunny aura.
He no longer had to look at an unfamiliar face in the mirror and force himself to accept it as his own.
This was… an unexpected gift.
"Go ahead and open the present. It's a trophy I got from a great find."
Biscuit smiled.
Kevin nodded and opened the gift box.
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