Kevin stood in the center of his small lab, the aftertaste of the potion—a faint, mineral tang—still on his tongue. He held his hands before him, focusing entirely on the flow of his aura. He willed it to coat his skin, a standard defensive application of Ken. Then, he brought his forearms together in a sharp, controlled clash.
Thwack.
There was no flash of light, no dramatic sound. But in the instant of impact, in the precise micro-second where his aura met and resisted itself, Kevin saw it. Not with his eyes, but with the hyper-acute sense of Nen perception Jin's training had honed. The flowing, nebulous field of his defensive aura didn't just compress. It crystallized. For a fleeting moment, at the exact point of strike, the energy interlocked into a perfect, microscopic hexagonal matrix, like the crystalline structure of a gem or the tessellating pattern on a turtle's carapace. It was rigid, incredibly dense, and then it dissolved back into fluid aura as the impact energy dissipated.
"Fascinating," he breathed, the word barely a whisper.
He repeated the action, faster now, a series of percussive taps and slaps against his own limbs. Each time, the hexagon flashed into existence at the point of contact—a defensive instinct hard-coded into the potion's effect. It wasn't strengthening his aura's raw output; it was optimizing its structure under stress. The iron turtle's innate, unyielding defense and the gemstone fish's brilliant, refractive scales had merged not just into a concept, but into a physical law woven into his Nen's behavior.
He walked to his notes, scrawling observations with focused intensity. "Potion #2 (Whole Material Variant): Effect - 'Crystalline Moment.' Nen adopts temporary hexagonal lattice under impact force. Increased dissipation efficiency of kinetic energy? Defensive enhancement appears to be a structural optimization, not a quantitative increase. No additional stamina/Nen cost observed. Synergy between material forms is critical."
His gaze drifted to the other materials laid out on the bench. The Shadow Larva squirmed in its vial, a living shadow. The mysterious, camouflaged egg sat inert. The Emerald Crystal Bone from Jin pulsed with a deep, steady light.
A theory began to form, audacious and compelling. If the turtle shell and fish scale created a defensive structure, what would other combinations yield? The Shadow Larva was essentially pure, manipulative aura given semi-corporeal form. The Emerald Crystal Bone was a conduit, a focusing lens from a realm of unimaginable chaos. And the acid… the universal, ephemeral fusion agent that tied the mineral and the biological together.
He looked at his hands again, flexing his fingers. The phantom sensation of the hexagonal lattice lingered in his memory. This was more than pharmacology; it was a form of enforced Nen evolution. He was using the intrinsic properties of these miraculous materials to rewrite the behavioral algorithms of his own aura.
The wetland outside his window was a testament to evolution through deception and specialization. His potions were a parallel path: evolution through alchemical synthesis. Both were ways to survive in a world that demanded constant, dangerous adaptation.
A knock at the lab door broke his reverie. It was Haka, looking tired but excited. "Kevin, Dr. Belut wants you. We've finished the preliminary analysis on the lichen and the mendax tissue. He thinks he's found a correlation between the bioluminescence cycles and the predator activity periods in Sector C. He wants to plan a twilight survey… and he insists you're on the team. Says we need your 'atypical sensory array.'"
Kevin nodded, capping his vials and securing his notes. The theoretical work would have to wait. The Trickster's Nest offered its lessons on its own schedule. As he followed Haka out, he felt the new, latent stability in his aura, a hidden hexagon waiting to form. He was no longer just a visitor or a bodyguard in this place of lies.
He was becoming another unique specimen within its ecosystem—a hunter learning to weave his own kind of defensive deception, one potion, one crystallized moment of impact, at a time.
After drinking the potion, this change didn't require Kevin's conscious control; it occurred automatically when attacked, as if the Nen would spontaneously form a barrier.
If attacking with Nen, at the moment of hitting the opponent, one would also receive a reaction force; in this situation, the characteristic of resisting strikes would also manifest, meaning the hexagon would also appear.
"How interesting."
Kevin became increasingly engrossed and began to study it carefully.
However, fifteen minutes passed quickly.
Fortunately, even though he was focused on research, his Blank Meteor remained activated, and his body was autonomously learning this change.
After research, Kevin concluded: his previous idea was correct, the hexagon formed by Nen was the key to enhanced defense.
Furthermore, due to this characteristic of Nen, not only is defense enhanced when struck, but power is also increased when attacking.
Because the Nen wrapped around the attack hardens upon hitting the target, thus forming the hexagon.
"In that case, this potion will be called Iron Wall Potion."
Since that's the case, there's nothing to hesitate about now.
Kevin had a good amount of these three materials stockpiled; if all were used to make potions, he could make at least twenty or more.
Among them, the most expensive was the gemstone fish scale; this type of gemstone fish is a special variant, rare to come by, and each one used means one less.
But even so, turning all the materials into twenty-plus potions would certainly yield Kevin some gains.
Currently, the efficiency of the Nen burst learned through the Strength Potion has reached 25%, already infinitely close to the original effect produced by the Strength Potion.
Kevin couldn't help but wonder, if the same Nen transformation was learned through two types of potions, could these two forms coexist simultaneously?
When under the effect of the potions, the two buff states didn't seem to conflict.
If it were truly feasible, his frontal offense and defense effects would be further enhanced, strengthening the characteristics of the Strengthening System.
Regardless, making the potions first is the priority.
After all, the materials he had on hand were quite sufficient, and the Iron Wall Potion didn't consume too much Nen.
Based on his own calculations, Kevin's current potential Nen is approximately 13,000.
Among this, the boost brought by the Digestion Potion and the effect of enhanced training were indispensable.
At this stage, Kevin could use the Digestion Potion once every eight days, followed by a day of high-intensity training.
As for his manifest Nen, it clearly exceeded the average standard, with data around 1500, mainly benefiting from the boosting effect of the Strength Potion.
While the Blank Meteor is activated, the body will train itself during the learning process, specifically enhancing abilities.
If he further activates the Nen burst he has already learned, his manifest Nen can reach over 1800, with quite astonishing offense and defense effects, certainly exceeding Nen Users of the same level.
However, likewise, his endurance in combat might be weaker than Nen Users of the same Strengthening System level.
After all, more manifest Nen bursts will lead to more potential Nen consumption and stamina loss.
Perhaps, he could rely on potions to make up for this weakness.
Potions are also a manifestation of my Nen Ability, and the result of my hard work!
Kevin thought to himself, now he needed to develop a potion that could accelerate the recovery of stamina and Nen, or simply, like the Strength Potion, directly increase stamina and Nen.
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