The crackle of the dying fire seemed to hush. Menchi leaned forward, her chef's eyes analyzing the potion vial with the same intensity she'd used on the Ichigo-Gamera. Buhara finally set his skewer down, wiping his hands meticulously on a cloth before picking up the vial with surprising gentleness for a man of his size. He held it up to the moonlight, observing the faint, pearlescent swirl within the liquid.
"Fifteen minutes… complete digestion and energy conversion facilitation," Buhara murmured, his voice a low hum of contemplation. "This is not mere chemistry. This is a directed, forced metabolic event. A Nen-imposed rule upon the body."
Menchi's mind was already racing ahead. "You want food that acts as the perfect fuel source. Something so nutritionally dense and pre-processed that when this potion hits, the body has no choice but to absorb everything and funnel it directly into physical reinforcement." She looked at Kevin, her earlier playful competitiveness replaced by stark professional admiration. "You're trying to brute-force the Strengthening process. It's… brutally efficient. And probably incredibly taxing."
"It is," Kevin admitted freely. "The strain on the system is significant. The body screams for rest afterward. But the gains in raw physicality and Nen reservoir expansion are undeniable." He gestured to the mountains of remaining meat. "Your cooking tonight… I could feel it. The fibers were broken down, the fats emulsified, the minerals chelated by your Nen. My body absorbed it with almost no effort. Imagine combining that level of bioavailability with the Digestion Potion's forced timeline."
Buhara's eyes gleamed. "A synergy. Our craft prepares the material to its optimal state for assimilation. Your craft forces the assimilation to occur at an accelerated, maximal rate. The result would be a training catalyst of unprecedented efficiency." He glanced at Menchi. "We have conceptualized 'enhancement meals' before, but they require days of careful, slow consumption to avoid shocking the system. This… this could condense weeks of dietary conditioning into a single, intense session."
"But the recipe would be critical," Menchi cut in, her fingers tapping a rapid rhythm on her knee as she thought aloud. "Not just any rich food. We'd need a precise balance of proteins for muscle fiber repair, specific carbohydrates for immediate glycogen, rare lipids for neural and aura conduit health… and it would all need to be infused with our Nen to the point of being pre-accepted by the consumer's body. It's not just cooking; it's crafting a biocompatible energy battery."
Kevin felt a thrill of excitement. This was it—the intersection of their specializations. "I can provide the catalyst and the goal: maximal physical/Nen gain per session. You provide the perfected fuel. We'd need to experiment. Test tolerances, refine the meal's composition."
Begel, who had been listening quietly from the shadows of a nearby tent, finally spoke, his cigarette a red ember in the dark. "A formal collaboration between Hunters. It would require contracts through the Association. Intellectual property rights, profit-sharing on any marketable products derived from it." He gave Kevin a pointed look. "After you have your license. But the foundation can be laid now. A gentlemen's agreement. An R&D partnership."
Menchi and Buhara exchanged a long look, a silent conversation passing between them. Finally, Menchi grinned, a wild, hungry thing. "A new challenge. A new 'ingredient' to master—the very process of Hunter enhancement itself." She stuck out her hand towards Kevin. "You've got a deal, future Hunter. Send us your notes on your training regimen and potion side effects. We'll start theorizing menu plans."
Buhara placed the Digestion Potion vial carefully back on the table, his gesture one of respect. "We will treat this collaboration with the seriousness it deserves. The pursuit of excellence, in any form, is the heart of the Gourmet Hunter."
As Kevin shook Menchi's hand, the weight of the future settled onto his shoulders—not as a burden, but as a harness. He was no longer just a student or a wanderer. He was a node in a growing network, a creator seeking synergies. The swamp monster promised raw power through conquest. But this partnership, forged over grilled meat under the stars, promised a different kind of power: the power of collective expertise, of refined science, of turning the act of eating into an act of transcendence. The path to strength, he realized, could be a solitary hunt or a shared feast. He intended to learn the value of both.
The logic was sound, and the future Kevin painted was compelling. Menchi and Buhara were not naive; they were Hunters who understood the value of a unique resource and the necessity of calculated risk. The potion, even with its current flaw, represented a tangible, repeatable method of accelerating physical cultivation—a holy grail for any Hunter focused on bodily enhancement or, in their case, metabolizing extraordinary ingredients.
Buhara placed a contemplative hand on his rounded stomach. "You are correct. My Nen Ability, Gourmet's Reserve, allows me to store consumed nutrients and energy in a specialized 'reserve' within my body, to be metabolized at will or in times of need. The forced, rapid digestion your potion induces would feed directly into that reserve with staggering efficiency. The… post-digestive clearance issue," he said delicately, "would be an inconvenience, but not a catastrophic one for me, as the valuable conversion would have already occurred."
Menchi chewed her lip, thinking like a strategist. "A year to perfect it… That's a reasonable timeline. And in the meantime, we have other areas to explore. You mentioned other potions. Ones for strength? Endurance? Perception?" Her eyes were sharp. "Even with side effects, a short-term burst potion could be the difference between life and death on a hunt. Or securing a once-in-a-lifetime ingredient."
She was seeing the tactical applications, the edge it could give them in their own field. Kevin nodded, encouraged. "Exactly. The Blank Meteor strength potion grants a significant burst. The Iron Wall potion alters Nen's defensive properties. Each has its cost and side-effect profile, and each is a tool for a specific moment."
Begel, who had been a silent witness to this negotiation between the next generation, finally stubbed out his cigarette. "This is the heart of the Hunter network," he said, his voice carrying the weight of experience. "You find complementary skills. You assess risk and reward. You build trust through shared goals and incremental collaboration. Kevin's offer is solid. He's not asking for blind faith; he's offering a phased partnership based on demonstrable, if imperfect, results."
He looked at the three young Hunters. "Buhara can be the beta tester for the Digestion Potion, providing detailed feedback on its interaction with his ability. Menchi, you can work on designing the 'perfect fuel' meals, using your knowledge to potentially mitigate some of the potion's strain. And Kevin, you get vital field data and the culinary expertise to maximize your own training. Everyone contributes; everyone gains."
The framework was elegant in its practicality. It wasn't a binding contract yet, but it was a blueprint for one.
"Alright," Menchi said, decisively. "We're in. On a trial basis. Send us the details—dosage, observed effects, the works. Buhara will do a controlled test back at our lab. And we'll start drafting menu concepts based on your body metrics and training load." She pointed a finger at Kevin. "But you better work on those side effects. I'm not signing up for a lifetime of… digestive distress."
Kevin smiled, a genuine expression of relief and ambition. "Deal."
As the last of the fire died into glowing coals, the alliance was sealed. The massive pile of meat was now a symbol not of gluttony, but of potential—the raw material for a new kind of synergy. Kevin looked from the thoughtful Buhara to the fiercely determined Menchi. The Hunter Exam was his immediate trial, but beyond it, he now had collaborators. The path of the solitary potion-maker was evolving into something richer, more interconnected. He had his teacher in Bisky, his chaotic inspiration in Mori, his ethical anchor in Begel, and now, his research and development partners in these two brilliant, hungry Gourmet Hunters. The monster in the swamp was a lesson in lethal, solitary power. This night was a lesson in the power of building something greater than oneself. Kevin packed away the remaining Digestion Potion, its value now multiplied. It was no longer just a training tool; it was the first sample in a commercial and strategic partnership. The world of Hunters was vast and dangerous, but he was no longer just finding his place in it. He was starting to build his own corner of it.
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