Inside his own laboratory, Kevin was sorting through the materials he currently had on hand.
B-Grade: Emerald Crystal Bone.
This material came from the Dark Continent, gifted by Jin, and should be considered top-tier among B-Grade materials.
C-Grade: moon milk opal, gemstone fish scale, Double-Headed Wolf horn, Shadow Larva, iron turtle shell.
The moon milk opal was previously purchased, the gemstone fish scale was a gift from Bisky, the Double-Headed Wolf horn was obtained when the Double-Headed Wolf died, and the Shadow Larva was captured yesterday.
As for the last one, the iron turtle shell, Kevin had "borrowed" it from Begel's warehouse.
Begel's personal warehouse contained many strange biological materials, some of which were valuable collectibles.
But more were biological specimens previously used for research records, which lost their value after the research concluded.
The iron turtle shell was one such item; the faint desire it evoked was on the same level as the moon milk opal.
Furthermore, there are farms in a certain country specifically breeding iron turtles, so it's not particularly rare, almost the cheapest material Kevin had on hand.
Other materials that could be used in medicine but didn't trigger a desire were uniformly classified as D-Grade by Kevin.
With the iron turtle shell, Kevin finally found a material that matched the gemstone fish scale.
If these two were made into a potion, barring any accidents, it should be able to enhance the body's defensive capabilities.
It's just not clear yet how the effect will be produced.
Previously, due to the lack of a crucial fusion agent for the copper scale, the experiment had been stalled.
But yesterday, Kevin found an excellent alternative—the acid from the sulfuric pool.
After testing, the effect was very ideal.
After multiple ratios and research, Kevin discovered that this acid was almost a universal fusion agent when combining all ores and hard materials.
However, storing this acid is extremely difficult.
Kevin got some acid that Dr. Belut had previously collected and replaced; after testing, its effect was greatly reduced, almost to the point of being ineffective.
And it had only been a little over a week since he last collected the acid.
This means that the acid's shelf life after leaving the acid pool might only be seven days.
Kevin manifested the pharmacy workbench and placed the prepared materials on it.
gold scale: gemstone fish scale (whole piece - 10 grams)
Silver Scale: iron turtle shell (small piece - 25 grams)
copper scale: green acid (one milliliter)
[Effect: Enhances Nen and skin's resistance to strikes.]
This effect is simple and direct.
In fact, Kevin had already made it once yesterday; at that time, he ground the two materials, and the effect description obtained was the same as this time.
Now, he wanted to try if refining with whole pieces of material would yield a different effect.
Different forms of materials also affect the final product's effect.
Kevin took a deep breath, slowly placed his hand on the machine, entered the state of "Zetsu", and felt his stamina and Nen gradually drain away.
After about twenty minutes, the pharmacy workbench stopped operating, and a new potion popped out.
Making potions also seems to have a "proficiency"; the more you make, the faster it gets, but the consumption remains the same.
This time, the overall potion making consumed nearly two to three thousand Nen from Kevin, slightly more than yesterday's consumption, which was around exactly two thousand.
The potion's color was no different from before; under the sunlight, hexagonal light and shadow would occasionally appear on the surface.
After the pharmacy workbench disappeared, Kevin drank the potion in his hand without hesitation.
The potion took effect instantly.
"The effect is better than yesterday's."
This was Kevin's intuitive feeling; it seems these two materials are not suitable for being ground into powder when combined.
Kevin let his Nen flow within his body.
"It gives a heavy feeling, but the speed of Nen circulation and transformation hasn't slowed down; it's just an illusion."
Kevin recorded as he felt it.
Then, he clenched his right fist and struck his left arm.
"Hmm?"
After careful observation, Kevin noticed something unusual.
At the moment of striking and defending, Nen collided with Nen, causing the shape of the Nen to undergo a certain "solidification".
It was as if, at the moment of impact, the Nen turned into a hexagon.
To make sure he wasn't mistaken, Kevin increased the frequency, rapidly striking his hands together.
"I wasn't mistaken, it really is hexagonal."
This phenomenon greatly interested Kevin; it was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
At this time, the Nen on his body had not increased or decreased, nor had the consumption increased.
Then, the only change that brought about the enhanced defense from the Nen was the appearance of the hexagon during strikes; this shape was somewhat similar to the growth pattern on the iron turtle shell.
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.