The amount of meat they'd gathered was staggering—easily measured in tons.
After all, they'd hunted numerous beasts, and not just in parts, but whole.
Even after the unusable portions were removed—blood drained, skins stripped—the remaining edible meat was still immense.
The barbecue only lasted around two hours before most people were too full to continue.
By that point, only a few Hunters were still eating.
As Hunters who had mastered Nen, they could enhance their physical condition—including their appetites—but that didn't mean they could eat endlessly.
Now, only Kevin Carpenberg, Menchi, and Buhasit were still devouring the grilled meat.
"Come on, Kevin! Don't lose to them!" shouted Shant cheerfully from the sidelines.
Shant, a curvy, dark-skinned woman, was the other Nen user in Begel's team besides Baishu.
As she cheered, she slammed a fist onto the table in front of her—causing everything on it, and herself, to jiggle with great force.
"Why has this turned into an eating contest?" asked Begel, confused, puffing on a cigarette nearby.
He really couldn't understand the enthusiasm of the younger generation.
"She's always like this. Her head's full of whatever nonsense she's into at the moment," Baishu muttered, sipping beer with a sigh.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a muscular brown arm reached across and yanked him by the neck.
Shant had grabbed him in a headlock and was now hoisting him off the ground, despite the fact that Baishu was only about 160 cm tall. He flailed in the air.
"You bad-mouthing me again, shrimp?"
"Let go, you crazy woman! Gah! I'll fight you!"
"Hmph. Childish."
The two quickly devolved into a scuffle, and the atmosphere turned rowdy.
But Kevin wasn't distracted. He glanced over briefly, then returned his focus to the meat in front of him.
Time passed. One by one, the others left to rest, leaving only Kevin, Menchi, and Buhasit.
"I'm full," Menchi sighed, collapsing into a single-seat lounge chair she'd dragged over earlier.
Buhasit, however, was still going strong—eating skewer after skewer at a steady, astonishing pace.
The two large grills next to him were packed with meat. One of his hands constantly shoved food into his mouth while the other expertly flipped and rotated the meat on the grill.
Kevin was still eating too, but nowhere near Buhasit's tempo.
In fact, one of Buhasit's mouthfuls was equivalent to several minutes of Kevin's eating.
Despite the vast quantity consumed, Buhasit's stomach only looked slightly distended—still just a round bulge.
It felt like he could keep going until all the food was gone without any real impact.
Was this the effect of his Nen? Kevin chewed thoughtfully.
Back in the swamp, he'd already speculated on Buhasit's Nen type.
Judging by this display, he was likely an Enhancement-type user—his ability seemingly focused on strengthening digestion and nutrient absorption. For a Gourmet Hunter, it was an extremely fitting skill.
Kevin suddenly asked, "Could you two create food that's rich in nutrients and easy to digest?"
At that, Menchi sat up, and Buhasit finally slowed his eating.
"You want to commission us for something?" Menchi asked, narrowing her eyes.
Then, as if something clicked in her mind, she added, "Wait... do you have a digestive enhancer? Are you planning to use food to strengthen your body?"
She connected the dots quickly. Given what Kevin had mentioned previously, it was a logical conclusion.
Kevin nodded. "Exactly. Interested in a collaboration?"
With that, he reached into his waist pouch and took out a vial, placing it on the table.
"This is a Digestion Potion. Take it, and within 15 minutes your body will fully digest everything you've eaten.
The nutrients and energy will be stored in your system. As long as you do high-intensity training soon after, you can convert that stored energy directly into strength."
This potion was Kevin's most frequently used one. Unless he found a better substitute, it would remain essential.
The catch, however, was that the changes it caused in the body were not entirely natural.
Real growth came from training—when your aura evolved and your body adapted. That kind of change became intrinsic.
Changes induced by potions were different—they relied on external forces. The body might react and adapt to some extent, but it wouldn't truly learn the process.
Only parts of the transformation tied to Nen or physical exertion could be remembered by the body.
The Digestion Potion fell into that category.
Its core mechanism was straightforward: once ingested, the potion interacted with the food being digested, breaking it down into extremely absorbable nutrients that the body could then store.
Kevin hadn't yet learned the Digestion ability itself, but he had mastered the final phase: storage.
Even without the potion, his body could now store significantly more energy, nutrients, and fat than before.
What's more, this capacity appeared to scale with his physical training.
One day, he might be able to gorge himself once and go without food or water for days—greatly improving his endurance in battle.
"That's somewhat similar to my ability," Buhasit said, pausing for the first time.
Menchi, meanwhile, asked the crucial question: "So what's the side effect?"
Kevin had mentioned his potions weren't perfect before. They needed to be careful.
If the potion really worked as described, it would be a powerful supplement for both of them.
But if the side effects were too intense, they might end up doing more harm than good.
Kevin answered simply, "You'll get diarrhea for two days."
Begel had kindly volunteered to test it once. That was the result.
"…?"
The expressions on Menchi and Buhasit's faces darkened.
That side effect might seem mild at first glance, but it completely undermined the potion's purpose.
The whole point was to train hard right after storing the energy—so if you're spending two days stuck in a bathroom, the benefit's gone.
And no one could guarantee how severe the symptoms might be.
Severe diarrhea could lead to dehydration, fatigue, and serious complications.
If something went wrong in those two days, the risk was huge.
They both ran rapid cost-benefit analyses in their heads.
Kevin clearly understood the concern. He added, "I'm working on eliminating the side effects. I've already made some progress, and I have a direction forward.
Within a year, I'm confident I can completely remove the downside.
So think of this as a preview of future collaboration. And the Digestion Potion is just one of many I have.
This partnership can be gradual—we don't need to rush."
Then he looked at Buhasit and added, "Also, if I'm right, your ability lets you store and process nutrients extremely efficiently.
In your case, even with the diarrhea, the potion would still deliver full benefits.
Once I remove the side effects, it'll become your perfect support item."
Kevin's tone slowed, patient and persuasive.
It might sound like he was pitching a dream, but everything he said was grounded in fact.
With a steady supply of materials, he could mass-produce the basic potions, turning them into a kind of currency for trade.
Meanwhile, rare materials could be used to craft powerful potions that would boost his strength directly.
His One Moment's Dream was clearly a Specialization-type Nen ability that offered immense utility. To use it to its full potential, Kevin knew he couldn't afford to be stingy.
It was time to start trading what he had… for the resources he needed.
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