In the end, Menchi and Buhara agreed to Kevin Carpenberg's offer of cooperation.
Not because they were desperate—just because they weren't stupid.
Kevin had presented both a Digestion Potion and a Healing Potion.
While both came with side effects, they couldn't deny that the benefits were extremely attractive—worth the risk.
More importantly, Kevin was currently the only one who could produce these potions, putting him in a position of complete monopoly.
For Gourmet Hunters who spend most of their time in the wild—navigating dangerous areas and chasing rare ingredients—having a reliable emergency backup was absolutely vital. Refusing this kind of deal was out of the question.
On top of that, Kevin had promised to resolve the potions' side effects within a year.
Once the potions became side-effect-free, they'd be worth their weight in gold.
"Honestly, from a certain perspective, we're actually pretty lucky," Menchi said with a laugh.
Buhara nodded beside her, clearly in agreement. "Having the friendship of a pharmacist is extremely valuable for people like us."
Indeed, Kevin's potions were like in-game items—practical and powerful.
Even with side effects, they were willing to use them. If those drawbacks were eliminated, they'd be like an unbeatable trump card.
Menchi leaned back, gazing at the night sky, and continued, "What makes this even better is that the 'currency' for these trades is something we can get easily."
Kevin only asked for ingredients or funds in exchange.
As Gourmet Hunters, they'd be spending most of their time out in the wild anyway. During their hunts, there were always unusable parts of beasts that weren't suitable for cooking—but now, those useless parts could be bartered to Kevin as potion materials.
Things they once tossed aside or sold for pocket change were now valuable currency.
All they needed to do was properly store and package the byproducts and bring them to Kevin.
It would only cost them a little time.
Kevin would inspect the materials, assess their value, and trade them for potions. In emergencies, they could even use money directly. The process was refreshingly simple.
"Heh, we leave tomorrow! Plenty more delicacies out there waiting for us!"
The next morning, Kevin woke to find that Menchi and Buhara had already left.
Elsewhere in the research base, people were beginning to pack up and evacuate.
Kevin saw people dressed in military-style uniforms arriving in all sorts of specialized vehicles, setting up a camp near the facility.
He narrowed his eyes slightly—this was turning out to be more serious than expected.
Begel walked over. "Surprised?"
Kevin nodded. "Yeah… was that monster more dangerous than I thought?"
Begel lit a cigarette and stared at the makeshift military camp. "Let's just say… things are more complicated than we estimated yesterday."
He exhaled smoke and continued, "Those people who got ripped apart? There's probably some kind of connection between them and that creature."
"You think it was part of a biological experiment?" Kevin asked.
"Exactly."
That made things a lot clearer.
Begel went on, "We have no way of confirming what that creature is capable of, or whether it carries any deadly pathogens.
In these kinds of situations, standard procedure is total quarantine until we can assess the risk."
To Kevin, this all felt a bit like overkill.
Begel seemed strong enough to track and eliminate that monster alone.
But these people were professionals. Clearly, they'd encountered similar cases before—and learned from past mistakes.
So there was some kind of secret organization at play.
They weren't trying to just eliminate the creature—they wanted to trace it back and permanently solve the root of the problem.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kevin asked.
Begel shook his head, patting Kevin on the shoulder. "Unfortunately, not right now. You don't have clearance. Unless you join my team—but I don't think that's something you'd be interested in."
Kevin nodded. He wasn't.
His question was mostly a formality. After all, in another month or two, he'd be taking the Hunter Exam.
"Once you pass the Hunter Exam, things will change. You'll probably have the clearance to help then."
It was clearer than ever now: a Hunter License was practically a universal pass.
Even matters of national security were fair game to a licensed Hunter.
"The situation is that bad?" Kevin asked. "You don't think it'll be solved by then?"
Begel, a one-star Hunter himself, tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. "Hard to say. Just a feeling—but I doubt it'll be over anytime soon.
Even with the Hunter Association's intel network, I haven't been able to find a single lead on the identities of those ripped-apart people. That's not normal."
Coming from someone with access to high-level intelligence, that was a serious red flag.
This wasn't a simple case.
"Well, I'd better pack up and go," Kevin said. "If you guys catch that creature, save me a few samples. I'll pay."
Begel smiled. "If we catch it, I'll be the one dissecting it anyway."
Just then, Kevin pulled out his phone from his pocket.
A text message appeared on screen.
Reading it, Kevin raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like something's come up," Begel chuckled.
Kevin put the phone away. "Yeah, I need to go. Thanks for all your help this past month—I've learned a lot."
"Hope next time we meet, it's as collaborators. No more internships."
Kevin laughed. "We'll see."
With the area now under military lockdown, Kevin joined the researchers boarding an evacuation bus.
After arriving at the nearest city, Kevin bought a ticket for the earliest airship flight to the Yorbian Continent and checked into a nearby hotel.
Sitting on the bed, Kevin pulled out his phone again and reread the message.
It was from Mito.
They hadn't seen each other in months. Mito had apparently returned to her homeland—and now had information Kevin wanted.
They had agreed to meet on November 25th in the city of Nansha.
It was already November 2nd. That gave him 23 days.
Kevin powered on the hotel's computer and started researching the area.
Nansha was located in the Yorbian Continent, remote and mountainous, with an abundance of natural resources.
The region was home to various ethnic groups and religious sects.
Kevin browsed through travel guides and discovered the area was mostly wilderness—surrounded by forests and uninhabited zones.
"Really is in the middle of nowhere," he muttered.
After some thought, Kevin decided to change plans and head to the continent early.
He didn't have any urgent business for now. Arriving ahead of time wouldn't hurt.
"Where should I go first?" he mused. "Yōkexin—it's the biggest city nearby. I'll start there."
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