The battle was over.
The village was in ruins, a scene of devastation. Many buildings were tilted and collapsed, and even those that barely stood were riddled with various holes and damages. The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood. Large and small Phantom Beast corpses were scattered among the ruins; not a single Phantom Beast remaining in the village could stand.
The massive Bisky violently threw the giant Phantom Beast she was dragging onto the ground, creating a loud boom and kicking up a cloud of dust. She looked around, and the villagers on both sides, caught by her gaze, involuntarily took a few steps back.
"Tsk." Bisky clicked her tongue in displeasure. This was why she disliked her true appearance. As a Gem Hunter, a female Hunter with an obsessive pursuit of beauty, this true form was truly not beautiful. She had spent a lot of time and effort to hide this appearance and transform her looks into her ideal image.
In the sky, the Griffin slowly descended. Menchi leaped off it, and the Griffin instantly dissipated.
"It's finally over," Menchi said, panting. Fortunately, the [Surging Potion] usually restored all Nen when its effect ended.
Buhara also walked over, his physique having undergone a drastic change. His body fat was completely depleted, and he no longer had his previous round appearance; he had become lean and angular, with large muscles faintly visible. His gaze fell on Bisky's muscles, scrutinizing them up and down.
Feeling Buhara's gaze, Bisky clenched her fist, making a silent threat to him. Buhara laughed awkwardly, quickly averting his gaze. The change in her physique seemed to have made her temperament somewhat wilder.
"Phew, it's over," Melusine murmured, being dragged by the white snake and sitting beside Kevin. She had almost never fought. And this Nen ability was newly generated; she had only simply given commands. This also put her under great pressure.
Kevin, currently in a Zetsu state, smiled and said, "Congratulations. You're free."
When making potions, aside from needing a continuous supply of Nen while in the Zetsu state, Kevin was generally quite free—just unable to go too far.
"The curse... has the curse disappeared?" A villager looked at his hands, muttering softly.
"It's gone! That feeling of being cursed is gone! We're free! We're free!" Another villager shouted excitedly, his voice growing higher and higher.
"Oh oh oh! Freedom!"
"Can we go out? Can we?"
"Wuwuwu—"
"Hahaha, that's great."
The villagers were emotionally agitated, with cries and shouts intertwined, rising and falling. At this moment, they desperately needed to vent the emotions they had accumulated for so long.
Melusine watched this scene, tears welling up in her eyes. She tightly hugged Kevin beside her, burying her head in his back, and said indistinctly, "That's great..."
Soon, the villagers, having vented their emotions, began to clear the battlefield.
Bisky and the others also came over. Looking at the massive Bisky, like a wall, Kevin couldn't help but focus his attention on her.
"What are you looking at?! Never seen it before?" Bisky asked unpleasantly.
Kevin laughed awkwardly, quickly trying to salvage the situation. "It's quite handsome."
Although Kevin had long known that Bisky must have hidden her true physique, he never expected her original body to look like this. He used to think that Bisky's original physique just looked older, and her transformed small body was highly deceptive, which was why she chose to hide it. But he never imagined that her original body would be that of a muscular demon. Given Bisky's personality, it was perfectly normal for her to dislike this physique. However, this was ultimately her true form, which could only be concealed by Nen ability. And judging by her fighting style earlier, her combat power was greatly reduced when concealed.
"Are you alright?" After a threat, Bisky looked at the sweating Kevin and asked with concern.
Kevin waved his hand casually. "I'm fine. It's just that the potion's effect has worn off, and my own Nen is rapidly depleting, which is why I'm like this."
When making high-grade potions, if one's own Nen is insufficient, the [Surging Potion] is an excellent choice. Because during the duration of this potion, there's basically no need to worry too much about the Nen consumed. During its duration, this potion not only increases potential aura but also continuously replenishes it. As long as Nen isn't completely drained in an instant, normal use through visible aura will generally be replenished.
In other words, although Kevin's potential aura could barely reach the threshold of 100,000 after drinking the potion, when making the potion, due to the effects produced by the potion, the actual aura provided was approximately 120,000.
Seeing that Kevin still needed some time to recover, the others stood up and began to explore and examine the massive snake body. Gowen, who had recovered, also joined them.
After all, this was a young creature from the Dark Continent. However, Kevin didn't have high expectations for this corpse. Because it was simple: before reaching adulthood, the physical body used by the Grudge-Eating Snake was an aggregate product. That is, a flesh-and-blood body that condensed only when needed, not its true body in essence. At this time, it was a pure resentment creature; only after adulthood would it gather a suitable snake body and solidify it. This method increased its survival rate during its juvenile period.
At the very beginning of the ritual, it almost always discarded a body. This behavior was similar to "tail-dropping for survival" in nature, so this body, apart from being extremely delicious, seemed to have no other significant use. Perhaps this was the way of survival in the Dark Continent.
"Are you alright, Kevin? Your face is getting paler and paler," Melusine said worriedly, holding Kevin beside her.
Kevin smiled weakly, comforting her. "Don't worry. This is normal. It's been a long time since I've experienced this state."
Finally, the potion was completed. Kevin collapsed into Melusine's arms on the spot, weakly squinting his eyes. The side effects of excessive potion use began to manifest; his body became increasingly fatigued, and he slowly fell asleep.
When Kevin woke up again, it was already the next morning. He slept in a relatively intact building. Outside the window, there was a bustling noise.
"My back aches. It's been a long time since I've felt this way," Kevin muttered, getting out of bed.
A potion was placed in a box on his bedside table. The liquid inside this potion was white, with black lines floating within, forming a pattern-like shape.
"A-rank potion. Or rather, A-rank material. What a pity—it's not very useful now."
Kevin's current total potential Nen was still far from meeting the standard, and it would require a long period of training to potentially satisfy the usage conditions. Not to mention transforming A-rank materials into potions for storage in this way. If he wanted to make it again, he might have to upgrade the Nen ability, "A Moment's Dream," to achieve the effect of secondary production; otherwise, it would be impossible to utilize.
But no matter what, it was better than all the previously anticipated outcomes. After all, there was a gain, rather than achieving the goal through failed or interrupted production.
Kevin put away the potion and looked out the window.
The area around the square had now clearly become a goods stacking area. A large number of Phantom Beast corpses were laid out there, with temporary slaughtering tables set up nearby. The body of the giant snake was also being processed. Menchi and Buhara were busy nearby. From Buhara's physique, it was clear that he hadn't rested after the battle yesterday and had been busy processing these ingredients.
Looking further away, large amounts of building debris were being cleared, and the villagers' various possessions and furniture were piled on the other side of the square. Temporary stoves were also set up nearby.
"You're awake!" A cheerful voice came from behind him.
Kevin turned to see Melusine, supported by the white snake, with Lorian and a Nen beast maid standing at the doorway. At this moment, Lorian was constantly scrutinizing the Nen beast maid.
Melusine immediately threw herself into Kevin's arms. Kevin held her and then sat down on the edge of the bed.
"After the ritual was interrupted, how is your body? Did anything go wrong?" Kevin's knowledge in this area was limited, so he could only ask Melusine, the person involved.
Melusine shook her head, clenched her fists, and made a bodybuilding gesture. "I'm fine. In fact, I've become stronger than before. I don't know why."
"Stronger?" Kevin looked puzzled.
Melusine couldn't explain why either, and could only nod helplessly.
"You must be hungry. I made you breakfast." As she spoke, the white Nen beast dressed as a maid at the doorway walked in, dragging a tray.
Looking at this Nen beast, Kevin then looked at Lorian. What he had seen yesterday was indeed not an illusion; the four Nen beasts Melusine materialized had external outlines and body sizes that were indeed modeled after Lorian and the other three maids. It was clear that the emergency situation at the time made Melusine directly choose these people she was closest to, perhaps even subconsciously. This might also have given these four Nen beasts more than just combat abilities.
After finishing breakfast, Kevin and the two of them went downstairs.
Outside, it was still a busy scene.
Bisky sat on a chair, holding the gem in her hand, constantly turning it over and over, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at it.
"Is it that beautiful? Enough to make you so engrossed?"
Hearing Kevin's unappreciative remark, Bisky turned her head and glared at him fiercely.
"Look at this pale red gem shell, and the crystal clear flow within, like life itself advancing. Such a beautiful and transparent gem, it's simply among the top tier. This raw beauty doesn't even need to be polished—"
Listening to Bisky's eloquent description, Kevin didn't interrupt, but quietly walked over and sat down. However, when she saw Kevin and Melusine, who was holding Kevin's arm, her attention immediately shifted. She put away the gem, jumped directly from the chair, and sat down beside Melusine with a curious expression.
"So how did you two meet? From the looks of it, you're more than just close friends."
Saying this, Bisky, relying on her status as Kevin's master, began to ask Melusine all sorts of questions.
Kevin, helpless, had to go to the square.
The surrounding villagers, seeing Kevin, involuntarily bowed to him, each greeting him in this manner. In a way, Kevin's prestige in the village was the highest at this stage.
Kevin smiled and greeted the villagers, then came to Menchi's side.
"You're awake. Look at the materials here—I took them all from this snake," Menchi said.
Kevin nodded, touching and examining each material. As expected, neither the snake's blood, bones, nor flesh gave him that craving feeling. What was even more interesting was that this snake had no internal organs at all. It was purely driven by the core it had before, and the resentful entity hidden within the core. No wonder his punches were so weak during the previous battle. He couldn't break the scales, and even if the force penetrated, it wouldn't have much effect.
When he finally touched the scales, that craving feeling came.
B-rank.
Indeed, this was the most crucial part of each body—the tough outer scales. These scales were extremely hard, so hard that Kevin's punch had no effect on them.
At night, a simple but lively feast was laid out in the square. All kinds of food were dazzling. Surrounded by the ruins, everyone sang and danced, their faces beaming with genuine smiles.
In the center of the venue was a huge roast meat, about three meters long, taken from a part of the snake's body—the true main course of this feast.
This roast meat was incredibly delicious. Kevin tasted it and commented that Gourmet Hunters would risk their lives for this bite, and he could completely understand that. Just simple cooking and roasting brought out an unimaginable deliciousness. It was hard to imagine anything tastier than this roast meat. Upon eating it, the texture was like both chicken and fish, tender and springy. The meaty aroma that came with chewing was irresistible. Simple roasting combined with simple seasonings—it was clearly just a piece of ordinary snake meat, yet it had different layers of flavor. This wonderful taste made one feel happy.
"A creature of resentment, yet the food made from its body can make people feel happy and content," Gowen said quietly. It indeed felt somewhat ironic.
As the banquet gradually reached its climax, Rabik was now flushed from drinking. He picked up his wooden cup, filled it with beer, stood on a table, and excitedly shouted, "Hundreds of years of curse have receded, and we have gained freedom! And for this, we must thank these Hunters. They will be our eternal friends! To friends!"
Everyone raised their glasses, cheering and saluting Kevin and the others. Kevin and the others also smiled in response. The cheers pushed the banquet's atmosphere to a climax.
At night.
"Since the curse of this Secret Realm has been resolved, the Association should send professionals to liaise. They should then be responsible for the reconstruction of the village and matters related to the villagers. After this, we won't need to worry about it. If you have any other ideas or needs, you can communicate with these villagers yourselves," Bisky said, looking at Kevin and the others.
She was quite experienced in handling such matters.
Then Bisky looked at Kevin. "I heard about the 'Spiral' incident last time, and with the lifting of this curse, you will definitely receive the One-Star Hunter title. I've already reported the information here. If I vouch for you, perhaps after they finish dealing with this village's affairs, they might get it done for you before you leave."
Kevin nodded. He naturally wouldn't refuse a promotion. Although it sounded like just an honorary title, a One-Star Hunter still had many implicit benefits. For example, they would have more access to internal Hunter intelligence, and for many important incidents or tasks, if possible, the Association would prioritize choosing these Star Hunters.
For instance, Kevin claimed to be a Mythical Beast Hunter, and currently, he undoubtedly is a Mythical Beast Hunter. So, if there's a crisis or regional hazard caused by a Phantom Beast, when local forces and nations report it to the Hunter Association for handling, the Hunter Association would prioritize entrusting this matter to a Star Hunter like Kevin. The more critical and important the task, the more this consideration would apply. This means that sometimes Kevin wouldn't even need to seek out information himself; relevant information and targets would proactively come to him. Even hazards caused by various rare beasts and magical beasts, he would sometimes be asked if he would accept handling them—these were all rare opportunities.
After Bisky finished speaking, she patted Kevin's shoulder, gave a thumbs-up, and smiled. "If nothing unexpected happens, you will become the fastest One-Star Hunter holder."
One must know that Kevin only became a Hunter last year. In some ways, it could even be said that Kevin became a Hunter and was promoted to a One-Star Hunter in the same year. After all, it was only January 2nd now.
"Ah, a One-Star Hunter... That's great. I need to work harder too," Menchi said enviously from the side.
She had become a Hunter several years before Kevin.