Moment's Dream X Medicine

Sky Arena.

Kevin looked up at the exaggerated structure whose peak was nowhere in sight.

"This thing is only the fourth tallest in the world." He could not help but marvel. He remembered that even the tallest buildings in his previous life had seemingly not been as tall as this one.

This world's technological development was truly strange.

But then, it was another world. Even the average person here was physically superior to those from his former world.

It truly deserved its name as a giant arena and sacred ground for combat.

The surrounding streets were filled with martial artists of every kind.

Some were dressed as warrior monks, some as boxers, some as swordsmen—there was every sort.

Nen users were mixed among them as well, though their numbers were rather small.

Under Biscuit's guidance, he had already learned how to tell whether someone was a Nen user.

He only needed to see whether the Aura above their heads was naturally leaking upward, though he personally felt this standard of judgment was definitely not rigorous.

After all, he could absolutely disguise his Aura to appear like that of an ordinary person, and he constantly let his Aura drift upward in that manner.

With his level of control, he could even make it look as though it was dispersing, as if an Antenna stood atop his head, while in truth his Aura remained firmly maintained in "Ken."

Kevin walked silently down the street.

He began to think.

He was no longer ignorant about so-called Nen abilities. In fact, his knowledge in this area already surpassed that of most Nen users.

Those were Biscuit's own words.

That was because most Nen users had learned through unconventional means, awakening their Nen abilities through all sorts of accidents.

They did not even understand the Four Major Principles or Seven Techniques.

What Kevin truly cared about, however, was his own situation.

Though Biscuit had never said it outright, all the Nen knowledge she taught him had consistently emphasized one particular aspect.

Bargain and Vow.

Post-mortem Nen.

The former was meant to prepare him for when he constructed his Nen ability.

A Bargain and Vow was, in essence, a restriction: adding limitations to one's actions and Nen ability in exchange for strengthening other effects of that ability.

In Biscuit's words, it could multiply one's strength, but she had told him not to try it lightly.

This was not something one could impose simply because they wanted to. It required past experiences; it was something that could only be achieved through obsession.

More importantly, Biscuit knew Kevin was not someone with any particular obsession.

Yet it could still come into play when constructing a Nen ability, because sometimes the subconscious would add such enhancements on its own during the process.

But what he needed to pay closer attention to was the latter.

Post-mortem Nen.

It was likewise connected to human will—that is, obsession. An obsession deep enough could transform into post-mortem Nen after death.

This was not limited to Nen users. Even ordinary people could produce such things, though the harm they caused was nowhere near as severe.

Without a doubt.

[Moment's Dream] was post-mortem Nen.

From the fragmented memories he had learned of and the records from the laboratory, he could tell that his former self had possessed an almost obsessive love for making medicine.

It was precisely that nearly insane passion that had allowed the original Kevin to awaken a Specialization Type Nen ability so deeply connected to medicine-making.

This also confirmed what Biscuit had said: Nen abilities were born from a person's past experiences and personal will.

Perhaps his terrible physical learning ability was related to it as well—or perhaps it was a side effect?

Kevin could not tell.

Post-mortem Nen became stronger after death. That was the manifestation of obsession. That was why the [Moment's Dream] he controlled now had changed compared to the one in his memories, and the change had been for the better.

But such changes also brought certain drawbacks for the living.

If his medicine was used on others, it would bring side effects.

The more powerful the medicine's effect, the stronger its side effects would become.

Of course, the side effects would not outweigh the medicine's benefits.

But that was not an issue when he used it himself.

Overall, it was still something akin to a cheat, just like his inhuman control over Aura. Both were beneficial changes.

Still thinking, he returned to the house he had rented.

One of its rooms had already been converted into a basic laboratory. The shelves beside it were filled with various valuable "materials" he had brought from his luggage.

There had been so many materials left in the house before that Kevin naturally could not take them all. He had only selected the expensive and hard-to-obtain ones. The rest could be easily bought with money and were not costly.

"Now then, let me get to know you properly."

Kevin rubbed his hands together, excitement and anticipation appearing on his face.

During the first week, he had not dared to use it recklessly. He had only tested it a few times before stopping.

After all, he did not understand it.

He had even less opportunity during training. Biscuit's training truly deserved to be called hellish.

He spread his hands.

The Alchemy Table with three scales appeared.

He took out an empty Medicine Tube and inserted it into the round hole in the base below.

Following the recipe in his memories, he selected three materials.

Bronze Scale: Yang Hong Hua (dried)

A herb that stimulated the muscles. It was not particularly expensive and could be bought from large herbal shops.

Silver Scale: Fire Duck Liver (fresh)

The organs of a creature known as a Fire Duck. They were aggressive wild ducks often found by lakes in the wilderness, and they had effects that strengthened the body.

He had just bought it outside.

Gold Scale: Evil Tiger Bone (powder)

The tiger bone of a Demonic Beast—the Ferocious Tiger. It could accelerate the heartbeat, speed up blood circulation, increase adrenaline, and strengthen the muscles.

The three materials were placed on the three scales according to their properties.

The material placed on the Gold Scale was the main ingredient, and the medicine's effect would be primarily based on it.

The material placed on the Silver Scale was the supplementary ingredient, used to add extra effects or strengthen the main effect.

The material placed on the Bronze Scale was the Fusion Agent, responsible for combining the main and supplementary ingredients. Yet selecting this material was the most troublesome part. If he failed to choose a suitable one, the resulting medicine could be poison or useless water with no effect at all.

Furthermore, the materials he placed on it had to belong to him. Whether they were truly his depended entirely on his subconscious; there was no fooling himself.

Everything was ready.

Words appeared on the base. This ability had not existed before; he had only gained it after death.

[Increases muscle strength, increases manifest Aura capacity, accelerates the consumption of stamina and Aura.]

Kevin entered a state of Zetsu, and all of his manifest Aura poured into the Alchemy Table.

Depending on the strength of the medicine being refined, the required amount of potential Aura and time invested would vary.

Manifest Aura capacity was the maximum amount of Aura one could output.

Potential Aura capacity was the total amount of Aura maintained within the body.

To put it simply, a person was like a water gun.

Potential Aura capacity was how much water the tank could hold, while manifest Aura capacity was how much water could be fired when the trigger was pulled.

The medicine was not particularly potent, so it did not take long.

The time required to make the medicine was one hour.