Wind Rider X Reinforcements

Kevin went out again.

This time, he went and returned quickly, without encountering any unexpected events along the way.

The main purpose of this trip was to receive the medicines and materials that were being transported from Locke.

Locke asked Kevin if he was in trouble.

After thinking for a moment, Kevin decided not to let Locke stay and assist him.

It's not that we don't need help, but rather that Locke isn't a good fit.

After all, given Locke's Nen ability and personal strength, it would be more suitable for him to cooperate with his companions in human combat in a complex urban environment.

In this potentially unexpected situation, his role would be limited, and he would be facing various enormous monsters.

These monsters are mostly very Life Force, but their attack methods are extremely limited.

Once back in the Village, Kevin set about on his own.

Besides interacting with the Village, Men Qi and his friends prepared plenty of nutritious food for Kevin.

Fortunately, we obtained a large quantity of ingredients this time, and if we don't use some of them properly, we might not be able to carry them all with us when we leave.

While diligently training and improving his Nen, Kevin also set aside some time to prepare potions related to Griffin.

There is a wealth of material about Griffin.

There are three main types of B-Rank materials.

Throat and Tongue, heart, and Wind Core Wind Core— the name of this organ was chosen arbitrarily by Kevin. In reality, it is an unknown organ, the main material in the Griffin's body most closely related to the wind element.

Kevin hasn't yet figured out a suitable combination of materials and Fusion Agent for the first two items.

However, with Melusina's help, he has found a suitable recipe for the Wind Core material. After slightly adjusting the different proportions of the materials, he achieved the desired effect.

[Gold Scale: Wind Core (block - 10g)]

[Silver Scale: Wing Bone (powdered - 15 grams)]

[Copper Scale: Wind Leaf (Extract - 13g)]

[Effect: The user can transform their own Qi into wind.]

This effect is simple and direct, exactly what Kevin needs.

And without a doubt, this is a B-Rank potion.

However, Kevin only plans to make one dose at the moment, because he needs to devote more time and energy to exploring his own Nen power.

This is currently Kevin's highest-grade potion, and refining it once is almost enough to completely deplete the energy within his body.

Kevin needs to accelerate his training and increase his Nen power as much as possible, so forging one is enough for a rainy day. Besides Kevin, the others are also busy.

The Village Chief's House.

After a moment of silence, the Village Chief, facing Buhaci, said, "You Hunter x Hunter always love to meddle in other people's business, you've always been like this."

He is over sixty years old.

Having participated in several memorial ceremonies, I've gotten to know quite a few Hunter x Hunter.

He knew better than anyone what kind of Hunter x Hunter he was.

Willful, curious, naive, and meddlesome.

Of course, there are also some wicked people.

It's just that among those who come to this Village, there are relatively few with bad tempers.

After listening to Buhaci's account, the Village Chief sighed and slowly walked to a chair to sit down. "But this time, you Hunter x Hunter know more than the others before, hehe."

As he spoke, he seemed to drift into a memory.

"There have been Hunter x Hunter who came to the Village at inopportune times, bewildered and knowing nothing about it."

When the Festival began, they thought our actions were insane and tried to stop the Succession Ceremony. In the end, they were nothing more than accompaniments to the sacrifices.

After saying that, the Village Chief turned to look at Buhaci, "Do you think I want to send my granddaughter as a sacrifice?" His emotions suddenly became agitated, but then turned to helplessness.

"It's just her turn now, like that woman last time. I never stop those who try to challenge the Succession Ceremony, just like our ancestors did."

"If there were hope of escaping the status quo, who would willingly remain trapped in this damned Cage, living in a daze?"

They simply lack the strength and ability.

Buhaci nodded in agreement with the Village Chief. But that wasn't the answer he wanted.

"I understand, I understand, not everyone is as open-minded as this old man."

"But you don't need to worry too much about anything else. They're just too scared. They've been locked up here for too long and they need a god."

"You free people would never understand our feelings, nor could you comprehend them."

"If you can truly solve a problem that even I can't solve, why would we stop you?"

Simply put, they won't actively participate, but they won't obstruct either.

The Village Chief and the people behind him are gradually turning into true believers, but they are still in the early stages of this transformation.

Although the villagers' mindset began to change, they were still fundamentally filled with fear and dread.

After all, if the problem could be solved once and for all, who would want to continue to suffer this Curse?

Intelligent life cannot endure such a cramped birdcage.

"However, I must warn you, that monster grows stronger with each encounter. If you begin to fight it, death will be your only fate unless you achieve victory."

He muttered to himself as he looked, giving a final reminder.

However, he didn't hold out much hope for it; he figured it was just another group of people indulging their vanity and ego.

This time, they're just more capable.

Meanwhile, on the other Men Qi crossed her arms and watched Rabik sharpen his weapon.

"What business does this Hunter x Hunter from outside have with me?"

Men Qi didn't beat around the bush; she directly stated her purpose and told him everything she knew.

After listening to Men Qi's story, Rabik stared at her.

Like the Village Chief, he also talked about the Hunter x Hunter who wanted to interfere without knowing anything, and praised Men Qi others for being able to know so much inside information.

"So you're doing this for that Saintess, to prevent her from becoming a sacrifice and being devoured by monsters?"

Men Qi nodded, then shook her head.

That is indeed one reason, but not the whole story.

If this operation succeeds, it will undoubtedly be a remarkable achievement, Men Qi hopes to use it to raise her Hunter x Hunter rank.

As the mastermind behind the event, if successful, Kevin is highly likely to become One-star Hunter.

They knew that Kevin had played a significant role in the last crisis at [The Spiral].

Correspondingly, these assistants can also gain substantial merits, and after doing some other tasks, it wouldn't be difficult for them to become One-star Hunter.

Secondly, each of them had their own purpose.

Gowen now basically knows the cause of his sister's death, and if he has the chance to take revenge, he will naturally not let it go.

Moreover, the target of revenge was a non-human monster, so eliminating it was only natural.

Men Qi and Xiahara may not have had many clear goals before, but this time the situation is different.

It was simply because there was a sentence in the Record Book: "The flesh and blood of a dead snake are among the finest delicacies in the world."

However, if the sacrificial Succession Ceremony is completed while the monster's body remains, it may bring some side effects, such as being Curse again.

But if the monster could be completely destroyed, the remaining flesh and blood could be enjoyed to one's heart's content—for a Gourmet Hunter like Men Qi, this was an irresistible temptation.

She had to consider whether this was her only chance.

That was praised as an absolute delicacy by a Gourmet Hunter who had been to the Dark Continent.

This temptation was far too great for these two Gourmet Hunter.

Not to mention that their companions had the same goal.

There is no reason to back down.

Rabik looked at Men Qi, and seemed to have started talking.

He leaned back in his chair and lit a tobacco stick he had grown himself.

"You must have sent people to look for that old guy too, right?"

Men Qi nodded; there was nothing to hide.

"That old man will agree with what you're doing, but he won't take any action. He was like me when he was young, and I might become like him when I'm old."

As he spoke, Rabik suddenly smiled and looked at Men Qi, asking, "Do you know what would happen if the Succession Ceremony were disrupted, if it were truly interrupted, or even if you succeeded?"

Men Qi looked at him and nodded slightly.

Kevin had previously discussed the possible scenarios with them.

"You know? It seems you understand very well. Once the Succession Ceremony is interrupted, that monster will become enraged, and the Curse on us will take effect."

"Some monsters will rush into the Village, just like during a hunt. These monsters will cause some damage, which serves as a warning to us."

"It's just that something like this hasn't happened in a long time, and only the old folks in the Village know about it. Even the sister of that young man in your group didn't anger the monster."

As he spoke, Rabik spread his hands, laughing, and continued, "You see, even though the consequences are so dangerous, the Village never once thought to stop you Hunter x Hunter."

"You know what? Actually, many villagers are quite happy to see your leader getting along better and better with Melusina. This means that when the Festival comes, your leader definitely won't sit idly by. Besides, he's very strong; many villagers have never seen someone so powerful."

Especially that Griffin.

This gave many villagers a great deal of confidence.

This is why Kevin was able to sense so much goodwill.

At this point, Rabik's expression became somewhat dejected.

"When I was a child, I loved swimming in the river next to us, enjoying the feeling of floating on the surface and slowly drifting with the current."

"But every time I get really into it, I have to stop because I can't swim any further."

"The river can flow forever, but I cannot."

His eyes were filled with memories, as if he had recalled something happy, and a smile appeared on his face. But the smile vanished in an instant, and he turned to look at Men Qi, his expression turning serious.

"You know what? When I was young, I hated Hunter x Hunter, and I hated guys like you who could come and go from Village to village freely."

"Why are you all so free, while we're trapped in this tiny Village forever? If we didn't know how vast the outside world was, perhaps we could stay here contentedly, but reality doesn't allow for 'what ifs.'"

The partnership with the Hunter Association allows the Village Chief to obtain information from the outside world every year.

Everyone in the Village knew that the outside world was incredibly vast, while their small Village was so insignificant.

With this understanding, how could they possibly be willing to remain trapped here indefinitely?

Every year, several Hunter x Hunter would come to the Village, which only fueled their jealousy.

Sometimes one can't help but wonder if this was intentional on the part of the Hunter Association, deliberately instilling in the villagers a longing for the outside world.

It won't lead to complete ruin.

But then they have to turn around and thank the other party.

After all, this prevents them from truly becoming caged birds.

"So go ahead and do it with confidence. As long as you succeed, it will be worth it for us, no matter how great the cost."

"The disgruntled Village will offer their help when you need it."

That night, after the group met, they began to integrate the intelligence they had gathered.

"Based on the Succession Ceremony design Kevin gave us and the key issues within it, we are almost certain that if the Succession Ceremony is interrupted again, the surrounding wild animals will be attracted to the Village, which is one of the main problems."

"Assuming Kevin gains the upper hand or even wins the battle, the monster will instinctively detonate the Curse during that process."

"Furthermore, without the Saintess's Sacrifice, the Village's isolation barrier will gradually weaken. This is the biggest problem, and the most likely scenario to trigger an accident."

Men Qi summarized the information and analyzed it.

The sacrificial Succession Ceremony was meticulously designed, and it was performed by a powerful Nen user from over two hundred years ago.

The entire Succession Ceremony can be described as an in-depth analysis of the post-mortem Nen, the Nen ability, and the God Text.

The others nodded in agreement; this was indeed a crucial issue they needed to consider.

Based on the available information, it is speculated that the reason why those monsters from the outside world do not enter the Village is simply because they extremely loathe this place.

Unless the Giant Snake forcibly controls these beasts to rush in, but its control cannot last forever, this forced control has a time limit.

Once the control is lifted, these beasts will quickly leave out of instinctive disgust, and even the Curse in their bloodline can no longer attract them.

This is the origin of the Village's natural barrier.

"And we must consider another issue: if Kevin succeeds, he will likely be in an extremely weak state." That is, during the potion-making process, in order to ensure that the entire process is not disturbed and that the Giant Snake is certain to die at that moment, Kevin may not even be able to move.

"How many monsters will rush in? What if something unexpected happens? These are all things we need to consider in advance and develop contingency plans for."

"Moreover, once successful, the Succession Ceremony will be over, its mission will be accomplished, and the surrounding barriers will disappear. But right now, the Giant Snake is still in the forging stage. If the Curse in its bloodline hasn't completely dissipated, the resulting attraction will be truly terrifying."

There are too many unexpected situations that can arise at the last minute, and they must consider all of them carefully.

"First, just to be on the safe side, we need to hunt down monsters around the Village during this period. This will at least reduce the pressure later on."

Everyone agreed on this point; it was the easiest preparation to implement at the moment, and most likely the most effective. "Medicine Tube, but don't use it blindly in case of danger," Kevin said with a smile, patting the box on the table.

He had Locke prepare a lot of medicine to bring over.

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked Gowen, looking at him curiously.

Throughout the discussion, Gowen remained silent, even appearing somewhat dazed.

Gowen snapped out of his reverie, smiled, and then shook his head. "It's nothing, just a little nervous. I wonder if my sword, my Courage, and my will are enough to handle what's to come?"

He stared at Kevin, seemingly lost in thought.

"Haha, don't worry, your sword is no weakling." Kevin laughed and patted Gowen on the shoulder.

This isn't just empty words of comfort; Gowen's sword can Initiation, and it certainly has more than just that ability.

After all, he has only demonstrated the Specialization of "Courage" so far.

Although we don't know his specific Nen ability, it's highly likely related to the virtues of Knight.

Moreover, since only "Courage" has been demonstrated so far, there is clearly still a lot of room for development.

Having learned about Nen ability for two years, he has roughly figured out how to guess other people's Nen ability based on their outward manifestations and personality traits.

After discussing the general situation, everyone got back to their busy work.

Time is running out, there's not much left.

Kevin lay in bed at night.

He felt that the current preparations were not safe enough, after all, there were many powerful creatures in the Secret Realm, and it would be difficult for Men Qi and his group to deal with them alone.

The Village can at most play a restraining role, or at most trap one or two monsters by sheer numbers.

If another powerful monster appears then, things will get complicated.

Kevin held his phone, scrolling through the pages while pondering who would be the best person to ask for help.

He needs a powerful ally who can suppress and disrupt the enemy head-on.

To be honest, not many of the people he knew met the criteria.

Yungu belongs to the Martial Faction, but mainly excels in combat against others, and his current strength is not yet sufficient.

Beget is a ranged attacker, but he struggles against giant creatures and finds it difficult to exert any suppressive effect.

He was more like Hunter x Hunter than a gladiator who fought monsters head-on.

How about Biscuit Biscuit?

Kevin didn't know his master's specific Nen ability, only that she was Transmutation Type.

Moreover, he knew that Biscuit's petite, loli-like figure was just an illusion.

Although the reason is unclear, this is probably a kind of tactical deception.

Although Biscuit didn't say it explicitly, Kevin could sense that she was a Martial Faction, and importantly, Biscuit had been Nen ability for decades, making her a true veteran.

She had previously stated that her body had reached its peak a long time ago.

Reaching the pinnacle through training is an incredibly impressive achievement.

Under the current circumstances, it seems there is no one more suitable than her.

In Kevin's mind, Kim was a better choice, but Kim's whereabouts were unpredictable, and the chances of her coming were extremely low.

It was simply not an option to consider, so he was never included on the invitation list from the beginning.

"Even though she's my mentor, I can't ask her for help for no reason."

With that in mind, Kevin took the gem out of the remaining box.

This gem undoubtedly comes from the Dark Continent and is a rare souvenir.

In this world, you could even say she is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece.

From the Dark Continent, beautiful, unique, a gem.

When these elements are combined, its value increases exponentially.

Even someone like Kevin, who doesn't really appreciate gemstones, can see its beauty, let alone Gem Hunter like Biscuit.

There's no better reward than this.

As for whether there's a premium, Kevin doesn't consider that.

Not to mention that Biscuit had done him a great favor; even without this assistance, he would have given the gem to Biscuit as Gift after it was taken out.

By sheer coincidence, the first thing I produced was a gemstone; it was fate, as if heaven had ordained that I should ask Biscuit for help.

With that thought, Kevin smiled, took a few photos of the gem under the moonlight, and then sent the photos along with the message.

Kevin didn't even close his phone; he just kept holding it.

"Ding ding ding! Ding ding ding!"

A message notification sounded.

They've arrived.

Kevin pressed the answer button.

"Kevin! Where are you? Do you have that gem?"

Biscuit's voice came through the phone in a shrill tone.

This was the first time Kevin had ever heard her voice so excited. No wonder she was Gem Hunter; she couldn't help herself when she saw her prey.

"Don't get excited, Biscuit. The jewel is in my hands."

Biscuit the other end of the phone. It took her a while to calm down.

"Speak, you little brat, what do you need my help with?"

"Don't be so formal, teacher. You are my respected mentor."

"Stop talking nonsense! Get to the point!"

It's really urgent.

"Yes, yes, I'm currently in a Secret Realm. There's something very important coming up at the end of the month, around [time] - I need your help."

"At that time, I might face—"

"Coming right away!"

The call ended.