The Cost × Time

The Mental Image Medicine Tripod.

This is Kevin's biggest trump card.

It would allow him to forcibly refine a powerful expert of the same level.

As long as they are at the same level, it doesn't matter if they are better than him.

However, the price he pays is that he needs to spend a considerable amount of time to truly refine the other party.

The refined product may not even be useful.

At least the time he used it, all he got was a clump of filth mixed together with various substances.

It can only be said that it is beneficial to the natural environment as a whole.

Mother Earth welcomes all, let alone this mixed essence of life.

For normal living beings, the mixture of various blood and flesh essences can be both beneficial and harmful.

But for the earth, there is no difference; both are beneficial.

Perhaps this is also why the Sky Overlord valued him.

"A normal sealing and refining process would probably seal away about 20% of my Nen, but it wouldn't have any impact at all."

However, refining at this intensity would take a very long time.

Measured over a century.

Moreover, the individuals being detained are of this caliber.

The powerful individuals currently imprisoned are still struggling, which means that the Mental Image is completely unusable.

Because even if it were created, it would be in its current form.

It will not help in the battle.

If it were Lord of similar strength to Kevin, Mental Image would probably only need to use his upper arms to suppress him.

The lower arms are still present and do not affect the overall combat effectiveness.

But this individual is far superior to Kevin.

As time passes, the refined enemy will gradually weaken until it stops struggling, at which point the Mental Image will be Emission.

But that will also take a considerable amount of time.

Just like pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Refining takes time.

It will start like this, with powerful enemies struggling endlessly inside the Medicine Tripod.

To control the Mental Image of key points, you need to perform the action of pressing down.

The amount of effort required to perform an action varies depending on the strength of the enemy.

Given the enemy's current strength.

It takes about 10 years to Emission one hand, and 20 years or more to Emission both hands.

As for the upper arms, they cannot be idle until the refining process is complete.

But frankly, such a cost is completely disproportionate to the result.

After all, this is the ability that allows Kevin to instantly kill opponents of the same level without taking any damage.

Even if the opponent is stronger than Kevin, it doesn't matter as long as everyone is at the same level.

The fact that such a powerful ability requires such a small cost is already a testament to the strength of Kevin's unique ability.

The Specialization Type is all about a single mechanic.

Kevin's ability is so invincible in its mechanism.

Will it affect pharmaceutical manufacturing?

Since it was a trump card, Kevin hardly ever used it, let alone against powerful beings of his own level.

To bring the actual Medicine Tripod to life.

"It's still usable—it's just less efficient, requiring more time to prepare the potion. It's alright, though."

It is hardly affected.

It seems that it won't affect the normal operation of Nen ability.

That's alright then.

After figuring out the price he had paid, Kevin felt a little relieved.

Only then did he get up and go to Nana'an, who was lying unconscious on the ground.

I examined it carefully.

"His body was unharmed, but he was mentally weak and listless—even worse than Zaharut after being frozen."

Although Nana'an's problem was serious, compared to the dangers she faced, she could be considered lucky.

Perhaps it was to gain Kevin's trust, or perhaps it was due to the other party's ability mechanism.

Even after breaking away, Nana'an still retains her own will.

However, the mental damage is even more severe than that of Zaharut, which is no longer simply a matter of mental weakness.

Zaharut was able to recover slowly over time, thanks to the nourishment of his flesh-and-blood body.

In layman's terms, Nana'an's condition was so severe that it was fundamentally damaged and could not be healed unless a powerful external force intervened.

It might even severely affect one's Nen ability.

After all, Nen ability is a product of the combination of will and Life Force.

"No matter what, being alive is a blessing in disguise."

Kevin picked the other person up and knocked on the door.

A circular opening appeared at the top, Kevin jumped out.

After jumping out, I saw a large crowd gathered around me.

"You've taken care of the enemy?"

Biscuit was on high alert, looked at Nana'an, whom Kevin was holding, and asked in confusion.

Kevin nodded.

She handed Nana'an to Qiduo was standing nearby.

"Let her teammates Emission too."

Kevin looked at Nobu and said.

Nobu nodded.

One by one, teammates crawled out, looked around at the situation, and then at the unconscious Nana'an, as if they breathed a sigh of relief.

"She----"

The burly woman couldn't help but want to inquire about her teammates' situation.

Kevin looked at her and simply said, "She's still alive."

Is he still alive?

However, the worry on his face had obviously lessened considerably; he was just glad to be alive.

"You did a great job this time, and we'll give you a credit for it."

Kevin looked at the group, nodded to them, and said with a slightly serious expression.

He has now confirmed that these people are fine.

It might not have been noticeable before, but now it's possible to tell if there's a problem.

Kevin left the rest to others and made his way back to the Pharmaceutical Room.

No one else came to disturb them.

Once here, Kevin began to slowly think about the next question.

First and foremost, the enemy.

To be honest, if the enemy were really as good as he claimed, Kevin would genuinely prefer to remain in a peaceful state.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

What he said was a mixture of truth and falsehood.

As for how he knew, it's naturally thanks to Kevin's Nen ability.

The enemy showed no ill intent.

Kevin naturally had no way of judging whether the other person was good or evil, let alone knowing whether the other person was lying.

Just like how Nen ability are elevated after reaching the Lord.

The sublimated [Blank Meteor] naturally also possesses powerful abilities.

As the battle progresses, you will begin to gather intelligence on the enemy, including information that would otherwise be impossible to obtain through observation.

This ability is one of the abilities that Kevin has maintained in battle since he arrived at the Lord.

However, if this ability is used outside of combat, it cannot achieve complete concealment.

Because both sides in a battle project their momentum outwards, making no attempt to conceal their will towards the enemy.

Therefore, Nen ability can obtain information through such channels.

Ordinary conversations can't achieve that subtle, pervasive influence.

We are all Lord.

What if the other side has strong perception? Wouldn't Kevin be exposed? What could have been a normal conversation could turn into intelligence gathering.

Instead, you might inexplicably offend the other person.

So, in that enclosed environment, Kevin didn't hold back in showing his malice towards the other party.

He then scattered the circles recklessly throughout the space, mixing them with his own Resentment.

Because he is inherently in the right, it is impossible for the other party to discover the problem with his behavior.

After all, in that state, Kevin was even more malicious and targeted than in a normal fight.

Intelligence was thus gathered through these exchanges.

The enemy is powerful enough.

Intelligence gathering is naturally slow, and the more powerful and long-lived the enemy, the more tedious the intelligence gathering becomes.

After all, the other party has lived for an unknown amount of time, and the level of intelligence and information accumulated on them far exceeds that of a normal lifespan.

One of the reasons Kevin quickly determined that the other party had malicious intent was...

He gathered some basic intelligence.

It is highly likely that the other party killed another Lord in a short period of time.

Moreover, it was done with malicious intent.

Kevin couldn't be sure exactly how long this "not a long time" would be.

But it will have to be at least within the next few decades.

Or within a hundred years?

It's impossible to be certain, but this alone is enough to suggest that the other party is very likely to have malicious intent.

A powerful enemy, another Lord who is being maliciously targeted.

Regardless of whether the Lord is recognized or not.

Kevin must be wary.

Humanity has also been exposed.

In this situation, all sorts of unfavorable factors immediately fill the space.

It is highly likely to harbor malicious intent, possess bodies, infiltrate human groups for unknown reasons, and its various human characteristics have already been exposed.

Even if the other party truly had good intentions, Kevin wouldn't dare to gamble.

Unless he decisively abandons everything they have gained now, immediately relocates their base, and undertakes a large-scale relocation.

For example, they could be moved directly to other directions, ensuring human safety from a distance that is virtually unreachable.

Even doing so carries risks, since the other party has obtained Nana'an's memories and information about humans.

Then, the New Century Chronicle and all sorts of information that may be important to humanity will be revealed.

If the other party truly harbors ill will towards him or humanity, one can simply wait and see.

A malevolent enemy lurking in the shadows.

She's better than him.

That was too deadly.

Therefore, Kevin didn't hesitate to use his trump card as a backup.

The problem now is that his abilities are limited.

Previously, his strength surpassed that of Lord Gelan, the old two-headed serpent.

Currently, he is probably weaker than the old two-headed serpent and on par with Lord Gelan.

They are truly a vulnerable group among Lord Level.

If he wants to speed up the refining process, he needs to transfer a sufficient amount of his mental energy to the refining process.

It takes a hundred years to reach 20%.

It might only take fifty or sixty years to achieve 50%.

80% may only take twenty or thirty years.

If 90% or even just [absolute], then it might only take 10 years to complete.

But that's too extreme.

[Absolute] This state should not be easily used as Restriction.

Most powerful Restriction can be replaced, to varying degrees, as long as they can be overcome with absolute power.

The only thing that can rival [absolute] is life itself.

Another method is, of course, to improve one's own strength.

It will take a hundred years to reach the current 20%.

If strength increases, then a 20% increase might only take a few decades.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to improve one's strength any faster now.

Kevin can no longer use top-tier potions to enhance his strength as he used to.

You can't just drink S-Rank potions like water, can you? I don't have that ability.

Fortunately, their current strength still Lord, so there's essentially no impact on their power.

There are also Slash Ghost within the territory.

Slash Ghost is still busy with his girlfriend and won't be leaving the territory anytime soon.

As for the Wearer Ghost, he can only be considered half a ghost.

Just like the situation we encountered this time.

If the parasitic enemy understands the human situation and offers a price to Wearer Ghost in the shadows, the Wearer Ghost will gladly accept.

Only in cases of insane madness, where demons indiscriminately slaughter humans, would Wearer Ghost help humanity, since Wearer Ghost have a considerable need from humans.

I'm pondering this.

The door opened, Melusina walked in, sat down next to him, and looked Kevin up and down.

"You're not injured—did you use the Medicine Tripod?"

As the only one who knew Kevin's trump card, Melusina asked quietly.

Kevin nodded slightly.

Having received the answer, Melusina decided not to ask any further questions. She knew that an enemy who would force Kevin to use his trump card would require a considerable amount of time to refine.

He raised his hand and gently stroked Kevin's brow.

"Perfect, I can stay in the Small Town longer and develop my territory to keep the Sky Overlord busy."

Upon hearing Melusina's words, Kevin couldn't help but laugh.

"What, you want me to be a laborer?"

"Hehe, just consider it a pastime when you're bored. It's good to make some Nutrient Potion to nourish the soil and plants, and sprinkle it around everywhere, isn't it?"

There are too many materials like Nutrient Potion.

"Besides, didn't you yourself say that once you become Lord, you need to take things longer and not always rush things?"

Is a hundred years a long time?

For Kevin, who had become Lord, this was probably equivalent to a year when he was an ordinary person.

"And you can also take this opportunity to delve into the mysteries of the Lord stage, can't you?"

Melusina chatted with Kevin slowly and gently, easing his anxiety.

"You've had interactions with so many Lord this time, you must have gained something, so there's no need to rush."

Lying in Kevin's arms, the two chatted idly.

As they chatted, Melusina looked at their clasped hands and the Wedding Ring on them.

He sat up abruptly.

"You can lend me [Blank Meteor] now, so I can advance to Lord level faster during this time. That should put your mind at ease, right?"

Kevin was puzzled when he heard this.

"Can't you just copy and borrow it?"

"It's different now. Now I'm stronger, and my Nen ability can be perfectly shared. You can lend them to me completely."

"Things like talent can be perfectly experienced if you share them, but Nen ability are different."

Do you think everyone has the same Nen ability as you?

Nen ability will increase as you break through your limits.

However, there will be no fundamental change until one breaks through a million units of spiritual energy and reaches the Lord.

But it will definitely be strengthened on the existing basis.

Just as Kevin's potion-making speed increased, his body's memory required less and less potion.

Kevin used to need a dozen or even twenty doses to memorize a single Nen ability, but later, with the enhancement of the drug's power and his own abilities, two doses, or even just one, were enough.

This is the fundamental strengthening of the essence.

The Wedding Ring is borrowed and shared, but since the two people have different abilities, they cannot fully utilize it.

Like Kevin's powerful Blank Meteor, it is a pure Enhancement Type.

Melusina's Enhancement Type talent can reduce the effect of Blank Meteor by more than half.

Kevin, on the other hand, essentially imbued Melusina's talent into his body. This kind of replication and sharing did not affect Melusina, and Kevin was able to enjoy it perfectly.

In this situation, as one's strength increases, the power of the Wedding Ring becomes even greater.

Melusina is now very close to reaching a million Nen.

Wedding Ring can be borrowed with the mutual consent of both parties; whatever level of ability one can achieve in the other, the borrower can achieve the same level.

The trade-off is that the borrowed party cannot use the corresponding Nen ability when borrowing it.

"If that's the case, then that's great. You can perfectly replicate my previous process of improving my strength."

Kevin got up, ready to act, but Melusina stopped him, then took out a Notebook and a USB drive from her ring.

"This was given to me by Biscuit; she said it was Netero's insightful observation."

Netero was too hasty, or rather, deliberately teasing Kevin, so he didn't tell him, but instead left the things in the room.

I only noticed it when Biscuit was helping to tidy up.

Kevin took it.

He curled his lip. "That old man is definitely doing it on purpose."

Hope this helps.