Kevin looked at the last potion in his hand. After resting for a while, it took quite some time before he injected it into his leg.
The [Whiplash Potion] slowly entered his body.
Amidst the ruins of this mountain forest, Kevin closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes brought by the potion. As the potion began to take effect, Kevin opened his eyes and looked at the Nen on his hand.
The Nen surged and converged, gradually taking the shape of a long, flexible whip in Kevin's hand. He swung it violently toward the distance. Silently, the whip lashed against a tree trunk. The force of the swing carved a dent into the trunk.
Kevin swung it a few more times and discovered that this potion simply turned his Nen into a flexible rope-like shape; it provided no additional bonus effects for swinging or other actions. The only difference was that since it was composed of Nen, Kevin could apply the state of In to it when necessary. Furthermore, this was transformed from Nen, not a materialized object.
Kevin experimented for a long time until the potion's effect wore off, feeling enlightened. Although this potion was B-rank, it was essentially easy to learn, merely making his Nen long and flexible like a rope, which could be considered an additional combat method. Compared to the previous two potions, its effect was indeed much more ordinary, but Kevin did not mind.
With three new potions to learn all at once, he would have to spend quite a lot of time studying them next.
That day, Kevin, who had just returned from the training ground and was sitting on the living room sofa drinking tea and reading, saw Wright walking toward him.
Wright sat down opposite him, took a sip of tea, and said, "Every [Greed Island] game console currently on the market has been bought up by a billionaire."
"A billionaire?" Kevin took a sip of tea and asked curiously.
Wright nodded, crossing his hands and sitting with a slight lean forward. "Battera—a true super-billionaire. His group is involved in various industries and has invested in many fields. He is one of the world's top billionaires, with liquid assets reaching hundreds of billions."
After hearing Wright's words, Kevin couldn't help but put down his book. Other aspects were fine, but hearing that his liquid assets could reach hundreds of billions really shocked Kevin. Although billionaires are often ranked by total assets, if you really asked them to produce liquid capital, those who could produce one-tenth of their total assets would be considered impressive. Being able to possess hundreds of billions in liquid assets was terrifying. This was simply not something their current Red Stone Pharmaceuticals could reach.
Although Red Stone Pharmaceuticals had a good outlook, in addition to the previous Little Blue potion, Kevin had provided several types of beauty, skin maintenance, and scar removal medications. But even so, compared to the other party, there was still a huge gap. With the company's current assets, to produce ten billion in liquid capital, they would have to operate for over half a month or even a month, and it would seriously affect the company's normal operations. After all, the company had only been established for a year, and its development was still limited. Even looking toward the future, if they only focused on the medical industry, it would be very difficult to achieve the accomplishments of this billionaire.
Kevin pondered, continuing to listen to Wright.
"He has been long-term acquiring the game at a high price of 17 billion per copy. It can be said that the reason the price of this game has remained high in recent years is basically driven by him. But clearly, with his assets, he doesn't need to hype it up. He is genuinely continuing to acquire them, and the number of game consoles on the market is therefore becoming fewer and fewer. He has also stated that if anyone can provide a clear save file, he will pay a reward of 50 billion."
As the two were talking, Neon's voice came from the second-floor corridor.
"Daddy!"
Hearing his daughter's voice, Wright looked up and smiled. Since the company got on the right track this year, Wright had become busy, and the time he spent interacting and communicating with his daughter had gradually decreased. If it were in the past, Neon would have been dissatisfied long ago, but now there were many people in the manor. With Kurapika for company, and now an older sister like Melusine who shared similar interests, Rosana also gave Neon the maternal love she had once lacked. This year and a half could be said to be the happiest time since Neon was born.
Neon called out and ran downstairs, throwing herself into Wright's arms. Kurapika followed behind. Melusine also smiled and waved at Kevin, walked over to sit beside him, and nestled against him.
"What are you guys talking about?" Neon asked curiously. If there were outsiders present, she wouldn't have come over at this time, but everyone here was their own people.
"Talking about a game."
"A game?" Neon was very confused; she didn't think her father was the type of person who loved playing games. As for Kevin, Neon disliked playing games with him the most. Because Kevin never let her win. If there were wins and losses, she would still be full of fighting spirit, but if she kept losing, she would lose interest. If they were cooperating to clear a game, Kevin would even steal her items—it was extremely annoying!
"Greed Island. Do you remember when someone sent a game memory card and rings that could be used in the game?" Kurapika remembered this matter and suddenly realized. "I even checked relevant information about it before."
After chatting with his daughter for a few sentences, Wright continued, "This Battera attaches great importance to clearing this game."
"He bought so many games, surely not to play them himself, right? It seems he must have hired quite a few Nen users or Professional Hunters. What is the reward for clearing this game?" Whether it was purchasing or playing, the investment was so huge that the reward for clearing must be very tempting for people to flock to it. Otherwise, if it were just for fun, this situation wouldn't occur.
Regarding this point, Wright didn't know much, as most relevant intelligence was related to Hunters.
Hearing this, Kurapika said from the side, "It is said that this is a card collection game. After clearing it, one can select three cards from the game to bring into the real world for use."
"Oh!" Kevin immediately became interested. As expected, a game designed under Jin's leadership wouldn't be that simple.
"In other words, this billionaire named Battera has a strong demand for a certain card, which is why he is willing to pay such a high price."
Kurapika nodded. He didn't know Battera, but he had heard of this game. If it were truly as Uncle Wright said, spending so much money and energy to get people to clear the game, then the goal was obviously a certain card that could be brought out of the game.
At this moment, Wright said, "According to the intelligence I currently have, I suspect he might want to bring out some kind of item with healing effects from the game."
Hearing this, Kevin smiled and asked, "Is he suffering from a terminal illness himself, or does he have an important family member who is ill?"
Wright shook his head with some regret. "It is unclear who exactly. He hasn't started a family yet; at most, he might have illegitimate children..." Speaking of this, Wright helplessly spread his hands. Clearly, for a billionaire, illegitimate children didn't carry much weight.
"Hasn't started a family? Interesting."
Wright continued, "I only know that a long time ago, Battera had been inquiring about relevant information everywhere. He has sought out major hospitals and even powerful Nen users. He has invested countless resources for this, but clearly, he hasn't obtained a satisfactory result."
A terminal illness? Clearly, this Battera was so rich he only had money left, but for some capable Hunters, money might not necessarily move them. Even a billionaire like him might not necessarily be able to find effective channels.
"So, do you mean you want to make contact to see if we can help him using my abilities?"
Wright nodded; that was exactly his intention. Of course, the specific situation would only be determined after a deeper understanding. The company had only been established for a year. Although Wright had expanded some connections with the help of Kevin's potions, development had been relatively restrained. Apart from the small circle of connections Wright needed, others might not necessarily know about their situation.
"Hmm... Sure, let's give it a try."
This was originally one of the development strategies formulated before, so there was nothing to hesitate about. Furthermore, this Battera was so urgent; if they could really provide key help, there would be no need to worry too much about the company's future development.
Wright nodded; he also felt this was a rare opportunity. If it weren't for helping Kevin collect information in this regard, he might not have necessarily learned about this. Perhaps by the time he found out, it would have been years later. This was indeed a rare opportunity, and it perfectly matched the company's business expertise.
Kevin took out his Hunter license and handed it to Kurapika. "Kurapika, go check on the relevant information. I'm becoming more and more interested in this game."
Kurapika nodded; he was very interested in anything related to Nen ability. Neon hurriedly grabbed his hand and left together with him.
This made Wright, who had finally found an opportunity to spend time with his daughter, sigh helplessly. "Sigh, I'm really overthinking things." Due to being busy himself and craving power, Wright worried that he wasn't taking enough care of his daughter. Now that his daughter was being taken care of, he felt that his daughter had grown distant from him and was almost forgetting him, her father.
"Hahaha, you should rest well here." Seeing this scene, Kevin laughed and patted Wright on the shoulder, then left with Melusine.
The two came all the way to the infirmary.
Kevin carried Melusine and gently placed her on the medical bed. Because the weather was cold now, Melusine was wearing a thick coat, and on her feet were large cotton slippers. In the manor, everyone's home attire was very casual—this was a trend Kevin had brought.
Kevin helped Melusine take off her heavy coat and then her slippers.
"Hmm?" Looking at the legs wearing white silk in front of him, Kevin couldn't help but look up at Melusine's face. At this moment, Melusine turned her head away, not daring to meet Kevin's gaze at all. Clearly, this was something she had prepared specifically.
The corners of Kevin's mouth curled up slightly. He withdrew his gaze and began to carefully admire the "jade artwork" before him. He gently reached out and stroked them. Top-tier tactile sensation—delicate and smooth. Although these legs had never been used, the leg shape was still maintained perfectly.
Alright, there would be plenty of time to admire them later. Now, let's get down to business first.
Kevin slowly injected Nen into Melusine's legs.
"Have you been trying to regain control of your legs on your own recently?"
Melusine nodded. As the treatment progressed, she had been able to gradually control her legs. For example, she could now control her soles and toes, but she still couldn't exert strength above the calves. The surge and activity of her own Nen also accelerated the reflux of the residual Nen on her legs, gradually restoring control over her legs.
"Then I'll tell you some good news: after this treatment, your legs will be able to return to normal."
"Really— Hmm!" Melusine had just shouted excitedly when the Nen Kevin injected began to take effect. The sudden stimulation made her unable to help but cry out. Immediately after, Melusine's legs began to tremble uncontrollably. The last portion of Nen hindering the recovery, under Kevin's guidance, also successfully returned, and Melusine's overall Nen tended to stabilize.
At this moment, her legs were shaking uncontrollably and accidentally stepped directly onto Kevin's face, kicking him several times.
"Sorry! I'm sorry! I can't control it!" Melusine shouted in a panic.
Kevin, however, smiled and didn't mind at all. "It's fine. I don't resist this kind of thing."
These words made Melusine think of certain things; her face flushed slightly, and she glared at Kevin. "Pervert."
"This is just a normal preference. How can it be considered perverted?" Kevin laughed and picked Melusine up, then said seriously, "Getting ready to step on the ground. Are you ready?"
Melusine pursed her lips tightly, her hands clutching Kevin's neck tightly. Her legs were swaying subconsciously. She had never controlled her legs like this before; for her, this was a brand-new experience.
As the tips of her toes wrapped in white silk touched the ground, it was like touching cold water; Melusine's insteps immediately tensed, her toes curled tightly, and she pulled her legs back.
"I, I'm a little nervous."
Kevin smiled gently and kissed Melusine lightly on the face. "It's okay. Take your time. No need to rush."
"Hmm."
After a while, Melusine slowly placed her legs on the floor, her feet solidly stepping on the ground. Melusine's whole body was tense, like a stone statue, her eyes staring nervously at her legs, and looking at Kevin from time to time.
"Take it slow. Stand steady first." Kevin slowly let go of the hand holding Melusine, switched to holding her hands, and then slowly stepped back.
Melusine stood up shakily.
"I, I stood up? I can stand up!" An excited flush appeared on Melusine's face, and crystalline tears sparkled in her eyes.
"That's right, just like that. Don't rush. Take it slow."
Finally, Melusine let go of Kevin's hand and stood there alone. It was just that because she was too nervous, her body was as stiff as a kangaroo, and she was still swaying a bit while standing in place. When she tried to move her leg to walk forward, her whole body fell forward, and Kevin hurriedly reached out to catch her.
"I've never walked before. It feels so strange. I can't control my body a little bit." But at this moment, Melusine's nervousness had faded, leaving only excitement. For the first time in over ten years, she felt that her legs could support her body to stand, and she had even taken steps. Although she hadn't stood steadily, this was enough to make her ecstatic.
"Don't worry. You are like a child who just learned to walk. I will support you."
Just like that, Melusine, like a baby learning to walk, took steps forward slowly, one by one, with Kevin's support. But after all, Melusine was not a baby, nor a child, but an adult, and even a Nen user. After walking slowly for a short time, she was already able to walk steadily with Kevin's support. When Kevin let go of her hands, she began to walk alone, swaying. Although her pace was slow, every step was very unstable. But she had finally done it.
"I can walk on my own. That's great." Melusine was so excited, stretching out her hands to maintain balance, walking back and forth cautiously like walking a tightrope. Her pace was still a bit messy. But this was already perfect enough.
Next, she only needed to train slowly to reach the walking level of a normal person. With Melusine's powerful learning ability and being a Nen user, this was not a difficult task for her. In just a day or two, this disabled girl who had never experienced walking normally would be able to become a normal person who could move freely.