Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth.

"Phanerocera?"

"You know about this?" Beirut looked at Kevin with some surprise.

Kevin nodded: "I've seen them in the lab before, and I've also looked up their records."

"That's good. They're not that dangerous during the day. It's only when dusk approaches night that their shadows become somewhat deceptive."

Moreover, unless someone has been lost in the forest for too long and has begun to lose consciousness, they are actually very difficult to lure.

The group continued on their journey and finally arrived at their destination—the sulfuric acid pool where the parasites lived.

On the shore, movement could be seen constantly emerging from the shadows of numerous plants, with shadowy protrusions occasionally peeking out. Lush, reed-like plants, reaching up to two meters in height, grew all around.

In the center of the reed field was the sulfuric acid pool, which looked like an ordinary small pond, and some tenacious plants could be seen in it.

The liquid in the pond is pale green and semi-transparent. Through this semi-transparent liquid, you can even clearly see creatures that look like swimming fish in the water.

“The snakefish is an endangered species. It has only been found in this sulfuric acid pond so far, and the number is no more than one hundred pairs,” Beirut explained as he squatted on the shore.

Haka, standing next to Kevin, explained, "This is our research subject. We want to study the ecological environment of these fish to see if we can help them reproduce more offspring."

“The scales of these fish have extremely strong anti-corrosion properties, making them top-quality biological materials. If we could successfully breed them artificially…” Toby, who was standing next to him, didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

Beirut took out an item he had been carrying on his back, which unfolded to reveal a large, specially designed water tank.

"I need to get a box of acid from here to change the living environment of some research subjects in my lab."

After taking necessary safety precautions, the three of them got to work.

Kevin activated his own "circle" and wandered around the pond.

There are many larvae here, densely packed, like ants. Within the circle's perception range, these creatures are clearly visible.

The shadow larva is a creature that can use air, or rather, air itself is part of its instinct.

Their flat bodies are extremely fragile, and the air forms a shadow-like structure on them, almost becoming part of their bodies.

Since they pose no threat, they are virtually unharmed. They are extremely difficult for ordinary people to capture, especially under the dense shade of these plants.

Kevin pulled out a few empty vials, opened the bottle, and flung them away forcefully.

With a few "whoosh" sounds, several shadow larvae were captured as the vial pierced the air. The transparent vial plunged straight into the mud, and the captured shadow larvae struggled inside like long worms.

“As expected, you can catch them too.” Beirut turned around and said after hearing the commotion.

In Berger's team, only three people can use the spell: Berger himself and two amateur hunters.

Although these two can use ki, they do not have hunter licenses, and in Kevin's opinion, their talent is average and their ability to control ki is weak.

They are often responsible for capturing many organisms that are difficult to sample.

Like Kevin, they also normally take on the task of leading and protecting these researchers. Furthermore, both of them are experts in their respective fields.

Kevin's purpose in capturing these parasites was simple: he wanted to use them in medicine.

He has learned that these larvae have almost no natural enemies and their populations reproduce steadily. As long as they are not deliberately captured in a destructive manner, they will not have any impact on their ecology.

After all, the shadow larvae were creatures that could evoke a faint desire in him.

Kevin then collected several more test tubes of acid.

This thing that looks like it could be used as medicine is worth studying carefully.

After all, the acid in this acid pool is not a chemically synthesized substance, but a genuine natural product, and should therefore meet the standards for [materials].

He also scooped up a snakefish, but felt no craving, so he put it back in the pond.

After all, the number of snakefish is extremely small, and they also have natural predators that prey on them. A slight mishap could lead to their extinction.

Afterwards, Kevin carried the wild boar back the way he came.

On their way back, they encountered another large creature that initiated an attack—the tree python.

It's called that because it really is as thick as a big tree. Kevin punched it, and it slunk away.

Kevin also found an egg, which gave him a certain desire.

However, he couldn't tell whether it was a snake egg, a bird egg, or the egg of some other creature.

Chapter 49 New Drug X Gas Changes

In his laboratory, Kevin is organizing the materials he has on hand.

Grade B: Jadeite Crystal Bone.

This material comes from the Dark Continent and was gifted by Jin. It should be considered top-grade among B-level materials.

Grade C: Moon Milk Opal, Gem Fish Scales, Two-Headed Wolf Horn, Shadow Cervi, Iron Turtle Shell.

The Moon Milk Opal was purchased previously, the Gem Fish Scale was a gift from Bisky, the Two-Headed Wolf Horn was obtained when the Two-Headed Wolf died, and the Shadow Serpent was caught yesterday.

As for the final iron tortoise shell, Kevin "borrowed" it from Berger's warehouse.

Berger's personal warehouse contains a wide variety of strange biological materials, some of which are precious collectibles.

However, most of these are biological samples previously used for research and recording, which lose their value after the research is completed.

Iron tortoise shells are one such item, and the subtle longing they evoke is on par with that of moon milk opals.

Moreover, there are farms in a certain country that specialize in breeding iron tortoises, so it is not particularly precious and is almost the cheapest material Kevin has.

Kevin categorized other materials that could be used in medicine but could not induce cravings into Grade D.

With the iron turtle shell, Kevin finally found a material that matched the scales of the gemfish.

If these two ingredients were made into a potion, it should, barring any unforeseen circumstances, enhance the body's defensive capabilities. However, it's currently unclear how this effect will occur.

Previously, the experiment had been stalled due to the lack of a crucial fusion agent for the copper balance.

But yesterday, Kevin found an excellent option – the acid in the sulfuric acid pool. After testing, the results were ideal.

After numerous formulations and studies, Kevin discovered that this acid was a universal fusion agent for almost all combinations of ores and hard materials.

However, preserving this acid is extremely difficult. Kevin obtained some previously collected and replaced acid from Beirut, but after testing, its effectiveness was greatly reduced, to the point that it was practically ineffective.

It had only been a little over a week since he last collected the acid. This means that the acid's shelf life after leaving the acid pool might only be seven days.

Kevin conjured up the medicine-making station and placed the prepared materials on it.

Golden Scale: Jewel Fish Scale (whole piece - 10 grams)

Silver scale: Iron tortoise shell (small piece - 25 grams)

Copper scale: Green acid solution (one milliliter)

[Effect: Enhances the body's and skin's resistance to impact.]

The effect is simple and direct. In fact, Kevin had already made it once yesterday, when he ground the two materials and obtained the same effect as this time.

Now, he wants to try it out and see if the effect will be different if he uses a whole piece of material to refine it.

Different material forms will also affect the final product's appearance.

Kevin took a deep breath, slowly placed his hands on the machine, entered a state of "absolute" concentration, and felt his strength and energy gradually drain away.

About twenty minutes later, the pharmaceutical station stopped working, and a new drug popped up.

There seems to be a so-called "proficiency" in potion making; the more you make, the faster you can do it, but the consumption remains the same.

This pharmaceutical production consumed approximately two to three thousand units of energy from Kevin, slightly more than yesterday's consumption, which was around two thousand units.

The color of the medicine was no different from before, and under the sunlight, hexagonal light and shadow would occasionally appear on the surface.

After the medicine-making station disappeared, Kevin drank the potion in his hand without hesitation.

The medicine takes effect instantly.

"The effect is better than yesterday's." This was Kevin's intuitive feeling. It seems that these two materials should not be ground into powder when they are combined.

Kevin let the air flow through his body.

"It gives one a heavy feeling, but the speed of the Qi circulation and transformation has not slowed down; it's just an illusion," Kevin said, taking notes as he sensed it.

Then, he clenched his right fist and punched his left arm.

"Ok?"

After careful observation, Kevin noticed something amiss.

At the moment of impact and defense, the air energies collide with each other, causing their shapes to "solidify" to a certain extent. It's as if, at the instant of impact, the air energies transform into hexagons.

To make sure he wasn't seeing things, Kevin increased the frequency, rapidly striking his hands together.

"You're not mistaken, it really is a hexagon."

This phenomenon piqued Kevin's interest, as it was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

At this moment, his energy neither increased nor decreased, nor did his energy expenditure increase.

The only change brought about by the enhanced defense is the appearance of hexagons when resisting blows, which is somewhat similar to the growth pattern on the shell of an iron tortoise.

After drinking the potion, this change did not require Kevin to consciously control it; it occurred automatically when attacked, as if the air would spontaneously form a barrier.

If you use air to attack, you will also experience a reaction force the moment you hit the opponent. In this case, the resistance to blows will also be apparent, which means that a hexagonal shape will also appear.

"really interesting."