In the courtyard outside Kevin's residence, a table was set with a potion rack neatly lined with several vials of orange-red liquid.
[Strength Potion]
While the materials used to make this potion were fairly expensive, they weren't particularly rare. So in his spare time, Kevin would often brew a few vials.
Its effects were simple and straightforward—something that could prove useful in nearly every battle if needed.
[Strength Potion: Increases muscle strength, enhances visible aura, and accelerates stamina and aura consumption.]
In simpler terms, the potion boosted both offensive and defensive capabilities, but at the cost of reduced endurance.
During this current phase of combat in the Heaven's Arena, Kevin didn't need to rely on aura to attack, nor had he reached a point where he needed the support of potions.
So aside from trying one out early on to experience its effect, he hadn't used it since.
Still, it never hurt to have a few in reserve—especially since these potions didn't really have an expiration date.
After that first trial, Kevin concluded that, in terms of Nen categories, this potion's effect was undoubtedly Enhancement-Type.
He did notice that brewing the Strength Potion came relatively easier to him—of course, that was only in comparison to other potions.
And he had to admit, the Strength Potion was incredibly practical, almost like a burst-type skill in itself.
Its effects were perfectly suited for the Nen ability he now wanted to test: Blank Meteor.
Kevin laid out 10 potions in front of him.
Each one lasted for 15 minutes.
Given his current physical condition, if he drank two in the morning and two in the afternoon with some rest in between, he should be able to handle the effects of four potions.
That would give him a total of one hour of enhanced state.
Kevin began to wonder—how much could Blank Meteor memorize within that hour?
Time to find out.
He took a deep breath, got into the right mental state, and downed the first vial in one go.
The orange-red potion went down smoothly, with a slight burning sensation.
The effect was instantaneous.
His aura flared violently from his body.
The visible amount of aura around him increased by roughly 30%.
Blank Meteor
This Nen ability had two states: passive and active.
In its passive state, it simply enhanced muscle memory, about double the usual efficiency.
Not particularly powerful, but better than nothing—and it didn't require Kevin to maintain it consciously.
In its active state, muscle memory increased dramatically—up to 10 times more efficient than normal.
With the potion in effect, Blank Meteor activated.
Kevin closed his eyes, quietly sensing the changes in his body. After about five minutes, he shook his head.
No good. Just experiencing it calmly like this was too inefficient.
He immediately took a combat stance and began shadow boxing at full speed.
From the sound of the air tearing and the speed of his punches, it was clear he was using aura to strengthen his attacks during training.
Ten minutes passed in a flash.
The potion wore off after fifteen minutes. The extra fatigue and aura depletion were still within Kevin's limits—he hadn't even started sweating yet.
Standing still, he effortlessly controlled the flow of aura on his body—this was the application of the Flow technique.
"I'm starting to get a feel for it… but I haven't mastered it yet."
Fifteen minutes wasn't enough time for his body to fully memorize this burst-type technique.
After a short rest, Kevin drank another vial.
He threw himself into training again, consistently making use of the potion's effects. Gradually, its benefits became more noticeable.
The key to muscle memory was repetition. The more you repeated an action, the faster your body would memorize it.
Only after internalizing the effects and abilities through repetitive motion could one fine-tune them with willpower.
But the first step was always to remember.
As evening approached and the final potion wore off, Kevin collapsed onto the grass in the courtyard.
"Phew… nope, can't keep using potions this frequently. If I keep this up, I'll be in trouble."
A Moment's Dream was essentially a post-mortem Nen, and due to its special nature, it didn't cause Kevin much harm.
But when others used potions derived from it, side effects were inevitable.
In practice, the first two doses caused no major changes aside from increased fatigue and aura loss.
By the third dose in the afternoon, his body began showing signs of unusual weakness.
And after the fourth dose, the weakness intensified—he even felt mentally drained.
"Yeah, definitely can't overuse potions."
This was basic medical knowledge. As a former med student, Kevin couldn't possibly be unaware of this. Which meant this limitation was already built into his subconscious when his Nen ability first manifested.
This, most likely, was what Biscuit meant when she talked about restrictions and vows born of the subconscious.
"Good thing I'm an Enhancement-Type. Don't have to deal with so many convoluted limitations."
Generally, the flashier a Nen ability was, the more rules and restrictions it had. This made Nen battles even more complex than they already were.
Still, that complexity also gave many Nen users the chance to defeat stronger opponents.
"Based on today's experience, given my current condition, my maximum potion limit per day is six. Beyond that, I'd suffer irreversible damage—or even pass out."
That was Kevin's conclusion after assessing himself.
"So if I want to stay in peak form without side effects, two potions a day is the sweet spot.
Of course, I'll need to keep training. The stronger my body, the more I'll be able to handle."
With that plan in mind, Kevin began organizing his thoughts.
Even if two potions a day was the ideal, he still had to consider the time it took to brew them and the difficulty of acquiring ingredients.
"Eh, whatever. Let's stick to the two-a-day plan for now and use up the potions I already have—then we'll see how things go."
He stopped pondering and refocused on himself.
The repeated use of four potions had yielded results.
Aura burst from his body—noticeably stronger than before.
"Yeah, I've got it now. But… the efficiency's still a bit low."
Judging by feel and observation, his burst aura had only increased by about 10%.
In contrast, the potion directly boosted his visible aura by over 30%.
"No problem. What matters is that I've learned it." Kevin smiled. His Nen ability was working just as expected.
He focused again, and his expression turned slightly puzzled.
"Is it just my imagination…? No, something definitely changed. My control over aura has improved."
Muttering to himself in confusion, he eventually confirmed the feeling. His face lit up with joy.
"What a pleasant surprise—my visible aura increased, and my muscle strength improved too."
The growth was small, but real.
So that was it.
Muscle memory, at its core, was a process of learning and remembrance. His body had instinctively begun adapting to the potion's effects through this process.
Which explained everything.
By taking the potion and activating Blank Meteor, his body began self-training along the path laid out by the drug.
Even though today's results weren't dramatic, given time…
Woohoo!
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