Chapter 164: Maha's Double Standards x First Entry into the Dark Continent
One old, one young, standing shoulder to shoulder, watching the red sun break the dawn. It cast ten thousand rays of morning light, stretching their shadows long and intertwining them on the floor.
Roy was silent, a lump in his throat. Living to Maha's age, having experienced all the vicissitudes of life and seen all the world's beauty, it seemed nothing could pique the old man's interest anymore. Just like Netero, holding a nuclear bomb in his chest—he had ten thousand ways to blow up the Ant King, like sending a Nen beast to plant the "Poor Man's Rose" instead of himself. Yet...
He chose to duel the Ant King alone, claiming it was to "satisfy his combat lust," when in reality, deep down, perhaps he sought "death."
Roy had never been old. He didn't know if, when he aged, he would become like Maha or Netero—standing at the peak, lonely and seeking defeat, looking out at a world that held no more joy. After a long silence, rubbing the "curse" on the back of his hand, he took a breath and said, "I'd better do it myself."
He turned to Maha and smiled. "You know me, Great-Great-Grandfather. I'm afraid of death, but I'm even more afraid of guilt."
"You, Grandfather, Father... I don't want to owe anyone anything."
The boy paused, then blinked. "If you were beaten to death because of me, that would be one thing. But the guilt would kill me."
Maha glared. "You brat, looking down on me?"
"Mm-hmm~" Roy, now a head taller than Maha, reached out and patted the old man's head. "Great-Great-Grandfather, you just stay alive and well. Wait for me to kill the God and come back, then I'll keep you company while you sunbathe."
"Asking for a beating!" Maha feigned anger, raising his hand.
"Haha!" Roy dodged and walked away laughing.
In a corner of the corridor, shadows writhed, and a figure emerged. Zeno, hunched over, hands behind his back, watched the boy disappear around the corner. He said softly to Maha, "Grandfather, you can break his legs now."
"You do it?" Maha shot him a sideways glance.
Zeno shut his mouth, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He stepped forward behind Maha and began massaging his shoulders as usual. He glanced occasionally at the old man's bald head with its few wisps of hair. Driven by some strange impulse, he reached out to touch it...
And was instantly sent flying through the glass window and into the sky!
"Dog, did I say you could touch?" Maha lowered his fist, his face dark.
Zeno: "..."
In a flash, he became a shooting star on the horizon and vanished.
***
*Whoosh~* A mountain breeze blew, bringing a chill.
After his brief talk with his great-great-grandfather, Roy arrived at the training room. He stripped off his shirt, revealing a physique of refined, sculpted muscle.
Luke, holding the electric baton empowered by "Divine Script," had been waiting for a long time. He stole a glance. *The Young Master has gotten taller and stronger, yet not bulky. He looks like a statue, the perfection of form.* Envious, Luke bowed. "Young Master, pardon me."
*Crackle!*
Electricity flashed, exploding in a sphere!
Luke thrust the baton forward. Roy seemed not to feel it, casually glancing at his panel.
[Name: Roy Zoldyck]
[Physique: 343.4 (Note: Average person is 1)]
[Nen Ability: Gate of Cognition]
[Aura Output: C- (2750/100,000) (Note: Rating based on Chimera Ant benchmark. Elite Squadron Leader D, Division Commander C, Royal Guard B, Ant King B+)]
[Potential Aura: C (34590/100,000)]
[Believers: 2]
[Faith Power: 2 points]
[Title: Successfully Fruiting Apple Tree. Possesses all conditions to become an "Elite Hunter".]
Compared to the past, it was like night and day.
Three million volts... three and a half million... four million...
Roy was calm and at ease. Luke was sweating profusely, his Nen fully deployed. As the counter on the baton jumped to 500, he swayed, reaching his limit.
"I'll take over."
*Creeak~* The training room door opened.
Silva had been watching. Expressionless, followed by Illumi, he walked in slowly.
He took the baton from Luke. *BANG!* A loud crack echoed. Visibly... the counter on the baton jumped from 500 straight to 800. He aimed at Roy's chest and thrust!
*Zzzzt!* His hair stood on end. Roy frowned, feeling the pressure for the first time. The stinging pain and numbness surged like a tide. Compared to Luke, Silva, an Emitter, was leagues ahead in both Nen output and Aura quantity.
The direct result on his body was... after struggling to hold on for thirty seconds, Roy finally lost control of his body and sat down hard on the floor, staggering.
"And you?" Silva looked at Illumi.
Illumi remained silent, then stepped forward. "I want the same as him."
*Zzzzt!* 8 million volts poured down. The moment Illumi finished speaking, 0.01 seconds later, his vision went black. *Thud.* He fell flat on his back, unconscious.
Having done this, Silva tossed the baton back to Luke. Without looking back, he said, "Bury Milluki with them in a bit."
With that, he pushed the door open and left.
Luke bowed respectfully. He looked at Roy. "Young Master, let me help you up."
"No need." Roy exhaled. With a thought, he summoned Goldie.
"Caw!" The fat crow spread its wings, bursting from Roy's head. It landed on three legs, grew in the wind, lowered its head to scoop the boy up, and flapped its wings, carrying him to the garden. Luke paused, then picked up Illumi and followed. A moment later, he threw a pig (Milluki) out to join Illumi and Roy in sunbathing.
Noon. The sun was high and bright.
Illumi was buried in a pit, only his head exposed. He groggily opened his eyes and looked to the side. Roy lay flat on the soft grass, hands folded on his stomach, sunbathing peacefully. Illumi cleared his dry throat and said, "Mother is going to give birth soon."
It had been over eight months. Kikyo had been counting the days; the due date was around the 15th of next month.
Seeing Roy keep his eyes closed and ignore him, Illumi continued on his own, "I heard it will be silver hair."
Roy didn't react.
Illumi: "I just need one word from you."
The boy's vacant, empty eyes stared straight at Roy. "Say you need me, and I will stand by your side immediately and make you the Family Head."
"Nngh~" Just then, Milluki, lying between them, groaned and twitched.
Illumi waited quietly.
His answer was Roy rolling over and standing up, turning to leave with an air of indifference.
*Tap... tap...*
The footsteps faded into the distance.
My foolish, dear little brother narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Is it that hard to say one word?"
Roy didn't stop.
Illumi burst out of the earth, clenching his fists. "Go ahead and walk away! Just don't regret it later!"
*Tap... tap...*
Roy never looked back, leaving Illumi alone to kick Milluki in frustration. Before long, Roy arrived at the basement.
"Young Master..."
"Young Master..."
Scarface and One-Eye, as usual, pulled open the security door.
Entering the Dark Continent again via [Re: Game of the Dead].
Roy, having rested his spirit, walked unhurriedly through the tunnel and stood before the airtight door. The Demonic Eye extended a tentacle, wrapped around him, and connected him to the game... The game notification sounded in his ear...
[Re: Game of the Dead... Launching...]
[Game Save... Loading...]
When Roy opened his eyes, he was back in the Uzuki Great Forest. He looked up and saw the A-Rank creature... the Sandworm, carrying a strike of unparalleled power fueled by Faith, smashing its tail down, blotting out the sun in the sky!
"Kid, what are you standing there for?!" Zzigg threw a card, summoning the Two-Headed Troll. He flashed onto the troll's shoulder, commanding it to swing its wolf tooth club and smash a few Frenzied Lice. He glanced at Roy. "This isn't a fight you can participate in! Run!"
*RUMBLE!*
The tail hadn't even landed, but the wind pressure alone, at close range... could crush a person!
*Bang... bang... bang...* Many of the accompanying personnel exploded into meat paste one after another without even a scream!
Roy's ears and nose bled. Even though he had protected his body with *Ken* the moment he appeared, his internal organs churned from the impact, and he couldn't stop himself from spitting a mouthful of blood.
"This isn't something you can run from just because you want to..."
The boy wiped his mouth. Looking past Zzigg, he saw Linne and Netero. One had inflated into a giant, the other summoned the "100-Type Guanyin," trying to withstand the Sandworm's tail alongside Zzigg...
Only... he couldn't participate in this battle for even a moment. Even though Zzigg tried to shield him, he couldn't save his life under the Sandworm's furious strike wrapped in "Faith Power."
*Pop!*
He exploded, was ejected from the Dark Continent, and returned to the Hunter World.
[Notice... [Re: Game of the Dead] saved...]
The airtight door rumbled open. The Demonic Eye looked at Roy lovingly, curling a tentacle to send him out of the room.
Because creating [Shinso] by combining [Swamp Space], [Blade], and *Ken* had nearly drained all of Roy's aura, this time... the boy couldn't even return to [Game of the Dead] via the "Dark Continent Gate" in his "Cognitive World." He returned directly to reality.
*Hah...*
Physical exhaustion and mental weakness hit him all at once. The boy leaned on his training blade against the closing airtight door, resting for a moment. Filled with questions, he stumbled out of the tunnel, appearing before Scarface and One-Eye.
"Twenty minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Congratulations, Young Master, you've broken your own record."
One-Eye, holding a pocket watch, bowed to Roy. The respect in his voice was genuine... He was clearly astonished that after a month away, the boy had made such a massive leap in progress compared to his previous time of just over three minutes.
Scarface opened the security door for Roy with one hand and placed the other over his chest in a bow. His eyes were filled with relief. "The Master will be very happy to hear this."
Rumor had it the Madam was due in two months. If it was a silver-haired child... then the Zoldycks would have a Young Master and an heir. Having successors was far more "prosperous" than three generations of single sons.
As Zoldyck servants, Scarface and One-Eye felt honored.
But Roy was obsessively mulling over the two new fields that had appeared under the [Sandworm] panel: "Believers," "Faith Power," and the mention of "Proof." He didn't see or hear what the two were doing or saying. He simply walked slowly between Scarface and One-Eye...
Scarface and One-Eye froze for a moment, watching the boy slowly leave the basement. They looked at each other, confused.
Some people might be complacent about achieving a certain result... others might not care, or even be dissatisfied... It all depended on their perspective. Now that he stood at a different height, his outlook and the way he viewed things had subtly changed.
"Twenty minutes and thirty-seven seconds" sounded good, but after fighting alongside Netero, Linne, and Grandpa Zzigg, Roy knew deep down... he was still far from the "peak."
*Tap... tap...*
The sun slanted westward. The afterglow shone through the glass window onto the boy, outlining Roy in a halo of light...
He left the basement, walking unhurriedly through the mottled yet clean stone corridors of the old castle toward the main entrance. Unconsciously, he passed the dimly lit small room. The boy stopped and looked inside through the window...
The thin, dried-up old man was there as usual, listening to cartoons, rocking in his chair, eyes closed, seemingly resting.
Roy opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but eventually just bowed towards the room and turned to leave...
Unexpectedly, an aged voice drifted out, stopping him.
"Say what you want to say. While this old man isn't senile yet, I can still help you kids out a bit."
Roy stopped. He took a deep breath. "It's Faith..."
"Great-Great-Grandfather... I suddenly discovered that Faith can also be used as power!"
The Sandworm's final "tail whip," wrapped in "Faith Power," had instantly shattered Roy's understanding of "Nen Abilities"!
Once, he had thought "Nen" was just "I think, therefore it is"... simply opening the aura nodes, clapping your hands, and turning "imagination" into "combat methods" according to your will. That was the essence of Nen.
But when the [Magical Beast Encyclopedia] revealed the [Sandworm]'s attributes, and "Believers" and "Faith Power" appeared out of nowhere...
Roy abruptly realized that "Nen" wasn't as simple as he thought. It wasn't just "I think, therefore it is," but potentially the "They/It thinks, therefore power is"!
As an existence worshipped by a multitude of believers, one could snatch the "thought power" of the faithful to strengthen oneself, gaining even greater power!
"You're only realizing that now?"
Maha scoffed, far calmer than Roy expected... He tapped his fingers on the armrest and asked, "Do you know why your grandfather insists on killing someone every day?"
The old man glanced sideways at the boy and said faintly, "Isn't it to gather Faith and spread the Zoldyck name?"
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