The young master's words are not to be refused.
Wutong felt warmth in his heart, said nothing, and didn't need to say anything; loyalty was his only response.
He took out paper and pen from his pocket to start copying, while Roy didn't pay any attention to him, retrieved Yubashiri from the sword rack, and pushed open the door to leave.
Heading to the training room.
At six in the morning in November, the sky was not yet bright, and the walls on both sides of the corridor were still lit. The flickering lights dragged the shadow of the young man, who enjoyed the fresh air blowing from the mountains. At a certain moment, his eyes shifted, looking far ahead...
At the end of the corridor, Zeno came around the corner, walking with his hands behind his back, followed by Tsubone carrying two large suitcases.
"Grandpa." The boy stopped at the luggage.
Zeno came to a halt in front of him, looking him up and down: "Roy, you've grown taller."
From [Constitution: 11] → [Constitution: 71], in just a few months, an increase of sixty points in constitution, which can no longer be described as progress, but a leap.
"Recently, it's been cold, and I've eaten a bit more."
"Hmm... it's indeed the time to bulk up for winter." Zeno patted his arm, "No father doesn't wish the best for his son. I'm pleased you've made a change."
"Everything is for moving forward," Roy said calmly.
Zeno agreed, "In this regard, you're better than Silva at your age."
"Was he stubborn too?"
"Stubborn, he was..."
"Ahem..." A light cough interrupted, cutting Zeno and Roy's conversation short.
Following Tsubone, another man stepped out from around the corner. He was large and burly, with bulging muscles. Even as winter approached, he was dressed in a sleek black outfit. His distinctive silver hair hung down to his waist, his face always bearing a severe and stern expression. He stepped forward, commanding yet firm.
He came to stand in front of Roy,
looked down at him and said, "The sun... is that your answer?"
This morning they had to go on a mission with Zeno. Wutong had called; after listening, the man remained silent for a long time...
"Yes, and it's your answer too," Roy lifted his chin, his gaze intense and sincere, "I just think sometimes you're too cold, Father. If letting you feel warmth is possible, I would... be very willing to do so."
"You've really changed."
"Father taught well."
Silva: "..."
He looked deeply at the young man, momentarily at a loss for words, and simply left, followed by a head-shaking and chuckling Zeno.
"Heh heh... practice well, and let Grandpa have a look then."
The "One Day, One Kill" on his chest fluttered slightly in the wind. Zeno patted Roy's shoulder, then followed up unhurriedly... Tsubone slightly nodded at Roy while carrying the luggage.
She walked past him directly... Just as the red sun rose, casting ten thousand rays of red light, dispelling the darkness. Roy watched the two previous patriarchs of the Zoldyck family leave, a morning glow cloak at his back.
"Visualization... first visualize, then reflect, after experiencing, borrowing, imitating, creating, awaken into one's own [Ren]..."
Combining the understanding of [Ren] from both his father and great-grandfather, Roy pushed open the door to the training room, took poison, and began practicing his blade under the sunlight, until the poison took effect, having Luke carry him to the garden to bask in the sunlight.
"What is he doing?" Illumi followed in, witnessing everything.
Luke, holding a shovel, was initially ready to dig a hole, but finding no use for it, he shook his head to show he didn't know.
To him, the young master of the Zoldyck family appeared somewhat sick, not understood, but respected.
"Young master, it's your turn... still 'lethal dose' today?"
Illumi: "...."
"Half-lethal will do."
The great-grandfather had just called him into the room, asking him to go pay respects to Grandpa Jager that afternoon... He didn't want to show up before the ancestors' graves looking miserable.
So...
On this slightly cold afternoon, three people lay side by side in the garden in front of the Zoldyck family's castle.
One lay peacefully with hands folded on his abdomen, sunbathing. Another lay prone, buttocks raised, life or death unknown. The third was buried in a pit, only a head visible, with a parasol over it...
Presenting a twisted scene of harmony until... it was torn apart by two figures.
As the sun declined in the west, noticing the diminishing sunlight, Roy opened his eyes, stretched comfortably, and, as usual, headed towards the basement.
Hearing the noise, Illumi came back to his senses, regained his consciousness, and jumped from the pit, brushing off the dirt, and followed Roy towards the basement.
"Are you also going to pay respects to Grandpa?" Both noticed each other at the same time and spoke at the same time, then fell silent.
One on each side, hands in pockets, neither getting closer to the other....
"Tap... Tap...."
The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, and at a certain moment, Illumi glanced sideways at Roy, seeing him walking straight ahead, calmly saying, "I won't take your things for nothing."
The methods recorded in Silva's notes regarding the Four Major Principles were indeed what he urgently needed, especially since he had successfully mastered [Zetsu] a few days ago, yet was still puzzled about [Ren], and they were undoubtedly a pillow delivered while drowsy.
"I said, it's from my father," Roy knew Illumi was talking about the notebook and didn't hold back, emphasizing once again.
The hollow-eyed youth didn't care at all and stubbornly stated, "You gave it to me, so it's from you."
'In any case, it's something you handed over...'
"Whatever," Roy walked faster, not bothering with him.
Seeing this, Illumi used the "Dark Step" to catch up, moving even faster, reaching the basement, where he saw Scarface and the one-eyed man.
"Young master."
"Young master."
Scarface and the one-eyed man bowed in greeting as Roy arrived, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
So, the question is... who goes first?
Illumi glanced at Roy.
Boldly stepping forward, Scarface and the one-eyed man opened the security door, and he went in first.
Then... in less than two seconds, he came out supporting himself against the wall, his legs trembling.
"One and a half seconds," Scarface pressed the stopwatch, exchanged a glance with the one-eyed man, and reopened the security door...
This time, Roy went in as Illumi came out, passing each other, neither looking at the other....
"Get down!"
Deep in the passage, the airtight door opened, tendrils reaching out, wrapping around Roy, connecting him to [re; The Game of the Deceased].
Again, familiar roars and the "Ren" of sandworms. Roy changed the form of his "Nen," raising a "Nen Shield" in front of him, withstanding the first wave of the sandworm's tail strike, once again catching Jager's attention.
"Whose kid are you? Your 'Ren' isn't bad... Watch out, the big one is coming!"
The sandworm dived close to the ground, starting the second wave of assault. This time Roy silently visualized the sun in his heart, imagining its heat, its blinding light, and its unseeable nature. Under immense pressure, the milky-white "Nen Shield" revealed spots of red...
The red spots emitted a slight heat, scorching the air.
Jager suddenly felt a bit hot, raising his "Iron Shield" in front of him again, turning to see, the red spots connected and dispersed heat around. Upon contact with the sandworm's "Ren," they incinerated it completely!
Jager's eyes flickered, blurting out, "The True Meaning of Fire?"
"No, it's the sun... The True Meaning of the Sun...."
[Note: "Nen" property change activated...]
[Remark: "The True Meaning of the Sun," current level: Level 1 (1/100)]
[Performance: Scorching. (Remarks: The host can add scorching properties to "Nen" to achieve the purpose of burning the opponent's Nen)]
"Sizzle... sizzle..." Firelight lit up... strands of "Nen" energy and wood planks rushing towards Roy were burned to ashes...
This time, the youth persisted for two and a half minutes, suffering because... his own Nen was insufficient!
"Impressive, but it's a pity you're too young to have a deep understanding of visualization. Otherwise... there was hope of surviving."
"Bang!" The landing boat was bitten apart by the sandworm, splintering planks crashing down, piercing through Roy's "Nen Shield"... In the dim consciousness, Roy seemed to see Jager's regretful expression. Then, everything went black as he completely lost consciousness, severing the connection with the game.
Moreover... this time Roy could no longer return to his Sea of Cognition, feeling the world spinning. Opening his eyes again, he was sent back to reality by the tentacles... standing outside the airtight door, in a daze, with the pot of yellow chrysanthemums he had sent earlier beside him.
Too domineering!
The sun cannot be looked at directly; adding heat to "Nen" consumes a lot, even devouring the little Nen he had reserved to enter and exit the Gate of Cognition... Used well, it's a sharp weapon... Used poorly...
'It's just a burden....'
Weary, an indescribable exhaustion, feeling his body emptied, Roy stood in front of the door, resting for a while before gradually regaining his senses, forcing his legs to move, stepping towards the passage entrance.
One step... two steps... he walked very slowly... very carefully... reappearing...
Illumi and Scarface, along with the one-eyed man, looked over, with the latter holding the stopwatch reporting a number: "Two minutes and thirty-one seconds."
'Seems like I lost again...' Illumi pushed his hands behind his head, flipping his hair,
The youth thought that by learning "Zetsu," he could catch up with his big brother, but it turned out... big brother was still on the other side, and he himself was in the river, no matter how he tried, he couldn't reach....
Illumi quietly watched Roy, then turned, and left in desolation...
A gust of wind blew, swirling dead leaves around... Roy followed, leaving the basement, returning to his bedroom, pulling out the notebook from Silva and Jager's notebook to carefully compare...
After a while, with a thoughtful expression, he wrote a sentence on a blank page—
"A heart towards the sun..."
"Sun Breathing" was created because of the sun, "Nen" condenses and forms "Ren" by referencing the sun...
All roads lead to one.
"Question the heart"... "Question the heart"... As long as the sun does not extinguish, his heart shall not perish...
Roy closed the notebook, never before having such a clear understanding of the future path....
In times of confusion... all one needs to do is follow the guidance of the sun!