God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
But God didn't say where the light came from or where it went... But Roy knew that no matter what God said, the sun rose in the east and set in the west, day after day, month after month, year after year. Regardless of what bird-brained nonsense some god spouted, the light bloomed recklessly, saving the world.
The next day, four in the morning.
The grandfather clock in the corner struck.
Roy left the Demon Slayer world, opened his eyes, and returned to the Hunter world.
He rolled out of bed, dressed, and went for his morning run as usual. Leaving the Zoldyck family castle, he ran down the mountain path. While passing through the forest, he heard the whistling of a blade and glanced over...
Faintly, deep in the woods by a pool of water, a figure could be seen—shadowy and indistinct. Sporting a beard and gold-rimmed glasses, holding a sword with both hands, he was meticulously practicing 'Water Breathing'... It was Gotoh.
With a smile on his lips, Roy didn't disturb him. He picked up his pace and continued running down the mountain...
In a flash, he reached the entrance of the mountain path. He saw a white-haired, pig-headed young man whose swelling from yesterday had just gone down, only to be swollen high again today. Roy couldn't help but activate [En] to eavesdrop on the boy's inner thoughts... Kastro was confused...
The boy, unconvinced, had challenged Gotoh to a duel again yesterday. The result: he was beaten even harder than the day before!
He couldn't understand why a person would suddenly become so strong... Not only had his aura recovery speed increased... but his coin flipping was more agile than before... and his endurance was enhancing... It fully demonstrated the buff and changes 'Water Breathing' brought to a person.
People cannot imagine things beyond their cognition, so let the boy continue to be confused for a while...
There are degrees of closeness...
Roy saw potential in Kastro and planned to let him stew for a while. Once Gotoh had completely mastered 'Water Breathing' and became stronger, it wouldn't be too late to pluck this delicious fruit.
Thoughts flashed by... getting closer...
Kastro heard footsteps and said respectfully, "Young Master."
Roy ran past the boy's shoulder, leaving behind a figure that wasn't tall but was exceptionally upright... Kastro recalled that in the past, he was an opponent who could exchange a couple of moves in the Heavens Arena. Now, he couldn't even beat the other's personal butler. Yesterday, he even heard...
That meteor smashing into Kukuroo Mountain was actually the Young Master's doing. Kastro's mood was complex, indescribable, like a spilled five-flavor bottle—sour, spicy, sweet, bitter, all mixed together... In his frustration, he went to find Gotoh again, and the result was that he would have been better off not going!
He came back with a massive pig-head again, beaten worse and more depressed than the day before!
Fortunately, the boy could clearly feel that he was improving, and at a faster speed than in the Heavens Arena. This gave him some psychological comfort, preventing him from becoming depressed.
"Step... step..."
Between the rise and fall of his footsteps, Roy vanished from Kastro's view.
He maintained his rhythm, neither fast nor slow. Every step was as if measured by a ruler; his precise control over his body had reached a level of effortless proficiency.
Soon, he exited the mountain path and arrived in front of the Testing Gate.
From a distance, he saw a balding middle-aged man guiding Kurajing on muscle exertion training.
The girl had her blonde hair tied in a single ponytail. She was adjusting her stance, footwork, and breathing in a proper manner. At first, she was a bit clumsy, but after slowly adapting, she seemed to gain some understanding. She reached out and slapped the Testing Gate... The towering mountain gate didn't budge an inch, but the shock made Kurajing grimace in pain, hopping around clutching her small hand.
"Oh my... you, you're too impatient..." Zebro found it both annoying and funny. Glancing up, he suddenly saw Roy running over. He pulled Kurajing aside, took off his hat, and bowed to him, "Good morning, Young Master."
"Mn." Roy glanced at Kurajing.
The girl held her hand, bit her lower lip, and bowed to him while enduring the pain. Her pitiful appearance held a trace of stubbornness; obviously, she cared deeply about whether she could pass the butler test.
"Haste makes waste."
Leaving behind a simple sentence... Roy turned and left, running back up the mountain path. Kurajing watched him go in silence, took a deep breath, and said, "Uncle, again..."
"..."
Zebro shook his head... Truly, like master, like servant. The Zoldyck stubbornness was famous, and their butlers were the same, each more stubborn than the last...
Kastro before was like this, and this girl before him was too... The newcomers these days, each one harder to deal with than the last...
Zebro put on his hat and suddenly thought of his younger self. He seemed to have been just as stinky in attitude back then. He chuckled...
"Uncle, you seem very happy to see me suffer..."
"..."
"Hahaha... No, no. I'm also happy when you don't suffer..."
"..."
Faint laughter chased Roy's footsteps and reached his ears... The boy wore the sun and moon and mountains as earrings. Rarely enjoying such a wonderful morning, with a smile on his lips, he returned to his bedroom, entered the shower, and while taking a simple rinse, began adding points.
He had killed a few small demons last night, accumulating over twenty points of [Life Energy], which he emptied all at once.
Accustomed to the pain, when Roy walked out of the shower again, his physique hadn't changed much, but his tight, fluid muscles were slightly more defined.
On such a cold day, he sat shirtless at the dining table, opening the "Chronicles of the West Continent" to look up information regarding 'faith'. Just as he began searching for how to use the two points of [Faith Power] that had appeared on his panel...
Gotoh finished his morning exercise and pushed the dining cart in on time. While serving Roy his meal, he reported an important piece of news.
"Someone has accepted the 'Bounty' Young Master posted on the Hunter website."
"Who?" Roy took a bite of his sandwich and looked up.
Gotoh pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose: "It's a woman named Elena."
"She says she once saw a creature called an 'Elephant-Tapir' in a secret realm. It can make things disappear with a roll of its trunk. It is suspected to be the 'Anti-Materialization' magical beast Young Master is looking for."
Roy washed the last bite of the sandwich down with milk, listening impassively... Saying it was Elena, it was better to say it was... Ging!
According to the current timeline, he should have already landed on Greed Island and started using the entire island as a blueprint to create the game 'Greed Island'.
"Did the other party mention a time?"
Roy finished his breakfast and methodically pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth.
Gotoh said, "That is the strange part."
The young butler narrowed his eyes: "She said to tell Young Master to wait for a letter, and..."
Gotoh looked at Roy cautiously: "Before that, she wants Young Master to agree to a condition."
"What condition?"
"She says she wants to see Young Master's level."
"Oh." Roy slanted a glance at him: "How?"
Gotoh: "She wants Young Master to accompany her to break out of prison!"