An old man and a young man stood side by side, watching the red sun break the dawn, casting ten thousand rays of morning light. Behind them, their shadows were stretched long by the lights, intertwined and twisted together...
In the silence, Roy felt a lump in his throat. Living to Maha's age, having experienced the vicissitudes of human life and seen all the beauty the world had to offer, it seemed there was nothing left that could pique the old man's interest. It was just like Netero carrying a nuclear bomb; despite having ten thousand ways to kill the Ant King—such as randomly sending a Nen Beast to implant the 'Poor Man's Rose' in his stead—he insisted...
He chose to duel the Ant King alone, calling it "satisfying his own joy of battle," while in reality, deep down, he likely harbored thoughts of "marching toward death."
Roy had never been old. He didn't know if, when he aged, he would end up like Maha or Netero: standing at the summit, lonely and seeking defeat, looking out at a world devoid of joy... After a long while, he rubbed the "curse" on the back of his hand, took a breath, and said, "I should do it myself."
He turned his head to look at Maha and smiled faintly. "Great-grandfather, you know me. I am someone who fears death, but I fear guilt even more."
"Whether it's you, Grandfather, or Father, I don't want to owe anyone favors."
He paused, then blinked. "If you were to get beaten to death because of me, that would be one thing, but the guilt and suffering would be the death of me."
Maha glared. "Brat, are you looking down on me?"
"Uh-huh~" Roy, seeing that he was already a head taller than Maha, reached out and patted the old man's head. "Great-grandfather, you should just keep on living well. Wait for me to kill the god and come back, then I'll accompany you to sunbathe."
"Asking for a beating!" Maha feigned anger and raised his hand to strike.
"Haha!" Roy dodged and left, laughing loudly.
In a corner of the corridor, shadows writhed, revealing a figure... Zeno, his back hunched and hands clasped behind him, watched the boy disappear around the corner. He spoke faintly to Maha, "Grandfather, we can break his legs now."
"You do it?" Maha cast a sidelong glance at him.
Zeno shut his mouth and said nothing. He simply pretended he hadn't heard, took two steps forward to stand behind Maha, and began massaging his shoulders as he usually did. From time to time, he glanced at the old man's bald head, which had very few hairs left. Driven by some strange impulse, he reached out and touched it, and then...
He crashed directly through the glass window and flew into the sky!
"You dog, did I say you could touch?" Maha lowered his fist, his face dark.
Zeno: "..."
In a flash, he turned into a shooting star on the horizon and disappeared instantly.
Whoosh~ A mountain breeze blew past, curling up a wisp of coolness.
After exchanging those few simple words with his great-grandfather, Roy arrived at the training hall. He neatly took off his shirt, revealing a physique of refined, well-defined muscle.
Luke, holding an electric baton enhanced with "Divine Script," had been waiting for a long time. He stole a few glances, noticing... the Young Master had grown taller and stronger, yet without appearing bloated. He displayed the beauty of the human form like a sculpture. With a look of envy in his eyes, Luke bowed and said, "Young Master, pardon the offense."
Crackle, snap~
Electric light flickered and exploded in a "spherical" shape!
Luke thrust the baton forward... Roy seemed unaware, casually glancing at his panel...
[Name: Roy Zoldyck]
[Constitution: 343.4 (Note: Average human is 1)]
[Nen Ability: Gate of Cognition]
[Manifested Aura Output: C- (2750/100000) (Note: Grading uses Ants as reference. Elite Squad Leader is D, Squadron Leader is C, Royal Guard is B, Ant King is B+)]
[Potential Aura Quantity: C (34590/100000)]
[Believers: 2]
[Power of Faith: 2 points]
[Title: An Apple Tree That Has Successfully Borne Fruit; possesses all conditions to become an "Elite Hunter"]
Compared to the past, it was a difference like night and day.
Three million volts... three and a half million volts... four million...
Roy remained calm and handled it with ease. Luke was sweating profusely, his Nen fully activated. As the counter on the electric baton jumped to 500, his body swayed; he had reached his limit.
"I'll do it."
Creak~ The door to the training hall opened.
Silva, having noticed the scene, walked in slowly with an expressionless face, Illumi following behind him.
He took over from Luke, gripping the electric baton. With a loud bang, visible to the naked eye... the counter on the baton jumped directly from 500 to 800. He aimed right at Roy's chest and thrust!
Sizzle~ Hair stood on end. Roy frowned, feeling the pressure for the first time... That stinging pain and numbness surged like a tidal wave. Compared to Luke, Silva, an "Emitter," was clearly leagues ahead in both aura output and aura quantity.
The most direct reaction felt by the body was... after struggling to support himself for thirty seconds, Roy finally lost control of his body, stumbled, and sat down hard on the floor.
"And you?" Silva looked at Illumi.
Illumi remained silent, eventually stepping forward. "I want to be like him."
Sizzle~ Eight million volts of electricity poured down. Just as Illumi finished speaking, 0.01 seconds later, his vision went black. With a thud, he fell backward onto the ground, losing consciousness.
Having done all this, Silva threw the electric baton back to Luke and said without looking back, "Bury him along with Milluki later."
With that, he pushed the door open and walked straight out.
Luke respectfully acknowledged the order, then stood up to look at Roy. "Young Master, let me help you up."
"No need." Roy exhaled and summoned the Golden Crow with a thought.
"Gaw~" The fat crow spread its wings, suddenly drilling out from the top of Roy's head. Its three legs landed, and it grew larger in the wind. It lowered its head to nudge him, carried the boy, flapped its wings, and headed toward the garden. Luke was left stunned for a moment before picking up Illumi to follow. A short while later, he threw out a pig to accompany Illumi and Roy in sunbathing.
At noon, the sun was high in the sky, its light at its peak.
Illumi was buried in a pit, with only his head exposed. Groggily opening his eyes, he looked to his side... Roy was lying flat on the soft grass, hands folded over his lower abdomen, sunbathing peacefully. Illumi cleared his dry, hoarse throat and said, "Mom is going to give birth soon."
More than eight months of the ten-month pregnancy had passed. Kikyo had been calculating the time; she would go into labor 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 showed no reaction.
Illumi: "I just need one word from you now."
The boy stared straight at Roy with those hollow, lifeless eyes and said, "Say you need me, and I will stand by your side immediately and support you to become the Head of the House."
"Mmmph~" Just then, Milluki, lying between the two of them, grunted and twitched twice.
Illumi waited quietly...
The answer he got was Roy rolling over, getting up from the ground, and turning to leave with an air of indifference.
Step... step...
The footsteps grew distant...
The foolish little brother narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Is it really that hard to just say one word?"
Roy's footsteps did not stop.
Illumi burst out of the earth, clenching his fists. "Go ahead and leave, just don't regret it later."
Step... step...
Roy never looked back. Leaving Illumi alone to kick Milluki, he arrived at the basement in no time.
"Young Master..."
"Young Master..."
Scarface and One-Eye, as usual, pulled open the security door.
This time, he would enter the Dark Continent through [re: The Game of the Dead].
Roy, having rested enough, walked unhurriedly through the corridor and stood before the airtight door. The Demon Eye extended a tentacle and wrapped around him, connecting to the game... A game notification chimed in his ear at the right moment...
[re: The Game of the Dead... Starting...]
[Game Save... Loading...]
Then, when Roy opened his eyes, he was back in the Uzuki Great Forest. Looking up, he saw the A-rank creature... the Sandworm, carrying a peerless strike of Faith Power, smashing its tail down directly at his head, blocking out the sun in the sky!
"Kid, why are you still dazing?" Zigg threw out a card, summoning a two-headed troll. He flashed sideways, standing on the troll's shoulder, commanding it to swing a mace and smash a few Berserk Lice. He glanced at Roy and said, "This isn't a battle you can participate in. Run!"
Boom, boom, rumble!
The Sandworm's tail hadn't even arrived yet, but the sheer force and the wind pressure generated were enough to... crush a person if they got too close!
Bang... bang... bang... Many of the accompanying personnel exploded into meat paste one after another without even being able to scream!
Blood seeped from Roy's ears and nose. Even though he had used [Ken] to protect his body the moment he appeared on the battlefield, his internal organs churned uncontrollably from the impact, and he couldn't stop himself from opening his mouth and spurting out a mouthful of blood...
"This isn't something you can run away from just because you want to..."
The boy wiped the corner of his mouth. Looking past Zigg, he saw Linne and Netero. One had swelled into the form of a giant, and the other had summoned the "100-Type Guanyin," attempting to withstand the Sandworm's tail alongside Zigg...
However, Roy didn't get to see the final outcome... Just like the accompanying personnel who had exploded earlier, he burst apart with a bang, disconnecting from the game...
[Detected "Demon Eye" consciousness entity. Dark Continent Gate has opened...]
Creak~ The Door of Darkness, branded with intricate patterns, flashed open a crack...
This time, he had saved enough "aura" to maintain the "Gate of Cognition," so there were no accidents.
When Roy woke up again, he was lying spread-eagled on the beach of the "Sea of Cognition." He groggily opened his eyes, staring blankly at the azure sky.
He thought to himself, 'The gap is still too big.'
Grandfather Zigg was right. Facing that A-rank creature, the Sandworm, he, a newly promoted C-rank rookie...
Could not participate in the battle at all...
However, judging by the information Netero had revealed to him at the Saherta Park... the group being forced to separate was likely due to this strike from the Sandworm.
Therefore, Roy had only one goal for this trip: not to fight, but to... survive and bypass the Sandworm!
The boy patted his face and scrambled up from the beach. This time, he brought a sword... Specks of fluorescent light bloomed, and a Short-hilt appeared, firmly grasped in his hand. He took a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the Door of the Dark Continent...
Ten seconds later, when he disconnected and returned to the Sea of Cognition, he didn't stop. He continued to try, again and again...
Three times... four times... six times... eight times... Finally, on the ninth time he dove into the Door of the Dark Continent, Roy did not return. After consuming eight "resurrections," he found the pattern of the Sandworm's attack and found a sliver of an opening to survive...
BOOM!
The colossal tail hit the ground!
The earth split directly apart!
Magma from underground sprayed out like water arrows, pushing Netero, Linne, Zigg, and Roy, sending them flying in different directions... The boy timely converted all his "Nen aura" into [Scorching True Intent] to avoid being scalded by the magma. Finally, for the first time since he first paid respects to Zigg and participated in [The Game of the Dead], he received a game notification from the "Demon Eye"...
[First Level: "Landing Battle" Passed...]
[Remaining "Resurrection Coins": 3...]
[Note: Player has a total of three "Resurrection" chances remaining. Once used up, player will be permanently removed from the game and forbidden from entering...]
Whoosh~ The wind howled in his ears...
The magma beneath his feet was scorching hot...
Roy was pushed by the magma, flying toward an unknown place, lost in thought...
He gradually understood why Zeno and Silva never visited Zigg's memorial. It most likely wasn't because they had cleared the game, but because... they had already used up their three chances of "Resurrection" and were rejected by the Demon Eye outside the "Dark Continent."
"Then what about me?" Roy thought of himself and the "Door of the Dark Continent" standing in his "Cognitive World"... He wondered what would happen if he used up his "Resurrection Coins"?
Or perhaps... the "Resurrection Coins" themselves were a authority Zigg had stolen from [Nature]?
For such a heaven-defying ability, who knew what price Grandfather Zigg had paid...
Thoughts raced like lightning. Roy was like a trapped beast, confined in the sky by the magma, turning into a meteor in an instant and disappearing at the horizon. When he appeared again, as the momentum of the magma slowed and its power faded... he finally found a shred of initiative. He leaped, diving toward the earth...
Midway, he unleashed the "Wind Breathing" he had learned from Sanemi Shinazugawa, stepping on wind swirls to land.
What entered his vision was a boundless, colossal forest where one couldn't distinguish east from west!
Every tree in the forest was exceptionally tall and thick; even ten people joining hands might not be able to encircle one... It couldn't help but remind Roy of the "World Tree"!
Rumor had it that the true "World Tree" took root in underground magma, absorbing it to grow frantically straight into the clouds. The largest ones could even support a small world, hence the name "World Tree."
In the original work, the one where Gon and Ging agreed to meet was merely a sapling of the "World Tree." Even though it was dead and had stopped growing, it still stood upright, tall beyond human imagination.
Roy looked up, feeling like a "tiny person" who had suddenly fallen into a kingdom of "giants," watching the giant trees towering into the clouds. Immediately, he activated [En] and began to explore this forest cautiously.
According to Grandfather Zigg's records in the West Continent Records, this forest should be the [Uzuki Great Forest], sandwiched between the [Samir Principality] and the [Huoyin Kingdom]!
It was also... a place untouched by the power of the gods!
Listening... groping... Every so often, Roy would make a mark on a tree. He gradually went deeper... Along the way, he used the [Monster Encyclopedia] to spot two or three strange-looking magical beasts. He avoided the strong ones and killed the weaker ones. At a certain moment, his gaze sharpened; he discovered a human figure!
"Come quickly, I found a compatriot here!"
Roy saw that person, and that person saw Roy as well. Both were stunned!
The latter pulled the corner of his mouth diagonally upward and smiled...