Chapter 77: Shaping Nen into a Shield x Roy's New Year's Gift
"Yours," Roy, ever the honest kid, chose to answer truthfully.
Zzigg glanced at the boy's thick, black hair and chopped down with a hand-blade, slicing through a piece of flying debris. "Kid, my son wasn't nearly as green as you. Can't even control your Ren properly."
Emitters excel most at Ren and Hatsu. Especially a transcendent Emitter like his grandson Zeno, whose 'Dragon Dive' could blanket the entire royal palace of East Gorteau.
Voom...
Under the impact of the sandworm's Ren, the Nen shroud trembled like a soap bubble, about to burst.
Zzigg was right; Roy was reaching his limit. One minute and ten seconds was his maximum.
"Idiot, that's not how you use Ren," Zzigg scolded. "Whichever side takes the impact, you 'raise' that side. Making a bubble to cover yourself seems like a good idea, but it's the biggest waste of Nen."
Unfortunately, it was too late. The corpse of some magical beast slammed into him. Roy's vision went black, his consciousness slipped away, and the connection to the game severed. When he opened his eyes again, he was, unsurprisingly, back in his world of cognition.
Beneath him was the soft sand, beside him the boundless Sea of Cognition. The boy rolled over and lay on the beach, carefully mulling over Zzigg's words. They sounded familiar. After "chewing" on them a few times, he finally remembered—
It was "Nen shape transformation"!
Nen could be stretched, compressed, or shaped into a thin film to cover objects, as seen in Ten. Naturally, through imagination, one could also compress a "sphere" into a "plane," increasing its efficiency.
Lost in thought, Roy stood up again and pushed open the "Gate to the Dark Continent."
"Get down!" The familiar roar echoed. This time, Roy hit the ground but didn't rush to open all his aura nodes. Instead, he concentrated, driving his aura from the soles of his feet, up along his knees, abdomen, chest, neck, until it erupted from the crown of his head, forming a "Nen Shield" in front of him.
Compared to the "Nen Shroud," the "Nen Shield" abandoned the other three sides, maintaining only the forward-facing plane to block the impact. This significantly improved both its "efficiency" and "solidity."
Ten seconds... thirty seconds... one minute... one and a half minutes. Zzigg glanced over. "Not bad, kid. Quick learner."
Finally, the game loop at one minute and ten seconds had shown some progress. Roy felt much less strained and figured he could last longer. He smiled. "It's all thanks to your excellent teaching." That notebook Great-Great-Grandfather gave me is probably gathering mold in a drawer. Looks like I need to pull it out and read it more often.
"Don't celebrate too early. The big one's coming." The "Nen Shield" in front of Zzigg was thick and wide, a strange "iron gray" color, looking like a slab of refined steel, deflecting flying sand and rocks with clangs and pings.
Alerted by the warning, Roy focused his gaze ahead.
"ROAR!" The world changed color. A tail sweep shattered the landing craft. The colossal sandworm charged, low to the ground. The resulting gale and Ren, intensified by the proximity, rose several levels.
The direct effect on his Ren was—
The "Nen Shield" Roy had just formed instantly began to waver again, showing signs of cracking.
The boy struggled, increasing his aura output. He glanced at Zzigg. His great-grandfather, hidden behind his "iron shield," looked far more relaxed.
"Why is your shield so thick? Is there some trick to it?" Roy asked, unembarrassed.
Zzigg replied faintly, "This shield holds twenty years of effort."
It's all raw power and hard work.
Roy fell silent. His "Nen Shield" instantly shattered. He was struck by a broken mast and sent flying. His vision went black again. With his last shred of consciousness, he couldn't help but think:
Sweat... that's not something you can just figure out through enlightenment.
This time, he had lasted one minute and forty seconds.
He continued the cycle: enter the Dark Continent, return to the Sea of Cognition, back and forth seven more times. His maximum endurance reached one minute and forty-five seconds. Finally, Roy disconnected from the world of consciousness, returning to reality utterly exhausted.
Klak... Klak... Behind him, the airtight, moisture-proof door closed, releasing the slightly damp air of the passage.
Roy took a deep breath, crouched down, plucked a chrysanthemum petal, and chewed on it. The bitter juice helped ground him, merging his consciousness with his body, dispelling the daze. He then stood up and left the basement.
It was eight o'clock in the evening. Darkness had fallen early due to the overcast sky, making the atmosphere feel heavy. Gotoh had thoughtfully lit several candles on the dining table. The soft candlelight made the meal feel a bit more comforting. He was a considerate butler. At least, Roy found this meal particularly satisfying.
The boy forked a piece of fried pork cutlet, chewing while flipping through Zzigg's notebook, searching for information about Ren. He savored the pleasure of the food for a moment, then looked up at Gotoh. "Gotoh, let me see your Ren."
"Huh?" The young butler, who was wiping spilled wax from the table, met Roy's gaze,愣了一瞬, straightened up, and replied crisply, "Yes, sir."
Voom...
A milky-white "Nen Shroud" instantly erupted, enveloping Gotoh from head to toe. Roy observed it carefully. The "color" and "shape" were similar to his own, but compared to Grandpa Zzigg's, the difference was night and day. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Fortunately, assassins are masters of concealing emotions. Roy skillfully hid his disappointment and calmly told Gotoh to retract it. He was already considering getting the 'Water Breathing' style for Gotoh. After all, he was one of his own people. He couldn't favor Hall and neglect Gotoh.
Roy finished dinner and lay down, still clothed. Gotoh cleared the table and blew out the candles. Darkness and silence became their companions.
In the quiet, the boy measured the ceiling with his eyes, his mind preoccupied with how to further strengthen his Ren. Drowsiness gradually crept in, and he fell into a deep sleep.
The familiar sensation of falling, the multicolored dream tunnel beneath his feet, passing through to the familiar Sea of Cognition... Roy glanced at the locked "Gate to the Dark Continent," recalling Zzigg's question... "Whose kid are you?" With a sigh, he turned and pushed open the gate to the Demon Slayer world.
He opened his eyes, and there again were Makomo's sparkling, pretty eyes.
"Hey~ I noticed something! Eiichiro is growing so fast!" Makomo compared her own height, then glanced at Roy from head to toe. In just a few months, the boy had shot up quite a bit. It made her envious.
"What's so strange about that?" Shinsuke dangled a leg from the rafters. "He's at that age where he eats and drinks a lot. It's perfectly normal."
Fukuda shot him a look. "Then why are you so short?"
That hit a nerve.
Whoosh~ A ghostly wind swept through the cabin again.
Sabito shook his head helplessly, his attention entirely on Roy. He noticed him climb out of bed, now genuinely taller than him. The fox-masked boy sighed with emotion. "This is what a genius is. Strong in every aspect. Just like that 'Stone Hashira' Giyu mentioned... Gyomei Himejima."
"Hmph! Eiichiro is nothing like a monk," Makomo retorted indignantly on Roy's behalf.
"I never said he was a monk," Sabito defended himself.
"That's what you meant."
"I did not..."
The bickering continued on this snowy morning. Roy turned his head toward the kitchen. Sakonji Urokodaki was making porridge alone, his back looking desolate and lonely. Even though his beloved disciples were always with him, he was completely unaware, silently enduring his solitude.
Roy spoke up. "Master, the New Year is almost here. I need to go home for a visit."
However...
'Before that, I want to give you a precious gift,' Roy thought, glancing at Sabito and Makomo.
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