Gate of Cognition

There are only two ways to awaken Nen.

First, through meditation, sensing the presence of aura, and opening the nodes on one's own; second, through forced means, opening the aura nodes to experience aura directly.

Since the family had a top-tier Nen master like Silva, it saved Roy the trouble of meditation.

He sensed the anomaly immediately, discovering a milky-white energy surging continuously from within his body, quickly enveloping him entirely.

The scene was both fresh and familiar, just like the time at Heavens Arena when Wing helped Gon and Killua forcibly awaken their Nen. Roy hurriedly closed his eyes, using a posture he found easy to visualize to slowly gather the escaping aura and keep it within his body.

Long before Silva decided to awaken his Nen, Gotoh had made preparations in advance, sharing his knowledge of Nen without reservation and patiently explaining the precautions for before and after opening the aura nodes.

But "knowing" is not the same as "learning." The fact that Roy could slowly draw the aura flowing over his skin back into his body immediately after his nodes were opened made Silva, who was observing from the side, take a second look.

However, it was just a glance.

"Hiss... hoo..."

In the few seconds of a single breath, the aura dissipating from Roy's skin was completely retracted by him.

The youth opened his eyes again, and a flicker of "poof" appeared in his pupils, as if two "Nen flames" had been ignited, truly completing the process of transforming from an ordinary person into a Nen user.

This feeling was incredibly wondrous, as if his entire level of existence had undergone a leap. Looking back at himself from three seconds ago, he possessed an added touch of high-level confidence and composure.

"So this is 'Nen,' an existence that fuses 'physical strength,' 'will,' 'emotion,' and 'soul' among other vector elements."

Roy silently felt the changes within his body. As his thoughts churned, he simultaneously received a notification from the panel.

[Host detected to have opened aura nodes...]
[Nen Ability: "Gate of Cognition" has been awakened...]
[The host can enter their own cerebral cortex through deep sleep, push open their "Gate of Cognition," draw nutrients from the world of "cognition," and materialize them back into reality...]

So—

"I am not an 'Enhancer,' but a 'Conjurer'?"

Roy was somewhat surprised.

Originally, he felt that with his desperate "will" to strengthen his physique, he would ultimately awaken an "Enhancer" ability most compatible with himself, but he had not expected this result.

Now, thinking back, he had completely ignored one issue—he was a transmigrator who had been reborn into this world!

"Transmigration" itself was the greatest secret in the depths of his heart, and also his greatest cheat!

This was interesting... Was fate seemingly reminding him that "rather than taking from the outside, it is better to seek within"?

Roy carefully chewed on the four characters "Gate of Cognition," and an impulse immediately surged in his heart—to go to sleep right now and explore it.

Unfortunately, firstly, he had just awakened his Nen and was still in a state of excitement, so whether he could fall asleep was up for debate; secondly, Silva was watching from the side, and he couldn't leave the other party with an excuse for laziness in this place of sweat and hard work, otherwise, the cracked wall behind him would be his miserable fate.

If a father sees his son isn't dead, he pulls out the "seven wolves" belt...

Roy had also experienced Silva's ability to kill and torture people.

Therefore, he immediately suppressed his excitement and respectfully said goodnight to Silva: "Father, I will return now."

Silva gave a noncommittal grunt, not saying a word, nor asking if Roy wanted to test his category or what Nen ability he planned to develop. He turned his head and continued his leg stretches, as if he had just done something trivial.

Perhaps, in the eyes of a father, he knew the nature of his child better than anyone else from the very beginning.

The reason for awakening "Roy's" Nen early was because Silva had already seen through this child; his upper limit was truly limited.

In the future, not to mention being able to accompany him on missions, whether he could protect himself from being killed was a question.

So, what difference did it make whether he knew or not?

At night, the midsummer wind blew against the wall lamps, swaying an enchanting shadow.

As the door to the training room was pushed open and closed again, it separated the father and son outside the door into two worlds.

On one side, Silva remained in his black training suit, muscles knotted, his expression indifferent; on the other side, Roy's footsteps were light, the excitement at the corners of his mouth no longer suppressible, as he hurried toward his bedroom.

Passing by a dim room, he gave a simple bow.

The old man lying on a rocking chair in the room, listening to a cartoon and sleeping soundly, turned over, muttering something in his mouth... He changed his posture and slept even more soundly.

Yes, the night is like a painting, a perfect time for sleeping. Even if it wasn't Roy's usual bedtime, he had to sleep.

After returning to his bedroom, Roy locked the door directly.

Then he threw himself onto the bed, took out his phone to pull up the "white noise sleep aid" mode... and forced himself to slowly close his eyes.

"Chirp, chirp~" the cicadas were calling outside the window... "Rustle, rustle~" the night wind stirred the leaves...

After about ten minutes, he finally caught a hint of sleepiness and walked alone into his own dream.

Dazed, he felt as if he were floating, and ahead was a colorful tunnel.

From the end of the tunnel, the sound of waves crashing against rocks could be faintly heard, attracting Roy to float inside.

One step, two steps, curiosity mixed with a trace of leisure, and soon, Roy walked out of the tunnel and saw a vast ocean.

This ocean was endless, with azure as its base color. Moreover, surprisingly, one wooden door after another stood on the sea level—some mottled, some brand new, some dark, some with bright surfaces—as if they had appeared here since the beginning of time, but without exception, they were all locked.

Only—

To Roy's immediate right, a wooden door adorned with a "demon head" ornament hung slightly ajar, a faint glimmer of light spilling from within.

Roy had a sudden realization... it was waiting for him.

Without a moment's hesitation, he reached out, pushed the door open, and strode inside.

"Hiss—"

"So cold—"

In stark contrast to the sweltering Republic of Padokea, snowflakes were actually drifting down from the sky in this Cognitive World.

When Roy opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in an old forest blanketed in deep snow.

To his left lay a hoe, and to his right sat a basket filled with charcoal.

So—

In this "Cognitive World" of his, had he actually become a coal miner?

Roy curiously examined himself; a heavy Japanese-style cloak was wrapped around his body, his feet were clad in thick socks and wooden clogs, and deep red hair hung down over his eyes... he looked remarkably like a character from an anime he was familiar with in his past life, yet there were subtle differences.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wonder for long before a panel popped up, providing him with the answer.

[Character generation in progress...]

[Kamado Eiichiro... elder brother of Kamado Tanjiro...]

Only then did it dawn on Roy... "So, this place is actually the world of Demon Slayer!"