Awakening a Nen Ability could be done in one of two ways.
First, through meditation, sensing the presence of aura and opening the Aura Nodes yourself; second, through force, having someone open the Aura Nodes for you so you could directly experience aura.
Since he had a top-tier Nen user like Silva at home, Roy was spared the trouble of meditating.
He sensed something was off at once. A milky-white energy was surging out of his body, quickly enveloping him from head to toe.
The scene was both new and familiar, like the one at Heavens Arena when Wing helped Gon and Killua force their Aura Nodes open. Roy hurriedly closed his eyes and pictured the aura in a way that came naturally to him, slowly gathering the escaping energy and keeping it inside.
Before Silva had decided to open Roy's Aura Nodes, Gotoh had prepared in advance. He'd told Roy everything he knew about Nen without reservation and patiently explained what to keep in mind before and after opening his Aura Nodes.
But knowing something wasn't the same as mastering it. The moment his Aura Nodes opened, Roy was already able to slowly draw the aura leaking from his body back inside... His speed still made Silva, who was watching nearby, take a second look.
Still, it was only a second look...
"Hiss... Hoo..."
In the span of just a few seconds, between one breath and the next, Roy had drawn back all the aura that had been escaping from his body...
The boy opened his eyes again. Fwoosh! Two "flames of Nen" seemed to flash in his pupils, and he had truly completed his transformation from an ordinary person into a Nen user.
The feeling was marvelous, as though his entire existence had leaped to a higher level. Looking back at himself just three seconds earlier, he felt a new confidence and composure, as if he had ascended to a higher plane.
"So this is 'Nen'—a force that combines various vectors like 'stamina,' 'willpower,' 'emotions,' and 'the soul.'"
Roy silently sensed the changes within himself. As his thoughts churned, he also received a notification from the panel.
[Host's Aura Nodes have been opened...] [Nen Ability: "Gate of Cognition" awakened...] [Through deep sleep, the host can enter his cerebral cortex, push open his "Gate of Cognition," draw nourishment from the world of "cognition," and manifest it in reality...]
So—
"I'm not an Enhancer, but a Conjurer?"
Roy was taken by surprise...
He'd thought that his intense desire to strengthen his body would eventually awaken the Enhancement ability best suited to him, but he hadn't expected this result.
Looking back now, he realized he'd completely overlooked one thing—he was a transmigrator, reborn in this world!
"Transmigration" itself was the greatest secret deep within him, and his biggest cheat!
This was interesting... Was fate telling him, "Instead of seeking outward, look within"?
Roy carefully rolled the words "Gate of Cognition" around in his mind, and the urge to lie down and fall asleep right away, to explore it, immediately welled up in him...
Unfortunately, he'd only just awakened his Nen Ability and was still excited. Whether he could even fall asleep was another matter. Besides, Silva was watching nearby. He couldn't use the training room, a place for hard work and sweat, as an excuse to slack off. Otherwise, the cracked wall behind him would be a glimpse of his fate.
A father sees his son alive and reaches for the Seven Wolves...
Roy had experienced Silva's talent for tormenting people, on top of his skill at killing them...
So he reined in his excitement and respectfully wished Silva good night. "Father, I'll head back now."
Silva grunted noncommittally. He didn't say a word, much less ask whether Roy wanted to have his Nen type tested or what kind of Nen Ability he planned to develop. He simply turned away and continued stretching his legs, as if he'd done something utterly insignificant.
Perhaps, in a father's eyes, he knew what his child was like better than anyone—and had known the outcome from the very beginning.
Why had he opened Roy's Aura Nodes so early? Because Silva had already seen through the boy. Roy's potential was limited...
It wasn't just that he couldn't join Silva on missions in the future—whether he could even protect himself from being killed was a question...
So what difference did it make whether he knew or not?
At night, the midsummer breeze stirred the wall lamp, setting its shadow swaying seductively...
As the training room door opened and closed again, it separated father and son into two different worlds...
On one side, Silva still wore his black training clothes, his muscles knotted and his face cold. On the other, Roy walked briskly, no longer able to suppress the excitement tugging at his lips as he hurried toward his bedroom.
As he passed a dimly lit room, he gave a brief bow.
The old man lying in a rocking chair inside, dozing as he watched cartoons, turned over and mumbled something unintelligible... He shifted into a more comfortable position and fell into an even deeper sleep...
Yes, the night was as lovely as a painting—a perfect time to sleep. Even though it wasn't Roy's usual bedtime, he had to sleep now.
Back in his bedroom, Roy locked the door.
Then he flopped onto the bed, pulled out his phone, and switched on the "white noise for sleep" setting... He forced his eyes shut, little by little.
"Zee-zee~" Cicadas chirped outside the window... "Rustle, rustle~" The evening breeze stirred the leaves...
After about ten minutes, he finally caught a hint of sleepiness and drifted alone into his dreams...
In a daze, he felt as if he were floating. Ahead lay a passageway of brilliant colors...
From its far end, he could faintly hear waves crashing against the rocks, drawing him onward.
One step, then two. Curiosity mingled with a hint of calm, and before long, Roy had emerged from the passageway to find a vast ocean before him.
The ocean stretched beyond sight, its surface a deep blue. What was more astonishing was that one wooden door after another stood on the water. Some were weathered, some pristine, some dark, some gleaming. They seemed to have been there since the dawn of time, yet every one of them was locked.
Except—
On the right, closest to Roy, a wooden door with a "demon head" ornament hanging above it stood slightly ajar. A sliver of light shone through.
Roy understood... It was waiting for him...
Without another moment's hesitation, he reached out, pushed it open, and strode inside...
"Hiss—"
"It's so cold—"
In stark contrast to the heat of the Republic of Padokea, snowflakes drifted down from the sky of this Cognitive World...
When Roy opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in an old forest blanketed in deep snow.
A hoe lay to his left, and a basket sat to his right, filled to the brim with coal...
So—
In this "Cognitive World" of his, had he become a coal miner?
Roy curiously looked himself over. He was wrapped in a heavy Japanese-style cloak, thick socks covered his feet, and he wore wooden sandals. Dark red hair fell over his eyes... He looked a lot like a character from an anime he knew in his previous life, but not quite...
Thankfully, the panel soon appeared and answered his questions...
[Generating character...] [Kamado Eiichiro... Tanjiro Kamado's older brother...]
Only then did Roy realize... "So this is the world of Demon Slayer!"
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