Illumi's Defeat X Silva's Definition

Indeed, Roy could feel the aura of "Nen" emanating from Illumi.

This "Nen" was "damp" and "chilling," giving off an incredibly uncomfortable sensation, much like a venomous snake lurking in a gutter, ready to strike at its prey the moment it flicked its tongue.

"Congratulations." Roy didn't break his stride, tossing the words over his shoulder as he turned back to run toward the mountaintop.

Illumi watched him in silence...

His body was concealed within the darkness, save for a corner of his silhouette cast into a long, slanted shadow by the dim, yellow light of the security room.

He didn't say a word. Only when Roy's back had vanished from sight did he lift his feet, expressionless, and follow.

As for... congratulations?

He hadn't detected even a hint of congratulatory intent in Roy's aura.

The "aura" emitted by a Nen user is not a static "milky white"; it shifts constantly based on their current "emotions."

"Anger" manifests as red...

"Malice" toward others manifests as black...

A calm and balanced state manifests as green...

A state of indifference, neither caring nor hating, maintaining a habitual, faint sense of detachment, manifests as... a refined shade of "gray"...

The color Illumi saw from Roy was "gray"...

This meant that Roy had categorized him as a familiar stranger—someone with whom a certain distance must be maintained.

Just as Illumi had judged... opening the aura nodes truly does bring about a qualitative change.

Roy felt neither happy nor sad, neither concerned nor surprised. Hearing the news was like hearing someone talk about the weather; his heart remained completely untroubled.

However, the fact that Illumi could retract his emitted aura back into his body in such a short time meant that, like him, he had learned and mastered Ten within those few minutes of opening his nodes...

Ten: The technique of containing the "aura" emitted from the body within oneself. The specific method involves controlling the opening and closing of the aura nodes to dictate the release and retention of "aura."

For instance, the "Water Walking" technique recorded in Jager's notes relies on closing all aura nodes on the body, choosing to open only those on the soles of the feet so that the aura is released through that single exit.

In the original story, it took Zushi three months to learn Ten, marking him as an ordinary genius.

Gon and Killua took a few minutes, marking them as one-in-a-million geniuses.

The Kakin Empire's Fourth Prince Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou took one second, marking him as a one-in-a-hundred-million genius.

As for him and Illumi, thanks to the Zoldyck family's innate bloodline talent, mastering Ten within minutes of opening their nodes was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ding..." 4:30 AM...

Roy finished his run, took a quick shower, and sat at the dining table right on time.

Gotoh pushed the serving cart in, knocked on the door as usual, and revealed the day's breakfast.

A beef burger, vegetable salad, and a large glass of milk had become the "standard." The only thing that made Roy linger for a second was a plate of stir-fry—eggplant with minced meat.

"The chef saw the young master busy in the kitchen last time and stole the recipe to make a plate. He asks for the young master's critique."

Noticing Roy's gaze, Gotoh specifically explained, "If the young master thinks it's not good, I'll fire him later."

The Zoldyck family never worried about money; a cook was easily replaced. To Roy, these words had become numbingly routine.

He picked up his chopsticks, ready to take a bite and offer a casual, decent review to save the cook's job... but to the surprise of both Roy and Gotoh, a familiar "old wind" blew past...

Someone had already beaten Roy to it, snatched a bite with chopsticks, and tossed it into his mouth to evaluate.

"Hmm... a bit too salty, and the sweetness is a bit high. The eggplant is chewy, not soft enough. Needs more practice..."

Maha closed his eyes, smacked his lips, and opened them again. He dropped the chopsticks and vanished in a flash...

Roy and Gotoh exchanged glances, staring at each other in silence... Anyone who didn't know better would think the old man couldn't hold his bladder and had come out for a midnight stroll; he was impossibly fast...

"You heard him... too much salt and sugar, the eggplant wasn't drained of water, and the heat was too high at the end. It should have been simmered on low heat for a few minutes until the eggplant was soft and tender before thickening the sauce..."

"Understood. I will fire him when I return."

"..."

"Is firing people all you know how to do?" Roy glared at him irritably. "Even if you hire someone else, they might not be as good as this cook. I'll write down a recipe for him later. You go order the servants to buy an iron wok. That's settled."

"Yes..." Gotoh nodded, serving Roy his meal while mentioning what had happened in the house over the past few days...

It was said that...

"The Madam was vomiting incessantly a few days ago and thought she was pregnant. But after checking with 'Nen,' it turned out to be food poisoning. She had the butler responsible for purchasing the vegetables strung up and beaten that very day, then sent him off to Meteor City..."

Roy knew that Kikyo was born in Meteor City. He took a bite of the beef burger and offered no comment, only thinking... his mother really was obsessed with having Killua; even if she was in a rush, she should wait another three or four years...

"Also... Young Master Illumi... his eighty-win streak has been ended."

Gotoh adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and said slowly, "The opponent was an Emission-type Nen user who watched Young Master Illumi's matches and specifically came down to snipe him."

"They fought for nearly an hour before he used a precise Nen bullet to blast Young Master Illumi out of the ring."

"Chew~ chew~" The beef in the burger was a bit raw, probably medium-rare, making it quite chewy. Roy had to take a sip of milk to force it down, his face showing no reaction...

Gotoh stole a cautious glance at him and continued, "The young master hasn't been to Heavens Arena for a while."

"Young Master Illumi likely suffered that setback precisely because he was dead set on breaking your eighty-one-win streak..."

"I heard yesterday that he asked the Master to open his aura nodes. He'll probably be going after that Nen user for revenge before long!"

Revenge? That's not revenge—that's murder.

Roy finished his burger, pulled out a napkin, and wiped his mouth with measured deliberation: "Enough chatter. Tell me about today's training schedule."

The Snow Walk resting on the sword rack, having been tempered by the moonlight all night, seemed unable to contain its urge to be unsheathed, much like Roy's own mood; he couldn't wait for nightfall to enter his dreams and seek out Urokodaki Sakonji.

He pushed back his chair and rose to his full height, leaving the mess for Gotoh to clean up, only to hear the young butler report: "You are not required to train this morning, Young Master."

"The Master has given notice that he will be testing both you and Young Master Illumi to determine your Nen categories."

"Afterward, subsequent training plans will be arranged based on those categories."

So, he finally remembered he has a son?

Roy snatched up Snow Walk and tossed a remark over his shoulder to Gotoh without looking back...

"I won't be going to the test. If Father asks, you tell him—"

"No assassin is foolish enough to expose their trump card to others..."

"That is what he taught me, after all."