Roy ignored Illumi.
Even unconscious, his younger brother was still glaring at him with those dead-fish eyes, clearly unwilling to accept defeat.
"I, Illumi, have never been inferior to anyone in my life." Roy could almost hear what Illumi had been thinking when he'd resolutely chosen to switch to the stun baton.
Roy simply sat on him for a while, then gestured for Luke to dig a hole outside in the yard. He tossed Illumi straight into it.
"Young Master, is this really all right?" Luke was genuinely worried Illumi would kill him as soon as he woke up. Hiding off to the side, he watched Roy shovel dirt over Illumi one scoop at a time, swallowing nervously.
It was easy to forget how fierce Luke had been while electrocuting him. He'd only done it because Silva had ordered him to; it was his job. If he actually dared to defy or anger the young master, Luke was sure he'd be thrown to Mike as a snack before the next day.
As Roy shoveled in the dirt, he gradually regained control of his body. He left only Illumi's head exposed and said leisurely, "Don't worry. He likes sleeping like this."
Luke didn't believe him. But after Roy shoveled on the last scoop and leaned on the shovel for a breath, Luke was astonished to see—
The eye Illumi had kept glaring with was finally closed...
"Get me an umbrella. The sun's too bright."
Compared to sleeping in the garden under the blazing sun, Illumi preferred the hole in his own room. Unfortunately... his body was still numb, and he couldn't move at all, so he had no choice but to make do.
"Yes..." Luke lowered his head and went to fetch an umbrella, hurrying all the way. He didn't dare look back, afraid Illumi would notice his strange gaze and hold a grudge against him.
Roy raised a hand to his forehead to block the sunlight, planted the shovel in the ground, and left him with a "Get some rest" before turning toward the training room.
Illumi's closed eye opened again. He watched in silence as Roy rounded the corner of the corridor and was about to disappear from sight, then suddenly called out:
"Next time, I'll wake up before you."
"Bang—"
The training room door slammed shut.
It blocked Illumi's view completely...
Roy replied calmly, "I hope so."
He picked up Snow Walk, which was leaning against the corner, and drew it from its sheath!
"Clang~"
The blade reflected the sunlight in a dazzling flash that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Roy steadied his breathing. He didn't immediately practice Sun Breathing; instead, he calmed his mind and drove the restlessness from deep within his body.
He parted his lips slightly, sucked in a deep breath, gripped the sword with both hands, and slashed diagonally.
"Sun Breathing: First Form, Waltz!"
"Whoosh—"
The blade swept up a wave of heat and traced an arc... A faint spark seemed to burst from the blade, leaving a scorch mark on the wall.
"No good. I couldn't focus it..."
Roy's gaze sharpened. He twisted his wrist and slashed upward from below, the tip of his blade catching fire as it scraped through the air and traced another ring of flames.
"Still no good. I still couldn't focus it..."
Then...
"Third Form: Burning Sun Mirror..."
"Fourth Form: Fake Sun Rainbow..."
"Fifth Form: Fire Wheel..."
Roy swung again and again, each strike surpassing the last, tirelessly trying to grasp that fleeting "feeling of focus." Even when Gotoh called him to lunch, he waved him off with, "I'm not hungry."
"Are you an Enhancer?"
Illumi had finally woken up.
The boy brushed the dirt off himself and climbed out of the hole. He peered through the window at Roy and watched until Roy finished practicing, only then realizing he seemed to have slept through the entire day.
Actually, sleeping in the garden under a parasol seemed like a pretty good idea... Illumi had never tried it before. With the evening glow overhead, he walked into the training room and stopped in front of Roy.
"I think you need an opponent."
The boy rolled his wrist and raised his hand like a blade.
Opening his Aura Nodes seemed to give him a great deal of confidence.
But the next second...
A dark blur flashed past...
Roy grabbed Illumi by his unruly hair and slammed him straight into the ground.
"I'm hungry. I don't have time to play with you."
Snow Walk slid into its sheath. Roy heard his stomach rumble, stepped over Illumi's body, and reached out to push open the door.
"Creak~"
The training room door slammed shut behind him.
Illumi stared blankly at the ceiling with his hollow eyes, unable to recover for a long while—
Until...
Silva appeared...
Illumi lifted his wild-haired head and asked stiffly, "Is he really an Enhancer?"
[Enhancement]: Strengthens the properties of oneself or a weapon.
The "development-oriented" type focuses on strengthening the body through Nen Ability, increasing the user's attack and defense.
Its most famous representative is Netero, the "Strongest Human."
"I don't know." Silva propped his feet on a stone block and began doing the splits to stretch his legs.
He was supposed to go on a job with Zeno tonight, but Zeno had changed his mind at the last minute, so Silva had to go alone.
After all, it was a job worth a billion. It would take some effort.
Illumi climbed to his feet and stared straight at Silva. "He has to be an Enhancer!"
Otherwise, there was no way to explain that explosive speed of his, too fast for anyone to follow.
"He didn't use Nen to beat you." Silva glanced at the corner of the room over his shoulder.
The camera there had been replaced with a new one, encased in a metal box. It clearly wouldn't be pierced through by a sword again.
"Then what did he use?"
"Shadow Step."
Illumi: "..."
His body visibly stiffened...
He stood motionless for a long while, then walked to the window, braced a hand on the sill, and climbed out...
Silva glanced at him. The boy found the hole he'd dug that morning and jumped in... Mechanically, he scooped dirt over himself with both hands, as if only the earth could offer him a little comfort.
"Weak... You're too weak, Illumi..."
Across the corridor, the Zoldyck brothers seemed to share the same thought, as the same words surfaced in both their minds.
But where Illumi couldn't see...
Roy strolled over the ancient castle's weathered stone floor. He received a notification from the panel: "Constitution +0.05." Then he casually glanced at Shadow Step...
[Shadow Step: Proficient (89/100)]
It wouldn't be long before he advanced again and reached the "Mastery" stage.
"It must be because my constitution has improved."
Roy's mind was clear. His restlessness was rising, and he could barely resist the urge to "sleep."
But considering that there seemed to be a harsh training session that night,
he decided to fill his stomach first and take a medicinal bath afterward.
Fortunately, after following him for so long, Gotoh had finally learned to anticipate his needs...
As soon as he heard Roy had passed out, he'd prepared a medicinal bath in advance.
After eating, Roy settled into the tub with a towel over his head, resting his arms on the edge and closing his eyes.
Gotoh dipped a ladle into the water and poured it over Roy's back again and again, reporting the results of the day's inquiry as he went. "After hearing about it, Master said nothing. He only gave this instruction..."
"In half a month, he'll assess the results of your training."
"What kind of training?"
"Zetsu." Gotoh removed his fogged-up glasses and said gravely, "Master said that if you can take three lashes from him, you'll pass."
Roy's expression stiffened. Recalling the feeling of the million-volt stun baton stabbing into him that morning, his chest started hurting again.
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