Wing's Greeting X The Ghosts' Shock

"Not interested."

Kastro was a decent opponent. They had crossed paths a year ago, and after the man fell to him, he became nothing more than experience points toward Roy Zoldyck's eighty-one-win streak at Heavens Arena.

Now, a year later, Kastro was still the same Kastro, but he... was no longer the same person he had been.

To be precise, ever since the day his aura nodes were opened, the two of them no longer belonged to the same world.

"It's not just Kastro," Gotoh said, flipping through some recently gathered information. "There is also Wing."

"He disappeared for nearly a year after losing to the young master. It is said that he has now developed his Nen ability and climbed to the two-hundredth floor."

"He even sent a message to the young master a few days ago to pay his respects."

Disappeared? That was likely because his soft-hearted nature led to him being snatched away by a certain veteran driver, forcibly binding them into a master-disciple relationship.

Now that he had chosen to emerge, it was clear he had been molded by Biscuit into the shape she desired.

Roy thought this without a hint of malice, his face as calm as an ancient well as he asked, "What did he say?"

"He said he wants to meet the young master in the heavens."

"The heavens?" Roy smiled noncommittally. "Even if he succeeds in challenging a Floor Master, it doesn't mean he can stand in the heavens."

"Besides..."

Roy narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "Based on my understanding of him, he is not the type of person to say such things."

"It's likely he was forced to..."

Heh... Shingen-ryu versus Zoldyck?

Neither side was one to bow their heads easily...

"Then... does the young master wish to reply?"

Gotoh took out his phone; all the contact information Roy gave out was routed through him.

"The doctors I asked you to contact—are there any results?" Roy did not answer directly.

Gotoh replied truthfully, "Two have been confirmed, one is still being contacted, and the other is a bit far, though quite close to Heavens Arena."

"Then we shall pay him a visit on the way to see the doctors."

"Understood."

Gotoh trotted to keep up with Roy. One master and one servant, one in front and one behind, yet they parted ways at the fork in the road.

Whoosh--

He tossed Snow Walk to the young butler to be oiled.

The young man returned to his bedroom, took a quick shower, and before dinner was ready, he pulled up his panel to examine it closely.

[Name: Roy Zoldyck]
[Physique: 11.75 (Note: 1 is average for a human)]
[Nen Ability: "Gate of Cognition"]
[Nen Ability Form Transformation: Novice (10/100)]
[Nen Ability Nature Transformation: Pending Activation]
[Breathing Technique: "Sun Breathing": Novice (30/100)]
[Combat Experience: lv2 (35/100)]
[Swordsmanship: lv1 (10/100)]
[Applied Techniques--Shadow Step: Mastery (99/100); Rhythm Echo: Mastery (84/100); Snake Awakening: Novice (98/100) (Note: Applied techniques are categorized by proficiency: Novice, Mastery, Grandmaster, Perfect)]
[Title: A "Nen" Newcomer, a sapling waiting to sprout]

From "sprout" to "sapling"—could this be considered a significant improvement?

Roy wasn't sure... He only knew that the focus of his training must remain on two fronts—

First, "Nen"; second, "Breathing Technique"...

"Nen" is the foundation, "Breathing Technique" is the numerical value. Both hands must grasp, and both hands must be firm. Translated into "skills," it meant...

"My 'Shadow Step' and 'Snake Awakening' are about to break through. If not tomorrow, then tonight."

Learning [Zetsu] allowed one to distinguish the scent of "Nen" and perceive the trajectory of a whip, but whether one could dodge it still relied on one's own speed and reaction time.

Since his father intended to test him by making him endure three lashes, Roy had no desire, no willingness, and certainly no intention to accept them.

That night, after dinner, he closed his eyes and entered the world of Demon Slayer.

The snow continued to fall, showing no signs of stopping.

After Tanjiro left, a vibrant soul was missing from the corner of the warm hearth, replaced by a few curled-up demons.

Urokodaki Sakonji had already risen early to boil porridge. When one is old, getting a full night's sleep is difficult; dozing off from time to time is the norm.

Roy opened his eyes, smelling the aroma, and the first thing he saw was a pair of beautiful eyes staring wide at him, as if curious why he didn't blow bubbles from his nose while he slept.

"Makomo, stop teasing him." Sabito stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe.

Helplessly glancing at Makomo, the young girl waved her hand in front of Roy's eyes. Seeing he had no reaction, she casually pulled her robe around her and drifted boredly to Sabito's side.

"He really can't see us," Makomo said.

"It's not like you didn't know that already."

"That's true~"

The young girl pouted, abandoned Sabito, and followed Roy into the kitchen.

Pricking up her ears...

She heard the youth mimicking Sabito, leaning against the doorframe and watching Urokodaki Sakonji in silence for a moment before saying, "Master, I want to practice with the sword today."

Swordsmanship was the other key to mastering "Breathing Styles," aside from the "Breathing" technique itself.

Roy felt it was time to follow in the footsteps of Tanjiro from the original story and begin his "Ten Thousand Swings," or rather, a fixed routine of one thousand sword swings every day.

"Did you forget what I told you the day before yesterday?" Urokodaki Sakonji asked, his back to Roy as he peeled potatoes.

It was the Taisho era, after the Meiji and before the Showa; trying to find fresh greens in winter was no different from picking up a gold bar on the road.

Steamed potatoes with rice porridge made up today's breakfast.

"I haven't forgotten." Roy skillfully opened the cupboard, took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, and set them on the dining table.

"Master said that until I grasp Breathing, I am not allowed to touch a sword."

"But I have already learned it."

The youth smiled and activated Zetsu.

In an instant, he retracted the "aura" leaking from his body, perfectly sealing his pores and blocking any outflow... At that moment, it was as if he had vanished from the room. If Sabito and Makomo hadn't been right there beside him, staring at him the whole time, then...

They truly wouldn't have known that in this Small Wooden Cabin, which held the memories of their childhood, someone like Roy even existed!

"Merging with nature?"

"Ho—Fukuda, look at what I've found!"

"What are you shouting about? Even ghosts need to sleep, you know."

Shinsuke had been lounging boredly on the rafters, but seeing this, he hurriedly shoved Fukuda.

Poor Fukuda nearly tumbled off, and in his anger, he wanted to strangle the guy on the spot. But then he remembered he was a ghost and could float, so he suppressed the urge to kill him and looked in the direction Shinsuke was pointing. His tiny, mung-bean-sized eyes immediately went wide.

"It's only been a few days... how did he already learn 'Breathing'!" Fukuda shrieked, leaping down from the rafters and beginning to circle above Roy's head...

Whoosh~ A cold wind swept through...

The shocked ghosts circled around Roy, as if looking at some strange new curiosity.

Sabito and Makomo stood to the side, quietly exchanging a glance, both seeing a trace of astonishment in the other's eyes.

The latter poked Sabito mischievously: "Hey~ ten days, you know~"

Sabito shook his head with a wry smile. He knew Eiichiro was fast, but he hadn't expected him to be this fast. A thought suddenly popped into his mind—

"If Giyu knew that someone had grasped the mysteries of Breathing in just ten days..."

"His expression would surely be very interesting..."

Perhaps just like their master before them... whose hand, while peeling the potato, had come to a dead stop...