Indeed, Roy sensed the aura of "Nen" emanating from Illumi.
This "Nen" was "damp" and "chilly," giving off a rather unsettling feeling, like a venomous snake lurking in a ditch, ready to strike at any moment against its prey.
"Congratulations." Roy didn't stop, leaving behind these words as he headed back up the mountain.
Illumi silently watched him....
His body hidden in the darkness, an edge illuminated by the dim light from the security room, casting a slanted shadow.
He didn't say a word, and not until Roy was out of sight did he expressionlessly follow after him.
As for... congratulations?
He certainly didn't detect any sense of congratulations from Roy's aura.
The "aura" emitted by a Nen user isn't an unchanging "milky white," but constantly shifts according to the current "emotions."
When "angry," it turns red...
The "Evil Thought" that appears when showing hostility towards others is black...
Calm and peaceful is green...
Neither happy nor sad, indifferent but not disliking, habitually maintaining a faint sense of detachment, will appear... a delicate "gray"...
Illumi saw "gray" on Roy's body....
This meant that the other party regarded him as—a familiar stranger, with whom a certain distance needed to be maintained.
Just as Illumi judged... opening the Acupoints indeed allows for a qualitative change in a person.
Roy was neither happy nor sad, indifferent and unsurprised, hearing this news was no different from hearing someone talk about the weather today, without any ripple in his heart.
However, the fact that Illumi could, within a short time, gather the dispersed aura back into his body showed that he, like himself, had learned and mastered [Ten] within the few minutes after opening his Acupoints....
[Ten]: A technique to preserve the aura emitted externally within the body, specifically by controlling the opening and closing of Acupoints to decide the release and retention of 'aura'.
For example, the "Walking on Water" technique recorded in Jager's notes is performed by closing all Acupoints on the body while only opening the ones on the soles of the feet, allowing the aura to be released only from this single outlet.
In the original work, Zushi took three months to master [Ten], being an average genius.
Gon and Killua took only a few minutes, which made them geniuses among millions.
Fourth Prince of the Kakin Empire, Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou, took one second, being a genius among billions.
As for him and Illumi, thanks to the Zoldyck Family's bloodline talent, grasping [Ten] within a few minutes after opening their Acupoints was nothing extraordinary.
"Dong..." It was four thirty in the morning.....
Roy finished his run, took a quick shower, and was promptly seated at the dining table.
Wutong, pushing the food cart, knocked as usual and revealed today's breakfast.
Beef burger, vegetable salad paired with a large glass of milk had become the "routine". The only thing that caught Roy's extra attention was a dish of stir-fried eggplant mince.
"The chef saw the young master busy in the kitchen last time, learned a dish, and now asks for the young master's critique."
Noticing Roy's gaze, Wutong explained specifically: "If the young master finds it unsatisfactory, I'll fire him."
The Zoldyck Family never worried about money, just a chef after all, it meant nothing to Roy anymore.
He picked up his chopsticks, prepared to take a bite, giving a so-so evaluation just to keep the chef employed… However, what neither Roy nor Wutong expected was... a familiar "old wind" blew by...
Someone had already taken a bite before him, tasting it thoughtfully.
"Hmmm... a bit salty, sweetness is slightly high, the eggplant doesn't chew soft enough, more learning needed..."
Maha, with closed eyes, smacked his lips before tossing the chopsticks aside and disappearing again....
Roy and Wutong exchanged a glance, both bewildered... For someone unaware, they might have thought the elder needed a nocturnal walk, the speed was downright incredible...
"You heard him... too much salt and sugar, the eggplant wasn't sweated, overcooked at the end, should have stewed it gently with a slow flame for a few minutes, making the eggplant soft and melting before thickening the sauce...."
"Alright, I'll fire him when I get back."
"..."
'Is firing all you know?' Roy glared at him disapprovingly: "Hiring new ones may not be better than this chef, I'll write him a recipe, you tell the help to buy an iron pan, that's settled."
"Yes..." Wutong nodded, serving Roy breakfast, chatting about recent household happenings.....
It's said...
"Madam had been vomiting incessantly for a few days, suspecting she was pregnant, but after checking with 'Nen,' it turned out to be food poisoning. That steward responsible for buying vegetables was strung up and beaten, then sent to Meteor Street...."
Roy was aware of Killua being born in Meteor Street, biting into the beef burger, without commenting, just pondering... his mother was truly obsessed with having Killua, though as urgent as she was, she had to wait three or four more years...
"Also... Master Illumi... his winning streak of eighty matches was broken."
Wutong adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, saying slowly: "The opponent was an Emission System Nen user, who after watching Master Illumi's matches, deliberately came down to take him on."
"They battled for nearly an hour before a precise Nen Bullet knocked Master Illumi out of the ring."
"Chomp~ Chomp~" The beef in the burger was somewhat rare, maybe cooked to medium, chewy, Roy washed it down with a gulp of milk with no visible reaction....
Wutong stole a cautious glance at him, continuing to add: "Young master hasn't been to Heavens Arena in some time."
"Master Illumi probably aimed to break your eighty-one match winning streak, so he faced a silent loss..."
"Yesterday, I also heard, he asked the master to open his Acupoints, planning soon to avenge himself against that Nen user!"
Wouldn't it be revenge? More like killing!
Roy finished the burger, slowly wiping his mouth with a napkin: "Enough chit-chat, tell me today's training plan."
The Yubashiri on the rack, having absorbed the moonlight through the night, seemed impatient to be drawn, mirroring Roy's own eagerness to get to nightfall, and Enter the Dream to seek Urokodaki Sakonji.
He rose, leaving the mess for Wutong to clean, and heard the young steward report: "The young master is free from training this morning."
"The master has arranged for you and Master Illumi to have your Nen ability systems evaluated."
"Afterwards, subsequent training plans will be arranged according to the systems."
Finally, he thought of his son?
Roy grabbed Yubashiri, tossing a reply back at Wutong without a backward glance...
"I won't go for evaluation, if father inquires, tell him—"
"No assassin would be foolish enough to expose his trump card to others..."
"This is what he taught."