The year-end festivities were approaching, and the wind and snow became even more intense...
The thick mist of Sagiri yama wetted Roy's hair, which froze into a layer of frost.
With the shackles of shattered stones gone, he restarted the Ten Thousand Basic Swings. Roy felt as if the sword in his hand was weightless, almost as if it was glued to his palm, giving him a feeling of seamless control and effortless swings.
His master, Urokodaki Sakonji, stood silently behind him, watching...
Ten meters in front of him was a wooden stake tied with hemp rope.
The young boy closed his eyes, began adjusting his breathing, positioned his feet apart, centering himself as the axis, fixed his stance, then opened his eyes, held the sword in both hands, and struck forward with today's first cut.
Then... two cuts, three cuts, a hundred cuts, a thousand cuts, ten thousand cuts, twenty thousand cuts, thirty thousand cuts, thirty-five thousand cuts. Exceeding the limits of his training before the shattered stone, Roy felt his body heating up, his strength still abundant, so he simply removed his scarf and continued to swing his sword...
Thirty-six thousand, thirty-seven thousand, thirty-eight thousand, forty thousand....
"Eiichiro Oda, that guy, made me lose count." Makomo pouted, her beautiful big eyes swirling in circles.
On the tall birch tree, Sabito silently watched, and below was the silent Urokodaki Sakonji...
Forty thousand, forty-two thousand, forty-seven thousand, forty-nine thousand, fifty thousand!
At a certain moment, the young boy squinted his eyes, his hands, waist, and feet moving in unison, stepping forward and delivering a slash——
The sword wind tore through the air, emitting a sharp screech that made one's teeth ache, forming a crescent-shaped attack, cutting through the wooden stake ten meters away in one stroke!
"Thud..." The stake split in two and hit the ground,
The surroundings were so silent that you could hear a pin drop, with only the sound of the boy's heavy breathing echoing through the wind and snow!
"Eiichiro Oda, that guy..." Shinsuke was lying down, instantly sitting up straight. Even though he was mentally prepared ahead of time and knew that Roy, after going through the shattered stone training, would undoubtedly break through his limit again, perhaps reaching the astonishing forty thousand cuts... he still underestimated him!
"Honestly, I'm numb." Fukuda stood right next to Shinsuke, looking down at Roy with self-deprecation: "If anyone tells me that Eiichiro Oda even cut down the Ghost King, I wouldn't be surprised."
"Damn, he's not even human!"
A ten-meter-long slash.....
"The key is, Eiichiro Oda hasn't even learned the Breathing Technique yet~"
Makomo finally didn't have to count anymore, standing dizzy and wobbly with Sabito supporting her, the supported Sabito, like a wooden stake, took a blow from Roy, his spirit slashed into two halves.
Silence enveloped Sagiri yama today... 'Giyu, perhaps.. being the Water Hashira is your limit, but it will not be Eiichiro Oda's limit.'
Sabito gazed at Roy's back, almost able to imagine what a terrifying sight it would be for the Evil Ghosts to let such a monster descend the mountain.
"Eiichiro Oda,"
"You can begin the next phase of training...."
Snow had gathered on Urokodaki Sakonji's shoulders, and his voice, slightly hoarse, was hidden beneath the Celestial Dog Mask as he silently watched the boy... Roy sheathed his sword, exhaling a long white breath, shaking his head.
"No, I still need to train." The young boy's voice was very calm, revealing a bright smile with his pearly whites.
With Netero throwing ten million punches a day, Roy couldn't possibly not slash ten thousand swords in a day... there's no such logic!
"When I truly reach my limit, I will tell Master."
"You... ho ho ho..." Urokodaki Sakonji's shoulders trembled, laughing, the laughter growing louder, looking up at the sky, and a ray of sunlight broke through the mist, casting down unusually, as if dispelling the shadowy haze over everyone's heart——the Evil Ghosts!
"Good." The old man turned with satisfaction, deciding to add a pig leg to the child's dinner tonight.
[Hint: Swordsmanship +40]
[Swordsmanship: Level 2 (996/1000) → Level 3 (36/10000)]
....
"Dong~"
Kukuroo Mountain,
At four in the morning, accompanied by a bell tolling.
In a small room on the far east side of the third floor of the butler's villa, Haseki Dorou, as usual, opened his eyes, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling in a daze...
Having arrived at the Zoldyck Family for more than two months, he grew from a "know-nothing newbie" to a "knows a little" seasoned newbie, finally realizing the weight of those three words "Zoldyck Family".
A one hundred kilogram bulletproof vest was worn for twenty-four hours... the shoes on his feet were weighted... the cup he usually drank from weighed twenty kilograms... any door required at least five hundred kilograms of force to open...
This was no butler's place, this was a damn gravity training room! And the kind with ten-times gravity!
When Haseki Dorou first reported in, he actually wanted to lash out, but upon realizing that all aspiring official butlers started as such, the least competent being that helpful mentor who assisted him in successfully opening the first Gate of Trial, Zebro... the boy centered himself, cut off his long hair, and accepted reality.
For nothing else, but one day to land a punch on that damned glasses-wearing guy's face... tell him, if he can do it, so can he!
What's his name again... Wutong!
By four oh five in the morning, Haseki Dorou rolled off the bed, beginning his morning routine... four to four-thirty, was the only free time he had during the entire day.
Usually, at that time, he would run to the Gate of Trial, perform a set of Tiger Bite Fist, and chat a bit with Zebro, to maintain what little sense of security he could preserve.
Indeed, once you enter the Zoldyck's door, it's as deep as the sea, and besides heaviness, there's no safety to speak of in the Zoldyck Family.
A random dog could appear, and the wind pressure it brought could blow him over.
As a result... even now, whenever Haseki Dorou heard Mikai's roar, his heart would skip a beat.
"Ho ho... you'll get used to it." Zebro chuckled, handing over a cup of water, an old warm-hearted man, who in the original work, was the one who helped Gon's group. Now, after two months of interactions, he also deeply appreciated the young man before him.
Diligent, driven, with good hair quality, most importantly... he listens, easy to direct, has the makings of a butler.
"Thank you." Haseki Dorou finished his fist routine, nodded in thanks, stopping short as he heard a familiar set of footsteps, looking up... a boy with shoulder-length short black hair, as usual, ran down from the mountain, hurriedly bowing to him and greeting: "Young master, good morning."
After practicing the sword last night, and sharing a hearty meal of stew with Urokodaki Sakonji, Roy had a rare comfortable sleep, traversing the cognitive world, and returning to reality.
He didn't laze in bed for a minute or two to shake off mental fatigue,
Immediately washed up, did a morning run, quickly arriving at the foot of the mountain.
The young boy stopped, having run five kilometers without breaking a sweat, lightly nodded back at the bowing Zebro, fixing his gaze on Haseki Dorou, smiling as he asked: "Getting used to it?"
Haseki Dorou straightened up immediately: "Rest assured, young master, I can endure it."
Roy patted his shoulder: "That's good."
Saying so, he walked past him, heading directly to the Gate of Trial, standing still.
"Young master, heading out?" Zebro thought: I didn't see Wutong either... duty-bound, he rolled up his sleeves and approached: "I'll open the door for you."
Roy: "No need."
Looking up at the fourth Gate of Trial, he gently raised a hand to touch it.
Zebro paused, sensing something, Haseki Dorou turned his head——
Only to hear a loud "boom" as the fourth Gate of Trial, weighing thirty-two tons, swung open wide, revealing the poised young man in the midst of the morning glow, clapping his hands to dust himself off.