Auren spends the rest of the day recovering in his guest room. The sparring match with Zeno had been unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Not only was he mentally drained, but his body was seriously injured, and his aura completely exhausted.
After five hours, he uses Azure Restoration to heal his wounds, which once again drains his aura. Finally, he drifts into a deep sleep and doesn't wake until morning.
When he does, he feels well-rested and in good condition—ready to make the most of the day.
Okay… I don't have much time, but I'll use what I've got to train!
As he steps out of his room, Canary is already there, rushing toward him.
"G—Good morning, Master Auren," she says, clearly still flustered and a little embarrassed.
"Morning… You can relax. I'm not that hard to get along with. I don't know why you blocked my path yesterday, but as long as you don't try attacking me again, I won't get angry," Auren says, still sounding slightly annoyed.
"I… I understand. I was never told we'd be having a visitor. Maybe… that bitch! She tricked me! She set me up! I covered a shift for a colleague!" she grumbles, suddenly realizing what might have happened.
"Well, make sure to pay her back when you get the chance," Auren says, smirking slightly. "Anyway, is there any breakfast available? I've got a few energy bars with me, but I'd really prefer something better."
"Of course. I was actually planning to wake you in ten minutes. You're invited to dine with the Masters," Canary replies.
"Really?... Not sure how I feel about that. It could become awkward. Still, I suppose I should accept. Wouldn't want to seem rude," Auren responds, resigned.
"Please follow me," she says, leading him down the hall.
As they enter the dining room, Auren sees Zeno, Silva, Silva's wife Kikyo, and an ancient, tiny-looking man—whom Auren assumes is none other than Maha Zoldyck—already seated.
Standing beside Kikyo is a small child holding her hand.
Kalluto… As long as that one sibling isn't here, I'll be fine with everyone else.
"Good morning," Auren says, unsure of how formally he should act.
"Good morning. Auren, right? I've heard about your stay. Please, sit down," Kikyo says with an eerie calm.
Auren glances at her—striking in appearance, with long black hair tied up in an elaborate bun, draped in a black, elegant kimono. The most unusual part of her appearance is her visor, revealing only a single glowing red dot.
"Thank you, ma'am," Auren replies, taking a seat beside Zeno.
Moments later, Killua enters, followed by a large, overweight boy—his older brother Milluki—and then the eldest, Illumi.
As everyone settles into place, Auren keeps a calm exterior, though he's far from relaxed, seated as he is among the full Zoldyck family.
Illumi, who's been staring at him in silence, finally speaks.
"You're Auren, correct? I heard you sparred with Grandpa—and not only managed to survive, but actually wounded him. That's impressive."
"Thank you, Illumi. Though I think your grandfather was holding back. I'm not sure how long I would've lasted otherwise," Auren replies.
"You know who I am?" Illumi asks, slightly surprised.
"It's a bit embarrassing, but one of my instructors… let's just say he's an observer. He's a little jealous, and years ago, he made sure I knew everything about your family. It made me curious," Auren answers calmly.
"Heh, these silly Marshmallow brothers. I guess I've impressed them," Zeno comments.
"We are famous, after all! Surely you know about me too, right?" Milluki says, puffing his chest slightly.
"Yes, Milluki. I've heard rumors about your collection," Auren replies with a cheeky grin.
Milluki blushes, then grumbles, "When's the damn food coming?"
"Just a moment, Master Milluki," one of the butlers responds nervously.
"Anyway, I don't collect—these things are going to be worth a fortune! It's an investment! You invest too, right?" Milluki continues, trying to save face.
"Yes. I recently started a company with a friend—focused on anti-inflammation medicine. But I don't care much for investing. I'm more of a collector like yourself, and honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with collecting things you're passionate about," Auren says.
Everyone around the table gives him a strange look—except for Milluki, whose eyes light up with joy.
"No way! You also collect those garbage figurines?" Killua asks, looking disgusted.
"No. I collect special knives. I've only got two with me—the rest are hidden. Anyway, I only recently started and didn't collect too many yet, only six," Auren clarifies.
"Knives, huh?" Silva says, speaking for the first time—something rare from the stoic patriarch. "What kind of knives?"
Auren stands and pulls out his two Ben's Knives, laying them on the table for Silva to examine. The older man picks them up, his expression shifting to one of genuine curiosity.
"Ben's Knives, I like your taste. These are nice ones. Both are late-Era ones, however," Silva murmurs. "Not really a fan of the later models myself, but even so—every one is a masterpiece. That's a worthy thing to collect."
Then he glances at Milluki with thinly veiled disappointment. "As your father, I'm ashamed. Why can't you collect useful, tasteful things like Auren?"
"I… I don't like creepy-looking knives," Milluki mutters.
"What a disappointment," Silva sighs, still inspecting the blades.
At last, a group of servants—clearly ranked below even the butlers—enter the room with platters of food.
Silva returns the knives politely, and Auren sits back down.
Breakfast is served. It's nothing fancy—but it's rich in sugar and protein, clearly designed for the high-energy lifestyle of professional killers.
Auren eats a lot, fueling up for the intense training ahead. With his stomach full, he thanks the Zoldycks and politely excuses himself.
Outside the dining room, Canary is already waiting and promptly leads him toward the gym.
The Zoldyck mansion is old in style, but tastefully decorated—more refined than he expected. Their gym, however, is pure function over form. It's filled with reinforced equipment, all customized to handle insane amounts of weight—enough that even the Zoldycks can still get a proper workout.
Alright… time to train!
Auren throws himself into it. He goes all out, doing just a few repetitions per set—but with the heaviest weights he can manage. After an hour, he switches to dumbbells, pushing his limits even harder.
Then he pauses, realization dawning.
If I tear down my muscles, my body's forced to rebuild stronger ones. Normally, this takes a long time… but with Azure Restoration, it shouldn't. I've already used it to heal damage from claw training. Torn muscle is just another kind of injury. Every body part can be restored! So why didn't I think of this sooner? I was too focused on Nen itself! It should work… it has to work!
Renewed with excitement, Auren throws himself back into training, pushing past every limit. For three hours straight, he doesn't stop—high intensity, heavy weights, full effort. By the end, his entire body is screaming.
He barely manages to drag himself back to his room. Once there, he showers—and still under the water, activates Azure Restoration.
His aura turns a soft, glowing blue. As it courses through his body, healing his muscle fibers and exhaustion, euphoria rushes through him. His pain slowly vanishes, along with his fatigue.
He nearly groans from the sensation, as he is experiencing this kind of recovery for the first time.
Gone… all the pain, all the exhaustion. In minutes. But—damn, this cost over half of my aura. Still… I can train again now. And in three hours, my aura will be nearly recovered! If I use Zetsu during training, it'll even recover faster!
Did I just discover a cheat code for training? This is insane! If I keep this up for a few years… my weakness will become my greatest strength. Combined with my Nen mastery—
A twisted grin spreads across Auren's face, his eyes glinting with ambition.
Coming here was worth it just for this.
I'm becoming addicted again. Let's do this!
Time passes in the Zoldyck mansion. Auren doesn't spar again, but he interacts briefly with nearly every member of the household.
Kalluto keeps to his mother, neither showing much interest in Auren. Killua speaks with him daily but is clearly being kept from training with him—his father's silent stares always close by. Milluki stays locked in his room, and Illumi appears constantly preoccupied with other tasks. Maha is like a ghost, and Auren only sees him during meals.
One day, Silva invites Auren to his personal quarters.
Inside, he opens a drawer in his massive desk and carefully retrieves a knife in a fitted case. He holds it out for Auren to see—Ben's Knife No. 3.
A small, sturdy blade with a slight curve—more like a miniature machete. Its craftsmanship is flawless.
"Incredible… the third one ever made," Auren breathes. "If you ever want to sell it, call me. I can pay any price. Not that you need the money, so I guess that's a silly offer."
Silva smiles faintly, then holds the knife out.
Auren takes it reverently, his expression turning serious.
"This one's something else. Small, but I could probably cut through a tree with it if I used enough aura."
"I took it off a victim more than a decade ago," Silva remarks casually. "Never used it. Doesn't suit my fighting style—it's simply too small for me."
"Take it," he adds. "Add it to your collection. If you gather a large number, I'd like to see them."
Is he just being nice? Or is this a long con—wait until I gather more, then kill me and take the full set? … Maybe I'm overthinking. Still, I should keep them well hidden.
"Thanks. You've got a deal," Auren says. "That makes seven. I'll call you in a few years—hopefully when I've got over twenty."
"Ambitious. Surprise me," Silva says with a nod.
The days pass like a blur. Auren trains relentlessly, and the progress is staggering. Each day is easily ten times more productive than any normal training schedule.
Usually, people need to recover for at least a few days after such high-intensity training, but this doesn't apply to me! In fact, I can fit five three-hour sessions into a single day! That's around half a month of training! This is incredible! I can feel my body growing stronger and stronger after every session!
I have to talk to Zeno. I need permission to take some weights with me. I can use the airship ride to keep growing stronger.
Finally, the day of the mission arrives.
Auren joins Zeno, Silva, and Illumi on their way to the private airship. To his surprise, a small army of butlers is already assembled—along with three unknown older individuals, who seem out of place.
These aren't staff… They're assassins. The others they mentioned. That's it, then.
We're heading to the Republic of Tracha. Time to take down Kolmata and his supporters.
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