"Dong..."
At 4 a.m., the familiar chime rang out once again.
Roy opened his eyes.
He was back at Kukuroo Mountain.
His awareness was clouded with an indescribable fatigue.
The aftereffects of ten thousand sword swings hadn't shown up in his body—but they had impacted his cerebral cortex.
This was the first time such a phenomenon had occurred since awakening his Nen.
Normally, a Nen user would follow the path of Ten → Zetsu → Ren → Hatsu in strict sequence, only developing their actual Nen ability once they reached Hatsu—something that aligns with their personality and inner desire.
But Roy was different.
Thanks to his transmigration, the day he opened his aura nodes, he was automatically granted the ability [Gate of Cognition] by the system panel.
This was akin to those rare Specialization-type Nen users who, due to unique factors or environments, skipped over Ten, Zetsu, and Ren—awakening Hatsu directly.
Take Neon Nostrade's "Lovely Ghostwriter," for example.
『So if I'm injured inside the cognitive world... those negative conditions carry over into reality?』
Roy rubbed his temples, and—for once—let himself lie in bed for five more minutes.
Those five minutes led him to reflect on one of the foundational principles of the entire Nen system:
Rules and Cost—in other words, Restrictions and Vows.
By establishing rules and pledging to follow them, the more demanding the condition, the stronger the resulting power.
In other words—
Since he benefited from the Gate of Cognition, he also had to bear the risks that came with it.
Something clicked in Roy's mind.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
He quietly gave himself a mental command:
Whether in the real world or in the cognitive one—never allow yourself to enter a state of absolute danger.
At 4:05 a.m., the residual weariness in his mind began to fade...
Roy felt somewhat better. He sat up in bed.
Rather than going straight for a run, the first thing he did was reach for Yukizō, resting on the sword rack.
He wanted to see—after Urokodaki's corrections—whether his Sun Breathing had improved in any way.
"Clang~"
With a crisp note, Yukizō was drawn from its sheath.
Roy twirled it once with one hand, adjusting to the weight of the blade. After settling into his stance, he began practicing the Sun Breathing forms.
At the same time, a certain hollow-eyed kid was on his way to Heavens Arena...
A certain chubby boy had just begun his hellish training regimen. Still sore from the day's electric shock therapy, he lay there groaning as a butler rubbed ointment into his bruises...
In an upstairs bedroom, a woman surrounded by literal flames was in the middle of a meltdown—smashing everything in sight, ranting under her breath about how she'd make someone "pay dearly when he got back"...
Enough that he wouldn't be able to get out of bed for three whole days.
Meanwhile, downstairs in a dimly lit room, an old man rocked lazily in a creaky chair, anime playing in the background, chuckling to himself.
Suddenly, his ears seemed to perk up. He leaned to the side slightly, listening.
Mumbling groggily to no one in particular:
"This kid's swordplay... seems sharper than before..."
Then his head drooped again, ears returning to normal...
"Dance"... "Clear Blue Sky"... "Raging Sun Mirror"... "Sun Halo Dragon Dance"...
Flashes of blade light filled the bedroom.
A full set of Sun Breathing forms completed.
Roy controlled his force, focusing on the sensation.
And sure enough—there was a difference from before.
His strikes were crisper. His transitions smoother.
After all, last night's Ten Thousand Sword Swings were performed using Urokodaki's practice blades. Now, switching back to Yukizō, his hands were still a bit rusty.
But that was minor.
Most importantly—his "Focus Time" had increased!
The benefit?
After a full day's training, his Physique stat increased by 0.2.
Compared to yesterday, that was 0.1 more.
And as a result:
[Dark Step: 99/100 (Proficient) → 1/1000 (Mastered)]
Along with it, both Limb Flex and Snake Weave had improved proportionally with his physique.
In fact, Snake Weave had directly evolved from Beginner to Proficient.
An unexpected—but welcome—surprise.
By dusk, Roy sheathed Yukizō and calmly closed his status panel.
He glanced toward the wall-mounted clock on the south wall...
Less than five days remained until Silva Zoldyck returned to test him.
According to Wutong, Silva had gone to East Gorteau.
The round trip would take at least a week, but considering his strength, most of that time was likely spent traveling. Even if he returned late, it wouldn't be by much.
All the better—it gave Roy more time to grow stronger.
『Might as well set a small goal... in five days, let's go from "Ten Thousand Sword Swings" to "Double Ten Thousand Sword Swings."』
Since Master Urokodaki had already increased his daily quota by 2,000...
Roy figured—why not raise it another 2,000 each day?
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Yukizō to Wutong, turned, and opened the door to the training hall, heading toward his bedroom.
The sun was setting. Compared to the snow-covered land of Demon Slayer, the sunset over Kukuroo Mountain looked far more radiant.
With sun-and-mountain earrings dangling from his ears, the boy strolled leisurely through the long hallway steeped in the scent of time.
As he rounded a corner—he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Ahead, a hunched figure approached with hands behind his back.
White-haired and bearded, the front of his robe was embroidered with eight bold characters:
"One Kill Per Day, Lifetime Active Duty."
Upon seeing Roy, the old man also stopped walking.
"Grandfather." Roy bowed respectfully.
Zeno Zoldyck gave a noncommittal grunt, looking him over from head to toe.
Seeing that Roy had grown sturdier, he frowned.
"Have your butler alter those robes. They're too short. What kind of example is that?"
Boys in their growth spurt were bound to shoot up. That was understandable.
But if the butler hadn't noticed his master's clothes no longer fit—then that was a failing.
In truth, Wutong had already mentioned to Roy that he should have some new clothes tailored.
But Roy had brushed it off, calling it a hassle.
Now that Zeno had said it aloud, Roy didn't try to pass the blame.
"It was me. I didn't want to change. I'll have Wutong handle it tomorrow," Roy explained briefly.
Zeno said nothing more.
He turned to face the window, gazing out at the setting sun—apparently uninterested in continuing the conversation.
Seeing this, Roy gave him a slight nod and walked past him.
But just as he was about to pass—
Zeno suddenly spoke.
The former head of the Zoldyck family, a world-renowned top assassin, continued to admire the blood-red skyline and asked:
"Now that you've awakened Nen and officially started your training—have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"
Roy froze.
His thoughts drifted back to that night—when he and Tanjiro's father, Tanjuro Kamado, had spoken through a paper screen.
He smiled.
"Freedom, Grandfather."
"I want to earn my freedom..."
"I want to climb to the top—step by step.
To do what I must, without fear."