Chapter 2: Aura Nodes × The Gate of Cognition
The awakening of Nen usually followed two paths.
The first: through meditation, slowly sensing the existence of aura and opening one's nodes by sheer will.
The second: through force, with one's aura nodes blasted open directly by an expert, exposing the body to Nen at once.
With someone like Silva Zoldyck at hand—a top-tier Nen user—the need for Roy to fumble his way through meditation was unnecessary.
The very instant Silva's palm struck, Roy sensed it: a strange, milky-white energy welling up from within, surging outward until it enveloped his entire body.
The sight felt both alien and oddly familiar. It was just like the scene he remembered from the Heavens Arena, when Wing had forcibly awakened Gon and Killua.
Closing his eyes, Roy focused. He visualized his aura, gathering the energy that was spilling away, pulling it back under his control and into his body.
---
Gotoh, the steward, had already prepared him for this. Long before Silva decided to open Roy's aura nodes, Gotoh had explained everything he knew about Nen—the theory, the precautions, the before and after.
But knowing was not the same as mastering.
And yet, to Silva's surprise, the boy who had just had his aura forcibly awakened was already beginning to rein in his leaking energy. Slowly but surely, he was gathering it back.
Silva's eyes flicked toward him—just once—but that alone spoke volumes.
---
Hsss… huuu…
Within just a few breaths, all the aura that had been spilling from Roy's skin was pulled back inside.
When he opened his eyes again, his pupils gleamed—two sparks of invisible fire had ignited within them.
At that moment, he had completed the transformation—from ordinary human to Nen user.
The sensation was indescribable. It was as though the very essence of his being had leapt to a higher level. Looking back at his self from mere seconds ago, Roy now felt a new confidence and composure befitting someone who had stepped onto a higher plane.
"So this… is Nen. The fusion of stamina, willpower, emotion, and soul… all woven together into one force."
As he immersed himself in the strange new current flowing inside him, a familiar chime echoed in his mind—
---
[System Notification]
Aura nodes detected: now open.
Nen ability awakened: Gate of Cognition.
Description: By entering deep sleep, the host may slip into the cortical layers of their own brain, push open the "Gate of Cognition," and draw nourishment from the world of thought—then manifest those gains into reality.
---
"So… I'm not an Enhancement type?" Roy muttered, stunned.
"…I awakened as a Conjurer?"
It wasn't what he expected.
With how desperately he had wished for a stronger body, he was certain his Nen affinity would align with that desire, granting him Enhancement. But now…
Looking back, he realized he had overlooked something crucial.
He wasn't an ordinary boy of this world. He was a transmigrant.
Reincarnation itself… that's my deepest secret. My greatest cheat.
The realization thrilled him. Perhaps fate was nudging him, whispering: Don't seek outward. Seek inward.
Roy's eyes lingered on the words "Gate of Cognition." The more he repeated them in his heart, the stronger his impulse became—to collapse into sleep immediately, dive into this new world, and explore.
Unfortunately, two problems stopped him.
First: he had only just awakened Nen. His excitement was still surging, and sleep was a distant dream.
Second: Silva was still watching. There was no way he could flop down and nap here in the training hall. Leaving such an impression on his father would be suicidal. After all, the cracked wall behind him might well become his body if Silva thought him lazy.
A father who sees his son slack… pulls out the Seven Wolves.
Roy swallowed, suppressing the impulse. He would have to bide his time.
Silva was not only a master of killing, but also of torture—something Roy had already experienced firsthand.
So he forced down his excitement, bowed respectfully, and said,
"Good night, Father. I'll take my leave."
Silva gave only a low grunt, neither approving nor refusing. He didn't bother to ask Roy about his Nen affinity, nor what ability he planned to develop. Instead, he simply turned his back and resumed stretching, as though what he had done was a trivial task.
Perhaps, to a father, there was no mystery in his child's potential. He had already seen the limits of Roy's talent.
The reason Silva had chosen to open Roy's aura nodes early was simple: he had judged that this son's ceiling was far too low.
The boy's future wasn't about whether he could join missions at his father's side. The real question was whether he could even protect his own life.
And so… whether Roy knew his fate or not hardly mattered.
---
The midsummer night wind stirred the wall lamps, casting flickering shadows across the room.
When the doors of the training hall closed, father and son were separated into two different worlds.
Inside: Silva, dressed in black training clothes, his muscles coiled with power, his face as cold as steel.
Outside: Roy, his steps light and quick, his lips curved in an irrepressible smile as he hurried back to his room.
On the way, he paused briefly at a dimly lit chamber, bowing toward the doorway.
Inside, an old man lay slumped in a rocking chair, snoring as an anime played faintly in the background. The elder shifted in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent, then settled into a deeper slumber.
Yes, the night was perfect for sleep. And even if it wasn't his usual bedtime, Roy had to sleep now.
Back in his bedroom, he locked the door behind him, tossed himself onto the bed, and pulled out his phone. Switching on a white-noise sleep app, he forced his eyes closed.
Outside, cicadas chirped. The evening breeze rustled the trees.
Ten minutes later, drowsiness finally caught him, and Roy drifted into a dream.
---
He felt himself floating, weightless, drawn into a shimmering tunnel of many colors.
From its far end came the faint crash of waves against stone, beckoning him onward.
Step by step, curiosity laced with serenity, he walked through the passage until at last he emerged—
—into a vast, endless ocean.
The water stretched beyond sight, a boundless blue. And scattered across its surface stood countless wooden doors. Some were ancient and weathered, others polished and new. Some gleamed brightly, others were dull and dark. They seemed to have existed since time immemorial. Each was locked.
Except for one.
To Roy's right, a door hung slightly ajar, a faint light spilling through its crack. Above it dangled an ornament shaped like a demon's head.
Roy understood at once.
It was waiting for him.
Without hesitation, he reached out, pushed the door wide, and strode boldly inside.
---
"Hsss—!"
"So cold—!"
In stark contrast to the sweltering Republic of Bartokia, snowflakes drifted down from the sky in this world of cognition.
Roy opened his eyes again to find himself lying in an ancient forest blanketed by snow.
To his left was a shovel.
To his right, a basket filled with coal.
"…So in this world of mine… I'm a coal miner?"
He looked down at himself. A thick, traditional Japanese haori was wrapped around his body. Heavy socks and wooden sandals covered his feet. Long crimson hair brushed against his eyelids.
The image reminded him strongly of a character from a certain anime in his previous life, though with a few differences…
His doubt lasted only a moment before the system interface flashed before him:
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[Character Generation in Progress…]
[Kamado Sumihiko… Elder Brother of Kamado Tanjiro…]
---
Roy froze, then realization dawned.
"So that's it… this is the world of Demon Slayer!?"