Chapter 128: Riverside Race X Heartbeat Fist Listen
The old man had long, drooping earlobes. He produced a volleyball from somewhere. "Young man," he said, "care to play a game with this old man?"
Thump... thump... The old man dribbled the volleyball like a basketball. One look and you could tell he'd been practicing for more than just a couple of years.
Roy, who had paused, simply started running again, not bothering to pay him any mind. He jogged right past his shoulder. The rising sun cast a brilliant dawn, draping the boy in a "cloak of mist."
Netero chuckled, "Ho ho... to be ignored. It's been a while since I've felt something this novel." Not the least bit angry, he tucked the ball into his robes. With no discernible movement, just a light tap of his toes, he was suddenly right beside Roy, matching his pace along the river.
Goldie, perched on Roy's head, tilted its own, curiously watching Netero.
Netero grinned at the bird, his eyes crinkling. He recalled the gilded flames that had scorched nearly half the Kiriko's territory. He reached out a finger to tease it, only for Goldie to open its beak and blast a small jet of fire, nearly singing his hair.
"Ho ho... quite a temper on this little one." The pun was obvious. The old man, unfazed by the flame, actually managed to pat Goldie's little head. It was unclear if he was talking about the bird, the boy, or himself.
Whoosh! Roy accelerated, shooting off like an arrow from a bow, leaving Netero far behind. 'Disturbing the peace this early. The old man has no boundaries. What a pain.'
"Caw!" Goldie, free, shook its tail feathers at Netero in a clear taunt.
Netero just chuckled, leaving several afterimages in his place as he instantly caught up. Goldie, incensed, flapped its wings, furiously pecking Roy's head. "Caw! Caw!" it shrieked. "Faster! Faster!" But it stumbled, nearly flung off as Roy accelerated again.
'Shadow Step?'
Netero's vision blurred as the boy used 'Mastered Shadow Step' to suddenly leap a great distance ahead. This time, he didn't give chase immediately, but studied the boy's back for a long moment, the image gradually overlapping with the flighty figure from all those years ago.
'Just like him... He truly is your grandson, Zzigg...' (Note: For convenience, great-grandson is also called grandson)
Aside from the hair color. A flash of memory passed through Netero's eyes. His wide sleeves fluttered, and like a dragonfly, he tapped the ground once and reappeared beside Roy.
"Caw!" 'This annoying old man! How is he here again?!' Goldie, enraged, turned and blasted another stream of fire at Netero, only for the old man to wave his hand, enveloped in a golden light, and extinguish it.
"Ho ho," Netero looked at the boy with interest. "Can you go any faster?"
Roy didn't speak. He looked at the rising red sun on the horizon, took a shallow "sip" of the daylight, and activated 'Total Concentration'.
His heart gave a powerful THUD. His heartbeat doubled, blood surging, adrenaline spiking, his body temperature rising. He flushed red for an instant, like an engine igniting. Hsss! Two long dragons of steam shot from his nostrils, and in an instant... he blasted forward again.
"CAW—!" Goldie learned its lesson this time, wrapping its wings tightly around Roy's head.
Man and bird, like a gust of wind, left a white trail along the river, leaving Netero far behind.
The Strongest Human in the World was visibly stunned for a moment. Then he put his hands on his hips and laughed, "Good kid! Wait for this old man!"
His playful side aroused, Netero's eyes gleamed. He clapped his hands together, smack! Time itself seemed to stop. Roy was clearly still running forward, but bizarrely... his body was flying backward towards Netero. He could only watch as the distance between them rapidly shrank!
[Heartbeat Fist Listen]
The pinnacle of martial arts! By controlling his body to the absolute limit, he could "listen" to another's heartbeat, cloud their mind, and compress their perceived time, creating the illusion of moving backward. "Forward" became "backward," "backward" became "further backward."
Thump... thump...
In that instant, the only sound in the world was a heartbeat. The pedestrians, the passing cars, the egrets skimming the river... all vanished. Only two points on a single line remained: Roy and Netero, the distance between them contracting.
"Caw?" Goldie sat slumped on Roy's head, tilting its head in confusion. How did we... It was as if it had been excluded from the 'Fist Listen' state. It could still clearly feel that it was moving forward...
"Ho ho... To have such a body at your age is remarkable, boy. But... when it comes to control... you're still far too green."
A voice drifted over, seeming to come from far away and up close at the same time. Roy had to admit Netero was right. Compared to him, Roy was lacking in both raw 'Physique' and 'Control'.
But... the old man was celebrating too early. A fatal mistake.
Fwoosh! Twin suns ignited in the boy's pupils. He activated [Eye of Revelation] without hesitation!
See through falsehood, restore the true world! If perceived time was an illusion, correct it. If the mind was clouded, burn away the fog. If the world had been muted, let it be heard again!
Beep beep... The car horns returned.
Flap flap... The egret skimmed the water, catching a fish.
"Caw!" 'Scared me to death! I thought you disappeared!' Goldie found its loyal master again and pressed its wings to Roy's forehead.
Pop! "Heartbeat Fist Listen"—broken!
Netero met the boy's gaze. Those two great suns... they weren't the real sun, but they were brighter, intensely dazzling, as if to warn him: Man's power has its limits, but the sun... even if the world ceases to exist, the sun will still rise!
Screech! Ten kilometers, done!
Time: one minute, ten seconds.
Roy stopped, let out a long breath, and lifted one leg onto the railing to stretch.
Tap... tap... Netero arrived a moment later, standing beside him. He watched the dawn reflecting on the shimmering river. It felt just like that time on the Dark Continent when he reunited with Zzigg. They had sat on two flying dragons, fishing by a lake, silently enjoying the peace and tranquility.
After a long moment, he asked, "Why do you want to be a Hunter?"
A breeze blew past, rustling the hair of the old man, the young boy, and the golden crow.
Netero turned his head, looking at the boy as if he were looking at Zzigg all those years ago, quietly awaiting his answer.
In that instant, Roy thought of his father, Tanjuro, of the need for an intelligence network, of the many privileges of a Hunter License. After a moment, he answered truthfully, "At first, it was to save someone. Now... it's to save people, and to see more of the world."
Netero's eyes crinkled. "You can never see all the sights."
"Then I'll just keep looking." Roy spread his arms, embracing the dawn. "As long as the sun doesn't die, I won't stop. I will seek the farthest edges of this world, and truly..."
"I will come, I will see, I will conquer!"
"Your ambition is huge."
"Can't help it. I was born with it."
"Ho ho..." Netero's eyebrow quirked. "Is that so? In that case, I'll be sure to report this conversation, word for word, to your Great-Great-Grandfather."
"We'll see if he breaks your legs."
Roy: "..."
This guy is as shady as Beyond!
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