Maha was bored to death.
He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a sausage, and started eating.
Then another... and another... and another.
Soon, the whole bag was empty. When the old man reached for another, it was completely bare, cleaner than Netero's butt.
"Tsk~ This kid Sean really knows how to eat."
"Zeno~ Next time you go down the mountain, remember to bring this old man a whole truckload."
"I want this 'Sanwei' brand..."
"Grandfather, eating too much of that sausage stuff isn't good for you." The window moved.
Zeno had appeared in Sean's room at some unknown time.
This former Zoldyck family head, with silver hair and a silver beard, strolled in with his hands behind his back. The "One Kill A Day, Active Duty For Life" printed on his chest was very eye-catching.
Seeing Maha was indeed here, he shook his head. "I knew you'd be here."
'I don't know what's gotten into the old man. He ignores the fragrant Killua and instead comes to Sean's room every day to freeload. People who don't know any better would think our Zoldyck family can't afford to eat.'
"None of your business." Maha swayed over to Zeno and looked up at him. "Squat."
Zeno's old face twitched. "Don't hit my head."
"Am I asking you to teach me how to do things?" Maha raised his hand and gave Zeno a big smack on the back of the head. "There's a door, but you use the window. Are you a thief?"
"I seriously suspect that the reason that brat Sean is so sneaky is because you ruined the family's conduct."
Zeno: "..."
His head was buzzing. 'If it were anyone else but Maha... if anyone on this continent dared to touch a hair on his head, Zeno swore he would flay them alive!'
"Grandfather... is right to scold me." Zeno put on a smile, taking the hit without getting angry, and helped Maha lie back down.
Maha snorted, plopped onto the rocking chair, closed his eyes, and didn't look at him. "Spit it out, what is it?"
'If it wasn't important, Zeno would never come looking for him. Both grandfather and grandson knew this.'
"Nothing gets past you, Grandfather." Zeno hunched his back and said in a low voice, "Little Killua will be three after the New Year. I came to discuss his future training plan with you."
'He is the silver-haired one, after all. The designated next head of the Zoldyck family. Killua's training definitely had to be reported to the old man.'
"Just that?" Maha rocked his chair, saying impatiently, "Just decide it yourself."
'Decide it myself?' Zeno frowned. 'It's not that I can't, but...'
'Are you really going to be so perfunctory, old man?'
Zeno was very surprised. He was about to ask again when snoring sounds came. Maha had fallen asleep at some point.
Helpless, Zeno could only gently close the door and turn to leave.
"Squeak~" The door closed. But just then, a sentence faintly drifted through the crack.
Zeno stopped, listening intently, and was abruptly shocked!
"Times are changing, Zeno~"
"The Zoldyck family's heir might not always be silver-haired in the future..."
"Six thousand... seven thousand... eight thousand... ten thousand!"
[Congratulations Host, Constitution +1]
[Strength: 200→201]
[Speed: 100→101]
[Aura Amount: 150→151]
From sunrise to sunset, past midnight... 10,000 "Gratitude Push-ups" were done.
Sean lay on the spot, melting into a puddle of mud.
'So tired... My arms are sore to the point of numbness. It was an ordeal, especially near the end.'
'Good thing I gritted my teeth and finished.' He also successfully received the notification from the "Sage," verifying the feasibility of "Gratitude Push-ups."
'The time aspect is just a bit of a drag.'
"Sage, how long did I take?"
[20 hours.]
"Two hours slower than Netero."
'Makes sense. He's humanity's strongest, top-tier talent, and was already forty when he had his epiphany for "Gratitude Punches".'
'In contrast, for me to complete the "ten thousand swings" for the first time at my age is already pretty good.'
Sean calmed his mind, then ripped off the blindfold, mask, and earplugs, panting heavily. His gaze shifted. Silva and Illumi were no longer in the training hall.
"The Master took Young Master Illumi for a medicated bath."
"He instructed me to wait here."
'Medicated bath? Real men's play?'
'Illumi's skin is so white, it must be smooth and tender to the touch... Even Tousan couldn't resist making a move?'
Sean glanced at Gotoh.
The young butler had been crouching in the corner, seemingly waiting for a long time.
Seeing Sean look over, he brought over a bowl of chicken soup. "Young Master, freshly-made chicken soup. Drink it while it's hot."
After the intense exercise, Sean was already starving and naturally wouldn't be polite.
He took the sea-bowl, which was bigger than his head, and glug-glug-glugged it down.
It was fresh, fragrant, tender, and smooth, mixed with the special aroma of many herbs. Clearly, the kitchen staff had put in a lot of effort.
"Well done." He finished the soup. Sean smiled at Gotoh.
Gotoh placed his right hand on his chest and bowed respectfully. "You are too kind, Young Master. This is our duty."
"Mm." Sean grunted, saying no more.
Feeling the lost electrolytes and protein being replenished, he pushed himself up from the floor.
By now, the moon was setting in the west. Fed and watered, it was time to go back, take a bath, and rest.
Sean took off his training uniform, tossed it to Gotoh, and walked toward his room, bare-chested.
As he walked, he communicated with the "Sage." "Sage, are there any other ways to quickly increase my constitution?"
'Shingen-ryu is definitely useful, but 10,000 push-ups for just one point of constitution... that efficiency... is truly 'touching'!'
"Perhaps my understanding of Shingen-ryu is still superficial, and I lack a famous teacher's guidance."
"If I get the chance to meet Bisky or Netero in the future, it will probably improve."
[Received.]
[Sage calculating...]
[Calculation complete...]
[Considering that Host is currently serializing Pot Shadow Ninja, the following plans have been summarized.]
[One: Cloud Village "Ninja-Taijutsu": Continuously stimulate the body with lightning-attribute chakra to enhance constitution.]
[Two: Akimichi Clan "Expansion Jutsu": Accumulate energy on a daily basis, then release it to expand the body, rapidly increasing constitution.]
[Three: Shadow Clone Jutsu: Create chakra clones to work simultaneously and enhance constitution (Note: Clone training efficiency is only one-third of the main body's).]
"Sage" finished its summary. Sean's eyes flashed, and he drooled disgracefully.
'These are all good things. Unfortunately... having lived two lives, Sean still understood the principle of 'biting off more than you can chew'.'
He simply said to the "Sage," "Just tell me how much they cost."
["Ninja-Taijutsu" requires "Feedback Value": 100 points.]
["Expansion Jutsu": 100.]
["Shadow Clone Jutsu": 200.]
["Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu": 500.]
Sean: "..."
He glanced at his pitiful "70" "Reader Feedback Value" points and sighed heavily.
'It seems it's time to speed up the serialization of Pot Shadow Ninja.'