Of course, this alone could not fully predict how far someone would ultimately progress.
According to the original work, aside from the Chairman, the Zodiacs, and other Nen users who had mastered En, the fastest Nen awakening among all the Nen prodigies undoubtedly belonged to Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou, the Fourth Prince of the Kakin Empire.
From first learning about the concept of Nen to sensing the energy of Aura, the entire process took a mere ten seconds, no, even less, perhaps five.
For ordinary people, sensing Aura could take several days, depending on their aptitude.
He was, without a doubt, a peerless genius, one in ten thousand.
His potential might even rival that of the protagonists Gon and Killua.
Of course, this was only a possibility.
After all, Gon and Killua's aura nodes had been forced open by Wing, not awakened through natural training.
Moreover, Tserriednich had been somewhat affected by the strange egg ritual inside the pot earlier.
Knock, knock, knock...
There was a knock at the door.
Irumi paused his toy game and called, "What is it?"
"Young Master Illumi, it's time for dinner," the butler's voice called from outside.
Illumi opened his eyes and looked out the window.
The sun had already set.
"Time flies when you're having fun," he murmured, rising from the bed and heading toward the door.
The butler was waiting outside.
The two boys walked side by side to the dining hall, with the butler following closely behind.
Their father, Silva Zoldyck, sat at the head of the table with their grandfather.
Zeno was also present.
"Illumi, Irumi, come sit down already," their mother, Kikyo Zoldyck, said softly.
Illumi walked over obediently and sat beside Kikyo, while Irumi expressionlessly approached Zeno.
"Hey," Irumi said, putting his hand on the chair and lightly hopping into the seat beside Zeno like a child seeking attention.
Zeno glanced at him without emotion, then picked up a piece of meat and began eating.
When Zeno began eating, the others started their dinners as well.
Illumi picked up a chicken leg, put it on his plate, and ate quietly.
Unnoticed by the others, Illumi was in a peculiar state.
He tilted his head slightly toward Kikyo, who sat across from him.
A faint stream of pink mist rose from her body, swirling around her like a living being.
Illumi sensed the emotion hidden within Kikyo: jealousy.
Lately, he had started seeing colored mists emanating from people, which let him sense their emotions and sometimes infer their thoughts.
This ability seemed innate, present from birth.
As he grew older, the gift evolved.
At first, he could only sense emotions.
Now he could see the colors.
Emotional Perception.
That was what he had once called the ability.
But now, it had another name: The Seven Deadly Sins.
"Is she jealous that my relationship with Grandfather Zeno is closer than hers with me, her own mother?" Illumi wondered as he observed Kikyo.
At twenty, Kikyo still had the elegance of a Yamato Nadeshiko, before she became the neurotic woman she would later be.
Now Illumi finally understood why she would eventually change.
Silva called out calmly, "Illumi, Irumi."
Training starts in three days. Are you both prepared?
Silva, at twenty-four years old, had only recently become the head of the Zoldyck family.
"Yes," Irumi replied with a blank nod, while Illumi gave a small nod to show he was ready.
Then, in three days, Zebro will oversee your training.
During the meal, those were the only words the five of them exchanged.
No one spoke another word until everyone finished eating.
Zeno stayed silent the entire time, focusing only on his food.
At forty-five years old, he was still in his prime, as tall as Silva and even more physically imposing.
Illumi thought, "What a chilling family atmosphere," as Silva, Zeno, and Kikyo left.
He hopped off his chair and joined Irumi, and the two brothers returned to their room together.
Day 4, 7:00 AM.
After breakfast, Zebro led Illumi and Irumi to the training grounds.
The Zoldyck Family had carved out a special training area in the forest, roughly 1,600 square meters in size, reserved for butlers and newcomers.
Those who were confident enough could venture deeper into the primeval forest for more intense training.
"Young Master Illumi, Young Master Irumi," Zebro said as he stood before them with Gotoh.
Zebro wore a warm, friendly expression.
Gotoh remained emotionless, as always.
Let's start with the basics, physical conditioning and endurance training.
Zebro took two black children's jackets and two sets of black wrist guards from a nearby wooden table and handed them to Illumi and Irumi.
"It's so heavy," Irumi said, his hands wobbling as soon as he grabbed the jacket.
He lost his balance and fell backward.
Thump.
Illumi glanced to the side and saw Irumi sprawled on the ground, blinking in confusion.
Ugh... Why did I fall?
"Heh heh heh..." Zebro chuckled, gave Illumi a surprised look, then knelt to help Irumi up.
Young Master Irumi, these are weighted training tools designed to build stamina, endurance, and strength.
From now on, you may not take them off except when bathing or sleeping.
Irumi pushed himself up slowly, slipped on the heavy jacket, and tightened the wrist guards around his ankles.
He looked at Illumi, who was already fully dressed and waiting.
"The jacket weighs 10 kilograms, and each wrist guard weighs 2.5 kilograms. The weight will increase as you get used to it," Zebro explained before leading them to the training area.
He pointed to the butlers who were already training.
"Young Master Illumi, Young Master Irumi, join the trainees. Once you can keep up, we move to the next stage."
Illumi observed the butlers as they ran, practiced shooting, and drilled assassination techniques.
"These training methods are annoying," Illumi muttered quietly.
He stepped forward, but each step felt like he was walking through mud.
His shoes felt stuck to the ground.
Even lifting his legs was exhausting.
This weight... it's unlike anything else.
Illumi gritted his teeth.
Training this way was impossible.
Even walking took everything he had.
Thud.
His small foot landed hard, kicking up dust.
Illumi and Irumi moved toward the training grounds at a snail's pace.
Illumi glanced at Irumi.
Despite the strain, Irumi's expression remained blank, as if nothing was wrong.
In reality, his calves and thighs trembled violently.
After all, it was their first day.
Evening fell.
Long shadows stretched across the training field.
All day they focused solely on adapting to the gear.
There was not a single real drill.
Yet both were drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
That night, they were so exhausted that they almost vomited while eating.
Still, they forced themselves to eat for the sake of their bodies.
This was only the beginning.
Three years later...
Two figures, one larger and the other smaller, darted through the forest.
Tap, tap, tap.
Illumi's slight frame slipped through the trees, with Zebro leaping nimbly between branches behind him.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Illumi dove to the left as a long branch slammed into the earth, digging deep.
"He's trying to kill me," Illumi muttered, his face darkening at the sight.
"Young Master Illumi is becoming more agile," Zebro said as he dropped from a branch three meters away.
He smiled when Illumi rose to his feet.
However, you're still...
Before he could finish, Zebro lunged, aiming for Illumi's abdomen.
Too relaxed!
His punch connected with a dull thud.
Illumi instinctively curled as he was thrown backward.
He crashed into a tree, slid down it, hit the ground, and immediately sprinted away.
"Oh? You can still run after taking that punch?" Zebro said, amused.
He jumped from the branch and chased after him.
"Hmph," Illumi groaned as he ran.
His stomach throbbed.
His left arm hung limply.
He hadn't taken the full force of the punch.
He blocked with his forearm, but the impact still shoved his arm into his stomach.
His forearm was swollen and bruised.
He would need the Zoldyck herbal bath to heal quickly.
"Ho ho ho..." An eerie laugh came from the forest path.
Illumi turned and saw Zebro smiling warmly.
What's the matter, Young Master Illumi? Are you tired already?
Before he finished speaking, Zebro lunged again, his fist aimed at Illumi's face.
Illumi narrowed his eyes.
He lowered his body and punched Zebro in the waist.
Thud.
"Ugh..." Illumi choked on air, his body folding in half as he flew backward.
Zebro had anticipated his counterattack.
His left knee shot up and struck Illumi's abdomen before Illumi's fist even touched his waist.
Illumi skidded across the ground and lay flat on his stomach, staring at Zebro's blurry silhouette.
He tried to breathe, but could only cough harshly.
He clutched his stomach with both hands, saliva dripping as he fought through the pain.
"You definitely used more than thirty percent of your strength," Illumi gasped as he rolled over.
His lower body remained still, but his upper body twisted from lying on his back to lying face down, his weight pressing into the earth.