There are only two ways to awaken Nen Ability.
First, through meditation, sensing the existence of aura, and opening the Aura Nodes independently; second, through coercive means, opening the Aura Nodes, and directly feeling the aura.
Since Sliva, a top-tier Nen Ability user, was already in the house, it saved Roy the effort of meditating.
He immediately noticed something unusual, finding a milky white energy continuously gushing out from his body, quickly enveloping his entire being.
This scene was both fresh and familiar, just like the time in Heaven's Arena when Wing helped Gon and Killua forcibly awaken their Nen Ability. Roy quickly closed his eyes, and using a posture he could easily imagine, he slowly gathered the escaping aura and kept it within his body.
Even before Sliva decided to open his Aura Nodes, Gotoh had made preparations, sharing his knowledge of Nen Ability with him without reservation, and patiently explaining the precautions before and after opening the Aura Nodes.
However, "knowing" doesn't equal "mastering." Roy was able to slowly gather the aura flowing on his body back into his body immediately after opening his Aura Nodes… This speed made Sliva, who was observing nearby, take a second look.
But it was only a glance… "Hiss… exhale…"
In just a few seconds, with one inhale and one exhale, all the aura dispersed on Roy's body was drawn back in by him… The young man opened his eyes again, and in his pupils, a "poof~" flashed, as if two "Nen flames" had been ignited, truly completing the transformation from an ordinary person into a Nen Ability user.
This feeling was very peculiar, as if his entire being's life-level had undergone a leap. Looking back at himself three seconds ago, there was a touch of higher-level confidence and composure.
"This is 'Nen,' an existence that integrates multiple vector elements such as 'physical strength,' 'willpower,' 'emotions,' and 'soul.'"
Roy silently felt the changes within his body, and as his thoughts churned, he also received a prompt from the system panel.
"Detected that the host has opened the Aura Nodes…"
"Nen Ability: 'Gate of Cognition,' has awakened…"
"The host can enter deep sleep, delve into his cerebral cortex, push open his 'Gate of Cognition,' draw nourishment from the world of 'cognition,' and manifest it back into reality…"
So—
'I'm not an Enhancement Type, but a Conjuration Type?'
Roy was a bit surprised… Originally, he thought that with his intense desire to strengthen his physique, his "vow" would ultimately awaken an Enhancement Type Nen Ability, which would be most compatible with him, but he didn't expect this result.
Now, looking back, he had completely overlooked a problem—he was a transmigrator reborn in this world!
"Transmigration" itself was his deepest secret and his biggest cheat!
This is interesting… Is it somehow reminding him, "Instead of seeking externally, it's better to seek internally"?
Roy carefully pondered the four characters "Gate of Cognition," and an impulse immediately surged within him—to lie down and sleep right now to explore it… Unfortunately, first, he had just awakened his Nen Ability and was still excited, so whether he could fall asleep was debatable; second, Sliva was watching nearby, and he couldn't give him an excuse to be lazy in the training room, a place of sweat and effort, otherwise, the cracked wall behind him would be his miserable fate.
When a father sees his son still alive, he pulls out seven wolves… Roy had also experienced Sliva's skill in torturing people, besides killing them… So, he immediately suppressed his excitement and respectfully said goodnight to Sliva: "Father, I'm going back now."
Sliva grunted noncommittally, saying nothing, and didn't ask Roy if he wanted to test his type or what Nen Ability he planned to develop. He turned his head and continued stretching, as if he had just done something insignificant.
Perhaps, from a father's perspective, he already knew the outcome of his child's nature better than anyone else.
Why awaken Roy's Nen Ability early? It was because Sliva had already seen through this child; his potential was truly limited… In the future, not to mention being able to partner with him on missions, whether he could even protect himself from being killed was a question… So, what difference did knowing or not knowing make?
At night, the midsummer wind stirred the wall lamp, casting a graceful dancing shadow… When the training room door opened and closed again, it separated the father and son outside into two worlds… On one side, Sliva was still in a black training suit, muscles bulging, his face cold; on the other, Roy's steps were light, his excited smile no longer suppressible, as he hurried towards his bedroom.
As he passed a dimly lit room, he gave a simple bow.
The old man lying in a rocking chair in that room, listening to cartoons and sound asleep, turned over, muttering something in his mouth… He changed his posture and slept even sounder… Yes, the picturesque night was a good time for sleeping, even if it wasn't Roy's usual bedtime, he had to sleep now.
Upon returning to his bedroom, Roy immediately locked the door.
Then he threw himself onto the bed, pulled out his phone, and selected the "white noise for sleep aid" mode… Forcing himself to slowly close his eyes.
"Chirp chirp~" Cicadas chirped outside the window… "Rustle rustle~" The evening breeze rustled the leaves… After about ten minutes, he finally caught a hint of sleepiness and entered his dream alone… In a daze, he felt like he was floating, and ahead was a colorful passage… From the end of the passage, he could vaguely hear the sound of waves crashing against rocks, which drew Roy in.
One step, two steps, with a mix of curiosity and leisure, Roy soon exited the passage and saw a vast ocean.
This ocean stretched endlessly, with blue as its base color. And, surprisingly, numerous wooden doors stood on the sea surface, some weathered, some brand new, some dark, some shiny, as if they had been there since time immemorial, but all of them were locked without exception.
Only—
To Roy's immediate right, the wooden door with a "Demon Slayer" pendant hanging above it was ajar, and a faint light could be seen peeking through.
Roy understood… It was waiting for him… He no longer hesitated, pushed the door open, and stepped inside… "Hiss——"
"So cold——"
In stark contrast to the scorching hot Republic of Padokea, snowflakes were actually falling from the sky in this world of cognition… Roy opened his eyes again and found himself lying in an old forest covered in deep snow.
A hoe lay to his left, and a basket filled with charcoal lay to his right… So—
In this 'Cognitive World' of his, had he become a coal miner?
Roy curiously examined himself: a thick, heavy Japanese-style cloak wrapped around his body, thick socks on his feet, wooden clogs, and dark red hair falling to his eyelids… He resembled an anime character he was familiar with in his previous life, yet there were some differences… Fortunately, he wasn't left in doubt for long; the system panel popped up and gave him the answer… "Character generating…"
"Kamado Eiichiro… Tanjiro's elder brother…"
Roy then realized… 'So, this is the world of Demon Slayer!'