MeowthTL
patreon
Hunter x Hunter: The Sun Breathing Zoldyck - 16
🕑 Added 2025-09-30 18:44:24 +0000 UTCChapter 16: Zigg's Notes X First Trip Down the Mountain
In the end, Zeno was unceremoniously kicked out, looking quite disheveled.
His expression showed no displeasure, only slight bewilderment. This was the first time he'd seen the old man being so "food-protective."
Influenced by this encounter, Zeno unusually walked in the direction completely opposite to his bedroom. With his hands behind his back, he paced through the deep, quiet corridor, his feet treading on weathered stone slabs with no more sound than floating.
Soon he arrived at Roy's window.
"Shadow Step" practiced to his level had indeed reached the realm of "great sound is soundless." He appeared silently like this, quietly watching the young man inside through the glass window.
The young man remained completely unaware, absorbed in reading a book.
"Nen abilities aren't actually anything mystical... The Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu defined by the Shingen-ryu school, and the Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu commonly known among the masses... are actually the expression process of 'Nen awakening practice.'"
"By gazing into oneself, organizing 'aura' into language, processing it with imagination, and finally Hatsu—releasing it outward—this is the essence of Nen ability application."
Roy's eyes moved across the yellowed pages, drinking in knowledge he'd never encountered before.
"As for derivative application techniques like Shu, Ken, En, In, these are merely deep processing based on imagination. For example, In—eliminating one's own aura presence—is actually gathering all aura scattered on the body's surface back into the body."
"This naturally reduces one's presence to the minimum, but the consequence is... Without aura protection, the body cannot withstand Nen attacks from other Nen users..."
The evening breeze stirred the curtains. At some moment, Roy finally managed to pull himself away from the book.
Looking up at the window, Zeno's figure was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a bright moon hung high, as if it too was watching him, giving Roy the illusion of seeing himself clearly from a different perspective.
Perhaps this was the difference between having 'guidance' and 'no guidance.' Systematic learning may not necessarily be excellent, but it certainly won't be poor. Conversely, self-taught Nen users, unless exceptionally gifted, will have difficulty touching the edges of top-tier Nen users their entire lives.
Roy closed the book, somewhat enlightened.
After two seconds of contemplation, he took out paper and pen from the drawer and wrote three terms in the blank space.
[Values]... [Operations]... [Mechanics]...
"Values" represented "aura quantity." "Operations" represented a Nen user's application of abilities. "Mechanics" represented "Limitations and Vows."
For a mature Nen user, all three must be grasped, and all three must be solid. So currently speaking, strengthening constitution and improving values—this path was at least correct in direction.
"Dong..." At ten o'clock at night, the grandfather clock in the corner chimed, reminding Roy it was time to sleep.
Further mastering Sun Breathing and extending the duration of Total Concentration breathing would also depend entirely on "sleeping" to supplement.
Roy closed the notebook, stretched briefly, and without further persistence, threw himself directly onto the soft bed.
Cicadas continued their sleep-inducing calls as usual. With the moon at its zenith, a certain hollow-eyed little ghost was digging holes with only his head exposed. A certain fat child dressed as a daughter by his perverted mother was dreaming of gnawing chicken legs.
One floor above in the master bedroom, a woman was screaming again, electronic eyes covered with static.
Roy set his phone to white noise mode, folded his hands over his abdomen, and tried to empty his mind.
Soon, passing through that colorful tunnel, he arrived at his subconscious ocean and once again saw those wooden doors standing on the sea surface.
This time Roy didn't rush to push open the "Demon Slayer door." Instead, he examined each door with interest.
Some doors bore ocean symbols. Others had paper dragonfly prints. Still others had eye ornaments hanging from their frames.
They looked familiar, and approaching them brought a strong sense of pain.
This reminded Roy of a pitiful person. Someone who, like him, couldn't control his own destiny—a tragic figure manipulated by countless shackles.
'So it's still not being strong enough. True strength would allow one to transfer their pain to the entire world, truly achieving "better that all under heaven should wrong me than I should wrong all under heaven."'
Roy murmured softly, turned away, chose to distance himself from pain, and reached out to push open the Demon Slayer door.
The familiar sensation of falling struck. Opening his eyes again, he saw Tanjiro's face with scars resembling markings.
"Nii-san, wake up. Today we're going to town to sell charcoal."
Mine coal for a day, sell charcoal for a day. With good stamina, one could return home before dark. With poor stamina, one would have to camp in the mountains or find a kind family to stay overnight, then continue the journey the next day.
In the original story, Tanjiro often stayed at the little wooden house of Koizumi Shinzaburo at the mountain's base.
"Why are you getting so close?" Roy slapped away Tanjiro's big face pressing toward him and climbed out of the futon while putting on clothes.
Takeo and Shigeru were still fast asleep. He got out of bed quietly, followed by a pitiful smaller version of himself, pushed open the door, and once again saw that endless snow country.
And the patch of wall where Father Tanjuro had stood last night.
Father's footprints were no longer at the base of the wall, but Tanjuro's words from that time remained vivid. As if by telepathy, Roy turned to look at the main house.
On the wooden veranda under the main house's eaves, Tanjuro also looked over. Meals had already been set beside the brazier where he usually stayed.
"Eiichiro, Tanjiro, come eat."
"Coming."
Tanjiro ran forward, instantly casting aside his earlier grievances. Roy followed unhurriedly behind him, took off his shoes, and entered the main house.
Seeing only Mother Kie and Nezuko, he knew baby Hanako must have been fussy again last night, and Grandmother was currently sleeping with her.
So he kept his voice low, speaking quietly with his parents.
Breakfast was dumplings with miso soup made from leftover pork from last night. Knowing Roy was going to sell charcoal today, Kie had gotten up early to wrap many dumplings for Roy and Tanjiro to eat on the road.
Roy naturally had no objections, but seeing a patch on Nezuko's sleeve when she raised her hand while eating, he took a sip of soup and said, "This trip down the mountain might take two days before we return."
"First, to get new clothes for Nezuko, Takeo, and the others. Second, I also need to visit Mount Sagiri."
Former Water Pillar Sakonji Urokodaki was on Mount Sagiri working as a cultivator, training talent for the Demon Slayer Corps led by the Ubuyashiki family.
Roy decided to take this opportunity to visit him. If he could receive personal guidance, that would be ideal.
