The door was still there—locked, unfortunately.
Through deep sleep Roy returned to his cognitive sea, noticed the lock, and formed a guess.
This door is, after all, "imported." Grandpa Zigg's consciousness is the key; only a link opens it… The good news: as long as the door remains, it's not a problem. Worst case, as Maha said, visit more often.
In any case, he still had to temper Ren… The image of that sandworm bursting from the earth and roiling the clouds rose again in his mind…
Roy looked away, pushed open the Demon Slayer door, and went back to training swordsmanship.
As the old saying goes: "Staff in months, blade in years, spear in a lifetime."
As the "commander of a hundred weapons," the blade walks a path of raw, unadorned force: entry level cuts stone; mastery cuts iron. If you can cleave steel in a single stroke, you earn the title "swordmaster." (Note: we're in a manga world—here "blade" = "sword," thanks for the leeway.)
So expecting instant mastery without massive experience is pure fantasy.
"Sept 17: Three thousand cuts with no stones dropped. Swordsmanship +30. Sun Breathing +1. Physique +0.31. Held under the sandworm's Ren for 17 seconds…"
"Sept 30: Four thousand cuts, no stones dropped. Swordsmanship +33. Sun Breathing +1.5. Physique +0.4. Held under the sandworm's Ren 32 seconds…"
…
"Nov 16: First full ten-thousand swings with no stones dropped. Swordsmanship +50. Sun Breathing +3—entered Proficiency; Total Concentration extended to one hour. Physique +1. Held under the sandworm's Ren one minute—and said my first sentence to Grandpa Zigg…"
"He asked whose kid I was and how I'd snuck aboard."
"I didn't even know how to answer before a flying ship's wheel knocked me out again."
Time flies fastest when you're fully absorbed.
Back from visiting Grandpa Zigg on Nov 16, Roy dropped into a chair, meditated to recover, and opened his panel to tally gains.
Two months—clear progress…
[Name: Roy Zoldyck]
[Physique: 71.7 (avg human = 1)]
[Sun Breathing: 1/1000 (Proficiency)]
[Apparent Aura: D– (170/10000) (rated vs. Chimera Ants)]
[Potential Aura: D (236/10000) (rated vs. Chimera Ants)]
[Nen Morphology: 17/100 (Novice)… Property Change: pending]
[Four Fundamentals: Ten Lv1 (38/100)… Zetsu Lv1 (69/100)… Ren Lv1 (23/100)… Hatsu: pending]
[Swordsmanship: Lv2 (996/1000)]
[Applied Tech — Silent Gait: Mastery (278/1000); Rhythm Echo: Proficient (174/1000); The Snake Awakens: Proficient (783/1000)]
[Title: A sapling of applewood, tough enough to bend…]
From stake to sapling—Nen and sword both had to advance, and hard. Roy noted Ren still needed strengthening, and the sword was a single step from breakthrough.
"Young master—Hall's child was born…"
8 p.m. Gotoh rolled in the cart.
Tonight: rosemary-seared steak; matsutake cream soup with buttered toast; a big bottle of milk.
"Have they named her?"
Roy closed the panel and cut a piece of steak. If he remembered, Hall's child—Tsubone's granddaughter—was named Amane.
"Amane. The master picked it two months ago," Gotoh sniffed. "Hall's over the moon—bragging to everyone. Smug little face—infuriating…" He clearly had opinions about the former butler—oily wasn't Gotoh's type.
Roy remembered the smiling face and kept his own counsel. His thoughts strayed…
If memory served, shortly after Amane's birth it would be Killua's turn.
Sure enough… "Madam is pregnant again," Gotoh said quietly. "The master's delighted—every butler's pay is doubled."
Not just that—after birth it will double again. Silver hair…
"Good." Roy finished the steak and sipped the cream soup without expression. "Buy some practical baby supplies and send them to Hall. He served me two years—we owe him something."
Gotoh pushed up his glasses. "Young master is too kind to us servants. That man just got lucky to attend you for a while…"
"Enough—go."
"Yes."
He cleared away and left to prepare gifts.
Roy sat dazed at the table a while, then went to the window. The night view cooled his meal. Down in the garden, two or three figures were strolling arm in arm—a woman holding a man's elbow. Newly pregnant, not yet showing, she was already arching her belly, basking in Silva's company. Her electronic eye glowed in a heart.
"This one will be silver-haired."
Roy could almost hear her thoughts. He watched a while; then the man seemed to sense him and turned. The boy stepped back and shut the door with a thunk.
Time only ever moves forward. He shut out Silva's gaze and warned himself: focus—don't let irrelevant things split your mind.
He showered cool, changed into pajamas, folded his hands over his belly, and dropped into sleep.
The drop—through the prism tunnel—back to the cognitive sea…
He glanced at the locked Dark Continent door and thought of Zigg's line—"Whose kid are you?"
With a sigh he turned and pushed the Demon Slayer door.
As usual, he took the practice blade and basket and headed into Mt. Sagiri; a flock of ghosts trailed him.
"No stones today," Master called from the door. "Don't forget the feel of empty swings. Try to push your limits."
"Okay."
He set the basket down.
Roy trudged into the deep woods; behind him, Urokodaki matched his footprints, step for steady step.
Makomo and Sabito circled. She looked from Roy to Master and whispered, "He thinks Rōichirō's hands are stable enough—he wants to see how far he can go now, to adjust the plan."
Sabito stroked his blade, eyes glued to Roy, and shook his head. "No—Master isn't adjusting anything.
"He's been training Rōichirō at ten times Giyu's intensity all along.
"It's Rōichirō who's broken the plan."
Ten times? Makomo muttered, "I thought it was twenty."
"You're a girl," Sabito said gently. Limits vary—even among humans.
Rōichirō isn't to be taken lightly. Without the stone constraint, who knew how far he'd go today…
Will he have already surpassed Giyu? Sabito narrowed his eyes—eager.