[Name: Zeno Zoldyck]
[Bone Age: 66]
[Physique: 210 (Avg. Human ~10)]
[Speed: 237 (Avg. Human ~10)]
[Strength: 178 (Avg. Human ~10)]
[Aura Output: 270 (Avg. Human ~10)]
[Nen Type: Transmutation]
[Remarks: In the Zoldyck assessment system, attributes beyond 200 mark the threshold between mortals and what they call "ghosts and gods."]
Roy scanned the panel with calm focus.
Speed and physique—both monstrous.
Zeno, despite his age, stood firmly in the realm of "ghosts and gods."
Even his strength was at the upper limit of human potential.
Roy's brow lifted slightly.
He hadn't expected the old man to be this tanky.
Then again, this was the same Zeno who had withstood Silva's Nen bullets in Youkexin during the Phantom Troupe conflict—without so much as a limp. That level of durability was only logical.
Yet, what struck Roy more wasn't Zeno's defense… but his aura.
"270 Aura… That's terrifying."
A long-range Transmuter by specialty, Zeno wasn't someone who fought you head-on—he out-thought, out-timed, and out-crafted you. His precision was surgical. His techniques—lethal.
"The Dragon Head Dance… The Dragon Lance Barrage that covered the entire Ant King's palace…"
Each technique had left deep marks on the Hunter world.
"He really is the previous patriarch of the Zoldycks."
Roy exhaled slowly.
"Three ghost-tier stats and one just under… There aren't many alive who could surpass him."
But strength wasn't everything.
Roy wasn't intimidated.
He simply respected the gap… and acknowledged the path forward.
After all, what Zeno had wasn't just numbers—it was decades of killing, blood, aura shaping, and battlefield judgment.
Roy opened his own panel next.
Physique: 80
Speed: 94
Strength: 120
Aura Output: 150
Compared to Zeno's, it was clearly lacking. But not hopelessly so.
Especially when it came to strength—Zeno's weakest stat, Roy's strongest.
And Nen mastery could close many gaps, especially if Roy developed his Fujitora-style Gravity Aura and sharpened his melee instincts.
"Give me time… Time to train, to hone, and even that old man will feel the weight of my blade."
He clenched his fists, excitement rising in his chest.
"I don't need to beat Zeno today… But I can see the path to beating him tomorrow."
That was enough.
More than enough.
He dismissed the panel and closed his eyes. A cool breeze blew across Kukuroo Mountain, rustling the trees around him.
Draw your blade and become the god of the mountain.
That's what his master always said.
With a clear mind, Roy began to swing.
One.
Ten.
A hundred.
A thousand—
Sweat flew. Muscles burned.
But his movements grew faster, sharper.
Steam rose from the crown of his head.
It was the perfect condition—when mind, body, and aura aligned.
By the time he struck the final blow, he had completed his daily "Ten Thousand Sword Path" nearly half an hour ahead of schedule.
A notification chimed in the back of his mind.
Two experience points gained.
His eyes widened slightly—this hadn't happened in months.
"A good omen… Let's save up to ten points. Then I'll draw the next character template."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Roy turned and leapt toward the spring pool behind the courtyard. He plunged in without hesitation. The cold water cleansed the heat from his skin and aura alike.
In the dark night, a silver ripple traveled downstream, startling a flock of birds that fluttered into the starlit sky.
Meanwhile, in the next courtyard—
Zeno stood by his window, fingers clasped behind his back, eyes narrowed.
He watched the birds take flight.
And sighed.
"Tch… I never thought I'd get flashed by that boy Roy."
It still stung. Not the physical blow—but the attitude.
The kid he'd mostly ignored in the past… now looked him dead in the eye like an equal.
He'd grown. His wings had hardened.
And perhaps—he no longer saw Zeno as a grandfather at all.
"Tsk. It's Killua all over again."
Killua was soft. Smart, sure—but still willing to listen, still hesitant to rebel too hard.
Roy, on the other hand?
He never played nice. He didn't ask for approval. And he definitely didn't give face to old men.
"What kind of grandson talks back to his grandpa like that? Hmph! Can't even pretend to be polite."
Grumbling to himself, Zeno paced slowly to his room.
"I wonder if Killua's asleep yet… at least he doesn't give me headaches."