It was a feat of transmutation and enhancement.
It wasn't like Neon's ability to predict the future, who didn't even know she possessed this ability or Nen in the first place.
Transmutation and Emitters meanwhile had special talents.
Like Killua's assassin mode, or Bisket's instinct to find talents.
But these things weren't clear to everyone. Just like how Nen was a mystery to more than 99% of the world.
Most Nen users didn't even know the widely established knowledge about their power.
With lots of specialists not understanding their specialty, but rather believing themselves manipulators or conjurers.
This world was where anything was possible and mystery's outnumbered what was known.
Hearing all this, Menchi felt more comfortable, and began thinking about not only her path.
But a sprout of a question grew, a puzzlement of where all of Romans knowledge came from.
She was finally wising up with age.
Finishing their meal in silence, Menchi went back to the kitchen. Not to cook but to think, it was the place she was most familiar with.
While all the cooks glanced at her in surprise because for the first time she was in the kitchen and not cooking.
She couldn't, at least not to her standards.
Roman on the other hand resumed his daily refinement of the four basic practices.
Not ignoring the more advanced forms nor his body's fitness.
Keeping everything in a constant cycle of fatigue and rest.
Maximizing his efforts and restricting his flaws.
The next day came quickly, and Menchi, still lost in thought, wordlessly followed Roman early in the morning.
Both idly getting ready before leaving their home silently, with small bags filled with papers and pencils.
A habit they had developed when their parents died.
Going to school.
Before they were being homeschooled, and they could get everything done fast.
But now they had to waste a lot of time.
Navigating a handful of blocks before a swift march through a grass field brought them to a building filled with kids around their age.
Finding their classroom and both taking their usual seats besides each other.
Only this time, Menchi wasn't extroverted like usual.
Blowing off her friends and established social circle.
Earning odd gazes, that only Menchi would care about.
While Roman was surprised she was still acting closed off in front of her friends.
Even worrying that he was the reason.
After all he didn't have any friends, nor did he want any.
He was a grown man in mind, with grand goals these kids wouldn't understand.
It wouldn't be surprising if Menchi started wanting to copy Roman's behavior.
Though while Roman knew this wasn't the case, everybody else would think this way.
But he didn't actually care about Menchi's behavior.
Especially since he knew it wasn't a bad thing.
Ignoring it like how he always ignored the class every other day, continuing his training.
Something the teachers had hastily gotten used to, after their concern for his loneliness and inattentiveness were alleviated. Knowing he had a friend in Menchi, one of the more enthusiastic kids in class.
Not to mention his consistent performance during tests.
The only thing that Roman would pay attention to, because after all he was a kid and these teachers and adults could make life difficult for him if he didn't prove himself to a certain standard.
Though just like classes in his past life, everything was the same just here was a bit old fashioned in comparison.
Everybody going through the daily motions. A perfectly normal classroom.
With only Roman seemingly out of place, ignoring his surroundings. Acting like a delinquent sleeping in class.
Menchi lost in thought like a handful of students.
Half the school day passed till Menchi's aura subconsciously flared, catching Romans attention.
And making people slightly uncomfortable, glancing at her, not knowing why they did. Subconsciously demanding attention.
But her aura wasn't reacting without purpose. It was forming her Hatsu.
The cause of her current antisocial behavior.
In her hands something was appearing, reflecting her conjuration category.
And before long two kitchen knives appeared.
Catching both Roman and her own attention. Both inspected the blades besides each other, until inevitably somebody glanced over and also saw the blades.
"Ahh!" A child screamed, making everybody look at them in alarm. Only to see him pointing at Menchi, who after realizing the situation, froze like a deer in headlights.
Thankfully this all made her subconsciously try to hide, shrinking her presence and causing her blades to dissipate.
Successful getting away with having a knife in class.
The drama subsided after the teacher investigated the situation to no avail.
And School was out not long later, forcing Menchi back into her extroverted personality.
Jumping with excitement about her success, hastily running home. Hoping to put her kitchen knives to the test.
Roman just followed, even joining her to watch the result.
The knives werent ordinary, stronger than any natural metal in the known world.
Menchi enhanced its sharpness many fold, barely putting in any strength into her cuts.
Fully enhancing her ingredients to a level that now, was quite easily cut through.
This was what a breakthrough was like, but Roman knew it foreshadowed future issues that would demand more breakthroughs.
Leaving Menchi to her own devices, Roman began expanding his own Hatsu.
With a daily regiment of training including a nightly hunt of souls to devour.
Romans strength and soul grew.
But there was an issue Roman wished to solve. His soul manipulation could only affect souls.
It hardly aided him in the physical world. Roman wished to bridge the gap.
For that he needed to forge a greater relationship between his Nen and soul.
And what better than a Hatsu ability.
Though this time he was tapping into the emitter category.
Sitting in his school's field, late at night devoid of presences, a few blocks from home.
Roman manifested his Nen with great control,
simultaneously adding his soul into the mix.
He was emitting something both physical and illusionary.
Before long he was wearing a cloak, it wasn't real or else he would have used conjuration.
But his natural affinity with emission was much higher.
This cloak was a medium to connect his Nen to his soul and his soul to his Nen.
Previously his soul mark could do something similar, but that was a soul mark to manipulate souls.
It didn't include Nen, but it could affect Nen by extension. With his soul manipulating a body, and in conjunction manipulating Nen.
But Roman never wanted that and never reached that level.
Such a thing would take years of effort and many restrictions to achieve.
Roman wished for a shortcut, a more efficient method.
With his cloak veiling him he wished his body to tap into the properties of the soul and the soul to tap into the properties of Nen.
Constructed with the two together, part of his soul and Nen entered the cloak. Disconnected from him, yet still in his control.
Roman commanded the cloak to separate from him. And without the need to avoid his body parts and slip away.
It phased through him like a phantom, a confirmation of success.
Manipulating the cloak to dance around a bit, it returned to him, cloaking him once again.
Roman approached a tree and extended his arm toward it, but as he expected his arm went through the tree as if it didn't exist.
When in reality it was him fluttering in and out of existence and nonexistence.
With a smile on his face Roman spent a few days focusing on the ability, understanding everything about it before furthering its development.
Like this time passed, Roman and Menchi increasing their abilities and strength to great degrees.
But something interrupted them, a strange man appeared in their restaurant instantly catching Roman and Menchi's attention.
He was certainly a Nen user, but that wasn't extremely rare. Such people would appear in their restaurant and few times a year with no issue.
But this time, this man seemed to know Lewy, and Lewy invited him upstairs.