Chapter 135: The Gaseous Lifeform Ai x Curse Transference
"Why do you ask?" Zeno's gaze was profound as he turned to the boy. "What did you see in the illusion?"
Was it an illusory reality, or a real illusion?
The "Life Energy" from Sagin, Gordan, and Dathos was sitting right there on his panel. Roy was silent for a moment before answering truthfully, "Pigmen."
"And?"
"Spirits." Roy didn't know how to explain "Life Energy" to Zeno, so he used "spirits" as a substitute. He gripped the railing, staring at the shimmering lake. "I just feel... that those things were real. Not as simple as just a memory."
When false is taken for true, true becomes false. Where nothing is taken for something, something becomes nothing. The world is material, but it is also immaterial. Like "dark matter"—it has no "electromagnetic body" and doesn't interact, it cannot be touched or seen, yet its mass and gravitational effects prove its existence, transcending humanity's basic cognition of "matter."
"Great-Great-Grandfather said he's 'living dead', but I feel like he's not dead at all. He's still alive."
Zeno didn't mention the "curse."
He clasped his hands behind his back, watching a small boat carrying a father and son sightseeing. The son, guided by his father, was trying to scoop up fish with a small net. A trace of memory flickered in Zeno's eyes. "The 'demonic eye' in the family vault, you've seen it. Although its structure is simple, not as active as a human brain... it carries your Grandpa Zzigg's memories. At the very least, it's a living thing."
"It's not wrong to say he's alive."
Roy frowned. "With Great-Great-Grandfather and you around, you couldn't stop Great-Grandfather's mutation back then?"
"He never came back. How could we stop it?"
"?!"
That's not right! According to the original story, Netero's first exploration of the Dark Continent was sponsored by the Minbo Republic to find the legendary "Source of Nectar," [Trinaqua]. During the journey, they strayed into the territory of the [Gaseous Lifeform Ai] and were nearly wiped out. In the end, they only survived because Grandpa Zzigg made a wish to one of the mysterious [Ai], who then transported them out.
As a price for that wish, "Nanika" (Something) appeared later. But if Zeno was saying he never came back, that meant... without Grandpa Zzigg as a host, the [Ai] could not have left its territory to parasitize the Zoldyck bloodline as Nanika. And, of course, Alluka would never have been born.
"It was a Nen Beast," Zeno said softly, as if sensing Roy's confusion. "Your Grandpa Zzigg collected a game card years ago, 'Biscuit Soldier', and later cultivated it into a Nen Beast. It was the one that brought the demonic eye—and your Grandpa Zzigg's last words—home."
Zeno paused, looking at the boy seriously. "When you go home, visit your Grandpa Zzigg more often. You'll find everything you want to know there."
Roy was silent, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Zeno, watching the scenery, feeling the wind. He watched the sun set, the sky "burning" a magnificent red. After a long time, he nodded. "You've played the 'game' too, haven't you, Grandfather?"
"Mm."
"Did you clear it?"
"No."
"How far did you get?"
"The Titan King's City, Doragon," Zeno said with regret. "I had the honor of accompanying your Grandpa Zzigg and witnessing the greatness of the giants. Unfortunately... I wasn't paying attention and got kicked to death by a passing dog."
"Er..."
Zeno: "Go ahead and laugh."
Roy pressed his lips together. "I'm not. I just find it a bit... dramatic."
Goldie tilted its head, pfft, and hid its beak in its wing.
Zeno: "..." He pointed at the boy, feigning anger. "You're a frog in a well, ignorant of how large the world is. On that continent, forget a dog, even an ant can take your life."
Roy believed that. The Chimera Ants had pushed the "Strongest Human" to the point of self-detonation. That much was obvious.
Roy patted Goldie's little head, signaling it to show his grandfather some respect. "Grandfather's lesson is noted. I'll listen to Great-Great-Grandfather. I'll never go to a place like that, not even if I'm beaten to death."
Zeno stared at Roy, his face blank, "You think I believe you?" written all over it.
The boy rubbed his nose sheepishly and made an excuse about the time, needing to prepare for tomorrow's test, and bolted. The setting sun chased his retreating figure, draping him in a cloak of red mist.
After he left, Netero, sleeves fluttering, appeared beside Zeno. "Stop staring. I know you want to go," he said quietly. "A pity... there's no ship for old-timers like us in this new era. In the end, we have to leave it to the young ones."
"Am I old?" Zeno glared at Netero. "Did you forget I'm thirty years younger than you?"
"What, want to spar?" Netero's eyes crinkled as he pulled out his volleyball.
A wind blew, making the eight characters on Zeno's chest—"A Kill a Day / Active for Life"—flutter. 'I haven't had my kill for the day... might as well test my blade on you, old man!'
His hands, clasped behind his back, dropped to his sides. "Let's spar, then!"
BANG! The hotel room door slammed shut.
Roy bid farewell to his grandfather. Back in the room, he dismissed Kurapika and ordered Gotoh to stand guard. He immediately opened his panel and began absorbing the 40 points of "Life Energy" from Sagin and Gordan.
As his 'Physique' increased, his endurance grew. In terms of pain tolerance, he could now handle much more than when he was at the Heavens Arena, absorbing points bit by bit. As usual, he took off his clothes and went into the bathroom. Goldie, apparently traumatized by the last time he was forcibly bathed, flapped its wings, refusing to enter. Roy sighed and left it on the bed.
He began allocating the points.
[Notification: 40 points of "Life Energy" consumed.]
The familiar pain surged. Roy braced his hands against the wall, biting his lip to keep from passing out. He felt as if he'd been thrown back into a furnace, reforged anew. He could clearly "see" every part of his body changing. First the heart, then the liver, spleen, lungs, then bones, blood vessels, muscles, skin... until his hair fell out and regrew. The boy gasped, exhaling a heavy cloud of air. He looked in the mirror. His build hadn't changed much, but he was another two centimeters taller.
[Notification: "Physique": 131.8 → 171.8 (Note: Average person is 1)]
[Aura Output: D (270/10000) → D+ (3600/10000) (Note: Ant benchmark...)]
[Potential Aura: D (430/10000) → C (120/100000)]
[Evaluation: Thriving young apple tree, awaiting fruit.]
Hah... His breath fogged the mirror. Power surged through his body like a fountain, his depleted mental energy instantly replenished. Roy straightened up, satisfied, and rolled his shoulders. Pop pop pop! His joints cracked like roasted beans, as if cheering for their master's rebirth.
In that moment, Roy knew: if he faced the [Pigman General] now, even if he couldn't win, he could last a few more exchanges, not get turned into paste after just a few moves.
Splash... He turned on the shower. His body was still covered in oil and shed hair. He leaned back, enjoying the rinse. His gaze fell on the back of his hand, and he froze.
There, on his smooth skin, a new mark had appeared. It was a circular disk, clearly branded with a line of numbers...
...a countdown.
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