"Really, useless fellow."
Looking at Ivan Douglas, who was clutching his throat and collapsed on the ground, a purple figure lifted the hood, revealing long golden hair.
"Pathetic struggles of a small fry, how ugly."
Illuminated by the sight of Ivan Douglas with his eyes rolled back, Irumi saw the man punching Ivan's throat movements after Ivan pleaded with him. If his guess was correct, Ivan Douglas was probably already unconscious from suffocation.
"Is it really okay for you to treat him like that?"
"Aren't you comrades?"
Irumi smiled at the other person, and the man with long golden hair turned around to face Irumi, taking seven steps forward.
"I'm not here to cause trouble. I was told we were here to entertain you."
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Drake, Drake Dremont."
Drake grinned at Irumi, revealing a row of clean white teeth with his hands on his hips.
"Unlike that trash on the ground, I'm not involved with the underworld."
"I'm from the Cothor Group."
"By the way, it seems you don't know what the Cothor Group is. Simply put, it's one of the top 100 companies in this country."
Drake stepped forward to stand in front of Irumi, bent down to meet his gaze, and grinned.
"You're interesting. My boss wants to meet you."
"Sure."
Irumi found it amusing. What could one of the Republic of Padokea's top 100 groups want with a kid like him?
"The meeting is scheduled for three days from now, at 10 a.m. By that time, I should have reached the 200th floor."
Irumi smiled and bypassed Drake, slowly walking out of the bloody, foul-smelling alley.
"Really, I didn't expect you to be so reasonable. If I knew, I would have said it directly."
Standing deep in the alley, Drake watched as Irumi gradually disappeared around the corner. He walked up to Ivan on the ground and viciously kicked him.
"It's all your fault, wasting my time. I think I'll just leave you here to feed the dogs."
After venting his frustration, Drake put his hood back on, disregarding the fallen Ivan Douglas, and left the alley, leaving behind a pool of blood and three corpses.
Irumi returned to Heaven's Arena, pushed open the door with a click, and entered his private room. The first thing he did upon entering the room was to freshen up. He had just killed three people, and a lingering smell of blood on him needed to be washed away.
"The first time killing someone, apart from feeling a little disgusted, there doesn't seem to be any other feeling."
Lying in the bathtub filled with warm water, Irumi stared at the ceiling, recalling the feeling he had when he killed. Apart from the initial disgust, he had no psychological barriers to killing. In addition to that, a kind of excitement and adrenaline rush welled up from deep within.
That was the pleasure of killing humans and trampling on lives without restraint.
Killing was like a drug, and Irumi was beginning to develop a slight addiction to that sensation, as if the meaning of life lay within that warm crimson blood. Irumi lay in the bathtub, savouring that adrenaline rush and pleasure. (T/L: Pause…)
…
Thirty minutes later.
Irumi put on his pyjamas, closed his eyes, and stood still in the room, with his hands curved into a circular shape and placed in front of his chest.
"Place your hands in front of your chest and imagine a floating sphere in your mind."
What Irumi was currently doing was the preliminary condition for awakening his "Nen" to feel the dormant energy within his body called "Aura."
First, he imagined a sphere floating in mid-air in his mind, practising his mental strength like this every day. People who cultivate will eventually be able to sense that unique energy and eventually release it. According to the aptitude of ordinary people, it can take as little as two or three days to feel it, or as long as a week.
But Irumi is different. He started meditating at age three, and his mental strength, honed over the years, has already surpassed that of ordinary people.
"I feel it!"
Suddenly, Irumi, who had his eyes tightly closed, opened them. He felt that unique energy known as "Aura."
"Let's give it a try."
Irumi's hands remained in front of his chest, but in his mind, he was trying to activate that sensed energy.
"Right hand, spherical energy."
A peculiar translucent energy surged from within Irumi's body, converging on his right fist, forming a spherical energy field enveloping his right fist.
"Left hand, spherical energy."
He once again gathered that energy in his left hand, mentally commanding it, and naturally, it converged into a similar energy field on his left hand.
"And then, the fingertips."
Irumi extended his index finger, condensing Aura at its tip, forming another energy sphere. From the moment Irumi closed his eyes until successfully releasing the aura, only a minute had passed.
According to Irumi's own estimation, his talent was probably on the same level as Gon and Killua.
Of course, feeling aura is just the beginning. It is far from awakening a Nen ability and mastering the control of Nen. He needs to use meditation to let aura flow smoothly throughout his body, step by step, opening his pores. This is a very long cultivation process, different from forcefully opening the pores and rapidly awakening Nen. It is the gentlest way.
Based on his estimation, with Zushi's talent, he is a genius that appears once in a hundred thousand people. It took him three months to feel the aura throughout his body and open all his pores. Afterwards, he spent another three months practising the four major aspects of Nen.
Therefore, with Irumi's prodigious talent, he should be able to open all his pores within a week, or maybe even within three days. By opening all his pores, he can begin practising the basics of Nen: Ren, Zetsu, Ten, and Hatsu. When he becomes fully proficient in the four major aspects, he can start attempting to awaken the specific Nen ability he desires.
"Next, I need to meditate continuously and let aura fill my entire body."
Irumi sat on the bed, aiming to open all his pores within three days, practice the four major aspects as quickly as possible, and master Nen.
Early morning, 06:10.
The first ray of sunlight poured into the room through the window, "awakening" Irumi, who was in the midst of meditation.
"I'm not even a bit tired."
Irumi looked at his hands, where two translucent masses of Aura enveloped his skin.
Even after meditating all night, he felt extremely energetic, showing no signs of fatigue. Although he had undergone training at home, allowing him to go without sleep for three days and nights, this was completely different. Before sensing aura, he could withstand staying awake all night mentally, but the physical fatigue was real.
But now, not only was he mentally alert, but his body also felt completely devoid of any fatigue.
Moreover, he felt as if he had taken a stimulating drug, with boundless energy coursing through his entire body, ready to be unleashed without end.