Chapter 131: Riverside Sprint × Heartdrop - Fist Listening
The old man had a pair of Buddha-like ears. No one knew where he pulled a volleyball from. "Young man, how about playing a game with this old man?"
Thump. Thump. He dribbled the volleyball like a basketball. One look was enough to tell his practice time was way more than two and a half years.
Roy paused for a moment, then started running again. He could not be bothered to respond. He brushed past the old man's shoulder and ran straight by, just as the morning sun rose and spilled crimson light across the sky, cloaking the boy in a mantle of dawn.
Netero chuckled. To be ignored—how long had it been since he felt this kind of novelty?
He showed not a trace of annoyance. With a flick of his wide sleeve, he tucked the ball back into his robe. He did not seem to move at all, only tapped his toe lightly on the ground. In the next instant, he appeared beside Roy, running alongside him by the riverside.
Sol lay on Roy's head, bobbing up and down with each step as it tilted its head curiously at Netero.
Netero squinted at it with a smile, recalling the golden flames that had nearly burned down half of the Kiriko family's territory. He extended a finger to tease it.
Sol snapped its beak open and spat out a ribbon of flame that almost singed his hair.
"Hohoho. Little thing has quite the temper." The remark cut both ways. The old man, fire still licking at his hair, still reached out and ruffled Sol's head. It was hard to tell whether he was talking about the bird, the boy, or himself, this "bird-brained" old man.
Whoosh. Roy suddenly picked up speed, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from the bow and leaving Netero far behind.
Disturbing someone's quiet morning and having no sense of boundaries. Old man was bad luck.
Caw. Sol shook free of Netero's hand, wagged its rear, and made a mocking gesture at him.
Netero only smiled. He launched forward, leaving afterimages behind as he closed the distance in an eye-blink. Sol stomped and flapped its wings in frustration, smacking Roy's head. Caw, caw, as if shrieking, 'Faster, faster, faster!'
Its timing was bad. Roy suddenly accelerated again, and Sol nearly got flung off.
"Shadow Step?"
Netero felt his vision blur. The boy stepped into Mastered Shadow Step and surged forward by another large stretch. This time, Netero did not rush to catch up. He watched the boy's back for a long moment instead, and the silhouette gradually overlapped with a younger, wilder figure in his memory.
"So alike. As expected of your grandchild, Zigg." (For convenience, a great-grandson was still "grandson" in his eyes.)
Aside from hair color.
A flicker of nostalgia passed through Netero's old eyes. He swung both wide sleeves back. His body skimmed the ground like a dragonfly. A light tap, and he reappeared beside Roy again.
Caw! Why is this damn old man back again!?
Sol squawked in outrage and fired another tongue of flame at Netero.
The old man's golden-glowing palm swept out and erased it without a trace.
Netero studied the boy with interest. "Can you go faster?"
Roy did not answer. He glanced at the rising red sun on the horizon and took a shallow sip of its light. "Total Concentration…"
His heart thumped hard. His heartbeat doubled, blood racing, adrenaline spiking, body temperature rising.
For a moment, his skin flushed red. He was like a motorcycle with the throttle yanked open. Two jets of hot air blasted out from his nostrils.
Then he shot forward again, leaving even deeper shadows behind.
Caw.
This time Sol had learned its lesson. It folded its wings and hugged Roy's head tightly.
Boy and bird became like a gust of wind, leaving a white streak along the river. Netero was left far behind.
The strongest human alive froze for just a moment, then turned and laughed, hands on his hips. "Good boy. Wait for this old man!"
His playful side fully awakened, Netero's eyes gleamed. He brought his palms together.
Clap.
For an instant, time itself seemed to stall. Roy was clearly still running forward, yet strangely, his body flew backward toward Netero. He could only watch helplessly as the distance between them shrank.
[Heartdrop - Fist Listening]
The supreme realm of martial arts.
A level of bodily control taken to the extreme. By listening to the opponent's heartbeat and confusing their mind, one could compress their sense of time, making them feel as if time had flowed backward. Moving "forward" felt like "retreating." Retreating became "retreating further."
Thump. Thump.
In that moment, it seemed as if only heartbeat remained in the world.
The pedestrians on the street, the passing cars, the white egrets skimming over the river—all vanished.
Only a line remained between two points, Roy and Netero, and as that line shrank, the distance between them constantly closed.
Caw. Sol sagged on Roy's head. Its beady eyes darted around in confusion. How had they been running and yet both its master and the geezer disappeared? It was as if it had been excluded from the realm of Fist Listening. It could clearly feel itself being carried along, and yet…
"Hohoho. For someone your age to have a body like this is already quite something. But…"
"When it comes to control over your body, boy, you are still far behind."
The old man's voice drifted over from far to near. Roy had to admit Netero was right. Compared to him, Roy still fell short in both raw physical ability and control over his strength.
But the old man was celebrating a little too early.
Popping the champagne at halftime was a huge mistake.
Two suns ignited in Roy's pupils. He triggered the Eye of Shattering Delusions without hesitation.
Pierce through all illusions and restore the truest world. If his sense of time was being distorted, then correct it. If his mind was being clouded, then sweep the fog away. If the world outside himself had been muted, then let the sound return.
Beep, beep. Car horns blared back into existence.
A white egret beat its wings over the river, snatching up a fish.
"Caw!" 'You scared me to death. I thought you were gone.' Sol found its loyal master again, folded its wings, and pressed itself against Roy's forehead.
Pop. Heartdrop - Fist Listening, broken.
Netero locked eyes with Roy as the boy glanced back. Those twin suns were more than just bright—they surpassed the sun itself, dazzling and brilliant. It was as if they were warning him that human strength might have limits, but even if the world ceased to exist, the sun would still rise.
Screech. "Daily ten kilometers, complete."
"Time: one minute, ten seconds."
Roy came to a stop and exhaled deeply. He raised one leg and rested it on the railing, stretching.
Tap, tap.
Netero arrived a moment later and stood beside him. They watched as the morning light scattered across the river, shimmering like liquid gold. It was just like the time on the Dark Continent when he had reunited with Zigg—one man sitting on a dragon, fishing by a lake, quietly enjoying that rare peace.
After a long silence, he asked, "Why do you want to be a Hunter?"
A breeze lifted their hair and Sol's feathers, making them flutter.
Netero turned and looked at the boy, as if he were seeing Zigg again, and waited quietly for his answer.
In that moment, Roy thought of his father, Tanjuro. He thought of intelligence networks, of the many privileges of a Hunter License.
After a brief pause, he answered honestly, "At first, it was to save someone. Now… to save people, plus, I want to see more of the world."
Netero narrowed his eyes. "The world's sights can never all be seen."
"Then I will just keep looking." Roy spread his arms and embraced the dawn. "As long as the sun still burns, I will not stop. I want to seek out the farthest edge of this world and truly do it—"
"I came, I saw, I conquered."
"You think big."
"Cannot help it. I was born that way."
"Hohoho." Netero raised an eyebrow, amused. "Is that so? Then this old man will make sure to repeat today's conversation to your great-grandfather, word for word."
"Let us see if he breaks your legs."
Roy: "…"
The old man was really, truly shady.