The days that followed were hellish for our protagonist, Diluyi.
First, breakfast involved meals laced with potent poisons.
He didn't know where the Zoldyck Family sourced so many different types of poisons; for thirty days a month, not only did the taste vary daily, but the symptoms of poisoning did too.
For instance, imagine eating different foods every day, and then each day you'd be writhing in agony, feeling like you were dying and coming back to life.
The crucial part was that every time he went to the restroom, enduring the churning in his stomach and the burning pain in his rear, he also had to smell a strange, never-repeating odor each day.
You can imagine the 'sour-sweet' sensation.
Next was the daily training, which initially focused on basic physical conditioning.
According to Sliva, the body is the vessel that determines Nen; no matter how diverse one's abilities, without a foundation of Nen, they are but castles in the air.
To truly train the physical body, all physical training had to be conducted under the 'Zetsu' state.
According to the rules Sliva had set earlier, when Diluyi first started training, he would be electrocuted daily to the point where he barely had the strength to scream.
At the time, Diluyi wondered what kind of unscientific method this was; under normal circumstances, wouldn't constant electrical stimulation of the nervous system decrease reactive sensitivity?
Why could Killua Miao still increase his reaction time in the original work? This isn't scientific!
After a period of such torment, Diluyi began to show progress; after all, anyone would improve with such training.
Then, one day, Sliva told Diluyi and Illumi that from now on, he would increase their training regimen, requiring them to constantly be on guard against potential assassinations.
Initially, Diluyi didn't take it seriously, thinking to himself that even a tiger wouldn't devour its cub, so even if they were ambushed, it wouldn't be a true killing blow.
Then, one night, around three in the morning, Diluyi was ambushed while sleeping, and it was Sliva himself who attacked.
The outcome was without suspense, but the killing intent Sliva displayed in that instant made Diluyi think for a moment that he was about to transmigrate again.
Sliva certainly didn't kill him, but perhaps guessing what he had been thinking, Sliva injected his Nen into Diluyi's body.
The previous actions were completed in an instant; Diluyi didn't even have time to use 'En' at that moment.
The result was that night, every part of Diluyi's body except his brain felt like countless steel needles were repeatedly being inserted and pulled out, similar to the effect of a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken; please imagine it yourselves.
“Diluyi, remember, while Nen User possess power far exceeding ordinary people, all of it originates from Nen, not the physical body itself.
In other words, once you fail to activate Nen, you are no different from an ordinary person, at most having slightly higher physical strength and reactions due to training.
Nen is not a passive ability, but an active one.
The simplest and most effective way to assassinate a Nen user is to kill them in one blow before they can react.”
These were Sliva’s words to Diluyi before leaving after ambushing him.
And after enduring the torment of that night, Diluyi secretly vowed in his heart:
{Once I've killed enough people and accumulated points, the first ability I'll exchange for will definitely be Kamui.
Then, the sea will be wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly; what does it matter if it's the Zoldyck Family? I'll still come and go as I please.}
After this lesson, Diluyi no longer dared to relax his guard.
However, it was of little use; with his current strength, defending against Sliva's ambushes was extremely difficult.
Moreover, Diluyi noticed that each time Sliva successfully ambushed him, the severity and 'sour-sweetness' of the punishment increased compared to the last time.
And according to Sliva, “Pain itself is a protective mechanism of the human body; it provides a judgment on external stimuli, thereby alerting the brain.
Afterward, the brain directly influences the body's movements physiologically, such as through conditioned reflexes.
But as an assassin, you need to find a way to overcome this bodily instinct to a certain extent, because often, a split-second reaction can determine life or death.
Therefore, Diluyi, you must start adapting to pain from now on, to avoid situations in the future where your subjective consciousness cannot control your body's movements due to pain in special circumstances.”
The days passed one by one in this hellish special training, and as Diluyi was preparing for training as usual, Sliva brought Diluyi before him.
“The reason I called you here today is because there's a mission that I believe you can complete; as an assassin, you'll have to take this step sooner or later.
The mission details are in the bag; go prepare yourself.
This mission requires you to complete it alone from start to finish, but I think with your current abilities, it should be easy.”
After Diluyi took the information and left the room, another figure appeared from the side; it was Kikyo.
“My dear, are you really letting Diluyi go out alone? At least let Ziponian accompany him.
And aren't you going to let him train at the Sky Arena first before going on a mission?
Otherwise, I'll go with him myself.”
“Don't worry, I will go out myself. I will follow him covertly throughout this mission until he returns; you don't need to worry.”
Back in his room, Diluyi quickly read through the target's information.
{Target Name: Pawa Gandhi, adult male, gangster, leader of the Gandhi Family, one of the three major local gangs.
According to this information, the target is highly likely not a Nen user, and his bodyguards are all ordinary gang members, which can be ignored.
The current problem is why Sliva would directly give me a killing mission; logically, shouldn't I go to the Sky Arena to level up first?
Or is that only a process for specially cultivated heirs like Killua Miao?
However, I remember it was said that Killua had already killed people at the age of four, so viewed this way, the current arrangement seems normal enough.
Never mind, I’ll take it one step at a time; the boat will naturally straighten out when it reaches the bridge.}
Since the target for this mission was in the Republic of Padokea, Diluyi didn't need to take an airship; he could reach it using only land transportation.
That day, he packed his equipment and stood before the Testing Gate; he wanted to personally try this gate that had left a deep impression on everyone who had watched Hunter x Hunter in his previous life.
The original work stated that Killua could open three gates at the age of 12 before awakening Nen; he wondered how many he, at almost six years old, could open now.
Diluyi decided to try with all his might this time; he channeled his Nen from the 'En' state to the 'Ren' state, placed his palms on the Testing Gate, and began to push.
“Rumble~~~”
A large amount of Nen surged from his body, and simultaneously, the first four gates slowly opened with a sound, while the fifth gate also vibrated.
“It seems this is the current limit; the fifth gate is not something I can push open right now.”
As Diluyi reduced his strength, the sound from the fifth gate quieted down, and the four gates in front of him were already open.
{This is the first time I've left home in six years since coming to this world, but this mission will definitely be monitored, so I'd better just focus on the mission for now, and see what this 'transcendence points' system is all about.
I just don't know who will be responsible for monitoring me this time; Maha and Zeno can basically be ruled out.
And given my current status, if it's a butler, it would at least have to be someone of Ziponian's level, of whom there are no more than five in the Zoldyck Family; the remaining possibilities are Father or Mother themselves.
However, there's also a possibility that they'll use an ability I don't know about that serves as surveillance.
But I've observed my own condition with my Sharingan, and so far, I haven't found any abnormalities.
Never mind, for now, stability is key; there will be plenty of opportunities to go out in the future.}