Ponzu and Ruco exchanged a glance and both nodded.
"Alright. I'll open your aura nodes right now."
Seated cross-legged in front of Ron, the two women—one taller, the other shorter—had changed into white, loose-fitting training clothes better suited for movement. Despite the similarity of their attire, the contrast in their temperaments remained obvious. Ponzu was petite, while Ruco had a noticeably more mature presence. After their recent training, both were lightly sweating, their skin faintly flushed, and a palpable feminine energy filled the space around them.
Ron raised his hand. A swell of aura took shape in his palm, then spread to envelop Ponzu and Ruco. Their expressions shifted slightly.
Wrapped in Ron's aura, the two suddenly heard a crisp snap.
In the next moment, each felt a wave of warmth wash over them, as if they were soaking in a hot spring. Their entire bodies were submerged in this gentle heat.
"That should do it." Ron lowered his hand.
Ponzu and Ruco opened their eyes.
"That comfortable warmth around you is your aura—your life energy flowing out through the nodes in your body. Those nodes are all over you. Now that they're open, your life force will continuously leak out. If you can't master the Ten technique, you won't be able to control how much escapes. Eventually, you'd lose so much life energy that you'd die."
Ron paused, then continued. "So, try using Ten. If you have any questions, ask me anytime. Once you've got Ten down, you'll be past the most dangerous part."
They looked at Ron and nodded. "Understood."
Meanwhile, Zebro had placed a call to the butler's office. Under normal circumstances, the request to let visitors stay would have been denied, but perhaps because Silva and Ron had discussed it earlier, the butler's office took a more lenient approach this time. Not long after, Zebro hung up.
"How did it go?" Leorio asked.
Zebro said, "I can provide food and a place to stay, but you'll have to remain in my designated area unless you push open the Testing Gate yourselves."
He paused, then added, "You're friends of Young Master Killua, and I'm glad you came. We don't often get visitors at the Zoldyck Estate. The last time was when Young Master Ron's friends visited. If Young Master Killua can see you, I'm sure he'll be happy as well. Also, about opening the Testing Gate, I can give you a little help with training if you like."
Up at the mountain estate, Silva stood on a high vantage point, quietly surveying the grounds below. Before long, another figure arrived, noticeably smaller by comparison.
"Father, are we really certain we want Killua to take that path? It's not too late to change our minds. No one in our family has ever gone down that road before; we have no idea what could happen. Besides, it's not exactly a path for assassins."
Zeno shook his head. "Silva, people around the world call us the top assassin family, but that's only because our strength places us at the pinnacle. It was never our grand ambition to be the best—our abilities simply ended up there. We need to know what we truly want, not be swayed by what others label us.
"Your grandfather walked that path, I did too, then you, and now Illumi. That's enough. We've about reached our limit, the one your great-grandfather once hit. Even then, surpassing it is extremely tough; my hope is all but gone. As for you and Illumi, I can't be certain how far you'll go…but Illumi's done well enough on this road. There's no need for Killua to tread the exact same route. Let him try something different."
A faint smile flickered across Zeno's face. "He might attain even greater heights. And even if he fails, the Zoldyck Family won't be affected much. Your grandfather once said change is coming. At a time , we need our own transformations, too. Having Ron, Illumi, and Killua each follow distinct paths might be our greatest strength. Silva, you're stronger than I am now—you have five children. You'll handle it."
Silva gave a small nod. "Alright. Let him continue on the style he's chosen with his friend's influence. After all, Gon is Ging Freecss's son, and that boy's talent is impressive. The two of them pushing each other can only drive Killua to improve. Who knows, they might even team up one day. But Alluka…"
Even Silva felt uneasy at the thought of Alluka—more precisely, the being called Nanika. It was nothing like a normal human and likely originated from somewhere beyond the known world.
"Regardless, Alluka is still part of the Zoldyck Family."
Guided by Zebro, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio began training with the single goal of opening the Testing Gate. Around the same time, Ponzu and Ruco had just finished mastering Ten, the foundational Nen technique. It took them a few hours—longer than it once took Gon and Killua—indicating their innate talents weren't on the same level.
Ron had more or less expected that. He gave them a measuring gaze. "Gyo!"
A steady aura now surrounded Ponzu and Ruco, clinging closely to their bodies. Ron nodded.
"Chii, give me an assessment of their potential."
Chii materialized and began calculating the data from Ponzu and Ruco's aura. After observing numerous Nen users, Chii had created a working model for gauging Nen aptitude.
Plugging Ponzu and Ruco's information into this model would produce a solid estimate—there might be a margin of error, but not by much.
Before long, Chii had the results.
"Ruco has the potential to reach a C-rank level with Nen. Ponzu also tops out at C-rank, but factoring in her Bee Queen, her overall potential could push her to B-rank."
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