"Ouch!"
Noah pulled back his now crimson fist, silently cursing.
Just now, it felt like he had punched not a person but a solid steel plate.
If it weren't for a month of Qi Refining, he suspected his hand bones would have cracked.
How could a human body be this hard? This monster.
At this moment, Ashu's astonishment was no less than Noah's. Ever since that day a month ago when he learned Nen, Ashu knew that he had undergone a transformation. Even if he only grasped the most basic Ren, ordinary people were no longer his match.
As long as he willed it, his killing intent could render ordinary people motionless, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Ashu had successfully confirmed this by dealing with those unfortunate five individuals.
He had thought that Noah would become the sixth person lying on the ground, but he had never expected that this young fellow, even younger than himself, would break free from his oppressive killing intent and even punch him back. What surprised Ashu even more was that he felt pain.
How is this possible?
How could an ordinary person's fist hurt me? I used Ren; his fist should have shattered.
With a head full of doubts, Ashu stared at Noah, and the two of them stood there, eyeing each other.
"That's enough."
Just then, a dignified voice reached their ears from the side.
While his face remained stern, Gatoh's astonishment was not any less than Ashu's. Unlike Ashu, Gatoh was no rookie in using Nen, and in terms of applying and understanding Nen, he could be considered experienced. Ashu's ability to master Nen in a month owed much to Gatoh's guidance.
During the second test, even though Noah had secured the top spot, Gatoh wasn't satisfied. Instead, his attention had shifted to Ashu, who had eliminated his competitors.
As an assassin family, the Zoldyck Family didn't have a penchant for bloodlust, but killing was a commonplace matter for them, much like eating and sleeping. To be a butler for the Zoldyck Family, one needed skills, loyalty, and a heart as cold as ice.
This was why the majority of butlers in the Zoldyck Family were selected from Meteor City. Those from Meteor City naturally carried an aura that ordinary people lacked, making them the ideal candidates for butlers.
The reason the second test had included a condition of "by any means necessary" was to see their methods. So, even though Noah had clinched first place, his evaluation fell short compared to Ashu, who had eliminated his competition.
Unaware of the events leading up to today's test, Noah had been assigned to train in the wooden house by himself, while Ashu, who had gained Gatoh's approval after recovering from his injuries, had begun learning to apply Nen. Naturally, Noah had no knowledge of this.
Originally, both Gatoh and the other butler who had brought Noah had already formed their conclusions about the test results. Except for Ashu, everyone else was expected to be eliminated.
However, the current situation had clearly exceeded their expectations.
Noah's displayed strength had greatly impressed Gatoh. So, he promptly decided to terminate the test.
Hearing Gatoh's words, Ashu snapped back to reality. He stood up straight, gave Noah a deep look, then turned and walked back to Gatoh's side.
Noah, on the other hand, remained in place, locking eyes with Gatoh. At this point, even if he didn't fully understand the reasons behind it all, he could guess the general idea: Ashu had already been predetermined as a pass, and he was supposed to be one of the individuals lying on the ground.
"To be honest, your performance has exceeded my expectations," Gatoh said as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Although your performance a month ago didn't satisfy me,
but now, your performance has raised my opinion of you. If I'm not mistaken, your name is Noah, right? From today onwards, you and Ashu are the apprentice butlers of the Zoldyck Family. Follow me."
With that, Gatoh turned and headed deeper into the woods, while Ashu and the other butler, after giving Noah a glance, followed Gatoh.
Noah hesitated for a moment and then followed suit.
After walking through the winding mountain path for nearly an hour, Noah, accompanied by Gatoh and others, arrived at the Zoldyck Family's butler's residence. Although it was referred to as the butler's residence, it was, in fact, a luxurious four-story mansion. At the entrance of the mansion, two butlers dressed in tailcoats stood guard.
Entering the opulent first-floor hall of the butler's residence, Ashu and Gatoh left immediately, leaving Noah with the remaining butler. The butler turned and smiled at Noah, saying, "You must be Noah, right? I'm Melkha. Follow me, and I'll take you to your room."
"Mr. Melkha, may I ask a question?" Noah inquired as he followed Melkha.
"We're all comrades from now on, so just call me Melkha. Feel free to ask any questions," Melkha replied in an easygoing manner.
"Just now, when we saw Ashu, he was using Nen abilities, right?" Noah asked directly after some thought.
Melkha, walking ahead, paused for a moment and then turned around, quite surprised. "So, you know about Nen abilities."
"I've heard of them. Today was the first time I've seen them, so I took a bold guess."
"Well, your guess was accurate," Melkha confirmed.
Melkha turned back and continued walking, saying, "Ordinary people are usually powerless against Nen users. Even though Ashu has only recently acquired Nen abilities, your performance today was beyond my expectations."
"However, rest assured, I have no intention of prying into it. Everyone has their own little secrets. But since you've become a butler for the Zoldyck Family, there are a few rules you must remember." Melkha's tone gradually became serious.
"First, as a butler, you must fulfill the duties of a butler. The employer's orders are absolute. In general, the Zoldyck Family's instructions will be relayed to Chief Butler Gatoh, and he will instruct us."
"Second, you are not allowed to develop emotional attachments to the employer."
"These two points are mandatory for us butlers to follow. Always remember that, in the eyes of the employer, we are mere tools. Never cross that boundary, or you can probably imagine the consequences."
With Melkha's guidance, they had already reached a room on the third floor.
It was a room comparable to a luxurious suite from Noah's previous life. It had to be said that the treatment for being a butler for the Zoldyck Family was quite good.
"Your clothes are in the wardrobe. Starting from tomorrow, you must guard the location of your test from 8 PM to 8 AM the next day. That's your job." After leaving this statement, Melkha departed without further ado.