Would you rather end up with your high school crush, or gain Special Grade power and enter the Culling Game?
Julian Iglesias leaned back on his sofa, scrolling lazily through short videos on his phone.
A light laugh escaped him as the hypothetical popped up on his feed.
“Is that even a choice?
Special Grade strength—who gives a damn about a crush?”
Bored, he tapped the second option.
He really wanted to see if Ryomen Sukuna was as impossible to deal with as everyone claimed.
The second his comment posted, his phone display flared with blinding white light.
A heavy, irresistible vacuum pulled at his chest.
Julian felt his vision collapse into brilliance before his body gave way entirely.
An instant later, only a dark phone rested on the floor.
The room was empty.
Julian blinked groggily, his eyelids heavy as the glare faded.
When his vision cleared, the familiar clutter of his apartment had disappeared.
He was standing in a room with seamless white walls.
There were no light fixtures on the ceiling or borders along the floor, yet illumination washed evenly across the space.
“Where…
where the hell am I?”
He took a step back, sweeping his eyes across the blank void in confusion.
One moment he was lying on his couch; the next, he was standing in nothingness.
Beep.
A semi-transparent blue interface materialized in front of his face.
[ Name: Julian Iglesias ]
[ Rank: Non-Sorcerer ]
[ Cursed Energy: Negligible ]
[ Cursed Technique: None ]
[ Skills: None ]
[ Evaluation: Traces of Cursed Energy are almost non-existent.
Marginally higher perception than a typical civilian.
Barely capable of sensing Cursed Spirits—just enough to realize what is killing you when an attack hits.
]
A monotone, synthetic voice echoed through his mind as he read the text.
“Congratulations, Host, on your arrival in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
From this moment onward, you are designated as a participant in the Culling Game.
Objective: Defeat the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna—”
“Hold on!
Stop!” Julian waved his hands in front of the screen.
“System—or whatever you are—hold your horses!
Where are we?”
“This is the world of Jujutsu Kaisen,” the voice answered calmly.
“Are you out of your mind?
Jujutsu Kaisen?!”
“To be precise, you are currently in an isolated dimensional pocket outside the observable world.
You may rest here briefly before deployment into a Culling Game Barrier.”
Julian scrambled backward, his voice rising.
“Why would I go into the Culling Game to fight monsters?!
This is kidnapping!
I have rights!”
“Did the Host not choose to enter the Culling Game and challenge Sukuna?”
The words cut Julian off instantly.
The poll.
The comment he had just submitted.
He had picked the second option.
“No way, man!
I was joking!
People talk trash online all the time!
You actually dragged me here over a comment?!”
It was easy to talk big behind a screen.
It was another thing entirely to stand in the same zip code as a four-armed monster who sliced people into ribbons for breathing too loud.
“Listen, I take it back.
I want the crush.
Send me back!”
Cold regret settled in his stomach.
He had replied to dozens of those hypothetical posts before without anything happening.
Why did this one trigger?
Was it because his name sounded too close to Gege’s?
“Please,” Julian muttered, pacing the white floor.
“I’ll change my handle.
Just don’t throw me into a manga meat grinder.”
“Request denied,” the System stated without inflection.
“Please prepare yourself.
Teleportation into the Barrier will commence shortly.”
Julian grabbed his hair, running his eyes back over the floating display.
He pointed a finger at the screen.
“Wait a minute!
You promised Special Grade power!
Look at this panel!
I’m listed as a non-sorcerer!”
He slapped his thigh in frustration.
“You pocketed my start-up bonus, didn’t you?
You skimmed my reward!”
“The Host possesses latent potential waiting to be tapped,” the voice replied.
“Once the Host adapts to the environment of the Jujutsu world, Special Grade capability will manifest naturally.”
“Adapts?” Julian caught the word immediately.
“What do you mean, adapts?”
“You will adjust.”
The absolute confidence in the System’s tone made Julian’s throat go dry.
Did this thing think he was Mahoraga?
Even Mahoraga had limits—it couldn’t adapt to getting obliterated in a single blow.
“What happens if I don’t adapt?” Julian asked cautiously.
“Do I die?”
“Yes.”
“And if I die, it’s over?”
“When you die, you lose everything.”
Julian sank onto his knees, cold sweat breaking out along his neck.
“However,” the System continued, “after death, your consciousness will return to this sanctuary.
You will then re-enter the Culling Game.”
Julian raised his head sharply.
“What?”
“Should you perish within the Culling Game, you will be reset.”
“Like a redo?
Unlimited tries?”
“There is no limit to the number of attempts.
You may resurrect endlessly.”
Julian stood up, the panic vanishing from his face.
“Why didn’t you start with that?!”
“You interrupted the initial briefing.”
Julian let out a long breath, rubbing his temples before demanding a full breakdown.
Within moments, the rules were clear.
He was effectively stuck in a progression loop.
His end goal was to kill Sukuna and clear the scenario, which would return him home.
If he died along the way, he would reset to the starting point.
Crucially, his combat experience, muscle memory, and tactical awareness would carry over through every death.
On top of that, the System would evaluate his performance after each run and distribute rewards based on his progress.
He wasn’t being thrown out to die.
He was being given infinite lives to grind until he could tear down the King of Curses.
“If I can’t stay dead, what am I worrying about?” Julian grinned, rubbing his hands together.
“System, throw me in!
Send me to the Culling Game right now!”
“Understood,” the tone shifted slightly.
“Commencing transfer to the Jujutsu World.
Stand by for deployment.”
“Bring on Sukuna!” Julian called out.
“Let’s see what the big bad can actually do!”
The white floor dissolved beneath his boots.
A second later, wind roared in his ears, ripping the air straight from his lungs.
Julian’s laughter cut short.
He was thousands of feet in the air, plunging headfirst toward the city skyline below.