It seemed they were afraid that Nanami would “act independently while away from headquarters, refusing to obey military orders.”
The Jujutsu Higher-ups issued three consecutive orders, requiring the two of them to contain the spread of the Cursed Spirit before Gojo Satoru and other Grade 1 Sorcerers could arrive.
But both of them knew very well that Gojo Satoru was currently away on business, so he clearly couldn’t come to assist immediately.
The Higher-Ups’ intention was to use them as cannon fodder, to block the Cursed Spirit with their lives.
“Tokiwa-kun…”
Nanami looked at Ryuichi again.
Ryuichi said calmly, “Please don’t say anything more to try and talk me out of this, Mr. Nanami.”
“The risk of the Cursed Spirit in Inunaki Village escaping is a fact.”
“Besides, after entering Jujutsu High, I was already prepared to face situations like this.”
This decision by Ryuichi was naturally the result of his careful consideration.
If the mastermind was truly Kenjaku, then to avoid alerting the enemy, he would definitely minimize the casualties caused by his actions.
And if it wasn’t Kenjaku, then that would be easier to handle.
Modern Jujutsu is in decline, and Grade 1 Sorcerers are few and far between.
If some blind Curse User really came to attack, he also had the [Ability Enhancement Card] to deal with it.
A single shot of A-Grade Lord Flame, and even a Special Grade Cursed Spirit wouldn’t fare well.
Nanami knew he couldn’t talk Ryuichi out of it, so he didn’t waste any more words and drove back towards Inunaki Village.
Inside the car.
Ryuichi took a deep breath and opened the system panel again.
[Do you wish to spend 100 points to perform a ten-pull?]
“Yes.”
Blue and purple lights flashed; just like last time, it was eight blues and two purples.
“Hitting the pity system again… oh well, at least it’s not nine blues and one purple…”
“The previous abilities were just pure stats, can we get some mechanics this time?!”
Perhaps Ryuichi’s provocation worked, or perhaps the heavens had finally opened their eyes.
The ability he pulled this time actually had some mechanics.
[Obtained Attribute Points * 4, Skill Points * 4, Ability Upgrade Card (B), B-Grade Ability: Magicians Red.]
[Name: Magicians Red]
[Rating: C (Can be upgraded, cap at B)]
[Effect: A bird-headed, human-bodied “Stand,” possessing the ability to manipulate high-temperature flames.]
If you only look at the system description, this ability seems no different from Ryuichi’s Cursed Technique “Flame” for emitting fire, and it might even be inferior to the Fireball Jutsu he pulled before.
However, that was not the case.
A “Stand,” from the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” series, is an entity condensed from the user’s spiritual energy, similar to a Shikigami in the Jujutsu World.
It not only has decent melee combat abilities but also has additional abilities like “Flame Ropes,” “Flame Manipulation,” and “Life Detection.”
Although its ultimate move, “Crossfire Hurricane,” overlaps somewhat with the positioning of Ryuichi’s Fireball Jutsu.
But with so many versatile minor skills, it was definitely worth more than the cost.
But a doubt arose in Ryuichi’s heart: why was Magicians Red, which could melt steel, only rated B in the system?
While Lord Flame, which had similar power, had a cap of A-Grade.
Could it be that the concept behind Lord Flame was higher?
Not wanting to overthink it, Ryuichi continued to look at the second purple light:
[Name: Ability Upgrade Card (B)]
[Effect: Permanently upgrades one ability to B-Grade. (Cannot exceed the ability’s cap)]
“Finally…”
At this moment, Ryuichi’s eyes welled up with tears.
Having used C-Grade abilities for so long, he could finally enjoy some B-Grade power.
But next, a new problem was placed before him.
Among the three abilities on him, which one should he upgrade first?
First, rule out Fireball Jutsu.
Not only is the cap low, but it also lacks any extra mechanics.
That left Lord Flame and Magicians Red, which felt like trying to choose between the palm and the back of one’s hand—both were precious.
After hesitating for a long time, Ryuichi still chose to directly upgrade Magicians Red.
There was no other reason; with the [Ability Enhancement Card] in hand, for the Juvenile Detention Center incident a few days later, Ryuichi would definitely use the A-Grade upgraded Lord Flame.
And at that time, whether Magicians Red was B-Grade or C-Grade would be particularly critical.
Anyone who has played MOBA games or chess knows.
Players who mindlessly rush for the perfect endgame gear right from the start will only fail halfway through.
A smooth transition and ensuring early-game combat power is the only way to have the last laugh.
[Used Ability Card: Magicians Red.]
[Used item “Ability Upgrade Card”.]
[Ability “Magicians Red” has been upgraded to B-Grade.]
Ryuichi closed his eyes and opened them again.
Countless pieces of information regarding the characteristics and usage of Magicians Red flooded into his mind.
Powerful strength brought abundant joy and satisfaction.
Ryuichi let out a soft breath, and with a thought, opened the [Panel Stat Allocation].
It was still the familiar four attributes.
With the increase in rating, investing a single attribute point could no longer bring about a qualitative change.
He had to concentrate his resources and invest in more important aspects. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
“First, Cursed Energy capacity.”
He invested three attribute points consecutively; the panel became blurry, and after about three seconds, it became clear again.
Cursed Energy capacity: Grade 2.
“It seems it takes five attribute points to upgrade from Grade 3 to Grade 2,” Ryuichi understood.
Cursed Energy capacity cannot be improved naturally, making it the best standard for measurement.
“I’ll add the remaining attribute point to Physical Strength.”
Time was tight, and physical training couldn’t be accomplished overnight.
Moreover, regardless of whether there is Cursed Energy enhancement, the body is still the key to determining melee ability and survivability, just as important as Cursed Energy.
Therefore, this attribute had the highest cost-effectiveness after [Cursed Energy capacity].
[Name: Ryuichi]
[Strength Rating: Grade 3]
(Cursed Energy capacity: Grade 2. Physical Strength, Taijutsu, Cursed Energy Manipulation Precision: Grade 3)
[Innate Cursed Technique: Flame (C-Grade), Lord Flame (C-Grade), Fireball Jutsu (C-Grade), Magicians Red (B-Grade)]
[Points: 5]
“Ah… completely satisfied.”
Just as Ryuichi was about to close the system panel, he heard the system’s mechanical voice ring out.
[Detected acquisition of three additional fire abilities, system updating…]
[Update complete. Will increase the appearance probability of high-level fire abilities in ‘Ability Draw,’ improve the quality of blue items, and simultaneously reduce the acquisition rate of points.]
“Fewer draws, but better rewards…” Ryuichi pondered.
“That’s acceptable.”
If he worked himself to death eliminating a bunch of Grade 2 and Grade 3 Cursed Spirits, only to pull a “Phoenix Sage Fire Technique” in the end, he would probably spit out a mouthful of blood.
Ryuichi opened his eyes again; the vision enhanced by his physical training even allowed him to clearly see the veins on the leaves by the roadside.
His strength had risen another level compared to when he had first entered Inunaki Village.
“I don’t know if I’m at the level of a Semi-Grade 1 Sorcerer now…”
Although he himself was still relatively weak, his Cursed Techniques were top-tier and powerful.
Coupled with shigurekiri, he even dared to clash with a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.
Hum—
While still some distance from the village, Ryuichi keenly felt subtle, almost imperceptible ripples appearing in the surroundings.
“Have we already entered the second layer of the barrier…”
Ryuichi looked out through the car window; the sky was gloomy, as if it were about to collapse.