On the outskirts of Tokyo, in front of an abandoned hospital, a black business sedan slowed to a stop.
“Mr. Gojo, Tokiwa-kun, this is our destination. The ‘Veil’ has already been lowered.”
“Oh? Oh…”
From the back seat, Ryuichi responded, his eyes bleary with sleep.
He had originally intended to use the time in the car to study Suguru Geto’s notes, but he had fallen fast asleep before he could read for long.
‘Sigh, whether in my past life or this one, I suppose I’m just not cut out for studying…’
Gojo observed Tokiwa, a thought forming in his mind:
‘As I thought…
is it excessive Cursed Energy consumption?’
‘To possess such an extraordinary Cursed Technique, yet his total Cursed Energy is only slightly higher than that of an ordinary person…’
‘What a pity.
With this amount of Cursed Energy, I’m afraid that even with a lifetime of effort, he’ll only reach the level of a Grade 2 Sorcerer…’
This situation reminded Gojo of Maki Zen’in, a second-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
She also had Cursed Energy at the level of an ordinary person, but she possessed the heaven-defying “Heavenly Restriction,” which sacrificed her Cursed Technique and Cursed Energy in exchange for immense physical prowess.
However, her Heavenly Restriction was an incomplete version, leaving behind a tiny residue of Cursed Energy.
Consequently, no matter how hard Maki trained, she could only reach the level of a Grade 2 Sorcerer, and she still needed special glasses to see Cursed Spirits.
If Tokiwa’s total Cursed Energy were at the level of a normal Grade 1 Sorcerer, and if Maki had absolutely no Cursed Energy, then their futures would be limitless.
Unfortunately, there are no “ifs.”
The problem Gojo could see was something Tokiwa was naturally aware of as well.
‘Although Lord Flame is extremely powerful, it has a long wind-up time and high consumption.’
‘If I release two fully charged Lord Flames in a short time, my Cursed Energy and stamina will be completely depleted…’
‘I need to end this quickly; I can’t be dragged into a war of attrition.’
But there was one difference: he knew his total Cursed Energy could be increased via [Panel Stat Allocation].
As long as he had enough points, the sustainability issue could be solved easily.
Inside the car, Gojo returned to his usual cavalier expression:
“Alright, Tokiwa, get out.”
“Based on your strength, I’ve matched you with a Cursed Spirit around Grade 2.”
“With your Cursed Technique and Cursed Tool, you should be able to exorcise it if you find an opening.”
“Since this is your first mission, I’ll be observing from the sidelines, but unless you’re on the verge of death, I won’t be intervening, you hear~~?”
Under normal circumstances, a Jujutsu Sorcerer can easily defeat a Cursed Spirit of the same grade.
That is to say, a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit requires at least a fairly strong Grade 3 Sorcerer to handle.
And for a freshman like Tokiwa to be dragged out by Gojo to face a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit immediately after enrollment was clearly an extremely bold experiment.
‘He really is malicious, this guy’s personality…’
Listening to Gojo’s relaxed tone, Tokiwa complained internally as he got out of the car and examined the building before him.
Just like a mansion in some zombie game, the hospital before him exuded an eerie atmosphere.
The sign at the entrance was worn and blurred; one could only barely make out the words “Health” and “Clinic.”
The walls were covered in dark green vines, and they were also marked with several highly suspicious dark red stains.
Cursed Spirits are born from the negative emotions of the human heart. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Buildings that constantly generate negative emotions, such as schools, hospitals, and graveyards, are naturally hotbeds for their activity.
The only good news was that this hospital had been abandoned for some time, so there would be no innocent bystanders involved, allowing him to use his Cursed Technique freely.
While remaining vigilant of his surroundings, Tokiwa drew his long blade and stepped into the main entrance of the hospital.
In the car, Gojo removed the blindfold covering his eyes, revealing a pair of eyes as clear and blue as the sky.
He looked at Tokiwa’s back as he disappeared into the darkness:
‘Try and surprise me, Ryuichi.’
Gojo had a vague premonition: since Tokiwa, who was originally an ordinary person, could awaken a Cursed Technique and exorcise Cursed Spirits, as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he would naturally be able to solve the issue of his total Cursed Energy.
“Yuta Okkotsu, Yuji Itadori, and Tokiwa. Ever since I started teaching, three students have given me this feeling.”
“Perhaps these young people really will be able to surpass me and take over the future of the Jujutsu World…”
Gojo withdrew his gaze and picked up the notebook Tokiwa had left on the seat beside him.
It was related to Cursed Energy and Cursed Spirits.
Suguru Geto.
“Are you the strongest because you are Satoru Gojo, or are you Satoru Gojo because you are the strongest?” The whisper of his old friend echoed in his ears, like a dream.
…
Drip.
An unknown liquid dripped from the mottled light fixture, landing on tiles already covered in mineral deposits.
The air was humid and stuffy, and unknown plants and vines grew from the cracks in the walls.
Only now did Tokiwa understand the intensity of the work Satoru Gojo faced every day.
Sleeping only three hours a day, dealing with the Jujutsu Higher-ups, teaching students, exorcising Cursed Spirits…
Facing such dark and filthy things for long periods would affect anyone’s mental state.
Tokiwa held a small flame in his palm, cautiously moving forward along the corridor.
Although this behavior risked exposing himself, he still had the physique of an ordinary person, and he was completely unable to see in the darkness.
After awakening his Cursed Energy and gaining a preliminary understanding of its properties, Tokiwa could now mobilize Cursed Energy to amplify his attacks or use it to cover his body for protection.
Although it was an extremely crude application, it had significantly improved his survivability.
For instance, Megumi Fushiguro last night, due to carelessness, had failed to maintain the Cursed Energy defense on his body, was ambushed by a Cursed Spirit, and lost his ability to fight.
To clean up the mess Fushiguro left behind, Yuji had no choice but to swallow the Sukuna’s Finger and destroy the Cursed Spirit.
It was evident that without Cursed Energy protection, a Jujutsu Sorcerer’s body was not necessarily much tougher than that of an ordinary person.
Drip.
‘The liquid…
it’s increasing…’
Tokiwa looked up; he keenly sensed the changes in the surrounding environment.
The suspicious stains on the ceiling and floor were visibly increasing.
All these anomalies indicated that the Cursed Spirit he was looking for was not far ahead.
Squish.
Squish.
A sound similar to a viscous object rubbing against the floor came from the corner at the end of the corridor.
Tokiwa extinguished the flame in his hand, slowly coated his blade with Lord Flame energy, and tiptoed toward the front.
Five meters.
Three meters.
One meter.
Tokiwa peeked around the corner and saw a segmented maggot the size of a door, covered in filth, crawling in his direction.
“A maggot?!”
Tokiwa was shocked.
With his adrenaline surging, he lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow.
He injected Lord Flame energy into the blade, but the color of the shigurekiri did not change at all; it only emitted a faint humming sound.
Slash—
Tokiwa sprinted, his long blade sweeping horizontally, slicing the maggot Cursed Spirit into two halves as if a dinner knife were cutting through butter.
Pale yellow pus splattered everywhere, then slowly vanished.
[Exorcised Grade 3 Cursed Spirit, Points +20]
“A Grade 3 Cursed Spirit?”
Looking at the maggot Cursed Spirit hissing and slowly disappearing into the air, Tokiwa frowned slightly.
“Wait, there couldn’t be more, could there…”
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
The sound of an arthropod flapping its wings came from behind Tokiwa, making his eardrums ache.
In the critical moment, Tokiwa activated his initial Cursed Technique, “Flame,” condensed a ball of fire in his left hand and threw it backward, while flames surged upon the shigurekiri in his right hand.
Using the firelight from the blade for illumination, he lunged forward, made a sharp turn at a nearby corner, and prepared to flee forward.
Pfft!
A strong wind came from behind.
Tokiwa turned his head and dodged as a large mass of yellow, viscous pus resembling digestive fluid flew past the top of his head.
Hiss—
The pus splattered onto the wall in front of Tokiwa, and the surrounding weeds and vines were instantly dissolved by the liquid.
“Heh, I beat the little one and the big one shows up…”
Ahead was the hospital lobby.
In the spacious, enclosed space, Tokiwa didn’t have much of a chance of winning against this flying Cursed Spirit.
Gasping for air, Tokiwa turned around.
From his mouth, the dragon-script containing transcendent power was chanted once more.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
At this moment, the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit behind him finally flew past the corner and appeared before Tokiwa.
It was a Fly Cursed Spirit the size of an adult bull, with six pairs of wings on its back and three pairs of rotting human arms on its front.
Its body and wings were covered in disgusting pus, causing physical discomfort to anyone who looked at it.
‘That’s why I hate insects the most…’
The incantation ended, and Tokiwa released the half-charged Lord Flame directly at the Fly Cursed Spirit before him!