Chapter 3: "That One" Appeared (Combined Two Parts)

"It happened a bit faster than I expected."

An hour later, in front of the hospital entrance.

Seeing the four of them walk out of the hospital one after another, with only some dust and damage on their clothes but otherwise uninjured, Satoru Gojo greeted them with a grin, "So, did you have fun?"

"Exorcising cursed spirits isn't exactly what I'd call fun," Megumi Fushiguro replied, brushing dust off his clothes calmly. "There was definitely some pressure. After all, out of the nine cursed spirits, three were Grade 2. If we got careless, someone could have been seriously hurt."

"Feeling pressured is a good thing. After all, if it was too easy, there'd be no point."

This combat exercise wasn't meant to train the students' combat sense or experience—it was purely for these four freshmen to better understand their respective cursed techniques and combat styles.

Although there was someone experienced like Megumi Fushiguro, who had long been involved in the world of jujutsu sorcery, the other three were total beginners. Yuji Itadori and Tokisaki Kurumi, especially, had only just learned what jujutsu sorcery even was. To be cautious, Gojo had specifically chosen this site for the exercise.

But now, it seemed he had underestimated his students.

Though it looked like Gojo was slacking off outside the hospital, in reality, he had been monitoring the team's progress inside the building the whole time.

He had to admit, their coordination was better than he'd expected.

Tracking the curses was handled by Megumi Fushiguro, who possessed the Ten Shadows Technique. With the shikigami Divine Dogs summoned by his technique, not only could they pinpoint the cursed spirits' locations accurately, but they also held their own in battle.

Disruption and distraction were taken care of by Yuji Itadori, the Vessel of Sukuna. Even though he was born without a technique, his physical strength was comparable to those under Heavenly Restriction. No cursed spirit could get close to anyone else once Itadori had engaged it in close combat.

Elimination of curses was the role of Nobara Kugisaki, who used the Straw Doll Technique. As long as she obtained a piece of the cursed spirit's body, she could destroy them through her cursed technique, eliminating any concern of them fleeing the battle.

But what surprised Gojo the most was Tokisaki Kurumi, who wielded Compression Cursed Technique.

Originally, Gojo thought Itadori or Fushiguro would be the ones to defeat the most curses, but unexpectedly, it was the newcomer Kurumi who eliminated the most.

Once targeted by her, whether Grade 2 or Grade 3, cursed spirits were like paper in the face of her overwhelming cursed energy.

Gojo gaze toward Kurumi was now filled with admiration and anticipation.

Sensing his gaze, Kurumi coughed lightly and said a bit awkwardly, "Sorry, it's hard for me to control the output of my technique, so… the hospital might need extensive renovations..."

"Haha, no need to apologize for something like that," Gojo waved his hand casually. "There's no such thing as a sorcerer fight without some property damage."

"Ah, is that so?"

"There's no way that's true."

Seeing Kurumi about to be misled, Fushiguro quickly interjected, "Even when dealing with a Grade 1 cursed spirit, it's not normal for a sorcerer to demolish an entire building."

"I used to be like that when I was young."

"Gojo-sensei, could you please have some awareness of your status as the strongest jujutsu sorcerer alive?"

"Any damages during fights with curses are reimbursed by the Jujutsu Association, so there's no need to worry about it," Gojo said nonchalantly. "Kurumi, don't listen to him. Your technique is a destructive one—don't hold back just to save on repair costs."

"Mm, I understand."

Hearing Gojo words, a subtle emotion stirred in Kurumi heart.

It was the first time someone had called her power "destructive."

Compared to the other nine Spirits, Kurumi was more of a support-type. None of the twelve bullets of her Zafkiel were pure offense-based abilities.

Moreover, she hadn't even used Zafkiel yet. So far, what she displayed was merely compressed spiritual energy.

But even that alone, in this world, was already considered an extremely powerful offensive method, wasn't it?

Thinking about it now, there were very few sorcerers or cursed spirits capable of destroying entire streets. Even the ones who could level cities could be counted on two hands.

However, that didn't mean the combat power of this world was low. It was simply because this world had the concept of Domains—which allowed high-level jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits to use guaranteed hits in their personal spaces. There was no need for flashy large-scale attacks to determine the outcome of battles.

"Domains..."

Just thinking about this concept made Kurumi a bit troubled.

The main quest from the system was to become a nightmare feared by the jujutsu world. The first side mission was to become the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in Japan, so her targets were clear.

First, the man standing before her—Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer of the modern era.

Kurumi glanced at the pink-haired boy beside her.

Second, the entity sealed inside Yuji Itadori—Sukuna, the King of Curses, strongest sorcerer in history.

The cursed techniques and domains of these two were especially tricky for a Spirit like her to deal with.

"It's still early... and I'm not hungry yet since we just had crepes."

Unaware of Kurumi inner thoughts, Gojo checked the time. It wasn't even noon yet. On a whim, he suggested, "Since Grade 2 curses are too easy for you now, how about we go fight a semi-Grade 1 curse?"

However, before the four could respond, Gojo phone rang.

"Principal Yaga? I'm in the middle of a class. What's up?"

Gojo answered the call and asked.

"Satoru, come back at once," Principal Masamichi Yaga said with a serious tone. "Multiple investigators have confirmed it—that one has appeared."

"That one?"

Gojo was briefly stunned.

But quickly, he realized what Yaga meant. A rare, battle-hungry grin spread across his face.

"You mean that cursed user?"

"Yes."

"Understood. I'll head there immediately."

Hanging up, Gojo turned back to his students.

They hadn't heard what Principal Yaga said, but they immediately noticed that their usually laid-back teacher had changed. His aura had become sharp and full of vigor—like he'd just received thrilling news.

"The semi-Grade 1 challenge will have to wait."

Gojo gestured goodbye. "Sensei has some urgent business. You're free to do whatever you want for now—sightseeing, eating, it's up to you."

"Gojo-sensei, what happened?" Fushiguro, who had known Gojo the longest, couldn't help asking after noticing the change. "I heard you mention a cursed user. Was it someone from the wanted list?"

"I'm not sure yet. If something interesting happens, I'll tell you later."

Not wasting any more time, Gojo took a few steps back.

As his technique activated, the ground around him cracked as if hit by a shockwave, spreading outward from his feet.

In the blink of an eye, the tall man vanished from their sight.

"Whoa—what was that?!"

Seeing it with her own eyes, Kugisaki Nobara's eyes widened. "Teleportation? That was so cool!"

"That's part of Gojo-sensei's technique, Limitless. It's not simple teleportation," Fushiguro, already familiar with the ability, wasn't surprised and explained flatly. "Basically, using the Limitless technique, Gojo-sensei reduces the distance between the starting point and end point, achieving something similar to instant movement."

"Ohhhh!"

Nobara Kugisaki made a curious, half-understanding sound.

"By the way, what exactly is a Curse User?"

Beside her, Yuji Itadori raised his hand and asked another question, "They sound like enemies to us. Shouldn't we go help out?"

"Dealing with Curse Users isn't something small fries like us can handle."

Feeling somewhat helpless at his classmate's naivety, Megumi Fushiguro explained, "People who possess cursed energy and techniques are called Jujutsu Sorcerers. But not every Jujutsu Sorcerer takes protecting humanity and exorcising Cursed Spirits as their mission. Quite a few of them choose to abuse their powers. Not only do they fail to use their powers for the right cause, they even harm humans just like Cursed Spirits do. These people, who look human on the outside but are cursed in essence, are what we call Curse Users."

Hearing Fushiguro explanation, Yuji Itadori found it difficult to accept.

He wasn't born a Jujutsu Sorcerer. He only obtained cursed energy by chance, after consuming a special grade cursed object—Sukuna finger. That's how he gained the qualification to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Although, for an ordinary person, consuming Sukuna finger would mean being taken over by the will of Sukuna contained in the finger, perhaps because of Yuji abnormal body, not only was he not possessed, but he instead imprisoned Sukuna soul within his own body. This is where his nickname—the "Vessel of Sukuna"—comes from.

Sukuna, the four-armed, two-faced demonic god, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer in history, the King of Curses from a thousand years ago, a terrifying existence who once ruled an entire era.

After his death, his immense cursed power was sealed into twenty fingers. Any Cursed Spirit that absorbs the power from even one of those fingers would instantly become a powerful special grade Cursed Spirit.

At first, the Top Brass of the Jujutsu world wanted to execute Yuji Itadori immediately, to eliminate the possibility of Sukuna reviving through his body.

But Satoru Gojo gave him two choices.

Obey the order of the Jujutsu Top Brass and be executed immediately, or consume all twenty fingers—and then be executed.

Though both choices meant death, one sooner, one later, and the former might even be easier, Yuji chose the latter.

Because he wanted to protect others.

Since Sukuna fingers were such dangerous objects, and since he had the unique constitution to contain Sukuna, then he would use that power for good.

"Yuji, you're strong."

"So you should help as many people as you can."

That was his grandfather's final wish on his deathbed.

So, for someone like Yuji Itadori, who aims to use his strength to protect others, it was hard to accept that some people would squander such rare talent and use their power to hurt others instead.

"People are both good and bad. Jujutsu Sorcerers are still people. So it's the same for them."

Seeing through the anger brewing in the heart of this pure-hearted youth, Fushiguro said calmly, "Don't overthink it. Your only task is to consume Sukuna fingers. Curse Users aren't enemies you need to concern yourself with."

"But even if we don't go looking for Curse Users, that doesn't mean they won't harm us, right?"

Nobara Kugisaki, who was hearing about Curse Users for the first time, didn't react with anger. Instead, she looked a little eager. "Are they strong? How likely are we to run into one?"

"Curse Users aren't particularly powerful. At least not in this era."

Seeing that his three classmates didn't seem to understand much about Curse Users, Fushiguro had no choice but to play Gojo role and provide a more detailed explanation.

"In the past, though Curse Users were always suppressed by Jujutsu Sorcerers and the Big Three Jujutsu Clans, they were still quite rampant.

The disasters Curse Users brought to ordinary people were sometimes no less than those caused by Cursed Spirits. They would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

The most infamous Curse User, known as the 'most wicked Curse User in history,' came from one of the Big Three Clans—the Kamo Clan. His name was Noritoshi Kamo. The crimes he committed were so heinous they defied imagination. His very existence became a permanent stain on the Kamo Clan.

However, ever since Gojo-sensei appeared, his power was so overwhelming it could overturn the entire Jujutsu world. Because of this, all the Curse Users gradually went into hiding and no longer dared to show themselves in broad daylight.

So, you don't need to worry about encountering Curse Users in the future. We're Gojo-sensei's students—those guys wouldn't dare come near us."

After hearing Fushiguro explanation, the three of them slowly nodded, digesting the information.

But soon, Yuji Itadori raised another question.

"If Curse Users are all hiding from Gojo-sensei, then what was that just now?" Yuji asked. "From the way he looked, it seemed like he ran into a really strong Curse User."

"Mm..."

Fushiguro fell silent for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of worry and heaviness.

As someone who had been close to Satoru Gojo since childhood, he naturally understood just how powerful this man, who always acted silly and carefree, truly was.

For someone who never took any enemy or Cursed Spirit seriously, to suddenly become excited at the appearance of a Curse User…

"In this world, I think there's only one Curse User who could make Gojo-sensei interested. A presence whose impact on the Jujutsu world is second only to Noritoshi Kamo."

Fushiguro tone grew exceptionally grave.

" The Most Evil Cursed User in This Era —Nightmare."