Chapter 11: The Tempered Athlete, Breakthrough to Level 3

Outside Kuoh Town.

A teenager with stitches across his face sat on the ground, eyes vacant, lost in thought.

A voice called from behind.

"Mahito, we need to move."

Mahito turned. "Just you? Where's Hanami?"

"Hanami's gone."

"What? You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm serious."

Geto repeated, "Hanami's dead. Killed."

"By who?"

"Rias Gremory's new familiar, a devil named Roy."

Geto pulled out his phone, showing Mahito a recent video.

"Roy's a monster beyond imagination. His growth rate exceeded my predictions."

"I thought he was, at best, a Level 2 sorcerer. But he took down Hanami head-on."

"Head-on? He ambushed Hanami and cut off his arm first," Mahito scoffed, tossing the phone aside. "What about the mission? Did we get the intel?"

"Zero on Lizevim, but we confirmed Yuji Itadori can withstand Sukuna's finger."

Geto replied, "As long as Sukuna's revived, we haven't lost ground."

Mahito crossed his arms. "I've been meaning to ask—is your plan even reliable?"

"It's shaky, but don't worry. I've got a Plan B lined up."

Geto smiled, producing an invitation letter. "King of Curses, want to hear about it?"

…

Occult Research Club.

Rias sat on the sofa, her expression stern.

"Roy, are you short on cash?"

"Nope."

"Do you have some eating disorder?"

"Nope."

"Then why did you suddenly want to eat Sukuna's finger?"

"I wanted to test if I could destroy it that way," Roy explained.

Truthfully, he hadn't initially planned to eat the finger.

But seeing Yuji's condition sparked an idea about devil chess pieces.

Since the system converted his devil chess pieces into an entry, could it do the same with a Sukuna finger if he ate it?

If it worked, he'd destroy the finger and gain an entry for free.

A win-win, a perfect double play.

He'd come out on top.

But clearly, Rias couldn't follow Roy's logic.

"Why would eating Sukuna's finger equate to destroying it?"

"It's a personal ability. I can fully digest certain things I eat."

Koneko, watching, narrowed her eyes. "Sounds like nonsense."

"I think it's intriguing."

A man with an eye patch chuckled. "Why not let him try?"

Rias shot him a look. "Mr. Gojo, please watch your words."

"Sorry, sorry, just curious."

Satoru Gojo raised his hands in surrender.

He'd rushed over after Megumi's message.

But by the time he arrived, everything was over.

"By the way, Miss Rias."

"The contract ends here. The higher-ups just informed me they're relocating Sukuna's finger."

"Understood."

Rias pushed the finger forward.

To her, this was perfect timing.

Otherwise, she'd have to guard against external threats and Roy's potential snacking.

"Pleasure working with you."

Gojo pocketed the finger, preparing to leave.

But then, Roy called out.

"Add me as a friend?"

"Sure thing."

Gojo pulled out his phone, added Roy, and teased, "Trying to sneak the finger from me to eat?"

"Nah, just building connections with promising contacts."

Ignoring Rias's suddenly tense gaze, Roy pulled a business card from his pocket.

"I hear Jujutsu High is short-staffed. Need help, call me."

"Be it disciplining students or exterminating cursed spirits, I'm your guy."

Gojo took the card. "Sounds good, but is it okay to poach clients behind your boss's back?"

Roy stayed calm. "Poaching? This is open, honest networking."

"As long as you don't let him eat weird stuff, I'm fine," Rias said.

Roy had joined her to fight strong opponents.

Jujutsu High was mostly humans, with only Gojo worth noting.

Cursed spirits were small fry; even a Special-Grade wasn't enough for Roy.

Fighting these groups, Rias was confident in Roy's safety.

Well… as long as Sukuna's finger stayed out of reach.

"I'd heard Gremory devils value bonds, and it's true."

Gojo's eyes flicked between Roy and Rias, then he waved goodbye with a grin.

"Roy, I appreciate the offer. Let's connect later."

"Everyone, disband. You've been fighting all night. Get some rest."

After seeing off Gojo and Megumi, Rias dismissed the group.

Roy returned home and opened his attribute panel.

From slaying Hanami and knocking out Yuji, he'd gained two new Purple entries.

[Life Absorption (Purple): Draws life force from the surrounding earth to rapidly heal injuries, restore stamina, and replenish mana.]

[Tempered Athlete (Purple): Training efficiency +300%, increased chance to trigger Black Flash in combat.]

"Jackpot."

Roy's eyes gleamed.

Life Absorption was solid, an upgrade to Healing Bracelet.

But the real prize was Yuji's Tempered Athlete entry.

Training efficiency +300% was outright broken.

Swapping out Demon Sword Creation, Roy equipped Tempered Athlete.

Instantly, his Senjutsu surged, tripling his potential-unlocking efficiency.

Feeling his strength climb, Roy, already near a breakthrough, geared up with the weighted training suit he'd ordered days ago.

One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, ten-kilometer run.

One-minute rest, then round two.

Sweat soaked his clothes as Roy pushed his body to the limit again and again.

Hours later, the long-awaited prompt sounded.

[Ding! Host's strength has broken through to Level 3, unlocking new function: Entry Bestowal!]

Finally leveled up!

Roy opened the panel to check the new feature.

"Grant entries to others. As their strength grows, gain a portion of their improvement."

Hm… Buddy Roy?

"Seems useless."

Slots required entries, upgrading entries required entries.

He barely had enough for himself, let alone others.

"Kinda lame."

Roy shrugged, closed the panel, and stopped thinking about it.

Time to rest.

After a shower, Roy hit the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

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