That guest lol: "Im so glad that the meeting between Gojo and Kenjaku hapened so soon, that means that Kenny wont be able to sneek up on Gojo during Shibuya... im interesed how hell try to box Gojo then. (Thanks for the shout out bro :D)"
Yes! It does mean that he won't get caught off guard in Shibuya. I wonder how the cursed spirits will change their plans based on this, or if they will. Plans have been made up until the end of pre canon, chapter 20, and I've already started working on canon material. Hopefully I can catch up to the end of the anime's first season by the end of the year, but we'll see what happens.
Wondertainment: "peak."
Thank you so much! This story has been by far my most well received one yet, but I guess that makes sense since it's the latest one I've written.
Discipline01: "Stand proud, you can cook."
Nah, I'd write. Beyond that, thank you so much everyone for your kind words! These reviews on the latest chapter have definitely given me a ton of motivation to work even harder than before!
Yamajiji: "Loved this chapter! Things have changed now that Gojo knows about Kenjaku, so I dont see how him being eventually trapped in the prison realm is possible anymore. Loved how he handled Mahoraga too."
Gojo's knowledge of Kenjaku will definitely have a huge impact on the story moving forward, but there is still a chance he could be trapped if there was some sort of extraordinary circumstance like a potential resurfacing of a certain cursed tool that can be used against infinity. But like you said, there is no way in my mind that I can see Gojo being trapped in the prison realm during the Shibuya incident.
Thank you for your compliments on the Mahoraga fight; personally, I always see Gojo in the same way I see Vegeta in terms of fights. It's just not as fun if you aren't watching them absolutely dumpster their enemies with all of the swagger in the world and more.
That guest lol: "Its kinda depressing for me cuz im to damn **broke** to follow the story in lol. I think I'm just gonna enjoy it here I guess.
By the way, upon re-reading the story a second and third time the explanation about how Megumi has more cursed energy then in the original sounds like the author just decided to smack an explanation in the middle of his inner monologue, it's kinda weird. Story is still peak tho."
I don't remember an exact time when Megumi was said to have more cursed energy than in canon, but if I did, I'll be sure to go and fix that part if it breaks the flow of the chapter. Please tell me where it is through a private message or another review if possible!
Thats all for the reviews this time, thank you all so much for your kind reviews and support through favorites and follows. Also, the site was down yesterday so I couldn't upload the chapter, sorry for the wait!
"So you really did it?" Adam didn't respond to his teacher's question, instead flicking over his navy blue status screen. Gojo was forced to lean over Megumi's bed in order to get a look, but didn't vocalize any argument over it if he had any. "You still have 22 points left, are you saving them?"
Adam rubbed his arm, an obvious sign of his discomfort. The guilty look on his face didn't betray that sentiment either, as he opened his mouth and no words left for several seconds. "...I don't know. If I'd used them in the first place then…" He suddenly paused, realizing the hypocritical statement he was about to make; a short chuckle escaped his throat once the thought clicked into his mind. "No, I'll use them when I decide it's necessary. I still don't have any idea on what they do, so I'm going to stick with what I have now and do some tests."
Gojo seemed pleasantly surprised with the boy's answer, based on the wide grin that covered his face. "I guess something good came out of this after all! I'm more than willing to help you with anything you need, so just come to me if you want to talk."
The white haired boy across from him smiled in a way that warmed the strongest's heart, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, sensei." Gojo's eyes widened to the point you could see the bottom of his eyes from below his blindfold.
A cheesy grin appeared on the man's face as tilted his head, cupping a hand around his ear. "What was that? I didn't hear you." Gojo's face splitting grin was hidden from Adam's view with the way he had his head tilted, but the boy seemed to sense it from the way he turned towards the door.
The white haired student turned away with a crimson blush, folding his arms over his chest in a form of defiance. "Shut up, Blindfold." Gojo chuckled jokingly while turning back to his student's cursed technique.
There was something about the panel he hadn't paid attention to before, a small arrow in each corner of the stat screen. Originally, he'd chalked it up to it being a small detail, like some flair to make the appearance less dull, but now that he had the time to observe it without Adam becoming agitated, something was just off about them. "Adam, have you ever tried clicking on one of these arrows?"
Adam turned back to his mentor, eyes trailing up his stat page until they reached the point of investigation. "Uhh, no?" The boy's arm reached out, and his pointed finger tapped on the top right of the screen. A moment later, the screen shifted into a new panel.
-Expansion to be added upon [Prestige I]-
"So…I need to prestige first?" Adam looked to his teacher for confirmation, earning a shrug. "I haven't played many games…so can you explain what that means?"
"Uhh, it depends on what type of prestige system it is." Gojo pulled out his phone and typed something in. "Like in this game, you get to a certain level, and then you restart at level 1 with some bonuses and stuff, or in this one you go back to level 1 with a new maximum level so you can get extra stat points." The man quickly made his way around the bed to get a better look at his student's technique.
"Does that mean there's a max level?" Adam's glance turned towards the stat page, which had quickly returned after he read off the prompt. With several taps of his finger, different details of his stat page he'd never seen before appeared.
-STATUS-
Name: Adam - [Revine]
Age: 15 [DOB: January 14th]
Level: 25/40
Next level requirement: Experiment further with cursed energy.
Occupation: Player (+10 Charisma)
You live your life as a video game, what else could that make you besides a player?
Health: 263/450 [350 Health, 100 Base]
Cursed Energy: 349/400 [400 Cursed Energy, 0 Base]
Stamina: 418/450 [350 Endurance, 100 Base]
-Stats-
Health: 35/200
The user's total amount of hit points, these can be recovered slowly over time at a rate of 0.5% per minute, or 2% per minute while asleep,
Strength: 24/200
The user's maximum physical power that is not supplied by cursed energy.
Cursed Energy: 40/200
The user's total amount of cursed energy, recovered at a rate of 0.5% per minute.
Endurance: 35/200
The user's total amount of stamina, recovered at a rate of 1% per minute, or 4% per minute while asleep.
Charisma: 16/200 (6 [true value])
The user's ability to charm or appeal to others.
Unspent points: 22
5 are deposited into this bank per level increase
-Skills-
[4/20 slots filled]
Cursed energy manipulation [12/100]
Cursed tendril [19/100]
Black flash [2/100]
Cursed Stitching [1/100]
-Inventory-
[0/5 slots filled]
"I guess that confirms it." Gojo noted, skimming through the newly revealed details with a keen eye. "Once you reach level 40, you will probably need to prestige and lose the power you've gained so far in order to gain a new maximum."
"Right, but how do I do that? And why is the maximum level for each of my stats 200?" Adam asked, relying on the local game resident for information regarding his cursed technique.
"There'll probably be a prompt or something asking if you want to. When that happens, come to me and I'll sort out a few low rank missions to get you leveled up again. For your other question though…I guess it's because that's how many stat points you get over the 40 levels? So like, you could make a specialized build or something geared towards a specific stat and raise the other ones naturally." Applying his game knowledge, Gojo gave his answers with a devious grin. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" His right hand met his student's back with a loud slap, sending the boy doubling over in pain.
Adam let out a quiet hiss of pain, rubbing the spot his teacher had hit, "do you use horse steroids instead of milk for your cereal?" Gojo laughed off his student's questions before returning to his seat.
"Your level requirements are kind of vague though. Usually it'd be something like an EXP bar, but yours seems like it relies on achievements." The white haired man noted, earning a shrug from his student.
"I don't really get it, but I'll trust whatever you just said." Adam slid his technique to the corner of his vision, choosing to focus on his unconscious friend instead. "Maybe I'll need to try out some games to understand this stuff." He mumbled.
An excited grin grew on Gojo's face when he heard his student's whispered comment. "For sure!" His tone suddenly switched to a far quieter form as he leaned over Fushigoro's bed. "Don't tell Megumi, but I have a whole setup for him hidden in his bedroom at his house. Maybe you two can play together when you're on break."
"I heard that." Both Gojo's and Adam's heads snapped towards the now conscious Fushigoro. The boy saw his teacher's shit eating grin and sighed, "It better not be there when I get back."
"Awww, even after your teacher went out of his way to give you a full setup?" Gojo's voice changed from teasing to whiny in an instant. "You're so mean Megumi, how're you ever going to get a girlfriend like this?" The man stepped backwards to avoid Fushigoro's swinging fist, which ended up resting on his forehead gently.
"So what happened? What about the curse user?" Megumi's eyes were covered by the back of his hand, so he didn't see his teacher's face freeze up. Adam did however, but decided not to comment on it before he responded.
"I escaped and called for Blindfold, who came through and defeated Mahoraga while I took you here." Adam summarized calmly, only half paying attention to the question while he scanned his classmate's face for signs of pain. "How're you feeling?"
Fushigoro lowered his hand from his head to his neck with a low groan, "like I slept in the wrong way, nothing too bad." He replied, appeasing his classmate's worries with a slight nod. "So how did you escape? I doubt that curse user just let you leave, and he probably aligned its strength with our own."
Gojo glanced at his white haired student, and the boy returned a stiff nod. "Well, he received a large boost in strength after assigning some points. It was enough for him to puncture the veil and escape with you in his arms." Fushigoro blinked slowly, his gaze turning towards his fellow first year.
"You actually did it?" Adam nodded stiffly, and Fushigoro let his eyes drift towards the ceiling. "That's good." He mumbled, allowing his eyes to slowly close.
"I..realized how hypocritical it was for me to tell you that you were doing your best when I was barely putting in any effort." Adam said warily, "Sorry for punching you in the face."
Fushigoro snorted quietly, "don't worry about it. Didn't hurt much anyway."
Adam's eyes narrowed at the boy laying down in front of him, "want me to try again?"
The only response he received was a soft breath, which Gojo took as a point to jump in. "Come on Adam, let's head back to campus. He's staying overnight here, and I need you for something." Gojo hopped out of his seat with a smile, sauntering out of the hospital room with Adam trailing close behind.
Gojo pushed Adam into his dorm room with a modicum of force, quickly pointing one finger upwards in order to erect a veil across the space. "Adam, I brought you here for two things." Said white haired boy was currently exploring his teacher's space, not so subtly eyeing the box of sweets lying next to his couch.
The boy's teacher snapped his fingers, regaining his pupil's attention immediately. "You can grab something while we talk." He said joyfully, leading the boy over to the box and grabbing out a candy bar for himself. Adam grabbed a packet of sweets and emptied a portion of them into his hand while taking a seat. "First off, because of your situation you were kind of considered an auxiliary student here, someone extra we hadn't planned for and didn't know the fate of; we didn't really know if your family was going to suddenly pull you out of here and drag you back there, so we decided to sit on our hands when it came to things like this." The man reached behind his back and pulled out a plastic wrapped outfit. "Now that it's been a few months, I can officially welcome you to Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, or Tokyo Jujutsu High, as most people call it. This is a customized uniform I had ordered for you." Gojo threw the package into Adam's waiting hands, allowing him to open it while he talked. "I went with your usual outfit as a basis, so unlike Megumi's uniform, you have a navy shirt and slacks while also having a coat over the top of it where your pins are located. If it's a bit hot outside, just make sure you attach the pins to your shirt; yes, you have to wear them, no, I don't like it either." Gojo finished his long introduction with a clap, offering Adam his bathroom to change while he grabbed another snack.
When the boy returned, it was with an air of freshness and satisfaction. He picked up the remaining candy from his packet and dropped them into his mouth with a smile, glancing at his teacher with purpose. Gojo smirked, offering the boy a thumbs up. "Looks good." The boy's smile grew in response as he threw his previous clothes on the couch and stretched.
His coat ran down to his knees, its insides containing several pockets for different things while the outside held no design except for the gold colored pin on the collar. Adam's shirt matched Fushigoro's in color, but acted more as a compression shirt rather than a bulky jumper like the ten shadows user wore; their pants shared the exact same design however, reaching half way to his shins before transitioning into his high cut socks and black boots. "Now the only thing I need is a haircut." The boy's fingers played around with one of the stray bangs that had gotten too long. His previous one was done by one of the butlers for the Revine family in preparation for his departure, which meant he'd have to find a new barber.
"Right, you can do that after we get past the main point of our secret meeting here." Gojo clapped his hands to gain his student's attention once again. "I'm holding you back." An alarmed look snapped onto Adam's face before Gojo continued. "Currently, you are ranked as a grade 3 sorcerer, which is a good thing for you."
Adam mulled over the man's words for several seconds before snapping his fingers, "so I can get low ranked missions to level up with after I prestige, right?"
Gojo raised one of his hands, tilting it from side to side slowly, "not really, but that is a good reason. In reality, I'm holding you back because I don't want you involved with the higher ups. Right now, we have no idea what the limits of your cursed technique are, and they will definitely want to capitalize on that."
"What's wrong with that?" Adam asked, snatching a lollipop from his teacher's snack box while the man answered.
"They're annoying, and manipulative. Basically, I don't want any of my students to get involved with them if they can help it; I wanted to do this with Megumi too, but the Zenin family pushed for him to be graded high early as a show of power. Okkotsu has had a few run-ins with them, but I trust his strength enough that he can save himself if necessary. On the other hand, they can play to your weaknesses and make you one of their dogs, like the principal is." Gojo explained, a melancholic look spreading across his face when the principal was mentioned. "My goal is to reform the system and create sorcerers equal to myself; eventually breaking away from the executives control is a large part of that. The plan started when Hakari first entered this school, and it's continued on since then; every year, I've been able to make more free thinking sorcerers who hold true to themselves over old fashioned laws like the higher ups favor. I guess I kind of went on a bit of a spiel there." Gojo chuckled quietly before noticing his student's confused expression. "Is something wrong?"
The man's worries were washed away when Adam shook his head and answered, "not at all. I was just kind of surprised. What I'm hearing is that they need to consider me weak so I can continue to grow under the radar and out of their control so I can form my own opinions. That's what you're saying, right?" Gojo quickly nodded with a grin. "I can get behind that, definitely." Adam seemed to notice something as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a letter. "From what you said, it seems like relations are strained between you and the higher ups; so do you know about this?" He'd only received it a day prior, so it was possible his teacher hadn't received a notice.
"No? Who's it from?" Gojo was handed the item, and he politely opened it before unfurling the page within. "Ah, your family…guess that means you'll have to take your wife's name, huh?" A cheesy smile was on the man's face, serving as evidence that he hadn't read the reason for why his student was stripped of his family name yet. The grin slipped off of his face as his eyes met the middle of the page, only to return at full force when he reached the end. Snickers escaped his mouth that eventually turned into full blown laughter as he gripped the letter tightly in his hands, "This is crazy! The Spear of Longinus, the Christian church's prized cursed tool, and now this! Oh man, it's just too good!" Gojo doubled over with laughter at the news. "At this point, you're just robbing them blind!"
Contrary to popular belief, Tengen's barrier didn't block every bit of cursed energy coming from Japan. There were still residuals of it plaguing the world in every country; and where there was cursed energy, there were sorcerers.
During the Medieval era in Europe, specifically around the time of the crusades, negative emotions were more prominent than positive ones. People starved, killed, and stole just to live, leading to the creation of one of the most dangerous curses in existence. It was also during this time that people flocked to religion, resulting in the churches gaining immense power across the entire European continent.
The amount of people collecting within churches, and the amount of negative emotions swirling around the land led to the formation of Europe's own jujutsu sorcery, magic. Priests specifically made great use of the energy source, carving the hopes of the people surrounding them into tools and weapons that would be used for war.
As cursed tools were used in wars against other settlements, the leaders of those factions, specifically the Sultan of Egypt, sought to make use of that power themselves; for that though, they'd need an example. In order to gain such a thing, they called upon someone who was an expert in the act of thieving.
Eustace Busket, a pirate so adept in his craft he was considered a sorcerer himself without the use of cursed energy, was requested to steal 12 precious artifacts from the Christian church. Not 3 days later, Eustace washed up on shore without a boat nor with men, carrying only a single bundle of fabric tied haphazardly to his back.
The pirate presented his spoils upon returning to Jerusalem, revealing he'd been attacked during transit and lost the other 11 weapons to the sea, and was promptly executed for both his crimes of piracy and his failure in retrieving the church's twelve strongest cursed tools. This still left the Sultan with one weapon though, the late King Arthur's Excalibur. Having only died 60 years prior, the King's 'blessed' weapon had not had enough time to build up energy. As he lacked the ability to perceive cursed energy himself, the Sultan placed the sword in his vault without care, deciding to instead focus his efforts on the battles rather than new technology.
After the end of the 5th crusade, nearly 200 years later, the special grade cursed tool Excalibur was stolen by Gilles de Rais as a last resort for the French to achieve victory in their 100 year war against England. It was immediately captured by an Italian pirate while Gilles' forces crossed the mediterranean sea.
Excalibur crossed almost every inch of the Earth over the ages, shifting from owner to owner like a bad omen made of 24 karat gold. The curse was eventually broken during the 19th century when it fell into the hands of Peter Wright, an English blacksmith, who gave it to his fiance's family as a show of good will, not knowing the power dwelling within its steel.
During the wedding ceremony, the weapon was recognised by the officiating priest. The family was ordered to return the relic to the Royal family, they did so, but the sword always seemed to make its way back to them. On the front of their workshop porch, in their pantry, like a ghost, the weapon seemed to be haunting them.
As they were the owners of a precious British relic, the family was raised into noble status almost immediately after the sword escaped for its 34th time. With King Arthur's existence still considered a myth by many, nobody batted an eye at the Pendragon family's odd treasure and name, writing them off as fanatics or devout patriots.
The weapon was handed from patriarch and matriarch alike, eventually ending up in the hands of one Emilia Pendragon. Born on the 28th of November 1986, she grew up sheltered and quiet, unlike her two younger siblings, Mia and George.
After the death of her parents in 2001, Emilia blossomed into a beautiful and confident leader with a fabled relic by her side. She gained honor and respect everywhere she went, either through her actions or her words, and eventually received the opportunity to settle down and retire from her position at the young age of 26.
Things fell apart from there. At 27, her younger sister took up the role of the head of house, only to fail miserably; Emilia came out of her cozy retirement to try and fix things, only to find her sister had offered her as a marriage piece to the Revine family in an attempt to salvage their lavish life. It was during this time that copies of the sacred weapon were created after Emilia provided the weapon for testing. Each of these clones barely manage to hold a candle to the potential of the real thing. 60 in total, each labeled under one name 'Caliburn'.
Even after that, Mia still forced Emilia to pick up the pieces, leaving all of the responsibilities of the Pendragon family to her older sister while she explored the world. Emilia picked up smoking to cope with the stress her husband, Raymond, put her under. That vice had to be abandoned when she became pregnant, and even after her son's birth she was diagnosed with lung cancer and forced into a hospital.
For the last 15 years of her life, she clung onto hope that she would one day recover. Stage 1 turned to stage 2 and her hope dwindled. Stage 2 turned to stage 3 when she heard of her son's 'condition'. Stage 4 lung cancer killed her on mother's day of 2018. With her siblings on their trip around the world, and her husband having no claim to anything, Emilia's belongings were left to one person.
"I guess this means you won't have to take on your girlfriend's name." Gojo amended. "Once this blade is in your hands, you'll officially be head of the Pendragon family." He handed the letter back with a flick, allowing Adam to return it to its place in his jacket. "From what I know about it though, I wouldn't be surprised if it managed to make its way here before the delivery date."
"I get that it's special because of its grade like my spear, but what makes it so… special?" Adam asked, grabbing another snack from his teacher's tub.
"Well, I don't know much about its technique, but it's probably something strong based off of the legend surrounding it. Most 'mythical' weapons like this often take on perks or abilities based off of legends, whether during their creation or afterwards, in the case of Excalibur." Seeing his student's confused face, Gojo elaborated. "King Arthur really did exist, but his sword was nothing special unlike what the legends make it out to be. Based on what I know of forging cursed tools, they take on techniques that the smith believes they should; since cursed energy is created through emotions, it makes sense they'd have a large effect on the end product of whatever you're creating." The man shrugged slightly, "it's whatever though, not like it's coming around for another month at least."
"Right…" Adam nodded, "not for another month…"
2k words of abrupt worldbuilding later, and we get some hints at future improvements to Adam's arsenal!
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