Ultimate Man [JJK X SOL]: Loading Golden Entries at The Start

"Little ungrateful girl, isn't your mother's cooking delicious?"

Sae smiled as she playfully scolded her daughter, though there was no real irritation in her voice.

"It's different!" Sagiri said with a pout, holding her mother's hand affectionately.

Despite being shy and a bit introverted, Sagiri wasn't the type to lock herself in her room all day like the stereotypical anime shut-in. After spending time with her, Ryuji found her to be a cute and smart girl.

"Don't worry, I'll bring more food tonight," Ryuji said, turning to Sayo with a grin.

"Well then, I'll leave it to you, Ryuji," Sae replied, lowering her head slightly, her cheeks flushed. She wasn't foolish, she knew Ryuji's reasons for coming by. It wasn't just about the food.

Still, Sae felt a bit conflicted. She wasn't exactly at an age where she could suppress certain feelings. If it weren't impractical, she wouldn't mind spending every day with Ryuji.

"It's settled, then!" Ryuji waved as he started walking away. "I'll head to school now. See you tonight!"

"Goodbye, Ryuji!" Sagiri waved happily, her face lit up with excitement.

As Ryuji headed toward school, the system's notification rang in his mind.

"Golden entry: Binding Technique!"

On his way, Ryuji decided to review the entries he had triggered last night from the Kamo sisters.

First was the golden entry from Mimiko.

"Binding Technique, huh? Lately, the rate of techniques appearing has been pretty high."

The Binding Technique was the technique Mimiko was born with. It involved using a rope to hang a doll by its neck—typically a sunny doll, though other objects worked as well. The curse inflicted upon the doll would be reflected back on the target it represented.

It was similar to stabbing a voodoo doll.

However, the curse could backfire if the target was significantly stronger than the caster.

Nanako's technique operated similarly, though she used photographs instead of dolls. By taking a picture of her target, she could place a curse on them.

"Loading!"

While not particularly useful in direct combat, the Binding Technique could be handy in certain situations, like ambushes. It was a fun trick to have in his back pocket, so Ryuji didn't hesitate to load it.

Next, he checked the purple entry triggered from Nanako.

"Purple entry: Beauty!"

"Uh…"

Nanako's technique required taking pictures, and over time she had developed an almost supernatural ability to enhance photos. In essence, it was the power to Photoshop reality.

But for Ryuji, this ability didn't serve much of a purpose.

"Forget it, I'll break this one down."

No big loss. Besides, Nanako was someone close to him. Even if he didn't get something useful this time, there would be more opportunities in the future.

"[Talent entry system]

Host: Ryuji Hoshino

Bloodline: Human

Loaded entries: Soul Devouring [Red], Yin-Yang Eyes [Gold], Presence Concealment [Gold],Tranquility [Gold], Reverse Cursed Technique [Gold], Monster Attracting Physique [Gold], Third Dimension, Dreamwalker [Gold], Physical Strengthening [Gold], Cursed Speech [Gold], Shadow Manipulation [Gold], Malevolent Shrine [Gold], Blackbird Manipulation [Gold], Idle Transfiguration [Gold], Anti-Gravity System [Gold], Horizon of the Captivating Skandha [Gold], Binding Technique [Gold], Iron Fist [Purple], Combat Intuition [Purple].

Points: 80,120!"

Ryuji took a look at his growing list of abilities. It was starting to get packed.

Who knows? Maybe one day he'd have all gold-level skills filling every slot. Now that would be something.

Then again, Ryuji mused, not many people probably knew there were gold and red levels to these skills.

So far, the only red-level skill he had was Soul Devouring, which had been granted by the system itself. The unlimited, all-encompassing enhancement from that ability demonstrated just how overpowered a red-level entry was.

Ryuji suspected that triggering red entries on his own wasn't possible, those might only come from the system.

"Whatever, no point stressing over red entries. I'm doing fine with what I have."

Even without another red entry, the abilities he had now were more than enough to let him live freely, unconstrained by anything.

"Idle transfiguration will need proficiency," Ryuji reminded himself.

He had recently unlocked the "Idle Transfiguration" ability, which allowed him to alter souls. It would be useful if he ever needed to help someone become a sorcerer, but it wasn't something that could be done without sufficient practice.

He wasn't about to experiment recklessly on the people close to him.

"No need to rush," Ryuji thought. He had time to master it. When the moment came, altering someone's soul to give them sorcerer powers would be a simple task.

As Ryuji continued walking, he arrived at school. His thoughts were interrupted by several familiar voices calling out to him.

"Ryuji!"

"Hey, morning!"

"Good morning!"

Miura Yumiko and the others waved enthusiastically as they greeted Ryuji. Yumiko moved closer, pressing herself against him affectionately. Things had progressed between them, and now there was no need to hold back.

Yuigahama Yui, standing nearby, looked on with clear envy.

"Have you heard the rumors?" someone asked in a nearby group of students.

"My friend said he saw a terrifying monster on his way home from school yesterday!"

"Seriously?"

"I thought that was just a joke. My friend said the same thing!"

"It has to be fake, right? Monsters don't actually exist."

"Yeah, no way."

As expected, the first reaction from most students was disbelief. To ordinary people, monsters were nothing more than fictional characters from anime or novels.

But Ryuji knew better.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Looks like the curse world can't stay hidden anymore."

The fact that regular people were starting to see cursed spirits meant that things were spiraling out of control. It wasn't something that could be brushed under the rug anymore.

Erasing memories wouldn't be enough to cover this up.

"The world's going to be chaotic soon," Ryuji thought.

"It feels like the world's become so dangerous!" Yumiko commented, her voice filled with concern. She and the others knew the truth about the existence of cursed spirits. What had once felt like a normal, peaceful world now seemed filled with unseen threats.

Ordinary people had no defense against such monsters.

Hina suddenly chimed in, "You know, I've heard a lot of people at school have been taking time off lately. Some aren't feeling well, but some have just… vanished."

At first, everyone thought these disappearances were unrelated.

But now, with the presence of cursed spirits, it was obvious what had happened. Those people had probably become food for the spirits.

Ryuji crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "There really aren't enough sorcerers around to handle this," he muttered.

Noticing the worried expressions on the girls' faces, he smiled.

"But don't worry. I'm here."

The confidence in his voice made the girls relax a bit. With Ryuji around, it felt like there was nothing to fear.

As lunchtime approached, Ryuji didn't head to the usual spot at the service club. Instead, he entered his Third dimension.

"Finally digested everything… now I can enjoy another feast."

He felt good after having fully absorbed previous cursed spirits. The space around him was filled with thousands of cursed spirits still in a frenzied state.

"Roar!"

"Boom!"

The air was thick with the enraged cries of the cursed spirits.

These spirits had been going berserk since last night, fighting one another over something. It didn't take long for Ryuji to realize what it was.

"I see."

At the center of the chaos were the two fingers of Ryomen Sukuna that Ryuji had stored here earlier.

To cursed spirits, Sukuna's fingers were an irresistible lure, a source of immense power.

Without wasting any time, Ryuji temporarily moved the two fingers out of the space.

"Roar!"

The cursed spirits, realizing that their prize had disappeared, froze in confusion. Their fighting came to an abrupt halt as they finally noticed Ryuji standing among them.

They stared at him, their gazes filled with growing hostility.

Ryuji's grin widened.

"Let's have a proper feast, then."

"Soul Devouring!"

Countless chains shot out from behind Ryuji, wrapping around the cursed spirits and pulling them toward him.

It was a scene of utter horror. One man alone, devouring tens of thousands of cursed spirits.

Once it was over, nearly an hour had passed.

He had devoured all the cursed spirits in the space, thinking they'd last him two or three times. But in reality, they were gone in one sitting.

Every time he ate and digested these cursed spirits, his power increased. But that also meant he needed more to feel full the next time.

It was a strange feeling, but Ryuji didn't dwell on it too much. At least for now, he was satisfied.

"Forget it. I'll worry about it later."

Ryuji wasn't the type to stress over things he couldn't control. He would deal with future problems when they arose.

He put Sukuna's two fingers back into the space and left, stepping out of the dimension. There was still time left before lunch break ended, so he decided to head to the service club to spend some time with the girls.

---

Meanwhile, deep within Ryomen Sukuna's domain, the King of Curses let out a booming laugh.

"Ha! Hahahaha!"

Sukuna's voice echoed through his eerie domain, his four eyes gleaming with malice. He had sensed something, something that had been missing for a long time.

The faint presence of his fingers.

Though they had disappeared again, the fact that they had surfaced, even momentarily, was enough to make Sukuna smile.

"So, my fingers weren't destroyed. They're just hidden… But no matter. As long as they still exist, it's only a matter of time."

The King of Curses smirked.

Whether they were hidden or locked away didn't matter to him. Eventually, those fingers would come back to him. And when they did, the world would tremble.

His resurrection was inevitable.

***

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