The Man in the Multiverse, Transformed into Fu Hua at the Start Chapter 45

He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes greedily fixed on the figure before him.

How fascinating, how rare, how desirable—such a unique technique was absolutely intriguing... but unfortunately, he could only watch and not touch.

Though he possessed an extraordinary understanding and knowledge of techniques, that didn't mean his own strength could match the peak of the jujutsu world. In fact, even this seemingly fragile Heavenly Curse Spirit before him—let alone capturing it—would require an immense cost on his part just to barely subdue it.

And that was assuming Cursed Spirit Manipulation had a 'kill line' against cursed spirits.

Looking at the so-called 'Heavenly Curse Spirit' not far away, Geto observed while continuing to speak to Jogo: "It seems our alliance can't proceed. After all, before long, cursed spirits will be walking the path of coexistence with humans."

"Absolutely impossible!"

Jogo's teeth clenched tighter.

"That said, we can't resist her."

Geto smiled helplessly.

"If she were to face Ryomen Sukuna, who would win?"

Jogo asked abruptly.

The smile on Geto's face widened slightly, his voice growing low and deep: "She is indeed strong—arguably the strongest cursed spirit of the modern era. Even Sukuna, facing her, would likely find it extremely difficult."

"Would Sukuna lose?"

Jogo's eyes fixed on Geto.

"He would win."

Chapter 31: Training.

Amber, who had been waiting for Nanami and Mahito to appear, spent a week aimlessly getting through things with everyone.

During that week, the three second-year seniors returned one after another. Everyone got to know each other and grew familiar. Amber's presence gave the trio a sense of déjà vu, as if they were back a year ago facing Yuta Okkotsu—the same gentle, shy personality, the same special-grade treatment upon enrollment, the same terrifying cursed spirit they couldn't afford to provoke.

But Amber was both their junior and an adorable girl, so everyone treated her far more gently than they had Yuta Okkotsu.

Unfortunately, no matter how gentle they were, they wouldn't slack off on Amber's training.

Once again knocking the sickle from the girl's hand, Maki kicked Amber aside, signaling the end of practice.

"Amazing... Maki-senpai..."

Though Amber had been kicked and sent flying several meters due to the force, she showed no sign of injury, only admiration on her face: "Shier felt like she was improving, but she still can't beat senpai."

"Huh? That's only natural. Since you're forbidden from using cursed energy to strengthen yourself, I naturally have the advantage in our sparring."

Maki wore a confident smile: "It's because of my special constitution."

That said, she was already starting to sweat.

Every living being in this world possesses cursed energy, with varying amounts. But Maki, as a human, had even less cursed energy than an animal. The reason lay in her 'Heavenly Restriction.'

Heavenly Restriction differs from ordinary 'Binding Vows.' It cannot be self-imposed but is forcibly applied to the body from birth.

The conditions sacrificed and the power gained through Heavenly Restriction vary from person to person. There are two opposing categories: "exchanging physical conditions for cursed energy" and "exchanging cursed energy for physical strength."

Maki was supposed to have exchanged all her cursed energy for a powerful body.

...That should have been the case.

In the jujutsu world, twins are considered extremely inauspicious. Not only because they share an unbreakable connection in the unseen, but also because they 'split' cursed energy between them. Maki, who should have had no cursed energy, gained a faint amount due to being a twin, while her twin sister Mai, who should have been an ordinary person, ended up with low cursed energy as a result.

Unable to fully release her cursed energy, Maki's physical talent was also suppressed. Mai, crippled by the split cursed energy, became what the world saw as a 'defective product.'

But even so.

Even relying solely on her physical abilities, Maki knew she could casually exorcise Grade 2 Cursed Spirits. Against Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, it would take some effort, but she could still win.

After all, she could match a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer with just her physical strength and martial arts! Yet now, she was being pushed to use underhanded tactics by a junior who had only trained for five days and wasn't even using cursed energy to enhance her body.

In a few more days, would she even have the leeway to teach her?

Of course, Maki didn't voice these thoughts. On the surface, she still forced that relaxed demeanor.

But Panda saw through her facade at a glance: "Impressive, Shier. You've only been enrolled for such a short time, and it's only been five days of physical training, yet you nearly pushed Maki to her limits."

"Hah? What are you butting in for? I still have plenty of moves I haven't used!"

Maki didn't want to be exposed in front of her cute junior, glaring irritably at Panda beside her.

That said, at this point, the remaining moves wouldn't be game-changers—just surprise tactics.

Panda still saved her some face: "Even so, Shier's growth is terrifying."

"It's because the seniors have been teaching me without holding back that Shier could learn so quickly."

Amber didn't overdo the modesty, lest she come off as humble-bragging. In truth, she was also surprised by her own progress. In her last world, Tai Xu Sword Qi had advanced rapidly, and she thought it was because of Fu Hua's body.

But adding this phenomenon... could she actually be a martial arts prodigy?

"I've been taught without holding back too, and I'm almost dead!"

Nobara, already lying on the ground playing dead, couldn't help but speak up: "Panda-senpai is way too harsh."

"Suffering a bit during training is worth it. At least it's better than dying when you encounter danger."

Panda scratched his furry head.

"That's what you say, but it's not what I wanted to hear..."

Nobara wasn't comforted at all—after all, who didn't already understand that logic?

"Then... how about we hit up a cake shop later? Shier exorcised a first-grade cursed spirit yesterday and got a nice paycheck."

Amber walked over to Nobara, knelt down on the grass, and shielded her from the sun while reaching out to place a hand on Nobara's head. A cool sensation quickly spread through her body, and the muscles that had died from training rapidly regenerated, stronger than before, instantly reviving the exhausted Nobara.

"Ahhh! Without Shier-chan, watashi!"

Feeling completely refreshed, and with the girl clearly offering to treat her, Nobara flipped over and sprawled across Amber's lap, shouting and rubbing her head against her.

"Don't make such a pathetic move on your underclassman."

Maki commented dryly: "Even though they're the same grade, Shier's still a middle schooler, right?"

"Must be nice... I wish I could wear clothes other than this uniform like Shier does!"

Nobara didn't care about any of that; she just wanted to snuggle with her goddess and vent about how ugly and outdated the uniform was.

"You still have to wear the uniform—it counts as a defensive cursed tool... Even if it can't block cursed spirits, it works like a stab vest. If you don't like the style, just modify it yourself."

Maki didn't really care about looks.

Nobara knew the uniform had some defensive function, but that was about it. Against cursed spirits, that little bit of protection was practically useless.

Still, as much as she mocked Yuji for being uncool, she knew she was still a novice when it came to fashion sense. Letting herself modify it would be worse than leaving it alone.

She glanced again at Amber's well-fitted, stylish clothes and sighed: "Forget it, I'll just think about what cake to eat later."

"Let's call Yuji-senpai and Megumi-senpai too."

Amber couldn't help but rub Nobara's head, still resting on her lap, then looked at Maki: "Are Maki-senpai and the others coming too?"

"No, I'm going to keep training with Panda for a while."

Maki shook her head.

Panda awkwardly pointed at himself: "Uh... I kind of wanted to go..."

"You can't even eat, so what's the point?"

Maki said, exasperated: "Besides, you can't just show up in public looking like that."

"At least I could bond a little..."

Panda scratched his head again but didn't argue.

"Go on without us. Inumaki and those two went to buy drinks and haven't come back yet—they're probably resting over there."

Maki tossed out the words and turned away without looking at them again.

Chapter 32: The Exchange Event.

It was a day off, so leaving the school grounds wasn't a problem for anyone. Besides, they'd already trained all morning, so it wasn't like they were slacking off. And for this year's exchange event, Amber, as an exchange student, wasn't eligible to participate, so Maki and Panda had no objections.

But if it was cake, they'd have to make up for those calories with double the training later.

Unaware that her senior was already planning to add extra drills, Amber and Nobara chatted and laughed as they headed to the only place on campus with a vending machine.

"Shier-chan's here too? Good work."

Seeing Amber and Nobara appear, Yuji, who had been sitting in the shade, greeted them and stood up, holding a can of cola: "Shier-chan, want something to drink? My treat."

"Pretending you can't see me?"

Nobara's face suddenly turned cold.

"Ah, no..."

Yuji quickly added: "Kugisaki, what do you want?"

"No need! A dumb guy like you doesn't deserve to spend money on me or Shier-chan."

Nobara scowled, walked past him, and stood in front of the vending machine: "Shier-chan, I'll treat you."

"Um... I'll have..."

Faced with such kindness, Amber naturally didn't refuse—accepting someone's goodwill was also a way of showing her own.

But before she could say anything, a can dropped beside them. Fushiguro pulled out a sports drink and handed it to Amber with a flat expression: "Here."

"Thanks."

Amber took the drink: "How did Megumi-senpai know I wanted this?"

"Besides water, that's the only drink you've had these past few days."

Fushiguro Megumi wore a deadpan look that said, 'How could I not know?'

Nobara popped up beside him, staring with an exaggerated expression: "Didn't I say I'd treat her?"

"Anyone can do that..."

Fushiguro, not great at handling someone getting in his face, said helplessly.

"Then I'll treat Shier-chan to tonight's late-night snack?"

Yuji popped up again.

"See, I told you, we don't need a guy like you around!"

Nobara didn't actually have much savings—she was probably the poorest of the group—but treating someone to a meal and a bottle of water was no problem.

Watching the two of them bicker, with Fushiguro Megumi caught in the crossfire, Amber felt a twinge of nostalgia for her school days. In her past life, she'd only made it through elementary school, so she'd never truly experienced what people called "youth"—hanging out with friends, teasing each other, and just having fun. At least now she had a chance to live that.

Even if no one ever bickered with her.

As a precious healer with a likable personality and formidable combat strength, the three of them had already come to treat this junior like a little sister. Kugisaki, who had siblings of her own, especially knew how to get along with a sister.

And this girl with her unique ability wasn't just an ordinary healer—she could even help everyone with their training.

Reverse Cursed Technique couldn't be used for training, because muscle-building came with all sorts of side effects: lactic acid buildup, muscle damage, fasciitis. If you used Reverse Cursed Technique, it would repair those issues, but it also meant all your hard work was for nothing.

But the technique the girl called Creation Withering was completely different. It didn't restore what was there—it created something new.

Though that also meant they'd been thrown into an even more brutal training hell.

But how could anyone blame their kind and adorable junior for that? It was clearly the second-year seniors who were the real demons!

"Speaking of which, where's Inumaki-senpai?"

Seeing the three of them still shouting, Amber asked curiously.

"When we were sparring just now, he ran out of throat lozenges, so he went back to restock," Yuji explained. "He probably left just before Shier-chan arrived."

"I see..."

Amber nodded in understanding, then asked, "Shier and Kugisaki-senpai were planning to go out for some sweets. Yuji-senpai and Fushiguro-senpai, want to come along?"

"We were actually thinking of taking a break too. We've been training nonstop for a while now. The body's fine, but the mind needs rest."