Cursed Technique "Time Flash"

Time Flash cost 350 Points. Just hearing the name, Lin Ran felt that it was extremely reliable. Perhaps it would be a great way to attack or escape with his life.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the cursed technique Time Flash]

After claiming it, memories of Time Flash appeared in both Lin Ran's body and mind. The next moment, he remained standing where he was, yet his body had already appeared on the grass five meters away.

Just like that, without any warning, he had teleported over there.

"Ha, that's so cool!" Lin Ran burst into laughter. But before he could laugh for long, he realized that the simple teleportation just now had consumed a great deal of his cursed energy.

The consumption was even more terrifying than using Cursed Energy Armor, nearly three times as much.

Still, the effect was indeed excellent. Lin Ran knew that Time Flash was surely capable of far more than this. Once he activated Cursed Energy Output, he could directly Time Flash to anywhere within his sensory range. It was incredibly precise.

While Cursed Energy Output was active, the consumption of Time Flash was halved. However, Cursed Energy Output also consumed cursed energy. All things considered, using Cursed Energy Output together with Time Flash consumed three times as much as Cursed Energy Armor.

That was much better than using Time Flash alone.

Lin Ran did not dare claim that he possessed the strength of a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer now. After all, there was still quite a gap between them. But he was at least quasi-Grade 1.

After all, becoming a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer was not simply a matter of being strong enough. One had to possess knowledge, master many methods of application, and have awareness in every respect to be considered Special Grade.

Although Lin Ran was indeed far stronger than when he had first arrived, he knew he was still far from enough. This was not a world for the kind-hearted. Enemies lurking in the dark would come for your life the moment they made their move.

That was why they would use every method and every trick at their disposal. What Lin Ran needed was to learn knowledge and train himself. Understanding this world was what mattered most.

Satoru Gojo was so strong, yet he did not go around killing cursed spirits everywhere. With his strength and speed, wouldn't killing seven or eight Grade 1 cursed spirits—or even Special Grade cursed spirits—a day be as easy as playing around?

Yet he did not do that. Satoru Gojo was still very steady. It had nothing to do with age. He looked young and handsome, but his age was what it was. He possessed the vast knowledge and experience that Lin Ran and the others admired. That was the most valuable thing of all.

The more a strong person understood, the more respect and awe they held. Being powerful did not mean one could do whatever they pleased. Who could guarantee that Satoru Gojo was truly "invincible" in this world?

The word "invincible" was something Satoru Gojo had given himself, but it was also acknowledged by everyone. Yet the world was so vast. Even in Japan alone, Satoru Gojo was not confident enough to say that he was truly "invincible," let alone across the entire world.

How many people were there in the world? How many jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits? Though there were very few people in this profession, the global number would not be small. There had to be many powerful jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits hidden among them.

Lin Ran could only say that he was capable of protecting himself now. Yes, this time, he truly could protect himself. He was no longer saying "I can protect myself" without enough confidence behind it.

The day passed quickly. Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki had yet to return, and Teacher Gojo had likewise vanished off to who knew where.

Lin Ran could only cook dinner for himself, then go to bed early. After all, he was still a patient.

Although a jujutsu sorcerer specializing in treatment had treated him, flesh wounds still needed time to heal.

The night passed without incident. It was very quiet around him, and Lin Ran slept comfortably, seemingly not worried about Yuji Itadori at all.

By the time he opened his eyes, the sun was already up. Lin Ran got out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, then went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

After tidying himself up, Lin Ran opened the door and walked out, only to see Fushiguro Megumi approaching him.

"You're back?" Lin Ran could clearly sense that Fushiguro Megumi was in low spirits, even though he did not show it.

"Yeah. Are you all right?" Fushiguro Megumi nodded. He could see some injuries on Lin Ran's face, but there did not seem to be any problem with the rest of his body.

Lin Ran was clothed, so it was normal that the bandages wrapped beneath his clothes could not be seen. "I'm fine. Is Nobara back?"

"She's in her room. I need to sleep. We'll talk after I wake up." Fushiguro Megumi spoke indifferently, but the image of Yuji Itadori lying on the ground still surfaced in his mind. He pushed open his door and walked inside.

Lin Ran did not know what to say either. If Yuji Itadori had truly died, he would definitely have been very sad. But Ryomen Sukuna would not let him die—at least, not yet.

So there was no need for him to act overly grief-stricken. It was enough for him to understand it in his heart.

As he passed Nobara Kugisaki's room, a voice came from inside. "Lin Ran, did you know Itadori isn't coming back?"

Lin Ran stopped. The door opened, revealing Nobara Kugisaki's somewhat haggard face.

"I knew." Lin Ran nodded.

"Fushiguro told you?" Nobara Kugisaki had assumed Fushiguro Megumi would not say anything.

"No. No one told me."

"Then how did you know? Were you at the scene that day too?"

"No. Even if no one told me, I could tell. Both of you are in low spirits, and Itadori hasn't returned either. That's enough to explain everything." Lin Ran sighed. "I'm not a cold-hearted person."

"Then why... You clearly still had strength left. Why didn't you go help them?" Only after saying it did Nobara Kugisaki realize that she had gone too far. Did she understand Lin Ran? Did she know what his situation had been at the time? Did she know whether he had any strength left?

Lin Ran looked calmly at Nobara Kugisaki and said firmly, "Don't worry. From now on, if any one of you gets into danger, I'll protect you. I'll make sure you die 'properly.'"

To Lin Ran, a proper death meant dying naturally of old age, rather than dying in an accident or being cursed to death by a cursed spirit.

"I'll go make breakfast for you guys. You can't go around on an empty stomach." Lin Ran waved his hand and strode away with ease.

Nobara Kugisaki watched his retreating back. She felt as though Lin Ran was different from yesterday, yet she could not say exactly what had changed.

Breakfast naturally had to be healthy and light. There were no soybeans at the school, so he could not make soy milk, but he could still prepare a basic breakfast.

Only Nobara Kugisaki came to eat. No matter how they called for Fushiguro Megumi, he would not come out.

"He said he wanted some time alone, so we should leave him be." Nobara Kugisaki knew that Fushiguro Megumi was hurting. After all, Yuji Itadori had died right in front of him.

"Hurry up and eat. It tastes best while it's hot. Once we're done, everyone should get a good few days of rest. I don't think we'll be assigned any missions these next few days. When you're feeling better, I'll take you out to have some fun." Lin Ran reached out, took a meat bun from the table, and began eating it.

He had made the meat buns himself. Since there were not many people eating, they had been fairly quick to make.

"Oh, please. What can you even do for fun with the little money you have?" Nobara Kugisaki did not want to remain immersed in the news of Yuji's death either. She tried her best to seem happier. Though she had not known Yuji Itadori for long, they had gone through life and death together.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just eat." Lin Ran smiled faintly. Next, he needed to go out and make money. Staying at this school every day would not make money fall into his pocket.