Train Your Eyes Before Training Your Martial Arts

By the time the two entered the outskirts of the back mountain, it was already nine in the morning. By all rights, the sun should have been at its brightest, yet a faint chill that unsettled the mind permeated Jujutsu High's back mountain.

Perhaps it was due to natural conditions, or perhaps because this was a node where cursed energy from the surrounding area converged.

The trees grew with unusual vigor, blocking out the warm sunlight. Even the shadows they cast carried an eerie, sinister atmosphere.

In such an environment, Toho Tetsu and Mei Mei walked one behind the other.

His gaze occasionally swept across both sides, but he was not looking at the trees. He was watching the things moving within the shadows.

"The back mountain is a training area specifically designated by Jujutsu High. The outskirts are sealed off by barriers, and the interior is cleared regularly, so Grade 1 and Special Grade Curses cannot emerge here. The rest are targets for students to practice on."

Noticing his gaze, Mei Mei explained.

"Those things you see are remnants condensed from cursed energy. They have no physical form and no offensive ability. They can't even truly be called Curses."

Before long, she stopped and looked toward the branch of a large tree not far ahead.

"Do you see it? Our first target."

A Curse with insect wings, a twisted and bizarre head, and a body no larger than a fist was perched there.

Toho Tetsu recognized it.

"A Fly Head Curse."

"That's right. They are the lowest rung among Curses, not even assigned a grade. They can barely pose any threat to humans, but that does not mean they can be ignored. Do you know why?"

Sensing that Mei Mei was testing him, he answered without hesitation.

"First, they can be used to determine whether ordinary people can see Curses. Second, if someone finds a way to control large numbers of them, they could potentially obscure vision and interfere with a Sorcerer's perception."

Mei Mei nodded.

"Correct. As the saying goes, grains of sand can build a tower. Fly Head Curses generally appear in swarms. While each individual possesses very little cursed energy, when gathered together, they are enough to interfere with a Sorcerer's judgment."

Of course, Toho Tetsu knew that. In the original story, Toji Fushiguro had used the large number of Fly Head Curses released by the Inventory Curse to disrupt Gojo Satoru's judgment, then pierced his throat in one strike and followed up with a combo that left him on the brink of death.

As he thought that, he rested a hand on Fudōmaru.

"So, should we get rid of it?"

"Of course not. It is not our training target. It is only a lone individual, so it has little practical value. What we are looking for is a Grade 4 Curse."

Mei Mei shook her head and led him onward.

As they passed the Fly Head Curse, Toho Tetsu glanced at it. It seemed to sense the slight amount of cursed energy leaking from his body and immediately took flight in a panic.

After they continued deeper into the forest for some distance, a suitable teaching target finally appeared.

A Curse whose body seemed to be made of withered, decaying wood, resembling a slime about half a person's height, was slowly wriggling across an open patch of ground.

Upon hearing their footsteps, it immediately turned its strange head-like organ toward them and slowly slithered over.

Neither of them paid much attention to its approach. Its movements were sluggish, and it seemed capable only of instinctive wriggling. It could basically be identified as a Grade 4 Curse.

The limit of what a Grade 4 Curse could do was make people uncomfortable or cause pain through its attacks.

An ordinary person with a wooden stick might even be able to drive one off. To Sorcerers, they posed even less of a threat. Even freshmen who had just enrolled could deal with one casually.

But that was not what Mei Mei intended to teach him.

"Utahime told me that your cursed energy control has already reached the preliminary standard. So now, we will begin formal instruction.

"The first step is to reinforce your body with the smallest possible amount of cursed energy, forming a thin layer of cursed energy over your body solely for defense."

Toho Tetsu did not ask further questions and simply followed her instructions. Very quickly, a layer of pale blue cursed energy covered his body. Looking at that nearly imperceptible yet remarkably stable layer of cursed energy, Mei Mei nodded.

"When facing low-grade Curses, learning to control your cursed energy output is very important. Using too much is undoubtedly wasteful, while using too little may fail to provide any defensive effect."

After saying that, she looked at the Curse slowly crawling toward them.

"Compared to defense, dodging and evasion are more important. Some Curse attacks may conceal hidden dangers, and even cursed energy defenses may not be very effective against them.

"So what you need to do next is predict and evade the Curse's attacks."

Toho Tetsu took the initiative and approached it.

When the Curse sensed him drawing near, branch-like limbs resembling tentacles slowly wriggled out from inside its body and stretched toward him at a leisurely pace.

Looking at such an attack, he could not help doubting whether this target was even worth practicing against.

But the next second, the tentacle suddenly accelerated.

Perhaps his rapid progress over the past few days had made him somewhat complacent. He had forgotten the urgency of his first battle at the subway station. Though he dodged at the very limit, the attack still barely brushed his clothes.

Thanks to his cursed energy defense, the attack caused no harm at all, but he was still surprised.

This Curse... could actually vary the speed of its attacks?

"Many low-grade Curses act almost entirely on instinct, so they may often make unpredictable movements. That is the first lesson you need to learn: never let your guard down, no matter what kind of opponent you face."

Listening to Mei Mei's cool, elegant voice, he took a deep breath and looked at the Curse again.

With the experience from the first exchange, the opponent was no longer able to touch him. Seeing that he had grasped the basics of prediction and movement planning, Mei Mei gave her next instruction.

"Most Curses have a point within their bodies where cursed energy is highly concentrated. Put simply, you could call it a core.

"Our eyes often deceive our judgment, but perception does not. Find its core, then reinforce your fist with the least amount of cursed energy necessary and destroy it."

After what had just happened, Toho Tetsu no longer allowed himself to be distracted or overthink. He immediately released cursed energy and began sensing the core of the Curse before him.

Very quickly, a point of light appeared in the middle of its body.

Once he located the core, he did not hesitate. He merely increased the cursed energy around his fist slightly, then struck the core with precision and speed.

With an explosive crack from the cursed energy impact, the Curse's body stiffened slightly before slowly dissipating in midair, turning into lingering mist that merged into the forest along the outskirts of Jujutsu High.

Seeing that clean, decisive strike, Mei Mei gave her approval.

"Well done. But a Grade 4 Curse is only a warm-up. The real training target for today comes next."

As she spoke, she walked forward. Before long, the two stopped behind another cluster of bushes.

"Sense it. What is ahead?"

Toho Tetsu closed his eyes and expanded his cursed energy as he had when sensing the Curse's core, probing a small area of the forest ahead.

Since Utahime had trained him in this before, it did not take much effort for him to discover a cursed energy presence ahead that was similar to the previous Curse's, but far denser and more solid.

"There is a Curse presence, but it is much stronger than the last one. It should be Grade 3."

"How did you judge that?"

"Unlike the previous Curse, which wandered around unconsciously, its movement path and steps are patterned. That means it has developed preliminary awareness and thought, which is a prominent trait of Grade 3 Curses."

After hearing his analysis, Mei Mei nodded.

"Very good. Now use the knowledge I taught you earlier to deal with it.

"Remember, there is also a gap in physical ability and combat strength between Grade 4 and Grade 3 Curses. You decide for yourself how much cursed energy reinforcement to use."

Toho Tetsu adjusted his breathing, then parted the bushes and walked forward.

Behind the bushes was a Curse resembling a rotten wild dog. Unlike a real wild dog, its body was several times larger, and the aura it gave off was far more dangerous.

It seemed to have heard his footsteps. Its scarlet eyes stared at him as it uneasily scraped at the ground with its claws, baring sharp canine teeth.

The attack methods of low-grade Curses were generally related to their appearance. A Curse with abnormally thick arms would usually attack with its hands, while a Curse with especially sharp nails would attack with its fingertips.

Though this was not one hundred percent accurate, one could always make preliminary judgments based on appearance and respond accordingly.

For example, the basic methods of attack for this wild dog-like Curse should be biting and pouncing.

As he reviewed the judgment techniques Mei Mei had taught him, he drew Fudōmaru and slowly stepped forward.

The wild dog Curse seemed to sense danger and immediately opened its mouth in a roar. At the same time, its hind legs tensed with force, as though it were gathering strength.

The core inside its body had already appeared in Toho Tetsu's sight. Strangely, it was not located in its heart, but in its throat.

When he came within five meters, the Curse finally could not endure any longer. With a howl, it sprang from the ground and pounced.

Facing the pounce, he did not rush to attack. He merely turned aside to evade it, observing how the Curse reacted after missing.

Only after confirming its attack habits and direction did he let out a long breath. He slowly infused cursed energy into Fudōmaru. When the Curse launched another pounce, he shifted his body to the left, and a brilliant cold flash bloomed from his hand.

Accompanied by the sound of something hard being sliced apart, the Curse that had just pounced had already fallen behind him.

Its body, severed at the throat, began to crack apart and dissipate like the earlier Grade 4 Curse amid a series of faint brittle sounds.

Clean. Decisive. A single fatal strike.

Watching his performance, a certain thought in Mei Mei's heart became increasingly firm, but she merely stepped forward.

"Well done. You have already mastered both judging a Curse's attack methods and controlling the degree of cursed energy reinforcement. Next, we will use extensive real combat to make up for your lack of experience. Are you ready?"

Toho Tetsu sheathed Fudōmaru, his gaze remaining calm.

"I'm ready."

After looking deeply at him, Mei Mei's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. Then she turned and led him deeper into the mountains.