Combat assessment

Seven days later.

Jujutsu High, underground multipurpose training grounds.

Boom!

At the center of the grounds, Rihito slammed a fist imbued with cursed energy into a cursed corpse charging toward him at high speed.

Alongside the powerful surge of cursed energy, his Zero Coffin technique took effect on the target.

"Rihito, you're incredible! You've only been here a few days, and you can already handle a cursed corpse at this level."

Glancing at the fallen cursed corpse, Itadori ran over and showered him with praise.

Fushiguro, meanwhile, focused on the thin layer of frost coating the cursed corpse's surface.

This wasn't his first time seeing the effects of Rihito's cursed technique, but for him to wield it so well in such a short time was an almost unbelievable rate of growth.

Has another monster joined Jujutsu High?

Rather than dwell on that question, Rihito brought up another.

"Itadori, I've been here for days now. Why haven't I seen Gojo-sensei at all?"

Itadori nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Gojo-sensei's always like that. Whenever you want to find him, he's nowhere to be seen. Who knows where he goes?"

Rihito nodded. "Then when will my entrance assessment start?"

Since Satoru Gojo had recommended Rihito, he was personally handling his entrance assessment.

Rihito had passed the first aptitude assessment with flying colors a few days earlier, but the second stage-the combat assessment-had been repeatedly delayed by Satoru Gojo's absence.

"Oh, right! You still have an entrance exam. I almost forgot." Itadori slapped his forehead as realization dawned on him.

Of the students here, everyone except Kugisaki-both Fushiguro and Itadori-had entered Jujutsu High through the "back door."

Rihito, who had no such "connections," naturally had to complete every assessment before he could officially enroll.

"When's Gojo-sensei coming back? We can't just keep putting this off..."

Itadori frowned, then suddenly grabbed Rihito's arm. "Come on, let's go! I'll take you to Principal Yaga. Maybe he can arrange it for you first!"

Beep, beep-

Just then, Rihito's phone began to vibrate.

He took it out, and his heart lifted at the messages flashing on the screen. "It's Gojo-sensei!"

Itadori immediately leaned over to look. Although Fushiguro was curious too, he turned his head away, pretending not to care.

[Rihito, did you think I'd forgotten about you? Haha, of course not.]

[Come over to my place now. Your combat exam is all set.]

"It's the combat assessment!" Rihito breathed a sigh of relief at the messages.

It's finally here. Once I pass the combat assessment, my plan to join Jujutsu High will be more than halfway complete.

"Then get going! Good luck!" Itadori called after Rihito as he walked away.

Fushiguro watched Itadori head off, his eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts.

In the distance, Rihito heard Itadori's shout but didn't turn around. He simply waved and quickened his steps.

Before long, Rihito arrived in Satoru Gojo's courtyard.

"Rihito, you're here!" Satoru Gojo waved in greeting.

"Gojo-sensei." Rihito hurried over, his voice slightly urgent. "What exactly will my combat assessment involve?"

"Don't rush. Before we start, I need to ask you something." Satoru Gojo was in no hurry to explain the assessment.

Rihito grew wary. "Go ahead, Gojo-sensei."

Seemingly satisfied with Rihito's attitude, Satoru Gojo spoke calmly. "Although this assessment is nominally just a test, I have to explain the dangers involved."

"Jujutsu sorcerers and ordinary people live in the same world, but they stand on opposite sides of it. One side is relatively safe. You can go to school, come home, and play with your classmates without a care in the world. But the other side..."

Satoru Gojo paused, his voice abruptly dropping:

"The other side lies in the world's shadows, where there are countless terrifying monsters. Every moment, those monsters are trying to escape and charge into the other side of the world. And a jujutsu sorcerer's job is to eliminate them!"

Rihito listened quietly. He already knew all of this inside out.

Nothing had made him feel this world's malice more keenly than Junpei's death. Even without Satoru Gojo's explanation, he understood it better than anyone.

"Gojo-sensei, I know all of that!" Rihito's voice was calm, as though he were discussing what he had eaten for breakfast.

Satoru Gojo said nothing, but a hint of surprise came through in his silence.

"Haha, sorry, sorry. I underestimated you, Rihito. Since you already understand everything, I'll spare you the rest."

"Let's begin the assessment!"

With that, Satoru Gojo handed Rihito a file.

"Your combat assessment will take place in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Last month, a group of urban explorers went inside, but not a single one came back out."

"Our investigation suggests a cursed spirit is hiding inside. But with so many cursed spirit incidents lately, we haven't had a chance to deal with it. Sorry for the trouble, Rihito, but I'll be leaving this one to you."

Rihito took the file and opened it to the first page, where an old newspaper had been glued in place.

The newspaper's edges had yellowed to an aged brown, and the long-dried glue had left uneven ridges across the paper.

The photograph showed an abandoned Showa-era building covered in vines and rust. Its shattered windows faced the camera like rows of dark, empty eye sockets.

"Stay safe, Rihito. Good luck with your mission!"

Only after Satoru Gojo disappeared from the courtyard did Rihito look up from the file in his hands.

This is something outside the original plot. Looks like this assessment might not go so smoothly.

Although he had expected this sort of assessment, he still felt a little surprised and weighed down.

When he had fought Mahito, forcibly deploying his domain in a life-or-death moment hadn't been his only advantage. There had been another crucial factor.

Foreknowledge!

His knowledge of the original plot meant Rihito knew Mahito's cursed technique, attack patterns, and even his domain inside out.

So while he couldn't exactly call that battle easy, he had known what he was dealing with and hadn't been caught helplessly on the back foot.

But this assessment was different.

Perhaps the cursed spirit lurking inside this psychiatric hospital wasn't as powerful as

Mahito, but the most frightening thing about it was the unknown.

An unknown enemy was the most terrifying kind.

And now Rihito had to enter that psychiatric hospital and completely exorcise this unknown cursed spirit!

There's no point overthinking it. If I don't even have faith in my own strength, how am I supposed to get stronger? How will I kill Mahito? How will I avenge Junpei?

The instant fear of the unknown surfaced, Rihito's powerful resolve swept it away.

I'll pass this assessment with flying colors!

With that thought, Rihito started walking out of the courtyard.

The assessment began now!