The Creeper Is Here Too

A flash of white light.

Shiratori Gotsu returned to the empty system space.

He looked around. All he could see was pure white, and a feeling of discomfort gradually welled up inside him.

Then he suddenly remembered the system's long-winded explanations when he first came here...

"Hey! System, didn't you say I could remodel this place however I wanted?"

"Yes, host."

"So that means..."

Shiratori Gotsu rubbed his hands together, eager to give it a try. "Is it like a sandbox game?"

"Something like that," the system said casually. "As long as you imagine the general appearance and properties of something, I can materialize it for you."

"That's impressive."

Shiratori Gotsu sat cross-legged on the floor, thinking about where to start.

"Oh!"

He slapped his forehead.

When Sukuna had beaten him to the brink of death, he had spoken face-to-face with the system inside his "Innate Domain."

It had looked like the rental apartment where he had always lived.

Since he couldn't think of where to begin, he could just get it all done in one go and make adjustments afterward!

"System!"

Shiratori Gotsu called out, "Weren't you inside my 'Innate Domain'? Can you materialize the rental apartment from it?"

"Roger."

The next moment, an entire six-story apartment building appeared before Shiratori Gotsu with a pop.

The stained exterior walls, with their mottled patches and missing bricks, and the rusty metal security grilles were all familiar to him.

He fell silent for two seconds. "...What are you doing?"

The system replied seriously, "Seriously fulfilling your request, host."

Shiratori Gotsu rubbed his face, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I only want my apartment, not the whole building."

"Roger."

And so, apart from the second floor where Shiratori Gotsu lived, the rest of the six-story building vanished in a flash, as if Sukuna had hit it with a World-Cutting Slash. The exposed edges of the walls were perfectly smooth.

And the remaining second floor just... floated there in midair.

Yep, that was very Minecraft.

Shiratori Gotsu covered his eyes, not daring to open them, hoping he was hallucinating.

"System... weren't you pretty intelligent before? How did you suddenly get so stupid at a time like this...?"

"If I said I was just messing with you, host, would you get angry?"

The system's tone actually carried a hint of deliberate provocation.

Shiratori Gotsu: "..."

He was so angry he laughed.

"Then if I cursed you out, would you be sad?"

Hearing that, the system immediately adopted a deeply emotional, sincere, and earnest tone.

"I would undoubtedly be very sad, host."

"Good. Then if you don't want to experience sadness, start acting normal."

Shiratori Gotsu gave it a warmly threatening smile.

System: "..."

The next second, the entire apartment settled firmly on the ground. The system also replaced the mottled exterior walls and rusty security grilles with new ones, and added a roof while it was at it.

"Hey, now that's more like it! You catch on fast!"

Shiratori Gotsu was very pleased.

"Now then... time to make some adjustments!"

A few dozen minutes later, the rundown rental apartment in the old residential complex had been completely transformed into a detached, two-story house with a yard.

"So how was that any different from rebuilding it?"

The system was speechless. "You might as well have told me you wanted a house like this from the start."

"That's different~"

Sprawled on a beanbag chair, Shiratori Gotsu said, half serious and half joking,

"Hardcore hands-on renovation is the way to go. Your one-click generation takes no skill at all."

System: "...Sure."

"So when are you planning to start your next transmigration, host?"

"No, hang on a second."

Shiratori Gotsu didn't follow the system's change of subject.

"How could you just say 'sure'?"

"Shouldn't you have argued back, 'Convenience and speed are what people love. Your hardcore handiwork has long since fallen behind the times'?"

"You didn't play along with my joke. Are you giving me the silent treatment, you jerk?!"

The system audibly clicked its tongue, but still asked patiently, "Then what do you want, host?"

That was exactly what Shiratori Gotsu had been waiting for.

He immediately declared, "From the top. Let's do the whole thing again!"

System: "This caveman's lost it!"

After the farce ended, the system asked again,

"So when are you planning to start your next transmigration?"

Shiratori Gotsu stretched.

"It's about time I got ready for the next round. Staying in the system space alone is pretty boring..."

"...First, let's check my status panel!"

[Name: Shiratori Gotsu]

[Total Cursed Energy: D - average Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Cursed Energy manipulation: A↑ - strong Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Cursed Energy efficiency: B↑ - strong Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Cursed Energy output: S↑ - strong Special Grade Sorcerer]

[Hand-to-hand combat: A↑ - strong Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Physique: C - ordinary person]

[Talent: A - average Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Advanced skills: Cursed Tool creation, Reverse Cursed Technique, Domain Expansion, Hollow Wicker Basket]

[Transmigration time: none]

[Transmigration location: none]

[Cursed Technique: Fate Track Binding Curse]

"Hm?"

"How come everything went up?"

Shiratori Gotsu was a little surprised.

The system replied as if it were obvious,

"What's so strange about that? Didn't you land two [Black Flashes] and touch the core of Cursed Energy?"

"I see~ Looks like [Black Flash] really is the real deal."

"But..."

Shiratori Gotsu glanced at his total Cursed Energy, which was that of an average Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer, and his Cursed Energy output, which was that of a strong Special Grade Sorcerer...

"Whew... I could drain my own mana bar with one punch? Interesting..."

"By the way, does spinning the wheel reset my previous attributes each time?"

Shiratori Gotsu looked thoughtful.

The system couldn't hold back anymore.

"How could it? This isn't some game progression system where you can reset your stats."

"You've already mastered those advanced skills and gained all that combat experience. Could I make you forcibly forget them?"

"The attributes you draw from the wheel will only ever be ≥ your current level, host."

"Stupid host."

Shiratori Gotsu pouted and said in a pitiful tone,

"System-san, could you use a gentler tone? You're really scaring me~"

"Get lost!"

"You got it!"

The wheel he hadn't seen in so long began spinning once again.

First, as always, came the draw for the point in time he would transmigrate to.

The pointer swept past various points in time before finally stopping at [four hundred years ago].

The transmigration location was, of course, the one that took up the largest portion of the wheel: [Japan].

"Still the popular region."

"Four hundred years ago... Hajime Kashimo, Ryu Ishigori, emmm, looks like I can even see that generation's Zenin Clan head take the Gojo Clan head down with him by unleashing Mahoraga!"

"Oh↑ my↓ god→!"

The bloodthirsty spectator persona inside Shiratori Gotsu awakened once more.

"System, hurry up! I can't wait! I wanna see punches hitting flesh and blood and guts flying right now!"

"...Roger."

Next came the draw for his basic attributes, which of course delivered the classic result: it never disappointed him when it came to disappointing him.

Even the final result...

[Name: Shiratori Gotsu]

[Total Cursed Energy: C - average Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Cursed Energy manipulation: S↓ - weak Special Grade Sorcerer]

[Cursed Energy efficiency: B↑ - strong Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Cursed Energy output: S↑ - strong Special Grade Sorcerer]

[Hand-to-hand combat: A↑ - strong Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Physique: C↑ - healthy ordinary person]

[Talent: A - average Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer]

[Advanced skills: Cursed Tool creation, Reverse Cursed Technique², Domain Expansion, Hollow Wicker Basket, Incarnation Cursed Object creation, Cursed Technique target expansion]

[Transmigration time: four hundred years ago]

[Transmigration location: Edo, Japan]

[Cursed Technique: Fate Track Binding Curse]

Shiratori Gotsu looked disgusted.

"Tsk... what a measly little upgrade... Forget it. Wanting to reach the top in one step is how weaklings think."

He looked it over carefully again and suddenly noticed something very strange.

"System, what's [Reverse Cursed Technique²]?"

The system immediately explained in a businesslike tone,

"Because you drew [Reverse Cursed Technique] again when you already had it, host, the effects stacked and increased your healing efficiency."

"As for the '2,' it's simply there to distinguish it from the ordinary [Reverse Cursed Technique]."

"Any other questions?"

Shiratori Gotsu rubbed his chin. "Emm, how much did the efficiency increase?"

"Why don't you try it yourself and find out?"

"I'll try it later, then."

He waved his hand. "Keep going. Draw a Cursed Technique."

The system was a little surprised, then asked for confirmation.

"You're not going to keep playing with that messed-up [Fate Track Binding Curse] of yours?"

Shiratori Gotsu said casually,

"I'm bored of it, so I'll switch to something else. I can't be bothered to write for now anyway, so let's just draw one from the wheel."

"Roger."

A lightning-themed wheel he had never seen before suddenly slapped into Shiratori Gotsu's face.

It was divided into so many densely packed sections that he couldn't even make out what was written in each one.

As it spun, a whole slew of different Cursed Techniques flashed past Shiratori Gotsu's eyes as if teleporting. Finally, the pointer landed on:

[Corpse Attraction Shock Blast] (Hazenoki Iori)

"Whoa, I drew a creeper!"

Shiratori Gotsu remembered clearly that Hazenoki Iori was one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of the [Culling Game]'s Tokyo No. 1 Colony.

But "Four Heavenly Kings" was just a joke among fans. Their actual strength as a group was more like four whole regions.

Hazenoki Iori's Cursed Technique could actually be summed up in one sentence:

He could turn any part of his body into a bomb. The more important the body part, the more powerful the explosion.

The funny thing about this Cursed Technique was that it was practically inseparable from Reverse Cursed Technique.

Without Reverse Cursed Technique, a Jujutsu Sorcerer who awakened this technique would be no different from a snap pop. Every organ was single-use: throw it out, hear it pop, and it was gone.

But for Shiratori Gotsu, who possessed [Reverse Cursed Technique²]...

"Now this is good stuff!"

He licked his lips excitedly and sprang up from his beanbag chair.

"System, start the transfer!"

"Wait a moment." The system suddenly interrupted Shiratori Gotsu's chant.

Shiratori Gotsu looked thoroughly puzzled as the system asked:

"Host, you remember that after completing three missions, you can choose to be resurrected in reality, right?"

"Hm..." Shiratori Gotsu rubbed his chin. "There was something like that. I'd forgotten all about it until you mentioned it. After all, you've never issued a mission."

"That's right, because I haven't actually sensed any desire in you to return to the past, Host."

The system explained, "It's as though you don't have any attachment to the past at all."

Shiratori Gotsu couldn't help freezing for a few seconds.

The system was right.

Compared to his time in the world of "Jujutsu Kaisen," where he had people to fool around with and could freely show off his extraordinary style,

Shiratori Gotsu really didn't think there was anything worth missing about his lonely, ordinary former life.

After thinking for a few seconds, a sudden idea struck him. "If I said I didn't want to go back, would you keep holding off on giving me missions?"

"I am your system. Everything I do is in your service," the system replied.

A knowing smile immediately appeared on Shiratori Gotsu's face. "All right, then. Let's leave that matter aside for now."

"Start the transfer!"

"Understood. Please get ready, Host. Three, two, one!"