A New Year's Gift – Chapter 238
"Nighttime?"
Ren blinked, glancing toward the window. The sun had completely vanished, replaced by the deep indigo of a winter evening.
'What? Did the whole afternoon just go by like that? No, I have more questions!'
Ren scrambled to his feet as Gojo headed for the door. "Wait, Gojo-sensei! I still have questions! How did you know about my threads? Can you see them? If so, is there any other flaw in them—besides the output problem? Also! How do you do that?"
Ren rushed toward him, stopping just a few feet away. Gojo turned around, a faint, curious expression on his face.
'Gojo-sensei?' Gojo thought. 'Huh. Wow, his tone really shifted. Look at how he's speaking to me now. How amusing.'
"Eh?" Gojo said, his voice regaining its smug edge. "I mean, yeah, I can see the threads inside you, but only when you're actively using them. A few months ago, they were much simpler—I could see the whole network clearly.
But now?
There's so much more complexity. As for improvements, I don't know how you made them, so I can't say. But I'd recommend not using them to control your energy 24/7. Once in a while, try to move your cursed energy on your own. Also... what do you mean by 'How do I do what?'"
Gojo arched an eyebrow, waiting. Ren didn't answer with words. Instead, he threw a lightning-fast punch directly at Gojo's face.
The fist stopped inches away, suspended in the air by an invisible, infinite distance.
"This," Ren said. "How do you do that?"
"Ren, you do know asking a sorcerer about the specifics of their technique is rude, right?" Gojo replied calmly.
"No, I don't mean the technique itself," Ren said quickly. "I know that's your cursed technique. I'm asking how you made it automated. I can tell you didn't consciously move your cursed energy to block that. How did it just... activate?"
'Now that I know he's willing to answer and we are already having a converiation I have to ask some questions! ,' Ren thought. This is something I actually don't know. In the manga, he said he "programmed" it, but he never explained how. If I can figure it out, I might be able to do something similar for my Red Cursed Circuit. The flaw Gojo mentioned isn't technically a flaw—it's just a drawback I need to bend my threads around.'
Gojo let out a long, dramatic yawn. "Oh, that? I just used Binding Vows. But I wouldn't recommend you try it. I keep my technique active twenty-four hours a day. How do I avoid burnout? By using Reverse Cursed Technique—something you still haven't learnt... or at least, I don't think you have. I use RCT to refresh my brain every hour or so. It keeps my mind from frying. My advice? Just focus on your fundamentals and hand-to-hand for now. You're already plenty strong."
Gojo turned back to the door, waving a hand over his shoulder. "Anyway, I'm going home. And that's it, okay? Special training ends today! It was a one-day-only thingy"
Gojo vanished out the door before Ren could even open his mouth to protest. Ren stood alone in the quiet dojo, blinking at the empty doorway.
'Oh. That was simple, huh? Binding Vows...' Ren let out a short, dry laugh. 'Fucking hell, is that how he does it? I knew about the RCT brain refresh, but I didn't know the automation was tied to a Vow. He must have a vow that allows Limitless to run in the background, making it more taxing on his brain, which he then fixes by healing himself. It's a perfect loop... a total loophole in the system. Just another thing the manga didn't explicitly spell out.'
Ren looked down at his inner forearm. The marker was fading, the words barely legible: Don't overthink... Think about the ritual...
On the roof of the dojo, Gojo Satoru sat in the cold night air, smiling as he watched Ren walk out into the courtyard.
'What is he thinking about down there? ' Gojo wondered. 'Is he in shock? He must realise, at least for a second, that reaching my level is absurd. Honestly, this must be a real hit to his ego. You're not always right, Ren. It's better to learn that now. When you're always right and always winning, it gets much harder to improve, doesn't it?
Gojo leaned back, looking up at the stars. 'But still... you're already so far ahead of others... The fact that you figured out the "inward rotation" of cursed energy just by seeing my Lapas Blue once is one of the most freakish things I have seen you do...
I was already sure you would reach my level one day... but now? I think you might even surpass me. In theory, you're already standing right next to me.'
Gojo closed his eyes. In an instant, his Six Eyes processed the memories of the past year—the missions, the training, the growth.
BOOM!
The distant sound of fireworks echoed through the mountains. Gojo opened his eyes to see bursts of colour painting the horizon.
"Hmm," Gojo muttered to himself. "I shouldn't have told you quite so much, since the 'training' was only supposed to be one lesson... but think of it as a New Year's gift, Ren."
Gojo stood up, his white hair caught in the wind. He turned away from the school and toward the lights of the city, a genuine smile on his face.
"Happy New Year."
Date: 2016 —> 2017