It's been five days since I landed in this new world. When I first got here, I had nothing but the clothes on my back, no money, no connections, no idea where I was. But with my excellent negotiation skills and a bit of good old-fashioned Gojo charm, I've already turned into the proud owner of fifty shiny gold coins.
Hold up, hold up, let me explain.
In this world, there are people called adventurers. They travel around exploring unknown lands, discovering ruins, or hunting dangerous monsters, all for fame, fortune, or just the thrill of it. It's kind of like those RPG games back home… except this time, I'm actually in it.
Naturally, I saw an opportunity. There was this one guy, a nervous merchant type, who said he needed to travel through a forest for five days. The reward for being his bodyguard was either fifty gold coins or a special spell.
Now, normally I'd be all over that spell. I mean, magic? That sounds like my kind of fun. But since I was flat broke, I had to be practical. So I took the money. I even gave myself a little pep talk — or I would have, if I could actually slap myself through Infinity.
This place is straight out of a fantasy novel: medieval towns, elves, dwarves, monsters,you name it. There's also something called mana, the source of all magic here. It's fascinating stuff.
It was also the same kind of energy that my Six Eyes picked up. Instead of the usual cursed energy that everyone back home constantly leaked, this world was filled with something else mana. From what I could tell, I was the only one here who had cursed energy. It made me feel a little out of place, but not in a bad way. If anything, it was exciting.
Surprisingly, I could also sense magic flowing inside of me. It felt foreign yet familiar, like a new muscle I hadn't trained yet. I decided to focus on it later. First, I had a job to finish.
On the first day, when I met the merchant I was hired to guard, he was a muttering mess. The guy was clearly terrified. He kept glancing at me like I was going to rob him instead of protect him. He even kept insisting that I take off my blindfold, saying it was unsettling to have a bodyguard who couldn't "see."
I had to assure him that I was perfectly fine. Well, technically, I could see him better than he could see himself. But try explaining that to someone in a world that barely understands the concept of cursed energy.
Then came the second day. That was when things got interesting.
Out of nowhere, a massive shadow passed overhead. The air turned heavy, and the ground trembled as something enormous landed in front of us. A dragon. A real, honest-to-god dragon.
"I knew m-monsters existed b-but to think a dragon would show up here is insane!" the merchant screamed, stumbling back in terror.
"A dragon, huh?" I said, tugging one side of my blindfold down to reveal one of my beautiful ocean-blue eyes. "Are they strong or something?"
The Six Eyes were both a gift and a curse. They helped me perceive everything around me in impossible detail, but the constant flow of information could get overwhelming. That was why I wore the blindfold to dull the sensory overload. Even covered, I could still see cursed energy and mana. But when I uncovered them, it was like flipping a switch into battle mode.
The dragon was breathtaking. Its scales shimmered like polished rubies under the sunlight. Its slitted orange eyes burned with primal fury. Razor-sharp black claws dug into the dirt, and its wings flapped against gravity with raw power. Its fangs glistened, ready to tear apart anything foolish enough to stand in its path. Two long, midnight-black horns curved from its head like the crown of a tyrant.
Then, with a deep inhale, the beast opened its mouth and unleashed a roar so loud it felt like the sky itself was splitting.
"Woah, calm down, big guy," I said, pulling the rest of my blindfold free. My eyes were completely exposed now, gleaming like two endless oceans.
The merchant fell to the ground, clutching his ears, but I just grinned. My blood was starting to race.
The merchant was still trembling behind a boulder, clutching his satchel like it was his lifeline. His face had gone pale, and his legs looked ready to give out at any second.
"Hey," I called out, landing beside him with a grin. "You alive down there?"
He jumped at my voice. "Y-you! How are you so calm right now? That thing just burned half the forest!"
I tilted my head. "Yeah, but it missed me. So technically, that's a win."
He blinked at me, completely dumbfounded. I gave him a reassuring smile and clapped him on the shoulder well, almost. My hand stopped a few inches away because, you know, Infinity.
"Relax. I've got this," I said, turning my gaze back toward the towering dragon that was glaring at me like it wanted me for lunch.
The merchant didn't seem convinced. "Got this? That's a dragon!"
"Yeah," I replied, floating into the air, "and I'm me."
I shot upward, closing the distance in a heartbeat, until I was hovering right in front of the dragon's massive neck.
"So loud," I muttered, and drove my fist forward.
The impact was instant. The dragon's head whipped back, and its massive body crashed through the forest below, scattering trees like twigs. The shockwave sent leaves spiraling through the air.
But it wasn't down for long. With a low growl, the dragon shook itself, wings spreading wide. It inhaled sharply, and a red-hot glow began to form in its throat.
Then it roared again, spewing a torrent of fire toward me.
"Ohh?" I said, watching the flames rush forward at breakneck speed only to stop dead in front of me. The air shimmered, the fire bending against the invisible barrier of Infinity.
"Good to see magic doesn't interfere with Infinity," I said with a smirk. "Good for me… but not so good for you, my friend."
The dragon let out a frustrated roar and lunged forward, claws slicing through the air.
Down below, the merchant finally peeked out from behind his rock. When he saw me standing completely unscathed amidst the firestorm, his jaw dropped.
"H-How are you still alive?! Gojo!?" he shouted.
"Calm down, I'm fine," I called back, giving him a thumbs-up. "But you should probably get the hell out of here!"
"You can't take that thing down alone! I'll go get help!" he yelled, stumbling backward.
"No need. Matter of fact, stay right there and enj—"
I was cut off mid-sentence as the dragon's claws swiped at me, fast enough to split the air.
'I won't let that happen again,' I thought. The memory of being sliced in half by Sukuna flashed in my mind. 'Never again.'
I caught the dragon's claw between two fingers, my expression unreadable.
"You're pretty rude for a dragon," I said lightly. "Not that I've met a real one before. Didn't your mom ever te—"
Another swipe.
I sighed. "Persistent, huh?"
I let the next blow connect, letting the impact ripple harmlessly through Infinity. Then I smiled.
"Fine then. Let's make this quick."
I brought my hand up, blue energy beginning to swirl in my palm. The air trembled, reality bending under the pressure.
" Cursed Technique Reversal..."