If the Special Grade Cursed Spirit from earlier brought "fear"...
Then now, as the boy covered in black tattoos looks up, only two words fill the air.
Despair.
A despair enough to freeze the soul.
Ryomen Sukuna—the King of Curses currently occupying Itadori Yuji's body, walked step by step with a lazy gait, treading through the murky, shallow water.
His bare upper body was covered in black cursed markings.
In those crimson compound eyes was a sense of mockery.
Like he was looking at an ant he could crush at any moment.
"Hey, brat with the glasses."
Sukuna stopped less than five meters in front of Lynn.
He casually raised his hand and pointed at the Special Grade Cursed Spirit locked in mid-air by golden chains.
"Is this your Cursed Technique?"
"Using boring rules like 'contracts' to forcibly Binding Vow the opponent..."
"Though it looks fragile and is filled with that nauseating stench of money."
"I really don't like it."
Lynn didn't speak, not because he didn't want to, but because he was trembling.
No matter how calm his brain was, his body's instincts couldn't lie.
As an ordinary person without Cursed Energy, facing a monster like Ryomen Sukuna, physiological fear simply couldn't be suppressed.
"You don't like it?"
Lynn forced himself to control his facial muscles, pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and forced a professional smile onto his lips.
It even carried a hint of provocation.
"That's truly a pity."
"I originally wanted to ask Mr. Sukuna if he was interested in getting a membership card for our shop."
"Hahahaha!"
Sukuna acted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
He threw his head back and laughed.
The laughter was arrogant and violent.
Even the pinned Special Grade Cursed Spirit was so scared it curled into a ball, shivering.
"Membership card?"
"Interesting, very interesting."
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Sukuna's figure vanished instantly.
The next second.
A ferocious, distorted face was right in front of Lynn.
The tip of his nose was less than a centimeter away.
Lynn could even smell the thick scent of blood.
"Then use the life of this body to get that card."
Sharp claws shrieked through the air, aiming straight for the throat!
The shadow of death instantly loomed over him.
[Warning! Lethal-level attack detected!]
[Current Debtor: Megumi Fushiguro.]
[Points required to trigger "Creditor Protection Mechanism": 50,000 points / 5 minutes.]
[Insufficient balance! Unable to generate Absolute Defense!]
The red warning flashed like a death warrant.
"I can't tank this head-on."
"I have to trade... I must trade!"
Adrenaline surged.
Lynn's thoughts moved at lightning speed, like an overclocked computer.
His gaze frantically scanned the system mall.
He was looking for a sliver of hope.
The vast majority of powerful items were grayed out.
The prices below were astronomical.
Inverted Spear of Heaven? Can't afford it.
Black Rope? Can't afford it.
Reverse Cursed Technique Trial Card? Couldn't afford it even if he sold his life.
"I need something cheap..."
"Something that can solve the current situation immediately..."
"Most importantly, it must be bait that an arrogant guy like Sukuna absolutely cannot refuse..."
At the critical moment.
His eyes locked onto a small icon in the "Miscellaneous/Consumables" column.
A green wrapper.
It looked just like chewing gum from a convenience store.
[Product Name: Soul Sedative (Trial Version)]
[Type: Consumable / Mental]
[Effect: Forcibly puts the user's main consciousness to sleep, cutting off the connection with the physical body for one minute. For dual-soul symbiotes, it can force the latent soul to gain full control over the body.]
[Price: 500 points.]
[Note: Though cheap, it packs a punch.]
"This is it!"
Lynn was ecstatic.
This was a huge gamble.
Staking his life on the table.
If Sukuna didn't take the bait, if Sukuna just wanted to kill.
Then Lynn would be completely finished today.
But Lynn was betting on Sukuna's "personality."
What this King of Curses hated most wasn't death.
It was lack of freedom.
What he could least tolerate was the humiliation of being suppressed back into his body at any time by that "cage" known as Itadori Yuji.
"Purchase!"
[Ding! Transaction successful. 500 points consumed. Balance: 70 points.]
[Item has been issued.]
Sukuna's claws had already touched Lynn's skin.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Lynn didn't dodge.
Because he couldn't.
At the fastest speed possible, he shouted out a sentence:
"I can give you freedom!"
The claws stopped.
The sharp nails were less than a millimeter from his jugular vein.
Sukuna's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
The killing intent halted, transforming into a certain playful curiosity.
"What... did you say?"
Lynn's heart was about to jump out of his throat, each beat pounding against his chest.
But on the surface, he remained as steady as a mountain, even taking his time to adjust his collar.
He slowly raised his right hand.
In his palm lay a small green square that emitted a pungent minty smell.
"I know you're strong, so strong that no one can kill you."
Lynn's voice returned to its gentle tone.
Carrying a persuasive magic.
Like a devil's whisper.
"But no matter how strong you are."
"As long as the owner of that body—Itadori Yuji—wakes up, you have to go back to your cell obediently, right?"
Sukuna's expression darkened.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
This was his sore spot, his reverse scale.
As the King of Curses, being suppressed by a brat was an indelible disgrace.
"This thing is called a 'Soul Sedative'."
Lynn held the candy between two fingers.
He waved it in front of Sukuna's eyes.
"If you eat it, Itadori Yuji will be forced into a deep sleep."
"Until the effect wears off, even if the sky falls, he won't wake up."
"In other words..."
The smile on Lynn's lips deepened.
It was the confidence of someone who had everything under control.
"For the next minute, this body belongs entirely to you."
"No one can push you back in."
"No one can make a racket in your head."
"You can fully enjoy this minute of... King's time."
Sukuna stared at the candy, then looked at Lynn.
A few seconds of dead silence.
"Hahahaha! Somewhat interesting!"
Sukuna suddenly laughed.
He snatched the "candy" from Lynn's hand and sniffed it at the tip of his nose.
His perception of souls was extremely strong; he could feel that this small square contained a special power of rules.
"Human, you have a lot of nerve."
Sukuna tossed the candy into the air and caught it with his mouth.
He chewed it twice.
"If I'm not satisfied with this minute, I'll kill you first."
As the candy entered his stomach.
A chill that rushed straight to the top of his head enveloped his soul.
He could clearly feel it.
Itadori Yuji's consciousness, which was originally waking up, was forcibly pushed back into the abyss by a domineering force.
That refreshing feeling of being in complete control of the body put him in a great mood.
"Since this thing is real... tell me, what do you want?"
Sukuna was in a good mood.
He didn't mind giving this interesting ant a little reward.
Lynn no longer hid the greed in his eyes.
He pointed at the still-struggling Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
"First, help me clean up that trash."
"Second..."
Lynn pushed up his glasses, a sharp light glinting off the lenses.
The hidden intention was finally revealed.
"I want the finger inside its body."
"That is power that belongs to you."
"Now, I want you to pay it to me as the 'payment' for this transaction."