Night had fallen.
The infirmary was silent.
Only the faint rhythm of a dripping IV broke the quiet.
"Click."
As Ieiri Shoko's footsteps faded and the door clicked shut, the ward fell into total stillness.
"Phew..."
Hayashi En leaned against the headboard and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
Though his body still throbbed with the lingering pain from the aftershocks of Hollow Purple, his mind was in a state of extreme euphoria.
Because it was time to collect the harvest.
'System.'
Hayashi En called out in his mind.
A pale blue screen materialized over the hospital bed, visible only to him.
Golden numbers began to flicker like a melodic tune.
[SYSTEM: Recycled high-value cursed object: Ryomen Sukuna's Finger x6.]
[SYSTEM: Total: 300,000 points.]
Three hundred thousand.
Hayashi En gripped the edge of his blanket as he stared at the number.
This wasn't just a number; it was the foundation for his survival in this world.
[SYSTEM: Previous balance: 20,240 points.]
[SYSTEM: Current total balance: 320,240 points.]
Hayashi En took a deep breath as he looked at the screen.
Finally, he couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.
"Hahaha..."
He had struck it rich overnight.
This was the true meaning of playing both sides.
He used the curses to gather the fingers and Gojo Satoru to repel powerful enemies, while he himself sat in the shadows of the battlefield and emerged as the ultimate winner.
"But..."
Hayashi En looked down at his body, which was still aching.
'Too weak.'
He had been lucky this time. Mechamaru had taken the hits for him, and Gojo Satoru had arrived just in time.
What about next time?
In a world crawling with lunatics, having no strength meant that no matter how much money he had, he was just a walking wallet.
"This is the first real step toward entering the game and the cornerstone of the entire plan."
He swiped his finger through the air, opening the enhancement page he had been eyeing for a long time.
[SYSTEM: Item Name: Jujutsu Sorcerer Physique Upgrade (Special Grade level)]
[SYSTEM: Price: 200,000 points.]
[SYSTEM: Remarks: Are you ready to become a superman?]
Two hundred thousand.
More than half of his fortune.
"Buy it!"
Hayashi En didn't hesitate for a second.
[SYSTEM: Ding! Transaction confirmed.]
In the next second...
"Urgh!"
Hayashi En arched his back violently and bit down hard on his pillow.
Pain!
It felt as if every bone in his body was being crushed inch by inch and then forcibly reconstructed.
A massive surge of cursed energy flooded into him, crudely widening his pathways.
Veins bulged under his skin like hideous earthworms.
Sweat instantly soaked through his hospital gown.
'Endure it...'
Hayashi En gripped the sheets with all his might.
He trembled soundlessly, undergoing a metamorphosis in the silence.
Ten minutes.
Those ten minutes felt as long as a century.
Finally, the tearing agony receded like the tide.
In its place was an unprecedented sense of power.
Hayashi En slumped back onto the bed, gasping for air.
He raised his hand and looked at his palm.
Faint cursed energy danced at his fingertips. If he willed it, that energy could instantly transform into a tidal wave.
If he wanted to, he could pulverize a building-sized curse with a single punch.
Effectively, there was no longer any difference between his physical body and that of a superman.
Special Grade physique: achieved.
He felt the changes within himself and estimated his current level.
According to the original series, a Special Grade sorcerer was a being whose power completely transcended that of a Grade 1 sorcerer.
In other words, it was an immeasurable tier.
The power gap within this tier was actually quite vast, spanning from the younger Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru before they mastered Domain Expansion to Sukuna at his absolute peak.
The system's enhancement was multidimensional, providing a comprehensive boost to physical strength, total cursed energy, energy control, and technique effects.
He was now like a perfectly laid foundation. Whether it was learning Domain Expansion, Reverse Cursed Technique, or any other skill in the future, it would be as natural as a fish in water.
[SYSTEM: Current balance: 120,240 points.]
"Next up: endurance."
Hayashi En wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and locked his gaze onto his next target.
[SYSTEM: Item Name: Reverse Cursed Technique (Mastery)]
[SYSTEM: Original Price: 50,000 points.]
[SYSTEM: Special Grade Physique Discount Price: 15,000 points.]
Thanks to his improved physique and enhanced understanding of cursed energy, the cost to purchase the Reverse Cursed Technique had dropped significantly.
The Reverse Cursed Technique was the ultimate survival skill. As long as the user didn't die instantly, even severed limbs could be repaired.
In the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, this was essentially the capital required to participate in real combat.
"Buy!"
[SYSTEM: Ding! Deducted 15,000 points.]
A cool sensation flooded his mind, containing all the mysteries of positive energy manipulation.
Hayashi En willed it to activate.
The muscle soreness from his evolution and the internal injuries from the previous battle vanished instantly.
His body felt so light it was as if he could float.
'Is this what it feels like to be a perpetual motion machine?'
[SYSTEM: Current balance: 120,240 points.]
"The final step."
Hayashi En sat up straight, his expression turning grave.
Domain.
Without a domain, one could never stand tall before the truly powerful.
He looked at the special item.
[SYSTEM: Item Name: Domain Expansion: Ten Realms Condemnation (Incomplete Version)]
[SYSTEM: Type: Domain Expansion (Incomplete)]
[SYSTEM: Description: An incomplete Domain Expansion. It can still enhance technique effects and counter other domains, but it lacks a closed barrier and a guaranteed-hit effect.]
[SYSTEM: Effect: Within the domain, all other entities are forcibly assigned a weakness. Any strike landed will be treated as a critical hit and trigger a soul tremor.]
[SYSTEM: Price: 100,000 points.]
[SYSTEM: Complete Version Upgrade: 100,000 points.]
"One hundred thousand points..."
Hayashi En looked at his remaining balance.
If he bought this, he would be a pauper once again.
But looking at the moonlight outside, he thought of the upcoming Shibuya Incident and that man known as the Heavenly Tyrant.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"I'm buying it!"
[SYSTEM: Ding! Transaction confirmed. Deducting 100,000 points.]
Vwoom.
A mysterious ripple expanded deep within Hayashi En's soul.
In that moment, he seemed to see a majestic yet decaying courtroom standing atop a mountain of gold coins.
That was his... Domain.
Even without a barrier, it wouldn't stop it from becoming a meat grinder.
[SYSTEM: Current balance: 20,240 points.]
Everything was settled.
Hayashi En leaned back against his pillow and stared at the ceiling.
He had just been sitting on a fortune of over three hundred thousand, and in the blink of an eye, only twenty thousand in pocket change remained.
But as he felt the cursed energy surging like an ocean within him and the domain ready to expand at any moment from the depths of his soul...
He smiled.
It was a reckless yet silent laugh.
In this hospital room where he was all alone, a true Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer was born.
"Gojo Satoru, Sukuna, Kenjaku..."
Hayashi En pushed up his glasses.
He could feel it. His arrival had already changed many things from the original story.
Especially Kenjaku.
Jogo's appearance, which shouldn't have happened, must have been Kenjaku pulling the strings again.
The plot had shifted, so he naturally had to be as prepared as possible.
To maximize his gains during the crucial Shibuya Incident and to change the fates of others according to his own whims, he still needed sufficient strength.
"The most valuable things right now are Sukuna's fingers. Seizing them is the fastest path to growing stronger."
Hayashi En looked up and began to recall the location of every single finger.
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