"Seriously, Gojo-sensei, put the 'invisible phone' away," Megumi groaned as they turned a corner into a dingy, shadowed alleyway near the train station. The air here felt heavy, thick with the oily residue of human anxiety and suburban stress. A textbook spot for a Grade 2. "We're in the Curse's range. Focus on it please."
"I am focusing, Megumi-kun! I'm multitasking!" Satoru chirped, his fingers swiping through a menu only he could see. "Besides, I just realized this thing has a 'Settings' tab. You can't expect me to ignore a new toy, can you?"
Satoru's Six Eyes were actually doing two things at once. One half was tracking the cursed energy signature of the Grade 2, a pathetic, sprawling mass of limbs hiding behind a row of rusted lockers, and the other half was deciphering the bizarre coding of the System but still with 0 improvement.
He noticed a small, blinking icon in the corner of his vision. It looked like a tiny, stylized camera with a pulse.
> [SYSTEM FUNCTION: DIMENSIONAL BROADCAST]
> [STATUS: LOCKED]
> [REQUIREMENT: PERFORM A "FEAT OF STRENGTH" WHILE OBSERVED]
> [HIDDEN QUEST TRIGGERED: THE FIRST BROADCAST]
> [Objective: Activate the stream and eliminate a threat.]
> [Reward: 500 System Points & "Gifting" Function Unlocked.]
"Oho? A hidden quest? The system really knows how to keep things interesting," Satoru muttered, his grin widening. "Alright, let's see if this 'Live' button works."
He tapped the icon.
>[INITIALIZING THIRD-PERSON PERSPECTIVE...]
>[BROADCAST STARTING IN 3... 2... 1...]
[The Multiversal Lounge - Chatroom]
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE: Infinite_Sugar_Daddy has started a LIVE STREAM! ]
Pop_Star_Sparkle: Ooh!! A video?! Wait, I can see something!!
Forehead_Prince: What is this?! My mind is being hijacked by a visual feed!
IcyBreasts_Empress: So, we finally get to see the man behind the arrogance.
Suddenly, a floating, high-definition "camera" perspective appeared in the minds of every member. It wasn't Gojo's own eyes—it was a cinematic third-person view hovering a few meters away.
The first thing they saw was a tall, strikingly lean man leaning casually against a damp brick wall. He was wearing a dark, high-collared uniform that looked strangely modern yet tactical. But it was his face that stole the show, or rather, the fact that he was wearing a thick black blindfold that covered his eyes completely. His hair was a stark, gravity-defying white, shimmering even in the dim light of the alley.
Pop_Star_Sparkle: WAAAAAAH! 😍 He's actually super handsome?! Look at that hair! And the jawline! Is he a model?! Why is he wearing a blindfold, though? Is it for a concept shoot?
Sadistic_Thundermommy: Ara ara~, he certainly has a certain... presence, doesn't he? Very mysterious. I like the silver hair.
Forehead_Prince: WHY IS HE WEARING A RAG OVER HIS EYES?! Is he blind?! Is this a joke? I'm being mocked by a blind man??!!
Dogs_Queen: He isn't moving like a blind man. Look at his posture. He's completely relaxed despite the creature behind him.
BoobaSword: His attire is strange... and that energy feels so negative.
In the video, The Grade 2 Curse, a mass of twitching limbs and wet, bulbous eyes, slithered out from the lockers. It let out a gurgling screech that echoed through the feed.
"Gojo-sensei, it's right there," Megumi said, his voice audible on the stream as he stepped into the frame, looking exhausted.
"I know, I know, Megumi-kun! I'm just waiting for the lighting to be right," Gojo said, waving a hand dismissively. He turned his head slightly toward the invisible camera and gave a peace sign. "Are you guys watching? Pay attention, this is a one-time-only lesson!"
Forehead_Prince: WHO IS HE TALKING TO?! HE'S INSANE!
Dogs_Queen: Probably to his student as he said before.
The Curse lunged. It was a blur of purple flesh and claws, aimed straight at Gojo's throat.
The viewers braced themselves. Even through a screen, the creature looked fast and vicious. But Gojo didn't move. He didn't even lift his hands from his pockets.
The Curse's claws stopped.
They didn't hit a shield. They didn't hit a wall. They simply... stopped, hanging in mid-air exactly one inch away from Gojo's skin. The creature was thrashing, its muscles bulging as it tried to force its hand forward, but it was stuck in a void.
IcyBreasts_Empress: What? Why did it stop? Did he freeze it in ice? No... there's no frost.
BoobaSword: Time? Has he halted the flow of time around his body? No, it doesn't seem to be that.
Forehead_Prince: NO! It's moving! The monster is still trying to strike, but it's not getting any closer! What kind of cheap trick is this?!
Dogs_Queen: It's not a barrier. Look at the space between them. It's as if the distance itself is... expanding?
Gojo was smiling, "Nice guess, Queen~! It's called Infinity! I'm not stopping him; he's just taking an infinite amount of time to cross that last inch. Basic math, really!" Any sensible person wouldn't explain their power to potentially hostile strangers, but Gojo doesn't care about this.
Pop_Star_Sparkle: I don't understand math at all, but that looks SO COOL! He's just standing there while that monster goes crazy!
Gojo finally pulled a hand out of his pocket. He turned toward the Curse, his lips curled into a bored, almost feline smile.
"Alright, enough play-time. My student is waiting, and my mochi is getting warm."
He raised a single finger. A tiny, marble-sized orb of crimson energy began to manifest at the tip. The air in the alleyway began to groan, the bricks cracking as space itself seemed to scream in protest.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
Forehead_Prince: That energy... it's tiny, but the density is good...?
BOOM
He didn't even fire it like a projectile. He just released the tension. A massive, invisible shockwave of repulsive force erupted. The Grade 2 Curse didn't just die, it was erased. Its body was torn apart atom by atom, splattering against the far wall in a mist of purple essence before being vaporized entirely. The lockers were flattened into sheets of metal, and the brick wall at the end of the alley now featured a clean, circular hole the size of a truck.
Gojo calmly adjusted his blindfold and smoothed his hair.
"And that," he said, looking directly at the camera with a smug grin, "is why I'm the Administrator."
[The Multiversal Lounge - Chatroom]
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE: HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETE! ]
[ REWARD: 500 SYSTEM POINTS RECEIVED. ]
[ FUNCTION UNLOCKED: "GIFTING" ]
Pop_Star_Sparkle: KYAAAAA! THAT WAS AMAZING! 💖✨ Gojo-san, you're like a superhero! That explosion was so sparkly!
IcyBreasts_Empress: Instantaneous repulsion. No waste of movement. I suppose I can admit you have... some merit. Though I still want to know how that 'Infinity' would fare against my ice.
Forehead_Prince: CHEATER! You just blew up a piece of trash! Try that against a real warrior and we'll see how 'Infinite' you really are! I could have done that too with my sneeze!
Sadistic_Thundermommy: Fufufu, so powerful. If that Infinity make you invincible, that means you can handle all the damage done to you right~??You're becoming my favorite person in this chat, Gojo-kun.
BoobaSword: This Infinity is challenging my Eternity...
Dogs_Queen: Very clean. I'm impressed by the lack of effort.
Infinite_Sugar_Daddy {Administrator}: Thanks, thanks! I accept tips in the form of compliments or expensive desserts! Oh wait, look! The 'Gifting' button is glowing. @Forehead_Prince, why don't you send me something? You probably have some alien tech or something cool over there.
Forehead_Prince: I WILL SEND YOU NOTHING BUT A BIG BANG ATTACK TO YOUR ASS!
Satoru let the stream fade out, the blue screen returning to its usual chat interface. He felt a hum of satisfaction. 500 points? He didn't know the exchange rate yet, but it felt like a win.
"Gojo-sensei, who were you posing for?" Megumi asked, standing by the exit of the alley, his face a mask of pure judgement. "You were doing 'peace signs' at a wall for three minutes."
"For my fans, Megumi! The Multiverse is a demanding audience," Satoru laughed, walking past his student and ruffling his hair.
"You've definitely gone insane," Megumi muttered, but he followed anyway.
Megumi was already several meters ahead, his fingers flying across his phone as he typed a report to Ijichi about why a routine Grade 2 scouting mission had ended with a building having a truck-sized hole in its side.
Satoru, however, was in his own world. To any bystander, he was just a tall, blindfolded man poking the air with a smug grin, but through the Six Eyes, the world was currently overlaid with a high-tech interface.
The System Shop was finally open, pulsing with a vibrant, neon-blue aura that seemed to hum with the collective energy of a thousand different universes.
He swiped his hand, and the interface didn't just list items; it projected them as tiny, rotating 3D models. At the top, under a tab labeled [S-TIERS RELICS], he saw a small, pulsing purple marble that looked like a trapped galaxy.
[The Hogyoku]
Cost: 250,000 SP
Description: A gem that dissolves the boundary between souls and reality. It manifests the desires of those around it.
"A bit out of my budget," Satoru murmured, swiping past it. But he couldn't help hiding the surprise in his eyes. Such powers exist outside his world; he couldn't help but feel excited. In his world, this was the strongest, but in the multiverse, that was certainly not the case.
He saw a black notebook labeled [Death Note] for 75,000 SP, and a massive, jagged sword called [Zangetsu (Shikai Form)] for 20,000 SP. Then, his eyes lingered on a familiar-looking object, an ancient, eight-spoked wheel that seemed to rotate with a heavy, rhythmic click.
[Mahoraga: The Wheel of Absolute Adjustment]
Cost: 150,000 SP
Description: An artifact that allows its wearer to adapt to any and all phenomena after being subjected to it. The more the wearer gets hit, the faster the adaptation process is.
Satoru tilted his head, his blindfold crinkling. "A wheel that adapts? 150k for a Buddhist-themed tire? Who has the time to sit around and wait for 'adaptation' while getting hit? If you can't win in one strike, you're just not trying hard enough."
He chuckled, completely unaware that he was looking at the conceptual peak of his own student's Ten Shadows Technique. To him, it just looked like an overpriced, slow-acting Tool.
He scrolled down to the more "affordable" sections. A single [Senzu Bean] caught his eye, priced at a hefty 8,000 SP. Healing an entire body and restoring stamina in one bite? Okay, that's actually really good.
Finally, he reached the only interesting thing his current balance of 500 SP could actually touch.
[Bronze Multiversal Crate]
Cost: 500 SP
Description: A mystery box containing a random item from the multiverse. Value ranges from 1 SP to 5,000 SP. Luck is the only requirement.
"A five-hundred-point gamble for a five-thousand-point reward? Those are Gojo-level odds," Satoru chirped. He looked at Megumi's back. "Megumi-kun! Do you believe in the heart of the cards? Because I'm about to gamble our imaginary lunch money on a digital loot box!"
"I believe you need a psych ward and a restraining order," Megumi called back without looking over his shoulder.
Satoru didn't hesitate. He tapped the [Purchase] button.
The blue screen exploded into a shower of golden sparks. A bronze chest materialized in his vision, shaking violently as if something was trying to claw its way out, before the lid flew open with a triumphant "DING!"
[ CONGRATULATIONS! ]
[ ITEM RECEIVED: Spatial Storage Ring (The Void Glutton) ]
[ Estimated Value: 3,800 SP ]
[ Origin: Unknown Cultivation World ]
[ Description: A simple-looking ring that contains an isolated dimension of 100 cubic meters. Time is frozen inside, meaning food stays hot and ice stays cold. ]
A sleek, dark ring dropped out of the digital interface and fell into Satoru's palm. It felt cool, smooth, and hummed with a very faint, non-cursed spatial vibration.
"Oho? A storage ring?" Satoru's grin reached his ears. He immediately slipped it onto his right index finger. He looked at his bag of Kikufuku mochi. With a thought, the bag vanished from his hand. With another thought, it reappeared.
"3,800 points value for a 500-point box? I really am the favorite child of the universe."
He tucked his hands into his pockets, his mind already racing with the possibilities. He decided to keep this a secret from the chat for now. If he told them he had an pocket for snacks and tools thanks to them, the "Forehead Prince" would probably go crazy.
"Megumi-kun! Look!" Satoru shouted, catching up to his student. He held up his empty hand, then suddenly 'pulled' the bag of mochi out of thin air right in front of Megumi's face. "Magic!"
Megumi stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the bag, then at Satoru's hand, then at the ring. He took a long, deep breath, the kind a person takes right before they give up on humanity.
"It's a sleight-of-hand trick. You're using your Infinity to hide it or something," Megumi said flatly, though his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Stop playing around. Ichiji is waiting at the car."
"It's not a trick! I have a spatial ring now! I can carry a whole convenience store in here!"
"If you try to 'store' me in there, I'm telling Zen'in-san you've finally lost it," Megumi muttered, turning back toward the station. "I'm going to go work for Nanami-san. At least he is just depressed, not a psycho."
"Aww, don't be a hater! I'll let you keep your shadows in here if they get tired!" Satoru laughed, skipping ahead of him.
He glanced back at the chat, which was currently a mess of Forehead_Prince yelling at Pop_Star_Sparkle about why "idols" were a waste of planetary resources.
Forehead_Prince: "WHY ARE YOU SENDING ME PINK HEART ICONS?! I AM THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS, NOT YOUR FAN CLUB! YOUR SINGING IS NOTHING BUT HIGH-PITCHED NOISE THAT POLLUTES THE AIR!"
Pop_Star_Sparkle: "But Prince-san, everyone loves music! Maybe you just need a catchy chorus to help you with your training! (๑>ᴗ<๑)✨"
Forehead_Prince: "I WOULD RATHER LOSE MY TAIL AGAIN THAN LISTEN TO—"
Satoru chuckled, his thumb hovering over the screen with practiced ease. "Sorry, Princey. You're a bit too loud for my 'I-just-got-a-rare-drop' mood."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Administrator "Infinite_Sugar_Daddy" has muted "Forehead_Prince" for 5 minutes.]
[Reason: Bullying a teenager is a major lack of style.]
"That's better. Next stop, sweets shop!" Gojo announced to the sky. "The ring is empty, and that's a crime against nature!"