Chapter 01

"Here you go, sir. That will be 200 yen," said the cashier with a smile, reaching out her hand to receive the payment.

I pulled out my wallet as I reflected on the past two years since I transmigrated to this world.

Now, I am known as Toujou Arima, a 19-year-old young man who had used his cursed powers to amass great fortune, only to be betrayed and killed by those close to him, consumed by greed.

Yes, you read that correctly. Cursed techniques are real in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, an anime I used to watch in my previous life, which has now become part of my reality.

I glanced at the cashier, whose kind smile reminded me of the dark truth I face. Behind the apparent normalcy, constant battles against curses and menacing creatures lurk in the shadows. I, Toujou Arima, am no longer a mere spectator.

A mix of emotions washed over me as I handed the 200 yen to the cashier. Knowing that a considerable part of the former owner's fortune had been lost brought a bittersweet feeling.

After sighing, I thanked the cashier and left the store. The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky with warm shades of orange and pink. As I walked through the bustling streets of Tokyo, I pondered whether I should prepare cooked meat for dinner.

Tired of eating only fish, anything else would be better at this point, I concluded.

Luckily, the journey was not long, and I soon arrived at a modest housing complex. The buildings displayed simple and functional architecture, with sloped roofs and walls in soft tones. It was a cozy place, like a typical abode for a young, single middle-class individual.

"Mr. Arima," a voice interrupted my thoughts, drawing my attention to a middle-aged man, slightly overweight with graying hair.

"Mr. Takahashi, how can I help you?" I replied politely, recognizing him as the building's superintendent.

"Huh? Well... I... I just wanted to give you this." He seemed a bit nervous as he handed me an envelope. "It arrived this morning by mail, but it was mistakenly delivered to Miss Ayu's address... She might be a little upset about it," he added, wiping sweat from his cheek as he recalled the scene of the furious girl.

With a smile, I took the envelope and checked the address: [Han Building, Apartment 203], it was indeed correct.

After expressing my gratitude, I bid farewell to Mr. Takahashi and headed towards my apartment. Inside, I turned on the lights to brighten up the room and opened the window to let the hot air escape. Unfortunately, I didn't have air conditioning, so I had to settle for the gentle breeze from the window to alleviate the heat.

I placed the letter on the table, not paying much attention to its contents as I already knew who it was from. I had received several of them in the last month.

After all the negative emotions, I felt the need to let it out. While preparing dinner, I grabbed a wooden spoon and started to sing:

♪ "Keep you in the dark, you know they all pretend

Keep you in the dark and so it all began..." ♪

To the tune of Foo Fighters' "The Pretender," the kitchen became my stage.

♪ "If I fall, I'm not the first

I'm not the first to fall, I'm not the first to fall..." ♪

After finishing the meal, I sat down at the table and rubbed my satisfied belly. Although I could easily afford a better accommodation, I had prioritized other things in the last two years.

"Well, time to get to work," I said to myself as I got up and slid open the door to my room.

"Gribe-Gribe," "Gzzzzz," two small creatures in orange and red were chained to a dresser.

They seemed scared as I approached, and I quickly grabbed one of them by the neck, a small grade 4 curse. Despite its struggles in my hand, the creature proved completely powerless.

I looked at the poor creature and muttered: "Karuma No Kyūsai."

In doing so, I allowed the formula of my innate technique, Karma's Redemption (カルマの救済), to manifest. It was an ability I had used countless times, and even the previous owner of this body was familiar with it.

A faint light enveloped my palm, and the curse began to wither under the effect of Karma's Redemption. This unique technique granted me the exceptional ability to fragment cursed energy into two distinct forms: Positive Energy and Karmic Energy.

As I activated Karma's Redemption, it seemed to resonate with the surroundings, and the cursed energy that had once manifested as sinister and dark began to dissipate, giving way to a radiant aura.

The first manifestation of the technique occurs when cursed energy is broken and transformed into Positive Energy. This energy shines like a golden and shimmering glow, filled with healing power.

The second manifestation is Karmic Energy. It emanates an ethereal silver glow, denoting the transcendental and mysterious aspect of this power.

However, despite the wonder of this gift, there was one weakness: Positive Energy couldn't be used on myself for healing, and the same applied to Karmic Energy. This peculiarity made my innate technique akin to a healing and reinforcement support, in terms of a RPG game.

This limitation ended up being the crucial point that led the former owner of this body to an unfortunate fate. The Toujou family, known for producing jujutsu sorcerers, although not as grand as the three major clans, upheld their traditions for generations.

The original host was born with a minuscule amount of cursed energy, leading his parents to abandon him at an orphanage when he was just five years old. His story resembled that of a certain girl I had seen in the anime, whose name I had forgotten.

However, unlike that girl, the original Toujou Arima awakened a unique innate technique and used it to thrive in the human world. He had no interest in exorcising curses; instead, he utilized his power to make money.

The strategy was simple: every day, he converted his own cursed energy into Karmic Energy and blessed people in exchange for money. Over the course of more than a decade, many benefited, whether through lottery wins or having their beloved ones returned, all thanks to Karmic Energy.

However, the inability to use that energy on himself was a real headache. I didn't want to follow the same path as the previous owner of this body and end up entangled with greedy individuals who sought my power for selfish purposes.

Therefore, a question I constantly asked myself was how to get stronger.

I didn't remain idle and practiced my ability every day, hoping to discover a new nuance.

Being weak, I restricted myself to hunting only harmless curses and became their true reaper.

"Huh?" I looked at the small curse that seemed more like a lifeless mummy and sighed. "What a pity. It seems this one didn't last long."

I glanced to my left, and the remaining small red monster trembled. It had the appearance of a human eye with hands and legs.

"What makes you special, little friend?" I analyzed the small being with curiosity.

Unlike countless other curses that I had made victims, this little red eye seemed to be resilient and survived the torturous sessions of Karma's Redemption.

"Sorry, but I must test your limits once again," I extended my hand towards it, with a slight look of pity.

Throughout these months, I felt a little sorry for that poor creature and almost put an end to its life to end its suffering. However, the need to explore what made it different kept me going.

Before I could continue, a sound of desperation emanated from it, "Gribe-Gribe."

"What do you mean by that?" I raised an eyebrow to it, strangely understanding what it was trying to convey.

"Gribe."

"A contract?"

"Gribe-Gribe," it nodded its head hurriedly.

"Ummmm," I pondered it carefully.

I had heard of the possibility of making contracts, but never had a curse offered that to me. Not that other grade 4 curses had survived more than one of my training sessions to offer themselves as my servants.

Seeing the desperation of that little one, I decided to accept, "Alright then. You... Let me see, Gribe... Do you agree to be my servant?"

Gripping my palm, it shouted in agreement, "Gribe."

"I'm counting on you from now on," I smiled at my new companion as the contract formed.

The only word I could hear in response was the same...

Gribe.