Chapter 37: Grade One Advancement Test (1)

[Third Person's Point of View]

The neon glow of Shibuya was in full display as dusk settled over Tokyo. Before the vibrant facade of the UNIQLOC Shibuya Dogenzaka store, two figures stood in stark contrast to the casual shoppers milling about. Atsuya Kusakabe, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of a dust-brown peacoat, surveyed the crowd with a calm demeanour. Beside him, Naobito Zenin's annoyance was evident as he tapped his foot impatiently and scanned the surroundings, with his sharp gaze darting to and fro.

"Have patience, Naobito-san," Kusakabe's soothing baritone voice reassured. "He is only ten minutes late. We still have plenty of time."

Naobito let out an exasperated sigh, his ageing features contorting into a frown. "Time is the one luxury we cannot afford to waste," he snapped back. "Especially today, with his Grade One advancement test already. This...August, was it? He should understand the importance of punctuality!"

Kusakabe chuckled softly. "Perhaps he will learn that from you today."

Their conversation was interrupted as a figure approached, walking confidently and without haste through the crowd until he reached them.

"Yo," August greeted them with a peace sign, hoping to appear cool and maybe even annoy them.

Dressed in all black, with a turtle-neck underneath a matching jacket and black jeans paired with sneakers completing the look, August didn't exactly look like someone about to take a magician test. In fact, he looked quite casual and relaxed.

"You are late!" Naobito didn't mince his words as he admonished the newcomer hastily. After all, in their line of work, a moment's delay might lead to death.

"Ah, Gomen."

The apology was not sincere at all, given the newcomer's nonchalant demeanour. Before Naobito could escalate the situation any further, Kusakabe interjected with a polite greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet you, August Blackwood-san."

'Atsuya Kusakabe...' he smiled and extended a hand towards the man while he scanned him again.

[Atsuya Kusakabe - Human(Cursed) - Tier 7]

[CE Reserve-B, Innate Cursed Technique- N/A]

The man responded with a firm handshake and continued amicably, "Though you are late, please try to be punctual the next time."

He nodded, but it was not like he was late on purpose. On the contrary, August arrived half an hour before the agreed time and was observing the duo from the top of a nearby building, invisible to all.

Since both of them were supporting characters, August decided to do a thorough analysis of their strength before he showed up, to get a proper reference to this world's strength hierarchy.

Kusakabe was a Grade One sorcerer, one of the very few without an Innate Technique, solely cementing his status there with his exceptional sword skills and mastery of the New Shadow Style. To top it off, his simple domain was rumoured to be one of the best in all of Japan.

"Hmph, you still get points deducted for your tardiness, so don't blame us when you fail the test!" And the annoyed old man sporting a long, thin, English-style moustache while clad in brown yukata with a black sash was the 26th head of the Zenin Clan; Naobito Zenin.

[Naobito Zenin - Human(Cursed) - 'Fastest Jujutsu Sorcerer' - Tier 7]

[CE Reserve-B, Innate Cursed Technique- Projection Sorcery]

The seemingly old head of the Zenin clan was a deceivingly strong sorcerer for his age, ranked at Special Grade One, one of the rare ranks only reserved for a handful of strongest sorcerers from the Eight Great General Houses.

One strange thing that he couldn't help but notice was that Naobito didn't seem as old as he should have been. Despite having some grey hairs, the 71-year-old elder Zenin appeared to be missing the usual age lines and wrinkles that one would expect at his age. 

'Dare I say he looks younger...mid to late fifties at most' August was indeed curious about this small discrepancy from his memory, but he decided to focus on his upcoming test first.

"So what exactly do I need to do?" Satoru had mentioned something about exorcising curses, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Blackwood-san will need to exorcise curse spirits of our choosing at locations we select while we and headquarters evaluate your performance," Kusakabe answered professionally as he attached a chest-mounted mini camera to his grey suit.

"The live feed will be relayed back to the Headquarters." He gestured towards the camera.

"You guys are weirdly...advanced in this kinda stuff. Not that I am complaining."It felt strange for August to see sorcerers relying on technology in a world full of magic.

'Weren't they supposed to be like How dare you imply that we use those lowly muggle technology! Hah, Courting Death! or something like that?' he mused to himself while Naobito snorted at the look on August's face.

"Please, we might be traditionalists but we are no english-barbarians!"

Ignoring the not-so-subtle jab at the English Wizarding Community, August turned back to Kusakabe. "So when do we begin?"

"Now."

*

The sound of August's footsteps reverberated through the empty hallways of the deserted apartment complex in Minato, Tokyo. The musty smell of decay hung heavy in the air, and the walls were marked with remnants of a previous fire. Kusakabe and Naobito followed closely behind him. their eyes scanning the shadows as they ventured deeper into the forsaken building

"We are our first location, Blackwood-san," Kusakabe began, his voice a low rumble, "This apartment complex burned down a year ago due to a fire that broke out mysteriously in the middle of the night."

Naobito picked up the tale, his eyes closed as he tried to sense the cursed energy in the surroundings. "Initially, authorities believed it was caused by a gas leak. However, our sensors detected unusual activities a month ago and the two grade three sorcerers sent to investigate returned heavily injured."

"The HQ has its reasons to believe," Kusakabe continued, "that the flames were not a mere accident. They suspect a Grade Two Cursed Spirit, one that feeds on the fear such tragedies leave behind."

"Mhm, that's tragic...anyways, why did you all bring me here to exorcise a mere grade two spirit? You lot are vastly underestimating my capabilities." August's words were dripping with overconfidence as he addressed his companions, leaving both of them annoyed at the arrogance of the newcomer.

'Heh, kids these days.' Naobito snickered inwardly at the naivety of today's youth. 'They believe that mastering a flashy little technique or two would instantly elevate them to a higher grade.' Meanwhile, his heightened senses detected a strong presence of cursed energy approaching their location. 

"Your target is here, Blackwood-san," Kusakabe said gravely. "Remember, we will not intervene unless you give up or are in mortal danger. Both outcomes result in immediate failure. Good luck."

Kusakabe stepped back to create some distance between them while turning on his chest-mounted action camera.

'It's a grade one?' Naobito and Kusakabe both quietly observed August in front of them while they gauged his opponent's grade.

The sound of metal clanging and heavy footsteps reverberated throughout the hallway, announcing the arrival of a grotesque figure emerging from the shadows. The faint moonlight pouring through a broken window illuminated the area as it stepped forward into view.

Standing at a daunting eight feet tall, its body was a mangled fusion of rusted metal and decaying flesh, resembling the remnants of the building itself. Its eyes, if it could be called that, were hollow sockets that burned with a cold, blue flame, casting an eerie glow in the darkness.

Sigh.

"What a waste of time..." A disappointed sigh left August's mouth as the atmosphere turned ominous as the cursed spirit eyed them with hunger, slowly inching towards its prey.

Standing at a safe distance, his two observers eagerly watched the event unfolding in front of them. It was a rare occasion for them to witness a sorcerer recommended personally by a Transcendent Grade, and despite his arrogance, they were eagerly anticipating seeing August in action.

Though they were somewhat miffed by August's nonchalant attitude towards the whole ordeal, in their eyes, Gojo Satoru wouldn't recommend just anyone to take a Special Grade evaluation test. They had high expectations for the raven-haired boy to come out as the victor, but not without a challenging battle first.

However, what occurred next caused their jaws to drop so dramatically that they resembled exaggerated characters from a children's comic book.

It was all over in an instant.

August's outstretched index finger crackled with a bright, condensed sphere of energy that launched towards its intended destination.

Sensing the imminent danger, the cursed spirit quickly encased itself in a dome of strong, reinforced metal walls for protection.

The white ball slammed into the thick steel dome, and everything disappeared. The wall, the cursed spirit, and the chunk of concrete it stood upon, all disintegrated into ash in a split second.

There was no loud explosion, bright light, or dazzling display. The brute force of its attack simply obliterated the target without any fanfare.

"..."

"What a real waste of time and expectations. C'mon, let's move on to the next one."

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