Endlessly Leveling with Cursed Energy

---TheCursedMillennial---

Chapter 5. Gojo Sensei Part 1.

Gojo's confidence eased my mind and tension a bit.

'He wouldn't tell me to do something if he didn't believe I could do it,' I considered the possibility that Gojo had seen something in me I couldn't, or hadn't.

"Okay," I said while steadying my breath, but my voice betrayed my fear and confusion. "How do you want me to throw it?"

"Steady yourself," he instructed as our blurry motions slowed, signaling a stop.

"We are here," Gojo declared as the surroundings cleared, discernible features finally registering in my mind. Gojo let me down, and I landed on warm, soft, cushy ground with my knees and hands.

Relaxing, I took the liberty to scan the new environment. 'What is this place?'

The ground beneath me was spongy, pulsating slightly as if it were alive. The texture was slick and slightly sticky, a deep reddish hue that glistened under an eerie, dim light. The air was thick with humidity, carrying a sharp, acidic scent that made me wrinkle my nose.

As I looked around, I noticed the walls were uneven, lined with strange, ridged patterns that seemed to ripple and contract rhythmically. They were covered in a glossy, mucous-like substance that reflected the dim light, creating a surreal, almost hypnotic effect. The walls also seemed to be breathing, expanding and contracting with a slow, steady rhythm.

In the distance, I heard a low, rumbling sound that resonated through the entire space, a deep growl that felt almost primal. The sound reverberated through the ground and walls, creating a disorienting sensation that made it hard to determine its source.

In the echoes, I caught the distinct 'Droooll' that made me shudder a bit.

Above me, the ceiling was high and dome-like, covered in similar ridges and pulsating with the same rhythmic contractions. Drops of the mucous-like substance occasionally fell from above, landing with soft, wet splats that echoed in the vast, cavernous space.

Strange, fleshy tendrils hung from the ceiling, swaying gently as if moved by an unseen breeze. They varied in length and thickness, some barely visible while others were as thick as my arm, their surfaces glistening with the same mucous-like substance that coated the walls.

The air was filled with a faint, almost imperceptible hum, a constant, vibrating noise that seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was both soothing and unsettling, adding to the overall surreal and otherworldly atmosphere of the place.

Everywhere I looked, there were strange, organic structures that defied easy description. Some resembled large, bulbous sacs that throbbed and pulsed, while others were more tubular, branching off into smaller, vein-like structures that seemed to spread out in all directions.

I placed my hand on the ground to steady myself, feeling the soft, yielding surface give slightly under my touch. The texture was smooth but with an underlying firmness that suggested strength and resilience.

'This place feels alive," I couldn't shake the feeling that this place was somehow aware of our presence. It was as if the entire environment was a single, living entity, reacting to our movements and breathing in sync with us.

"What is this place?" I wondered aloud.

"A hyper-realistic Innate Domain," Gojo replied, curiosity dripping from his voice. "But it's easier to think of it as a stomach."

"Are we inside Drool?" I shrieked, but the presence of Gojo and the notion that anything was possible around him calmed my nerves.

"That would be a Domain Expansion," Gojo said while gesturing with his finger. His tone as casual as ever. "From all I've seen, let's hope that doesn't happen today."

It was strange hearing Gojo dread something. I couldn't shake off the way he looked battered. He might have kept his spirit, evident from the way he smiled and stood, but the Honored One looked like he had been chewed up and spit out by Drool.

'That could've actually happened,' I imagined, trying to make sense of what I had seen in their fight.

"So, are you really ready to throw that punch?" Gojo asked, his tone suddenly serious as he looked at me. The intensity of his gaze mesmerized me, threatening to unravel my composure, but I managed to answer clearly.

"If I said 'yes,' how would that make me better at it?" I replied, doubt lacing my words. "I've seen your fight with Drool, and I'm nowhere near your level. How can me throwing a punch help?"

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"Good questions," Gojo noted, like a teacher acknowledging a perceptive student. "The answers will reveal themselves in time."

"If I show you how to throw the perfect punch, will you do it?" Gojo asked.

"You mean teach me? How long would that take?" I asked, trying to gauge the feasibility.

"A minute," Gojo replied. "Seconds, depending on your willingness to learn."

'Black Flash in seconds??' I wanted to voice my incredulity, but then again... this was Gojo. If he thought I could do it in seconds, he definitely meant it.

"Okay," I reaffirmed my confidence in him.

"Good," Gojo said with a relaxed smile.

"Your lesson starts down that way." He gestured to a dark tunnel before us that seemed to stretch on forever. "If a curse asks you questions, don't answer. Just punch it as hard as you can."

"Okay," I nodded, feeling a surge of excitement and anticipation. At least I was reassured that Gojo had my back. Dipping my hand into my pocket, I fetched my phone.

As I lit my smartphone's torch to look down the tunnel, Gojo further instructed, "but if the General appears, stand back and let me handle him."

"General?!" I exclaimed, a surge of pure terror flooding my mind at the mention of that name.

"Ma-m-m-mahoo..." I stuttered, unable to even utter the name of the creature that formed in my mind's eye after hearing about the General.

The beam of light from my torch revealed a looming figure lurching in the dark tunnel, and before I could hear Gojo's response, my heart skipped a beat - and rightfully so. In that fleeting moment, I caught sight of a curse that bore a striking resemblance to General Mahoraga, swiftly moving towards us.

Before I could fully comprehend the situation, I felt a sudden, powerful force envelop me, whisking me away at a terrifying speed. Fear gripped me, but before I could even scream, I heard Gojo's voice, tinged with amusement, echoing in the darkness. "Don't forget to punch!"

"Alright!" I responded, drawing strength from his words. My phone slipped from my grasp, plunging into darkness, and I found myself unable to see what had seized me. Yet, instinctively, I knew it was deserving of a punch, or many, and so I prepared myself for the task at hand.

"If it were the General, Gojo would have at least reacted," I reassured myself, summoning all my courage as I launched my first fist forward.

In my mind, I envisioned the punch as a powerful strike capable of obliterating the curse, fueled by the reinforcement of cursed energy. Yet, when I launched the blow, it lacked the force I had anticipated. It felt as if my body held back, unwilling to unleash the full extent of my latent power.

With each subsequent attempt, I struggled to channel more power into my punches. Despite feeling the energy incredibly surging violently (like explosions) from my core toward my fists, I couldn't seem to unleash the full potency dormant within me. Nevertheless, my series of strikes were sufficient to force the curse to release its grip, causing me to collapse onto the cushioned surface.

As I staggered to my feet, I sensed the curse lunging at me. Despite my prepared stance, I couldn't evade its grasp, feeling its limb twisting across my cheek with a force that sent ripples of pain across my face. Spitting out a mixture of blood and saliva, I mentally prepared for retaliation, reminding myself that it's not a fight if you don't take a hit.

Throwing my fist without a specific target, I felt a sense of relief as it connected with something tangible. The satisfying feeling washed over me, accompanied by a vague mixture of positive emotions, as the curse splattered and splashed before me.

"What an exorcism!" I exclaimed, relishing in the moment, but my joy was short-lived.

"Huh..." I sighed from disappointment at the sight of him.

"Nice punch," Gojo's voice rang out earnestly as he emerged from behind the dissipating curse. Though his hands were in his pockets, his demeanor suggested that he was the one who had performed the exorcism.

"Hey, I had that!" I protested.

"You surely did," he acknowledged without denying his assistance. "But that curse could easily pass as a second-grade curse, and you're just not ready for that fight."

"Good punch though," Gojo conceded. "Now, I'll show you how to make it better."

"I still need it to be perfect," Gojo added, his tone now carrying a bit of urgency in it.

"What do I need to do to improve it?" I asked, eager to understand and streamline the flow of my cursed energy.

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