(Kaiji's POV)
"You died."
Those were the first words I heard while stirring from a deep slumber. "What?"
"It's not that hard to understand. You died." The mysterious voice repeated harshly.
I opened my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar place. The surroundings were dark, and a strange aura filled the air. Before me stood a figure shrouded in shadows, their features obscured.
"Died?" I repeated, still trying to make sense of the situation. Memories of my past life flickered like distant stars in the night sky. I could hardly recall the events of my past life, not even what date my birthday was and how I had died.
"Yes, but consider this a second chance, Kaiji Tenshiko. Welcome to the afterlife, or more precisely, an in-between world," the shadowy figure explained cryptically.
"Kaiji Tenshiko," I wondered. "Was that my name?"
An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. "In-between world? What does that even mean?"
The figure gestured, and suddenly, a bizarre scene unfolded before me. The reality twisted and contorted. I found myself standing on unfamiliar grounds, surrounded by towering skyscrapers and a distinct sense of urban chaos. The voice continued, "This is your new reality. You've been chosen for a bigger cause."
I observed my surroundings, realizing I had been transported to a bustling city. "A bigger cause? What kind of cause?"
What the heck is going on?
The shadow remained silent and allowed me to observe and feel my new surroundings first. The sky was dark, meaning it was night, despite the bright city lights from a far. There was no activity as most people had already packed in, and I was in a gutter.
The shadows shifted, revealing a glint of amusement. "The game of shadows, my dear Kaiji. You possess a power called the 'Ten Shadows Technique', starting at an Expertise level of 30. In this realm, it will be your key to survival. Embrace it, and you might just make it out alive."
I then felt an incredible energy shift and a purple screen appeared before me.
---
(Profile)
# Status: Sorcerer Grade 4
# Progress: 22.5/30 to next level.
# Cursed Energy: 100/100
# Abilities:
Shikigamis: 1/10.
Shadow Concealment: 10/10 uses remaining
1. Hide objects in shadows with Shadow Concealment. 2. Unlock 'Shikigami Enhancement' to establish and enhance Shikigami power. 3. Level up to unlock more abilities. 4. Most abilities can be upgraded up to 2 times. # Attributes: Power: 22.5/100 Strength: 20/100 Speed: 20/100 Durability: 20/100 Expertise (Jujutsu): 30/(100 + 175) Tip: Ways to Recover Cursed Energy: 1. Rest and Relax 2. Meditate and Focus 3. Consume Curse-related Substances 4. Absorb Cursed Energy from the Environment 5. Train and Exercise 6. Channel Positive Emotions --- Ten Shadows Technique, Cursed Energy - I vaguely recalled it from my love for Jujutsu Kaisen. But this was different. Real. Tangible. The shadow presence that was with me had seemingly vanished into the dark of night while I was studying the interface. I was now all alone but aware of what was going on. I had somehow died and gotten isekai-d in the Marvel World with the Ten Shadows Technique from Jujutsu Kaisen. How I had died and who I was in the past still remained a mystery yet to be solved. Marvel World because of the term 'Earth-616'. But who had put me there, and what was that bigger cause? What was that shadow presence? --- Ding! --- That was the first notification in this world of mutants and superheroes. It seemed that the interface came with a guidance system to help me further the Ten Shadows. With the way it was structured, I could eventually become the most powerful person on Earth-616, if I worked for it. But why would I be interested in that? "For a bigger cause." The words echoed in my mind as if reminding me of my purpose in this world. "Your survival depends on how you embrace the Ten Shadows." A pop-up notification then appeared with the ability description for Shadow Concealment. --- # Current Expertise: 30/275 # Expertise collected: 0/25 Info: Hide mass of any magnitude in shadows, so long as you have the cursed energy for it. The process works by sending the mass (object) to the Shadow realm by opening a portal on any part of your body. To retrieve it, ensure there's a shadow on that part of your body. # Upgrades: 1. Shadow Concealment 2.0: Stretch uses to 15 times. (Power required: 30. Expertise earned - 10.) 2. Shadow Budding: Stretch ability to other shadows beyond your body. (Power required: 70. Expertise earned - 15.) --- The ability itself looked both interesting, and ambitious. It was easy to understand that I could use it for weapons and other small items. But did it mean that I could send an entire world to the shadow realm so long as I had the cursed energy to match the task? Just how big was the shadow realm? The more I thought about it, the more interesting the ten shadows became. I knew that the technique mostly revolved around the ten shikigamis, and the excitement about my capability to control them only increased my heartbeat. "I can actually summon the Divine Dogs!" A rush of adrenaline coursed through my body. "And have a chance to tame Divine General Mahoraga." How naive! I knew that was a death wish, especially considering that I hadn't even put the Ten Shadows into action yet, and experienced the power. Before deciding on putting the abilities to action, I decided to first explore everything and get done with the Interface. By thinking on it, I summoned the Shikigami ability description tab, and a pop-up appeared. --- # Current Expertise: 30/275 # Expertise collected: 20/250 Info: Summon and tame Shikigami. After taming any of the ten shikigami, they'll become available to aid you in battle. No upgrades. --- I knew what most of the Shikigamis were, and couldn't wait to tame them. However, comparing the Expertise the Divine Dogs gave me with the total for Shikigamis, I knew it wouldn't be an easy task. My math might be terrible, but even in my sleep, I can tell that 250 divided by 10 isn't 20. Which meant that some were higher than others in the level scale (obviously). Alright. Armed with all the information, I was ready to explore the ability. The purple interface retracted, and my senses finally tuned to my surroundings. The distant sounds of traffic and the occasional siren wailing in the distance reminded me I was in a city. I had barely made any movement ever since I had gotten here. I took my time to observe the environment. I was still on the dark gutter, surrounded by sounds of rats and mice rushing to dine in the garbage disposal cans. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Now that my senses were grounded to this reality, I couldn't explain how I had managed to stand around in that stench for so long. I could make out the city's bright lights and neon lights since the buildings forming the gutter weren't all that towering. The very sense that I was in a world drawn in the comics made me feel a never-ending rush of excitement. I could feel all the potential that lurked in the air. "Starting a life. Any life. Can be hard though." My excitement died down a bit. "I might have an insane ability, but I also need resources to survive." "Food, shelter, clothing... Money." I thought to myself. "I wonder if I somehow mysteriously get all that?" The universe didn't respond in any way, and my hope flickered as the sound of dogs barking from a distant filled the air. I guess I did have to work for all that. My senses shifted from perceiving the normal, and the sixth senses awakened. With my Ten Shadows, I could naturally feel the shadows around me and the lurking potential that I could do more than just feel them. I could manipulate them, or hide into them. But all that came with advancement in my mastery. The other sixth sense was the detection of Cursed energy. I knew that Cursed energy came from the negative emotions of people, and there was no doubt that even in this world, negative emotions weren't an exception. However, the taste of it felt faint in my current surrounding. Oooww...! The Stench! ''I should get out of here." I said while pinching my nose and walking from the gutter towards the open road." Piles upon piles of garbage disposal cans lay full and hopeless along the gutter, and it made me question which city I was in, or whether I was really in Marvel (and not Gotham). "Crime, and now this?" I wondered as I increased my pace to get out faster. "I gotta find a better place to practice my abilities." Suddenly, my senses tinged as I closed in on the exit from the gutter, and alerted me to the presence of more, denser shadows. My heartbeat increased as more blood flowed through my elated veins, preparing me for the quickest reaction in a game of fight or flight. "You're not from around here, are you?" A deep and crooked male's voice came from the shadows, sounding calm and well adjusted to the surroundings. "Su'ch f'ncy wea'r you've." A female voice with an accent matched the tone of the first voice. "Wha't goodi's you've go't? My body became stiff, and the air around me grew colder. Was I about to be attacked? The shadows in front of me moved, slowly and meticulously as though every move was deliberate and planned. I didn't need telling that a confrontation was due, as their faces showed, masked in shadows. "You wouldn't mind if we had some of it, would you now?" A different, younger voice spoke from behind me with a clang sound, indicating they had a metallic object with them. "I was just wishing on some new... Attire." Clang! He tapped on the floor to further intimidate me, and my muscles tightened. --- Ding! --- Seeing the new mission update eased my tension a bit and made me wonder about the Interface. Was it trying to be funny? Or was it part of the incoming homeless people about to beat me up, so they could steal my clothes? But it was right. There was nowhere to run. Physically, I could jump on the bin to the left and flip over the two in front of me, then run like hell - all thanks to the adrenaline in my system. But the 'there's nowhere to run' was more of a mental thing. I needed to prove myself, and also to put my newly acquired skills to use. Such petty confrontations in the future would be worth running from (waste of time). But this was my first confrontation, and it needed to be handled. "Say, have you guys got anything to eat?" I tried to ease the tension in my body and relax my mildly gritting teeth from the momentary fear that had gripped me. I wasn't used to such life-threatening situations. "Hohoho." The deep and crooked voice laughed sarcastically. "No'w h'e's a' fu'n'ny on'e?!" The female with the accent sounded immensely displeased. "I've been traveling through dimensions, I think, and that made me super hungry." I mocked their intimidation again. "I would appreciate it if you guys have beef stew already made." Whack! I don't recall ever feeling much pain as I did that night. The lad behind me was quick to act and he hit me hard with his metallic club. His aim was for the head, but he missed as I had moved a bit as I plotted my attack. "I don't like him pops." He said as he raised his club to bang me again. "He's looking down on us, again." Meanwhile, I was clutching the bun on my shoulder as I cried in pain. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" "Just like all the others!" He said as he threw the club to hit me again, with neither pity, nor remorse in his conscience. Whatever grudge he had, he was laying it down on me, with that club. My pain was already unbearable, and I didn't think I could take another hit, without going into shock and losing conscious. My mind took over control, and my hand moved autonomously to meet with the falling club for a grab. Wham! Pierce! The club landed on my palm with a lot of impact that it took me some time to feel the protrusions that had penetrated into my hand. My eyes widened in shock as I saw the pointed protrusions at the end of the club, leading me to an agonizing realization that I had been stabbed. "Ooooowwwwwccchhh!"" I cried out, nearly kneeling down as the lad pulled out the club, going for the third hit. "Hold him proper for me pops." He said as a strong chain strangled me by the neck, forcing me to a standing position. "I don't want blood dripping on those nice clothes." "No'w, no'w." The woman responded to the new situation. "Be' gen'tle," she added as she punched me on the ribs with a powerful hit. I was in a tremendous amount of pain, and all my thoughts focused on my lack of reaction, the first time. I should have attacked first, instead of babbling on about food. But these guys were about to pay for what they were doing to me. The man focused on restraining me by the neck while the woman went for my hands, to create a submissive pose for the lad to finish me off with the club. But before she could hold my hands together, I clasped them and thought about a puppy, effectively reshaping my shadow for a summon. My conscious was giving in to the pain and shock, and instead of a purple Interface, a voice explained a new development. --- (Update) You have summoned one of the Divine Dogs, fit for a Grade 4 Sorcerer. Currently, you can only use voice commands, as per your Shikigami abilities. Your Cursed energy will drain at a rate of 1 per second (100 seconds), and faster if it's injured or uses more power. --- Woof! My mind cleared for a second to confirm the sound I had just heard. Was that the sound of a puppy? Woof! It repeated, as if to answer my question (but mainly begging for commands). Before me stood a white puppy surrounded by a thin purple aura representing it's Shikigami nature. "What the heck is this?" Despite the circumstances, I couldn't help but wonder. I expected something more bigger and stronger. More majestic. But staring at me was nothing but a puppy I didn't know what to think of. It might have been invisible to the non-sorcerer eye, but it was still a puppy. What could it do? Did I do the summon wrong? Should I have thought of a big dog instead of a puppy? I didn't think so. That's how Megumi always did it. Then, why a puppy?!