Workshop

The next few days passes by in a flash.

Quite a lot transpired in this short amount of time. First of all, Shuichi finally had the time to move to a mansion that had been prepared for him by Ryouta.

That poor man gave one of his own mansions to him. Well, that hardly makes a difference since he had about 7 to his name, all around Japan.

Being the boss of the local Yakuza, and being close to one of the big heads can have very large benefits.

The next thing that happened was Shuichi requested for information about barriers and formations from Tokyo Jujutsu High.

And considering his status as a Grade 1 sorcerer, he was not refused. Barrier and formation mastery at the most basic level was something common among jujutsu sorcerers; and if someone wanted to improve their craft, they could always borrow some records and develop accordingly.

The jujutsu high authorities also proposed for him to have a quarters in the college complex, which would provide him a living space, a place to train and relax along with protection from outside threats due to barriers and finally access to the various talismans and cursed tools they had for study.

The common rule among jujutsu highschools was that cursed tools couldn't be randomly taken out, as some of them can be dangerous in the wrong hands. To gain custody over them, one must write a specific appeal and only then can they borrow it.

Regardless to say, to a higher grade sorcerer, the paperwork was simply a decoration. A stamp if you will.

However, as tantalizing as the offer was, Shuichi refused.

First of all, as an extention of the contract he had established with Yaga, he already had the priviledge to observe cursed tools and their uses in Jujutsu High. Of course, he still couldn't take them out, but the situation would be exactly the same in case he decided to stay at Jujutsu High.

Second of all, Jujutsu High was enveloped by Tengen's personal barrier. And everything inside the barrier was under 'her' scrutiny. Not to mention Jujutsu High itself was located pretty far away from most civilisation and hidden in the mountains at the far outskirts of Tokyo.

How was he supposed to conduct experiments featuring cursed tools under constant monitoring by a thousand year old sorcerer?

He did not want that.

Besides, there was also a possibility that Tengen might be able to notice all his three cursed techniques upon prolonged observation. Was there any chance he would be labelled as a freak by her?

Small. But did he want to risk it?

Hell no.

One can never know what goes on in the heads of senile old sorcerers. Although Shuichi had never personally met Tengen, the higher ups of the jujutsu world did not make a good impression of old sorcerers.

Who would be able to tell if 'she' were to randomly decide that Shuichi was a threat and had to be eliminated?

As such, Shuichi chose to stay on the safe side and stay in the mansion.

At the moment, Shuichi sat in front of a table which held various charts and wooden structures. The charts held various complicated diagrams, consisting of strangely shaped objects, Kanji letters, and arrows.

He was sitting in his private workshop that he had created in the mansion! The entire room had been entirely optimized for complete isolation from the outside world, recognition of certain cursed energy signatures, suppression of cursed tools and cursed energy, as well as being the most comfortable place possible.

And how was all that accomplished?

Refining cursed tools. Lots and lots of refining.

If any normal sorcerer were to walk into the room, they would be utterly baffled by the amount of cursed tools in the room.

The walls were partial cursed tools with inscriptions on them, made to cast various 'Curtains' that shielded the workshop from the outside.

The door was a cursed tool, that symbolized the act of 'crossing to the other side' thereby achieving complete isolation from the outside environment by classifying the inside as 'the other side', as in something that cannot be reached through conventional means. The door's handle had been enchanted to recognize Shuichi's cursed energy signature only.

The floor was a cursed tool, made extra durable.

The chair was a cursed tool, made to be extra comfortable and the perfect temperature.

The various table, the wooden structures on them, the metallic tools kept in the room, the roof of the room, the various wooden poles and blades propped up on the wall, the metallic blades on the tables; everything in the room was more or less a cursed tool.

The temperature of the room was just right, the humidity was just right, the ambience was just right, everything in the room had been manipulated using cursed tools to provide the best working environment.

People don't realize the true potential of cursed tools. Then again, they don't have the luxury of creating a cursed tool out of every single object they see. Shuichi lampooned in his heart as he continued to work on his newest project.

It was the very first cursed tool that Jujutsu High had commissioned him to make.

For his first assignment, he was not given anything too troublesome. It was a simple request to make a weapon that increased damage. The official at Jujutsu High realized that making such tools was not child's play; and making a powerful cursed tool could take days on end.

The actions taken during the making of the cursed artefact, the symbolic gestures one makes as he operates, the gathering of the materials itself empowered the resultant product. The entire process generated a potent curse that had been imbued into an object; thereby, creating a cursed artefact.

Cursed tool making was a tedious process. To others that is...

Well, if they don't want me to try too hard, I don't think I will. Shuichi nodded to himself. Let those people think what they want about my capabilities. I'll give them only as much as they ask of me.

And so, considering he had been given the necessary materials, which were 7 Katanas and a lot of talisman paper, 'blessed' blood from a sacrificial rite to the god Hachiman and some specially created inscription ink; Shuichi decided to try out some things with his cursed energy.

And so, he had stayed holed up in his workshop for at least 3 days.

All thanks to Hard to Kill who made him adapt to the hunger. Thought he could still feel a nagging feeling in his stomach, it could easily be ignored.

By this point, he had locked in and upgraded his necklace as well. It no longer glowed as it collected information, was more energy efficient, stronger, faster, and most importantly, it could accurately give him information about all biological processes happening in his body. Which was extremely important for him to figure out if he wanted to supply information directly to his brain.

He did not wish to turn into a vegetable just because he tried to stupidly channel pure information without having the appropriate methodology. He had to figure out how his brain operated at a deeper level first, and then figure out the way information was transmitted among the different neurons and the entire cranial structure. Only then would he feel comfortable experimenting on his brain using such a potent energy source called cursed energy.

He did not have suicidal tendencies thank you.

Shuichi worked his hands as he engraved letters onto the katana with the specialized ink he had been provided.

He has been trying to make a cursed tool, from cursed tools. Refining the ink, the katana and the paper into cursed tools directly, he wanted to make a greater weapon than the three combined.

Using the ink to inscribe Kanji letters onto the sword, he kept it beside the table. Then, grabbing three pieces of bamboo paper, he soaked them all in the same ink.

Grabbing a candle from the side, he held the papers above the candle flame at a considerable distance, all while softly chanting something in his mouth. Then, after about 30 seconds as the ink stained papers magically became dry, he picked up the katana and wrapped two sets of papers around it.

Taking the last piece, he held it below the blade and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

With a crisp snapping sound, the paper lit on fire as the embers extended towards the katana as well.

This was another application of cursed tools in the workshop. His cursed energy could produce enough friction to produce flames. Such things could only be done in his workshop as the surroundings were tailor made for the purpose.

The fire burned brightly as it completely consumed the paper, then, it consumed the katana; making the ink burn with a rigorous passion.

Shaaaa

Seeing the katana blade burning brightly, Shuichi's lips couldn't help but curl up. And then, to seal the final piece of the puzzle, he activated hundred armament refining.

Shiiinnng

A bright blue light extended out from the blade as the fire lost its momentum and died down.

What emerged, was a somewhat normal looking katana.

Immediately upon its conception, it had been suppressed by the suppression formation he had inputted!

He nodded to himself as he reviewed the cursed tool.

Through his cursed technique, he could judge the accurate abilities of the tool and its applications.

The katana turned out quite useful... he thought.

It has been imbued with a technique that 'burns' the ambient cursed energy. Each strike from the Sword 'burns' through the cursed energy it touches, achieving temperatures that reach upto 3000 degree Celcius.

That also meant that it is absolutely effective against a cursed spirit, easily making it a first grade cursed artefact from the attack potential alone. Officially, it would be classified as a special grade artefact, because of the technique to 'burn' cursed energy. The only limitation on it was that the amount of cursed energy it could 'burn' upon contact is directly proportional to the cursed energy reserves and output of the user.

It was extremely practical against curses of any kind.

That's going in my own stash. Nodding to himself, Shuichi kept the Katana into his Inventory, which held various other weapons such as swords, daggers and wooden slabs.

It could be said that keeping in contact with both the Yakuza and the Jujutsu Highschool was of great benefit. Shuichi could simply order some weapons to be delivered to him.

There was no need to craft anything himself.

Of course, he still tried crafting a lot of wooden stuff with various tools; allowing him to get the [Crafting] skill, which in the small amount of time had reached 70 proficiency.

He also wanted to try out metal workings to achieve self dependency and not have to take weapons from jujutsu high or the yakuza. It would also allow for a greater creative liberty in making his artefacts.

Grabbing another simple katana, Shuichi began to inscribe it with more ink letters. This time, he held off from going too crazy.

I'll make this one for the college, and the rest will be refined into more cursed tools for myself.

Cursed artefact making would very often result in the destruction of the ingredients utilized. It was not rare for the jujutsu officials to supply the artefact makers with more resources than necessary.

Let's see... The payment would depend on the grade of the cursed tool created. The weakest cursed tool can cost close to 4000 US dollars while the high end one's can easily reach higher than 4 million. It's quite a profitable business.

Hmm.. I suppose a Grade 3 would suffice for the first order. He nodded indiscernibly and activated his technique.

After a short moment of time, the katana was imbued with pure cursed energy and officially became a cursed weapon.

"That takes care of that." He smiled at the weapon. Then, a peculiar thought came to mind.

I wonder why the higher ups haven't summoned me all this time? Logically speaking, I should have been called in front of them almost immediately in order to account for my cursed technique. 

And with the Zenin clan's prying and insistence, it would not be too far fetched for them to send someone to 'meet up' with me. However, things have been quite silent.

Thinking for a bit, Shuichi arrived at a simple conclusion.

He was still in the observation period.

Seeing as to how he was able to refine artefacts, they Zenin clan elders or the higher ups in general wanted to see if he was worth investing in.

Having someone able to make cursed artefacts was a huge advantage in any case. It would be even better if the same ability could be inherited. After all, the Mizumiya clan, which had been specialized in cursed artefact making had long since gone extinct.

In such a case, demanding to know of his cursed technique, after he had been exiled from the clan and almost made into a criminal was sure to sow seeds of spite.

As such, they were simply waiting. Waiting to see if he held potential in the art of cursed artefact making. If he didn't, they would probably try to find out uis exact situation; as to how he was able to amass strength equivalent to a Grade 1 after being exiled when he was nothing but a talentless loser before.

Going by that logic, I should soon see more and more complicated requests for cursed tools piling in. They want to see the upper limit of my ability... Pinching his chin for a moment, a smile slowly began to grace his lips.

"If they want the upper limit, I'll show them the upper limit..." getting up from his chair, he stretched his body, making a satisfying groan as he did so. Slowly, he walked to the door.

"By the time I'm done experimenting with the technique, I'll be so far ahead nothing will come close." He closed his eyes and opened up the door, leaving the workshop for today.

~~~

Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.

It was one of the two major schools of sorcery situated in the Japanese mainland and operated autonomously by themselves. They were sponsored entirely by the Japanese government, meaning they had no problems with spending money of any kind. Unlike other countries, where the amount of curses were low and sorcerers were few, prompting them to hide their existence both from the normal populace and the government, the Jujutsu society in Japan was deeply integrated into the politics.

Almost the entire high government body, which included the state officials, department heads, the acting presidents and seat holders, were in the know-how about the jujutsu world.

Because they themselves were unable to become sorcerers and counter the looming threats, they put all their hopes on the schools of sorcery; with the two Ainu schools in Hokkaido being an exception.

This was one of the reasons that cursed artefacts sold for so much. Not only did the government body throw all the money they could to get such items, the society wanted to do everything it could to ensure that the items were not exported overseas, where sorcerers were all the more eager to buy such trinkets.

The overall demand and need to monopolize such weaponry led to a massive increment in the price or even the most mundane cursed tools; with the cheapest grade 4 tools being close to 4000 US dollars and the grade 1s selling for more than 4 million. Special Grade weaponry, which has a technique imbued into them, as it turns out are too special to put a price tag on. Though, if one had to guess, it would be somewhere between 50 million to 200 million US dollars.

Damn... I can make bank with this... Looking at the bank receipt with 1.5 million yen, which translated to about 10,000 dollars, in his bank account, Shuichi felt a bit speechless.

It was at this point that he had realized how pointless all of his previous actions were. Making the House of Supernatural and then taking over a local gang for money... it all paled in comparison to the amount of money he could make. No, there was simply no comparison.

Well, that's just life.Things don't work out as intended most of the time. Shaking his head, he simply decided to not worry about it.

After informing the armory officials about the completion of the weapon, he had delivered the cursed tool he had created to a 'window' that was assigned for the duty. After it was appropriately analysed and graded as a grade 3, it was taken to jujutsu high and the money was transferred to his account.

Poor man, all he ever does is transport stuff and create Curtains for the sorcerers.

Obviously, if the cursed tool was any stronger than grade 3, they would have sent a sorcerer to retrieve it. Such delicate things in the hands of 'windows' was hardly ever trustworthy. Anyone of decent strength could easily steal them.

After getting the money, Shuichi immediately headed to the bank to check out his new bank balance. And to his surprise, the Jujutsu officials had kept their word. The price was actually just like how a lower end grade 3 weapon would be sold at.

I guess that's why binding vows are important when dealing with sorcerers. Shuichi thought and began to head to Ryouta's warehouse.

He distinctively remembered beating up some of his lackeys half to death, and if they were lucky enough, they must have awakened the cursed energy in their body; just enough to actually 'see' curses. The bare minimum to begin training as a sorcerer.

Walking out into the sun, he covered his eyes with his hand. The roads and sidewalks were as cheerful and busy as always. Amidst the various honking sounds, mutterings and footsteps, Shuichi let out a bright smile.

"Let's hope for the best."

~~~

Reviewing the details of the business from his remaining lackeys, Ryouta sat in his office with a weird expression.

Some time before, he had gotten some news from his new employer, the enigmatic sorcerer, Zenin Shuichi.

Honestly speaking, Ryouta was not sure about that man, not to mention even entering the supernatural world. He wanted such power on his hands, but it could be said that the path to that power was... a bit too extreme.

Sigh! Although those guys have woken up recently and claim to see weird creatures roaming around everywhere, their entire bodies are still covered by various transverse, comminuted and greenstick fractures. Some of them have severe internal bleeding and 2 have their arms rendered useless for 3 more months.

It's really too extreme!

Don't you have anything better to do than bully the weak!

Ryouta was slightly unsure if that man would try to do the same experiment with everyone else in his group. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. Not only would it temporarily render their control over the area ineffective, prompting the two other families to take control over the region, it would also not be very pretty.

He even took a mansion and constantly asks for all kinds of odd materials... why do you need so many cold weapons! What the hell are you doing with them!

Needless to say, Ryouta did not feel too optimistic about everything.

Today, Shuichi was going to come to the warehouse to talk about the matters of jujutsu society to him. And by extension, he would be deciding their future course of action.

Keeping down the papers, he slumped into his chair.

"I'm so tired..." He said in a tone that spoke volumes of his statement.

Shaking his head, he focused his attention back to the paperwork.

20 minutes passed in silence, interrupted by the constant sound of ticking and ticking of the wall clock.

Suddenly, a knock came on the door.

Knock knock

"Boss, ahem* there's.. uh, the new boss is here to meet you... The magician guy." A feminine voice spoke out awkwardly from the door.

"Sigh! Send him to my room..." He spoke with a huff.

"Got it." The voice replied.

Tidying up his table and making himself seem more presentable in front of his new... 'employer', Ryouta sat back down.

Moments later, the door opened up to reveal a young man who seemed to be in his teenage years still. He wore a simple black t-shirt with silver colored baggy pajamas. His hair was quite short, yet it covered some part of his forehead. Around his neck was a star shaped pendant, adorned with an orange crystal in the middle.

It was Zenin Shuichi.

Seeing Ryouta on the chair, Shuichi held up his hand in a waving motion.

"Yo!" He said quite cheerfully. It seemed that getting 10,000 dollars into your bank account ought to make one happy.

Ryouta got out of his seat and lowered his shoulders a bit, the most basic form of courtesy.

"Ahem*, Please take a seat." He offered, gesturing with his hands. "I was quite surprised when you contacted me today so suddenly. I had thought it would take some more time."

"That was also my own thought. But some things happened." Shuichi simply said, not bothering to explain. His vague response left Ryouta wondering about the jujutsu world, and what meaning the word 'things' could mean.

Taking a seat, Shuichi relaxed his shoulders.

"So, how's business?" He asked, trying to make some small talk.

Ryouta looked at him weirdly for a moment, before immediately hiding his expression.

Sitting back down, he began to seriously explain the current state of business to Shuichi. Ten seconds passed. Shuichi propped up his hand and stopped Ryouta.

"I wasn't asking you to give me the entire state of business. I was just trying to make some small talk..." He said with a strange expression. Why are these people so stiff. The attendant and everyone else in the warehouse also stiffened up before me. Although I beat them up, isn't this a bit too extreme? He lampooned.

"Anyway, I was here to talk about those guys I had beat up before."

Ryouta tensed up upon hearing his words.

"Ah yes. As I said before, all of them had to be hospitalized. Out of the 28 that were hospitalized, 17 have already recovered a great deal. The remaining 11 are still injured and will have to rest for a few more months." He said.

"Hmm. The 17 that have recovered, how bad were their injuries?"

"They have several greenstick fractures in their limbs and cracks in the flat bones like the sternum and the skull. Although the bone injuries are not too extreme, it would still need a month of rest to heal."

"I see. Have they reported seeing any strange phantoms? Or perhaps even disfigured monsters?" Shuichi asked while leaning forward.

Hearing the question, Ryouta also adopted a serious expression on his face.

"...There have been some reports..." he said in a voice barely above that of a whisper.

"Explain." Shuichi pressed with a growing smile on his face.

With a deep breath, he began explaining, "8 people have reported to have seen strange 'creatures' running around everywhere. There other people seem utterly oblivious to them, yet they seem to be able to see these things clearly.

"It makes them think if they've developed some sort of mental disorder due to your thrashing. They have also described some of their appearances, each more disfigured than the last. Some with 7 eyes, some with a crooked smile, others with multiple appendages and mouths. They also seem to be 'seeing' some sort of blue hue radiating out of their bodies; it's not too obvious, but noticeable upon close inspection."

He quieted down and looked at Shuichi, only to find the young man with a toothy grin adorning his face.

"Wonderful." he said. "I've recently figured out a way to attain information at a rapid pace. If possible, I would like to make some experiments on those people, as well as the normal people in your group."

Hearing his words, Ryouta sweatdropped.

You want to experiment on my people!? What the hell!! At least try to be subtle about it!

He screamed in his mind, alas, he held not the courage to speak those words aloud.

"Umm. M-may I ask what the word 'experiment' means?"

Seeing his fearful expression, Shuichi realized the ambiguous meaning of his words.

Ah crap. He must be thinking about some shady things. I'm really not a mad scientist you know!

"It's nothing of the sort you are thinking about. What I meant was simply that I want to scan them for information; figure out the main physiological difference between a sorcerer and a non-sorcerer.

"You can rest assured. No harm shall be done to any of your men." He said in all seriousness.

That... somehow does not give me confidence. Ryouta contemplated, thinking about Shuichi's terrifying appearance when he had beaten up his entire gang.

Ryouta stiffly nodded, "I will try to send them to you as soon as possible. Shall I send them to your mansion?"

"There's no rush, take your time. Let them recover first, I need them at full capacity." He replied with a smile. "Besides, I will need some time to fine tune the process. I'll let you know when it's time."

The boss of the yakuza gang nodded again. And with that small exchange done, the conversation shifted to another topic related to sorcery.

This time, it was about the three great families and the jujutsu politics.

Ryouta still has a lot to learn after all...

~~~

~~~

A lone man with a goatee stood in a dark room. He wore a dark jacket with matching pant and held a small kappa doll in his arms. His face had a small frown as his sharp eyes looked around.

Then-

Shk!

A sharp noise sounded, and a small source of light lit up behind the man. The light looked to he behind a paper shoji door, casting a pale orange hue on Masamichi Yaga's back.

Shk!

Another sharp sound and another light appeared. Following that, shoji door after shoji door began to be lit up.

After a moment, 5 shoji doors stood in the deep darkness of the room making a large circle; each casting a dim light to the center.

Masamichi Yaga stood with a stern and silent gaze, his hand caressing the Kappa figurine.

"Masamichi, we want you to test Zenin Shuichi." One of the elders said from behind the door.

"Test?" He inquired.

"That's right." Another voice sounded. "We want you to figure out the full extent of his artefact making potential."

Yaga quieted down for a moment before quickly speaking up.

"That can be arranged. But why order me? That potential will naturally be revealed as he makes more weapons."

Another voice scoffed, "It is because the binding vow with Zenin Shuichi has been made using your name."

A separate person spoke from another shoji door, "The Great Harae will be held in 2 months. We have to accurately judge his potential and see if he's worth sending to Hokkaido."

Hearing those words, Masamichi Yaga's eyes went wide with shock. "The Great Harae? Isn't it held in September? Why would it be conducted so soon?" He asked to no one in particular, his expression one of contemplation.

"The shift of power has also impacted Hokkaido."

"The Great Harae ritual has been preponed on the request of the Ituren-Kamui of the Flame School."

"The purification will be conducted. They have already informed us and asked us to prepare some curse tool makers."

One by one the voices spoke, each sentence making a clearer picture in Yaga's head.

So that's the reason. Thinking to himself, he nodded. "I understand. I will do so."

"Do it soon. If he's skilled enough to make special grade equipment, he might be able to create a sacred treasure*1 with the help of the 'coalition'."

"Make sure to consolidate his trust and loyalty."

Yaga nodded and walked out of the meeting chamber.

While walking through the hallway, he could not help but let his thoughts wander somewhat.

Zenin Shuichi... an anomaly. Slowly, a serene smile made it's way to his face remembering a peculiar quote.

"We walk between the lines of life and death on a daily basis. Adopting a more radical mindset, different from the norm is not something that would be bad. Rather, it is essential."

A radical mindset huh? Walking out into the outside, he looked towards the sky where twilight was setting in.

I suppose exceptions are always needed. Even in the jujutsu world.

~~~

Sacred Treasure: Sacred Treasures refer to the objects, symbols, or aspects that symbolize many different things in japanese and buddhist folklore. The Japanese sacred treasures are ten in number and are referred to as the imperial regalia of Japan. They symbolize the three virtues, valour, wisdom and benevolence.

In Buddhist folklore, the word 'Sacred Treasure' is used a number of times; the most prominent being the 'Ashtamangala' or the 'Eight Auspicious Signs'(which are also mentioned in Hinduism and Jainism).

What a sacred treasure is, and what it means in the context of the story; beyond the function of a symbolic aspect of the power system; will be revealed as the story progresses.

~~~

A/N: Don't you just love it when I randomly decide to put in the word 'magician' and everyone loses their shit over it?

Hehe.

Anyway, this was a larger chapter than normal. Approximately 5000 words. I wonder how many times the word "cursed" was used in the chapter. Maybe comment it?

Anyway, those stones look really heavy no? Why don't you drop some off here? Empty out some of that weight? I'll tell you what, if the story gets into the top 5 power rankings, I'll upload 2 bonus chapters. Deal?

Cheers~