Syd's chosen training method: a game of dodgeball.
The ball: energy blasts made from his Nen.
The player: Cyr.
The game arena: the open space in front of the District 12 church.
The spectators: all the kids of Zone 12.
At this moment, a crowd of kids dressed in matching tank tops or long-sleeve shirts stood two hundred meters away, craning their necks to watch.
This open ground had been left uneven and covered in debris after being torn up by Uvogin's punches not long ago, littered with rocks that could easily trip someone up. That was precisely why Syd had chosen this spot for the game.
"Step out of the circle, and you fail."
"Kid, ready?" called out Syd, his brown hair and eyes standing out as he sized up Cyr, his imposing height just under six feet two. His build was muscular enough that you could make out the shape of his muscles even under his priestly attire. He watched Cyr, who seemed to still be adjusting to the gravity rings on his limbs.
Without waiting for a reply, Syd lifted his hands, forming energy blasts with his Nen. Dozens of these projectiles shot toward Cyr in rapid succession.
"Definitely an Emitter," Cyr muttered as he saw the energy blasts materialize.
"You all stay back," Syd added, turning to warn the group of watching kids.
The energy blasts he'd made for Cyr could leave one of them bedridden for days if hit.
Cyr didn't look much older than these kids—maybe eleven or twelve, if even that—but he was different. He was a natural-born Nen user. His eyes alone were proof of that.
Just like the legendary Scarlet Eyes, such natural abilities often marked someone as a born Specialist.
Take the Kurta Clan, for instance. Their exceptional talent attracted attention but ultimately led to their tragic annihilation.
"Got it," the children murmured in scattered replies.
A circle with a 100-meter diameter, dozens of energy blasts, scattered debris blocking the way, weighted gear, and the restriction of not using Cursed Energy.
Six Eyes didn't count since it was a passive ability; as long as Cyr wasn't blind, it would keep functioning.
At that moment, Six Eyes clearly saw the paths of the energy blasts, trailing long, vibrant tails of color, resembling a meteor shower—beautiful but deadly.
Cyr's movements were stiff under the weights, but he still forced his body into action, rolling to the side, then immediately jumping up, stringing together a series of clumsy moves just to dodge those "poisonous meteors."
Like meteors creating craters upon impact, each energy blast left small pits in the ground where Cyr narrowly avoided them, kicking up clouds of dust and debris, adding to his disheveled appearance.
Seeing this, Syd's figure vanished from his spot, reappearing behind Cyr the next instant.
An experienced Emitter could manage short-range teleportation with enough training.
"Don't just dodge the balls; remember to dodge me too," he said, placing a hand on Cyr's shoulder, his other hand suddenly punching Cyr in the lower back.
Thrown off balance by the blow, Cyr stumbled forward, only to meet the oncoming energy blasts head-on.
Several blasts hit him at once, and the force pushed him backward, knocking him off his feet.
"Looks like the impact's not enough for you yet," Syd said, thoughtful.
In the next moment, the number of energy blasts doubled, and their size increased noticeably.
"Good luck." Syd smiled, friendly as ever.
…
The occasional sound of Cyr getting hit by the blasts made the watching children grimace in sympathy.
"He's really getting hit hard…"
"That must hurt a lot."
"Looks way worse than our training."
The kids whispered to each other, watching Cyr's figure on the rocky field with mixed expressions of awe and pity.
The once pristine white bandages wrapped around Cyr's forehead were now soaked in blood, and his body was covered in fresh bruises and wounds, with blood gushing from his nose as if he had an endless supply.
Through his Six Eyes, the constant barrage of Nen blasts looked like a meteor shower raining down on him, relentless and unavoidable.
Panting, Cyr wiped his nosebleed and, as soon as he sensed an incoming attack, shifted from his position. But Syd's fists and kicks would sporadically appear around him, striking him in ways that often sent him flying directly into the path of the energy blasts, forcing him to endure their relentless barrage.
It felt like a relentless storm, with no umbrella to shield him from the invisible, all-encompassing rain.
Unable to use any special abilities, Cyr had no way to dodge effectively. He could see the attacks coming, react mentally, but his body simply couldn't keep up.
By the time the day's training finally came to an end, Cyr was left lying on the ground, bloodied and bruised, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.
"Your physical resilience is impressive," Syd noted, glancing at the exhausted but surprisingly resilient boy.
Although his white hair was now grimy and tangled, this kid had taken nearly a thousand direct hits from Nen blasts. Despite that, he wasn't seriously injured—just covered in bruises and scrapes. All surface-level wounds, really. Once he recovered his strength, he'd be back on his feet again.
Struggling, Cyr pushed himself upright, brushing dust off his clothes and hair as he steadied his breathing. A cocky, defiant smile spread across his face. "Of course."
His smile pulled at the cuts on his face, but he barely noticed, asking nonchalantly, "We're not continuing? I'm far from my limit."
Always wanting to save face.
Syd chuckled to himself but, as someone used to working with kids, didn't call Cyr out on his bravado. Instead, he kindly waved him off.
"Alright, that's it for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
At this, Cyr turned and walked off.
He'd found a decent house in Zone 12, though it had originally been taken over by a bunch of kids. Once Cyr had set his sights on it, he'd simply claimed it. Those kids had wisely recognized they couldn't beat him and quickly moved out.
Once back in the house, he shut the door, flopped onto the floor, and didn't move.
"Ow… this hurts," he muttered, his eyes unfocused, feeling a little dazed.
Is this what it takes to become invincible?
"When am I getting the Limitless and Curse Technique Reversal?" he mumbled to the system, unable to keep himself from asking.
With RCT he could push himself in training until even his RCT ran out.
Then he'd just heal himself and keep going—training until he couldn't summon the RCT technique anymore.
Although if he trained like that, Syd would probably tire out long before he did.
[When your affinity with Gojo reaches 60%, you'll gain the Limitless technique. When your affinity with Sukuna reaches 60%, you'll unlock the RCT.]
[Upon reaching an 80% affinity with both characters, Domain Expansion will unlock.]
[When the combined affinity reaches 50%, the system's shop will open.]
The system's response felt more like a good snack dangled in front of Cyr—visible but out of reach.
"Then why did you give me three skills right off the bat?" Cyr asked, puzzled.
[That was an initial safeguard to ensure the host wouldn't immediately end up dead. All final interpretations lie with the system.]
So, the system gave him a head start after all.
Otherwise, he might not have been able to use any abilities at the start.
"Alright, fair enough," Cyr accepted the explanation.
Being invincible from the start would've been like one of those boring pay-to-win games where you hit level 999 with one tap—no satisfaction in that.
Having to work up to it step-by-step was far more exciting and immersive.
"Knock, knock, knock." A loud, heavy knocking on the door echoed through the house, rattling the ground.
"Medical kit's at your door," Syd's voice called out.
Slowly, Cyr got up and opened the door. There was no one there, just a medical kit waiting for him.
Nurturing type confirmed.
°°°
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