Chapter 42: Two Rare Pulls in One Go?!
"So that's how it is…"
Returning to the villa gate, Tatsuro strolled in casually. Gojin Roku and Ryusui Raku were startled:
"Vice-Captain Tatsuro, when did you go out?"
"Just now. I was testing the security," Tatsuro replied with a sharp jab. "Not a single one of you noticed me."
He didn't want to chat. His mood wasn't great. Getting out had been easy—after spending so many days here, he already knew the patrol's blind spots and had vaulted the wall without a hitch.
As for Gojo-sensei, he was waiting outside. All that was left was to return the ring and leave together.
Walking back inside the villa, Tatsuro looked at the ring in his hand. The curse inside it had completely dissipated. The mother who had shown kindness only to her daughter was now gone. Maybe, just maybe, under his guidance, her daughter had started to move past that shadow—or maybe not.
Who could say? The road ahead was long. Let time be the witness.
He pulled a gift box from his bag. It was a ring, one he'd spent a long time choosing.
Entering the room quietly, he approached the still-sleeping Yutsumi. Lifting her hand gently, he slipped the ring back onto her finger, placed the gift on her desk, gave her one last glance, and softly closed the door.
Leaping from the hallway window, Tatsuro expertly avoided the patrols and vaulted over the wall again.
"Yo! Done already? Let's head back. I've missed your cooking," Gojo greeted with a grin.
Seeing Gojo's ever-cheerful smile somehow eased Tatsuro's tangled emotions. He took a deep breath and smiled, "Mm. Extra side dishes tomorrow."
Life had to move forward. Worrying every day was no good. Just smile. If you don't feel embarrassed, it's others who will. That's something Liu Yang once told him.
Feeling better, Tatsuro flexed his arm, showing off his biceps. "By the way, Gojo-sensei, help me arrange a sparring match with Fushiguro Megumi the day after tomorrow. I'm gonna crush him one-handed!"
"Haha, still high from victory, huh? Sure thing."
Gojo chuckled and slung an arm around Tatsuro's shoulders, pointing up at the stars. "I can see it, Tatsuro. Your strength is growing fast. Right now you're just a small star in the vast sky… but with your effort, one day you'll shine like the sun."
"Night skies don't have suns, Sensei. That's you. Don't put that pressure on me, I'm naturally lazy," Tatsuro replied, waving his hand.
Gojo just laughed and ruffled his hair. "Who knows? Let's go home."
"…If you keep this up, I will slack off tomorrow," Tatsuro muttered.
It was nearly 1 a.m., yet cars still passed by, and people still bustled about, chasing their futures. Tatsuro and Gojo hopped into a cab and returned to Jujutsu High.
Clack—
The door opened. Tatsuro stepped into his pitch-dark room, stretched, and sighed, "Ahhh, finally home. This half month nearly killed me."
He turned on the lights, tossed his clothes into the washer, stepped into the cold shower, and opened his long-neglected system panel.
---
[System Status - User: Tatsuro]
Cursed Energy: 650
Rank: Grade 3 Sorcerer
Stamina: 17
Eye Technique: One-Tomoe Sharingan
Ninjutsu:
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Fire Release: Great Blaze Annihilation
Taijutsu:
Basic Self-Defense
Military Fist
Sanshou
Jeet Kune Do
---
Still stuck at Grade 3 despite having 650 cursed energy. Promotion to Grade 2 was proving really difficult.
But his physical body had clearly grown tougher from all the beatings. And the four taijutsu styles had taken him from a close-range noob to a hand-to-hand master.
All in all, a fruitful half-month.
But—now comes the real fun: the gacha!
Hehe!
Buying ninjutsu? Way too expensive. Betting it all on the lottery was much more exciting!
Twelve spins remaining.
So far, he'd only pulled ninjutsu or ninjutsu shards—nothing else.
Well, aside from a few "Thank you for playing" dead pulls…
After rinsing off, Tatsuro dried himself with a towel and sat down on his bed, fired up the gacha, and tapped the wheel.
[Entered Ninjutsu Gacha: -4 Points]
"…?"
Tatsuro's lips twitched.
He'd assumed it was -1 per spin, but it doubled each time? The first was -1, second -2, then -4… Next would be -8, then -16…
At this rate, it'd be cheaper to buy a damn technique!
So this "lucky wheel" was just bait for early-stage players without any jutsu. After about six spins, it would bleed him dry.
Only eleven pulls left.
He sighed. "Well, better to learn now than later. Time to all-in."
He tapped a single spin first.
Result: "Thank you for playing."
"…"
Fine. Ten-pull it is.
The wheel spun furiously, the ten pointers blurring. Tatsuro activated his Sharingan in a petty attempt to track the result.
But—his one-tomoe eye couldn't keep up. Even slowed down, all he saw was afterimages.
"…"
The system struck again. His spirit cracked.
He yelled, "Ahhhh, I can't take this anymore! Missions barely come, jutsu costs are insane—can't you let me win something?!"
"Other transmigrators destroy the world on day one. Me? I have to calculate fate, terrain, and even the mood of the damn air!"
"If any other isekai protagonist had my luck, they'd have offed themselves already!"
Just then, the spin results popped up:
---
"Thank you for playing."
"Thank you for playing."
Congratulations! S-rank Ninjutsu: Lightning Blade Shard (1/40).
"Thank you for playing."
Congratulations! A-rank Ninjutsu: Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique Shard (1/20).
Congratulations! C-rank Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique.
"Thank you for playing."
"Thank you for playing."
"Thank you for playing."
Congratulations! C-rank Ninjutsu: Substitution Technique.
---
[Summoning Technique]: Must sign a blood pact with an animal. Use your blood to draw a circle on the creature's forehead and write your name inside. If the creature struggles or mentally resists, the contract fails. Success allows communication and cursed energy sharing. One summon at a time. If it dies, you may sign a new one. Uses 50 cursed energy, more if summoned from a long distance.
[Substitution Technique]: Swap yourself with a nearby wooden object at the moment of attack, using white smoke to confuse the enemy. Uses 30 cursed energy.
---
"Holy—actual loot?!"
Tatsuro jumped up, eyes gleaming.
Finally, finally, the gacha gods showed mercy.
---