Chapter Seventy-One: System Update 2.0!
(We're back!)
Void.
Absolute silence and pitch darkness stretching to no end. This is the basic composition of my mental void. A place where nothing exists except nothingness… except the center.
There, in the middle of this lonely void, strange yet familiar walls rose to form a room. It wasn't just any room, rather it was an exact copy of Haruto's room; my previous life as a reclusive otaku.
Empty pizza boxes stacked in the corner at an angle that defies gravity, manga volumes scattered in a carefully random manner across the floor, and a computer screen blinking with a faint light.
I could organize this place with a single pulse of my thoughts, but I… along with the other copies 'Ron' and 'Ray', prefer this chaos.
It is a comfortable chaos, bringing back memories of the days when my biggest concern was when the next chapter of my favorite manga would be released, not how to avoid being split in half by the King of Curses.
This made me remember my fight with Sukona. In the world of Jujutsu, power is everything, and without Domain Expansion, no matter how strong you are.
When you fight people like Sukona, who possess a Domain Expansion focused on killing the opponent immediately the moment they fall into it.
There is no way for you to survive unless you possess a counter Domain Expansion, or one of equal power.
During my battle with Sukona I created with the help of the system the skill 'Domain Expansion – Shrine of the Fallen Sun!' which was the first time I used Domain Expansion.
Therefore I was destined to lose against Sukona even if my own domain possessed an offensive effect like Sukona's.
But the effect of the Shrine of the Fallen Sun depended on the time that passes inside the domain. As long as the eclipse of the domain ends and the crimson sun rises, anyone who fell inside the domain would be dead.
But this was useless against Sukona, as he almost killed me with his own Domain Expansion, if it were not for the fact that my domain possessed an additional effect that enhanced my energy and endurance. In addition to the power of my attacks.
Anyway.
Currently, I was standing in the middle of this room, crossing my arms with clear annoyance, silently staring at the embodiment of my system, Rena.
She was floating lightly a few inches above the ground, looking at me with empty eyes and an expression that carried not a single trace of emotion.
At the side, between me and her, a wide transparent sky-blue system window floated, flashing with provocative text.
[The system has been updated automatically! Due to unknown circumstances.]
I sighed deeply, turned toward Rena, and placed my hand on my head trying to restrain the anger boiling inside me.
"What happened, Rena? I can no longer use my full power in the world of 'Demon Slayer', and barely, I can summon a drop of my cursed energy!"
Rena looked at me silently for a moment. She blinked once slowly, then spoke in her usual cold mechanical tone, devoid of any sympathy. Her tone is painful to me.
"Well, that is normal. Basically, your use of cursed energy in another world was something that theoretically should not be possible. Because even you and your spiritual ability represented by the 'system' must submit to the laws of the world you are in. And there is no physical, magical, or spiritual law in the world of Demon Slayer that allows you to use cursed energy."
I threw myself onto the messy couch with a frown, and several manga volumes scattered from beneath me. "I understand that part… but on the other hand, there is also no law that explicitly prevents me from using cursed energy, because it simply does not exist in this world to be banned! Isn't that a legal loophole?"
Rena moved in the air and circled around me slowly as if examining a stupid specimen in a laboratory. "Well, that is correct philosophically. And for that exact reason, and thanks to this loophole, you were able to use 'Domain Expansion' against the Upper Moon Three. But…"
Rena stopped directly in front of my face, "…after 'Yukihara Ren' used Domain Expansion for the second time, and with extreme recklessness against one of the demons that had recently transformed, you were 'noticed'."
I swallowed. "Noticed? By who? The universe police?"
"By the will of the world itself," Rena answered coldly. "You caused a disruption in the balance of power. And naturally as a defense mechanism, coercive restrictions were formed on you so that you cannot use an unknown and unauthorized power in this world again. In short, you were reported as a cheater, and the world partially banned you."
I placed my hand over my face. "I mean… I am the main consciousness! Supposedly I possess the fastest and best thinking rate among all the copies… but even I did not understand anything from this cosmic nonsense!"
Rena looked at me, and suddenly the corner of her mouth lifted in a faint mocking smile. A smile full of disdain.
I froze. "Wait… aren't you supposed to be emotionless? Why are you mocking me now?"
Her features immediately returned to coldness. "I am. I am merely the embodiment of the system, an entity similar to a highly advanced artificial intelligence.
"By nature, I do not possess emotions." She paused for a moment, then added in a sly tone: "But I have learned to fabricate some expressions to facilitate communication with the user… and to clarify to you when you say something stupid."
"…"
Was that only to mock me? I am completely certain that despite her lack of emotions, this machine hates me.
I shook the thought from my head and gestured with my hand to open the system interface so I could see the details of the "automatic update" that I was forced into.
I never expected that my cheat would be so broken to the point that the planet itself intervenes to stop me. Does the will of this world hate me too?
I focused my gaze and began reading the details of the update.
At the beginning, when I was reborn, the name of the system was [Player System].
It was something classic, very similar to the systems I read about as 'Haruto' in my previous life. The basic idea was turning my life into an open-world game.
I had an infinite inventory, and a crazy system shop that provides things like 'templates' and special offers. Those offers were what allowed me, or rather Ron, to obtain the 'Yoriichi' template for dirt cheap compared to the terrifying prices of templates like 'Gojo Satoru' or 'Ryomen Sukona'.
In addition to the status window which allowed me to level up as if I were in an RPG game.
But now, after update 2.0…
"Dimensional System?" I read the new name aloud.
Rena nodded. "Yes. Due to your repeated movement, or rather the fact that your consciousness currently lives simultaneously in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen through 'Ray', and the world of Demon Slayer through you, the system adapted to become a multi-dimensional tool."
I began reading the changes, and with every line, my heart sank deeper.
The system kept its features, but it underwent something similar to a brutal "nerf".
First: the inventory. It became limited to a space of 50×50 cubic meters. Yes, it is a huge space enough to hide a small building, but it does not compare to the infinite space I used to possess!
Second: the shop. It became restricted to daily offers only. Limited items appear every day. The only positive side is that the prices became more "realistic" and suitable for the state of poverty I live in. But… obtaining points has become almost impossible by the old methods.
"Quests?" I asked, while looking at the third feature.
"Exactly," Rena answered. "Since you can no longer gather points like before, the system will offer you certain quests. You can accept them or refuse them. Completing them grants you rewards and points."
Well, I can still obtain points from killing demons and curses or through fighting. And instead of obtaining easy and massive points through daily training or increasing skill levels, I now possess an official 'quest system', unlike the random useless quests in the previous system.
"Great, I became a subordinate of the system," I muttered, then moved to the biggest disaster. The status window.
It was simpler, but the problem was not the simplicity.
"Rena… why is the number 1 written next to my level?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Do not worry, this is only a numerical reset that does not affect your actual physical or spiritual power," Rena said calmly.
"Alright, that is comforting… but, Rena?"
"Yes?"
"Where are my points?" I shouted, pointing at the point counter that displayed a beautiful round number: [0].
"The points that 'Ray' was collecting in the body of Ren Zenin from exorcising curses day and night! The points that 'Ron' was collecting in the body of Tsugikuni Ren! We were working like slaves in coal mines to gather that fortune! Where did it go?!"
Rena smiled again with that fabricated smile. "They were confiscated as fees for the system update and restructuring its laws so that you are not expelled from this world. Consider it a survival tax."
I fell to my knees in the mental void. "I have been robbed… by my own system."
After two minutes of mourning my lost fortune, I pulled myself together to see the new status window:
[Name: Yukihara Ren]
[Age: (Hidden/Variable depending on the body)]
[Lineage: Human (with unknown modifications)]
[Statistics: (Hidden for simplification)]
Then I opened the skills and abilities window, and here I noticed the real change. The system classified my skills differently than before.
There were several types:
Normal Skills: daily skills, basic combat, cooking, language and singing. (I immediately hid this section. I have more than 200 skills here and I do not want to get a headache).
Core Skills: skills that affect the design of the structure of the soul and body. Here sits my highest ranked skill: [Reincarnated Souls].
Unique Skills: rare skills specific to a certain individual or lineage. All the [Cursed Techniques] I possess were shoved here.
Special Skills: very unique skills that possess overwhelming influence. I found here the skill [Template Gears], which allows me to switch the acquired character templates.
Yes I could not use the power that I obtain from all the templates at the same time.
Ultimate Skills: and here I stopped. Skills that manipulate reality and the concept itself. I possessed only one skill here that I had never seen before… [Law of the Sun].
[Ultimate skill that allows the user to manipulate, and store the heat, light, and energy of the sun. Physical strength and skills are enhanced in a terrifying manner when the sun is shining, reaching the peak at noon, and weakening with sunset. Adds attributes: flame, light, and sun to all attacks, which multiplies the effect of techniques with a similar nature.]
"My goodness…" I muttered. "I am a human solar panel."
I closed the interfaces and sighed with a deep feeling of loss mixed with a bit of relief. Yes, I will not be able to throw "Domain Expansion" in the face of any annoying demon in the world of Demon Slayer, and I will not be able to show off cursed energy freely.
But thanks to the laws of this world, I can still use my remaining cursed energy exclusively to enhance my physical strength internally. My physical strength that is already disgustingly exaggerated.
I stood up and looked at Rena who was still floating indifferently.
"You know, Rena…" I began speaking while walking around the room, "my current situation is really funny. Yukihara Ren roaming everywhere with some 'followers' that he has to train, and searching for the Demon King and the Upper Moons that have had no trace for months."
I stopped and raised my gaze to the illusory ceiling of the void.
"And at the same time… in another place and time, there is 'Ron'. My copy in the Sengoku era. Do you realize the scale of the farce? That bastard surpassed the sun, merged with Muzan, and became the 'perfect Demon King'. He stored all that legendary power in the completed Muzan template…"
"And in addition to that 'Ray' behaves foolishly and commits mistakes, then gets shocked by reality and life afterwards and complains…" I sighed as a fleeting memory of Ray passed through my mind.
"As for Ron, well I am happy for him and although I expected this… that bastard is truly skilled, manipulating the power of the 'Demon King' in this way to live a normal life… definitely amazing"
Rena looked at me, and I swear I saw her sigh internally.
"Complaining will not bring back your lost points, Ren," she said with deadly coldness. "I suggest you leave the mental void, because your physical body outside is currently standing in the middle of the road frozen like an idiot for twenty minutes."
I waved my hand lazily. "Alright, alright. I am going. Just a mean artificial intelligence."
The void faded, and my consciousness returned to the real world, where the cold breeze, the dirt road… and more headaches waiting for me.
"Hakuji, send him to hell…" I said this coldly while looking at Zenichiro who laughed awkwardly in front of me, and this would stop me from killing you!
To be continued~...
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Alright I am back, and as you see the mistakes in the novel were corrected in this way… the system abilities became more limited compared to before.
I am working on another novel titled "I Became the Older Brother of Kamado Tanjiro" so I will not be able to publish many chapters, or I might not publish some days but I will continue the novel.
Your comments are my only motivation for writing, if you find any mistakes in the text or the story please inform me about them.