Finishing the thought they both shared. Uraume didn't hesitate. Without wasting a moment, she sprinted upstairs, leaving Ryoichi staring in shock. He quickly regained his senses and attempted to follow her, but just as he was about to, a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking up, he saw his father, Aiko, who wore a contemplative expression.
"Sorry for stopping you, but I forgot to tell you something," Aiko began. "Do you remember that question I asked you a while back? The one about a system you would implement in a game if you had the chance?"
Ryoichi took a moment before recalling their conversation. It was about a system from one of his favorite series, Jujutsu Kaisen. Still confused about what his father was getting at, realization suddenly dawned on him. His eyes widened with excitement as he stared at Aiko, his voice trembling with anticipation.
"A-Are you saying that you—"
Cutting him off with just as much enthusiasm, Aiko confirmed his son's suspicions. "Yup! The system you explained to me was so fascinating that I decided to implement it into the game!"
Ryoichi was left in a state of shock and excitement. The idea that a piece of his childhood had been brought to life in this way was almost too incredible to believe. His father stood, pleased by his reaction, but before he could elaborate, Ryoichi suddenly hugged his leg—an unexpected display of emotion from him.
In a quiet, almost silent voice, Ryoichi conveyed his gratitude. "T-Thanks, Dad."
Aiko crouched down and embraced his son. Ever since his wife had passed, he had fallen into a deep pit of despair, struggling for years to climb out. The only reason he even tried was because of his son—the very son who shined like the sun. Ryoichi had always been a natural prodigy, filling Aiko with both pride and sorrow. Pride in his son's abilities, yet sadness at the thought that Ryoichi deserved better. But in this moment, all those negative thoughts faded.
Trying to find the right words, Aiko eventually just spoke from his heart. "Of course, son. It's the least I could do for having such a talented boy."
They shared a peaceful silence before finally separating, both wearing content smiles. Not wanting to keep his son any longer, Aiko said, "Alright, that was all I had to say! Go have fun with your friend, but make sure to come down for dinner."
Ryoichi nodded and bolted upstairs to his room. His father watched him go, feeling grateful for the little moments like these.
.
.
.
Once inside his room, Ryoichi equipped the headset and settled onto his bed. Uraume was already seated in the middle of the room with her own headset on.
As Ryoichi scrolled through the selection of games—Diddy Strikes Back 2, GTA 6, Ark 2—he finally landed on the one he was most excited for. Clicking on the icon, he watched in awe as the loading screen displayed epic scenes of heroes battling dragons, exploring dungeons, and more. When the animation faded, a prompt appeared.
[Welcome to YGGDRASIL]
[Would you like to do the tutorial?]
[YES/NO]
Ryoichi scoffed. He had played so many games that tutorials were practically useless to him. Selecting NO, the screen darkened momentarily before another prompt appeared.
[Choose your name]
Not being particularly skilled at naming, Ryoichi opted for something absurdly fitting for a kid his age.
[Congratulations! Welcome, Sukuna_DeezNutz, to the world of YGGDRASIL]
As fireworks and animations celebrated his entry, the most important decision appeared next: race selection.
[Choose your race]
Ryoichi was blown away by the sheer variety to say the least. Humanoids, demi-humans, and unique creatures called Heteromorphics filled the list. While scrolling through, he discovered a special section for beta testers, featuring 100 exclusive races under each category.
The humanoid and demi-human options didn't catch his interest, but upon reaching the Heteromorphic section, he found something intriguing.
[Curse: A race possessing traits of both Heteromorphics and Humanoids. Commonly mistaken for cursed spirits, these beings can alter their appearance at will, making them one of the strongest races known.]
[Weakness: Unable to use tier 8 magic or above.]
Remembering how Ryomen Sukuna referred to himself as a Curse, Ryoichi felt an immediate connection to this race. It felt right. Without hesitation, he selected it.
With a flash of light, a blank character model appeared. Ryoichi wasted no time, immediately designing his appearance to resemble Ryomen Sukuna from the Heian Era—standing at 7 feet tall, broad-chested, and battle-hardened, with four eyes, a mouth on his stomach, and four arms. Adding a faceplate and simple baggey pants as the finishing touches, he grinned in satisfaction before pressing FINISH.
[Image]
A new prompt appeared shortly after.
[You've picked a race that uses a feature called cursed energy]
[Cursed Energy is powered by negative emotions and is most effective for those with negative karma values. To utilize it, you must choose or create a cursed technique.]
Ryoichi's eyes gleamed. Scrolling through the available techniques, he noticed that Sukuna's technique was absent. Without a second thought, he set out to recreate Shrine from scratch. After ten minutes of fine-tuning, he was ready to confirm his choice.
[Warning! Once confirmed, your technique cannot be changed. Are you sure?]
Without hesitation, Ryoichi pressed YES.
[Congratulations! You have chosen the cursed technique, Shrine!]
A final step remained—choosing a spawn location. As he browsed the various realms, his decision was interrupted by a party invite from Uraume. Shrugging, he accepted.
"Are you finally done?!" Uraume's voice rang impatiently. "I've been waiting for ten minutes! I wanna explore before dinner!"
Ryoichi chuckled at her excitement. "Relax, I was just picking my spawn location."
"Well, pick Midgard!" she insisted. "Starting easy is the best way to learn."
Ryoichi nodded, acknowledging the logic. After confirming their choice, a cinematic played, ushering them into the world of YGGDRASIL. As he watched, Ryoichi couldn't help but think—this was just the first step into an adventure that would create countless memories to come.
________________________________________
I'm thankful for everyone being so supportive for this fanfiction! I have no plans on stopping. So if you have any criticism or ideas feel free to let me know!
Also I'm letting everyone know that if you can get this fanfiction to 100 power stones than I'll release a bonus chapter!
With that said I'll see you guys next week!