Chapter 15: A New Source of Power — Cursed Energy
Narrator POV
After the intense battle against Cerberus, Akira stood up and stretched a bit, cracking his bones. He stared at the key in his hand — the very one that would grant him access to the Tower of 100 Floors. A faint smile appeared on his face. Now the real grind would begin — experience farming and better rewards. The faster he leveled up, the better for him.
"Alright, since I leveled up, my fatigue is at zero, and my HP is fully recovered… Though damn, it's hot as hell out here… and it's probably gonna be worse inside the tower." He said as he walked toward the door. "Normally I'd say something epic here, but honestly… I got nothing."
As he muttered those words with indifference, he inserted the key into the lock. The chains sealing the tower began to drop one by one with a deafening clang. Akira moved quickly, dodging one just in time — he had no intention of ending up flattened like a tortilla. When the last chain hit the ground, he stored the key back into his inventory.
"Alright… the second I set foot in there, I'm gonna get my ass jumped from every direction," he said with his usual Latin accent — a habit he had no intention of dropping, even if he wanted to. "Time to farm some aura."
Akira smiled calmly as he once again unsheathed Kasaka's dagger. As he crossed the threshold into the first floor of the dungeon, a heavy stench of blood and sulfur hit his face. The chamber before him was infested with red-eyed, torn-skinned demons. They all turned toward him at once, and without hesitation, charged forward.
"What a nice warm welcome… This technique—I learned it from Brayan."
Akira agilely dodged a demon's claw, spinning around before driving the dagger straight into its gut.
"Hahaha… just like old times."
He was smiling as he fought. By now, he had more or less gotten used to these situations. Killing creatures inside dungeons had become part of his daily routine. However, even though the demons on the lower floors were relatively weak, their sheer numbers could become a real problem if he let them pile up.
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[Notification]
[New Mission: Eliminate 100 Demons]
[Reward: Cursed Energy Core — Gain access to a new source of power.]
---
"Cursed Energy Core? Cursed Energy?" Akira muttered as he sprinted through the crowd of enemies, dodging claws and fangs, retaliating with quick, precise slashes.
He decided to let Kasaka's venom do the work. Every demon he wounded was as good as dead — the poison spread rapidly through their bodies until it killed them. That way, he could advance without having to finish each fight completely.
While he fought, part of his mind couldn't help but wonder if that cursed energy core had any relation to the "Cursed Energy" from Jujutsu Kaisen. The thought filled him with both excitement and curiosity.
"Oh, oh, oh… I just got an idea," he said as a grin began to spread across his face.
"System, can you play music?"
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[Notification]
[As long as the player names a song or soundtrack, I can attempt to play it.]
---
Akira smiled with barely contained excitement. He was in a tower full of demons, had to slaughter them all… and he couldn't resist what his mind was suggesting.
"System, play Doom Slayer's Theme."
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[Notification]
[Now playing: "The Only Thing They Fear Is You" — Doom Eternal]
---
Akira froze in place. He stopped running. His breathing slowed as the demons surrounded him. Slowly, he turned on his heels — and a grin spread across his face, something far from friendly… almost psychotic.
"I'm feeling the essence," he whispered, right before charging headlong into the demonic horde with a euphoric smile, letting the brutal rhythm of the music drive every one of his movements.
---
Time passed… a long, long time.
Akira now stood atop a colossal pile of demon corpses. He was drenched in blood, his clothes torn, his body covered in cuts and wounds… yet that same wild grin still shone on his face as he rested his katana on his shoulder — as if all this had just been a warm-up.
He didn't care about anything else. He had completely forgotten about the suffocating heat inside the tower. He had annihilated three full levels of the demonic domain. There was no rush to reach the top. Akira wasn't trying to climb floors fast — what he really wanted was to level up as much as possible.
"Uff… uff…"
He breathed heavily, panting as he dropped to one knee. He had been fighting nonstop for hours.
"That was intense… but worth it. I leveled up several times and finished the mission. Now I've got a new core," he said, looking up at the floating notification in front of him.
---
[Notification]
[Mission: Eliminate 100 Demons — Completed]
[Reward Obtained: Cursed Energy Core]
[Info: This core grants access to Cursed Energy (Jujutsu Kaisen)]
---
"Wait… does this affect my Physical Restriction? Because that restriction means having zero cursed energy or mana, in exchange for a superhuman body…" he muttered, frowning as he analyzed the new data.
In response, another notification appeared.
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[The Physical Restriction was granted by the System in exchange for removing the small amount of mana the player once had. The new energy core does not interfere with this restriction.]
---
"This system… it's using a loophole in the Physical Restriction…" Akira thought, narrowing his eyes as he pieced it together.
"The restriction removes all internal energy from the user in exchange for enhanced physical power… but if the user gains access to a new external type of energy, like this Cursed Energy, the restriction can't erase it — because it wasn't explicitly included in the 'contract.'"
A clever smile curved his lips as the realization hit him. The system had exploited a legal loophole in the rule to grant him a new source of power without breaking the condition.
It was as if the system itself wanted him to become stronger… without limits.
---
"Well… I think it's about time to head out. You lose all sense of time in places like this," he said as he slowly descended from the massive pile of dead demons.
He stored his katana and Kasaka's dagger back into his inventory with a faint shimmer of light. Then he looked around — nothing but fire, shattered structures, and an overwhelming silence.
The only sounds that broke the stillness were his footsteps crunching over debris… and the crackle of flames still raging furiously in every corner.
"I'll need to get something fireproof soon. If the demons or the bosses don't kill me… the damn heat definitely will."
---
When Akira stepped through the exit portal, a cool, gentle night breeze brushed against his face. He inhaled deeply, as if his body had been craving that breath of fresh air for hours. A soft smile crossed his lips as he stretched his arms calmly, blinking several times… before realizing something felt different.
"My perception… increased," he thought, surprised. He could feel it clearly — his ability to sense presences had sharpened tremendously.
"Of course… I leveled up a lot inside the Demon Tower. But damn… I lost count of how many times."
He scratched the back of his head, a bit confused, realizing that he truly had no idea how much stronger he had become. His power had grown so much that even his own body felt different now. Then, instinctively, his gaze turned in a specific direction. He could feel it — a Hollow. Its presence was faint, almost insignificant… but perfectly detectable.
Akira's calm smile returned as he adjusted his stance.
"One more creature before heading home… won't hurt."
With a quick leap, Akira vaulted over the wall surrounding the area. He landed silently on the pavement on the other side and dashed through the shadows, careful not to be seen.
His newly enhanced perception allowed him to track spiritual presences with near-perfect precision… and he had already locked onto the Hollow's location.
He stopped on the roof of a two-story house, crouching like a predator watching its prey.
"Target in sight," he murmured softly, gripping Kasaka's dagger tightly in his right hand.
He readied himself to throw — his posture like that of a professional pitcher. He wanted to test his accuracy now that his control had improved.
Just then, a black cat with golden eyes appeared on the edge of the rooftop, halting when it saw Akira.
For a brief moment, the feline seemed surprised by his presence… but then, with an almost unnatural calm, it approached him silently, not making a single sound. Its golden eyes focused on the dagger Akira held.
The cat didn't meow. Didn't move further.
It simply sat down — like a curious spectator waiting for the scene to play out.
Seconds later, Akira threw the dagger with incredible force.
The weapon shot through the night air like a bullet, whistling as it pierced clean through the Hollow's head.
The creature fell instantly — not even a groan escaped its mouth.
"Finally, that warm-up paid off," he said with a grin, glancing proudly at his right hand.
That's when he noticed the cat was still there, staring straight at him.
"You didn't see anything," he said, walking backward toward the door that led to the stairs.
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End of Chapter