Leveling Up To New Heights

Chapter 5: The Instance Dungeon (Part 1)

I sighed as I stopped in front of a massive tree with an equally massive set of ropes wrapped around it.

"This is Tengen's Lab. Or at least, pretty close to it. So... what is it that you need to do?" Gojo asked me.

I took a deep breath and glanced at Gojo. "Can I trust you with a secret, Gojo?" I asked, completely serious.

Gojo blinked before grinning as he bashfully brought his hands to his face, "Awww! Did you come here to confess to little ol' me~?" He asked with a typical anime girl 'kawaii' pose.

I just stared at him with a blank look as I continued, "Anyways, what I wanted to say was that... I have more than just that. Yes, I do have three Cursed Techniques, all of which are absurdly broken in their own right. But I have another ability, Gojo. One that grants me abilities that I have yet to tap into. A gift from the Sage of Six Paths and the Monarch of Shadows, my ancestors." I responded.

Gojo quit acting like a weirdo and looked at me seriously. "More abilities... Is that why you came down here? To test it?" Gojo asked.

I nodded and reached my hand into my Inventory, getting Gojo's eyes to widen, as I pulled out a key. "This key says it can take me to another dimension so I can grow stronger. But when I enter... I have a feeling I won't have access to any of my cursed energy while inside." I said.

Gojo frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

I sighed, "The whole reason I was almost on my deathbed was because the Higher Ups sent me to a curse spirit infected cave, a cave that I found out was meant to bestow the powers of my ancestors. But my cursed energy was completely robbed from me. My reserves were still there, but there was something blocking me from using it. Considering the two similarities..."

Gojo rubbed his chin, "You likely won't have any access to your cursed energy once you head inside that dimension. So what will you do then?" Gojo asked.

I smirked, "That's where the secret is at. While I barely have any, I do have two other types of energy that I acquired from my two other ancestors. Chakra, and Mana. Chakra belongs to the Six Paths Sage and mana to the Shadow Monarch." I stated.

Gojo grinned at me, "So you're saying you're stronger than what you showed already?" He said.

I nodded, "And I will continue to grow stronger. Until I become The Strongest and put down Sukuna for good." I declared.

Gojo nodded with a small smile. "So why did you tell me about your secret then? I appreciate it, I do, but why?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess it's a sign of my trust in you. That... and consider this a thank you for finally letting me put my grandma to rest next to our ancestor and for letting me meet with him." I said.

Gojo nodded, "But of course! You are my dear student, after all."

I grinned up at him as I held out my hand before me, "Nah, not your student. I'm your friend, Gojo." I waved my hand as I turned around, reached into my Inventory, and pulled out the Dungeon Key. I took a deep breath in before sticking the key into the space in front of me and turning it.

My hair and clothes blew back as I raised my forearm in front of my face to block the sudden gust of wind that blew throughout the area. No... that's not wind... My eyes widened, This is chakra! I realized.

The world around me shifted and distorted drastically as I felt my cursed energy and mana get sealed from me. So Hagoromo-sama is testing me this time... I realized.

All around me expanded outward as I was placed in a whole new world, a whole new environment. The world I was in was... different. It was simple, really. Behind me, really far away, I could make out a huge mountain with three stone faces on them that overlooked a village of some kind. Other than that, there was a wide, straightforward path ahead of me with massive trees on either side of this pathway.