Chapter One: Chosen by Heaven and Destiny

Saitama, Japan.

A young man with handsome features, black hair, and dressed in a white T-shirt stood before a dilapidated building. His name was Chu Fan, and at this moment, he was facing a crucial decision.

It was evening; normally, under the last rays of the sun, buildings would be bathed in a gentle golden glow, evoking a sense of tranquil contentment at a glance. Yet, for Chu Fan, the two-story wooden house before him—even with some sunlight streaming in—exuded an eerie atmosphere. He felt a strange chill emanating from the house, as though something ominous lurked within. The mere act of entering seemed to risk contamination by something unclean, let alone spending a night inside.

Chu Fan considered himself no coward; indeed, he was not easily intimidated in a normal world. He trusted in science and feared neither the unknown nor the uncanny. The problem was, the world he found himself in was far from normal—it was the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Yes, the very world where sorcerers, cursed spirits, and urban legends roamed freely.

To be honest, Chu Fan had no desire to enter, but necessity compelled him. Just then, a voice as chilling as a death knell echoed once more in his mind.

[Friendly reminder: the Chosen must enter the second floor of the haunted building before 18:30. Failure to comply within the allotted time will result in erasure.]

"Chosen? Damn it, is being chosen just a death sentence?"

"A 'friendly reminder,' they say. If it were truly friendly, they'd give me a task with reasonable difficulty, not something like this!"

Chu Fan desperately wanted to curse the owner of this voice, but could only do so in the privacy of his thoughts. The entity behind the voice was not someone he could provoke. Besides, only five minutes remained before the deadline of 18:30.

Chu Fan opened the task interface, and the details appeared before him.

[Derivative World: Jujutsu Kaisen]
[Main Quest: Haunted Building Trial lv.10 (Hell Level)]
World Level: LV3
Task Description: Located in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, Japan.
Task Information: Enter the second floor of the abandoned wooden building, where a Grade One Cursed Spirit is dormant, before 18:30 each evening, and survive inside until 5:00 the next morning.
Task Duration: Three natural days.
Task Reward: ???

Chu Fan knew that in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, Grade Four Cursed Spirits posed little threat—so long as one could see them and muster enough courage, a wooden stick would suffice. Grade Three required a handgun; already beyond what ordinary people could handle, especially since this was Tokyo, not America, and firearms were hard to come by. Grade Two demanded a shotgun, a high-powered weapon, and even then, one misstep meant certain death. Grade One required firepower on par with tanks.

Chu Fan glanced at his personal statistics.

Protagonist Name: Chu Fan
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Level: LV.1 (This attribute denotes rank, not absolute strength.)
Health: 100%
Mana: 60 (Intelligence x10; current mana regeneration rate, 5 per hour.)

Strength: 6 (related to power and speed)
Agility: 6 (attack speed, reflexes, sensitivity)
Intelligence: 6 (mana, casting speed, mana recovery)
Constitution: 6 (health, defense, abnormal status resistance)
Spirit: 6 (mental resistance, fine control)
Charm: 6 (charisma, affinity with living beings)
Luck: 6 (item discovery, crafting quality)
Note: Average adult male stats are 5 in each attribute, luck 1-3.

Chosen Talent: [Devourer]—After killing a target, randomly gain one permanent point in a basic attribute (Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Constitution, Spirit). This talent activates with each main quest, up to 5 points.
Skills: None

Indeed, Chu Fan felt his awakened talent was a gift of favor—promising rapid growth. Yet, at present, he was merely a slightly fitter, more attractive ordinary young man.

The Chosen Paradise required him to survive a night in a haunted building inhabited by a Grade One Cursed Spirit. Chu Fan had no doubt: if he entered and woke the spirit, he would die instantly. The quest truly deserved its hellish rating.

He had delayed as long as possible, largely because, within the three-day limit, he had no means to acquire firepower on the scale of a tank. His only tool was a discarded flashlight he scavenged from a trash bin. He hoped a powerful sorcerer might cleanse the haunted building within three days, allowing him to complete the quest by default.

But time was nearly up; only a few minutes remained, and no sorcerer had arrived.

Chu Fan gazed at the sinister building, clearly marked by the Chosen Paradise as the lair of a Grade One Cursed Spirit. Entering seemed tantamount to certain death, but it was better than being erased without any resistance.

Resolving himself, Chu Fan pushed open the battered wooden door and stepped inside.

[The Chosen has entered the haunted building within the time limit. Please strive to survive until 5:00 the next morning to complete the quest.]

As Chu Fan entered, night fell quietly.

The atmosphere of the wooden house standing beside the desolate road grew heavier.

It was at the moment Chu Fan stepped into the two-story building that this long-neglected house seemed to awaken as a monster, its aura growing ever more ominous. Crows descended, circling above and cawing noisily.

Chu Fan’s nerves were taut; the house had clearly been untouched for years. His steps were light, yet every footfall on the wooden floor produced a harsh creak, as though the boards might collapse under his weight at any moment.

The floor was coated with a faint white layer of dust. He smelled the musty rot of wood and dust, wrinkling his brow. If given a choice, he would rather linger at the doorway, ready to flee at any sign of danger.

But the Chosen Paradise required him to ascend to the second floor.

Thus, Chu Fan pressed on, inching his way forward.

Despite the house’s dilapidation, its size was considerable. Based on his days of observation outside, the two floors combined likely measured over a hundred square meters—a traditional Japanese residence.

Chu Fan surveyed the darkness, took out the flashlight he had prepared, set it to its lowest setting, and advanced cautiously, its weak beam his only guide. With each step, he silently prayed that the Grade One Cursed Spirit would not awaken.

As Chu Fan reached the stairway and placed his foot on the narrow steps, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, making him shiver and his scalp tingle—a primal warning of imminent death.

He sensed that, beyond the dim circle of light cast by his flashlight, something had awakened in the surrounding darkness, lurking and watching him.

Having watched the entire Jujutsu Kaisen series, Chu Fan knew that even ordinary people could perceive powerful cursed spirits when facing death.

His current experience matched that phenomenon: the cursed spirit had not yet acted, but its presence was palpable.

Chu Fan did not scream; instead, he feigned ignorance and continued ascending.

Yet, with every step, the sensation of being watched intensified, making his hands and feet icy, sweat pouring from his brow and back.

There were about twenty steps; Chu Fan climbed slowly. Halfway up, he suddenly felt an oppressive weight on his back, as though something had landed upon him, sending chills rippling across his skin. Without doubt, the Grade One Cursed Spirit was now lurking behind him, perhaps even clinging to his back.

In darkness, fear of the unknown takes hold, especially in a world where cursed spirits and ghostly legends are real. The pressure could easily break a normal person; even Chu Fan’s heart trembled.

Still, he forced himself onward, suppressing the urge to flee, and continued his ascent. Only by climbing further did he retain a sliver of hope; to turn back would mean erasure by the Chosen Paradise, a fate irreversible.

At last, Chu Fan reached the top step and stepped onto the corridor of the second floor.

A nauseating stench wafted from behind—he had angered the Grade One Cursed Spirit by entering the second floor; it had now manifested.

Knowing this, Chu Fan closed his eyes, his hand clutching the flashlight tight, veins bulging, ready to face death.

He felt no despair, only regret—regret that his strength was too feeble to grant him a fighting chance at survival in the face of mortal peril.

Just then, a voice suddenly resounded in Chu Fan’s mind.

"Destiny System activated."

"If fate offered a choice, would you submit and die, or defy destiny and fight against the current?"

"System detects the host possesses an intense will to survive; defaulting to the latter."

"Binding... binding successful."

"As a first-time binding, the host is granted an opportunity to open the Newcomer Gift Pack."

"Host’s life is in danger; auto-activation initiated."

"Newcomer Gift Pack opened successfully. Host has acquired the ability of the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit from the ONE PIECE world, with no side effects."

Chu Fan, who had braced himself for death, was utterly stunned.

His body ignited, transforming into a humanoid blaze, a column of fire shooting skyward.

At the same time, behind him, the cursed spirit shrieked in agony, scorched by the flames.