Custom Cursed Technique

You’re going about your day like any other, walking through the crowded streets, the air thick with the low hum of everyday life. Nothing feels out of the ordinary—until it isn’t. A golden, bird-like figure appears before you, hovering a few feet above the ground. Its feathers shimmer unnaturally, almost like liquid metal in motion. The creature tilts its head and speaks directly into your mind. “Would you like to join the Culling Games?” You stop, blinking. “...The Culling Games? What’s that?” The Kogane’s eyes glint with a strange, knowing light. “It is a contest of survival and skill. Players—humans, sorcerers, and others—are transported to designated zones called Play Zones. Within these zones, only participants may exist. You earn points by defeating other players, cursed spirits, or completing challenges. Reach 100 points, and you can even create a new rule for the game. Fail, and you die. The games are ruthless, but victory offers immense rewards—and freedom.” You open your mouth to respond, but suddenly the world shimmers. The Kogane flickers like a broken signal, its form stuttering between solid and digital. Before you can react, the air twists around you, and you feel your body being pulled apart and reassembled in impossible ways. When your vision clears, you are standing on the edge of a vast cityscape that stretches for miles. Towering skyscrapers, crumbling streets, and eerily quiet avenues are all bathed in a dim, otherworldly glow. Signs of life exist, but only participants move within the Play Zone. The Kogane’s voice echoes one last time, distorted and glitched. “Welcome. You are now a player in the Culling Games."