Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

"Won't it be dangerous?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Ren smiled slightly and gave his sister a confident look.

"I'll take precautions and inform you beforehand. I'll also bring a knife. No one will say anything about my own work. My swordsmanship is more than enough to deal with ordinary people, as you know, right, sister?"

Now that things have been said to this extent, Rihe's doubts have lessened considerably.

So, the next day.

Yue Ren found some time to call Gojo Satoru and said that he had convinced his sister, but wanted to visit the so-called "High School of Jujutsu" beforehand.

Gojo Satoru was naturally very happy with the suggestion and told him directly that he would arrange for someone to pick him up.

So, around noon, he saw that familiar girl again, Zenin Maki.

However, judging from her expression, she seemed to be filled with resentment, and Yue Ren could almost see the irresponsible phone arrangements made by some guy in her expression.

"Yo, Maki-senpai, it's nice to see you again."

"Come with me, I'll take you to the vocational college."

She didn't take her anger out on him; apart from being a little stiff from suppressing her anger, everything was fine.

"Okay!"

Yue Ren followed behind Maki, and from this angle, the petite Maki really did have a girl-next-door feel to her.

As they walked down the street, the girl would occasionally glance at him, asking as she went, "You're quite tall, aren't you? How old are you?"

"16 years old."

"Judging from your walking and breathing movements... have you practiced this?"

"Yeah, I was in the kendo club before high school."

"Huh? I didn't expect that. Your high school seems to have pretty high entry requirements."

"Well, it's alright. My learning ability has always been pretty good."

"That's true... although it's inexplicably infuriating."

Maki recalled that this guy had learned to forge magical tools in just one month. How could such a thing be possible if he wasn't a genius?

Geniuses are creatures that are difficult for ordinary people to understand.

Now that she has awakened her magical power, she used that katana yesterday. It was excellent, even by ordinary weapon standards, its quality was superb, and among the magical artifacts she possessed, its feel was top-notch.

"If you don't mind sparring with me after you get there, as you can see, I'm quite familiar with this area. You can also find me for training after you enroll."

"certainly."

"Okay, I'll introduce you to Panda and the others later. From now on, we'll be classmates..."

"..."

The two chatted back and forth, enjoying themselves immensely. Maki became increasingly talkative, a change she herself was unaware of, only feeling comfortable talking to him.

"The Sorcery High School, also known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Sorcery Higher Vocational School, is one of only two sorcery education institutions in Japan. It appears to be a private religious school, but in reality, it is a professional place to train sorcerers. Many sorcerers come here and use this as a starting point for their careers after graduation. So, in addition to studying, we also carry out missions and assist in various activities."

Listening to Maki's introduction, Koshito looked at this complex of buildings that looked more like a temple than a school, and his first impression was not bad.

The buildings nestled deep in the mountains and forests give off a natural vibe, and the surrounding air is fresher than in the city. However, being far from the city, it's likely to be somewhat inconvenient.

However, it's not unacceptable.

"That jerk of a teacher said he has to take you to the principal's office first. There will probably be a test there. If you don't pass, you'll be refused admission to the school. You'd better be careful."

"Forehead......"

It's not surprising. He understands the principal's persona, and his true thoughts align with their interests. He should be able to answer whatever question is asked from the heart.

However, just to be on the safe side, he still asked a question.

"Test? Could you tell me what kind of test it is? So I can have some idea of ​​what to expect."

Maki was surprised for a moment, then looked indifferent.

"Eh? Your personality is quite calm. In that case, there shouldn't be any problems. Don't worry. They'll just ask you things like your ideals and true thoughts. They'll mainly be checking if you have a twisted personality. You can just give a normal answer."

As they spoke, the two arrived in front of a building. After opening the black wooden door, Maki gestured for Eshito to go inside.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for you outside."

The man from Yue nodded and entered.

In a spacious room with a clean and tidy floor, directly opposite, a burly middle-aged man with spiky black hair and sunglasses is doing the kind of girly work of repairing dolls.

Compared to my inner impression, it's not that there's no difference, but it's exactly the same.

"Hello, my name is Kawasaki Koshito, and I'm here to learn sorcery."

Kawasaki bowed slightly. He didn't like this kind of etiquette, but given the other party's status as a teacher, he could accept it.

"Um."

The man didn't look up, but continued weaving the cloth doll in his hands, while asking, "Learn curses, learn methods to exorcise curses, become powerful, and then what? What do you want to do?"

Yue Ren raised an eyebrow, remained silent for two seconds, and then revealed his pursuit.

"To gain power, protect the loved ones I care about, and then, if I have the ability, make the curse disappear from this world. If all is well, I can be a normal blacksmith, and then enjoy a warm home with my wife and children."

This is his true thought. If the world were at peace, his biggest wish would be to be an ordinary person. But now that the world is not at peace, he seeks stability and can only strive to become stronger so that he can control his own destiny and the fate of those he cares about through his own will.

"Hmm, that's a valid reason."

As he spoke, the man stopped what he was doing, and a complete rag doll appeared in his hand. Then he stood up.

"Next, we'll test your resolve. Are you ready? Slackening will be a death sentence!"

The Yue man didn't speak, but simply took the katana from his back and prepared to attack.

The man nodded slightly, and then a plush toy beside him came to life. After jumping around a couple of times, it suddenly swung its fists and charged forward quickly. The whole process took less than a second, and you could even hear the sound of the air tearing apart.

Most people wouldn't be able to react in time, but for Yue Ren, who possesses superior qualities and is well-prepared, he is naturally confident in handling the situation.

He narrowly dodged the cannonball-like attack by sidestepping, and as his opponent attempted a second attack, he turned and kicked him away with a cursed kick.

Seeing this, Yamo was slightly taken aback, and seemed to understand why Gojo Satoru valued this boy so much.

It seems that this boy has the potential to become a powerful sorcerer, not just as a logistics tool forger. His reflexes are already beyond those of ordinary people.

The rag doll, kicked away, transformed into an incredibly bouncy ball. After bouncing around a few times, it slammed into the Yue people again, this time with even greater force and speed.

Faced with this attack, the Yue people responded by drawing their swords and slashing—

That kick, imbued with magical power, not only sent him flying far away, but also allowed him to learn about the opponent's situation through the spell he had just received.

"Cursed Corpse" (Silver)

Materials: Fabric, cotton...

Time: 1 days

Craft: Cursed Corpse Making Method

Usage: Infuse it with the creator's magical power to make it act according to any idea.

Introduction: A masterpiece under the Shengde technique, the creator is very skilled in the application of this technique.

Besides, he now knew everything about how the cursed power flowed within its body and its inherent weaknesses.

The sutures under my right arm have loosened due to the strenuous activity...

Then—

"cut--"

Combining the combat instincts of the test subject, he seized upon that fleeting opening in a split second.

The blade flashed like lightning, a crisp and sharp attack passing through the puppet's vulnerable spot.

Immediately, the arrogant doll was split in two by the spell.

Yue Ren gracefully sheathed his sword, then turned and looked at Ye Mo Zhengdao with an innocent expression.

"I don't think I need to pay for this."

"..."

The moth was careless and didn't flash.

"Have you awakened any spells yet?"

The Yue man looked puzzled. "A spell? What's that?"

"So how did you discover the Cursed Corpse's weakness?"

"Well, when my magical power comes into contact with a target I've identified, I can learn things about it, like its materials, strength, manufacturing methods, and of course, its weaknesses. I use this to forge what you call 'cursed tools.' Is this what you call magical arts?"

Moth nodded slightly. So that's how it is. Such a special spell? No wonder... He underestimated his opponent.

That cursed corpse wouldn't have been cut in half so easily, but because he hadn't put in much cursed power, its attributes weren't at their full potential. He originally thought it would be enough to deal with such a brat, but he didn't expect the opponent to be a special type of fighter.

With unique sorcery, the ability to forge magical artifacts, and a meticulous mind, is this the type that appears ordinary but can easily gather intelligence, find the opponent's weaknesses, and deliver a fatal blow?

His temperament is also fine. If such a person grows up, he will become another being comparable to Gojo, and even surpass him in some aspects. He probably doesn't have Gojo's "arrogance" and will live a long time in the world of jutsu.

With such a person as a teammate, Moth suddenly felt that the question she wanted to ask already had an answer.

"That's right, you've passed. I am Moth Path, the principal of this school. If you're willing, you're welcome to study at the High School of Spellcasting anytime, just don't forget your original aspirations."

"OK."

Their conversation ended there. After leaving the room, they immediately saw Maki standing to the side, staring at them with a curious expression.

Although he had a rough idea of ​​what the other person was curious about, Yue Ren still asked.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with me?"

"That's strange... Didn't the headmaster use his cursed remains to beat you up?"

That's a really direct question, leaving Yue Ren speechless.

"Of course I would, but even if I didn't manage to beat them up, I would still fight back, wouldn't I?"

The Yue man brandished his katana.

"Eh...it seems I underestimated you. To be able to escape unscathed from the principal's cursed corpse is quite an achievement for a newcomer. I'm starting to like you."

"Come on, I'll take you to the dorm and the classrooms, and introduce you to Panda and the others while I'm at it."

Knowing that the other person's affection didn't have a specific meaning, Yue Ren simply struck up a conversation calmly.

"Um, pandas are..."

"It's a bit complicated to explain now, you'll understand when you get there."

A moment later, a single room of about 20 or 30 square meters appeared before them.

"This is the dormitory. It has all the basic amenities and you can move in anytime. Overall, it's pretty good. I've lived here for quite a while and haven't found any problems."

The room was empty, and there were many other rooms around it, so it wasn't appropriate to show him a student's room.

As Maki said, the room is clean and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows next to the bed and a view of the forest behind it. It has all the facilities you can think of and need, making it a really nice place to stay.

"Let's go. So far, there are three first-year students including myself. If you come, there will be four of us."

"Are four a lot...?"

The Yue people couldn't help but complain.

This is one of the reasons why the sorcery world is so criticized. There are far too few people, not enough new recruits, and the death toll from dangerous missions far exceeds expectations. And this situation is only being maintained with five people constantly putting out fires. In this environment, the so-called higher-ups are still constantly fighting and persecuting each other for power. It wouldn't be surprising if the world ended one day in such an environment...

"Forget it, it's already very good if you have two or three under normal circumstances. Becoming a sorcerer is one in ten thousand."

"Let's go to the classroom."

Nodding and following the girl, they soon passed several houses and arrived at one of the larger ones.

After passing several empty classrooms, we finally stopped in front of one classroom.

As Yue Ren pushed open the door, two figures came into view.

A giant panda, and a skinny boy whose lower face is hidden in a scarf.

Panda and dog Curly are, in a sense, very familiar people.

"Oh, it really is a panda! Can I pet you?"

"Sure, to be honest, I also have some itchy spots that I can't reach. Could you scratch them for me?"

Yue Ren nodded, went to the panda's side and touched it directly. The feeling was extremely comfortable, with its furry texture.

"Senior Panda, are you human?"

"No, I am Cursed Corpse."

"Oh? The kind Principal Moth made?"

"Yes, in a sense, he is indeed my 'dad'."

"The principal is really amazing..."

"That's right."

"..."

"Bonito".

"Who knows how those two guys suddenly became so close? Is it a matter of attraction?"

Maki stared speechlessly at the bear and the human who were now entangled together. Only then did she realize how incredibly outgoing this guy really was.

"By the way, who is this senior next to you?"

"That's Dog-Turtle Thorn, a descendant of the Spellcaster clan. Because of the family's magic, he usually only speaks using the names of the ingredients in rice balls."

"Eh? That must be tough. Hello, Inu-maki Toshi-senpai, I'm a newbie, Kawasaki Koshito."

"Salmon."