Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 142 Rewards and Effects

"That's right, and that's your responsibility as the one who wants him to repent. Since you want to do this, you must make sure you help him through this period in your own way, complete his true transformation, and add one more good person to the world. Isn't that also fulfilling the honor of your clan?"

"Yes, you're right. We should persuade those who haven't committed serious crimes to become good people, but how exactly should we do that?"

"Isn't this right here? Why don't you follow Rudius and see how he treats these two you've encountered? If they eventually change their ways, wouldn't that prove Rudius's method works?"

Rachel Rudd still has little contact with people. In his worldview, the world is somewhat black and white. He needs to gradually realize that wherever there are intelligent beings, the world is a delicate gray.

It is still gray that can change color. Depending on different experiences, it may turn white or black. This is the nature of intelligent species, regardless of whether they are human or not.

Rachel Rudd nodded, agreeing with this explanation.

"I understand. I'm sorry, Rudius, I didn't understand you at all. I apologize."

"Uh, no, no... alright, Mr. Rachel Rudd, let's work together."

Rudeus was now completely shocked. Looking at Mr. Rijerud, who had finally figured it out, then at Yue Ren with a smirk on his face, and Alice beside him who seemed to understand but not quite, he suddenly felt that Brother Yue Ren was really awesome.

Is that all the explanation you've given people? This must be a scam, but thinking about it carefully, it makes a lot of sense... No, no, if I keep thinking about it, I'll get confused myself.

Shaking his head, Rudius calmed himself down, feeling happy that the team had become harmonious again. At the same time, he realized that he had a lot to learn from Brother Yue. If he had such eloquence, many things would be easy to solve.

However, I finally felt much less burdened. I thought I would tell Yue Ren about my plans after dinner and discuss them with him. That would probably be more effective.

After enjoying a delicious dinner, the group returned to their rooms, completely satisfied.

Upon learning of Rudeus's idea to exchange commissions with the new group he had encountered, Yueren did not directly object, but simply said one sentence.

"Once you've made a decision, carry it out. But you still need to consider the worst-case scenario. For example, what if some shrewd person discovers it and reports it, or uses it to blackmail you?"

"this....

""

"To avoid this from happening, the operation must be discreet and preventative measures must be taken."

"Understood."

Rudy had considered whether he could skip the commission exchange since he had made so much money on the first day. But then he thought about it and realized that Brother Yue's success was also due to a stroke of luck. The commission in the afternoon was still the normal commission, so he decided to give it a try.

As dusk approached, the people in the room all had their own things to do. Rijerud was maintaining his weapon, Rudeus was helping to teach some magical knowledge at the request of the Yue people, and Alice was practicing her calligraphy while listening in. The magical knowledge of the novice stage was not unfamiliar to her, but it was by no means something she could recite perfectly. Listening in this way could help her consolidate her knowledge.

However, given Alice's current level of education, multitasking is quite challenging.

After an hour of explanation, Yue Ren had a clear understanding of the basic principles of magic. Compared to spells, magic is undoubtedly simpler to use. As long as you have magic power, you can use incantations and imagine the magic in your mind to generate it.

As a modern person who had studied high school chemistry, he was naturally familiar with the essence of various physical phenomena. After receiving the incantation for basic water magic from the boy, the magic was used smoothly as expected.

As the chanting ended, a small water ball appeared in my hand.

The other three were not surprised. After all, Yue Ren had shown a lot of talent along the way. It would be a problem if he couldn't learn such a small, basic magic. Even Mr. Rijerrude admired Yue Ren's learning ability.

Then came Rudy's specialty: the chant-free style.

This time, however, was different from before. The Yue people, who were not chanting incantations but only imagining physical phenomena, did not succeed.

Considering it might be a problem with the flow of magic, Yue Ren let Rudy cast a basic, non-chanting spell himself, while he used the spell "Tracing the Source" to understand the other's physical condition while using it.

Sure enough, it was eventually discovered that the problem was indeed with the flow of magic. When a sorcerer uses a spell, he pours all the magic power into the spell in his brain to release its effect. Other attacks that add magic power also cover the required parts with magic power, without any specific path.

The magic in this world is different; it circulates through a special path within the body. As it turns out, the reason why the Yue people couldn't use the spell without chanting was because they didn't follow the path.

It is somewhat similar to magic circles, except that the human body uses the innate patterns within the body to use magic. Early magic circles were constructed by imitating these patterns.

By observing his own body, he discovered that it possessed these pathways, and the changes that occurred when he first combined curse power and magic power were helping to expand these pathways within his body.

Because it was only a few key points that had been opened up, he didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

Having understood the principle, the people tried again, no longer using a "flood irrigation" approach, but instead allowing the force to flow evenly into each stream...

...and so the absence of chanting was achieved.

"That's amazing!"

Rudius was completely dumbfounded. He looked at Yue Ren as if he were looking at a monster. With such talent, what couldn't he learn? It made other people's efforts seem cheap.

Keep in mind that it took him several years to reach this level, and it also took Silphi a long time to learn how to sing without chanting.

Faced with the envy and surprise of the crowd, Yue Ren chuckled and explained, "I just used a special method. I had you demonstrate it just now to observe the changes in your body during the use of magic. If it's a one-to-one replica, it won't be difficult."

"And I have relevant experience in the use and control of energy. It's like a senior craftsman making an unfamiliar part by hand. Although I've never done it before, my long-term experience combined with clear blueprints makes it an easy thing to make."

"But having such an ability is remarkable in itself."

Rijerud pointed out the key point: just like the third magical eye on their foreheads that their race is born with, it makes the Spelud race easy to become powerful warriors.

"Rudius, if you don't mind, I plan to give you the payment in the same way, is that alright?"

"Hmm? What kind of reward?"

"Of course, it was you who taught me how to use magic."

"No need, Brother Yue is a partner, isn't he? Helping is the right thing to do..."

Rudius replied casually that it was nothing. What he had just said was insignificant in his modern mindset; in fact, he found the occasional novel viewpoints from the other person quite rewarding. As for academic exchange, he didn't feel he had contributed anything, and as he said, they were partners...

"You really don't want it? It might immediately improve your melee skills, isn't that what you've been struggling with?"

Upon hearing this, not only Rudy, but even Alice, who was practicing nearby, couldn't help but look up.

"? But... what exactly does it mean?"

"My ability is called 'Source Tracing.' Initially, it allowed me to obtain information about items by covering them with energy. Now, I can share some of the information I possess with others. Previously, knowledge and experience that were not mixed with personal will could be directly shared with others."

"In other words..."

""

Rudius was excited. He, a modern man, certainly understood what this meant. In Eastern terms, it was what was called "enlightenment." Did Brother Yue actually possess such a divine skill?

"Yes, I know a little bit about swordsmanship too. While I'm not exactly great, it should be a significant improvement for someone like you who's a close-combat newbie."

"According to my estimation, once I pass this knowledge on to you, as long as you can absorb it, your melee combat limit should be able to increase by one or two levels."

This reflects the Yue people's confidence in the swordsmanship passed down by the old man.

Moreover, the reason he intends to do this is because, compared to the potential gains, the risks he needs to take are actually not that great.

Yes, although the results may seem good, there are actually risks involved.

This kind of experience is different from simple knowledge. When the memory is transmitted, the person being transmitted will experience it in a first-person perspective, along with their emotions and thoughts at the time. This will have a certain impact on the will of the person being transmitted.

The most direct consequence is that if one cannot break free from this influence, then the recipient's skill will be essentially limited to the level of the transmitter, effectively locking in the upper limit.

However, these side effects are almost non-existent when facing Rudeus. The adult soul ensures that his mind will not be affected when receiving the transmission, and since he doesn't have much talent in swordsmanship, locking the upper limit is meaningless for him. It's completely without any side effects.

After hearing Yue Ren explain the pros and cons, Rudeus's eyes lit up. He suddenly felt that it was really good.

God knows how badly he was suppressed by Alice. If he could gain a higher level of swordsmanship in a short time, what would a little mental shock be?

Rudius eventually accepted the Yue people's offer of payment, and he decided to give it a try.

The result was gratifying; he succeeded, and the price he paid was indeed not high, only causing him headaches and mental fatigue.

The next day, upon arriving at the Adventurers' Guild, the lizard-man and the insect-like woman approached him and struck up a conversation. These two were the pet kidnappers from the previous day.

With Yue Ren's advice, Rudius led them to a secluded spot to talk, and they finally finalized the matter of changing the commission.

What does this mean? It means that the team these two belong to is C-rank, which allows them to take on monster-hunting missions of the highest rank, B, while Rudy and his team take on ordinary F-rank missions. After leaving the team, they switch roles: Rudy and his team go on monster-hunting missions, while the two demons do safe, low-level missions. After completing these missions, they exchange certificates and commissions, and of course, they also get a small compensation for the difference.

Such behavior is prohibited under the Adventurer's Code, and serious offenses can result in the loss of adventurer status, which is why Yue Ren advised him to be careful.

Of course, this kind of thing won't last long. He doesn't plan to do it forever. Once their team level up, they won't need to do it anymore. He roughly estimates it will only take a few weeks, which is why it's worth taking a gamble.

Just like yesterday, the team was divided into two groups, each taking on two tasks simultaneously. To be on the safe side, the "safety net" for Yue Ren couldn't be broken.

After saying goodbye to the guards at the gate, Rudius and his companions left the town.

According to information provided by the Adventurers' Guild, the monsters that can be targeted near this town are the Pax Coyote, Acid Wolf, Giant Tortoise, and Rock Tortoise.

You can get fur from the Parkes coyote, teeth and tail from the acid wolf, meat from the giant tortoise, and magic stones from the rock tortoise.

The best target is the Giant Rock Turtle; even small magic stones can fetch a good price.

In terms of size, it is very cost-effective, but there is a problem: the number of giant rock tortoises is not large, and they do not appear near human dwellings.

So in the end, the primary target became the ability to fight in packs and take down a large number of Parks coyotes in a single battle.

Their commissions also included collecting pelts from Parks coyotes.

However, the only advantage of the Parks coyote is that it can take down multiple coyotes in one battle.

Considering the time spent searching for enemies and skinning them, it's not much different from hunting acid wolves, so if they encounter an acid wolf, they plan to take it down.

Although there are no commissions to accept, you can collect actual items before accepting commissions for collection tasks.

Even if the commission has already been snatched up by someone else, you can just use it to buy back the counter.

Rudius was so excited he almost jumped up, because he couldn't wait to test his current close-combat skills.

The headache caused by the "transmission of power" had subsided after a night's rest, and he now felt much more comfortable wielding the sword.

With the help of Rigel's magic eye, he easily found the monsters. After dealing with only a few left, under the protection of Alice and Rigel, he drew his sword and charged forward.

The effect was remarkable. His speed and strength remained at the same level, but his movements were exceptionally fluid. He easily caught several monsters off guard and killed them with a single blow. His movements were even subconscious, and Rudeus himself didn't even have time to react.

When he came to his senses, the action was already complete, and all the monsters behind him had been killed with a single sword strike.

All that remained for him was physical exhaustion and a lingering sense of dread.

This clean and efficient approach is even better than that of Alice, who is already in a superior position.