Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 148 Changes and Strength

Upon arriving at the next town, no one recognized Rijerud as a Spelud, and they were spared even the questioning they had received last time. The guards at the gate readily allowed them into the town.

Rudius felt it was probably because some people in the town looked more frightening. And dressing up as an adventurer definitely garnered different treatment; he was truly warmly welcomed.

Rachel Rudd was also pleased to say that this was the first time he had encountered such a straightforward and kind attitude.

Only the Yue people looked at Rachel Luther with a thoughtful expression in their eyes.

Because he actually sensed the "curse being lifted" from this man, could it be that the reason this man's race was hated was because of the "curse"?

"This is a curse that is completely different from the world of sorcery. It is somewhat similar to the Bone Curse. Its essence is the manifestation of calamity after power reaches a certain extreme. Moreover, it seems that someone else simply extracted this part of the calamity and attached it to him. Based on the story told by Rijerud, he guessed that it was done by the demon god Laplace, whom they once served."

Laplace, the demon god, possessed terrifying power but was also afflicted with a certain negative status effect. To remove these effects, he created a demonic spear and gave it to the Spelud race, presumably to transfer the curse...

If that's the case, then the current situation makes sense. The Demon Spear was destroyed, and he no longer appears in his original form as Spelud. The curse on his body is like a rootless duckweed, gradually dissipating, and Rudeus and the others' actions of promoting a positive image have accelerated this process.

This was the conclusion Yue Ren had reached. To be on the safe side, he planned to investigate for a while longer. If there were still no problems, he would tell Rijkaard the news.

When they announced their team name "DeadEnd" in the guild chat, people around them asked, "Is this really okay?"

The question, coupled with a touch of concern, made it a little difficult to adjust at first.

The answer that it's okay because it's genuine usually elicits laughter.

Even when they go to unfamiliar lands, they are quickly accepted. Now, the reputation of DeadEnd| is actually something to be grateful for.

Upon arriving in town, the first thing to do, naturally, is to gather intelligence.

It's not difficult to complete; as long as you make good use of the Adventurers' Guild, you can obtain most of the information.

The method is simple: Rudeus just needs to pretend to be a child and ask other adventurers for advice, and they will tell him everything.

In addition, there is another way to gather intelligence and make money, which is the bard tavern accompaniment mode innovated by the reliable Yue Ren.

Find a lively tavern, order a drink, find a good spot to sit, place a money container in front of you, and then play a suitable tune according to the atmosphere. Beautiful music re-arranged with modern thinking can bring people closer in a very short time. Coupled with the Yue people's peaceful attitude, you can often get both information and a reward in half a day.

Rudius was stunned after hearing this. He never expected that someone as capable as Brother Yue would be willing to do something like a street performer.

The latter's answer to him was: "Regardless of whether I'm powerful or not, I earn money through my own abilities. The donations from everyone are support for my work and creation. What's there to be ashamed of?"

That makes sense, Rudius thought. He felt that the singers in the subway tunnels and shopping malls in his past life might have had the same mentality.

However, it was precisely because of this move by the Yue people that they not only broadened their intelligence network, but also gained a considerable extra income. After all, among those who were willing to give tips, there were always wealthy big shots. During their three-day stay in this town, the highest amount of tips they received at once was a green mine coin.

This is the amount of money for an A-level mission. Keep in mind that the time they encountered the Red Stone Orochi was only a B-level mission, so it's quite terrifying.

This made him want to try a side business. Thinking about this, he looked at the Rijkaard doll he had created... perhaps he could work on that.

The increase in income also accelerated their plans, reducing the preparation phase, which originally required at least a week or even a month of pause, to three to five days.

So they moved from one town to another in this pattern, getting closer and closer to the south.

During their journey, they encountered some special environments, such as cliffs and deserts. The Yue people would use shadow magic to summon shadow spirits to assist them. On one occasion, the Yue people even summoned a "Shadow Spirit" with outstretched arms that was more than ten meters long to help them cross the valley.

While everyone was amazed, Rudeus asked, "Since you have such a good flying shikigami, why not take them all the way home?"

However, it was Rachel Rudd who was the first to answer this question.

"That won't work. Putting aside towns, powerful monsters in the wild have a strong sense of territory. It's okay to sneak around them, but flying over in a big way will get you attacked, which is very dangerous."

At the same time, the Yue people added two more reasons.

"Summoning such a large [magic spell] is extremely energy-consuming to keep flying, and the latter's flight speed is not particularly fast. Compared to the possibility of falling into an extreme situation without magic power, it is not worth it."

"And don't let its size fool you, if it's attacked by a powerful monster and can't dodge, it will most likely collapse instantly, putting those of them in the air at risk of falling to their deaths."

If someone is on you, even if they can detect the danger, they are unlikely to be able to take effective action in time, and you will end up being caught in one fell swoop.

Although the Yue people themselves were not afraid, there were other people around them, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty.

Upon hearing these explanations and trying to imagine the scene depicted, Rudius shuddered and never mentioned it again.

The journey continued.

One day, Alice began to ask to learn the Demon Language. The reason was probably that she felt frustrated because she couldn't understand Rudeus's conversations with others most of the time.

Rudius was pleased with this, and he was certainly happy to grant such a request.

However, because her master Luo Qixi's textbooks were not at hand, he could not teach her in too much detail. But because she had three teachers who taught her by example, she learned very quickly.

Rudeus couldn't help but sigh, back in the Kingdom of Asura, Alice was completely unable to learn to read and write... Indeed, the environment can change a person.

"I...I am...Alice Boreas Greirat..."

""

"Yes, you're right, Miss."

"Really?"

Well, although it will take a long time before we can have a proper conversation... but as Isoroku Yamamoto said, "We must demonstrate, explain, let people try, and praise them, otherwise they will not act. We must talk to each other, listen carefully, acknowledge and entrust to each other, otherwise people cannot grow. We must observe their actions with gratitude and place our trust in them, otherwise people will not achieve anything."

Therefore, he needs to encourage her to make further progress.

"certainly."

"I think we should be leaving the Demon Continent soon, right?"

"That's the plan. Next up is the continent of Milis."

It's said to be "almost there," but the journey is still very long.

"Then, even if I learn the demon language, is it meaningless...?"

'

"You can't say that. You can never have too much knowledge, and who knows, we might come back here in the future."

""

Although she was motivated by the circumstances, it seems that Alice still hates studying.

Compared to studying, receiving guidance on combat techniques from Rachel Luther might be what she prefers most.

Although Rigellud had lost the previous contest with the Yue people, it did not affect his status in Alice's heart at all. Whenever she had a spare moment, she would tirelessly ask for his guidance. She was grateful to receive Rigellud's instruction.

As for why she didn't ask Yue Ren, it wasn't that she didn't want to, but that Yue Ren usually spent all his time researching magic and his own compositions, and didn't have the time.

Rudius initially participated in Rijkaard's training, but unfortunately, he couldn't keep up.

Rachel Rudd's teaching method was to silently and constantly pit against each other.

The person who receives the final instruction will be knocked to the ground or have a gun pointed at their throat.

Next, Rachel Rudd would ask, "Do you understand?"

Rudius didn't understand, no matter how many times he received guidance. Although it seemed to be increasing his practical experience, he didn't seem to be suited to this method.

On the contrary, it was the occasional impromptu remarks from the Yue people that benefited him greatly.

So, as expected, Brother Yue is still the most amazing.

But that doesn't mean Mr. Rachel Rudd isn't strong.

He felt that Rachel Rudd must have been targeting their weaknesses during the battle.

The so-called battle is always full of changes and will utilize many elements.

That's why he didn't explain it verbally but demonstrated it in practice; however, even so, he still couldn't understand the reasoning behind it.

Perhaps he himself is not suited to this teaching method, but the magic enhancement technique that Brother Yueren taught him in his spare time was more suitable for him.

By stimulating the optic nerve with fine magical threads to enhance vision and dynamic visual acuity, he was finally able to see the attacks of "masters".

Envelop a specific area of ​​the body with magic to stimulate and strengthen it, enabling the body to react and move in sync.

He understood that this was a technique that magicians in this world would never use, because the acupoints that Senior Yue had him stimulate were things that people of this era could not understand.

He had inquired about the origin of this technique from Brother Yue, who replied, "Body enhancement is a technique he used when he possessed magical power. After arriving in this world, he modified it slightly to suit the characteristics of magic. What I'm teaching you is a 'milder' version; the original version is more effective, but it puts a greater strain on your body, which your current small frame can't handle."

What could he say? He could only say his older brother was awesome. If he could get home safely, he planned to worship his brother like a god...

In any case, his strength, especially his close combat ability, has been significantly enhanced.

If the previous "enlightenment" upgraded his melee skills, then these new techniques allow his "attributes, which are the starting point of everything," to match his skills.

At this point, he achieved a level of close combat comparable to that of a high-ranking swordsman of the Sword God School in a short period of time.

As his body grows and strengthens, and as he improves his skills and swordsmanship, he could potentially strive for the Saint level, or even the King level.

Hehehe, will I be able to suppress Alice in swordsmanship then?

The idea was nice, but reality was harsh.

After all, Alice has also become stronger, and her combat power has also increased by leaps and bounds during this period.

Rachel Rudd's training methods suited her very well.

Ever since Yue Ren showed her what real combat was like, her progress in awareness has been rapid, and her understanding of battle qi has become exceptionally clear. Some bottlenecks that require comprehension seem to be non-existent for her.

Even after Rudeus's close-combat enhancements, he still couldn't defeat her, because her swordsmanship had reached the Saint level, and her use of battle aura negated the advantage of his magic-enhanced body.

Although he hasn't caught up with Giroud yet, he might already be able to beat his father, Paul...

The group continued moving south.

Arrive in a town, accept commissions, spread your reputation, accumulate money, and then head to the next town.

The group repeated the same process, focusing intently on heading south. The journey was not boring, because in addition to the diverse scenery, the various encounters and events they might encounter at any time kept them from getting bored.

During this period, as the scope of Yue Ren's business expanded, he also earned the title of "Flower Magician" on this continent.

Because he always brings joy to people with his beautiful music, he also plays and chats with children, performs magic tricks to create flower fields for the lovely children, and brings pure smiles to their faces.

Since no one had ever seen him fight, they regarded him as a bard who knew some simple and harmless magic. Normally, in a place where strong people made up a large proportion of the population, he shouldn't have become very famous.

However, because he was a member of the newly emerging and famous group "DeadEnd", and people who met him would feel good after hearing his songs and seeing the sea of ​​flowers, this nickname gradually became widespread.

Although it wasn't a very prestigious title, Yue Ren was quite satisfied with it. After all, compared to Rudeus's "Master," Alice's "Mad Dog," and Rigel's "Watchdog," his title was far more elegant.

Moreover, this title reminded him of a certain white-haired older brother, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder that one day he would have the same title as him.

After a period of investigation, he confirmed that there was indeed something like a curse on Rijerud, and that it was dissipating. He then found a time to tell him the details and explained that in the near future, after the curse was completely dissipated, the fear people had of the Spelud tribe would gradually disappear.

That night, in a corner of the room, the man, who valued racial honor above all else, silently wept as he expressed his gratitude.