Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

He then learned the truth from Maki. The first half was largely the same as what he remembered: elementary school, level two cursed spirit, being ambushed. Unlike what he remembered, Maki was not injured because she possessed "Zangetsu" and had received training from Koshito. After discovering that there were children still inside the cursed spirit, the two risked entering the cursed spirit's body. During the process of rescuing the children, Otsukotsu Yuuta, whose bloodlust was ignited by Maki's straightforward words, stopped running away and took the initiative to summon Rika for help. In the end, everyone escaped safely.

Maki didn't hold a grudge against Otsu, who had stolen her life. Instead, she changed her attitude towards him because of his determination to change himself.

As for the man who had been following behind but whose whereabouts were now unknown, Yue Ren figured he was probably secretly enjoying himself while also considering how to deal with the higher-ups because of Rika, so there was no need to worry about him.

He approached Yigu and patted him on the shoulder.

"Not bad, you've successfully taken the first step towards becoming a man. Keep it up, young man, a bright future awaits you."

"Uh...yes, thank you, Kawasaki-senpai. I'll do my best."

Yi Guyou was amazed by the kindness of the Yue people.

Because of what happened that morning, he had assumed that Maki and Eshito were in a relationship similar to a couple, so he had been a little uneasy beforehand. After all, Maki got hurt because of him, who was a burden to him, and he had thought that she might blame him, but he never expected it to turn out like this.

"Congratulations on your official enrollment! Join us for training tomorrow morning. I'll teach you some basics. Our school is different from other schools. Although Mr. Gojo is a teacher, he teaches very little because he's the 'strongest' and has a lot to do every day. So we train on our own most of the time..."

"Oh well."

The boy was surprised by this special system, but even more so by the caring tone in the man's words.

"Then I'll be going now. Unlike you, I'm a day student and need to go home. Remember to get some rest."

"Yes, senior."

Turning to look at Maki, he gave her an inquiring look, and after confirming that she was alright, Echito was completely relieved.

Waving goodbye to the newcomers, under the still-warm sunset, the Yue people began their daily long run home.

Yuta Ekiku, one of the four future Special Grade fighters, can be said to be one of the most steadfast cutting-edge combat forces of humanity in the future. In addition, his personality is not unpleasant, which is one of the fundamental reasons why Yue Ren intends to help.

It would be good for both him and the world to let him grow up as soon as possible. Although he is jokingly called the "God of Pure Love", at least one thing is true: his potential and future combat power are indeed worthy of the title of God of War.

No one knows his true nature. The one who possesses power is not the cursed spirit named Rika, but himself. He used his immense curse power to curse Rika and turn her into a special-grade cursed spirit. The curse power he possesses is even greater than that of Gojo Satoru, the strongest. This is just one of his most inconspicuous characteristics, which shows his talent.

What Yue Ren is most interested in is his technique – “Imitation”. Yi Gu can imitate other people’s techniques, and because of his massive amount of magical power, the techniques he imitates are even more expressive than the original user.

What Yue Ren cared about most wasn't this, but whether there was any possibility of learning from the underlying code of his technique. If so, he had a feeling it would be a huge breakthrough in his forging ability, so helping him was a kind of mutual benefit.

The next day—

As the sun rose, before the temperature became unbearable, rhythmic tapping sounds echoed across the training ground of the Spellcasting Academy.

"Don't be fooled by outward actions; observe the opponent's intentions. Initially, pay attention to their footwork... Make sure your lower body is solid."

As he spoke, Yue Ren swept the chassis, sending the unstable Yi Gu sprawling face-first into the dirt.

"Next comes the movement of muscles and magical power. These things can't be faked, provided you have a certain level of strength. Otherwise, even if you notice it, you can't avoid it..."

He pulled the boy up but didn't rush to use the reversal technique, since appropriate pain during training can also be a catalyst.

"The core of combat boils down to two points: offense and defense. It's about making your attacks effective in damaging the enemy, and about dodging or defending against the enemy's attacks. My technique is 'seeing'—seeing through everything about your opponent, whether it's their weaknesses or their motives. As long as you can see through them, you can use the right force to leverage the most critical fulcrum and achieve the maximum effect."

As he spoke, Yue Ren flashed in front of Yi Gu, who was already in position, and swung his sword. With a snap, the wooden sword in the boy's hand was knocked away.

(It hurts so much...)

"In my eyes, you have countless weaknesses right now, and you need to solidify your basic training."

"yes!"

(Ugh, observing without being misled by actions, that's so difficult...)

"Alright, next I'll teach you how to extract the maximum amount of magical power..."

"clear!"

Beside them, the other three were also training, some doing long-distance running, others practicing alone, creating a great atmosphere that connected them all.

Maki was practicing the techniques that Echito had taught her on her own. Echito had always taught her personally, but today she had to teach the newcomer, so she had to practice alone.

It's still unbelievable to think about it now. Just a month ago, the guy who taught them was someone who could barely hold his own against them, but now he completely overwhelms them.

The boy's strength and speed were similar to hers. After all, they had competed in arm wrestling and running before. She could clearly feel that the boy's basic attributes did not pose a crushing threat to her. However, his martial arts skills made her feel that he had reached the so-called master level. There was a kind of beauty that was not bound by form and returned to simplicity. She really didn't know how that guy trained. He had reached this level in just over a month. Could it really be a difference in talent?

He didn't even give her a chance to complain, because he was a true cultist. As long as you showed interest, he was willing to spend time helping you. His help during this period was indispensable in the fact that you were able to return safely from the mouth of that cursed spirit yesterday. Your combat strength has improved significantly compared to a month ago, and it even gave you the illusion that you were one step closer to your goal.

What a strange guy...

Her gaze kept drifting towards Yue Ren and the other person, watching their focused teaching process, and for some reason she felt an emptiness inside.

Subconsciously, my gaze fell on Yue Ren's serious face... I don't know why, even though he's not stunningly handsome, he gives off a really cool vibe... Ahhh, what am I thinking...?

A slight blush rose to her cheeks, and realizing what she was doing, she quickly shook her head, trying to clear her mind of these complicated thoughts.

This scene was also witnessed by a panda that was running.

(Is Maki giving up because she can't master the techniques taught by Echizen? How shameful...)

Time always seems to pass very quickly when a person is focused.

When Yi Gu was knocked down by the Yue people for the sixteenth time, the bell, representing noon, rang.

Yi Gu was exhausted, his body drenched in sweat and covered in bruises, but his expression was somewhat excited. He even subconsciously tried to stand up again, but finally realized that he no longer had the strength to do so with his willpower.

If it had happened before yesterday, Rika would probably have gone berserk if he had suffered such injuries. However, after clarifying his own will, his ability to control Rika has significantly improved. Many times when Rika wanted to come out, he forced her to stay in his mind.

With his keen observation skills, Yue Ren was able to see the changes in the other party without worrying too much. This was part of the "training," and he was good at knowing when to stop. Just like the meaning of training, these were all superficial injuries.

"That's enough for today's training. Very good, you worked very hard."

By holding down the struggling body, a pale orange positive energy covered the entire body, and the injuries disappeared instantly.

"Practice controlling your spell power on your own this afternoon. Your body needs rest. Now, go eat. Of course, you'd better take a shower first."

"Okay, senior."

Like suddenly soaking in a hot spring, all the pain disappeared in that moment. The warm feeling made Yi Gu feel incredibly good, and all that remained was the satisfaction of pushing himself to the limit.

His eyes widened, and the boy spoke instinctively, brimming with excitement.

"Brother Yue, this is...?"

"The Reversal Technique is a more advanced technique for using magical power. I'll teach you later if you want to learn it."

"Oh, that's troublesome..."

In the afternoon, after buying some materials, Yue Ren brought Gou Juan to his workshop. After obtaining Gou Juan's permission to understand his spells, Yue Ren began forging "equipment" with his help.

However, unlike the swords he had made before, this time he did not open the furnace. Instead, he did something unconventional, not the work of a blacksmith, but used incantations and positive/negative energy to "weave" the swords.

Two hours later, as Dog Roll's eyes widened, something gradually took shape in the boy's hand.

"Ink Language" (Silver)

Materials: Nylon, Silk...

Time: 1 days

Technique: Weaving

Usage: Infusing spell power will amplify the damage of spells and reduce their side effects.

Description: A work by a skilled knife maker that deviates from his usual profession, but undeniably, it is both effective and practical for a specific group of people.

A stylish face mask that fits perfectly into the face eventually appeared in Dog Roll's hands.

As the other person looked through the items, Yue Ren slowly spoke:

"This is all we can do for now. I'll revise it for you once I make a breakthrough in the next stage."

"kelp......"

"As for the ability, using it with incantation power can amplify the effect of the spell and reduce the side effects. In other words, when you encounter a powerful enemy, you won't be instantly rendered incapacitated by the backlash from using the spell. However, the effect of the spell will be forcibly reduced a bit."

"That means from now on you'll need to infuse the mask with magical power while using the spell, understand?"

"Salmon!"

Yue Ren smiled slightly after receiving a thumbs-up from his classmate. Although he still couldn't understand the meaning of Gou Juan's language, he was happy to be able to sense that the other person was very happy.

In the following days, the daily training continued. After Yigu had acquired some basic combat skills, his training partner became Maki. Inuju was a pure sorcerer who mostly relied on sorcery to attack, so his training focused on evasion or confusion techniques, which were not suitable for basic training. Panda, on the other hand, was trained in his own unique Panda Fist, which was also unsuitable.

Echigo's strength is also far beyond that of the usual Echigo. In the end, only Maki was able to exchange a few blows with him. In other words, Echigo was facing a relatively difficult boss, one that wouldn't kill him instantly but would allow him to grow rapidly.

At the same time, Yue Ren also discovered that Yi Gu indeed had the talent of "learning". He taught him weapon skills and in just a few days, he had almost caught up with Maki. As a result, everyone could clearly feel that something was wrong with Maki, and her daily training was a bit crazy.

There was nothing Yue Ren could do about it; it was just a coincidence of fate. She had encountered two newcomers, both of whom were monsters.

Are you going to tell her that you've only encountered monsters and that you shouldn't bother with them...? Wouldn't that just provoke her?

Maki, this incomplete Heaven and Tyrant, has her own ideas, but to realize them, she needs to become stronger, or more precisely, after continuing to inherit the power of Grandpa Muramasa. According to her estimation, there should be a way to help her and her sister by then.

As for now, he couldn't tell her about this uncertainty directly, otherwise, if he couldn't complete it, wouldn't that be disappointing her for no reason? Why would he do something like that?

Another half month passed, and Yi Gu had gone from a complete novice to a reasonably competent sorcerer. Yue Ren, in addition to taking on missions, also took the opportunity to understand his spells.

As he expected, he found what he was looking for in it: the possibility of carrying a complex formula within a weapon.

Excited, he spent several days in a row in the workshop, an unusual behavior that aroused concern among others after the fourth day.

"What's wrong with Yue Ren? He's been spending all his time in the workshop these past few days. He's already so skilled, what else does he want to research? Could he be obsessed? I've heard that some of the forging methods for cursed tools are extremely cruel."

While watching the two sparring partners not far away, Panda rested his chin on his hand and sighed with boredom.

"squid!"

"Ah, I know it's unlikely, but there must be some problems with it going on for so long..."

"Mentaiko."

"Okay, let's go take a look together later. Anyway, there's not much else to do besides those two."

Turning our attention back to the nervous-looking boy, everyone has witnessed Yi Gu's hard work recently. He's gradually grown into a qualified mage; all he lacks now is practical experience...

Just then, applause suddenly broke out from the side.

"Alright everyone, look over here, gather together."