Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

As he spoke, Mingming gestured to the waiter and asked for another drink.

"Does the 'sugar daddy' refer to Mr. Gojo?"

"Well, his original intention was for me to take you on some rather difficult tasks, and he gave me a tempting reward for it. Also, that guy Gojo raved about you, which made me a little curious. How come I can barely find any information about a student that he cares about so much..."

When Mingming finished speaking, he paused. Yue Ren could clearly sense that the other person was observing his reaction, which made him want to laugh, but he managed to hold it in and remained calm.

"Personally, I'm not particularly interested in other people's secrets, but there's one thing I want to ask, Kawasaki-kun: will your secret worsen our upcoming operations? Please forgive my bluntness, but there's been an example recently, hasn't there? That kid named Yuta Otokotsu, you should know him, he's probably a classmate, right? His uncertainty is what worries me right now. Can you understand?"

The man from Yue smiled slightly.

"I understand. You mean you want to minimize the risks associated with the mission, right?"

"No, I just meant that if we're going to take on risks beyond what we expect, then I need to discuss compensation for unknown risks with Wu Tiao."

"..."

As expected of a woman who prioritizes money above all else, her aura and personality are truly unique, even among sorcerers.

Yue Ren revealed a slightly helpless smile, concealing it by accepting the coffee brought by the waiter.

I took a bite, and it tasted great. It was truly a pleasure in this atmosphere.

"Teacher Gojo has indeed taken good care of me, and I am very grateful. Since you are the person he found, then at least your character is not a problem, so there is nothing to hide."

"What I'm about to tell you is that my secret isn't big or dangerous, but it might affect the interests of certain people, such as the higher-ups in the sorcery world."

As he spoke, Yue Ren made a hand gesture, and a miniature "tent" covered the two of them, reducing their presence among those around them. The restraint had no defensive effect, and anyone who touched it would be discovered.

Then, he placed a short sword he had prepared on the table and pushed it in front of Mingming.

"This is my secret. In professional terms, I'm called a 'Cursed Weapon Forger,' and I'm a little different from other forgers. I forge cursed weapons powered by positive energy, also known as 'Exorcising Swords,' weapons capable of damaging all curses. If you're interested, feel free to place an order with me anytime. If we're friends, I can give you a 50% discount."

Picking up the short sword that the Yue man had placed on the table, Mingming finally showed a surprised expression.

With clear vision, the eyes could indeed see positive energy that was completely different from the cursed power. The effect of the cursed power in the hand being devoured and destroyed was unmistakable. Was this really the almost lost "Demon-Slaying Sword"? Moreover, did the boy in front of him possess the specific method of its manufacture?

What this meant was obvious to Mingming, who was a sensible person, and he instantly understood why the boy had been hidden so well by Gojo Satoru.

She knew perfectly well what kind of people the higher-ups in sorcery were: arrogant, pedantic, utterly corrupt... using these words to describe them would be a defilement of the word.

Such talent in this young man is nothing but a curse if he doesn't have enough power to protect it. As the strongest, Gojo Satoru understands this very well. So, does he want to improve this young man's strength? What a good teacher.

Ah, it really is true. Suddenly I've encountered a huge potential catch, Gojo Satoru. I'm so glad I made the decision to maintain a friendly relationship with him.

At this moment, Mingming was overjoyed, and her eyes were filled with more interest as she looked at Yue Ren.

As a sensible person, she knows more and understands the situation better than others. Unlike that boy who could potentially become another Special Grade, the one in front of her, if she performs well, would have a more devastating effect on the higher-ups in sorcery.

So what value can I find in this boy?

"Incredible! Could you tell me just how far your talent has progressed? Or to put it more bluntly, as a client, how much of an improvement could you bring to my skills as a Level 1 sorcerer?"

Yue Ren took a sip of the coffee on the table, a sly glint in his eyes.

"This is also the question I want to test next: can I use my latest weapon to allow a level one sorcerer to instantly kill a top-tier cursed spirit?"

"......!!??"

Instant kill of a Special Grade? With the strength of a Level 1 cultivator... Is he joking...? No, if it really is the Demon-Slaying Sword, then...

A tremendous wave of emotion surged within her, causing Mingming to unconsciously adopt a serious expression, even the smile that usually graced her face vanished, demonstrating the profound impact the news about Yue Ren had on her.

Even among first-level sorcerers, Mingming is an absolute veteran. However, for her, the strange creature called "Special Grade Spell Spirit" is a very threatening enemy. She has the strength to defeat a Special Grade Spell Spirit, but that is not easy to achieve. Sufficient information, suitable orientation, full strength, and a little bit of luck are all needed. Only when all the elements are gathered can she perhaps do it.

This is the most fundamental difference between her and a Special Grade. Each of Japan's four Special Grade Spellcasters possesses the strength to easily defeat a Special Grade Spellcaster, unlike Mingming who risks her life.

For this kind of woman, nothing is more important than ensuring her own safety.

Upon seeing this, Yue Ren's lips curled into a slight smile; this was exactly the result he wanted.

Mingming, this woman, put aside everything else, is someone who has a very clear understanding of herself and her surroundings, as can be seen from the fact that she was able to become a first-level sorcerer by using a simple crow manipulation technique.

She tries her best to make up for her own shortcomings, and all her actions serve her own ideas. In her eyes, there are only people and things that are beneficial or useless to her. Such a personality may be snobbish, but it is also very easy to deal with. Just offer her "value" that she cannot refuse.

What the Yue people are offering now is the value of "significantly increasing her combat capabilities," and clearly, the other party has taken the bait. Sometimes, a relationship based on mutual benefit is stronger than anything else.

"A very interesting topic, and to be honest, I'm quite interested in it too. It seems I need to make some changes to my plans..."

"...If you actually complete this project, how much do you plan to sell it for?"

After a pause, Mingming spoke again, her tone heavily probing. As a sorcerer, she naturally understood the value of such a thing. This would be a weapon beyond the top-tier level, costing at least several hundred million. Although she had the money, she would be heartbroken to suddenly spend so much.

The Yue man understood her meaning and smiled slightly:

"If it is Miss Mingming, I am willing to exchange it for a promise from you."

"Oh? What promise?"

"If one day in the future things develop to the point where I am irreconcilably opposed to the higher-ups in the sorcery world, I hope that Miss Mingming will not get involved."

Mingming was somewhat surprised.

"Does that mean I should remain neutral...? I thought you were going to recruit me."

The man from Yue shook his head, his tone very firm.

"You won't agree, and there's no need for that. Everything I do is to improve this filthy environment. Sorcerers have never been my enemies. It's the greedy guys who think they're sitting on the top of the world controlling others who are my enemies, because my actions will fundamentally harm their interests."

"My success will provide a way out for sorcerers, while my failure will be declared a ridiculous farce that has nothing to do with you."

"But your position means that one day they might force us to oppose each other under the guise of 'mandatory tasks,' so I hope to buy you a reason not to choose their side."

"Haha... I see. You bought such an expensive item just to give a reason. I must say you're very generous."

Haha, I gave it away without even blinking. Buying your non-participation shares is a steal!

Besides, do you really think it's a one-off deal? Once you experience the benefits of the weapon, and I upgrade it, I'll ask you if you want to switch. You'll have to spend money then, won't you?

Mingming herself is not important; it's just that the timing is right, so he gave her a reason. His real purpose was to get her to use her own weapon, or rather, to get all sorcerers to use their own weapons.

"So, Senior Mingming, would you be willing to accept my 'generous' suggestion?"

"Alright, then let's see who's the best in this mission. If your 'cursed artifact' is really as powerful as you say, I'll agree."

"Then I'll do my best."

Yue Ren responded with a calm smile, then got straight to the point, "I've read the mission briefing. A suspected top-tier cursed fetus has appeared in the abandoned 'Black Mound General Hospital' underground morgue. According to observations, the cursed fetus's fluctuations are still increasing, and it is estimated that it will fully hatch within 24 hours."

"That's right."

Mingming turned the tablet towards Yue Ren, displaying a 3D structural diagram of the hospital and a thermal map of the curse's concentration. "That's the old site of the hospital. It was abandoned after a major medical accident thirty years ago. Later, wanderers and explorers went missing one after another, and the accumulated negative emotions formed a breeding ground for the cursed embryo. It's very clever and went unnoticed until it was about to be upgraded to a special-grade curse, forcing it to reveal itself..."

"According to 'Window's' intelligence, the cursed fetus has already formed a preliminary domain, but it is not yet fixed. The entire hospital area is covered by its domain, and no one knows what is happening inside."

"Undeveloped territory..."

Yue Ren seemed lost in thought. He thought of the guy who caused Hu Zi's first death—it must have been in that kind of environment.

"This means it won't have much of an impact on us, as long as our combat strength is greater than itss."

"Smart." Mingming nodded approvingly.

"Therefore, we need to break into its territory as quickly as possible before it fully hatches, and use the incompleteness of its rules to exorcise it."

She pushed a contract in front of Yue Ren: "This is the reward distribution agreement for this mission. I'll take 70%, and you'll take 30%. After all, I'm the main combat force, while you're considered an 'apprentice.' Of course, if you perform exceptionally well and accomplish what you've said, then the distribution can be reversed, or even you can take it all, I wouldn't object. How about it?"

The Yue man glanced at the contract, didn't argue, and simply signed it.

Mingming's smile grew even brighter. Most young sorcerers would object to this profit-sharing ratio, but this boy didn't care at all. Was it absolute confidence? Heh, very much like that guy Gojo.

"Aren't you going to try and negotiate?"

"Shouldn't task rewards be distributed after the task is completed? Instead of wasting time on this, we should finish the task sooner."

The man from Yue put away his pen.

"And I believe that if I am worth a higher price, you will naturally adjust it on your own."

Mingming chuckled softly, "That makes sense. Let's go, the car's downstairs."

The journey to our destination didn't take long, less than half an hour by car, considering that Japan is such a small place.

Kurozuka General Hospital stands in a wasteland on the outskirts of Tokyo. Its most striking feature is the vines that climb all over the exterior walls of its seven-story main building.

Mingming first let a few crows in, but as expected, he couldn't connect with the crows' line of sight.

She wasn't surprised. After all, even a rudimentary domain is still a domain. Although it may not cause special damage, it has absolute dominance in terms of "sealing" curse power.

After confirming the information with the supervisors stationed there, the two entered the abandoned hospital amidst well wishes.

The surveillance "tent" used for concealment was released in advance, otherwise the anomaly here would have been discovered very quickly.

The Yue people followed the dark light through the rusty iron gate and into the hall filled with the mixed smell of disinfectant and mildew.

The remnants of cursed power spread like a spider web across the walls and floors, and the deeper one went, the thicker and colder the air felt.

At the same time, a unique feeling suddenly enveloped the two of them. Although it was indeed still the layout of a hospital, they had the feeling that "they had entered a different world".

So that's how it is. This is the rudimentary form of a domain... It really is weak.

That's right, Yue Ren had experienced this feeling before, but a feeling that was countless times stronger. Right there in Muramasa's bounded field, this feeling of "being in another world" was particularly intense.

In comparison, this looks like a bubble that will burst at the slightest touch.

The two exchanged a glance, confirming that the other was aware of the changes before continuing their actions.

Now that Mingming can connect with his crow, and with the help of the "Eye of Karma's" vision, Yue Ren quickly discovered what seemed to be the real person.

"The cursed embryo is on the second underground level."

Suddenly, a huge double-edged axe appeared in Mingming's hand, with intricate runes flowing along its blade.

"Apart from that, there was no trace of any other cursed spirits..."

"Stay close to me, we need to hurry, in case it hatches ahead of schedule..."

Before he could finish speaking, the surrounding scenery suddenly distorted.

The walls of the corridor collapsed and reformed like melted wax, the lights flickered on and off, and finally it was completely dark.

A few seconds later, dark red blood seeped from beneath their feet, and they found themselves standing in a vast, endless space made up of fleshy tubes and writhing organs.

"Expanding the domain—'Corridor of Corpses'."

A cacophony of groans echoed through the space, "Welcome... to my 'medical record'..."

Mingming clicked his tongue.

"Things are getting a bit complicated."

"Kawasaki-kun, I'm sorry to say, the battle that's about to begin will be very dangerous."