Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Yue Ren glanced at the woman opposite him, but she was just quietly looking at the scenery outside the window, as if she hadn't just spoken.

"He still has value, and he needs to atone for his sins!"

A seemingly insensitive remark caused the woman opposite him to tremble slightly; perhaps this was the answer she truly desired.

She never expected everything to be as if nothing had happened; she only hoped that her best friend wouldn't be separated from her forever. As a doctor, she understood the weight of life and death best, and living was the best ending.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, falling on both of them. Shoko felt more peaceful and comfortable than ever before.

Because of the upcoming arrangements, Yue Ren didn't spend too much time on lunch. After quickly finishing up, he focused more on the people who needed treatment.

In the cold, quiet operating room of the hospital, Yue Ren and Xiao Zi were working together, while a male surgeon lay unconscious on the operating table.

This was the third surgery they performed today. What puzzled the Yue people was that the injuries of these sorcerers did not seem to be caused by the attributes of the Four Great Calamities. Each person's injury was different, but all were very serious, and it seemed that they were injured so badly while using the magical tools provided by the Yue people... What exactly happened?

It's important to understand that having the magical artifacts provided by the Yue people and multiple partners who can reverse spells is no different than having them by your side. As long as some magical power is inputted, the spells inscribed on the weapons will be activated, quickly healing the user's body.

Therefore, in most cases, unless one is instantly killed, even if one encounters an enemy beyond their ability range, the situation is more likely to be that their spell power is exhausted. However, the situation of these people in front of us is more like that they were beaten to the point of near death and unconsciousness before they even had a chance to use their spell power.

His hands remained steady as he handed the necessary items to Dr. Shoko, while simultaneously analyzing the situation based on his injuries.

The wounds weren't anything special; they were mostly caused by physical damage, with some spell effects, but they didn't quite match the spell effects of the four great calamities.

After all, whether it's the water clock, the real person, or the flower lord, their spell effects are easy to identify. And if they really encountered them, these people should either be missing or confirmed dead by now, and it's unlikely that they would be in such a critically injured and dying situation.

Could it be that other powerful special-grade cursed spirits have appeared? But the wounds don't seem to be the work of an enemy, and according to intelligence, these people weren't even in the same area on their missions.

Could it be that multiple powerful cursed spirits have appeared simultaneously in different locations? Is it really that exaggerated?

The appearance of Gojo Satoru gave birth to the Four Calamity Cursed Spirits. Could it be that his appearance summoned a few more?

When the patients woke up, they said they had encountered ordinary cursed spirits, but for some reason their strength was unusually powerful, and they lost consciousness during the attack before they could react.

It seems that he was instantly killed and then the cursed spirit, who was thought to be dead, was spared. He was only able to return because he was kept alive by the cursed artifact that the Yue people had placed on him beforehand.

Does he only enjoy fighting and hunting down sorcerers' cursed spirits?

Well, I can't figure it out on my own. I'll ask Xia Youjie later... I probably can't count on the information from the vocational college.

This is also one of the reasons why he let Xia Youjie go. Staying in a "closed-off" place like the vocational college, it wouldn't be surprising if problems suddenly arose at any time.

Almost all crucial intelligence came from "Tianyuan." Although his barrier was indeed very powerful, they didn't consider that he was also a normal person who could conceal things and lie.

After helping Shoko heal the injured sorcerers, Yue Ren sent a message to Xia Youjie. However, somewhat unexpectedly, the reply he received was that he was also not quite sure. They had indeed noticed the increase in the strength of the cursed spirits, but they were still searching for the specific reason.

Things suddenly became very complicated. It seems that the other party's stealth skills are quite good, as even Xia Youjie's organization could not find any specific information about them.

Unfortunately, this cut off the trail, and Yue Ren, unable to find a breakthrough, instructed Xia Youjie to pay more attention to the situation while choosing to maintain the surface of his daily life.

In situations like this, it comes down to who has more patience and waits for the other to slip up.

Training in the morning, research in the afternoon, and occasionally a mission.

Occasionally, Shoko would come to him for tea, and the two would chat casually about techniques and medical skills. Yueren thought that she might secretly inquire about Xia Youjie's situation, but to his surprise, she didn't. Shoko just wanted to chat with someone.

As for Xia Youjie, she only said that she knew the other party was not dead and that was enough.

The bond between the three moved Yue Ren deeply. Compared to some other sorcerers, the difference between them was quite striking.

During this time, he also took advantage of the free time during the mission to briefly explore the surrounding area, but strangely, he could not sense anything unusual. It was as if it had been deliberately hidden. It seems that these guys are very intelligent and are plotting something.

Daily life continues as usual.

On weekends, Maki Panda will take him out to play—shopping, eating, watching a movie together...

The Yue people did not refuse.

Waiting doesn't mean you have to be on edge the whole time. After all, as the saying goes, you can only be a thief for a thousand days, not a thief for a thousand days.

If you don't show yourself, I'll continue living my peaceful life until you can't hold back anymore. No matter what kind of conspiracy it is, if you want to accomplish it, it will eventually surface, won't it?

And so it came to the end of May.

On this day, the Yue people, who were seeking a technological breakthrough in their workshop, received a message.

The sender was Gojo Satoru, who had disappeared for quite some time.

He fell silent after seeing the content.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Fukuro took on a special mission. I'm a bit busy here, so I put your name on the list of people who will accompany him. The mission is to retrieve a top-grade cursed artifact, 'Ryoumen Sukuna's Finger.' With that kid's current strength, he should be fine. I've already sent him ahead. Would you be willing to go and keep an eye on things for him?"

"..."

Upon seeing this message, Yue Ren remained silent for a full three seconds.

The change was truly unexpected. He now didn't know whether to lament the capriciousness of fate or Gojo Satoru's unreliability.

I didn't expect the opportunity to come so suddenly.

According to the usual mission schedule, more than half a day has already passed. If he sends a message at this time, he probably won't be able to make it in time if something happens.

It's not hard to understand this guy's logic. After all, under Yue Ren's tutelage, Fukuro Megumi's strength has increased significantly. At this stage, he might not be unable to fight even against a Special Grade opponent. Collecting such a "Special Grade Cursed Artifact" shouldn't be a problem. The reason his name is mentioned is simply due to the rules of the mission system.

Just like how Yue Ren always had his name associated with the tasks he did, it wouldn't matter if he didn't tell Yue Ren about it, since he had done this kind of thing quite often before.

Little did Gojo Satoru know that this seemingly insignificant little task might be the beginning of everything.

According to the original plot, Fukuro should have met Hu Zi during this mission. Later, when the two were defeated by the cursed spirit, Hu Zi was forced to swallow Sukuna's finger, which led to the subsequent story.

However, based on later information about Tiger's background, swallowing Sukuna's finger was an inevitable result of Rōsō's plan. It's just unknown whether this will actually happen this time...

Well, maybe this is the opportunity. Nothing should be taken for granted. Let's go and see.

Thinking of this, he stopped what he was doing and stood up.

Step out of the workshop.

The sunlight was blinding.

He squinted and looked up at the sky.

A few clouds drifted slowly across the sky, as if nothing was going to happen.

Yue Ren withdrew his gaze and adjusted his mindset.

The next second, his figure disappeared from the spot.

-

Sugisawa Third High School.

Yue Ren stood at the school gate. It was almost dusk, and at this time, there were no students left in the school. Unlike in China, high schools were deserted at this time.

He looked up and saw a semi-transparent, pitch-black barrier enveloping the entire academy.

It could be sensed that the black "tent" had been set up for quite some time, and the aura of this cursed power was definitely Fu Hei's.

Yue Ren withdrew his gaze, breathed a sigh of relief, and entered without further hesitation.

Since the "tent" is still there, it proves that at least Fu Hei is still alive, so it shouldn't be the worst-case scenario.

As expected, it was just an ordinary tent for concealing one's presence. Since there was no restriction prohibiting sorcerers from entering, there was no need to put in any effort.

The corridor was dark.

The tent blocked out the sunlight, and with night approaching, the special glow of the emergency lights added to the eerie atmosphere.

Yue Ren walked through the classrooms, his gaze sweeping over the empty desks and chairs.

The environment contains remnants of cursed power and traces of cursed spirits being exorcised.

It looks like there was a battle here...

He quickened his pace.

At the far end is the school's club activity area, and the door is open.

The person went inside; the lighting was very dim.

Two people were lying on the floor of a classroom, a boy and a girl. The girl, wearing a school uniform, didn't have any obvious injuries and was breathing relatively calmly. The other person was a boy—

The Yue people's gaze fell upon him.

He was breathing softly, had a head injury, and his school uniform was open, revealing his chest with two scars.

wrong.

More accurately, it should be the eyes.

The monster's eyes, opening and closing intermittently, appeared around the wound, giving off a strange and grotesque feeling; it seemed to be under a curse...

Both of them were already unconscious, which wasn't surprising given the cursed environment.

The Yue man stood still, looking at that young face, his hands moving quickly.

Covering the wound with his palm, and with the activation of the "Reversal Spell," the male student's condition began to change for the better. The curse disappeared, and his injuries were quickly healed.

These two should be Tiger's two gang members, how come they're here...? Since they're here, where are Fu Hei and Tiger?

The Yue people remained silent.

After moving the two to a truly safe place, the Yue people, preparing to continue their search, suddenly noticed something and looked up sharply.

A sound like an explosion, coming from... the rooftop?

And at this moment on the rooftop—

A shadow hidden in the dark suddenly broke open, and three figures emerged from it.

Fu Hei Hui rolled around several times in a disheveled state, his body covered in wounds. Even after barely managing to stand up, he dared not be careless at all. He made a hand seal gesture with his hands and stared intently at the figure opposite him that should have been familiar in theory.

As for the super-grade cursed fetus that was gradually dissipating, its current state already proves the point, doesn't it?

Fushiguro Megumi felt a deep bitterness in her heart.

He really didn't know how to judge his luck today. He thought finding a cursed object would be an easy task, but who would have thought it would be so full of twists and turns? First, he misjudged the aura of the cursed object, which almost caused the two students to get into trouble. Then, he encountered a special-grade cursed fetus disguised as a low-level cursed spirit with an immature domain. The fetus cleverly used the two students as hostages to ambush him, which almost caused him to be completely defeated.

After finally rescuing the two hostages, the cursed fetus actually grew stronger during the battle, mastered the use of its domain, and imprisoned the two inside.

In a moment of crisis, Yuuji Itadori, a boy he had just met, recklessly swallowed a special-grade cursed artifact in an attempt to break the deadlock...

It did have an effect; the gradually dissipating cursed embryo is proof of that.

It was like a dream. The moment the boy swallowed the finger, he gained "Special Grade" power. With just a wave of his hand, the cursed fetus, unable to dodge, had its arms and legs severed on the spot. Then, in less than a minute, he completely annihilated the guy in the opponent's domain.

However, the current crisis has not eased; on the contrary, it has become even more dangerous. Why? Because the finger that the boy swallowed was something formed from the legendary power of the two-faced Sukuna curse of the demon god.

For an ordinary person, consuming a top-grade cursed artifact of this level is practically the same as eating a deadly poison raw. It's unclear why this young man seemed unaffected, but the situation is clearly far more serious. That terrifying power he just witnessed might be the worst-case scenario he'd ever faced...

"Hehe...hehehehehe...hahahaha, ah, as expected, you really have to experience this world with a living, breathing body."

Fushiguro Megumi's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

He stared intently at the man opposite him whose personality had drastically changed.

The worst-case scenario still happened... The top-grade cursed artifact acquired a physical body.

Moreover, he had seen the battle clearly; this guy was too dangerous, and he absolutely could not let him leave this place.

"The cursed spirit's body is so boring. Where are the people? Where are the women?"

Tearing off his clothes, the young man with pink hair had many strange lines on his face, and his face was filled with crazy joy, an expression that did not seem to belong to someone his age.

Clearly, the body is not currently dominated by the original soul.

"Ah...this era is really nice, there are women and children everywhere, like maggots..."

"This is fantastic! Let's wipe them all out!"

The man's arrogant voice echoed throughout the rooftop, while Hui, her face covered in cold sweat, quietly prepared herself.

He bears a great deal of responsibility for how the other person has become like this, and now he has to stop this guy no matter what.

As for the original owner of this body, all he could say was sorry. Although they had only spent half a day together, he had already realized that this peer named Itadori Hisahito was a good person.

But as a sorcerer, he must stop this newly awakened curse, even if it means killing himself.