Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

For a moment, she thought she had misheard.

"......!!"

Her eyes gradually widened, and her pupils contracted slightly.

evolution?

Let the human group...?

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself at a loss for words.

A few seconds later, she finally regained her voice and began to gradually process the massive amount of information.

"Interesting," she said, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "Why...and what are we going to do next?"

The Yue man did not answer immediately.

He looked down at his hands.

Open it, then clench it again.

Those slender hands, which had created countless magical artifacts, looked quite beautiful at first glance, but in some places there were still distinctive calluses.

At this moment, there is nothing in these hands.

"The reason is simple." His voice was soft, yet his tone shifted. "Heh... it's because I'm afraid!"

Tsukumo Yuki was stunned.

Scared?

This boy?

That boy who forged countless exquisite magical tools and raised the combat power of the entire sorcery world to a new level?

A highly experienced first-level sorcerer with the ability to exorcise top-tier curses.

He...was afraid?

"My only relative in this world." Yue Ren's gaze fell out the window, onto the crowds coming and going. "She's an ordinary person."

Yuki Tsukumo fell silent; she seemed to know what he was going to say.

"And in the eyes of people like us and cursed spirits," Yue Ren continued, "ordinary people are so fragile. As a top-level cursed sorcerer, you should understand this better than anyone."

Ninety-nine Yuki nodded subconsciously.

Of course she understood. After all, she had seen too much: the ruins left by the rampaging cursed spirits, the torn corpses, and the people who died without even knowing what had happened.

Ordinary people's lives are like candle flames in a storm before cursed spirits, easily extinguished.

"So..." she began tentatively, "you want your sister to become a sorcerer too?"

The Yue people neither denied nor confirmed it.

He just looked out the window.

"People like us," he said, "at some point in time, always experience a state similar to 'enlightenment.' You've probably felt that too."

Tsukumo Yuki was taken aback, then responded to what the boy had said.

That was a moment of "breaking out of the cocoon".

After that, there was a change in mindset and a qualitative leap in strength.

The most iconic example is the moment when Gojo Satoru awakened the Reversal Technique after being stabbed by Fushiguro Jinji, creating a kind of "divine connection".

It wasn't just a simple awakening and reversal technique; it was a sudden enlightenment or a breakthrough that belonged to Gojo Satoru.

That was also a reshaping of one's values, like seeing a "wider" world, making one more "mature".

"And during that process," Yue Ren's voice softened, "I only had one feeling—"

He paused.

"Insignificant."

Ninety-nine Yuki's breath hitched for a beat.

"We ourselves, existing in this world, are so 'insignificant,'" the Yue man murmured, "like fireflies that drift away with the wind, vanishing with death."

Grandpa Muramasa's slash, that cold light aimed at him.

He recalled that moment when death was just a hair's breadth away from him.

That was his only life-or-death crisis, and also the most direct confrontation with that deepest 'fear'.

If he had allowed fear to consume him during that process and had not ignited his own inner fire, he would have died long ago.

Ninety-nine Yuki's eyes widened more and more.

Having this feeling isn't a good idea.

This boy, deep down, doesn't...

"After that, I saw myself clearly." Yue Ren interrupted her thoughts, "Leaving aside everything I have now, just talking about my soul—I am just a weak person who is afraid of losing 'connection with others'."

Yes, what he feared was not his own death, but rather—"loneliness".

He raised his head and looked at Tsukumo Yuki. In his eyes, there was no disguise, only a faint burning flame.

"I cherish the family, the friendships, and all other human emotions I have," he said. "I like positive, happy emotions. I hate sadness, separation, and pain."

"So," his voice hardened, "I'm going to do something to prevent this from happening."

Tsukumo Yuki remained silent.

She looked at the boy, at those earnest eyes, and suddenly felt—

Very dazzling.

That kind of radiance wasn't like Gojo Satoru's overt display of "I am the strongest".

It is a deeper, more profound, and warmer light, like fire, like a fireplace burning in winter.

This is altruism, but not entirely; the scope is different. He hopes that the people he cares about can have a brighter future, and he doesn't want them to fall further and further behind him...

"All living things, from beginning to end, have only one purpose," the Yue man said. "That is to 'survive'."

"We humans are the same."

He raised his hand and gently waved it in the air, sending a force known as curse power through him.

"Coordinating the body, using wisdom, borrowing from other things... all for this purpose."

"Fire, iron, electricity—these are what made humanity powerful."

His gaze fell on Yuki Tsukumo.

"If that's the case, then surely 'cursed power,' a kind of energy generated by humans themselves, could also be included, right?"

Ninety-nine Yuki remained silent.

As he said, humans have mastered fire, iron, and electricity, and in the foreseeable future, they may also master the sun.

As a nearly inexhaustible source of energy, spell power can certainly be controlled.

It's just that currently only a very small number of people possess it, and other ordinary people cannot control it.

The boy's so-called "evolution" probably means taking humanity a step further, carrying out another ritual similar to a "productivity revolution".

"Indeed," she nodded. "I agree with that."

She leaned forward.

"But you said you only want to be responsible for the people you care about." Her gaze sharpened. "Then why does it seem like you want to drag all of humanity into it?"

This is indeed a problem.

It's important to understand that changing a few individuals is a completely different undertaking than changing all of humanity.

The boy should be aware of the difference, so why would he go through all this trouble for nothing? Given his current performance, he shouldn't be misunderstanding the distinction.

The man from Yue smiled slightly.

There were some complex emotions in that smile.

"Simply changing them will only drag them into danger," he said.

Tsukumo Yuki was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it necessary to play dumb? You should know this better than I do. As things stand right now, sorcerers are far from safe." Yue Ren's voice deepened. "Even setting aside spirit curses, humanity itself is the greatest threat."

He paused.

"Jealousy is a terrible emotion."

Ninety-nine Yorgos' pupils contracted slightly.

"Putting everything else aside," Yue Ren continued, "let's broaden our perspective a little—what do you think it would be like if 'cursed energy' became Japan's exclusive energy source?"

Yuki Tsukumo fell silent, or rather, she was also helpless.

Of course she knew.

Leaving aside the country's own problems, the other major powers would absolutely disagree, especially the country's "father country".

"The result of unequal distribution is that the possibilities for humanity's future, the 'key' to promoting human progress, will become 'interests' and 'privileges'."

The Yue man's voice was soft, yet it struck the heart of the ninety-nine-year-old Yuki like a hammer: "It will induce countless struggles and despair."

"This fire," he murmured, "will burn everything to ashes."

Yuki Tsukumo fell completely silent. As intelligent as she was, she naturally understood this principle, but she never expected that the boy would have such foresight, thinking so far ahead and so big.

As he said, simply turning a small number of people into sorcerers is nothing more than a short-sighted move to save effort and disregard the future.

Imbalances within the same species—especially imbalances in fundamental forces—are deadly; the distinction between sorcerers and non-sorcerers will ultimately lead to oppression and rebellion.

"The only solution," the Yue man said, "is to make this energy available to all of humanity."

He looked at Ninety-Nine Yuki.

"Just like their bodies."

"To achieve relative fairness in some sense."

Ninety-nine Yorgos' breathing became rapid.

"You're trying to..." her voice was a little hoarse, "to eradicate the worst aspects of humanity in this way?"

The Yue people laughed.

That smile carried a hint of self-deprecation.

"How could that be?" He shook his head. "I'm not a saint; I don't believe I have that kind of ability."

He looked out the window.

Sunlight shone on his face, outlining his youthful features, but in Jiu Jiu's eyes, it seemed to sparkle.

"Human flaws are part of humanity," he said softly. "Although I hate them, I won't deny their existence."

"Because they are also the driving force for human progress."

"I have no reason to stifle it." He turned his gaze to Yuki Tsukumo, "nor will I have any intention of modifying humanity."

"What I want is very clear: I just want the lives of those I care about to be better protected."

"True 'safety' requires comprehensive consideration; it involves changing oneself and changing the environment."

Yuki took a deep breath, her mind in turmoil. The impact and shock of those short ten minutes had been immense.

She was also the one who proposed a fundamental cure, so she shouldn't be so surprised.

The reason for this was that she couldn't find any loopholes in the young man's words; his considerations were very comprehensive, which was what truly surprised her.

However, she suddenly thought of a more advanced question.

"The profession of a sorcerer places great emphasis on 'talent.' Aren't you worried that the gap between people will widen further?"

Upon hearing this, the Yue man smiled and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. All I want to do is raise the bar for human survival. As for what the outcome will be, that's a matter for the future."

The gap between people in this world is sometimes greater than the gap between a person and a dog. How could a new energy source solve this problem? He is not so arrogant as to think that he can eliminate the gap, but at the same time, he feels that it is impossible to eliminate it. He can only provide relative fairness.

Moreover, humans are competitive beings, and forcibly eliminating the gaps would not bring any benefits. On the contrary, it might lead to the extinction of the species. After all, if all needs are met, humans would have no motivation to continue to progress, right?

Even if the gap between sorcerers is much greater, it is still much better than the vulnerability and helplessness of being an ordinary person.

Tsukumo Yuki looked at him.

Look into those eyes.

In those eyes, there was weariness, determination, worry, and hope—

There are many, many complicated things.

But at its core, it's a very simple kind of warmth.

She suddenly understood and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, he wasn't a madman, but someone who truly saw the 'world' clearly.

Excitement followed.

because--

This almost perfectly aligns with my own beliefs!

"Then," her voice trembled with barely suppressed excitement, "what exactly are your plans?"

She leaned forward, her eyes shining brightly.

"Besides altering the magical energy in the environment, what other purpose do those magical artifacts you scattered serve?"

"If the goal is to turn everyone into 'sorcerers,' why do you also need to replace the 'cursed power' in the environment...?"

A barrage of questions came at me like a machine gun.

Yue Ren looked at her indifferently.

"Such a large-scale project can't possibly be implemented without any practical experiments, can it?"

"This country," he said, "is my testing ground."

Ninety-nine Yuki's eyes widened even more.

"Furthermore," Yue Ren's lips curled into a slight smile, "why do you think I want everyone to become a 'sorcerer'?"

Tsukumo Yuki was stunned.

Not a sorcerer? What do you mean? Doesn't his "evolution" mean everyone has magical powers? If he's not a sorcerer, then what is he?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and her anxiety grew.

"What is that?" she couldn't help but ask. "Tell me!"

Looking at her anxious expression, Yue Ren suddenly found it a little funny.

But he did not answer.

He simply picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

lay down.

"Having said so much," he said, "I think I've shown my sincerity."

He looked at Ninety-Nine Yuki.

"So, Ms. Tsukumo Yuki—"

He paused.

"It's your turn."

Yuki Tsukumo's expression froze.

For a moment, she almost fainted.

This guy...

Is her personality really that bad?!

Do you realize how uncomfortable it is to be stuck in this limbo all of a sudden?!

She took a deep breath, then another.

"What do you want to know?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Yue Ren's smile deepened as he looked at her sullen expression.

“The ‘soul’,” he said. “All your research on the ‘soul’.”

Ninety-nine Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"They've already reached this level...?"

She paused for a second to think.

"It's not that it's impossible." She looked up at the Yue man, "but—"

"Don't misunderstand," Yue Ren interrupted the woman who was about to haggle. "It's not that I'm completely ignorant about these things. I'm just doing this as a precaution, for verification and reference."