Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 212 An Unexpected First Encounter

He subconsciously looked around, but there was nothing unusual, as if the dramatic change had never happened.

Seeing the shadows on the surrounding walls, Yue Ren suddenly looked up at the sky and noticed the first anomaly: the timing was wrong. It should have been close to night just now, but the sun was high in the sky.

What happened? Time travel? If so, what caused it?

As he pondered, Yue Ren walked out of the alley and looked at the still bustling main street, the various actions he had witnessed, the familiar words, the unexpected events, and the bewildered state of passersby when he tried to strike up a conversation with them. This convinced Yue Ren that he had indeed returned to the past.

What is the reason?

Is it some kind of limited world? A world that keeps looping within a single day? Or is it specifically designed to trick him?

Everything is a question.

Faced with this sudden change, the Yue people calmed down after only a few seconds of confusion. Panic wouldn't solve anything; they needed clues and analysis.

Taking a deep breath, Yue Ren decided to wander around to see if there was any chance of a turnaround... but he didn't expect the turnaround to come so quickly.

I had just walked down one street when that familiar, nauseating smell appeared in the air not far away, like a smoke bomb, very conspicuous.

Such a significant anomaly, yet those around them seem oblivious. Is it because they can't see it?

With these questions in mind, the Yue people headed towards the place emanating the strange aura.

Upon arriving at the source, everything seemed normal, but the Yue people finally discovered who was emanating this aura.

A boy, dressed in clothes that seemed out of place in this world, sat on a set of steps, deep in thought. Beside him was something very familiar to the Yue people: a plastic bag, the exposed part of which appeared to contain snacks or something similar.

The visually striking images awakened deep-seated memories in the minds of the Vietnamese people.

This guy is... Natsuki Subaru?

Thinking of the possibility that the Yue people might approach quietly without his notice, he soon heard him muttering to himself.

"Alright, with all the evidence so conclusive, I have no choice but to admit it, even though it's a bit hard to believe..."

"All the injuries on my body have disappeared, there is no dust or bloodstains on my sportswear, and there are still unopened snacks in the plastic bag in my hand waiting to be eaten."

"That's the one, isn't it?"

Subaru, who had been stroking his chin, reached forward and snapped his fingers at the pedestrians on the main street.

Each time you die, you revert to your initial state; this is known as "death regression."

'

""

The Yue people watching from a distance were speechless. Was this really the age where self-centeredness was most pronounced? It was truly astonishing that he could do such strange things as if no one else was around.

However, precisely because of this, upon hearing these words, Yue Ren was undoubtedly certain that the other party was Natsuki Subaru, and that this world must be the world of "Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-".

Judging from his mutterings, this situation should be the first time he has become aware of his "power".

The situation is not optimistic.

He only followed the anime, and the latest episode was about defeating the "White Whale," one of the three great monsters. Based on the overall plot, he only knew the beginning.

What I remember most vividly is that the guys who were called enemies seemed to be quite strong; they were a bunch of weirdos with strange mechanisms.

The story follows Natsuki Subaru, an ordinary high school student, who buys something at a convenience store one evening and finds himself transported to another world on his way home. There, he meets a kind-hearted white-haired girl and, by chance, helps her ascend to the throne.

So that abnormality just now was the effect of his ability?

"Death Rewind"

Subaru Natsuki's ability, or rather, his power, is a phenomenon of repeated cycles under limited conditions.

In terms of the game, this has nothing to do with Ang's own will; he will return to the auto-save point location upon death.

So just now, it was the power to rewind the world and affect him?

However, he still retains some of the recent memories, meaning the impact is incomplete. Is this because he's not from this world, or for some other reason...?

In any case, after learning the specifics, the Yue people breathed a sigh of relief.

Good news, he now knows what has infiltrated the world of "Spells". If he remembers correctly, it is something called "Witch's Aura", and it is much purer than the auras that appear in their world.

The boy is now emitting this substance without anyone noticing, and the amount is gradually decreasing. Is it because he has activated his ability?

It seems that what needs to be investigated is the so-called "witch" and related matters. I remember that the reason why it emits this aura is because of something called "witch factor". If this thing is allowed to infiltrate the world of magic... just thinking about that possibility makes Yue Ren feel a headache.

The power hatched from the "Witch Factor" seems to be called "Power," a completely unreasonable power... to some extent it is close to that of a god, after all, it can directly modify the laws of the world.

If this terrifying thing merges with a curse, what will eventually hatch is something that even the world will reject.

Therefore, we need to quickly figure out exactly where the problem lies.

Thinking this, the boy on the steps stood up, as if he had figured it out. He said a few words to the shop owner next to him with great enthusiasm and then ran away.

Seeing this, Yue Ren followed after ensuring a sufficient distance.

Since we can be affected by "death rewind", and given that the other person is the protagonist, staying by their side would probably be more effective for the investigation.

To his surprise, he hadn't walked far before a familiar voice came from a small alley.

"guard!"

Is this... a cry for help?

I vaguely remember this; it seems like a good opportunity...

Without further hesitation, Yue Ren hurried off.

Let's rewind a few minutes—

Natsuki Subaru entered the familiar alley, hoping to encounter a fake Satella or Felt.

But in a sense, it also means reuniting with others. That is...

"That's enough, I'm tired of seeing your faces, Ah-ton, Ah-zhen, Ah-han."

Subaru turned around listlessly, only to find three people standing in front of him who always blocked the alley entrance.

One was fat, one was thin, and one was short; they were collectively known as hooligans.

Their temperament, clothing, and appearance were all exactly the same; their goals and equipment were identical. They hadn't made any progress, which prevented him from seeing the fake Satella and Felt.

The reason we can't see Satella and the others is probably because their actions are greatly affected by random factors outside of Subaru.

On the contrary, Subaru always encounters Aten, Ajin, and Ahan because these three have targeted Subaru as their intimidation target from the very beginning.

Therefore, no matter which alley you enter, encountering them is inevitable.

"Given that this completely unappealing speculation is true, what are you trying to do...?"

"That guy, what has he been muttering to himself about since just now?"

"You still don't understand the situation, do you? Should we tell him?"

The conversation between Aton and Ajin was also read according to the pre-arranged script, which made Subaru feel even more depressed.

However, despite the weariness, it should not be underestimated.

The event stage involving the encounter with the three members of the Dunzhenhan trio has relatively easy completion conditions, but it's not guaranteed to be completed.

In fact, the third death was caused by them.

Then, Subaru's consciousness suddenly focused on his near-death memories in the Third World.

Even in that life-threatening situation, Subaru desperately tried to gather information, even with only sounds available.

Recalling the last words spoken by those three people, what were they afraid of? The words they uttered then, we should be able to understand now; I remember it was—

"Sir, guard—!!"

Without any preparation, he opened his mouth to call for help, startling the trio of thugs who jumped up in surprise.

The cries for help shattered the silence of the alley, loud enough to undoubtedly drown out the noise on the main street.

Moreover, for Subaru, who feels like he's in a loser's position in life, even crying out for help wouldn't diminish his self-esteem in the slightest.

"Someone come here—call a man here—!!"

"You bastard—are you kidding me?! Would a normal person suddenly yell like that at a time like this?!"

"Enough! Shut up! No more nonsense!"

"No, I can't hear you—I can't hear you because you're not sincere enough! Police! Security guards!!"

Subaru deliberately shouted louder to tease the three members of Dunzhenhan, while secretly breaking out in a cold sweat.

At the end of the Third World and the end of consciousness, the three of them talked about "guards" and "run away quickly".

In other words, there must be similar police agencies in this world.

Shouting for help arose from this idea. Although it's a very cowardly tactic on an individual level, there's no time to worry about that now; the most important thing is to break the deadlock.

""

Unfortunately, there was no warm, human touch or response from the main street.

Expectations were dashed.

"It failed as expected..."

""

"How dare you scare us... Even though it was just a little bit, it still gave us a fright."

"Only a little bit!"

"It really is only a tiny bit!"

The three men's words complemented each other perfectly, and the three insignificant men, including Dun Zhenhan, desperately denied their disheveled appearance.

In order to regain the momentum that Subaru had just taken over, they first looked at each other, nodded, and then each took out their weapons.

A knife, a rusty machete, and fists.

The difficulty of clearing the levels has increased.

"Please spare me... I'm afraid of pain."

I only realized after dying three times that death is something you can never get used to, no matter how many times you experience it.

Moreover, Subaru's death was entirely caused by a knife.

Sharp pain is always fresh to experience, and life ends with a sensation like scraping one's nerves, which is always extremely impactful.

He would never have wanted to die that way, especially since—

"Until now, the story has always involved 'returning from the dead,' but this time it might not be so simple..."

Why would anyone believe that the "Return by Death" ability has no limit on the number of uses?

There was no sign of numbers engraved on his body, but as the saying goes, things don't happen more than three times. If this situation is a gift of Buddha's compassion, then Subaru's number of trials has already stopped.

"If I die, my life in this other world will come to an end... Even if I'm injured, running away is the right thing to do."

A knife that is reliable and has a proven track record in battle will naturally have high lethality.

The machete was unexpectedly badly rusted; using a plastic bag as a shield seemed to mitigate the impact, making it safe enough to skip over obstacles in a hand-to-hand fight...

Seeing Adon, Azhen, and Ahan approaching step by step, Subaru immediately made up his mind.

Only warn Ah Zhen.

Then I started counting down in my head, three...

'

That's all.

The sound came suddenly, yet it clearly dissected the urgent sense of hunger and thirst within the alley.

The stern voice was neither hesitant nor merciful.

Hearing these words will only make you feel an overwhelming presence and awaken your instinct to obediently comply.

Subaru looked up, and Aten, Azhen, and Ahan turned around—a young man was standing at the alley entrance.

The most striking feature is his fiery red hair, which looks like it's burning intensely.

Below him, besides his bravery, were unparalleled, dazzling blue eyes. His exceptionally handsome features, backed by his imposing aura, made it clear at a glance that he was an extraordinary figure.

Her slender figure was wrapped in a well-tailored white uniform, with a simple decoration hanging at her waist—but instead of a decoration, it was a knight's sword that exuded an unusual aura.

"No matter what happens, I will not allow you to treat him any more violently. That's enough."

As he spoke, the young man leisurely walked past the trio of Dunzhenhan and intervened between them and Subaru.

Subaru was speechless at such a dignified attitude, but the other three reacted very differently.

Their faces were pale and their lips trembled as they pointed at the young man and said, "Burning, burning red hair and blue eyes... and a knight's sword with dragon claws engraved on its scabbard, could it be..."

Staring at the young man with disbelief, they exclaimed in unison, "Reinhard...it's 'Sword Saint' Reinhard!?"

"It seems like I don't need to introduce myself, but... that title is still too heavy for me."

The young man, known as Reinhard, murmured self-deprecatingly, but his eyes remained unwavering.

The three members of the Dunzhenhan group, pierced by his gaze, took a step back under his imposing presence, then looked at each other as if assessing the opportunity to escape.

"If you want to run away, I'll let you go. You can go straight back to the main road. If you want to use tougher methods, then let me be your opponent."

With his hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist, Reinhard gestured with his chin to Subaru standing behind him.

"That makes it three against two, which gives you the advantage in numbers. I'm not sure how much my meager strength can help him, but I will fight you all as a knight."

"Are you kidding me?! This is totally not worth it!"

Reinhardt's declaration threw the trio of thugs into a panic, causing them to forget to hide their weapons and scatter towards the main road.

During the first world retreat, at least he made some tough threats, but this time he didn't dare to utter a single word. Subaru could tell from this that the young man in front of him was no ordinary person.

"I'm so glad we're both alright. Are you hurt?"

After estimating that the three had completely disappeared, the young man smiled and turned back to ask a question.

The oppressive feeling that swept through the alleys disappeared, and he realized that it was a relaxed atmosphere deliberately created by the young people. Subaru was speechless.

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