Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

"trade?"

Rito looked at the young man in front of him.

The other person's smile was gentle and polite, and their demeanor was relaxed and natural, as if they were chatting with someone in a coffee shop.

This composure, ironically, made the rational person even more vigilant.

"What do you want to trade?"

The young man adjusted his glasses. "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Kuga Makoto, and as you can see, I am an ordinary player in the 8th Barrier."

"Ordinary player? Someone who can maintain this state after the shockwave is no ordinary player," Rito said expressionlessly.

Kuga Makoto smiled and did not deny it.

"You're right, I'm not exactly ordinary, but to be more precise, it's my technique."

He paused, then continued, "Prediction, my technique is for predicting the future!"

The words fell like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

Li Ren's pupils contracted slightly.

Precognitive techniques are extremely rare in the world of sorcery.

Even in the original work, there were very few sorcerers who could truly foresee the future.

The rarity of this technique even surpasses that of some top-tier sorcerers.

"Predicting the future?" Rito asked, calming himself down.

Why should I believe you?

Instead of explaining, Kuga Makoto took out a neatly folded tissue from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Rito.

There were a few hasty sketches on the tissue.

The first image shows a young man standing in ruins, his right hand resting on a wall covered with gray-white cracks.

The second picture shows a well, with a girl standing on the edge of the well, reaching out to pull up another person who is soaking wet.

The third image shows a girl with silver-white hair being chased by a man wielding a gavel to a corner of an abandoned church.

Rin's pupils contracted slightly.

The first painting depicts him using "Decay" to destroy the wall; the second shows the moment he rescues Saya from the ruins of the waiting area; the third...

"Is this the scene you predicted?" Rito looked up, his gaze falling on Kuga Makoto's face.

Kuga Makoto pushed up his glasses. "Not entirely."

"My technique, 'prediction,' cannot allow me to see the future at will. What I can obtain are only fragmented images and information, like randomly picking a few pieces from a huge jigsaw puzzle."

"Sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, sometimes completely incomprehensible."

"But one thing I'm sure of," he said, pointing to the third painting.

"The silver-haired girl is indeed in that direction now, about two kilometers from the warehouse area north of the old textile factory, in an abandoned church."

"With that man with the gavel?"

"To be precise, she was trapped there," Kuga Makoto corrected. "That man seemed to be waiting for her to make some kind of decision, rather than simply wanting to kill her."

Rito remained silent for a moment, his gaze shifting between the three paintings on the tissue.

The information provided by Kuga Makoto matched the description of the scarred strongman. The man holding the gavel was indeed Hiromi Higurashi, and his attitude towards Kurusu Hana was not simply a matter of hunting him down.

But the question is, why would Makoto Kuga proactively provide this information?

Rito looked away. "What do you want?"

Kuga Makoto's smile faded slightly, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on his face.

"I need you to protect me."

Li Ren frowned.

"In this place, everyone is trying to protect themselves. What makes you think I would take that risk for the future of a stranger?"

Then, Kuga Makoto took a deep breath, "And... I see your future."

"I saw you kill a man in a monk's robe and utterly destroy this place."

This statement is like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating ripples in the hearts of rational people.

But he didn't show it; he just squinted slightly.

"Destroy the dead and return to the origin? Do you know what you're talking about?"

Kuga Makoto took half a step forward. "Of course I know, but my technique has saved my life more than once, so I believe in it!"

Li Ren fell silent.

He looked into Kuga Makoto's eyes.

Players who return from the dead will do anything to survive, including lying.

Even if Kuga Makoto gave us those three paintings, it can still be explained by the fact that he saw them secretly.

"I can agree to the deal," Li Ren said, "but I need you to prove that your technique can indeed predict the future."

"Okay." Kuga Makoto nodded in agreement.

Then he took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his fingers interlaced in a complex gesture, and his breathing gradually became even.

A few seconds later, his brows furrowed slightly, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Rito stood still, waiting quietly.

He could feel the fluctuations of the cursed power on Kuga Makoto's body vibrating at a special frequency, unlike any offensive or defensive spell, more like a pure extension of perception.

About half a minute later, Kuga Makoto's body suddenly trembled slightly.

His eyelids twitched violently a few times, then he suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils filled with horror.

"I saw it..." His voice was a little hoarse, as if he had just experienced a great deal of exertion, "An image... blurry, but very clear..."

"What scene?" Rito asked.

Kuga Makoto raised his head and looked directly at Rito.

"You stand amidst ruins, surrounded by collapsed buildings and burning flames, your clothes tattered and your body covered in blood..."

He paused, then continued, "There's someone standing opposite you... no, that can't really be considered a person."

"His body was covered in black markings, he had four eyes and four arms, and his body resembled some kind of inhuman being..."

Li Ren's heart sank suddenly.

Ryomen Sukuna - Complete Form!

The image immediately flashed into his mind: that almost world-destroying being from the original story.

The problem is that Kuga Makoto, as an ordinary modern sorcerer, could not possibly know the complete form of Ryoumen Sukuna.

Those black patterns, four eyes, and four limbs were information that the modern world of sorcery could not possibly comprehend.

"Did you see his face clearly?" Rito tried to keep his voice calm.

Kuga Makoto shook his head.

"It's blurry, like there's a layer of fog blocking it... but I can feel the cursed power, a power that no human could possess."

Jiuwo Cheng did not lie to him.

The complete form of Ryomen Sukuna was almost unknown to anyone in the original work except for the sorcerers of that era.

At this point in time of death and rebirth, it is even less likely that modern sorcerers would know what the King of Spells looked like two thousand years ago.

The only explanation is that he truly saw the future.

"The deal is done," Li Ren announced.

Kuga Makoto paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

"But don't get too excited." Rito turned around, his gaze fixed on the depths of the industrial zone.

"Our deal is only for the time I'm in the 8th barrier. After you leave here, good luck to you."

"That's enough." Kuga Makoto nodded.

"Saya, let's go," Rito called out.

Xiaoye quickly stood up and walked briskly to Rito's side.

"Which direction?" Rito asked.

Kuga Makoto pointed to the northwest of the industrial area.

"If you follow this main road for about two kilometers, you will see an abandoned church with a red roof and stained glass windows, which is easy to spot."

Rito nodded and started walking.

Saya and Kuga followed closely behind, their figures gradually blending into the shadows of the ruins in the night.