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

The next day, at six o'clock in the morning.

The playground was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning. The dewdrops on the grass blades shone brightly in the newly lit morning light, like tiny shards of glass scattered across the entire meadow.

Li Ren got up early, washed up, and quickly went to the playground.

He thought he would be the first to arrive, but just like last time, Maki was already there.

"Good morning, Maki-senpai," Rito greeted.

"Good morning." Maki nodded.

"Senior, let's start first, we don't need to wait for them." As soon as she walked in, Rito seemed a little impatient.

Maki glanced at him, said nothing, but instead assumed a starting stance and beckoned to Rito.

Seeing this, Rihito's fighting spirit surged, and he immediately charged forward.

Unlike his first training session, his start no longer involved the pause of "thinking things through before moving." His body reacted the instant the thought took shape, leaving a shallow imprint on the grass beneath his feet.

Maki turned to the side.

Rito's fist grazed past her tracksuit, but this time he didn't retract his fist. The moment his right fist missed, his left fist followed from another angle, the transition seamless.

"It's coherent now."

Maki's voice came from the left; she had already changed position at the same time that Rito threw his left punch.

But this time, Rito wasn't caught by her. He slid half a step to the right, just out of her grasping range.

Maki's hand froze in mid-air as her grasp missed its target.

"good."

Unexpectedly, she did not stop, but instead took a step forward and, using the momentum, raised her knee to strike Rito.

"Oops!"

As soon as Rito regained his footing, her knee was already pressing against his abdomen.

He sensed something was wrong, then pressed down with both hands to take the knee strike head-on.

boom!

The force of the impact caused him to slide back half a step, leaving two dark green trails on the grass with the soles of his shoes.

But his upper body didn't sway; his hands pressed firmly on Maki's knees, dissipating most of the force.

Maki glanced down at him and smiled slightly.

"Looks like your trip to the steel mill wasn't a waste of time."

She pulled her right leg back, but instead of creating distance, she took another step forward.

This time, her pace noticeably quickened, and her attacks became more aggressive.

Unsurprisingly, Rito was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Maki's punches and kicks rained down relentlessly, each strike aimed at the position where his center of gravity was most uncomfortable.

He wanted to retaliate, but every time he raised his fist, Maki's attack would land on his joints before he could exert force.

"Don't just think about fighting back." Maki landed a low kick on Rito's shin, forcing him to adjust his stance. "Stand still first, then think about anything else."

Li Ren gritted his teeth and forced himself to stop trying to fight back.

He lowered his center of gravity, protected his torso with both hands, and began to focus on blocking and dodging.

Maki's attacks remained relentless, but he was no longer overwhelmed by each attack.

A dozen seconds later, Maki's rhythm suddenly paused.

Rito seized the opportunity, leaned forward, and bumped his shoulder into Maki's chest.

boom!

A dull thud.

Maki was knocked back half a step by him.

"Not bad." Maki stopped and tossed the naginata aside. "Knowing when not to throw a punch is harder than knowing when to throw one."

Rito was panting heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead, but the light in his eyes was brighter than before.

Before they could even rest, a voice rang out.

"Thank you for your hard work, Maki!"

At the edge of the playground, Gojo Satoru leaned against the rusty horizontal bar, his hands in his pockets, tilting his head to look this way.

No one knows when he appeared.

"Gojo-sensei!" Rito saw Gojo Satoru appear, gave Maki an apologetic smile, and walked over to him.

Maki understood Rito's thoughts, nodded, turned around, and glanced at Gojo Satoru.

Then, she bent down, picked up the naginata from the ground, slung it over her shoulder, and walked out of the playground without looking back.

"It's up to you now."

"How indifferent—" Gojo Satoru sighed dramatically, then straightened up and walked towards Rito.

The morning light shone from behind Gojo Satoru, casting a long shadow on the ground. His eyepatch covered his eyes, but Rito could feel the gaze fixed on him.

"Gojo-sensei." Rito walked in, her eyes filled with expectation. "I want to become stronger. Please help me, Gojo-sensei."

Gojo Satoru nodded, his expression showing no surprise.

Then, he stretched out a hand.

"Maki's teaching is solid, but it's only the basics. Rito-kun, you really should learn something real."

He raised a finger, and the spell condensed into a point of pale blue light at the fingertip.

"The true application of the technique."

The true application of the technique!

Li Ren was startled, then overjoyed.

Isn't this exactly what I've been dreaming of?

But he quickly suppressed the joy in his heart, then looked up and gazed at Gojo Satoru with burning eyes.

"Mr. Gojo, shall we begin?"

Gojo Satoru was taken aback for a moment, "Haha, Rito-kun is really a studious kid."

"Okay, let's begin now, follow me!"

The buildings of the vocational high school receded behind Rito as he was dragged along by Gojo Satoru, running further and further away until they finally stopped in front of a forest they had never been to before.

"We've arrived, Rito-kun."

Be down-to-earth and look around.

The forest was dense, and sunlight was filtered through layers of branches and leaves into fine dappled patterns. There was a musty smell in the air that was completely different from that of the steel plant.

It's the kind of smell that comes from wood and soil that's been sitting for too long.

"Mr. Gojo, this is...?"

"Shh." Gojo Satoru held up a finger, his voice very soft, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "Listen."

The person held their breath.

At first there was nothing.

Then, from the deepest part of the forest came a low whimper, like the wind passing through the hollow trunks of decaying trees, or like something enormous turning over in its sleep.

Rito's body reacted before his brain, and the cursed power surged uncontrollably from his fist.

"Not bad, your senses are sharper than before." Gojo Satoru patted him on the shoulder, then pulled a crumpled mission sheet from his pocket and unfolded it casually.

"A level one cursed spirit is hiding in this forest. It's said to be the final destination for missing persons from several nearby mountains. It was supposed to be my job to deal with it—"

He shoved the task sheet into Li Ren's arms.

"Now it's your turn to solve it."

"……ha?"

Li Ren instinctively caught the paper and glanced down at the mission description.

When he looked up again, Gojo Satoru had retreated ten meters away, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, giving him a "please begin your performance" look.

"Ms. Gojo, isn't this a bit too much...?"

"Don't worry," Gojo Satoru interrupted him, his tone as relaxed as if he were saying today's dessert was good. "I'll keep an eye on you, you won't die. Probably."

Li Ren was silent for a second.

"……"perhaps"?"

The next second, the whimpering from the depths of the forest turned into a low growl.

The fallen leaves on the ground began to tremble, bouncing off the ground one by one, as if some giant object was arching upwards from the ground.

Rito took a deep breath, folded the task sheet and stuffed it into his pocket, then turned to face the approaching wave of magical energy.

Behind him, Gojo Satoru's voice drifted over.

"Riri-kun, think about what the true nature of your magic is. And keep up the good work!"

Li Ren didn't turn around, but the corner of his mouth still twitched involuntarily.

"Gojo-sensei's teaching style is just like the original work. Oh well, let's begin!"

Then, he assumed the starting stance.