Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

Ignoring everything else, Xia Youjie continued, "I need people like you. The higher-ups in the sorcery world only use you as tools, discarding you once they're done."

"Non-magicians create cursed spirits, while sorcerers go to their deaths."

"The loop itself is flawed."

Chapter 40 Path and Ideas

"Monkey" is Xia Youjie's term for non-magicians.

After his defection, he began to use this term to refer to ordinary people, which was a manifestation of his utter contempt for non-magicians.

Yuuto was silent for two seconds, then shook his head: "No, I have my own path to walk."

Xia Youjie looked at him, his eyes unchanged, only the smile on his lips faded slightly.

"What road?"

Yuuto didn't answer immediately, pondering his words.

In his heart, the path he must take is to become the new strongest.

Powerful enough to stand against the entire world and not be bound by anything worldly.

But clearly, this should never be said before one has the strength to back it up.

The meticulous Yuto quickly came up with an explanation.

His words contained both fabrication and his true thoughts.

Youren agrees with Xia Youjie's ideas from his time at the vocational college and intends to put them into practice.

“I know and understand that the resentment of non-sorcerers can give rise to cursed spirits, and sorcerers risk their lives to resolve them.”

"But I think true strength is not about crushing the weak, but about upholding order."

"The weak are not a burden, but the foundation."

"A world without protection will eventually collapse, and in the chaos, no one can remain unscathed forever."

"Protecting the weak is the bottom line that the strong set for themselves."

"Only by upholding this bottom line can you avoid becoming the kind of monster you hate the most."

"The greater the power, the more restraint is required. Only by not abusing power can one be worthy of it."

Xia Youjie remained silent for a long time after listening.

He was all too familiar with those words.

Eleven years ago, when I was in vocational college, I thought the same thing.

"Sorcery exists to protect non-sorcerers."

Those were words he had personally spoken to Gojo Satoru.

Now, this young man is saying the exact same thing.

Xia Youjie's lips twitched, and this time, he truly smiled.

It was very light, very faint, yet a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

He remained silent for a long time with his head down, until the sound of police sirens rang out all around him, which brought him back to his senses from those old days at the vocational college.

He pondered for a moment, then took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Youren: "Contact me anytime if you need help."

Yuuto took it and put it in his pocket.

Xia Youjie glanced at the two of them one last time, then turned and leaped onto the back of the Rainbow Dragon. His black monk's robes fluttered in the night wind, and his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Nanami struggled to lift her head, gazing in that direction, remaining silent for a long time.

Yu Ren went over and helped him up.

The two supported each other and staggered away from the rooftop.

The area was now in complete chaos.

The streets were filled with sirens and shouts. Fire trucks, ambulances, and the Spellcasting Hall's cleanup crew in black suits had already begun to cordon off the scene.

Holding walkie-talkies, they quickly directed the evacuation and cleanup of the site.

Ordinary people were kept outside the cordon; some cried out, some took photos, and some stood there blankly.

They couldn't see the cursed spirits, they couldn't see the battle, they only saw several buildings suddenly collapse, walls shatter, and people being thrown away by an invisible force.

As soon as the two arrived downstairs, a large group of people from the Spellcasting Hall immediately surrounded them to inquire about the situation.

Yuuto supported the weakened Nanami, having no extra energy, and could only relay the information briefly. However, the other party continued to pester him, causing him to frown slightly.

He then took out his phone and dialed Gojo Satoru's number, asking the people in the director's department to negotiate.

Soon, the people from the Spellcasting Hall made way for them and arranged a special car to take them to the college.

Before getting on the bus, Yu Ren glanced back at the dilapidated buildings.

Seven buildings, plus three or four surrounding buildings.

They're all his.

My money, all of it is my money.

Seeing Yuuto looking dejected, Nanami, even though she was extremely weak, still comforted him, saying, "It's good that you're still alive."

Yuuto didn't reply. Since it wasn't his own thing, of course he didn't care.

At 11 PM, at the High School of Spellcasting.

A black van stopped at the school gate, and Yuuto helped Nanami out of the car.

Although Xia Youjie had given Qi Hai emergency treatment on his left shoulder, the bumpy ride caused blood to seep through the gauze again.

The security guard was taken aback when he saw the two looking disheveled, and then quickly ran over to help.

Yuuto waved his hand to indicate that it wasn't necessary, and continued to help Nanami walk inside.

The college was unusually quiet late at night, with only a few streetlights on.

The treatment room of Ieyasu Glass was located at the deepest part of the school building, with light shining through the crack in the door.

Yuuto pushed open the door.

Shoko was leaning against the window smoking when she heard the noise and turned around.

Smoke swirled around her fingertips, her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and the dark circles under her eyes remained as pronounced as ever.

She looked at Yuuto and Nanami, her expression changed in surprise, and her gaze lingered on Nanami for a long time.

He then quickly stubbed out his cigarette, got up, and helped the more seriously injured Nanami to bed. While preparing for treatment, he raised an eyebrow and spoke:

"Oh, what a rare guest! Isn't this our financial elite?"

"Haven't seen you for years, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

Nanami's lips twitched, as if she wanted to laugh, but the movement aggravated her wound, resulting in a distorted expression: "Senior Ieyasu... it's been a long time."

Shoko reached out to examine his wound—a penetrating wound to his left shoulder, from which he had lost a lot of blood. She frowned, quickly untied the makeshift bandage, and immediately began treatment.

A few minutes later, the door was pushed open again.

Having received the message from the Spellcasting Hall and the gatekeeper, Masamichi Yamo walked in, his gaze behind his sunglasses landing on Nanami.

The usually serious principal had a rare complex expression on his face at this moment.

"Nanami...you're back."

Nanami lowered his head and remained silent. Moth stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then walked to the bedside.

He looked at Qi Hai's face, which was much more mature than it had been during his vocational school days, and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "How have you been these past years?"

Nanami didn't look up: "It's alright, work, off work, get paid."

Moth nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

After treating Nanami's wounds, Shoko turned around and looked at Yuuto, sizing him up.

"And you, where are you hurt?"

Yu Ren stretched his arm: "It's okay, just a scrape."

Shoko walked over and reached out to press his ribs.

Yuuto gasped in pain.

"You call this a scrape?" Glass asked expressionlessly.

"Minor rib fracture, internal organ injury, sit down."

Youren obediently sat down.

While treating him, Shoko casually remarked:

"Why are you here again?"

"Last time it was Fushiguro Megumi, the time before that it was you, and this time it's buy one get one free. Do you really think this is your home?"

“It was all an accident, nothing more,” Yuuto replied.

Shoko: "You said the same thing last time."

Nanami watched from the side, letting out a rare soft chuckle: "This kid's pretty good at fighting."

Shoko Ieiri continued working, glancing at him: "If you were really good at fighting, you wouldn't be running here in the middle of the night. If you're so capable, be like that guy Satoru, who never comes here to get treatment."

"Well, I welcome you to come and chat with me often, but as for things like this now, forget it. I don't want to see you every day."

Yu Ren was speechless. After all, although her words were harsh, every single one of them was for her own benefit.

After all, the fact that I didn't come here means I wasn't injured.

"Alright, stay here tonight and leave tomorrow," Ieiri Shoko said to the two after finishing her treatment.

Chapter 41 A Brief Respite