Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

Duanmu Yan took the document from the assistant supervisor in the passenger seat, flipped through two pages, confirmed the contents were correct, and then tossed it to Yigu Youtai.

"The target this time is a newly formed gathering place of cursed spirits in Shizuoka. The location is an abandoned mine where a mining accident occurred three months ago, resulting in 15 deaths and 6 injuries. The newly appeared cursed spirits are level one, and there are also several level two cursed spirits. The specific details are in the documents."

He glanced at the upright-sitting boy and said, "We'll arrive in about two hours. If you feel tired, you can take a nap."

Yi Guyou shook his head and opened the document to read it carefully.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous. This was my first time going out for actual combat, and the difficulty level jumped straight to a level one cursed spirit plus several level two spirits. This setup was equivalent to a mission led by a formal sorcerer.

He hasn't even been rated yet; two months ago, he was just an ordinary middle school student who could see strange things.

He read the task description on the document over and over again, trying to calm his racing heart by repeatedly confirming it.

Suddenly, he felt a chill on his cheek.

You Tai subconsciously turned his head, and Duanmu Yan leaned over from the front seat at some point, holding a bottle of ice water next to his face.

"A little nervous?"

Yuta took the water bottle and nodded honestly: "Yeah, it's my first time after all."

"I can understand. After all, our Yuta is a kind little boy, and he's bound to be nervous the first time he does something."

Duanmu Yan leaned back in his chair, turned his head to look at him, and had a reassuring smile on his lips.

He paused, then changed the subject, "Actually, there's no need to be so nervous. Whether the mission can be completed or not isn't a huge deal."

Etoko Yuta looked up at him, as if waiting for him to continue.

"It doesn't matter if the cursed spirit escapes, or if the mission isn't completed. In your first real battle, the most important thing is yourself."

"First, don't overexert yourself. Second, retreat if you feel unwell. Third, don't die. Just remember these three points."

"As for whether the cursed spirit has been removed and how to fill out the mission report, that's something for the assistant supervisor and me to worry about, not for you."

Yuta slowly loosened his grip on the water bottle, his overly gentle brown eyes staring blankly at his teacher.

Duanmu Yan withdrew his hand, adjusted his seat back to a more comfortable position, turned his head to look at Yigu Youtai, thought for a moment, and his tone suddenly became light: "By the way, do you want to hear a story about Wu's ugly deeds?"

"It must have been when we were still in our first year of vocational college..."

Etsuyuu took the ice water off his face and couldn't help but sit up straight.

Gossiping is an inescapable part of human nature.

"Back in first grade, he had just learned teleportation and loved to show off. One night, he insisted on dragging me and Jay to the kitchen to sneak a late-night snack, saying that his teleportation skills were already superb and that he would be able to keep up with Teacher Moth."

"As a result, after he teleported to the kitchen, he realized he had forgotten to turn on the light. He stepped into a large basin of red bean paste that the cafeteria lady was soaking, and his whole body slid into the basin. It took him a long time to pull himself out."

“When Jay and I found him with flashlights, he was covered from head to toe in a layer of red bean paste, with only his two blue eyes blinking in the red bean paste, and he was holding half a piece of uncontaminated pudding in his hand.”

Egoku Yuta imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

"The next day, when Moth Teacher asked who had stepped on the red bean footprints in the kitchen, Wu said without changing his expression that they were the marks left by the Curse Master who had infiltrated the college and fought bravely against the enemy."

Duanmu Yan shook his head, his tone tinged with amusement and helplessness. "To cover up this lie, he fabricated a whole story about fighting the 'Red Bean Curse Master,' telling it in great detail, even describing the effects of the opponent's spells."

"After listening, Teacher Moth remained silent for a long time, and then punished him by making him wash the cafeteria floor for a month."

Chapter 198 The Attack of Otsuku Yuuta

Yi Guyou leaned back in his chair, his shoulders trembling slightly from laughing.

It's hard to believe that even the supposedly incredibly powerful Mr. Gojo could make such a fool of himself.

Duanmu Yan looked at his expression and knew that he was no longer nervous.

"What I really want to say is... everyone has to go through this. No matter how strong you become in the future, there will be a first time when you feel ashamed, and there will be times when you step into red bean paste and can't get out."

"But that doesn't mean you can't do it. It just means you're still on your way. Whether you exorcise that cursed spirit today or return empty-handed, you're no longer the boy who asked me in the park two months ago if he could become a sorcerer."

"You need to have more faith in yourself, Yuta. You should say 'I can do it' all the time, instead of 'Am I really okay?' You need to believe that you are really okay. I have seen the results of your training over the past two months. There are very few people in the entire sorcery world who can withstand the training volume I have arranged for you."

Yigu Yuta then nodded slightly. He closed the file and placed it on his lap, leaned back in his chair, stretched, and his eyelids began to droop: "Teacher, I want to sleep for a while."

Duanmu Yan nodded slightly: "Go to sleep. I'll wake you when we get there."

Yi Guyou leaned back, resting his head on the back of the seat, and his breathing gradually calmed down.

Soon, a soft snoring sound could be heard. Snoring is normal when you're tired. The amount of training that Duanmu Yan arranged for him was something that even an ordinary level-two mage might not be able to handle, but this kid did it all without uttering a sound.

He gently lifted the little guy's head and placed it on his lap so that he could sleep more comfortably.

...This is a treatment that neither Wu nor Jie received, and even Riko only lay on his lap a handful of times.

Then he turned to look out the window.

It's currently the hottest time of the year, and also the season when people complain the most.

The activities of the cursed spirits have become noticeably more active recently, with reports from all over the country piling up on his desk.

Those requesting support, applying to purchase new equipment, or asking for additional manpower can all be summarized in four words: they want money and they want people.

Fortunately, the old folks had left behind a substantial fortune, which helped them weather the transitional period that followed the establishment of the federation.

As he pondered this, the vehicle came to a stop without him realizing it.

Just as the assistant supervisor in the passenger seat was about to speak and report, Duanmu Yan put a finger to his lips and then pointed to the child on his lap.

Yi Gu You Tai looks very tired, let him rest a little longer. The assistant supervisor nodded knowingly and said in a very soft voice, "Let's go set up the tent first." Duanmu Yan gave an OK sign.

A short while later, Yuta blinked hard and then slowly opened his eyes.

He felt that the back of his head was not made of hard leather like a car seat, but something softer. He slowly raised his head and met Duanmu Yan's gaze.

He sat up abruptly, his face turning bright red at a visible speed, burning from his neck all the way to his ear tips. He didn't know where to put his hands, and finally frantically grabbed his hair.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Duanmu... When did I fall asleep? How did I end up on your lap?"

His voice grew softer and softer until the last few words were almost inaudible.

Duanmu Yan stretched his legs, which were a little numb from being used as a pillow, and couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassed look, as if he wanted to shrink himself under the car seat.

"No need to apologize. The space wasn't long enough. I was the one who let you over. You didn't roll up here yourself."

Yi Guyou kept her head down, her hands scrambling to fix her somewhat disheveled clothes.

He looked more like an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy than during training. Duanmu Yan found it amusing, but also a little heartbreaking. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. I slept very soundly and didn't dream." Yuta stopped adjusting his collar and answered seriously.

"That's good. You were snoring just now, though not very loudly," Duanmu Yan added with a smile.

Yi Gu You Tai's face, which had just returned to normal, turned red again. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain that he didn't usually snore, but he felt that such an explanation would be even more embarrassing, so he swallowed his words and looked down at his fingers in embarrassment.

"Teacher, you should wake me up."

"No rush, the assistant supervisor will go set up the tents first, and it will be just in time for you to wake up. Besides, aren't you tired? When you're tired, you should sleep. Your training intensity has indeed been quite high lately."

He pointed to the dark barrier slowly descending not far outside the car window. "The tents are all set up. Once you've rested enough, let's set off. The level one cursed spirit is waiting for you to take it down."

Duanmu Yan pulled a page from the document and handed it to Yigu Youtai.

That was an internal map of the mine, clearly showing the routes from the main shaft entrance to each branch tunnel, with three of the tunnels circled in red.

"This is a map of the mine. The areas marked in red are the regions with the strongest magical energy reactions. The level one magical spirit is most likely in one of these three locations. Once you're inside, don't rush to find the magical spirit; familiarize yourself with the terrain first."

He waited for Yuta to take the map and continued, "The auxiliary supervisor's tent has been set up. I'll wait for you outside. I won't go in unless you call for help. This is your real combat, not mine."

"You'll have to figure out for yourself where the cursed spirits are located and how to deal with them most efficiently."

He took his hand off the map and softened his tone: "Don't worry about your spell power. Even if you're fighting a war of attrition against a level one spell spirit, you can outlast it. If you feel you can't hold on, call me. Don't try to tough it out. But if you think you can still fight, then keep fighting. Trust your judgment."

Yi Guyou raised his head and looked at Duanmu Yan. "I know all of this, teacher. I'll go in now."

"Go ahead." Duanmu Yan reached out and pressed down the tuft of hair that was sticking up, but the hair bounced back.

He chuckled and withdrew his hand. "Your hair needs a trim. When we get back, I'll take you to a barbershop. I know a barbershop owner who's really good at it; Wu and I go there often."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, teacher."

Yi Guyou scratched the back of his head sheepishly and opened the car door.

It was already dark outside, and the outline of the abandoned mine in the distance looked like a crouching giant beast.

He took a deep breath, placed his hand on the unremarkable hilt of the knife at his waist, and then looked back into the car.

Duanmu Yan smiled and waved to him. He nodded, took a step, and walked towards the darkness shrouded in the tent.

I can't let my teacher down!

Chapter 199: I Don't Know What Title to Give It

Duanmu Yan leaned against the car, watching Yigu Youtai disappear.

He raised his hand and summoned a wisp of breeze that lingered around his fingertips; the wind element would transmit the situation back to him in real time.

Although I said I wouldn't interfere, it's impossible not to keep an eye on things.

The mine was pitch black. Yi Guyou carefully stepped on the gravel, water droplets seeping from the rock wall above him, dripping at his feet with a hollow echo.

He remembered every branch tunnel marked on the map, but once he actually walked in, he realized that the lines on the paper and the actual mine tunnels were completely different.

There are more intersections than shown on the map, and several side alleys have collapsed, with piles of rubble blocking the originally marked passages.

Yiguyou walked along the first passage marked on the map, stopping every few steps to confirm the direction.

He focused his magical power on his eyes as taught by Duanmu Yan, and his vision instantly became clearer. The residual magical power in the air flowed slowly in the depths of the alley like floating dust.

One particularly prominent track extends along the ground into the depths of the mine.

He followed the trail of the cursed energy for about ten minutes and came to a fork in the road.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the alleyway on the side.

He gripped the hilt, channeling his magical power into the blade from his palm. The seemingly ordinary short sword emitted a faint blue glow in the darkness—this was the first technique Duanmu Yan had taught him: imbuing a weapon with magical power, allowing even ordinary metal to slice through the body of a cursed spirit.

Moreover, this is no ordinary weapon.

Level 1 Spell Tool: May Rain River. Its function is to increase the user's spell power output, and at the same time, to sense the spell power within a 10-meter radius of the user.

The equipment, which combines offense and defense, was carefully selected by Duanmu Yan and generously sponsored by the former elders.

He did not draw his sword immediately, as Duanmu Yan had repeatedly emphasized during training: first confirm the number and location of the enemies before deciding whether to draw the sword.