One Minute to Live - Chapter 8
Ren Sato sat cross-legged in his apartment once again, notebook in hand, and cursed energy pulsed faintly through his nerves like a newborn heartbeat.
His mind had been racing since morning.
Not about curses, not about survival.
About understanding.
He had knowledge from the manga—yes—but that was only the starting point. Right now, he didn't need a technique or a domain. He needed understanding. The kind of intimate connection that came only from trying things. Failing. Repeating.
This world didn't run on exposition dumps.
He needed to learn it the hard way.
So he turned to the only tool in his arsenal that could break rules: binding vows.
He scribbled notes furiously in his book:
- Mutual contract with self or others
- The greater the risk, the greater the reward
- Must be specific
- Can use temporary effects if controlled
He took a deep breath.
His first test would be simple.
"Binding vow. For one minute, I will increase my cursed energy output. In exchange, my cursed energy will be consumed at twice the normal rate. I will terminate it after 60 seconds. If I break it early, my body suffers backlash."
The moment the words left his lips, it was like the room shifted.
The air hummed.
His body tensed.
A heat rose in his chest—not like fire, but like friction. Like two invisible forces were pressing against each other, grinding into shape.
He raised his right hand.
Focused.
Called it.
And this time, the cursed energy didn't slip away.
It surged.
Thick. Violent. Pulsing like blood under pressure.
His entire fist glowed faintly, like smoke catching light, tinged in purple and red flickers.
It stung.
He bit back a gasp.
The sensation wasn't smooth—it was jagged and unpredictable. Like trying to balance a burning weight in his palm.
But it was there.
For the first time, cursed energy fully wrapped around his hand. Not in threads. Not in cracks. But in a full-blown shroud.
He flexed his fingers.
It rippled with him.
Unstable, yes.
But undeniably real.
He stood up on shaky legs, walked to the far wall of his apartment, and stared at a dented patch of plaster from one of his earlier failed tests.
Then he struck.
The impact echoed louder than expected. A harsh thump, a small burst of energy—like static shock hitting the room. His knuckles cracked the wall this time. Just a little.
But more than he'd ever done before.
He stared at the tiny fracture.
Chest heaving.
And then—
The energy vanished.
So did his balance.
Ren collapsed to his knees, panting, drenched in sweat. The backlash hit like whiplash—his limbs trembled, heart skipping.
He had cut it close.
Too close.
His reserves were low—dangerously so.
But he didn't care.
He sat on the floor and laughed.
Because that was the moment everything changed.
"I can do it," he whispered. "It's working."
---
DAY ONE:
Ren didn't go to school.
He couldn't afford it.
Not in time. Not in energy.
He had passed high school before—in another life. The knowledge wasn't the problem. Time was. The countdown had already begun.
So he trained.
Small vows—tiny boosts.
One increased the speed of his cursed energy flow. Another gave him two seconds of sharper reflexes at the cost of mental fatigue. He kept the conditions mild—he didn't want to kill himself before he even started.
But the output was clear.
He was learning.
Slowly.
Painfully.
But learning.
---
DAY TWO:
He set up a schedule—almost military in its rigor.
- 7:00 AM: Wake up, stretch, cursed energy warm-up
- 8:00 AM: First round of binding vow testing
- 10:00 AM: Online searches for cursed activity/Yuta sighting
- 12:00 PM: Rest, eat, meditation
- 2:00 PM: Physical conditioning (running, punches)
- 4:00 PM: Second round of energy focus drills
- 7:00 PM: Re-attempt boosted output vow
- 9:00 PM: Mental recall journaling + timeline projection
Two days into it, the system was wearing him down.
But he welcomed the burn.
Discipline gave him control. Control gave him power.
That night, when he whispered the vow again—this time with clearer intent—he felt the cursed energy respond more smoothly. Less fighting him. More flowing.
His right fist was shrouded in energy once again.
This time, it was tighter. Denser. Still unstable—but less than before.
He held it longer.
Punched harder.
Left a proper dent in the wall.
And then he collapsed, gasping—but smiling.
---
By midnight, he was journaling again, sweat cooling on his skin, a bottle of water pressed to his forehead.
Progress Log (Binding Vow—Boosted Output):
- Duration: 60 seconds max
- Drawback: High energy drain, fatigue
- Gains: First coverage confirmed
- Risk: Near depletion = death
- Verdict: Effective but unsustainable in repetition
He added one more line under it:
Goal: Achieve stable control without vows in the next 30 days.
Because if he didn't…
He might have to do something stupid.
Like stealing Rika from Yuta.
END OF CHAPTER 8