In DanMachi, Freya Had Her Eye on Me from the Start!

In DanMachi, Freya Had Her Eye on Me from the Start! Author: Fatty Otaku Salted Fish

Synopsis:

In DanMachi, Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, had her eye on him from the very beginning.

Burdened with 'All the World's Evil,' he became an intriguing 'singularity' in Freya's eyes.

The gods had descended to the lower world in search of entertainment. Thus, upon discovering such a special 'individual,' they naturally became deeply interested.

My name was Cao Ye. I was a transmigrator, and now the Goddess of Beauty had her eyes on me. What should I do? This was urgent!!!

The One Burdened with 'All the World's Evil'

Bang—

The fallen monster turned into a cloud of black smoke and vanished from the Dungeon.

Only a 'magic stone' left on the ground proved that a monster had once existed here.

"Today's [Daily Quest] is finally complete."

As he picked up the magic stone, a trace of joy flashed across Cao Ye's face.

[Daily Quest: Kill 10 Goblins!]

[Completion Progress: 10/10]

[Quest Reward: Diamonds x10]

After claiming the quest reward, the ten diamonds arrived, and Cao Ye let out a long breath.

After struggling for ten whole days, he had finally gathered one hundred diamonds today.

Daily quests were, as the name suggested, quests that refreshed every day. Their contents varied, including [Hunting Quests], [Gathering Quests], [Exploration Quests], and more.

However, all of these quests had one thing in common: Cao Ye was strong enough to complete them.

Drip—drip—

Blood continuously flowed from Cao Ye's arm, dripping onto the ground and staining it red.

Cao Ye merely glanced at it and paid it no further attention.

The next second, the bleeding wound healed at a visible rate. The injury vanished, and his skin returned to its fair complexion. No one would have been able to tell that he had ever been wounded there.

Yet despite such powerful regenerative abilities, Cao Ye felt no joy. Instead, his heart was heavy.

Half a month ago, Cao Ye had transmigrated into this world—the world of the anime DanMachi.

The main theme of this world was the exceedingly common type of otherworldly anime involving 'another world,' 'slaying monsters and leveling up,' and 'heroes fighting dragons.'

The labyrinth city of Orario was a prosperous metropolis known as the 'center of the world.'

It was an enormous city built atop an underground labyrinth, a place where gods gathered. Under the blessings of countless gods, people joined different Familias, met companions, and embarked on adventures, trade, entertainment, and conflict.

This was a vibrant fantasy world where countless races intertwined—gods, elves, beastfolk, dwarves, prums, Amazon warriors, and more.

Naturally, as a transmigrator, Cao Ye also possessed his own golden finger.

[Card Draw System]

As the name implied, it was a system for 'drawing cards.'

It had no functions whatsoever besides 'drawing cards'—an exceptionally 'pure' system.

[Name: Cao Ye]

[Current Card Pool: Fate]

[Diamonds: 100]

When he had first arrived in this world, the Card Draw System had given him a beginner's gift pack: a ten-pull.

As for whether Cao Ye's luck was good or bad, he truly couldn't say. Out of ten chances, he had only pulled something once.

[All the World's Evil]

It originated from Zoroastrianism, humanity's oldest dualistic doctrine of good and evil—a Demon King bearing the title of the King of Demons.

In the world of Fate, however, his true identity had been an ordinary young man from a Zoroastrian village, falsely burdened with the name 'All the World's Evil.'

He had been imprisoned atop a mountain, his right eye gouged out and his arms and legs severed. Scorned as absolute evil, he endured endless torture. In the end, after tasting every pain a human could possibly feel, the young man died as a matter of course.

Yet the hatred born from that absurd fate was deeply imprinted within that stone prison. In the end, it became a nameless ghost—a demon bearing the name of 'all the evil in the human world,' an anti-hero burdened with 'sin.'

It was an absurd matter, yet a tragedy that had truly happened.

In Fate, he had been summoned by the Einzbern Family during the Third Holy Grail War. However, because he was far too weak, he had quickly died.

After his defeat, Angra Mainyu, burdened with 'All the World's Evil,' was absorbed by the Greater Grail.

And that was when things went wrong. The originally 'colorless' Holy Grail became corrupted after absorbing Angra Mainyu, and all the magical energy within the Greater Grail transformed into 'All the World's Evil.'

Because of this, both the Fourth Holy Grail War and the Fifth Holy Grail War were greatly affected.

Cao Ye was now like that unfortunate young man. The only difference was that he had not been tortured, nor had he died—but he had truly taken on 'All the World's Evil.'

After merging with 'All the World's Evil,' Cao Ye was no longer an 'ordinary person.'

He was somewhat similar to Gilgamesh from Fate, yet not quite the same. His body had been strengthened and reshaped by 'All the World's Evil.' He had not been incarnated through Black Mud—perhaps because he was not a Servant.

Still, this granted Cao Ye physical enhancement, making his body as tough as the monsters in the Dungeon.

Furthermore, after being tempered by 'All the World's Evil,' Cao Ye had gained a constitution akin to 'rapid regeneration.' As long as he did not die, even severed limbs could regrow.

The price for all this was 'magical energy.' Cao Ye was just like a monster within the Dungeon.

Magic stones, which ordinary people could not absorb and could only use as 'fuel,' had become something like batteries to Cao Ye. He could absorb the magical energy within them.

This left Cao Ye deeply confused. Could he still be considered human?

Therefore, even though Cao Ye was in Orario, the labyrinth city where the gods gathered, he did not dare seek out any god.

What if those gods regarded him as the 'reincarnation of an evil god,' or a 'demon' chosen by an evil god? What if they killed him—or even dragged him away to be judged?

As for seeking out an 'evil god,' that was even less realistic.

Although this was Orario, gods were not people one could meet whenever one wished, much less the notoriously infamous 'evil gods.'

Moreover, the Familias under those 'evil gods' were mostly part of the Dark Faction. Those people were all desperadoes. He might not even know how he died in the end.

Ultimately, Cao Ye chose the most 'reliable' method.

He would not seek any god, nor would he join any Familia. He would rely on his own 'golden finger' and grow stronger little by little.

Although the card pool only contained Fate, it held countless good things.

Just like now: after half a month of hard work, and after suffering several failed 'single pulls' during the first few days, Cao Ye had chosen to rely on a ten-pull.

Although the card pool itself had no guaranteed drop system, to Cao Ye, who had played countless 'card' and 'gacha' games, 'single pulls' were faith, while a 'ten-pull' was the guarantee.

The rules of the [Card Draw System] were also simple. Ten diamonds bought one pull, while one hundred diamonds bought ten pulls.

There were no guarantees and no stated rates. It was all about 'looking at your face'—no, it was about 'looking at your fate.'

Facing the Fate card draw screen, Cao Ye was extremely nervous.

After all, whether he would be blessed by luck or cursed by misfortune depended on this pull. If luck favored him, he would soar. If not, he would have to grind for another ten days.

Projection Magecraft!

It was a very 'ordinary' interface, much like those in many 'card' games.

The entire interface was extremely simple. There were only two options: a single pull for [10 Diamonds], and a ten-pull for [100 Diamonds].

The card draw interface consisted entirely of cards. A single pull was one card, while a ten-pull was one card pack.

There was not even a guaranteed drop system, nor were there any 'events' or similar features. No 'rate-up pool,' no 'discounted ten-pulls,' no 'final guarantee'—none of it existed.

It was just this monotonous screen, with no stated rates. It was purely based on luck.

It truly emphasized 'simplicity.' If Tencent saw this, their jaws would surely drop. It was such a waste of resources.

Still, Cao Ye had no other choice. This was his only support, and there were countless unknown dangers lurking in Orario.

A few days ago, he had been stopped and robbed by a group of 'veterans' in the Dungeon.

However, with the help of Cao Ye's 'constitution,' they had instead been killed by him.

Because he was not an adventurer and had not joined a Familia, Cao Ye could not exchange magic stones for Valis at the Guild. His usual income barely covered food and shelter through selling monster drops.

Fortunately, entering the Dungeon did not require real-name verification. Otherwise, Cao Ye, who had not joined a Familia, would not even have been able to enter the Dungeon.

Looking at the Fate card pool before him, Cao Ye took a deep breath.

"Jade Emperor! Tathagata! Jesus! Virgin Mary! Please bless me and let me pull something good—"

Whoosh—

After his 'prayer,' Cao Ye resolutely began the 'ten-pull.'

A cheap-looking 3D animation began. A card pack was pulled from the void, its seal torn open, and then card after card flew out and flipped over.

[Black Stockings] [White Stockings] [Flesh-Colored Stockings] [Fishnet Stockings]...

One card after another was revealed. Without exception, they were all various kinds of 'stockings.' Cao Ye gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. I'm a grown man. What am I supposed to do with so many stockings?

Was this really necessary? I tried single pulls for miracles and got absolutely nothing. Was this ten-pull going to be another total waste?

[Projection Magecraft]

"Huh? I-I pulled something good?"

The moment the final card was revealed, Cao Ye froze.

Projection Magecraft. Damn, he had pulled Projection Magecraft.

Crack—

The [Projection Magecraft] card floated out, then shattered in midair, transforming into specks of light that fell onto Cao Ye's forehead.

In an instant, Cao Ye mastered the magecraft known as 'Projection Magecraft.'

"So this is 'Projection Magecraft'..."

After digesting everything, the corners of Cao Ye's lips curled upward slightly.

Projection Magecraft was magecraft that used magical energy to materialize mirror images and replicas of items that existed—or had once existed—in reality.

Because they were formed from magical energy, they could not remain manifested for long. Moreover, when flaws appeared in the imagined object, it would disperse like mist. It was considered an extremely inefficient practice.

Someone like Shirou Emiya had taken Projection Magecraft to extraordinary heights, even capable of projecting Noble Phantasms.

But that was not because 'Projection Magecraft' itself was powerful. Rather, Shirou Emiya's 'Projection Magecraft' was powerful. It was something no one else could replicate.

Furthermore, Shirou Emiya's true strength was not Projection Magecraft, but his Reality Marble—Unlimited Blade Works. Projection Magecraft could only be considered a derivative extension of it.

What Cao Ye had now mastered was ordinary 'Projection Magecraft,' because he was not Shirou Emiya.

"Projection, begin—"

[Determining the concept of creation]

[Imagining the basic structure]

[Duplicating the component materials]

[Imitating the manufacturing techniques]

[Sympathizing with the accumulated experience]

[Reproducing the accumulated years]

[Surpassing, completing all processes]

[At this moment, materialize the gathered fantasy]

Whoosh—

Within the void, a 'sword' gradually took shape.

It was not some powerful sword, merely an ordinary longsword. It had been Cao Ye's weapon before, but after being used too often, it had worn down too badly and broken a few days ago.