DanMachi: Freya Had Her Eye on Me from the Start!

"Broken Phantasm!"

At that moment, Cao Ye's lips curled up slightly as he slowly spoke those four words.

Boom—

A violent explosion rang out at once. It was as though a bomb had detonated among the Orcs. In an instant, three Orcs met their end, while several others were injured.

"The power looks pretty good. It's already comparable to a grenade."

Still, using a sword every single time was probably not suitable.

He should get himself a bow. Red A was a good example—Broken Phantasm had to be activated with a bow. He could project arrows, then detonate them.

Pssh—

At that moment, an Orc tried to sneak attack Cao Ye, but unfortunately for it, Cao Ye's sword pierced straight through its body.

He might have been thinking just now, but that did not mean he had lost awareness of his surroundings.

After struggling through the Dungeon for more than half a month, especially after narrowly escaping danger several times, he had already grown. He might not have been a qualified warrior, but he was definitely a qualified adventurer.

Trouble Came Knocking!

Pssh—

Riiip—

Smack—

Savage, chaotic, and utterly without form—this was not a battle, but a complete and utter slaughter. A fight where one had to kill the other side in order to survive.

As monsters, Orcs naturally knew nothing of combat techniques. All they knew was to kill every human they encountered. That was all.

Cao Ye, meanwhile, had never learned how to fight, nor had he ever seen how others fought. Everything he knew had been figured out through battle after battle.

He was completely self-taught, and with his unusual circumstances, trading injuries was practically routine.

Roar—

An Orc swung its club straight into Cao Ye's back. Cao Ye gave no response whatsoever.

The sword in his hand mercilessly stabbed through the eye socket of the Orc in front of him, piercing straight through its skull.

Only after dealing with that one did Cao Ye turn around to settle the score with the bastard that had attacked him from behind.

Pssh—

The sharp blade sliced through the Orc's chest and pierced straight through its body.

Poof—

The next second, the last Orc turned into a cloud of black smoke, leaving behind only a magic stone on the ground.

Letting out a breath, Cao Ye slowly stood up. Bruises covered various parts of his body, all from the Orcs' blows. Fortunately, none of his bones had been injured.

That also made Cao Ye realize that he was getting stronger. If this had been the old him, he would have suffered who knew how many fractures. Now, he only had a few bruises.

"Let's call it here for today. That should be enough."

After collecting all the magic stones around him, Cao Ye prepared to end today's adventure.

Unlike many of his "seniors," Cao Ye had little interest in the Dungeon. He did not want to explore too quickly or kill huge numbers of monsters.

To Cao Ye, the Dungeon was just an instance dungeon. He only came when he needed to complete missions.

Today's [Daily Mission] had already been completed, so Cao Ye had no desire to keep exploring. As long as he steadily saved diamonds, he would become stronger sooner or later.

Besides, with a goddess supporting him, he could receive one million Valis for free every month. He was not short on money.

Under such circumstances, why should he risk his life? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy life properly?

Mmm~

He held all the Orc magic stones in his hands. Then, magic power flowed into Cao Ye's body like a bubbling stream, giving him an intense feeling of pleasure.

A few seconds later, everything returned to calm, and Cao Ye still felt somewhat unsatisfied.

The magic stones in his hand had all turned transparent and lost their value, so Cao Ye casually tossed them away.

If not for the fact that the Guild monopolized magic stones in Orario, forcing all adventurers to exchange them for Valis through the Guild, Cao Ye really would have wanted to open a magic stone exchange.

Then he could trade Valis for magic stones and increase his magic power while sitting at home without doing anything.

"Hmm? Mr. Cao Ye?"

Just as he walked out of the Dungeon, Cao Ye spotted a familiar figure at the entrance.

"You're that elf advisor girl?"

"Just call me Aina, Mr. Cao Ye."

"Oh, hello, Miss Aina."

As a shameless pervert, Cao Ye naturally had a built-in fondness for girls with glasses.

"Are you done exploring for today?"

"Yes, I've completed my goal, so I came back. I'm not the type who likes staying in the Dungeon all day."

"That is a good habit, Mr. Cao Ye. Adventurers must never be reckless. I would not want your name to end up on my 'missing persons list.'"

"Alright, I understand."

When it came to a girl's goodwill, Cao Ye could only say that she was right.

However, Cao Ye understood his own position very clearly. He was currently a little lapdog being kept by a goddess, and his goddess was also rather petty. So, it was better for him to keep his distance from other girls.

Unless he gained the upper hand—for example, if he conquered that goddess. Then he could truly let himself go.

"Then, Miss Aina, you go ahead and get back to work. I have something to do, so I'll be heading back first."

"Ah? Oh, then good luck."

"Thanks~"

Watching Cao Ye's departing back, Aina felt rather strange.

She was quite popular among other adventurers. Quite a few had even fought over her just because she was one of their Guild advisors.

Although that was not her intention, and it had caused her considerable trouble, did it not also prove that she had charm?

But why did she seem to have no charm at all when it came to Cao Ye?

Once or twice was one thing, but every time he exchanged a few words with her, he would hurry away as though he did not want to spend time with her.

On the other side, Cao Ye had no idea that his actions had affected a sensitive elf girl. At the moment, he was shopping.

It was already afternoon, and Cao Ye was hungry. After a tiring day, he naturally had to reward himself.

Arriving at the bustling street, Cao Ye began eating and drinking to his heart's content.

However, Cao Ye did not plan to go to the Hostess of Fertility today. That place was simply too dangerous, and yesterday's lesson was still fresh in his mind.

One meal there had cost thirty thousand Valis. Even with one million Valis, he could not afford to spend like that.

"That kid looks like a big fish. He spends so casually, buying whatever catches his eye. He also seems curious about everything. He's probably some rich family's child."

From the shadows of an alley, a rough-looking man watched Cao Ye's back with malicious eyes.

"So, you want to..."

"Of course we're pulling a job. Then we can buy more divine wine and have a proper drink."

"Alright. What's the plan?"

"Follow him. Find an alley along his route and drag him inside."

"Leave it to me~"

In the darkness, two figures plotted together. They looked at Cao Ye as though he were a slab of meat.

As Cao Ye continued wandering forward, they followed close behind.

From the looks of it, this was not the first time the two had done something like this.

At that moment, Cao Ye had no idea that someone had targeted him. But even if he knew, he probably would not care.

Who was he? He was the little lapdog kept by Goddess Freya. If anything happened to him, no one would get away with it. By then, nobody would be able to run.

Cao Ye Under Watch!

Walking along the bustling streets, Cao Ye was surrounded by vendors calling out their wares.

Cao Ye greatly enjoyed this moment. There was no crushing pressure to survive, no need to run around every day for money. The feeling was incredibly relaxing.

Before being transported here, Cao Ye had always lived under immense pressure.

When he was in school, he had worked hard for his studies. The high school entrance exam and college entrance exam—those two major tests had been built upon countless days and nights, and who knew how much "homework" and how many "textbooks."

After entering university, things had become a little easier and the pressure was not as great, but he still had to work hard for all sorts of certificates, since they concerned his future job prospects.

After graduation, he had gone through several twists and turns before joining a medium-sized company.

He worked himself to the bone every day for money. Though he did not seem to earn much by the end of each year, it always felt as though all 365 days passed in a blur.

After all, as a man, the pressure and burdens on his shoulders were too heavy. Especially the things needed for marriage—cars, houses, money—each one was like a mountain pressing down on him.

After arriving in this world, all that pressure had vanished, replaced by something more primitive.

In order to survive, to avoid being thrown out of the inn today, and to have food for the day, he had no choice but to risk his life against monsters in the Dungeon.

Now, all of that pressure was gone.

The sudden removal of that burden greatly eased Cao Ye's mood. Especially this feeling of "freedom"—he was truly addicted to it.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Cao Ye sensed that something was wrong.

It seemed as though someone nearby had been "watching" him the entire time.

At first, Cao Ye did not pay it any mind. Orario was huge, with countless people coming and going. It was normal for someone to look at him once or twice.

But some time had already passed, and that "gaze" had not disappeared. It was still there.

That made Cao Ye take notice. Back in the Dungeon, he had been blocked by other adventurers more than once, and several times he had nearly met with disaster.

This was the first lesson "cruel reality" had taught Cao Ye. This world was not an anime. Behind the prosperity, how much darkness was hidden? No one knew.

Tap—

"Lady Freya, it seems a few little rats hiding in the shadows have set their sights on Cao Ye."

On a high platform in Orario, Freya sat elegantly, her gaze fixed on the streets below. Beside her, Ottar stood guard.

"What? Are you worried about him?"

Freya looked at Ottar with surprise and amusement. After all, aside from Ottar's strength, one major reason she kept him by her side was his absolute obedience.

Compared to the others, Ottar was the least troublesome. He neither fought nor competed.

If it had been anyone else, Cao Ye would likely have already been threatened or even taught a lesson. After all, the Freya Familia did not prohibit internal conflict. In fact, it even encouraged members to fight one another.

"No. It is simply that he is someone Lady Freya has taken an interest in. If..."

"There is no need to worry, Ottar. His 'potential' is far from ordinary!"

Freya smiled as she watched below.

Hearing Freya's words, Ottar nodded, then fell silent. To him, Cao Ye did not matter one way or another. What mattered was the goddess's mood and thoughts.

Freya's "eyes" continued watching Cao Ye's figure.

To her, Cao Ye's process of "growth" was equivalent to the rise of a "hero." To a god, that was undeniably fascinating.

Besides, they were merely a few rats from the sewers, a group of trash. How could they possibly hurt Cao Ye?

As the only goddess in all of Orario who knew Cao Ye's potential, Freya greatly anticipated the day Cao Ye would bloom with his own brilliance in Orario.

At the same time, after discovering something suspicious, Cao Ye deliberately left the main road.