In DanMachi, Freya Set Her Sights on Me from the Start! Chapter 15

But because of certain circumstances, he had retired from the adventurer life nine years ago.

"Eating at this hour... don't you work, meow~?"

"I'm not short on money, nor do I particularly pursue strength, so even when I go into the Dungeon, I come back once I've done enough."

"Huh? There are adventurers like you, meow? That really surprises me, meow~"

"Maybe because I'm too lazy."

"Haha, you're the first person like you that I've met, meow. Which familia are you from?"

"The Freya Familia!"

The moment he said that, the entire Hostess of Fertility fell silent.

Especially Anya, who had been smiling just moments ago. Her smile stiffened slightly, and the way she looked at Cao Ye quietly changed.

Behind the counter, Mama Mia glanced at Cao Ye by the entrance but did not react.

She had known Cao Ye's identity long ago. After all, she had once been the captain of the Freya Familia. Even Ottar was her junior, not to mention that her own goddess was currently experiencing life here.

Naturally, she knew everything she was supposed to know. Though she had retired, one could not simply leave a familia whenever they wished.

As for Anya's stiffness, it lasted only a second before she smoothly "covered it up" and "switched gears."

"You're from the Freya Familia, meow? A newcomer, meow? Wait, aren't you that guy everyone was talking about—the one Goddess Freya took in and kept, meow?"

"Uh, if there isn't a second person, then that's probably me~~~"

Cao Ye was somewhat speechless. Had his "reputation" really spread that far? Why did everyone know about it?

Sure, he had been "kidnapped" off the street, but this rumor had spread way too wildly.

"Wow, so you're that pretty boy from the rumors—the one a goddess snatched off the street and kept. But you're not ridiculously handsome or anything, meow~"

"They're all rumors. Lady Freya saw my potential and invited me to join her familia."

"Really, meow~?"

At Cao Ye's answer, Anya narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at him with open "suspicion."

"Really~"

"Then did the goddess do anything to you, meow~?"

At that moment, Anya's feminine gossip instincts were burning fiercely.

As a member of the Freya Familia—and once one of its core members—she naturally knew about the familia's inner workings, as well as every member's attitude and thoughts toward the goddess.

She also knew something about Goddess Freya's purpose in choosing her "children."

After all, as a girl, she had once served as Goddess Freya's guard and stayed at her side. Naturally, she knew some things about Freya.

"Uh, I'm a decent man. And she's a goddess—how could she possibly do anything to me?"

Without hesitation, Cao Ye answered righteously.

However, Anya was not satisfied with that response. She stared at Cao Ye with an appraising gaze, trying to spot some clue.

"A decent man? There aren't any decent men in the Freya Familia, meow~"

Others might not have been qualified to say that, but she absolutely was.

"Miss, are you slandering my familia?"

To end the topic, Cao Ye directly borrowed the tiger's prestige.

Though he knew her true identity, she did not know that he knew. There was nothing wrong with what he said, and no one could pick a flaw in it.

"Huh? Slandering your familia? I don't have any interest in that, meow~"

Anya did not panic in the slightest at Cao Ye's questioning. Other familias might not have that sort of confidence, but she certainly did when it came to the Freya Familia.

"Hmph. I'll pretend I didn't hear that this time, but next time, it won't end so easily."

"What do you want to do? Fight me, meow~?"

"You don't want to know~"

Cao Ye shot Anya a glance, putting on an "unhappy" expression.

"I really do want to know, you—"

"Anya, what are you doing over there? Get your ass back here and work!"

Just as Anya was about to keep courting death, Mama Mia's roar came from inside.

In an instant, Anya, who had just been full of displeasure, jolted. Turning around, she met Mama Mia's "death glare" head-on.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Anya's forehead.

"Mama Mia, I'm going back to work right now, meow!"

At that moment, Cao Ye no longer mattered. She needed to get back to work immediately, or Mama Mia would really beat someone up.

Cao Ye knew that everyone at the Hostess of Fertility feared Mama Mia, but he had not expected them to fear her to this extent.

This was practically absolute suppression. As expected of the former captain of the Freya Familia.

"Kid, are you here to eat?"

"Ah, yes. I'm here to eat."

"Then order properly, finish your meal, and get the hell out."

"Understood!"

Seeing the "hostile" look in her eyes, Cao Ye immediately yielded. She was a 180-centimeter dwarf and a Level 6 adventurer—not someone a mere Level 1 like him could afford to provoke.

So it was better for him to behave himself.

Seeing Cao Ye sit there obediently, Mama Mia nodded in satisfaction. At least he understood the rules. If one ate in her establishment, one followed its rules—and she was the rule of the Hostess of Fertility.

"Hello, what would you like to order?"

At that moment, Ryu walked over and asked Cao Ye.

Though they had only just crossed paths, the elven girl seemed not to have taken it to heart.

"What's today's special?"

"Today's special is pork cutlet rice bowl~~"

"I'll have that, plus a glass of fruit wine."

"Alright, got it."

Ryu wrote it down and left. Cao Ye felt a little disappointed. He had thought they might be able to chat for a bit so he could thank her again.

Intrinsic Skill: Mana Burst!

Roar—

"What a pain, you bastards."

Cao Ye looked at the scorched black ground beside him, his face full of vigilance.

Hellhounds were considered dangerous monsters in the upper levels of the Dungeon. They appeared in packs and could spit flames. They were swift, with sharp claws and fangs.

Most adventurers bought Fire Spirit Cloth to reduce fire damage.

Cao Ye was naturally no exception. He could now be considered "wealthy," so he had bought one as well. Finally, after setting foot on the fifteenth floor, he encountered Hellhounds.

Buzz—

As he watched the Hellhounds, a thought stirred in his mind. Imaginary Magic unfolded, and a passage connected to Imaginary Space slowly opened.

A weapon quietly extended out, and the corner of Cao Ye's mouth lifted slightly.

Taking inspiration from Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, he stored weapons within Imaginary Space and fired them out like "arrows" whenever he needed them.

After several days of development, Cao Ye had gradually figured out several ways to use Imaginary Space and Imaginary Magic.

However, just as different people awakened different magic and skills, even though they were all wielders of the Imaginary Number Attribute, Cao Ye was different from the others.

Perhaps because he had always envied "Golden Flash," the direction of Cao Ye's development was similar.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Thud—thud—thud—

Weapons shot out one after another, pinning the Hellhounds to the ground. Sharp blades pierced through their tough hides and killed them.

[Daily Mission: Kill 8 Hellhounds!]

[Completion Progress: 8/8]

[Mission Reward: Diamonds ×10]

Today's Daily Mission was complete. Ten diamonds in hand.

With those ten diamonds added to his total, Cao Ye had finally gathered one hundred diamonds again.

"I can't wait any longer. It's time to pull!"

After a full ten days, he could finally pull cards again. Cao Ye was beyond excited.

He did not even leave the Dungeon. He pulled immediately, intending to test out his reward right here—provided he actually got something good.

"Mazu, please bless me!!!"

The familiar "interface" appeared. A card pack materialized in the void, its seal tore open, and cards flew out one after another.

There were ten cards in total, all face-down. Under Cao Ye's gaze, they flipped over one by one. His heart clenched tightly; after all, last time, it had taken thirty pulls before he got anything worthwhile.

[Black Stockings] [Black Stockings] [Black Stockings]

[White Stockings] [White Stockings] [White Stockings]

...

Cao Ye's face instantly darkened. You really changed the soup but not the medicine. Why are there so many stockings again?

But there was still hope. One final hope remained.

[Intrinsic Skill: Mana Burst]

"I got something~"

At the final moment, a card suddenly bloomed with light before Cao Ye's eyes.

[Mana Burst: The ability to greatly enhance one's physical abilities by releasing mana, strengthening one's weapon and body with mana.]

Cao Ye's face was filled with excitement as he looked at the skill.

Mana Burst—this was an incredibly powerful Intrinsic Skill in Fate. Even Artoria, the so-called "absolute heroine," relied on this skill to become so powerful.

The official description had stated that Artoria, despite her weak physique, could confront a monster like Berserker head-on because she used mana to greatly enhance her physical abilities.

With Rank A Mana Burst, even an ordinary short stick could become a weapon of immense power.

This was not Fate, nor was it a game, so there was no standard for skill ranks. However, the improvement from this skill was probably directly tied to mana.

Artoria, who possessed a Dragon Core, had an amount of mana that could not simply be described as vast.

Still, Cao Ye currently had quite a bit of mana in his body. Whether it was through his constant use of Projection Magecraft and Imaginary Magic or the mana he absorbed from magic stones every day—

Though Cao Ye had not updated his Falna since then, his mana had undoubtedly improved by a great deal.

"Mana Burst!"

Whoosh—

After trying out his newly acquired skill, Cao Ye could clearly feel that his physical capabilities had increased by a huge margin.

Furthermore, its mana consumption was different from what Cao Ye had imagined. It did not consume a massive amount of mana all at once.

This skill was more like a continuous-drain skill. As long as it remained active, it continuously consumed mana until his mana was exhausted, rather than using up a large amount instantly.

That was absolutely good news for Cao Ye.

Rustle—rustle—

As if on cue, rustling sounds rose from around him. Then, one rabbit after another appeared, their eyes blood-red and a single horn growing from their heads. There were quite a few of them.