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

[Cheongsam][Cheongsam][Cheongsam]...[Cursed Technique Cursed Technique]

Fifth ten-pull:

[Cheongsam][Cheongsam][Cheongsam]...[Cursed Object Sukuna's Finger]

The card draws were over. This fifty-pull had yielded four good items in total, and every one of them was decent.

[Cursed Technique Manipulation][Grade 1 Sorcerer's Cursed Energy][Cursed Technique Cursed Technique][Cursed Object Sukuna's Finger]

Cao Ye claimed everything. The next instant, cursed energy representing "negative emotions" fused into his body.

However, once that cursed energy entered Cao Ye's body, it was directly absorbed by his magic power. No, more accurately, it fused with it.

Cursed energy was power born from humanity's negative emotions. But compared to All the World's Evil, that tiny bit of negativity was utterly insignificant.

Then there was Reverse Cursed Technique. This was truly a godlike skill.

Reverse Cursed Technique was a special method of manipulating cursed energy. It applied cursed energy through multiplication, turning its inherently negative energy into positive energy and using it to heal targets.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, very few people had comprehended this cursed technique.

"What perfect timing, Reverse Cursed Technique!"

Whoosh—

The injuries all over Cao Ye's body healed at a visible rate.

Even the section of finger that had been bitten off rapidly regenerated.

Finally, Cao Ye looked at the crimson severed finger in his hand and felt somewhat speechless. This was a special-grade cursed object, and even the standard cheat item for the protagonist. Though it had ultimately backfired on the protagonist, there was no denying how terrifying this severed finger was.

"Wait. As a special-grade cursed object, it contains an immeasurable amount of cursed energy. If I use this Ryomen Sukuna's Finger as a battery to make a cursed corpse, it should work, right?"

Cursed Corpse Manipulation could inject "curses" into "cursed corpses" and then control them.

These cursed corpses also needed cursed energy injected into them before they could move. But what if he added a battery? Could that give them continuous endurance?

The more Cao Ye thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. His gaze toward the Ryomen Sukuna's Finger in his hand grew increasingly heated.

As everyone knew, every man had a Gundam dream in his heart.

Now that Cao Ye had obtained Cursed Corpse Manipulation, couldn't he make a cursed corpse Gundam? After all, hadn't Mechamaru made a Gundam in Jujutsu Kaisen?

With his imagination, creating an otherworld version of a Gundam was not impossible, right?

When the time came, using Ryomen Sukuna's Finger as a battery might even produce some unexpected effects.

"Still, I should hold off on making a high-grade cursed corpse. Let me make two simple ones first and test the waters."

Although he had acquired Cursed Corpse Manipulation, that did not mean he could casually create cursed corpses.

It was like understanding the principles and methods behind building a machine. Turning blueprints into a physical object was extraordinarily difficult.

"I'll ask Freya for some money first, then come back and try making cursed corpses."

Cao Ye changed into a fresh set of clothes, and his injuries had already healed.

Ever since coming to Orario, Cao Ye's desire for power had reached its highest point.

Borrowing Twenty Million Valis!

Seeing Cao Ye standing before her, Freya revealed a satisfied smile.

She liked the "brilliance of souls." The more dazzling and radiant they were, the more they stirred her heart. Designing a script and allowing her "target" to gradually transform, making their soul shine ever brighter, was also one of her pleasures.

Although she could not see Cao Ye's soul, the current Cao Ye was completely different from before.

Previously, Cao Ye had been like a lazy salted fish who had given up on life, his mind filled with thoughts of muddling through and taking things as they came.

But now, under her "guidance," he had grown. The impurities had been shed away, and he was beginning to become "radiant."

"I heard from Ottar that you were in a sorry state when you returned today. But judging by you now, you've mostly recovered."

"Surviving a great disaster brings great fortune. I got a little lucky, so I improved a bit."

"So, what did you come to me for?"

Freya smiled faintly as she voiced her question to Cao Ye.

"I need some money~"

"How much?"

"Ten million Valis. It might not even be enough."

"Of course~"

Freya had never been stingy with her own people. Besides, ten million was merely pocket change to her. Making Cao Ye suffer over one million before had been purely out of interest.

Cao Ye was somewhat surprised that Freya had agreed so readily.

"However, I'm lending you this money. You'll have to pay it back later."

"No problem~"

Cao Ye nodded. Ten million Valis was indeed no small sum to him right now, but he believed he would find a way in the future.

If worse came to worst, he could pay with his body. He was already being kept by her anyway, so one more little thing would make no difference.

"Ottar~"

As Freya's voice fell, the door opened, and Ottar walked in.

He held a bag in his hand, presumably filled with cash. This left Cao Ye somewhat puzzled. Why had she given him a card for one million, but cash for ten million?

"This is twenty million. Since ten million might not be enough, we might as well settle it in one go and save the trouble."

Hearing Freya's words, Cao Ye opened his mouth, unsure what to say.

He really wanted to say, "Rich lady, I'm hungry, feed me," but it seemed he was already being kept by her. He had even spent all the money she had given him.

"I'll pay this back as soon as possible."

"No rush. Take your time."

Freya was utterly calm. Compared to twenty million Valis, the changed Cao Ye was what truly mattered to her.

Because he was preoccupied with making cursed corpses, Cao Ye did not stay long. He left after only a few words. With the money in hand, he could hardly wait to make his first cursed corpse.

"Ottar, did you notice?"

After Cao Ye left, Freya spoke with a smile.

"Yes. After returning, he has changed from the inside out. His desire for power has risen to its peak, and the ambition buried deep in his heart has been awakened as well."

"Honestly, I didn't expect the results this time to be so good. Had I known, I would have done this sooner."

"Should we send someone to follow him?"

"No need. I told you, I won't interfere with his growth. I'll only give him a little stimulation when necessary."

"As you wish~"

Ottar was a qualified warrior. He would carry out the goddess's orders without compromise and never do anything unnecessary.

On Freya's face, beautiful enough to captivate even the gods, appeared a smile capable of conquering everything. Freya had long forgotten the last time she had felt "anticipation." It had been far too long.

Meanwhile, with twenty million in hand, Cao Ye naturally headed straight for Babel Tower's "marketplace." With the dwarf shopkeeper as his friend, materials were not a problem at all.

That old dwarf had not lived for so many years for nothing. He was also a blacksmith, and his connections ran deep.

By the time night fell, Cao Ye had spent a full eighteen million Valis out of the twenty million. Since he was not short on money, he spared no expense on anything useful and bought it all.

Whether it was useful this time or might be useful in the future, he bought everything.

This also let the merchant circles of Babel Tower know that a major customer had arrived today.

The scene shifted, and Cao Ye had already returned to his room.

A "cursed corpse" was essentially a puppet, except that it had been infused with "cursed energy" and controlled through a "cursed technique."

There were no restrictions on the materials used to make cursed corpses. In Jujutsu Kaisen, Masamichi Yaga's cursed corpses were all dolls.

The materials making up those cursed corpses were all materials used to make dolls.

However, the worlds were different, and the users of the cursed techniques were different, so the methods naturally differed as well.

This was the world of DanMachi. There were countless materials here. Leaving aside everything else, the monster drops from the Dungeon alone included plenty of good materials.

Since it was his first attempt, Cao Ye did not intend to make it too complicated. After all, he had no confidence in it and needed to test the waters.

Cao Ye began envisioning the appearance and type of his first cursed corpse.

Very quickly, an image surfaced in Cao Ye's mind. After thinking it over, Cao Ye made up his mind. It was only an experiment anyway. Success would be great, and even failure would count as gaining experience.

He opened Imaginary Space, and one material after another fell out.

He used refined metal to construct the skeleton, then used various monster-drop materials to fill every part of the cursed corpse's body. In particular, he used the leather of a rare young dragon for its outer skin.

For the core that served as the cursed corpse's heart, Cao Ye chose a "magic gemstone."

That single magic gemstone alone had cost Cao Ye a full five million Valis. And it was only a relatively high-grade one. Top-tier, or even beyond-spec magic gemstones, could no longer be purchased with Valis.

Calming his mind, Cao Ye began engraving his "cursed technique" onto the "magic gemstone."

He had to remain completely focused throughout the entire process. There could not be even the slightest mistake. Otherwise, a problem could cause the cursed technique engraving to fail, or even directly ruin the magic gemstone.

This thing cost five million Valis. He did not have money for a second one.

He had shamelessly asked Freya for twenty million Valis, and he still had no idea how he would repay it. If he went to ask again, even with Cao Ye's thick skin, he would feel embarrassed.

Drip—

Beads of crystal-clear sweat continuously slid down his forehead.

He concentrated completely throughout the process, terrified that even the slightest issue would cause all his efforts to fail.

Cursed Corpse!

Buzz—

More than ten minutes later, a faint glow slowly emerged from the "magic gemstone."

Cao Ye let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had succeeded. If he had failed, the loss would have been enormous.

Still, Cao Ye felt a little proud that his first attempt at engraving a cursed technique had succeeded in one try.

He placed the "magic gemstone" serving as the core inside the cursed corpse. All preparations were complete. The next step was to inject cursed energy and activate the cursed corpse.

This was the most important step, because activating a cursed corpse was far from simple.

If a cursed corpse was a program, and the cursed technique was the framework constructing that program, then the activation process was the code that started it. Its complexity went without saying.

Especially for those special cursed corpses that possessed particular settings.

For example, during Yuji Itadori's emotional-control training, there was that little boxing bear. If cursed energy was not continuously injected into it, it would attack. If cursed energy was injected into it, it would peacefully sleep.

For this type of cursed corpse, its behavioral rules had already been predetermined.

"Wait. My magic power has now fused with cursed energy, and Black Mud is a product of my magic power. What would happen if I used Black Mud to fill the cursed corpse?"

The moment Cao Ye thought of it, he acted. Black Mud, seemingly steeped in filth, flowed out.

Under Cao Ye's control, it fused into the cursed corpse and became one with the core magic gemstone. Cao Ye could feel that his control over the core had deepened further.

Previously, he had relied on the cursed technique to control it. But now, with the Black Mud filling it, controlling it became much easier.

Not only that, under the filling of Black Mud, flaws that Cao Ye had been unable to address were smoothed over. The entire cursed corpse fused directly into a single whole.

"Puppet Manipulation—"

Cao Ye activated his cursed technique. The cursed technique known as Puppet Manipulation began to operate.

The once lifeless cursed corpse was enveloped in magic power. Its stiff body began to undergo subtle changes, and pupils appeared in the eyes that had originally been decorated with crystals.

Bang—

The cursed corpse moved. Cao Ye immediately smiled. His cursed technique had succeeded.

"Cursed Corpse!"

Before Cao Ye stood a small orange-red dinosaur with a round head and sharp claws. The flame burning at the tip of its long tail, in particular, proved its identity.

"Charmander, use Flamethrower!"