In DanMachi, Freya Had Her Eye on Me from the Start! Chapter 27

Looking at Cao Ye, Freya smiled, but beneath that smile lay surging fury.

As a goddess, she had actually been taken advantage of by a mortal from the lower world. If word got out, no one would believe it, yet it had truly happened.

"A goddess's kiss tastes wonderful. I liked it!"

"You dared touch a goddess's body just to provoke me?"

"I just wanted to see what a goddess looked like when she was angry."

"Now you have. You just said you wanted to put a collar on me and bind me to your side forever, didn't you?"

"Yes~"

"As long as you can 'conquer' me, I will belong to you."

Hearing Freya's words, Cao Ye was somewhat surprised. She had not punished him?

She had even truly agreed to such an "outrageous" condition.

"Conquer?"

Looking at the goddess of beauty before him, Cao Ye had not expected her to say something like that.

"That's right. If you want me to become your 'possession,' then 'conquer' me. After all, obtaining a 'goddess' is not so easy."

"Then I'm curious. How exactly am I supposed to 'conquer' you?"

"Hmph. If you want to conquer a goddess, first become a 'hero.'"

"A hero, huh~"

Looking at Freya, Cao Ye felt somewhat curious. Were the gods really so eagerly awaiting the appearance of a "hero"?

Looking at all of DanMachi, everything Bell experienced along the way seemed as though someone had arranged it all for him, all to bring about the birth of this era's "hero."

"The Three Great Quests?"

"Hm? You actually know about them?"

Freya was surprised. A child from another world actually knew about the Three Great Quests.

The Three Great Quests dated all the way back to ancient times.

Before the gods descended, three monsters had plunged the lower world into an endless abyss of terror, and defeating them became the long-cherished wish of every adventurer in the lower world.

Of those three monsters, two had already been defeated years ago by the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia.

However, when they attempted to defeat the final monster, the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia failed, resulting in the complete annihilation of their forces. It also marked the end of the most prosperous age of adventurers.

Because of that incident, the powerful force suppressing evil vanished, and the dark factions rose up one after another, plunging the city of Orario into a period of darkness and turmoil.

Later, through the efforts of the Loki Familia, Freya Familia, Astraea Familia, Ganesha Familia, and others, Orario returned to peace once more.

After that came the current Age of Two Kings. But compared to the previous era, it fell short by far more than a little.

"You want me to defeat that final monster?"

"If you want to make me yours, then conquer me first!"

"Heh~"

Cao Ye laughed as well. As long as he was given time, forget becoming some hero—even reaching for the "throne of the gods" was not impossible. After all, Fate was not lacking in "gods."

Ratio Technique!

Pfft—

Smack—

Bang—

Within the Dungeon, a tableau woven from pure violence played out without end.

Holding a Black Sword, Cao Ye rampaged through the area. Everywhere he went, every monster was cut down in a single strike without exception. Magic stones fell one after another onto the ground, uncollected.

"Ha~ ha~, so this is the Ratio Technique. It's insanely powerful!"

Cao Ye's face was filled with excitement. Although the intense fighting had left him somewhat exhausted,

the joy in his heart made it impossible for him to calm down.

After reaching that "agreement" with Freya, Cao Ye had chosen to spend all of his diamonds. Though he had not yet reached one hundred diamonds, he could not wait any longer.

He had also realized that he would not be able to save up one hundred diamonds by the final day anyway, meaning he could not manage a ten-pull.

In that case, since he would be doing single pulls regardless, he might as well give it a try. Maybe a miracle would happen.

With that thought in mind, Cao Ye drew a card. A single pull—and he had actually gotten something good.

[Technique: Ratio Technique]

The technique of Kento Nanami, the "adult" from Jujutsu Kaisen. Its effect was also extremely simple.

No matter who the opponent was, this technique could forcibly create a weak point on the enemy's body. It divided the target's length into ten equal parts and forcibly created a weak point at the 7:3 point.

As long as the "point" was struck, a "critical hit" could be triggered.

Even against enemies stronger than the user, it could inflict a certain amount of damage. Any body part could be designated as the target, and it was equally effective against non-living objects.

Even when facing Mahito, a special-grade cursed spirit, Kento Nanami's technique could still easily sever his arms and legs.

"Whew~, time for a break!"

Having obtained such a powerful technique, Cao Ye had excitedly rushed all the way here.

Only now did he finally let himself unwind. It was somewhat like Bell in the original story, who had just acquired magic and become so excited that he forgot about mana consumption, ultimately exhausting all his mana and passing out in the Dungeon.

Clatter—

As he opened the Imaginary Space, magic stones fell out one after another.

Cao Ye skillfully absorbed the magic within those magic stones. That familiar sensation surged through him. It felt absolutely incredible.

Tap—tap—

"Hm? It's you~"

At that moment, a voice sounded from the distance, and Cao Ye instinctively looked over.

Then he saw a familiar figure. Brown skin, crimson hakama trousers unique to the Far East that extended down to her calves, and continental battle attire wrapped around her ample chest.

She wore protective gear such as gauntlets and shoulder guards over it. Her lower and upper body were dressed in a combination of Far Eastern clothing and continental Western attire. At her waist hung a katana sheathed in a pitch-black scabbard.

"Miss Tsubaki~"

Seeing her, Cao Ye greeted her with a smile.

She had stepped in righteously before, and Cao Ye would never forget that kindness.

He might be petty and repay every slight, but he would also forever remember those who had helped him. Whenever they needed help, he would repay them without hesitation.

"You're Cao Ye, right? Your name really is rare."

"That's right. Miss Tsubaki has an excellent memory."

Tsubaki was a half-dwarf born between a human from the Far East and a continental dwarf, so she understood that names in the Far East differed somewhat from those in Orario.

However, a two-character name, one being the surname and the other the given name—this was the first time she had encountered such a case.

"Why have you come back here again, kid?"

"I'm an adventurer. If I'm not in the Dungeon, where else would I go?"

"That's not what I mean. You went through something like that on the seventeenth floor last time. How long has it even been? Why aren't you resting properly?"

Tsubaki remembered very clearly that Cao Ye's injuries had been extremely serious.

He had even lost part of a finger. If he did not recover properly from injuries like that, it would be troublesome if any lasting complications remained.

As she thought this, Tsubaki caught sight of Cao Ye's hands from the corner of her eye. Every finger on both hands was intact, and she froze.

"Cao Ye, your hand~~~"

"My hand?"

Cao Ye looked at his hand, then looked at Tsubaki in confusion, not understanding what she meant.

"Last time, didn't you lose a finger? Why has it grown back now?"

"Oh, I know healing magic. It works pretty well. It was only a severed finger, so restoring it was still possible."

"A severed finger can be restored?"

This truly shocked Tsubaki. After all, healing magic was already scarce in Orario.

High-level healing magic like this was even rarer. The most famous user was Amid Teasanare, known as the "Saintess of the Battlefield."

She was Orario's finest healer. She possessed advanced healing magic capable of healing wounds, restoring stamina, removing toxins, and dispelling curses.

Yet every use of that healing magic was sold at a high price by her goddess.

There was only one healer like that in all of Orario, which showed just how rare users of advanced healing magic were.

And someone like Cao Ye, who could even regenerate a severed finger, did not exist anywhere in Orario. Not even Amid could manage it. If word spread, who knew how many people would be shocked.

"If Miss Tsubaki ever needs me in the future, you can come find me anytime."

"Come find you anytime? You're being awfully generous."

"I'll always remember the debt of saving my life."

Cao Ye's words put Tsubaki in a good mood. She had never expected her small act of kindness to bring such a reward.

The friendship of a high-level healer was something countless people could never obtain.

"If I truly need you, I'll definitely come find you."

"I'd rather Miss Tsubaki never has to come find me."

"You really are something~"

Looking at Cao Ye, Tsubaki immediately laughed.

He did not want her to come find him—did that not mean he did not want her to get hurt? If she needed to seek him out, the injury would probably not be minor.

"By the way, Miss Tsubaki, are you heading back?"

"Mm. The weapon testing is finished, so it's time to go back. There's still a mountain of things waiting for me in the Familia."

As Orario's largest weapon-crafting Familia, the Hephaestus Familia worked with quite a few Familias, not to mention the adventurers who commissioned them individually.

As the captain of the Hephaestus Familia and its finest smith, Tsubaki naturally had no shortage of orders.

The fact that she personally came to test even a weapon showed how seriously Tsubaki took smithing.

"Next time, I'll treat Miss Tsubaki to a meal."

"Sure. Then I'll be waiting."

Looking at Cao Ye, Tsubaki answered with a smile.

Enthusiastic Bors!

Bang—

As the final monster fell to the ground, Cao Ye let out a long breath.

With exhaustion weighing on him, the excitement in his heart had gradually faded. Still, Cao Ye truly liked the Ratio Technique. It was simply too useful.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, Kento Nanami could sweep through his enemies with only a blunt blade.

Now, in Cao Ye's hands, not a single monster he encountered today could withstand one of his strikes. Under the rules of the Ratio Technique, every one of them had been cut apart.

He gathered all the magic stones and absorbed the magic within them.

The seventeenth floor. Not long ago, he had nearly died here. Now he had returned, and he had become stronger.

Tap—tap—tap—

Under the light refracted by the crystal walls, this place was completely different from the upper floors. It was exceptionally bright.

Unlike last time, nothing unexpected happened along the way, nor did he encounter any monsters. Cao Ye passed through the area with ease.

Dungeon, eighteenth floor—the Dungeon's first safe floor.