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

"I really don't know what kind of little monster you are. At your rate of growth, you might actually be able to defeat that monster someday."

"Hmm? Has Lady Freya fallen for me?"

"Fallen for you? You're not worthy of that yet. Besides, I haven't forgotten how you offended me before."

Hearing Freya say that, Cao Ye was no longer worried.

Indeed, she had set him up before, which had left him quite displeased. But after getting his revenge on her as well, and after making that promise, Cao Ye wanted to conquer her even more.

Conquering a goddess who stood so high above everyone else and pressing her beneath him—if he succeeded, it would definitely feel incredible.

But for now, it could only be called an ambition.

After all, this goddess might look delicate and harmless, as though she had no combat ability whatsoever, but if her divine will erupted, all of Orario would become her backyard.

In the original story, in order to obtain the protagonist Bell, Freya used the power of the Goddess of Love for the first time. She unleashed her "Charm," controlling the vast majority of Orario's people.

Other than Hestia, Ouranos, Ryu and the All-Rounder who had escaped Orario, she altered everyone's memories of Bell and forcibly rewrote all records concerning him, making everyone believe that Bell had always been a member of the Freya Familia.

That feat alone was enough to prove how terrifying Freya was.

At the same time, it indirectly confirmed something: although the gods of this world looked no different from ordinary people, they were gods by nature, utterly different from mortals.

Perhaps because of the lingering grudge, Freya did not have Cao Ye massage her again and simply sent him back.

Upon returning to his room, Cao Ye immediately opened the Imaginary Space, took out all the magic stones he had obtained today, and absorbed them all in one go.

Mmm~

This was the first time Cao Ye had felt so good. In the past, he had only absorbed a few magic stones at a time, but this time there were so many, and they came from mid-level monsters. Both their quantity and quality far surpassed those from the upper floors.

A short while later, all the magic stones had been absorbed, leaving behind only glittering, translucent crystals.

While he was in a good mood, Cao Ye looked at the [Card Draw Interface]. Although he only had the 10 diamonds he had earned from completing today's [Daily Mission], he still wanted to try his luck.

The Jujutsu Kaisen card pool had a time limit. Since he could not save up for a ten-pull anyway, he might as well draw now. Single pulls could work miracles.

"I sacrifice one thousand years of Goddess Freya's lifespan. Draw—"

This time, Cao Ye went with the sacrifice method. Only, the one being sacrificed was not himself, but Freya.

As a goddess who had lived for countless eons and possessed an infinite lifespan, losing a thousand years was hardly a concern.

Whoosh—

A card was selected from the draw interface and flew out. Under Cao Ye's gaze, it slowly unveiled its mysterious face!

Special-Grade Cursed Tool: Inverted Spear of Heaven!

"What is this—"

The moment Cao Ye saw the card before him, he was stunned.

Although it had only appeared a handful of times in Jujutsu Kaisen, it had left an incredibly deep impression on countless people. Its wielder, in particular, had astonished innumerable fans.

[Special-Grade Cursed Tool: Inverted Spear of Heaven]

It was a strangely shaped short blade, a weapon that had only appeared in Satoru Gojo's memories.

Yet this special-grade cursed tool had nearly killed Satoru Gojo. Because he feared it, Satoru Gojo had personally destroyed it.

The Inverted Spear of Heaven's ability was simple, but utterly overpowered: it forcibly dispelled activated techniques. If it came into contact with sorcery, it could forcefully nullify it.

Its effect was singular, but terrifying.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, Toji Fushiguro, the wielder of the Inverted Spear of Heaven, had used that effect to dispel Satoru Gojo's power of stoppage and defeat him.

In fact, if Toji Fushiguro had used the Inverted Spear of Heaven to finish off Satoru Gojo back then, there would never have been the "strongest Sorcerer," Satoru Gojo.

Click—

After materializing the Inverted Spear of Heaven and holding the special-grade cursed tool in his own hands, Cao Ye was slightly startled.

That was because he could sense a terrifying "curse" contained within the Inverted Spear of Heaven, and that was the essence of a "cursed tool."

A so-called "cursed tool" was simply a vessel that carried a "curse."

However, this was not the world of Jujutsu Kaisen. This world had neither curses nor cursed energy. Could the Inverted Spear of Heaven still function?

Whoosh—

Cao Ye gave it a casual swing and found that it felt extremely good in his hand.

Moreover, compared to the black sword, the Inverted Spear of Heaven was better suited for the Ratio Technique. With sorcery paired with a cursed tool, it also felt more natural to use.

"Hmm? This is..."

All of a sudden, the All the World's Evil within Cao Ye began to boil. Then, the "curse" inside the Inverted Spear of Heaven began to leak out as well.

The next second, the two came into contact. In merely an instant, everything returned to calm.

Yet Cao Ye could feel that the original "curse" within the Inverted Spear of Heaven was gone. What had replaced it was "evil"—the malice of All the World's Evil.

Though the Inverted Spear of Heaven's appearance had not changed in the slightest, its interior had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

The former "special-grade cursed tool" could now be called an "evil cursed tool." Yet precisely because of that, with the Inverted Spear of Heaven in hand, Cao Ye felt as though he could wield it as easily as his own arm.

"I was originally planning to forge a new weapon, but it looks like there's no need now."

Looking at the Inverted Spear of Heaven in his hand, Cao Ye liked it more and more.

Lying on his bed, Cao Ye let his thoughts drift. So much had happened today.

He had finally reached the Dungeon's eighteenth floor and seen an adventurer town within the Dungeon. He had even gotten acquainted with the local gang leader.

Then there had been a monster attack, and he had taken advantage of the chaos to make off with a large haul of magic stones.

That evening, he attended a banquet, clashed with the Apollo Familia, cut off one of the Apollo Familia captain's arms, and completely became enemies with the Apollo Familia.

Good lord, he had really lived a fulfilling day. From morning to night, not a moment had been wasted.

And amid his drowsiness, Cao Ye fell into a deep sleep.

Cao Ye slept soundly, only waking leisurely the next day when the sun was already high in the sky.

"Mmm~"

After stretching, Cao Ye got up.

He washed up, tidied his appearance, picked up his new weapon, and prepared to head for the Dungeon. Naturally, he needed to properly test the feel of his new weapon.

The moment he stepped outside, Cao Ye instinctively glanced toward Freya's door. Ottar was not there.

"Did she go out?"

Cao Ye said in surprise.

Over the past month or so, Cao Ye had noticed that Freya basically never went out. Unless she was attending a meeting of the gods, a banquet, or dealing with matters concerning her Familia, she would not leave Babel Tower.

It was not because she held herself above everyone else. It was simply because her charm was too overwhelming.

Even if she merely walked down the street, everyone would become immersed in her charm. Whenever she went out, she sometimes wore a magic robe that concealed her identity, just to hide some of that charm.

That was also why she had created an alternate identity at the Hostess of Fertility and worked there as an ordinary waitress.

However, Cao Ye did not think much of it and headed straight for the Dungeon.

Tap—tap—

As he set foot in the Dungeon once again, Cao Ye had no desire to linger on the upper floors. He headed directly toward the middle floors.

He ignored many of the monsters he encountered along the way. He was no longer interested in such small fry.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Orario, inside a shop on the bustling street of Orario's Eighth District.

"Go on, then. Why did you call me over so early in the morning? What is it?"

Goddess Loki sat in her seat, her tone somewhat displeased.

She had been about to give her Ais a morning surprise, only to be called out by the other party. Such opportunities were rare, after all. Ais was a leveling fanatic who spent every day soaking herself in the Dungeon.

"It's nothing major. I just have a small favor to ask of you."

The one sitting across from Loki was none other than Freya. Today, however, she wore a long robe that concealed her from head to toe.

"A small favor? I'd like to know just how 'small' it is."

Hearing Freya's words, Loki snorted dismissively. If it really were a small matter, would Freya have come looking for her this early in the morning?

Besides, the commotion Cao Ye had caused last night was no small matter. It had already spread throughout Orario: the man favored by Goddess Freya had cut down the captain of the Apollo Familia with a single sword strike at Apollo's banquet.

No one cared about the reason or the final outcome. What they cared about was the explosive gossip.

The Apollo Familia already had a poor reputation, so there was no shortage of people kicking them while they were down and reveling in their misfortune.

What was more, the rumors were growing increasingly exaggerated. Who knew what they would turn into before long.

"I would like to ask your Familia's Braver to teach one of my children for a while."

"Finn? Teach one of your children? Don't tell me it's that boy!"

Loki was slightly startled, though she was more confused than anything. The Freya Familia was hardly lacking adventurers with extensive combat experience. Was asking Finn to teach him not completely unnecessary?

Freya's Scheme!

Loki had always wanted to find an opportunity to get close to Cao Ye.

But she had never found one. It was hard to imagine that one person—one man—could genuinely have so few preferences.

The only thing they had managed to uncover was that he seemed to enjoy good food and often went out to eat and drink.

Other than that, there was simply no other hobby to be found.

Even last night, when Finn had taken the initiative to get acquainted with him, he had come away empty-handed. Because of the dwarf Edward, Cao Ye's attitude toward Finn had been quite good, but it had still been impossible for Finn to learn anything from him.

Loki had been feeling frustrated about it, yet now he had practically delivered himself to her door.

"Freya, does your Familia lack experienced seniors in this area? Why ask Finn? Don't you have anyone in your Familia?"

Although she was somewhat delighted, Loki still voiced the doubt in her heart.

"You should know what my children are like, Loki. That kind of environment is not suitable for Cao Ye. Compared to my side, he is actually a better fit for yours."

"So you're planning to give him to me?"

That immediately piqued Loki's interest. She looked at Freya and said in surprise, "What a pleasant surprise."

"Loki, don't make jokes like that carelessly. I would not want a friendship between gods that has lasted for so many years to break because of this."

At that moment, Freya's gaze changed. Her casual manner from before became serious. She meant it.

Loki understood that. Still, she had not truly taken it seriously in the first place. She merely shrugged, indicating that it was only a joke and Freya should not overthink it.

"Fine, then. Tell me honestly, what's going on?"

"I saw the potential of a 'hero' in him. That is why I do not want to interfere too much with his growth. That is also why I have never sent him to our headquarters and instead kept him by my side."

"The potential of a 'hero'? Freya, you're not joking?"

This time, Loki's expression changed slightly as well, and the way she looked at Freya changed.

Many years ago, during Orario's most prosperous era, when the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia ruled, they both knew just how exceptional those children had been.

Even so, they had ultimately fallen short, and everything had come to nothing.

The monster that even Level 9 adventurers could not defeat was also the reason the gods most eagerly awaited the legend called a "hero"—a miracle that would turn the impossible into possible.

The gods awaited the birth of a hero, and at the same time, they wished to witness the birth of a new legend.

All along, Loki had considered her own Ais to be one possible candidate for that hero. Yet she understood that becoming a hero was not easy. The hardships along the way would be endless.

And now, Freya was saying that a child she had only recently taken in possessed the potential to become a hero. How could Loki not be shocked?

"Loki, there is simply no end to the 'potential' I can see in him. Even that 'monster of talent' from the past could not compare to him."

"Not even your child? You're joking, right, Freya? I don't think that boy is all that strong."

"Loki, have you ever seen Cao Ye's true strength?"

Freya's question left Loki unable to refute her, because she truly had not.