In DanMachi, I Got Targeted by Freya from the Start!

Cao Ye was quite satisfied with this skill. With it, the cursed corpses he crafted should improve significantly.

Next, Cao Ye began his second ten-pull. It was still the familiar interface and the familiar process.

[Black stockings][Black stockings][White stockings][White stockings]... ... ...

A pile of thigh-highs made Cao Ye's face darken. Damn it, after giving me such a great start, you're dropping the ball already?

Unwilling to accept it, Cao Ye kept pulling. But his despair had only just begun.

Third ten-pull:

[Black stockings][Black stockings][White stockings][White stockings]... ... ...

Fourth ten-pull:

[Black stockings][Black stockings][White stockings][White stockings]... ... ...

Slap—

Cao Ye smacked himself across the face. Was his luck really this bad? Thirty whole pulls without getting anything good. Damn, 300 gems for a pile of thigh-highs. Even if I like them, this is way too much!

"I'm going all in. I sacrifice Goddess Freya's ten thousand years of lifespan. If I still don't get anything, I'm filing a complaint."

Cao Ye was on the verge of breaking down. Thirty pulls had gone completely down the drain. No one could take that.

Whoosh—

For the final ten-pull, Cao Ye stared fixedly at the draw interface before him.

A brand-new "card pack" was taken out. Once it was torn open, cards flew out one after another, then began revealing their "true forms."

[Black stockings][White stockings][Fishnets]... ... ...

The familiar plot, the familiar scene. As the progress bar passed halfway in the blink of an eye, Cao Ye's heart sank. Don't tell me this is another waste... I don't want to become a [Great African Chieftain].

[Noble Phantasm: Excalibur]

[Jewel Magecraft]

Just when Cao Ye had already given up, a "miracle" happened. At the very end, he got two hits in a row—a double gold pull.

And what he got this time was so unbelievable that Cao Ye could hardly believe it.

[Excalibur]

This was the Noble Phantasm of the King of Knights! This could actually be pulled?

As for Jewel Magecraft, compared to Excalibur, it was nothing worth mentioning.

Whoosh—

After he claimed the reward, a sword gleaming with golden light appeared before Cao Ye.

The moment it appeared, it bound itself directly to Cao Ye. A Noble Phantasm was an armament praised in the legends of Heroic Spirits, a materialized miracle, proof of a hero possessed by a Servant.

Thus, Noble Phantasms usually had no physical form and would materialize according to a Servant's will.

Yet this kind of "divine artifact" now belonged to Cao Ye. It had bound itself to him and had become his exclusive Noble Phantasm.

The Holy Sword Turns Dark!

[Excalibur]

The most powerful Noble Phantasm wielded by the Knight King, Artoria Pendragon.

A holy sword regarded as the symbol of King Arthur's greatest power and highest nobility, a Noble Phantasm standing at the pinnacle of holy swords.

It radiated a sacred golden aura that involuntarily made people feel ashamed of themselves. A [sword] like this was simply not something mortals were qualified to touch.

Whoosh—

Yet the instant Cao Ye touched Excalibur, its sacred golden brilliance vanished without a trace, replaced by profound darkness.

The original colors of "gold" and "blue" had also turned into "black" and "red."

The sacred holy sword had reversed into a profound demonic sword. That was the true nature of this [sword].

[Excalibur (Excalibur Morgan)]

Although its appearance and color differed somewhat, it was still another aspect of Excalibur. Because the Lady of the Lake, Viviane, and Morgan both existed, this holy sword possessed attributes of both good and evil.

A sword of black aurora. It no longer restrained its wielder's mana. When the holy sword was swung with full force, mana particles ceased to be light and instead became darkness that devoured light.

"It turned dark?"

Cao Ye looked at the Excalibur in his hand, feeling somewhat speechless.

Just moments ago, he had been happy to obtain the King of Knights' "Curry Stick," only for it to get corrupted immediately.

But it was only natural. He bore All the World's Evil, so the Excalibur bound to him would definitely turn dark, just like the King of Knights who had been corrupted by Black Mud.

Still, with Excalibur in hand, Cao Ye could clearly sense just how terrifying the power contained within this sword was.

Excalibur was an amplifier that transformed the wielder's mana, and the extent of that amplification surpassed everyone's imagination.

As an "Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm," it naturally possessed the might to destroy a fortress with a single strike.

Back when he watched Fate, after the King of Knights turned dark, her combat power compared to when she was with Shirou Emiya was simply the difference between a boss and a regular mob. It was more than a minor improvement.

Sure enough, [Turning dark makes you three times stronger; turning good makes you seventy percent weaker]. That was an eternal iron law.

Whoosh—

The next second, Excalibur vanished from Cao Ye's hand.

Unlike ordinary weapons, Noble Phantasms had no fixed physical form and could materialize according to their wielder's will. It was simply too convenient, and there was no need to worry about wear and tear.

At that moment, Cao Ye was extremely excited. He had even completely forgotten about the other reward, Jewel Magecraft.

His only thought now was to test just how powerful Excalibur truly was.

Lying in bed, Cao Ye desperately wanted to fall asleep quickly so he could get up early tomorrow. But with something weighing on his mind, he simply could not sleep.

And the more he wanted to fall asleep, the less able he was to do so.

"No, I have to go try it out. Otherwise, I won't sleep at all tonight."

He climbed out of bed, got dressed, and headed out.

His destination was clear: the Dungeon. The Dungeon had no time restrictions and could be entered anytime, anywhere, twenty-four hours a day. There was no issue of being unable to enter.

"Lady Freya, Cao Ye just left for the Dungeon~"

"Leave him alone. He just leveled up, so of course he won't be able to hold himself back. I just didn't expect that he couldn't even wait one night."

Freya did not pay it much mind. After leveling up, it was like a human's "vessel" had been enhanced, bringing a tremendous leap in overall strength. Under such circumstances, wanting to test one's own power was perfectly normal.

As for Ottar, he remained silent.

Still, he was greatly astonished by Cao Ye. In only a month, he had gone from Level 1 to Level 2. According to the goddess, he had even slain the floor boss, Goliath, with the strength of a Level 1 adventurer.

Even he had not been capable of such a feat back then.

As expected of a goddess. Her judgment was always this good. If someone from another Familia recruited Cao Ye, especially the Loki Familia, then the Freya Familia might very well be in danger years from now.

Meanwhile, Cao Ye had already entered the Dungeon.

He ignored the weak monsters on the upper floors and headed straight deeper below.

Boom—

While Cao Ye was making his way through the Dungeon, a massive rock suddenly came flying at him. He rolled aside and dodged the sudden attack.

Then, looking in the direction from which the boulder had come, he saw a white figure step out of the cavern.

Its four- or five-meter-tall body, silver-white fur, and humanoid posture all revealed its identity: a Silverback, one of the monsters found in the Dungeon's middle floors.

"A Silverback?"

Looking at the monster, Cao Ye recalled that Bell, the protagonist in the original story, had been chased all over the place by one of these.

In the end, Bell obtained the weapon Hestia had sent him—the Hestia Knife—and defeated it after a grueling battle.

Roar—

The Silverback roared as it stared at Cao Ye.

Its massive palm grabbed another boulder from nearby and hurled it directly at him.

Bang—

Cao Ye hurriedly dodged. It truly was a primate monster; it was fairly intelligent and even knew how to use thrown weapons.

"I'll use you to test my sword—"

Cao Ye looked at the Silverback and opened his right hand. The next second, black light flashed, and pitch-black Excalibur appeared in his grasp.

Holding Excalibur, Cao Ye also began to radiate an imposing aura.

Roar—

The Silverback suddenly let out another roar and charged toward Cao Ye.

Whoosh—

[Mana Burst—]

The skill activated. Bolstered by mana, Cao Ye's physical abilities rose to another level.

Then he charged forward to meet it. Since he was testing it, he might as well have a real fight.

Slice—

The Silverback's fur was cut apart as easily as tofu by Excalibur.

Even aside from Excalibur's special nature, as an A++-rank Noble Phantasm, its sharpness was beyond doubt.

A mere Silverback from the Dungeon's middle and upper floors was not worth mentioning at all.

Bang—

The wounded Silverback immediately counterattacked, swinging a palm at Cao Ye, but he dodged it.

Slice—

A slash followed immediately after. The pitch-black blade severed one of the Silverback's arms outright.

The surrounding rocks were instantly dyed red, yet not a single drop of blood clung to Excalibur's blade. It remained as dark and profound as an abyss.

Cao Ye Encounters [Monster Offering]!

There was no suspense in the battle. Cao Ye had already reached Level 2, and with Excalibur, an A++-rank Noble Phantasm, his strength had long surpassed that of the Silverback by far.

This could no longer be called a "battle." It was a one-sided crushing.

Slice—

Blood sprayed through the air as the blade pierced straight through the Silverback's body.

Its seemingly enormous body was just as fragile in the face of death.

Poof—

As black smoke dispersed, only a magic stone was left on the ground.

"As expected of the Curry Stick, especially the dark version."

Looking at Excalibur in his hand, Cao Ye felt that if he faced Goliath again, he would not even need to fight it. He could simply fire a beam and "nuke" it into peace.

Of course, that was just wishful thinking. With Cao Ye's current mana, he truly could not use a Noble Phantasm's release.

Especially since Excalibur was an A++-rank Noble Phantasm, the mana required to release it was enormous. The reason the King of Knights' strength differed so greatly before and after turning dark in the Fifth Holy Grail War was also because Shirou Emiya, as her Master, did not have enough mana.

The darkened King of Knights did not need to worry about mana consumption at all. She could use ultimate moves like normal attacks. Before that, however, she had needed to watch her mana expenditure, because if she used too much, it would draw mana from her Master.

And there was no need to say anything about Shirou Emiya's mana. If the King of Knights fired off a few beams, he would probably be drained dry.

Putting away Excalibur, Cao Ye continued deeper. How could one time possibly be enough? He had not had his fill yet.

It was like playing Terraria: after struggling through countless hardships to craft the [Zenith], could you resist using it to kill a few more bosses?

Since it was the middle of the night, Cao Ye did not encounter many people along the way.