In DanMachi, Freya Had Her Eye on Me from the Start! Chapter 43

The entire Dungeon was somewhat quiet at this time.

Tap tap tap—

A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out. Judging by the sound, there were quite a few people.

"It's all your fault. You just had to go kill some Killer Ants."

"Who knew those Killer Ants would be so tough? They still weren't dead even after that."

"Will you shut up already? The Killer Ant swarm is about to catch up."

"Run!"

Though the noisy voices were still some distance away, Cao Ye could roughly make out what had happened.

Someone had gone looking for trouble. Though individual Killer Ants were weak, they were swarm-type monsters. Once attacked, they would cry out and summon their kind.

In the upper floors of the Dungeon, countless adventurers had died under the siege of Killer Ants.

That was where the name "Killer Ant" came from. In the upper floors of the Dungeon, they were literally murderous ants. It was no joke.

Getting surrounded by a swarm of Killer Ants would be more than even some weaker Level 2 adventurers could handle.

"Hm? There's someone up ahead~"

"What luck. Hurry up and pass him."

"That doesn't seem right."

"What's wrong with it? Do you want him to die, or do you want to die?"

"... ... ..."

So-called kindness usually existed only when one's own safety was not at stake. When true danger arrived, the vast majority of people became utterly selfish.

To survive, they would pay any price. Forget dragging someone else down with them—even if they had to kill someone, they would not hesitate.

At that moment, Cao Ye saw a group of women. They were all scantily dressed and well-built, but their dark skin greatly diminished their appeal.

Cao Ye recognized them as well. Amazon women—women who looked like black African girls. In Orario, they were the only kind like that.

"What a handsome little brother. Under normal circumstances, I might have spent a night with you for free. But now, I'll have to trouble you instead."

The Amazon woman at the front said this to Cao Ye.

Her three companions beside her looked at Cao Ye with faces full of regret.

They normally hungered for handsome men like him. They would have been willing to throw themselves at him just for a taste, but in their current situation, they had no time to waste.

Rustle rustle—

A chaotic rustling sounded out. Behind the Amazon women, a dense mass of Killer Ants surged forward.

Seeing their numbers, even Cao Ye wondered what these women had done. Had they poked the ants' nest? They looked like they had all poured out in full force.

"I'm really sorry, handsome, but we don't have a choice."

As she rapidly approached Cao Ye, the Amazon woman said this to him.

Cao Ye was no fool. He naturally understood that they intended to divert disaster onto him.

This kind of behavior had a name in Orario: "Monster Offering."

It was a tactic used by adventurers in the Dungeon. When retreating, they would lead the monsters pursuing them toward other adventurers, letting others draw the monsters' attention so they could escape.

Though the Dungeon's unwritten rule was not to interfere with other adventurers' actions, when danger was imminent, parties often used this tactic.

It was a thoroughly disgraceful act, but when one's life was truly threatened, shame had long ceased to matter.

Cao Ye glanced at the Killer Ants flooding in from the distance, then at the Amazons rapidly fleeing.

His expression immediately turned cold. Well, well. He had never expected that one day, he would be thrown out as someone else's sacrifice.

Rustle... rustle...

The sound of insects scuttling rapidly drew closer. The Killer Ants were already right before him.

Killer Ants were monsters. In their minds, all humans were enemies. Thus, even though Cao Ye had not provoked them, they would still attack him.

Whoosh—

"Projection, begin—"

As Cao Ye's words fell, a sword was projected beside him.

"Broken Phantasm—"

Boom—

The next second, Cao Ye threw the newly projected sword like a grenade and detonated it directly.

It was also a Broken Phantasm, but this was probably the lowest grade possible.

Still, it was more than enough for the current situation.

Rumble—

The entire cavern began to collapse amid the violent explosion. Broken Phantasm directly detonated projected weapons, and its destructive power was no small matter.

The already narrow cavern collapsed from the blast.

This directly blocked the Killer Ants' path forward.

It was not that Cao Ye could not deal with these Killer Ants. Rather, he needed to find the real culprits and "give them a gift." Since they had treated him to a Monster Offering, he had to return the favor with a grand gift.

Pack Them Up! Knock Them Out! Take Them Away!

Bang—

"Ow, handsome, be gentler~"

A coquettish moan rang out. Anyone who did not know better would have thought the two were doing something improper.

In reality, the four Amazon women before him had been tightly bound and thrown there, each with regret and helplessness written all over her face.

They did not regret using Monster Offering. They regretted using it on the little monster before them.

He looked tall and skinny. Who could have imagined that he was so strong? He had easily dealt with the Killer Ants, then taken down all four of them in no time.

Though they were all Level 2, being captured alive so easily was truly humiliating.

"Handsome, we were wrong earlier. How about this? The four of us will serve you properly as compensation~"

As she spoke, she put on a shy expression, and the other three women's eyes immediately lit up.

Amazon women belonged to a female tribe. Their men were abducted from elsewhere, and Amazons were extremely open-minded about such matters between men and women.

Most of the women in Orario's largest red-light district, the Pleasure Quarter, were Amazons.

By coincidence, these four were among them as well. They were members of the Ishtar Familia. During the day, they explored the Dungeon; at night, they worked in the red-light district. That was their daily life.

Handsome men like Cao Ye were a rare sight in the Pleasure Quarter. People would line up even if they had to pay out of pocket.

If something really happened between them, they would be the ones getting a bargain.

"Compensate me? Sorry, I'm not interested~"

Looking at the four dark-skinned girls before him, Cao Ye curled his lip.

It was not that he looked down on them. He was not some bitter, resentful youth, nor did he have some twisted virginity complex. He simply had no interest in dark-skinned girls.

Though he was a lecherous man, Cao Ye still preferred [fair], [rich], and [beautiful].

Unfortunately, they possessed none of those three traits. Moreover, after spending so much time around the goddess Freya, he had become increasingly unimpressed by ordinary women.

"Handsome, don't be embarrassed. The four of us sisters are very experienced."

With that, she gave Cao Ye a seductive smile, utterly failing to notice his lack of interest in them.

There were beautiful dark-skinned women, but Cao Ye simply could not appreciate them. What others liked was their business; he just felt nothing.

"Wait, don't tell me you're from the Ishtar Familia?"

Suddenly, Cao Ye recalled something. Most Amazons in Orario belonged to one Familia: the Ishtar Familia.

"That's right. This big sister is from the Ishtar Familia. My name is Afuya. What, have you been to our place before?"

What she meant was the Pleasure Quarter. In Orario, more than eighty percent of men had visited the Pleasure Quarter.

After all, men had desires, and the Pleasure Quarter was precisely where they went to release them. That was why no one had dealt with it over the years.

Adventurers made a living with their heads on the line. With so much pressure, if they had nowhere to vent, problems would easily arise. Who knew what kind of trouble they might cause then?

"That's perfect. Just when I was thinking about it~"

Earlier, Cao Ye had been pondering how to abduct the fox girl from the original story.

Her skill, [Myriad Treasure Hammer], was an incredibly powerful magic. It could raise someone's level. Though it only lasted fifteen minutes, that was already terrifying enough.

If Ottar received one, he would directly become Level 8. At that point, Orario's ultimate weapon would truly be unshakable.

There was also the later [Ninefold] magic, which allowed Myriad Treasure Hammer's effect to apply to multiple people at once, with a maximum of nine. A single-target boost became a group buff. No wonder she was the protagonist's mobile cheat code.

However, the Ishtar Familia was not weak, and they also had ties to the Dark Faction, making them difficult to target.

But now, someone from the Ishtar Familia had actually plotted against him and hit him with a Monster Offering. Hadn't they walked right into the line of fire?

Publicly, the Guild strictly prohibited vile acts such as Monster Offering.

If handled properly, he would have every reason to initiate a War Game. At that point, taking a little fox girl would be effortless.

As for whether Freya would agree, Cao Ye did not care in the slightest. As long as she knew the effects of [Myriad Treasure Hammer], Cao Ye believed Freya would never refuse.

After all, having such a trump card was equivalent to having another layer of insurance.

In anyone else's hands, it would at most create an additional Level 6 or Level 7. But in Freya's hands, it would be Level 8 combat power. For at least the next ten years, no one would be able to shake the Freya Familia's position.

"Handsome, what are you thinking about? How about you untie this big sister, and I'll help you relax?"

At this point, because Cao Ye had been distracted for a while, Afuya assumed he was a virgin and was simply too embarrassed.

For veterans like them, a handsome virgin was a treasure among treasures.

Just imagining that a handsome virgin was about to fall into her hands was enough to make Afuya unable to bear it.

"Oh, I forgot you were still here. Sorry."

"No—"

Crack—

A chop to the neck knocked her unconscious.

The clean, decisive scene left the other three women stunned. What was going on? Why had he suddenly attacked?

Before they could even wonder further, Cao Ye moved against them as well. A few more strikes, and he knocked all three unconscious too.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have knocked them out. How am I supposed to carry them away now? Am I meant to haul them over my shoulders?"

The moment he finished, Cao Ye regretted it. There was still some distance from here back to Orario. Taking four people with him would not be easy.

The more he thought about it, the more regretful he became. He had acted too soon. He should have taken them back first, then knocked them out. What a miscalculation.

After agonizing over it for a while, Cao Ye accepted his fate. He was truly having rotten luck.

Time passed bit by bit. More than two hours later, Cao Ye finally dragged the four unconscious Amazon girls out of the Dungeon.

He had hit them too hard. He had tried waking them several times along the way, but none of them had stirred. He would have to be more careful next time.

Cao Ye did not waste any time. He brought the four women into the elevator and headed straight for the top floor.

"Ottar, has Lady Freya gone to sleep?"

After hauling the four women out of the elevator, he went over and asked Ottar.

Though it was already late at night, Ottar had not left. He stood perfectly straight at the entrance with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. Cao Ye even wondered whether he slept standing up.

Cao Ye's Purpose: Plotting for the Fox Girl!

Looking at Cao Ye and the four Amazon women behind him, Ottar could not help frowning.

This was the territory of the goddess Freya, yet Cao Ye had casually brought four women of unknown origin here. In Ottar's eyes, that was a breach of decorum.

"The goddess has already retired~"