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Kamui is an insanely useful ability, no doubt about it—but before you unlock the Eternal Mangekyo, using it risks blindness… unless you've got Hashirama cells backing you up.
And even then, it's a serious energy-drain.
Having both eyes with Kamui makes it more flexible, sure, but that doesn't mean you can spam it.
Plus, to be safe, you should always keep some energy in reserve.
After thinking it through, Dan answered seriously:
"Three times."
Lyra's eyes lit up for a moment—she clearly suspected Dan could use it more, maybe even double that—but she didn't question it. Instead, she calmly began planning a new route for their exploration.
"If Dan's insane luck keeps holding out, I'm setting our exploration depth target to the 7th floor."
Neze suddenly clapped her hands like she remembered something.
"Wait—7th floor? Lyra, don't tell me you're aiming for that thing...?"
Celty also caught on and remembered the rare species found on that floor.
"That incredibly beautiful Blue Phoenix Butterfly—the one that looks nothing like a monster. It drops an item called [Wings of the Blue Phoenix], and the powder it secretes has healing properties. Perfect for potions. That stuff's worth a fortune!"
Lyra stretched casually.
"Exactly. Rather than hunting random monsters for money, I think gathering potion ingredients and weapon-crafting materials should be our main focus."
Dan gave a subtle nod.
Honestly, Lyra's level-headedness impressed him. Staying rational in the face of huge profits? That's the kind of leadership a commander needs.
Her plan—using Kamui roughly once every two floors—minimized his burden while maximizing the party's gains.
He could just lead them to quick riches with his abilities, but Lyra still prioritized what the familia actually needed.
She really did live up to her title as Vice-Captain of the Knight Order in her previous life...
But seriously… am I really that lucky?
Dan looked down at the egg in his hand, still trying to wrap his head around it.
Back in his last life, he never showed signs of being super lucky… Or maybe just being chosen by the system already meant his hidden luck stat was through the roof…
While the girls were all still buzzing about Dan's mysterious ability, the more mature Maryuu stepped in to cool things down.
"We shouldn't rely too much on Dan's luck or that skill of his, okay? Remember—we're trying to earn money to grow stronger, not lose sight of what matters!"
The ever-serious Ryuu nodded fiercely and swung her wooden sword.
"She's right! Luck might just be an illusion, but our training and hard work will never betray us!"
The rest of the girls snapped back to reality.
"Yeah, Ryuu's right."
"We should assume this luck won't last forever."
"We can't just dump everything on the newbie! We're the seniors—we're supposed to be the ones taking care of others!"
Ryuu smiled in satisfaction hearing them pull themselves together.
Then her gaze drifted to something in Dan's arms—he was holding a golden egg. She blinked, puzzled.
"Dan, is that... food?"
Her question turned everyone's attention back to Dan.
"Oh, this thing?" Dan tossed the golden egg in his hand a bit, looking a little unsure himself.
"While we were fighting monsters earlier, I saw a chicken and instinctively slashed at it… and this egg popped out."
May the heavens vouch for him—he definitely wasn't a loot goblin!
Lyra's eyes followed the egg's motion... then suddenly widened. She jumped up and snatched the egg from his hands, inspecting it carefully like it was a national treasure.
"WAIT!!!"
"Dan! That chicken you saw—what did it look like?!"
Dan was startled by her sudden excitement. After thinking for a moment, he replied uncertainly:
"I remember it had yellowish-green feathers."
"THAT'S IT! Damn it—are you seriously the secret love child of the Goddess of Luck?!"
"Uh… So it's a rare monster?"
"Rare?! That's not even the half of it! I've only ever heard rumors of it—never seen one myself. This is a [Golden Egg of the Jackbird]!"
The girls looked confused—clearly, other than Lyra (the bookworm), none of them had ever heard of it.
Lyra explained, her tone a bit complicated.
"Jackbirds aren't very aggressive, but they're insanely fast. Maybe it's Dan's absurd speed and ridiculous luck that let us even see this treasure."
Suzuka's voice rang in Dan's mind—slightly smug, slightly shy.
—"I'll take that as a compliment!"
Ryuu, on the other hand, looked like she'd just been smacked by reality again. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then asked:
"Umm… so is that golden egg worth a lot?"
Lyra hugged the egg like it was a baby.
"Ryuu, remember those fried potato balls you love?"
"If we sold this… we could buy, like, 100,000 of them."
Ryuu's eyes nearly popped out of her head, her beautiful sky-blue irises trembling with shock.
"One... One hundred thousand?!"
"Whoa—so like, that's a million valis?!"
"Yeah... I think we could just go home now, honestly."
The girls all swarmed around the golden egg, gasping and whispering.
Just then, Dan felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned, puzzled.
Ryuu had somehow snuck up beside him. She was lightly pinching his sleeve between her thumb and index finger, shyly rocking back and forth.
Her head was bowed slightly, and the tips of her long ears were a little pink. She whispered so softly it was barely audible:
"Umm... I saw this prize in a lottery at a store in the shopping district—it was a really pretty blue hair accessory."
"I thought it'd make a perfect gift for my goddess… But buying it outright was super expensive. The lottery tickets were cheap, though..."
"I blew all my savings on it, but... sniff... Anyway, I promise I'll work hard and pay you back later!"
Dan honestly didn't expect this of all people to start believing in his luck too.
The most stubborn elf ever... now putting her faith in "Dan's luck"? After getting emotionally dunked on by reality so many times, she'd finally cracked.
Dan hadn't replied yet, and Ryuu, realizing how shameless her request was, started to panic.
"If it's not okay, it's fine—just forget I said anything!"
She spun around, ready to bolt—only for Dan to grab her hand before she could flee.
"Hold up! I never said no, did I?"
Ryuu froze in place, slowly turning back, eyes locked on their joined hands with a stunned expression.
"Just so we're clear, I'm not promising I'll win it."
"Mm..."
"But don't worry. With me here, even if we just grind money the usual way, we'll get you that gift in no time."
"Mm..."
"And as for paying me back—don't sweat it. You guys saved me and took me in. The least I can do is get everyone a few gifts."
Whatever else Dan said after that... Ryuu didn't hear a word.
She just kept nodding mechanically: "Mm."
She didn't even realize when Dan let go of her hand and walked away.
Normally, if someone tried to touch her, Ryuu would slap their hand away on reflex.
It wasn't personal—it was just an elven thing. They had a sort of racial cleanliness quirk.
Up until now, only one person had ever gotten that close: her mentor and idol, the captain of their familia, Alise.
And now… Dan was the second.
Her golden hair fluttered in the breeze as she held her palm to her chest. She gazed at Dan, who was now joking with Neze about whether to sell the golden egg or make fried rice with it.
Unnoticed by anyone, a string in her heart quietly, subtly, began to tremble.
"....."