Dark times.
When Charles realized which era he was living in, the Soma clan and divine wine suddenly felt less important.
What kind of era was this?
Since the fall of Zeus and Hera's family, who had ruled for a thousand years, Orario had plunged into its most chaotic and powerless period.
Countless gods were sent back, their families wiped out.
Level 1 and level 2 adventurers were treated like cannon fodder, while level 3s were the frontline fighting against level 7 enemies.
Countless ordinary people fled in panic, leaving behind heaps of corpses.
A clan leader like Zanis could only hide among the people—or worse, be forcibly summoned to join the battles!
If you weren't careful, you'd be blown to pieces by some suicidal maniac.
This was an era of disaster that would wipe out at least half the city's population!
In short: being an adventurer was dangerous. Being a high-level adventurer was even more dangerous. And even if you weren't an adventurer, you still had to dodge death.
"Leave Orario?"
The thought crossed Charles's mind, but...
"Zanis wouldn't agree to that. The guild wouldn't allow adventurers to leave the city."
Grace was a shackle, and Orario was a cage.
"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?" Charles scratched his head anxiously.
"Calm down… Calm down. Haven't I gotten used to this kind of situation already? Judging by what I know, the Soma clan might still be a relatively good faction."
"They don't bear the heavy burden of fighting the darkness like Loki's or Freya's family, nor are they cannon fodder for self-destruction like the Dark Faction. Their lives aren't at the mercy of fate."
The valuable experience from the "Organization" once again saved Charles from his confusion.
He quickly reviewed the situation in his mind.
The Dark Faction's top combat force in this war: two level 7s and fifteen level 5s.
In the city, only one level 6 and six level 5s.
It was a one-sided massacre.
In such a dire situation, anyone still determined to fight the darkness must be a hero. Surviving meant reaching the pinnacle of life—and fame.
But...
How much was that worth?!
No, bro.
How much salary do you get for working so hard? If you have that dedication, you should help old people who fall down.
"In my past life, I learned one invaluable truth—if you can't beat them, join them!"
"I'm a reincarnator, not your adopted son!"
As soon as this thought came to Charles, it was like a bright light in a dark universe—illuminating his way forward.
"Yes… if you can't beat them, join them! If I want to leave the Soma clan, I have to betray Soma. The lawful faction won't allow this, but the Dark Faction will! I can use the Seven Days of Death to sell out Soma's escape route, making him a 'sacrifice'—and use that as a token of allegiance to join the Dark Faction!"
"Besides, sister-in-law… no, aunt is very moist! This is a professional match!"
A bold plan took shape in Charles's mind. This was the advantage of knowing history.
"Yes, there's also the 'Ignition Device' and 'Trunk of the Great Saint.' I could also stockpile 'Magic Swords'—but I don't have the money yet…"
In his previous life, Charles never compromised under threat. He reluctantly licked his sister-in-law's boots and lost a kidney in the process. Because he had family and friends, he couldn't hurt others.
But to catch his sister-in-law's eye, his hands had to be clean.
He was prepared to die one day.
But here…
"Whatever I do, it's all just emergency hedging."
After all…
I'm a despicable outsider, Charles thought.
Joining the Dark Faction might lead to more deaths, but there's an old Far Eastern saying:
If you're poor, take care of yourself; if you're rich, help the world.
I can't even survive—why should I worry about others?
Hero? Don't make me laugh.
Look at reality, hero—you don't even know how to be a righteous troll!
A vague plan formed, but to pull it off...
"I have to be confident enough to sit down and negotiate with them! There are still two months left. I must at least reach level 2, or better, level 3! Only then will I qualify to become a cadre!"
Only Charles dared think this wildly ambitious thought.
Experience from his previous life taught him that if he didn't seize the moment and blindly compromised, he'd lose even the right to be human.
If I have to sleep with my elder sister-in-law, fine—at least I'll feel better! Get the power!
Most importantly, Charles didn't want to be dragged into a war with lunatics.
Back to the point.
The chance of rapidly growing by simply refreshing abilities in six months was too low.
"I have to increase the number of skills or create more magic."
The first thing Charles thought of was magic books.
"A copy costs 100 million valis, but they're out of stock. With only one supporter like me, how could I get one quickly?"
Charles lowered his head. Airmidst the explosions ringing in his ears, he suddenly had a clue…
[Witch's House]
A shop that actually stores magic books and sells many precious magical tools.
With Charles's current funds, it was out of reach—but he had another way to 'cheat' it!
"But that method needs more preparation. In my current state, it's impossible to succeed!"
He wrote down a plan to intercept a magic book.
Charles stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"The second method is self-awakening. Extremely difficult. It seems I need to hypnotize myself, develop a certain obsession, and give birth to corresponding abilities."
"Lili's 'Behind-the-Scenes Hero' and 'Cinderella,' Bell's 'Devotion' and 'Hero's Wish,' Lefiya's 'Fairy Ring'—all this type."
"Can I hypnotize myself starting tomorrow? Tell myself every day, 'Today is stronger than yesterday! Work hard, work hard, work hard!'"
"Or do I just believe I'm a nuclear Bohmb? Or better yet... a relapse of chuunibyou?"
You know, a certain black demon's magic sword, who socially anxious, specially awakened a magic that transformed him into a chuunibyou and changed his personality.
Charles spread his fingers, stepped apart, and gently lifted his clothes.
"I am Yeyou, the one who lurks in the darkness and hunts darkness!"
Something was missing...
He suddenly clutched his right arm and cried out in pain,
"Ahhhhh! My right hand! Calm down! The Black Dragon of the End is sealed in my right wrist!"
Boom—
A huge crash came from next door, along with a rough voice:
"Keep your voice down, idiot!"
…
Cough cough.
Charles's awkward cough echoed in the quiet air.
He sat cross-legged again, stroking his bangs, thinking of other ways to increase [Skills].
Speaking of development skills—
Charles was confident no one understood Grace better than he did.
In Danmachi's grace system, skills can be born not only from strong desire but also through certain specific methods. The same skill can even appear within the same bloodline.
Just like the Sanjo family, where Kaguya is.
By training and exercising from a young age, similar abilities can be awakened!
"Among Danmachi skills, the most numerous are elf-exclusive endurance abilities like [Fairy Song]. As long as you chant magic, many will adapt to similar skills."
"But I'm not a magician. I can't get those quickly."
"The second is commander-exclusive command skills," Charles mused, touching his chin.
The conditions to generate these skills are very simple—you can get them by participating in one or two crusades. Basically, you just need to want to be a commander in your heart and shout orders loudly.
Desire and shouting loudly are the keys.
Of course, the general effect is just raising your voice.
But under the effect of [Pandora of the Second Dimension], this effect can randomly transform into other powerful skills!
"This… I need some teammates!"
After outlining a simple plan, Charles carefully reviewed every loophole.
"There are several paths."
"First: if I commit a crime outright, will I be sent to the 'City of Sinners' and avoid the dangerous Seven Days of Death?"
"Second: is there an 'invisibility cloak' among the magic items in Witch's House that can help me escape the city?"
Finally, Charles shook his head.
Whether the former or the latter, the outcome would likely be sealed—arrested and imprisoned, or absconding without permission and having Zanis order Soma to seal him.
It was hard for an ordinary person to survive, inside or outside the city.
Charles clenched his teeth:
"The bigger the storm, the bigger the fish!"
"The Seven Days of Death is a crisis—but also the greatest shortcut to strength. If I can absorb the experience of 'Silence' and the Glutton,' I can gain a firm foothold in this world!"
Of course, this plan was good—but extremely difficult to realize.
"There's always a goal."
"No matter what, with my knowledge of this world, the odds are good!"
Take a chance and turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
Besides, the taste of sister-in-law… oh no, aunt, was worth looking forward to.
Charles collapsed on the bed, planning the future bit by bit, then soon fell into a deep sleep.