The Dark Age.
When Kael realized what era he was in, the Soma Familia and Soma themselves became insignificant concerns.
What kind of era was this?
After the thousand-year rule of the Zeus and Hera Familias collapsed, Orario entered its most chaotic and vulnerable period. Countless deities were banished to heaven, and entire Familias were annihilated.
Level 1s and 2s became mere cannon fodder, while Level 3s were forced to fight as frontline troops against Level 7s. Countless civilians fled in panic, leaving trails of bodies in their wake.
Even Familia captains like Zanis would likely have to hide among the civilians — or worse, face forced conscription into battles!
One wrong step meant being blown apart by suicide bombers.
This catastrophic era would obliterate half the city's population!
Simply put, Adventurers faced grave danger, High Class Adventurers even more so, and even Non-Adventurers had to fight for survival.
"Leave Orario?"
This thought crossed Kael's mind, but...
"Zanis wouldn't allow it. The Guild won't let Adventurers leave the city either."
The Falna was a shackle, and Orario a prison.
"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?" Kael scratched his head, "Calm down... calm down. Haven't I handled situations like this before? Looking at things clearly, the Soma Familia might actually be better off than most. We won't have to bear the burden of fighting darkness like the Loki and Freya Familias, nor become expendable suicide troops like the Evilus, stripped of all autonomy."
The valuable experience from 'the Organization' once again steadied the troubled Kael. He quickly reviewed what he knew of the situation.
The Evilus's elite forces in this war included two Level 7s, Alfia and Zald, plus fifteen Level 5s. The city's defenders had only one Level 6 and six Level 5s — a devastating imbalance.
In such dire circumstances, those who chose to stand against the darkness were true heroes. If they survived, they would reach the pinnacle of life and achieve immortal glory.
But this... was glory worth such a price?!
Brother, what salary could justify risking your life? If you're so keen on helping others, why not assist elderly people who've fallen in the street?
"In my past life, I learned one invaluable lesson — if you can't beat them, join them! I, a mighty reincarnator, shall become your adopted son!"
This idea blazed like a beacon in the dark cosmos, illuminating Kael's path forward.
"Yes... if you can't beat them, join them! To leave the Soma Familia, we must send Soma back to heaven. The lawful faction can't do this — but the Evilus can! During the Seven Deadly Days, I'll reveal Soma's escape route, letting him become one of the 'sacrificed' deities. That'll prove my loyalty to the Evilus! Plus, sister-in-law... no, auntie (Alfia) is quite attractive! This perfectly matches my expertise!"
A bold plan crystallized in his mind — this was the advantage of knowing history.
"Of course, there's also the Kaenseki and Great Holy Tree Branch. I could stock up on Magic Swords too, if I weren't broke..."
In his previous life, Kael hadn't yielded to threats. His only option had been flattering his sister-in-law, which cost him a kidney. Back then, having family and friends meant he couldn't harm others.
To catch his sister-in-law's eye, his hands inevitably became stained. He'd long accepted his eventual death.
But here...
"Everything I do is just survival, right?"
After all... I'm just a despicable outsider...
Joining the Evilus might cause more deaths, but as they say in the Far East: When poor, look after yourself; when wealthy, help others.
How can I worry about others when I can barely survive myself?
Hero? Don't make me laugh. Face reality, great hero! You can't even manage being a righteous critic!
A strategy was forming, but achieving it required one thing...
"I need enough leverage to negotiate! With two months left, I must reach Level 2, maybe even Level 3! Only then will I qualify as an executive!"
Such an audacious scheme was something only Kael would dare consider.
His previous life had taught him one thing: if you only compromise and never seize opportunities, you'll lose even your basic dignity as a person!
When charming sister-in-law, do it right! That's how to gain power!
Besides, Kael had no desire to fight alongside a bunch of lunatics.
Now for practicalities. Simply relying on ability updates meant the chances of developing useful Skills within six months were far too low.
"I must increase my number of Skills or develop more Magic."
The first thing Kael thought of was grimoires...
"They cost 100 million Valis per book — when you can even find them. As a mere supporter, how can I get my hands on one quickly?"
Head lowered, amid the surrounding noise and explosions, he stumbled upon an idea...
Witch's Secret House.
This shop housed grimoires and many precious magical items. Though he couldn't afford them with his current funds, he had another potentially effective method to "acquire" one!
"But that method needs more preparation—I can't succeed in my current state!" He noted down his plan to intercept a grimoire. Kael stroked his chin, "The second method would be self-awakening. It's extremely difficult, requiring self-hypnosis to form certain obsessions before corresponding abilities can manifest.
Lily's 'Artel Assist' and 'Cinder Ella', Bell's 'Liaris Freese' and 'Argonaut', or Lefiya's 'Elf Ring'—they all developed this way. Should I start self-hypnosis tomorrow? Tell myself daily that I'm stronger than before? Go! Go! Go! Try harder! Harder! Harder!
Or perhaps convince myself I can become a nuclear bomb? Hmm, maybe... revive my chunibyo phase?"
You know... a certain black demon's magic sword had awakened a spell turning them chunibyo due to extreme social anxiety, changing their personality.
Kael spread his fingers, widened his stance, and dramatically lifted his clothes. "My name is Shadow: he who lurks in the shadows to hunt the shadows!"
Feeling something crucial was missing...
He suddenly clutched his right arm, crying out loudly: "Ahhhhh, my right hand! My right hand! Calm down! O Final Black Dragon sealed within my right wrist!"
Bang—
A huge impact came from next door, followed by a gruff voice:
"Keep it down, you idiot!"
"... Ahem."
Kael's embarrassed cough broke the quiet air.
He sat back down cross-legged, brushing his bangs aside, and recalled other effective methods to increase his number of Skills.
Speaking of Skill development, Kael knew he understood Falnas better than anyone.
In Danmachi's Falna system, Skills could not only be born from strong desires — certain methods could produce identical Skills within the same bloodline.
Those who grew up with the same training and practice could awaken similar abilities!
"In Danmachi, the elves' Horseback Chanting is the most common Skill — most magic users develop similar stamina abilities. But since I'm not a Mage, that's not a quick option. The next best choice would be the Command Call Skills." Kael stroked his chin.
The conditions for generating these Skills were straightforward: participate in a couple of subjugation battles, aspire to become a commander, and shout orders loudly.
The key ingredients were simple — desire and volume. Usually, this just resulted in a basic ability like 'increased speaking volume'.
But under[Second Dimension Pandora ]'s effect, this could transform into something far more powerful!
"I'll need some teammates for this!" Having sketched out his plan, Kael considered his options, "I could try committing a crime to get sent to the Pantheon — that would help me avoid the Seven Deadly Days. Or maybe the Witch's Secret House has Invisibility Cloaks that could help me escape the city?"
Finally, he shook his head.
Both paths would lead to having his Falna sealed. The first would end in arrest and imprisonment; the second in getting caught while fleeing, with Zanis forcing Soma to seal him.
Either way, survival would be nearly impossible for an ordinary person.
Kael gritted his teeth, "The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish! The Seven Deadly Days may be a crisis, but it's also my best chance to grow stronger. If I can survive this hell week, I can make my mark in this world!"
The plan was beautiful in theory, but executing it would be like climbing to heaven.
"At least I have direction now. With my knowledge of this world, I've got a fighting chance!"
Take the risk — turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
Plus, sister-in-law... no, auntie's charm was worth looking forward to.
Kael fell onto his bed, his mind full of plans for the future, and drifted into deep sleep.