I Just Awakened My Sharingan, and You're Telling Me This Is DanMachi?

Ryota's expression grew more and more complicated as he looked at Lain, his thoughts turning heavy.

Kill Lain?

He could do it.

Even though he hadn't lived through something as horrific as the Uchiha Clan Massacre, his half-year in the Trial Space had already forged a much harder heart.

But that didn't mean he was some butcher who'd swing his blade on a whim.

Especially since—

He was the one who'd pulled Lain's party out of a hopeless situation not that long ago.

And now, he was supposed to kill the red-haired boy he'd once saved with his own hands?

"Goddammit…"

Ryota couldn't help but curse under his breath.

His fingertips had already settled on the sword hilt, but he couldn't draw it.

Looking at that familiar face, no matter how he tried, he just couldn't summon the intent to kill.

Right then, Lain spoke up.

"Senior, back then… if you hadn't finished that commission, our party probably wouldn't have made it."

"That orc hide you brought in—Lia spent days fixing up our beat-up armor with it."

"Honestly, we were already prepared to never go into the Dungeon again."

"So no matter what other people think, to us, you're a lifesaver."

Seeing Ryota's blank face, Lain scratched his head with an awkward grin, realizing he was sounding way too sentimental.

Damn it…

Those words were delivered so naturally, so perfectly timed.

Perfectly aimed at that softest spot in Ryota's heart—

Those who save lives should not become executioners.

But the next second, a new thought crashed into Ryota's mind.

The system prompt had said:

The reward will be comprehensively judged based on the chosen path and execution process.

Did that mean—the harder the choice, the greater the reward?

Or that the quicker and cleaner he completed the task, the higher the evaluation?

Ryota narrowed his eyes, staring at Lain's smiling face, weighing his options in a flash.

Kill—fast, safe, stable.

Save—extremely risky, he'd have to break through Freya's charm structure, but if he succeeded, the reward could be far beyond expectations.

Like a test: would you take the easy road, or shoulder the burden for a true breakthrough?

Ryota let out a faint chuckle.

"So that's how it is, huh, system? You sure know how to play the hero route scoring game…"

In truth, he'd already made up his mind long ago.

Even though Lain was under deep charm implantation, his mind twisted by someone else's will—

Ryota still couldn't kill the red-haired boy in front of him.

Not because he was softhearted, but because Lain was innocent.

He hadn't betrayed anyone.

He hadn't attacked.

He had no ill will.

All he'd done was accept a commission and ended up getting dragged into a divine power struggle as collateral damage.

At the end of the day, Lain was just a normal adventurer.

And now fate expected Ryota to choose between "save" or "kill"?

"...Damn you, Freya."

He made up his mind in an instant and selected [Option B].

Ryota pulled his fingers away from the sword hilt and looked back at Lain.

"Come with me."

"…Huh? Oh—okay."

Lain looked startled but quickly nodded, hurrying after him.

The two figures moved through the dense fog, one leading, one following.

Soon after, Ryota led him to an open area.

The mist here was still thick, but with the Sharingan, he could make sure nothing was hiding nearby.

"Senior, uh… why did we stop here all of a sudden?"

Ryota didn't answer right away. He turned around and, after a few seconds, spoke.

"Lain, lately… have you felt anything strange? Like, your emotions, your memories, or—whenever you face certain people, do you feel compelled to obey them?"

Lain froze, clearly not understanding.

"No, nothing like that… well, maybe I spaced out a bit on the tenth floor, but it's not—why?"

Ryota stared into his eyes, the three-tomoe Sharingan spinning gently.

He could tell—Lain himself had no idea.

So that's Freya's charm…

Ryota searched his memory.

Unlike surface-level visual charm, Freya's deep charm worked on the subconscious.

She didn't need to forcibly order you around, or use words to brainwash you.

She just planted a tiny seed in your heart—

Make her happy.

That seed wasn't a command. It was a desire, a choice you thought you'd made yourself.

Just like Lain now—

His behavior, his speech patterns, his emotional flow, even his logic, had been ever-so-slightly nudged onto a preset track.

And he had no clue.

Worse still, those under the charm would regard Freya as the supreme beauty, naturally seeing her as someone to follow, even willing to throw away their own identity and offer everything, including their free will, to the Goddess of Beauty.

It wasn't love.

It wasn't even affection.

It was an almost parasitic obsession and worship.

That was why so many of the Freya Familia acted like fanatical zealots (or downright bootlickers).

At present, only three people were known to resist Freya's charm: the loli goddess Hestia, her bestie Artemis, and the never-seen Athena.

Ryota looked at Lain, who was staring back at him blankly.

"So what do I do now?"

In that instant, a spark went off in his brain.

Charm worked on the mind—

Genjutsu also worked on the mind—

That sounded like the same playing field, didn't it?

Both were forms of informational interference. One was divine suppression, the other chakra manipulation.

"If the principles are similar, then in theory… I can counter it the same way."

Ryota rapidly reviewed everything he knew about dispelling genjutsu.

In the shinobi world, there were three main methods to break illusions:

Block the sensory input

Have a comrade inject chakra to break the flow

Or use immense willpower to break free on your own

Ryota glanced at Lain.

His eyes were clear, emotions steady, showing no sign of direct control.

And that was the scariest part—charm wasn't control, but a subtle change.

Clearly, the third method was out. Lain couldn't do that.

The first wouldn't work either, since the charm had already embedded itself in his subconscious. Blocking his senses now was pointless.

"That leaves only the second option."

Ryota would use his own chakra to shatter the chains on Lain's mind!

As he raised his right hand, Lain looked completely lost.

"Senior… what are you—?"

"Lain, don't move."

With that, Ryota lifted his fingertip and touched Lain's forehead.

Instantly, chakra rippled outward like water.

Ryota could sense clearly how his chakra flowed through Lain's mindscape, navigating through layers of ego, subconscious, and emotional sea, until it finally reached a hazy, silvery-gray barrier.

Cold.

Still.

Like divinity frozen in the fog.

That was the imprint of Freya's will.

But surprisingly, that barrier wasn't solid.

It felt like a crystal screen that would shatter at the slightest push—no violent rejection, no fierce struggle.

This charm… wasn't reinforced?

Freya had every reason to tighten her grip, yet she hadn't.

Ryota couldn't figure out why, but it made him even more cautious.

Still, it was exactly this weakness that let him pierce through the spiritual fog in seconds!

Screw it!

No time to overthink. His chakra turned into a blade and slashed through that barrier!

Crack.

An almost imperceptible sound.

The next moment—

Lain's pupils shrank, the light in them suddenly dimming, and a wave of exhaustion swept over him.

"Urgh…"

His mouth opened slightly, body swaying, and then he collapsed straight into Ryota's arms.

Ryota quickly stepped forward, lowering him gently.

Looking down, he saw Lain had gone completely limp, face pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

His body had no wounds, but mentally, he looked completely hollowed out.

"He passed out?"

Ryota frowned, then carefully laid him flat and checked his breathing. Only then did his heart settle.

Yeah, that was his own chakra's doing.

After all, chakra from the shinobi world was a higher-order power compared to this world.

Whether it was Fire Style, the Sharingan, or the Mangekyō Sharingan he might unlock someday—

they all represented the overwhelming force of the shinobi world.

Even using just a tiny bit of it, from the perspective of this world's physiology, was like getting hit by a truck.

"Good thing I only used a guiding flow… if I'd dumped it all in like a real genjutsu battle…"

"Lain might've straight-up exploded."

A valuable lesson—

Chakra, once expanded beyond the shinobi framework, had a terrifyingly overwhelming presence compared to this world's systems.

It wasn't just a combat cheat code—

it was practically a high-dimensional interference tool, and if he wasn't careful, it could warp this entire world's rules and balance.

Ryota lowered his gaze to Lain, making sure his breathing was calm, then slowly stood up.

No familiar [ding] sounded in his ear.

Ryota paused, understanding immediately.

—The system didn't consider the mission complete yet.

Clearly, in its judgment criteria, breaking the charm alone wasn't enough. Saving Lain meant seeing him regain his consciousness.

Otherwise, a temporary release didn't count as true salvation.

"I'll have to wait for him to wake up."

Ryota let out a long breath, but he wasn't worried.

He'd already handled the hardest part of this special quest—Freya's charm.

The rest was just a matter of time.

"In that case, I'd better get him out first."

He had no intention of dragging an unconscious Lain deeper into the Dungeon.

Whether it was a Infant Dragon or a Minotaur, those were no walk in the park, and carrying dead weight would only make things worse.

Ryota slung the Kusanagi Sword across his back and helped Lain to his feet.

"Let's get you out of here first."

"I'm actually kind of curious what reward this special quest will cough up."

He'd only taken two steps forward when suddenly the dense fog ahead exploded outward with a loud boom.

A deep, crushing thud-thud-thud of footsteps came rumbling from the breach.

Ryota's head snapped up toward the sound.

The fog rolled and parted, revealing a gigantic black shadow striding forward.

It was nearly twice as large as a normal monster, its entire body clad in thick muscle and dark gray hide, bull-headed and red-eyed.

A Minotaur!

But this wasn't the "standard" kind Bell had once fought on his first encounter—

This one, whether by size, aura, or the sheer intimidation pouring off its body, was no average adventurer's match.

It was more like some kind of battle weapon, specially strengthened and trained!

"How the hell did Ottar train up this monster?"

Ryota muttered, then carefully laid the unconscious Lain behind a rock for safety and stepped forward.

Shing—

The Kusanagi Sword flashed free, lightning and fire chakra swirling tightly around its blade.

Staring down that monstrous bull-headed beast towering like a small mountain, Ryota gave the sword a casual swing.

"Perfect."

"I was wondering where I'd find you, big guy."