The moment Blake's vision returned, he didn't even have time to process his surroundings before he felt the sensation of weightlessness.
His body plunged into warm water, completely submerged in an instant. But that wasn't all—his sudden fall had landed him directly on top of someone soft and delicate. His right hand, acting on pure instinct, landed on something warm and incredibly plush.
Out of reflex, he gave it a slight squeeze.
A soft, almost melodic hum reached his ears.
Blake's brain immediately went into overdrive. The warmth, the texture, the sound...
He quickly snapped his head down, his eyes widening in pure horror. Beneath him was a naked girl, her golden, gemstone-like eyes staring at him in eerie silence. Her hair, a beautiful cascade of blonde, framed her face like a porcelain doll's. Her fair skin glowed under the steamy bathhouse lights, looking as smooth as polished jade.
And he was on top of her.
The bath itself was enormous, almost like a luxurious hot spring. Towering stone pillars, massive trees, and perfectly placed boulders made it feel like something straight out of a palace. Everything about the room screamed nobility—high ceilings, steam floating elegantly in the air, and water so clear he could see the bottom.
But none of that mattered right now.
Because the beautiful girl beneath him wasn't just anyone.
Blake's breath caught in his throat.
The legendary adventurer.
And he was straddling her completely naked.
"Welp, I had a good life," Blake thought grimly.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to!" he stammered, scrambling to get up.
Thankfully, the bath seemed empty—no screaming women, no murderous mobs storming in. Maybe, just maybe, he could get out of this alive.
Then he noticed something.
The girl wasn't screaming.
That's because she's already trying to kill me.
Ais, now covering herself with one arm, clenched her fist.
Her punch came fast—so fast that the very air seemed to tremble from the sheer force.
If that hit him, he wouldn't just be injured. He'd be a corpse.
Blake's instincts screamed at him, and he barely managed to raise his own fist in time.
The impact sent a shockwave through the bathhouse, blowing away the mist and sending ripples through the water. Blake winced as his arm absorbed the force, his Sin Ring dispersing the attack.
Ais blinked, surprised.
Not wasting a second, she spun—her leg flashing like a whip as she delivered a devastating roundhouse kick.
"You gotta be kidding me!"
Blake gritted his teeth and raised his right arm, blocking the kick with a heavy THUD!
It didn't matter. The sheer impact sent him flying.
His body blasted through the bathhouse wall like a human cannonball, debris flying everywhere.
Blake tumbled into the night air, soaring like a shooting star before landing hard on the mansion grounds. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his aching ribs.
"On the bright side, I'm still breathing..."
Up above, Ais hesitated for a moment before quickly getting dressed.
Just then, several distinctive figures arrived at the scene.
"Ais, what happened?!"
A red-haired woman with sharp eyes stormed into the bathhouse, scanning the room like a bloodhound. Her expression turned dark as she saw the giant hole in the wall.
"A silver-haired, blue-eyed man attacked me," Ais said plainly, her tone unreadable.
The red-haired woman, Loki, practically exploded with rage.
"Some bastard tried to peep at Ais?! Unforgivable! I haven't even managed to do that yet!"
The room fell silent again.
Ais turned her cold gaze to Loki, her golden eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Loki... if you keep talking, I will cut you down."
Loki, now sweating bullets, laughed nervously. "H-Heh! Just kidding! Just kidding! A joke, y'know? Haha... ha... anyway, let's catch that perverted bastard!"
Ais, however, wasn't listening. Her mind was elsewhere, replaying the moment her attack had been absorbed.
She needed to get stronger.
Meanwhile, Blake was running for his life.
After being launched out of the bathhouse like a ragdoll, he had activated his Perceptual Distortion and Sensing abilities to slip past the mansion guards.
"Great. Just great. I just got here, and I've already pissed off the heroine," he thought bitterly.
And to make matters worse, her patron god was Loki.
Loki, who was obsessed with Ais.
Loki, who would absolutely hunt him down for this.
He could already imagine it—wanted posters with his face plastered all over Orario by sunrise.
Blake sighed. "Forget it. If this really is the world I think it is, then the dungeon will help me grow stronger. And besides—"
A small smirk tugged at his lips.
"The legendary Bestia exists here, right?"
His train of thought was interrupted by a commotion nearby.
"—No, this is Lili's hard-earned money!"
"Pfft. You stole it anyway, so just hand it over, you little rat."
Blake's brows furrowed. He felt the negative emotions before he even saw the scene—fear, malice, and deep-seated hatred radiating from an alleyway up ahead.
His expression darkened.
In the dimly lit alley, a small girl—barely over a meter tall—was curled up on the ground. She wore a loose cream-colored robe, her hood pulled low over her face. Though she looked no older than eleven or twelve, she clutched a bulging bag to her chest as if her life depended on it.
Standing over her was a towering brute of a man, a massive sword strapped to his back. He sneered down at her, his boot pressing against her frail leg.
"I'll say it again, hand it over. Or do you want me to break your legs, huh?!"
The girl whimpered, her grip on the bag tightening. She knew she had no choice. If she didn't hand it over, he'd do it. Just like every other adventurer who thought they could take from the weak.
Her trembling hands reached for the purse.
"That's more like it," the thug scoffed. "You little rats always act tough until you get a real beating—"
"You even bully little girls? Man, you're actual garbage."
A killing intent unlike anything he had ever felt flooded the alleyway. It was suffocating, primal.
His instincts screamed at him—RUN.
He didn't even turn around.
Blake stepped forward, his piercing blue eyes landing on the girl.
"You okay?" he asked.
The girl flinched. Then, without a word, she pulled her hood lower and ran.
"...Do I really look that scary?"
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[Master, the thug's Luck points was 42. Your current Luck Value is now 197.]
A virtual screen appeared, displaying detailed information on the girl.
Occupation: Supporter.
"So this another main character Danmachi, huh?"