Living My Third Life In Danmachi

Chapter 1: Heaven-Slaying Star

"Killing a god is incredibly difficult. Gods are the embodiment of immortality, unyielding will, and immense power."

— The Last Storyteller

"Yeah, I killed one myself. They're tough, but not unkillable."

— The Strongest Demon King

"Even gods can die if you first damage their divinity or godhood before dealing the final blow."

— The Greatest Hero

"Gods are particularly weak against a solid right hook."

— The Magician Who Turns the Impossible into Possible

"Damn it, I really need to stop hanging out with these idiots."

— The Last Storyteller

...

Susanoo.

How should I put this? While I had no connection with him in my first life, as someone who was Japanese in my second life, the name was all too familiar to me.

A god of the heavens, a god of the nation. At the pinnacle of the three mightiest gods, the storm and sea god—Susanoo.

"So, what's going on here? Doesn't this place already have its own pantheon of gods?"

"I was just as surprised as you. It seems there are other Japanese gods here, as well as Greek and Norse gods, among others. When I saw Ares from the Greek pantheon in another kingdom, I almost freaked out."

"Huh? Why would that freak you out?"

"Because… Ares was a woman."

"Did Ares get hit by a beam or something?!"

The thought of Ares, the god of war who already had a messy reputation in mythology, being a woman was beyond my imagination.

"I looked into it and found out Zeus is around too. Thankfully, though, he's not like the Zeus I know—the kind of scumbag who messes with married women. At least he knows his limits, so apart from his womanizing, he doesn't cause too many problems."

"You're talking like you know someone who got burned for messing with married women."

I decided not to dig into the god's past. Even if I did, I doubt it would do my mental health any good.

Living in this slash-and-burn farming village where merchants rarely visit, I had very few means of gathering information.

As a result, I knew little about how society worked or the specifics of this world.

Naturally, my curiosity led me to ask him a bunch of questions, during which the name "Orario" came up.

"Orario?"

"The Dungeon City of Orario. It's a place where monsters endlessly emerge from a dungeon, and adventurers blessed with 'Falna' by the gods delve into its depths to conquer it. Of course, since I'm a god, I can't enter, so I gave up on it."

"Oh, that sounds interesting."

Everyone dreams of adventure at least once.

In a fantasy world, being an adventurer is the quintessential dream.

The idea of stumbling toward an unseen goal while making slow but steady progress—it's something I've always admired.

Adventurers, huh...

Should I live out my life in this tiny village, or should I step out and try to find a different way to live?

"As a man, it's all about drills and adventure, don't you think?"

"No, as a man, it's all about combining and ultimate moves! That's non-negotiable!"

"Oh, so you're dissing drills now, huh?!"

This was amazing. Having someone who could volley back at my jokes felt incredible. Even better, someone who could respond to the uniquely humor I remembered from my previous life? Perfect.

"Then it's decided. I'm heading to Orario."

"Heh, that's the spirit of a true reincarnator."

"...Wow, seriously? How are you even keeping up with that references?"

Amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

Even if I didn't make it to Orario, just tagging along with this guy would be a massive improvement over my current life.

Without the internet, I'd been teetering on the edge of boredom, hunting and farming to survive.

Traveling or adventuring with this guy seemed like a far better way to live.

"Take me with you, Susanoo-san. I'm great at cooking, so if you let me join you, I'll handle all the meals."

"Oh, that doesn't sound bad at all."

...

Falna: A blessing granted by gods to awaken the potential of mortals, activated through their divine blood.

"Even though I'm not a god of this world, I can still do it. I learned by watching others. Figuring out the hieroglyphs was a bit tricky, though."

"Watching others, huh? That sounds a little shady. Where did you learn it?"

"I peeked when Ares was updating the status of their familia members."

"Peeping tom?"

"Hey, there are people who survive being struck by lightning. Wanna find out if you're one of them?"

Yeah, no thanks. I'm not volunteering to get electrocuted.

I took off my shirt and sat down, exposing my back to Susanoo-san. He began inscribing something onto my back using his blood.

It felt… strange. Not like worms crawling, but still an oddly unsettling sensation.

Whatever it was, it seeped through my back and spread throughout my body, slowly taking root.

About ten minutes passed.

Thinking it was probably done, I turned my head to check. To my surprise, Susanoo-san was frowning, his expression unusually serious.

"What's the holdup? Are you still not done?"

"Well…"

With a sigh, he showed me the status he had written down.

...

Luke Blade

LV. 1

Strength: 10

Endurance: 10

Dexterity: 10

Agility: 10

Magic: 10

"Nothing special here, is there? If it's just a 0, I can build it up from there."

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's the skills."

"Skills?"

I looked further down at the skill section he pointed to.

...

Heaven-Slaying Star (Lord of Killer)

Can kill anyone.

Reduced guilt associated with killing.

Temporary status boost during fights with intent to kill.

Permanent status increase upon killing strong opponents.

...

I stared at the skill description, utterly dumbfounded.

"So basically, I'm destined to be a murderer for life?"

"No, not exactly. Falna is just a way to awaken latent potential. While strong willpower can reshape it, this basically means… this is the kind of person you already are. And that skill name, Heaven-Slaying Star? That's not normal."

"Well, I'm no martial artist or anything, so the name doesn't exactly strike a chord with me."

"Honestly, the name itself isn't the problem. What's troubling is that for someone young and lacking in moral grounding—without parents to guide them—this kind of thing could amplify pre-existing mental cracks, leading to a complete breakdown of basic ethical norms. It's almost psychopathic."

"You sure know a lot of random, unnecessary stuff. Must be nice to be a god and all-knowing."

As he spoke, I suddenly recalled the well-endowed senior who'd taught me how to fight in my first life.

She'd called me Heaven-Slaying Star back then too. So, that's what she meant… Huh, what a revelation.

Still, it doesn't really change much. I've already killed so many times that this supposed reduction in guilt won't make much of a difference.

"The real problem is the first line: 'Can kill anyone.'"

"So what? If you stab anyone, they'll die anyway."

"Then what about gods?"

A chilling thought crossed my mind instinctively.

Can kill anyone.

If that includes gods, then… isn't that terrifying?

There might be limitations, sure, but if gods—who think they're untouchable—found out about my skill, what would they do?

Humans, no matter how much they favor someone, turn against those with overwhelming power. Gods wouldn't be any different.

"You should probably avoid showing your back in front of gods."

"Unless someone's yelling, 'Show me your back!' and charging at me, I have no intention of doing so."

"Oh, by the way, has that manga ended yet? You know, the one where the author complained, 'This is a harem manga—why doesn't anyone realize it?'"

"Last I heard, the author got sick, and it went on indefinite hiatus."

Honestly, the protagonist was so pitiful, it almost made me cry.

Ah, got sidetracked again. Anyway, from now on, I should never show my back to anyone.

And if someone does see it… well, I guess I'll just have to silence them.

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