Multiverse: In DanMachi, I'm the Strongest Summoner

"Miach isn't here?"

Dian Cecht swept his gaze across the room with disdain. Sure enough, there was no sign of Miach.

"Oh? Isn't this the Heavenly Demon Lord?"

"But this shop hasn't changed a bit—still just as dusty."

"Staying here too long might make me sick, so I'll keep this short."

"Tell your god to prepare this month's payment. Got it?"

Naaza clenched her teeth without replying.

"I've shown you mercy time and time again."

"If you still can't cough up this month's amount by tomorrow, I'll kick you out of this shop."

"Then I'll sell this broken-down base. You better get serious."

Dian Cecht laughed arrogantly and loudly.

"Puhahahaha!"

"We're leaving, Airmid."

"…Yes."

Airmid turned her gaze away from Raven and silently followed her god's loud laughter as they exited.

"Debt collector at the door, huh?"

Daphne muttered quietly.

"Sorry you had to see that ugly side of things."

"Lord Dian Cecht and Lord Miach didn't get along even back in Heaven…"

Naaza sighed heavily, her expression tense.

During the War Game…

Dian Cecht had bet billions on Apollo Familia at the Golden Sanctuary Casino.

And in the end, he lost everything.

Now, he had no choice but to come knocking to collect on debts from others.

"How much do you owe, exactly?"

Raven asked.

"We're still short over 90 million… but by tomorrow, we have to pay Dian Cecht at least 5 million."

"But neither Lord Miach nor I can come up with that kind of money in one go…"

Naaza lowered her head, her tail no longer wagging.

"The most I can scrape together is around 2 million."

A hundred and fifty thousand of that came from winnings during the War Game.

"Why do you owe so much?"

Mikoto was stunned.

Ninety million valis was a completely unfathomable amount to her.

Naaza remained silent for a moment before slowly pulling up her long sleeve—on her right arm only.

What she revealed was a silver prosthetic.

Its metallic sheen was smooth and elegant, shaped much like a human arm.

However, embedded gemstones adorned the joints, and the internal structure was clearly visible.

For a moment—

Only Raven remained calm.

Mikoto, Cassandra, and Daphne all held their breath, unable to speak.

"This… is what Lord Miach had made for me, after I lost my arm."

"He had to bow his head and beg the Dian Cecht Familia countless times for it…"

Naaza explained, eyes cast downward.

After switching professions to become an alchemist, she realized how little money it actually brought in.

Seven years ago—

The Miach Familia had mid-tier strength and size.

Among healing and medical-type Familias, they were even comparable to Dian Cecht Familia.

During the time of major unrest, Miach Familia had helped many who suffered.

But after Naaza suffered a serious accident, the Familia collapsed almost overnight…

"What should we do, then?"

Raven frowned.

First of all, simply giving her money wasn't an option.

And even if he bought up all her stock, it would only provide short-term help.

What about the remaining 90 million?

"There is a way…"

"But I can't do it alone…"

Naaza whispered softly.

"Tell us. We might be able to help."

Raven had a soft spot for this dog-eared girl.

"Yes, please speak freely, Lady Naaza."

Mikoto agreed.

Even Cassandra could tell…

Her new captain had quite the close relationship with this loyal hound of a goddess.

"Really…?"

Naaza widened her eyes in surprise.

"Go ahead. Don't hold back."

Raven smiled gently.

"Thank you all."

Naaza deeply bowed, full of gratitude.

Then she said—

"Come with me to Theo-Ru Forest. I need to collect some monster eggs."

"As long as I have the eggs and the Blue Phoenix Butterfly Wings, I can craft a new potion."

Airmid possessed the development ability Mystery, but Naaza had—

—Compounding.

A development ability specialized for medicine-making.

It was said to allow wounds to heal instantly.

This near-magical healing was thanks to the power of Compounding.

Just like Blacksmithing, it had unique utility.

Blacksmithing enhanced weapons. Compounding enhanced potions.

"Then let's not waste time—let's go."

Raven began chanting his Teleportation Magic incantation.

…

To the east of Orario lies an expansive plain, filled with lush green fields.

Crossing that sea of grass—

And continuing further eastward brought them to the base of the Orb Mountains, where a massive forest stood.

—Theo-Ru Forest

The trees here were towering and thick, adorned with wildflowers and moss.

Flora in this area thrived in abundance.

At that moment—

A white magic circle suddenly appeared in the middle of the dense forest.

"You don't need to stare so hard. This is also my spatial magic."

"As you saw, it lets me teleport over fixed distances."

Raven shrugged as Naaza, Daphne, and Cassandra all stared at him in shock.

"Such convenient magic…"

Daphne was dumbfounded.

In Orario—

Leaving the city required dealing with the Guild's complex procedures.

One had to get approval and obtain a travel permit before being allowed to exit.

Otherwise—

You couldn't leave.

Each of the city's four gates—east, west, north, and south—was guarded by Ganesha Familia members.

Along with strict Guild officials overseeing everything.

This was to prevent people from secretly fleeing the city.

Why?

Because losing even a single high-level adventurer would be a huge blow to Orario.

As for regular citizens…

As long as they weren't sneaking out, they could still be rescued if something happened outside.

Of course—

Merchants had their own type of special travel permit.

But if you snuck out and something went wrong, you were on your own.

In that sense, using teleportation magic was essentially smuggling.

Even during the War Game, getting approval for travel had taken half a day.

Raven didn't have time for all that.

Besides, spatial magic wasn't only for long-distance transport.

In combat—

If used cleverly, it could also become a highly effective offensive magic.

For example—

He could use it to drop a giant boulder on a monster's head.

Killing it instantly.

"So our task is to collect monster eggs?"

"Yes, not drop items, but actual eggs…"

Naaza responded to Daphne's question, her shock subsiding.

It was well-known—

That monsters didn't just exist in the Dungeon, but across the world.

In ancient times—

Monsters on the surface reproduced through various means.

Laying eggs wasn't rare.

Of course—

Surface monsters were usually one or two levels weaker than Dungeon monsters.

In fact—

Outside of Orario, adventurers who were Level 3 were already considered top-tier.

And for mages, leveling was even harder than for front-liners.

"——Dreamlike Feather."

As the chant ended, a golden magic shield appeared around each of them.

"W-What is this…?"

Bathed in shimmering golden light, the girls felt its soothing energy wash over them.

"This is a magic shield I cast—essentially an absolute defense barrier."

"You can consider it an auxiliary spell."

It was similar to Riveria's Dimensional Barrier, her first-tier Vision of Vanaheim.

But clearly—

Raven's magic shield was far more powerful.

"This shield can reflect all attacks from low-level monsters."

"Any hostile intent will be automatically bounced back."

"Of course, your own actions won't be hindered at all."

He explained casually.

At the moment—

All four of them were Level 2. The shield could reflect attacks from monsters with potential up to Level 5.

After all, there's a huge difference between using magic yourself and granting it to others.

When Raven was still Level 2, he could already reflect any attack from a Level 6 monster.

"Captain…"

Cassandra's signature triangular eyes sparkled with admiration.

Even someone like her, usually steeped in pessimism, was becoming cheerful.

"Raven… you're amazing."

"You really opened my eyes."

Naaza said sincerely, visibly energized by the shield's light.

With a divine teammate like this, why fear monsters?

"Captain… I think you've already shown more than three types of magic, haven't you?"

Daphne took a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed.

Even Mikoto, who had spent several days with him, still couldn't grasp the full extent of his abilities.

"I never said I only had three magic spells."

Compared to a certain elven girl who was still learning magic—

Raven didn't even need to look. As long as he heard the chant, he could replicate it.

Of course…

Only for spells from his subordinates.

"Alright, enough talk. Let's finish this quickly!"

Even without summoning magic—

Granting them magic shields didn't consume too much of his stamina, mental energy, or mana.

It was quickly replenished by the passive effects of Demon Lord's Pressure.

…

"…Hold on, everyone."

As they moved deeper into the forest, Naaza issued a warning.

She narrowed her eyes and looked ahead—there was a clearing not far away.

"What is it?"

Mikoto, walking in front, turned her head in confusion.

Naaza sniffed the air, her canine ears twitching upright.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Daphne became alert.

Cassandra clung to her arm, visibly nervous.

"What are you scared of?"

"With my magic shield, even a floor boss like Goliath couldn't hurt you."

Raven smiled confidently, totally unfazed.

"Still…"

"There is a monster approaching us."

With his perception-based skill active—

No movement in the surroundings escaped Raven's sharp senses.

The next moment…

A deafening draconic roar shattered the sky.

"ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!!"

A massive dinosaur-like monster emerged.

Drool dripped heavily from its maw.

Clearly—

It saw the five-person group as a delicious meal.

"B-Blood Dragon…?!"

Cassandra gasped in horror.

The blood-red carnivore was at least 5 meters tall.

It looked like a red T-Rex.

"That's a vicious monster that appears around the 30th floor, isn't it?!"

"Relax. Surface monsters are weaker than Dungeon monsters."

Compared to the shaken Mikoto, Raven spoke calmly.

Judging by appearance, this thing barely had the strength of a Level 2.

Surface monsters, driven by instinct to leave descendants, weakened over generations.

They divided their magic stones among offspring.

As a result—

Their power diminished significantly over time.

Compared to that—

The Level 4 Blood Dragons in the Dungeon's 30th floor forest valley, towering over 10 meters tall—

This T-Rex was like a little brother.

Blood Dragons, also called the Red Predators.

In the Guild's danger classification system, they were three-star threats.

On par with mid-tier Minotaurs.

But Blood Dragons could devour their own kind to become Enhanced Species.

For Level 3 adventurers, they were extremely dangerous.

Even many high-level adventurers met their end against one.

"You all head to the clearing and grab the eggs."

"I'll handle this one."

Raven said as he drew his Thousand Feather Demon Sword.

Blood Dragons belonged to the dragon-type monsters.

And worth noting—

The Juggernaut, Zagnat, was also a dragon-type.

This dragon-slaying sword was a top-tier weapon for defeating the Black Dragon in the future.

So—

He needed to get more practice with it.

"Die."

Raven dashed forward.

In a flash, he reached the T-Rex and leapt into the air.

A flash of his blade—

And the Blood Dragon's head flew off, a fountain of blood spraying everywhere.

Some of it splattered onto the magic shields.

Then—

The dragon's legs gave out, and it collapsed on the spot.

"Pathetic."

Raven muttered as he sheathed his blood-soaked sword.

At the clearing—

The treeless space was filled with dozens of clustered eggs.

Clearly, this was the monsters' nest.

"Let's collect them all."

"My storage space has no limit."

No sooner had he said that—

Two more furious Blood Dragons charged in from the distance.

"GUOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!"

Their blood-red forms rushed forward, jaws wide open to crush them all.

"——Gospel."

BOOM!

The sonic shockwave from his chantless spell instantly annihilated them.

Tree-sized debris flew through the air, and the ground was left scorched and scarred.

The dragons' bodies were torn apart, blood painting the earth.

"Raven…?"

"That ultra-short chant magic just now… was that…?"

Naaza had a flash of recognition.

She felt like she'd seen it before—

But couldn't remember exactly whose magic it was.

"Is that… your sixth spell?"

Daphne gasped.

The destructive force made her swallow nervously.

"Here you go, Captain…"

Cassandra timidly handed him two dino eggs.

"This is also one of my rare magics."

"I have over a hundred types of magic."

Raven said nonchalantly as he accepted the eggs.

"Alright, let's go home."

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