Danmachi with Haki skill - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Limits and Potential
### Floor 7 – The Hive
The moment they stepped onto the 7th Floor, the air changed.
The walls pulsed with an eerie rhythm, veins of glowing crystal throbbing like a heartbeat. The ground vibrated faintly—not from tremors, but from movement.
Kaito’s Observation Haki flared, his senses expanding to 20 meters.
“Ants.”
Not just any ants—Killer Ants.
Dozens of them.
Chittering. Scuttling.
Waiting.
Ouka tightened his grip on his shield. “Stay close. They swarm fast.”
Mikoto’s kodachi gleamed in the dim light. “We clear a path, grab what we can, and leave.”
Bell swallowed hard, his dagger trembling slightly. “R-Right!”
Kaito cracked his knuckles.
“Let’s dance.”
—
At first, it was easy.
Too easy.
Kaito’s fists caved in chitinous skulls. Ouka’s shield slammed through clusters like a battering ram. Mikoto’s blade flickered, severing limbs with surgical precision. Chigusa darted between shadows, her daggers finding weak points. Even Bell, though shaky, was holding his own.
But then—
More came.
And more.
And more.
Kaito’s Haki pinged—dozens of signals, converging from every direction.
“They’re not stopping.”
A Killer Ant lunged at Chigusa—
She twisted, but not fast enough.
“Ghk—!”
The ant’s mandible grazed her legs, drawing blood.
Kaito moved before he thought.
“Chigusa!”
He slammed his fist into the ant’s head, crushing it, then grabbed her uninjured legs.
“You okay?!”
Chigusa grimaced, clutching her wound. “Just a scratch. But—”
A screech cut her off.
Another wave.
Bigger this time.
Ouka’s voice boomed. “Fall back! Now!”
—
They ran.
Kaito carried Chigusa on his back, her daggers still clutched in her hands as she snarled at the pursuing ants.
“Put me down! I can fight!”
“Shut up and let me save your ass!” Kaito shot back, dodging a lunging ant.
Mikoto covered their rear, her blade a silver blur. Bell and Ouka cleared the path ahead, smashing through stragglers.
The ants kept coming.
Kaito’s Haki screamed—
“LEFT!”
A Killer Ant burst from the wall—
Mikoto intercepted, her kodachi slicing clean through its neck.
“Move!”
They reached the stairs to Floor 6, panting, bloodied, but alive.
The ants didn’t follow.
—
On Floor 6, they collapsed against the wall, gasping.
Chigusa hissed as Mikoto poured a healing potion over her wound. The flesh knitted together slowly, leaving a faint scar.
“Lucky,” Mikoto muttered. “Another inch deeper, and you’d be missing an leg.”
Chigusa grinned weakly. “Guess I owe Kaito a drink.”
Kaito, still catching his breath, smirked. “Damn right you do.”
Bell, wide-eyed, stared at the bag of magic stones they’d managed to grab. “T-This is more than I’ve ever seen…”
Ouka grunted. “Floor 7’s loot is better. But so are the risks.”
Kaito checked his mental stat sheet—
———–
NAME: Kaito
LEVEL: 1
STRENGTH: H (129) → F (384)
ENDURANCE: H (124) → F (326)
DEXTERITY: H (125) → D (425)
AGILITY: H (138) → F (359)
MAGIC: H (119)
SKILLS:
[Mind’s Eye: Horizon – H (23%)]
– Grants precognitive awareness of imminent danger.
– Magic drains with prolonged use.
———–
“Damn. I earned a ton.”
But his body still felt the same.
“Right. No update yet.”
—
Back in Orario, they emptied their haul onto the Familia’s common table.
The magic stones glowed faintly, a small fortune for a group like theirs.
“Six equal shares,” Ouka declared.
Bell blinked. “S-Six? But I’m not—”
“You fought. You earn,” Mikoto said simply.
Kaito nodded. “Half to the Familia, half to us. That’s the rule.”
Bell’s eyes shimmered. “T-Thank you!”
As they divided the loot, Kaito discreetly absorbed half of his stones, feeling the faint warmth of +12 MAG spreading through him.
The rest?
For the Familia.
—
Takemikazuchi updated their statuses that night.
When he reached Kaito, the god’s fingers paused.
“…This is unprecedented.”
Kaito raised an eyebrow. “What is?”
Takemikazuchi’s eyes gleamed. “Your growth. At this rate, you could Level Up right now.”
A hush fell over the room.
Mikoto’s grip tightened on her cup. “Already?!”
Kaito frowned. “But I haven’t even hit my peak yet.”
Takemikazuchi smirked. “Exactly.”
He leaned forward.
“Listen carefully. A Level is just a container for your power. The bigger the container before you Level Up, the stronger you’ll be after.”
Kaito’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”
“Most adventurers Level Up with 3000 total stats. Prodigies push to 4500.” Takemikazuchi’s voice dropped. “But you? You have the potential to reach SSS-rank in every stat before Leveling. That is how monsters are made.”
A slow grin spread across Kaito’s face.
“SSS-rank, huh?”
“I’m in.”
—
Later, as the others slept, Takemikazuchi stood on the dojo’s rooftop, staring at the stars.
His fists clenched.
“Finally…”
A chuckle escaped him.
“A warrior worth watching.”