His consciousness gradually returned from the Sanctuary Void after completing the Barter of a Thousand Realms session with the other Saviors.
The moment Charlie opened his eyes, he was immediately met with a sight that had begun to feel familiar — the figure of Ais, fast asleep on his chest.
The girl's face still carried a captivating flush, the lingering traces of passion from their recent activities not yet fully faded. Her long blonde hair was in disarray, several strands clinging to her cheek and her slightly perspiring forehead. Her breathing was soft and even, a testament to a satisfying exhaustion.
Beneath the blanket, Charlie could feel clearly that the two of them were still physically connected. Ais's warm, flushed body still enveloped him tightly — even in sleep, she seemed reluctant to let him go.
For a moment, Charlie experienced an odd sensation — an intensely powerful sense of déjà vu.
Just this morning, he had woken in the exact same situation. Only then, the figure on his chest had been Aishia with her distinctive peach-colored hair, not Ais with her beautiful blonde tresses.
Barely a few hours had passed, and he had already slept with another woman.
(It's impolite to think about another woman while you're with one.)
Charlie pushed away the thoughts that had drifted toward Aishia. Whatever the case, he was with Ais right now. At the very least, he owed it to her to honor this moment by giving his full attention to the girl in his arms.
Gently, he stroked Ais's disheveled hair, smoothing away the strands that had fallen across her face. The girl only murmured softly in her sleep, her face shifting slightly against Charlie's chest in search of a more comfortable position.
Smiling faintly, Charlie redirected his thoughts away from the complicated topic of his casanova lifestyle. Rather than ruminating on the morality of his actions — which was clearly far too late to be questioned — it was better to take stock of the gains he had made through this inaugural Barter of a Thousand Realms.
He closed his eyes briefly, recalling the list of techniques he had received from Wang Jian, the Savior from the Naruto Planar World.
"Four Symbols Seal, Four Red Yang Formation, Four-Corner Sealing Barrier, Six Red Yang Formation, Uchiha Imprisonment Sealing, Three Directions Seal, Yin Seal, Multiple String Light Formation, Reverse Four Symbols Sealing, Five Elements Seal, Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, Dharma Power Seal, Destruction of Evil Seal, Beast Sealing Technique, Four-Corner Sealing Barrier, and... Dead Demon Consuming Seal."
Charlie opened his eyes, a satisfied smile settling on his lips.
"Seventeen sealing techniques in total. And the majority of them are Uzumaki Clan sealing techniques."
He let out a breath, contemplating the dark history behind the techniques he had just acquired. His knowledge of the Naruto world gave him an intriguing perspective.
"Even though the Uzumaki Clan was officially destroyed by the combined forces of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, I don't believe Konoha had no hand in the matter. That much is clear from who stood to gain the most — Konoha itself, the party that chose not to come to its ally's aid when they were attacked."
Charlie analyzed the situation from an omniscient vantage point. In the history he knew, Konoha at that time was under the leadership of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Rather than sending reinforcements to save their old allies — the Uzumaki Clan, who had forged bonds of kinship with Konoha since the era of Hashirama and Madara — Konoha chose silence.
"The evidence lies in the survivors. Karin's parents, Nagato's parents — both survivors of the Uzumaki Clan. They did not flee to Konoha. Instead, they went into hiding in minor nations like the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. In their hearts, they knew that Konoha under the Third Hokage's regime was not worthy of trust."
He shook his head slowly. It had to be said — the Third Hokage's maneuvering was remarkably shrewd. He had plunged Konoha into internal conflict through complex political intrigue, yet acted with cowardice in the face of external threats. Hiruzen's legacy was indeed contradictory: on one hand revered as the God of Shinobi — self-proclaimed — on the other, his tenure was riddled with questionable policies.
"Wang Jian was remarkably generous. He handed over every sealing technique recorded in the Scroll of Seals. Perhaps he simply had no interest in learning them himself."
"Compared to Wang Jian, the sealing techniques Elena provided were... disappointing."
On that point, Charlie could only blame himself for setting his expectations too high. It was worth noting that the upper ceiling of sealing techniques in the High School DxD Planar World was far higher than in the Naruto Planar World.
"Even so, even with the Sitri Clan standing behind Elena, given her position as a member of Sona Sitri's peerage — who is still young and not yet fully come into her own — it was simply unrealistic to expect her to have access to the sealing techniques used by the Biblical God to seal the Beast of Apocalypse 666, Trihexa."
"Perhaps only the Seraphs in Heaven would know those."
Charlie let out a sigh, then began tallying the gains from Elena.
"Cocytus Prison: Sub-Zero Coffin. This technique transforms the moisture surrounding a target into an extremely dense coffin of ice. The target is completely locked within a massive block of ice. The cold is no ordinary cold — the ice constantly draws heat from the target's body, leaving them weak and sluggish even before they are fully frozen."
"Trident of the Deep: Nerve Bind. Rather than sealing the entire body as conventional sealing techniques do, this technique fires three high-pressure water projectiles that embed themselves into the target's major nerve points."
"Membrane of the Still Lake. This seal does not harm the target physically, but renders them 'isolated' from the outside world. Attacks from within cannot reach out, and the target's mental coordination slows due to the constant water pressure bearing down on their senses."
"Vortex Devourer: Mana Sink. An area sealing technique that generates a small whirlpool beneath the target's feet. The vortex acts as a black hole for magical energy. Each time the target attempts to gather mana, the vortex siphons it away."
"Calamity Tide: Memory Wash. This is a high-level sealing technique of a psychic nature. Water is used as a medium to submerge the target's consciousness."
"Five in total, and all of them water-based. That is indeed the hallmark of Sitri Clan magic. Water is their element."
Charlie stared at the ceiling with a faintly frustrated expression.
"What a pity — I can't learn any of them even if I wanted to. All I can do is use them as reference material."
Thinking about it, he could only sigh in resignation.
When measured against the power scaling standards of Planar Worlds like Mushoku Tensei, Overlord, or Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the power system in Danmachi was far more restrictive and grounded.
Particularly the three-slot magic restriction that limited every individual.
Charlie had long contemplated this fundamental difference.
In other isekai anime, characters could become veritable Swiss Army knives — a spell for every situation. Fire for offense, ice for defense, teleportation for mobility, healing for recovery. They could master dozens, even hundreds of spells at will.
In Danmachi, the majority of adventurers had no magic at all. Because the maximum was only three slots — and even that was exceedingly rare, with the average being just one — a Mage was utterly dependent on their teammates. This made Danmachi feel more like a rigid classic RPG, where a mage without a tank would fall in seconds.
In many modern fantasy anime, magic was often instantaneous or limited only by a large mana pool. In Danmachi, overuse of magic caused Mind Zero — an immediate loss of consciousness.
In essence, Danmachi adventurers would be thoroughly outmatched in a pure "mechanics showdown" against spellcasters from isekai series in general. The system was designed to be grounded, realistic, and to emphasize teamwork.
All three of Charlie's own magic slots were already filled, closing the door on learning any new spells.
"Fortunately, that restriction only applies to magic." Charlie found some consolation in the thought. "Fūinjutsu and magic are entirely separate power systems."
With seventeen new techniques now in his possession, Charlie had far more than the raw physical power of a Level 6. He now held instruments for confronting entities that couldn't be felled by sword or spell alone.
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