I Got Reincarnated in Danmachi But Got No Cheats?!

Chapter 55 - 100% Potential

I once read about this concept on Earth.

Muscle memory, or muscle memory, is a phenomenon where our body "remembers" movements that have been trained repeatedly, until they can be performed without full consciousness.

But what's even more interesting is the theory about human strength limitations.

I once heard from a retired special forces military guy that humans only use about 30-40% of their physical strength potential under normal conditions.

The rest is limited by the brain as a protection mechanism, so we don't hurt ourselves.

But in extreme situations (like when a mother lifts a car to save her child) that limit can temporarily disappear.

The human body can unleash 100% of its potential.

Is that what happened to me?

The more I think about it, the more sense this explanation makes.

The [Survival Instinct] skill doesn't just make my body move automatically to protect itself.

More than that, this skill might also remove all the limitations usually imposed by the brain, allowing my body to move with maximum strength and speed.

The combination of muscle memory from my fighting experience, plus unlimited physical strength...

No wonder Zagan nearly died.

"Incredible..." I whisper, hardly believing my own conclusion.

But then I realize something else.

If my hypothesis is correct, then this skill is far more dangerous than I imagined.

Not just for enemies, but maybe for myself too.

The pain I'm feeling now...

Maybe this is its side effect.

The human body isn't designed to operate at maximum capacity for long periods.

There must be consequences.

Torn muscles, damaged joints, overstretched tendons...

No wonder it feels like my body's about to fall apart.

But on the other hand, I also feel a bit proud.

My experiment worked!

I successfully uncovered the hidden ability of a skill I thought could only sense danger.

Unfortunately, to confirm my hypothesis, I need to talk to Zagan.

Only he can give me the opponent's perspective on what actually happened when I lost consciousness.

But that's clearly impossible now.

If he's really dying like Hasana said, he's probably unconscious in the medical room right now.

Who knows when he'll recover.

I let out a long sigh, feeling the stale air in this isolation cell entering and leaving my lungs.

Strangely, even though my situation now is much worse than before (chained up, in isolation, with charges of attempted murder) I don't feel as hopeless as I expected.

Quite the opposite.

I feel like I just discovered a very valuable treasure.

An ability that could save my life someday when I face dangerous monsters in deeper dungeon levels.

Of course, I have to be more careful using it.

The side effects are too severe to ignore.

But at least now I know I have a "trump card" that can be used in life-or-death situations.

Like the saying goes, where there's misfortune, there's blessing.

And I feel it now.

"Come to think of it," I mumble while staring at the dark cell ceiling,

"Being in prison isn't as bad as I thought. If I weren't here, I might never have learned about this hidden ability."

Out there, in the free world, there's no situation that would make me truly want to die and face real death threats.

However, I have a cautious nature that makes it hard for me to experience death.

Unless maybe when I reach Level 3 and dare to face legendary monsters on the deepest dungeon floors.

But who knows when that'll happen?

At least now, I have an idea of what I can do. And that makes my spirit to get out of prison and continue my adventure even stronger.

"I have to get out of here soon," I whisper with growing determination.

"And after that, I'll update my status. I'm curious if today's experience gave me enough excelia points."

For the first time since waking up, I smile slightly despite still feeling pain throughout my body.

My experiment succeeded.

And now I have a secret weapon.

I even forgot about Zagan getting hurt because of me.

My thoughts return to the present because of the stinging pain in my chest.

I see the bandages wrapped around my chest.

Making me reflect.

The more I think about it, the more certain I am that my experiment really worked.

But there's one thing bothering me...

The pain I'm feeling now isn't just because my body moved beyond normal limits.

There's different pain, more specific, in several parts of my body.

I try to feel my condition in more detail.

In my left ribs, there's sharp pain every time I breathe.

Like something's cracked or broken.

My right arm also feels strangely sore, as if it just received a hard blow.

And now that I think about it...

Maybe I got injured in that fight too.

But strangely, I didn't feel pain when I first woke up earlier.

What I felt was just overall pain throughout my body, like side effects from using full strength.

The pain from these specific injuries only appeared now.

"So Zagan managed to fight back too," I mumble quietly.

That makes sense.

Someone with Zagan's abilities definitely wouldn't lose without a fight.

Even though he nearly died in the end, he must have managed to land some attacks that hit my body.

The fact that I'm also injured actually makes my hypothesis stronger.

The [Survival Instinct] skill does make my body move to protect itself, but that doesn't mean I become invincible.

I can still get hurt, still get hit by attacks.

What's different is, my body will keep moving and attacking until the threat is truly gone, even when injured.

Like a killing machine that can't be stopped.

That thought makes me shudder.

If my enemy is too strong, wouldn't I still die?

I better not use it carelessly unless it's an emergency.

— POV Hasana —

While I'm drowning in analysis of my abilities, I don't know that several corridors from my cell, Hasana is walking with heavy steps toward his office.

Every step he takes feels like dragging an incredibly heavy burden.

His face, usually calm and controlled, now shows expressions of deep exhaustion and disappointment.

Hasana stops in the middle of the corridor, leaning against the cold stone wall.

His hand rises to massage his throbbing temples, trying to ease the headache starting to emerge.

"How could I misjudge this badly?" he mumbles quietly, his voice echoing in the empty corridor.

In his mind, he keeps replaying the scene he witnessed three hours ago.

Three hours ago...

I was finishing my daily report in my office when I heard screaming from the prisoner block direction.

The sound was very loud, echoing throughout the corridors, and what bothered me most

was that it sounded like...

Someone in tremendous pain.

At first I thought it was just a typical small fight.

New prisoners often make trouble in their first days.

But there was something different about this scream.

More intense, more...

Terrifying.

I left my report and rushed toward the prisoner block.

My steps got faster when I realized the screaming came from Kaen's cell and an old prisoner.

What I found when I got there left me frozen in place.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

Dark red splatters stuck to the stone walls, flowing on the floor, even dripping from the cell ceiling.

The smell was pungent, metallic, making me almost vomit despite years of working in this prison.

And in the middle of this bloody chaos, two figures lay motionless.

Zagan was lying on his back with a face I could barely recognize anymore. His eyes were swollen shut completely, his nose broken and bleeding, his lips torn in several places.

His clothes were tattered, and on his chest I could see several dents from punches.

His breathing was very weak, almost inaudible.

Meanwhile Kaen...

Kaen was sitting against the wall with his eyes closed, as if he were sleeping peacefully.

He was also badly injured with several terrible scratches on his body.

"Dear Gods..." I whispered, my hand trembling as I took the keys to open the cell.

I immediately approached Zagan first.

He was priority because of his critical condition.

His pulse was weak but still there, his breathing shallow but regular.

Fortunately he was still alive, though barely...

"Guard! Guard!" I shouted, calling other guards.

"Get a medic now!"

While waiting for help, I turned to Kaen.

He was still unconscious, but his condition looked stable. Though his body was also badly injured.

The sight made me shudder.

How could a rookie adventurer who just got a goddess's blessing do this to someone like Zagan?

I know exactly who Zagan is.

He might be a prisoner, but he's also a very strong fighter.

Even some experienced guards are reluctant to deal with him.

Clearly a beginner adventurer couldn't fight Zagan.

But now he's nearly dead at Kaen's hands.

"What really happened here?" I mumbled while looking at both men alternately.

The medic finally came, and I helped them move Zagan to the medical room.

The process wasn't easy. His injuries were severe, and several times he almost lost total consciousness during the journey.

If he lost consciousness, that would mean death.

Fortunately this guy is very tough so he won't die.

Meanwhile Kaen was also bandaged and treated.

After that I moved him to an isolation cell.

I put heavy chains on his hands as a precautionary measure.

Whatever made him able to defeat Zagan, I didn't want to take risks.

During the journey to the isolation cell, Kaen remained unconscious.

His face was so peaceful, as if he hadn't just almost killed someone.

That's what bothered me most.

When I finally left the isolation cell and walked back to my office, my mind couldn't stop thinking about this incident.

I'm disappointed.

Very disappointed.

I've known many types of prisoners during my years working here.

Some who were truly evil from the start, some who were forced to commit crimes because of circumstances, some who were actually innocent but trapped by situations.

Kaen...

I thought he belonged to the last category.

A young adventurer trapped in accusations that might not be true.

Someone who has a goddess who cares about him, who will try to prove his innocence.

Someone who still has a bright future ahead.

However, usually strong adventurers have strong emotional support behind them.

But after seeing what he did to Zagan...

Maybe I misjudged.

Maybe he really does have a hidden dark side.

A side that's sadistic, cruel, and dangerous.

And what makes me saddest is...

Goddess Hestia.

That kind goddess probably doesn't know about her family member's dark side.

She chose Kaen as her first child, gave him her blessing, trusted him wholeheartedly.

How will she feel later when she learns that the person she chose is capable of such brutal violence?

"Poor Goddess Hestia," I whisper while closing my office door.

"Choosing someone who turned out to be so cruel."

I sit in my work chair and stare at the report I left earlier.

But the words on the paper look blurry because my mind is still stuck on what happened.

Maybe...

Maybe this is fate.

Who knows, with his goddess's support, Kaen might return to the right path.

Quite a few adventurers have changed for the better because of women.

With Goddess Hestia's nature, there's a good chance something like that will happen.

Maybe Kaen is one of those types.

However, he's clearly talented. It would be a shame if he's buried in prison.

However, the adventurer scene is currently oversaturated, with no new strong adventurers appearing lately.

It seems I should ask God Ganesha for help to get Kaen out.

Consider this an investment.

Fortunately, God Ganesha will return tomorrow after completing the mission the guild assigned him.