Hey guys,
We've officially reached the end of the first arc! 🎉 When I first started posting this story, I honestly wasn't sure how it would be received. Even though I had over 50 chapters already written, I kept wondering if people would actually accept it—especially since this is my very first work written entirely in English.
So imagine my surprise when I saw the numbers going up: 257 collections, 111.37K views, and 124 Power Stones.
I may not be on the rankings yet, but these are already the biggest numbers I've ever had for a fanfic. And honestly, I'm beyond excited to keep pushing forward and aim even higher.
Before we jump into the next stage of the story, I'd love to have another little chat with you. Consider this a campfire talk between author and readers. 🔥
⚔️ Story & Progression
In this first arc, I made the protagonist's growth as slow as possible to show just how normal he really is. After all, sources indicate that more than 90% of Orario's adventurers remain stuck at Level 1—and honestly, Luki doesn't have anything special that would let him break that rule so easily.
But that's about to change. From the second arc onward, the protagonist will start to reveal his true potential. And let's be honest—his background is perfect for it.
Here's a small spoiler on why:
• Hestia herself has many connections I plan to explore. For example, she's close to Miach, who owns a shop for potions and alchemical products—meaning cheaper access for Luki.
• Then there's Hephaestus, who (as I already showed in earlier chapters) will craft a special weapon for him.
• The God of War, Takemikazuchi, could teach Luki martial arts and sword techniques if Hestia asks.
• The ex-adventurers at the Hostess of Fertility, especially Lyu, who seems to have a certain affection toward Luki (love? maybe—that's something I'll work on later).
• And on top of all that, we have Orario's two queens, Loki and Freya, who—each for their own reasons—will lend their support to the protagonist, especially Freya.
So, rest assured—Luki won't stay weak forever. On the contrary, he's going to become overpowered by this world's standards… though always within the logic of the setting (well… almost).
👉 What do you think of this direction we are taking?
🧝♂️ Protagonist
Throughout the story, I've been very careful to show how inexperienced and new to this world Luki really is—especially through his dialogues.
When he was alone or just thinking, I wrote his thoughts normally. But every time he spoke to someone else, I sprinkled random capital letters into his lines to show how broken his grasp of the language was.
But that's about to change!
We're heading into a time-skip, and with it comes the perfect excuse: Luki has finally learned enough of the language to speak normally. This means much better and more natural character interactions.
Not only that—he'll also become noticeably more confident and daring. Little by little, as he grows stronger and more familiar with this world, he'll carry himself with more security. This new confidence will fuel many of his future social interactions.
Of course, don't worry—he's not going to turn into some arrogant jerk. He'll stay kind at heart. But this also means he'll start "teasing" Hestia even more from now on… so the real question is: can she survive it? 😏
👉 What do you think of this new direction for the protagonist?
🙆 Characters
Up until now, Luki has been adventuring mostly alone. That was intentional—I wanted to use solitude as a way to develop his character.
But as the Dungeon gets deeper and deadlier, strength alone won't be enough. I really want to highlight that sense of "even if you're strong, you can't advance without companions."
So, starting in the second arc, new members will join his party. The real questions are: who, and how many?
One thing is certain—Liliruca Arde will be part of the team, no exceptions. In my opinion, she has the greatest potential of all—maybe even more than Haruhime. Leaving her out would be a huge waste.
But what about the others? My idea is to keep the group small—around 5 members, maybe a little more. Not too many, otherwise it becomes impossible to properly develop each character and show their role within the team.
Now, here's the dilemma:
• Should I make the party entirely female, leaning into the romantic/character tension with the protagonist?
• Or should I include another guy? Honestly, it's tough. The only male character who even shows potential is Welf Crozzo—and even then, his strength lies in making magic swords, which are borderline useless.
But then again… let's not forget the name of the original work: "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?" 😅 Truthfully, the only man who really needs attention in this fanfic is the protagonist himself—the rest can be women without any problem.
👉 So here's my question for you: who do you think should join Luki's party? And why? What role would they play in the group?
Ah, romance… this topic always kills me. But hey, we need to set things straight. Based on the votes from my last Q&A (okay, only three comments, but no one needs to know that 😅), the decision is final: this story will have a harem.
Originally, I wanted to keep it small—around 3 to 5 girls. But then I started making a list… and realized how hard it is to cut anyone out. There are just too many good characters, each with strong reasons to be included.
So what's the problem? Well, my dream is to give every beautiful woman in this world a home. If I already have two, then ten—or all of them—doesn't make much difference, right? cough
Anyway, here's the current lineup I've been thinking about (with your help, of course):
Hestia – The main wife. She has her issues with jealousy and inferiority, but I know how to write her in a way that makes her "allow" a harem while still keeping her role special.
LilirucaArde – The second wife, and honestly the one who "created" the harem in the first place. She'll spend the most time with Luki in life-or-death situations, so romance is natural. And let's be real—if she fought for Bell in canon, you know she'd fight here too. This time, though… she wins. (Plus, her ability to change appearances has a lot of fun potential 👀).
EinaTulle – I don't like how in so many harems, characters like her—the "normal" women—get left out just because they aren't adventurers. Here, she gets the ending she deserves. Strength isn't everything.
Hephaestus – Not confirmed yet, but definitely an option. Want her in? Smash the like.
Loki – Another strong contender. Yes, she's officially lesbian, but I already have a "perfectly logical excuse" for that to change. (Hint: alcohol and a certain elf… you get the idea 😏).
Freya – Hard not to include her. In canon, she went all out for Bell, but nothing says she can't share. If she gets her piece of Luki, maybe that's enough to calm the beast.
TionaHiryute – The flat-chested Amazon. Amazons like strong men, and I plan to give Luki one hell of a scene that would logically win her heart. Plus, she's the only morena on the list—extra points.
AsfialAndromeda – Love through work. She and Luki will collaborate a lot, so feelings are bound to develop. As an elf, she might see him as a "child" at first, but that can be flipped. Another strong contender.
Bell Cranel (female version) – Yeah, I gender-swapped Bell. Originally, I thought of her more like a younger sister to Luki. But hey, if you want her in the harem, just say the word.
👉 Question: do you want someone else in the harem? If yes, comment with the character's name, the reason why, and maybe even a picture if she's more obscure. If enough people ask for the same girl, I'll expand the bed. Do king-size beds even exist in another world? 🤔
📖 Main Plot
I have a few things to share about where the story is going.
First, Freya will not be a villain. Luki will face her directly but in a civil way—she's beautiful, charming, and honestly not that hard to love. As long as nothing extreme happens, it's difficult to imagine her as a true antagonist here.
Second, Evilus is officially deleted from this fanfic. While writing, I realized how irrelevant they are to the main plot—they don't really add anything meaningful. My excuse? When the Dungeon evolved, the first to die were the Evilus members hiding inside it. The Dungeon wouldn't just let parasites steal its resources without consequences.
Third, it's confirmed: I'll be exploring other dungeons in the future. I already have a plot in mind that will "push" Luki out of Orario, opening the way to explore the world with only him, his companions, and whatever life decides to throw at them.
👉 What do you guys think about this direction? Any ideas or twists you'd like to see?
⚠️ Final Note
So… I've officially run out of my "reserve" chapters. While I was posting, I did write a few new ones, but in these fifty days I only managed to finish eight.
Honestly, most of that was just laziness. I'd love to give you a deep and noble excuse, but… yeah, I don't have one. Sorry to disappoint you guys.
That means from now on it'll be impossible to keep the one-chapter-per-day pace. When the last of the reserve chapters are gone, I'll just have to buckle down and write fresh ones as we go. That's life, I guess.
Once again, I'm really sorry—thank you for sticking with me through all this. 💙
🌟 Support
Finally, a small (but shameless 😅) request: if you're enjoying the story, please consider leaving comments and maybe a review. Your feedback is pure gold for me.
Also… Power Stones. I've recently discovered that they actually influence the story's ranking and visibility, so if you've got a few to spare, I'd be forever grateful.
And while I'm at it, here's another bold ask: if anyone has any cool images that could work as a cover for the story, please share them! I've tried uploading three different ones, but none of them worked.
👉 Drop your cover suggestions here—I really appreciate it!
Thank you all so much for reading the first arc of Danmachi: Luki's Adventure. Your feedback shapes the story as much as my keyboard does. See you in Arc 2! 👋