Orario, Soma Clan Hall.
Charles pressed his forehead and slowly woke up. His nose twitched slightly—there was a strong smell of alcohol in the air.
Vomit—
After opening his eyes and looking around, Charles was stunned.
The rock walls, bare of tiles, looked like something from the '80s. The building resembled a wine cellar, with layers of wooden barrels stacked along the walls.
On the floor, thirty or forty drunken "corpses" lay scattered—faces flushed unnaturally, saliva dribbling from the corners of their mouths, grinning foolishly in their sleep.
Where am I?
What's going on in this abnormal environment?
Looking down at his shrunken hands and feet…
After a brief moment of confusion, Charles thought hard—and then he remembered.
I… am reborn!
Swish—
His vision turned white and flickered.
Fragments of memory came flooding in, giving him no chance to react, forcibly inserted and rapidly loaded.
My name is Charles. I'm a gray-haired human, twelve years old—and a reincarnator whose memories have just awakened.
His parents had been adventurers from the labyrinth city of Orario, members of the Soma Familia. They had died in the Dungeon not long ago, trying to earn enough to buy divine wine. In his memories, there had been an older sister, but she had vanished when he was still young.
If both parents are dead, something extraordinary is bound to happen.
He realized this quickly—and was overjoyed.
I never expected the trigger for awakening my memories would be divine wine!
Yes, that's right.
In order to expand the Familia, its leader, Zanis, would give each new member a cup of divine wine.
Anyone who has read Danmachi knows what divine wine is—and why just speaking of it could bring unspeakable dread to the heavens.
Drops 404 warning.
The scene rewinds to the moment before he got drunk…
"To celebrate everyone joining the Familia, I specially applied for divine wine from Lord Soma! This is a company benefit! Let's toast!"
"Oh!"
The voice of Captain Zanis still echoed in his ears.
This was such a bummer.
"I never thought that even after reincarnation, I still couldn't escape this miserable fate…" Charles was speechless.
"Go away, my bad luck! Go away, this familiar beginning!"
Hello, my name is Charles, and I'm an ordinary time traveler.
In my previous life, I was just a security guard, working diligently like a cog in a machine. Games and anime were my only hobbies.
I never expected that during a routine job transfer, I'd discover my immediate superiors all wore black suits and had incomprehensible foreign liquor names.
Especially my eldest brother—he always sneered and called people "rat," "fox," or "blood rose." He would pat my shoulder and tell me to work hard, to be loyal like my parents, and not to be a rat.
When I came to my senses, I was already holding an AK and standing at the door of an underground medical research lab.
After getting used to it, I affectionately called this place the winery.
Later…
Good news: my sister-in-law was stunning—a blonde Bohmbshell.
Bad news: my elder brother found out.
But my brother wasn't angry. Maybe he liked the girl named "Shirley" I was in charge of more.
Then…
With my sister-in-law's help, I got my own codename—Alaska.
Having tasted success, I became unstoppable in my pursuit of various sisters-in-law. At the same time, I helped my eldest brother clean up "rats." I mostly handled the driving.
Until my parents secretly told me they were actually Chinese agents.
So the rat… was me?
In the end, during a rescue operation for an important research member's relatives, my identity was exposed—and I was eliminated.
After that…
Charles was "fortunate" enough to be reincarnated into the Soma Familia.
"It's hell mode again at the start…" Charles was sweating profusely.
With his past-life memories awakened, Charles immediately understood the world he was in.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?—a young man's fantasy tale of Western-style heroics.
Gods, monsters, heroes, dungeons…
The whole world could be summed up in just a few words.
But—
"Why is it that when other people travel through time, they get to choose their own goddess and grow strong, while I have to fight alongside a bunch of crazy drunkards?! Damn my 'good luck'!"
Charles suspected he might have some inexplicable connection to wineries.
From the start, if you don't make money, you get beaten. If you do make money, you have to wait for it to be stolen. Even to grow stronger, you have to pay to renew your Familia blessing. The path forward was almost completely blocked.
And now, he was surrounded by alcoholics.
Recalling the dwarf supporter Liliruca from the original story…
After a day's work, even her dinner had to be given by others. She survived through stealing and begging.
Do I have to wait for the white-haired guy to come save me? But I'm a boy!
No—I have to save myself!
"System? Ding? Where are you?" Charles's voice was anxious.
Silence.
Oops… no system.
What a misfortune.
The strong adaptability he had acquired in "the Organization" quickly calmed him down.
Don't panic.
Compared to life in the Organization, this was child's play.
First, think about whether there's a sister-in-law route I can take to skip the grind…
No, wrong focus.
This was Orario—the gods' playground and the city of heroes. I know the plot and the secrets, so I can definitely rise! The Familia captain is only Level 2, his power is limited.
He's much kinder than my big brother, who's always shouting about catching rats.
Anyway…
First, confirm the timeline… reference?
Oops—I can't remember!
Charles rubbed his temples; the divine wine's effects still made his head foggy.
Never mind…
What's important is my grace! I need to check my status!
Maybe I'm gifted… a chosen one?
Charles looked around again. Everyone else was still passed out. He nudged a "corpse" aside and tiptoed toward the exit.
First, get out of here.
He had just made up his mind and was about to turn around—
When a voice came from behind a nearby screen.
"Hey… Charles-kun. Where are you going?"
Charles looked up—and met a pair of eyes filled with amusement and curiosity.
The man had a middle-part hairstyle, silver-rimmed glasses, and a lewd smile. He looked just like the "manager" from his previous life—hypocritical, insidious, and vulgar.
Even worse than my big brother!
Charles shuddered and muttered, "Who put you in charge?!"
"Hm? Drunk?"
Damn past-life memories… Reorganizing his thoughts, Charles spoke in halting Common:
"Zanis… Captain."
From the haze of his memories, Charles placed the man's identity.
Zanis clasped his hands behind his back, head tilted slightly, his glasses flashing white.
"I'm surprised you withstood the divine wine's effects…"
"Well…"
Charles's gaze drifted to his unconscious companions, and he realized his "abnormality."
Because he'd been reincarnated, he hadn't gotten drunk.
And this… might be suspicious to Zanis. An organization like the Soma Familia had no use for anomalies.
Opening… plot kill?
"You're good. The most promising one in this group," Zanis said with an unreadable tone.
Is this Infinite Horror? This isn't a reincarnation space, right? Lord God?
A memory flashed through Charles's mind.
The finished divine wine was rare—originally meant as a prize to motivate members. Giving it to newcomers was unusual.
Charles realized the wine had just been a test.
He swallowed, forced a smile, raised his eyebrows, and said proudly:
"Captain, I… I succeeded! I passed!"
"Yes, you've passed the god's test. Tell me, Brother Charles, what do you want as your reward?"
"I want to see Lord Soma! I want to receive the god's blessing!"
He was taking a gamble—that Soma hadn't completely abandoned his Familia and might be watching from the sidelines.
Zanis lowered his head, his glasses reflecting the light like a Conan killer.
"Oh? Do you have a request that requires me, the captain, to overstep my authority? Do you want to leave the Familia? If so, I can approve it right now."
Charles froze for a second—just one second.
"No, why would I think that? My loyalty to the Soma Familia… and to Lord Zanis… is like a surging river! The sun and moon can bear witness!"
The moment I nod, I'll be chopped to pieces!
Charles quickly shifted to flattery:
"The Soma Familia raised me. Lord Soma is like my father, and Lord Zanis is like my elder brother!"
His tongue was thick and clumsy as he added, "There's an old saying from the Far East: those who know the times… Wait, that's wrong! An elder brother is like a father. If you don't abandon me, I'll gladly be your foster son! It's that divine wine…"
"Hahaha, very well!"
Zanis patted his shoulder. He had been worried about someone immune to the divine wine's effects—someone who might compete with him for power—but now…
Sure enough, even if you could resist it briefly, you couldn't escape its allure.
Even Zanis was still drawn to the wine—how could a little brat resist?
He didn't believe in flattery, but he believed in the wine's pull.
"Want to be my adopted son? Then prove your worth first. Work hard, surpass everyone, and stand before me again."
So you look down on me? You're already courting death! Charles thought, his eyes sharp.
"Yes! I will become the sharpest sword and eliminate all disobedient rats for Lord Zanis!"
"That won't be necessary…" Zanis coughed and changed the subject.
"You're too aggressive. Calm down. Since you're so loyal, tell me—what do you want from Lord Soma?"
Charles looked up with a humble expression. "I want to make the Soma Familia great again!"
"Speak plainly."
"I want to renew my blessing!"