The front gates of the Labyrinth City — Orario.
[Mission: Choose one of the following seven Familia to join and become an adventurer.][Reward: The "Genshin System" will be fully activated and integrated into the current world's power structure. You — the host — will no longer trigger universal rejection.]
"…"
Ling Shu listened to the spiritual prompt echoing in his mind, completely speechless.
Just a few minutes ago, he'd been walking off a late-night snack in his residential complex back on Earth.
Then — bam — a meteorite smacked him dead-on.
Next thing he knew, he blinked once... and landed here.
In a fantasy world where gods were real — even if most of them acted like clowns.
And now?
"So I've transmigrated. Cool, whatever."
The young man from the Celestial Empire, already living on his own, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"But these seven Familia choices... are you serious? Are you trying to get me killed?"
He looked at the list:
Freya Familia
Soma Familia
Ishtar Familia
Hermes Familia
Apollo Familia
Ikelos Familia
And...
Ares Familia
"...Mother of god."
Ling Shu almost spat out a string of curses on the spot."What, you think I never watched Danmachi? You think I don't know how this goes?"
"This lineup is a freaking minefield."
Danmachi — full name: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Also known in-universe as Familiar Myth.
But let's be honest, almost nobody calls it that.
Not important.
What is important is...
"All seven options are either notorious villain factions or run by completely unhinged gods. How the hell am I supposed to choose? Huh? Tell me."
Ling Shu had this sudden, inexplicable urge to throw his hands off the keyboard and log out of life.
Honestly? He wanted to reject the so-called "reward" altogether.
"Heh. A Genshin System? Whatever. I'll survive without it..."
[Notice: Host is classified as an external anomaly by this universe. If the mission is not completed within three days, you will be forcibly ejected from the world and erased from existence.]
"..."
Fantastic.
So I get isekai'd by a random space rock, dropped into a city I've never seen, and now it's a one-way trip with no return policy?
This is beyond dark. This is charcoal black.
With no choice, Ling Shu had to shelve his noble ambitions.
Time to start asking real questions.
"...Can I switch Familia later?"
Familia-switching, to put it simply, was a ritual that — with the approval of both deities — let an adventurer transfer to a new Familia.
Ling Shu wasn't just a casual Danmachi fan. He was what you'd call a Danmachi connoisseur.
Sure, he didn't grind the mobile game much, but he had every major plotline and setting memorized cold.
Which meant—
[Answer: The system only requires a single instance of Falna as a medium to integrate with the world's power framework. No restrictions apply after that.]
"Oh, well that's good."
He let out a breath of relief.
Then paused.
"...Wait a second."
Ling Shu's eyes narrowed.
"If all you need is a one-time blessing, then why force me to join these Familia?"
I mean, you've got the Hestia Familia and Loki Familia out there. Standard destinations for any self-respecting Danmachi self-insert.
As if reading his mind—
[Answer: Until the host has fully integrated into this world, prematurely aligning with 'main character' factions may draw the attention of the World Consciousness. Risk factor: extremely high.]
Okay, fair enough.
But—
"If joining MC-side Familia draws heat from the World Consciousness, wouldn't it make more sense to pick some nameless side-faction?"
"These groups... all have ties to the main plot."
[...]
This time, the system went silent.
For a long time.
[Reminder: Please complete the initial mission promptly. Goodbye.]
"..."
Ling Shu's face twisted with unease.
Something's off.
Definitely something's off.
He wanted to press further, ask more details.
But his mind fell silent — no more replies came.
With no way around it...
"When you're under someone else's roof, you lower your head."
Ling Shu let out a long sigh.
"This is obviously a trap... and I still have to walk right into it. Wonderful."
He started thinking carefully.
Which Familia to choose?
"First off, no to Ikelos Familia."
No need to think too hard. Slavers can rot.
Then—
"Apollo, Ishtar, Ares — forget it."
His logic was sound.
Apollo and Ishtar were both walking disaster zones. The former was a bisexual narcissist with an ego complex. The latter? Literal brothel matriarch. And let's not even start on the tank-sized captain she's got in charge...
Too dangerous. Just no.
Ares Familia? Not worth discussing. They're based outside Orario, run by a himbo god, and don't even grind monsters for XP.
Completely unviable.
"That leaves... Freya, Soma, and Hermes."
Honestly? He didn't want to pick any of them either.
Freya Familia? Once you're in, you don't come out.
Besides, they're the number one faction in Orario. He wasn't even sure they'd let him in to begin with.
As for Hermes—
Working under that 'God of Fun' meant becoming his errand boy. Just look at Asfi — full-time tool. That alone was a red flag.
And deeper lore-wise?
Hermes probably runs darker schemes than even Freya.
Ling Shu didn't trust anyone who smiles with their eyes closed.
Which left...
"Soma Familia."
He'd made up his mind.
"Sure, it's a cesspool. But the current captain is only Level 2. The god doesn't care about anything. If it comes down to it, I can wipe the whole Familia and switch later."
"Besides, out of the six others — minus Ares — the rest all have at least one Level 3 powerhouse."
Ling Shu knew how to pick his fights.
He went for the softest target.
Of course, he knew full well...
Right now, he was still the softest target in the room.
So to reach his goals, he'd need to play this game carefully.