At the gates of the labyrinth city, Orario...
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[Mission: Choose one of the following seven Familia and join them to become an adventurer.]
[Reward: The "Genshin System" will be fully activated and seamlessly integrated with this world's power structure. From now on, you, and all things related to you, will no longer trigger any cosmic rejection phenomena.]
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Renjiro stared at the mental message echoing in his mind, utterly speechless.
Just a few minutes ago, he had finished a late-night snack and was strolling through his apartment complex to digest when, out of nowhere, a meteorite struck him.
Next thing he knew, a blink later, here he was.
A fantasy world where gods truly existed… even if most of them were, frankly, embarrassingly shameless.
And now…
"Crossing worlds, huh? Not exactly shocking." The young man from Earth, who had been living independently since early on, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"But aren't these seven Familia options a bit too toxic?"
He scrolled through the list:
Freya Familia
Soma Familia
Ishtar Familia
Hermes Familia
Apollo Familia
Ikelos Familia
…and Ares Familia
"My god…" Renjiro nearly broke into a string of colorful curses.
"Do they think I've never read DanMachi?"
"What kind of scam options are these?"
DanMachi, also known as Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Its formal title: Familia Myth.
Not that many knew the latter.
Well, that wasn't the point.
The point was,
"Every single one of these Familia is either run by a downright villain, or led by a god with more screws loose than sense! How the hell am I supposed to choose?!"
At that moment, Renjiro had the very real urge to "take his hands off the keyboard" and quit the game altogether.
He almost wanted to refuse the so-called reward.
"Hah… A Genshin System? Like I care. Who needs it anyway?"
[Notice: The host is considered an anomaly in this world. Failure to complete this mission within three days will result in immediate expulsion from the universe, complete annihilation.]
Damn it.
So they randomly toss me into this world, and if I don't play along, I get a one-way ticket to oblivion?
Dark. Too damn dark.
With no choice, Renjiro had to abandon his "dignified refusal" and ask the obvious:
"…Can I switch Familia later?"
Switching, in DanMachi terms, meant transferring to another Familia, provided both gods agreed to it.
And Renjiro wasn't just any newbie. He was a DanMachi veteran.
Sure, he was a bit of a casual when it came to the mobile game, but he knew the lore and settings inside-out.
That knowledge was his only lifeline.
[Answer: The system only requires one initial Falna (God's Blessing) as a medium to integrate with this world's power structure. Afterwards, there are no restrictions.]
"Oh… that's a relief." Renjiro exhaled.
But then,
"Wait a second."
He spotted the catch.
"If all you need is a Falna, doesn't it make zero difference which Familia I join?"
Take Hestia Familia or Loki Familia, for instance. Both were prime spots in the story.
It was almost as if the system could read his mind.
[Answer: Approaching the main characters' faction before full integration would draw the attention of the World's Will. The danger level is too high.]
"…Fair point."
Still,
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be smarter to join some unknown side Familia instead of these obvious ones?" Renjiro frowned.
"Why restrict me to these seven, all of which are tied to the protagonists?"
This time, the system went silent.
After a long pause,
[Reminder: Please complete the mission promptly. Goodbye.]
Renjiro's expression grew even more twisted.
"There's definitely something fishy here."
He wanted to dig deeper, but no further answers came.
Left helpless…
"When under someone else's roof, you've got no choice but to bow."
Renjiro let out a long sigh.
"They're baiting me into a trap, and I've got no choice but to step in… Damn it."
He began weighing his options carefully.
"First off, scratch Ikelos Familia." No debate there. Slave traders deserved nothing but death.
Next…
"Apollo, Ishtar, and Ares are off the table."
Apollo and Ishtar? Too dangerous by far.
The former's a depraved bisexual peacock; the latter runs a literal pleasure district, and her current captain is a tank in every sense of the word.
Not a fight he could win.
As for Ares Familia, no need to think twice.
Located outside Orario, led by a blockheaded war god, with barely any chances for monster hunting or leveling up.
Completely worthless.
"That leaves Freya, Soma, and Hermes."
Truth be told, he didn't want any of them either.
Freya Familia? Forget it. Once you're in, you're never leaving. Besides, they were the top power in Orario. It wasn't even guaranteed they'd let him in.
Hermes Familia?
Working under that "god of fun"? Just look at their captain, Asfi, who was basically treated like a tool. That alone killed half his motivation.
And let's not even get started on Hermes' shady side plots…
Which left,
"Soma Familia."
Renjiro finally settled on a choice.
"I'll go with them. For now."
It wasn't a glamorous pick, but the Familia was weak. Their current captain was only Level 2, and their god didn't care much about running things.
Which meant… if it came to it, wiping out the Familia and transferring elsewhere would be simple.
"After all, except for Ares Familia, every other option has at least Level 3 powerhouses."
In short, he'd pick the softest target.
Of course, deep down, he knew full well, right now, he was the softest target of them all.
Which meant achieving his goal would take… a lot more effort.