"A World of Gods"
Drake stood on a hillside, shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight to get a clearer view of the massive town before him. Despite the elevated position, he couldn't see the entire city.
The city walls were incredibly high. From his vantage point, the walls, built of massive stone bricks, looked like a mountain range completely encircling the town.
This wasn't a town; it was a military fortress, seemingly impregnable even to a massive army's assault.
Drake observed that the people entering and leaving the gates carried swords and other melee weapons.
He sensed magical energy from only a few individuals, and even then, it was weak. Most people seemed to lack magical aptitude, or at least the ability to wield powerful magic.
For a moment, Drake thought he'd arrived in a low-power world, but this was quickly disproven.
He sensed many powerful auras within the town, especially a deeply unsettling presence emanating from the center, causing a sense of dread.
The town wasn't just a fortress; it felt like a cage, containing the world's most dangerous beings.
Drake looked up; the unsettling aura came from the only visible structure within the city walls.
It was a cylindrical tower that pierced the sky! The tower stood in the town's center, its upper half shrouded in clouds, its peak invisible, seemingly reaching into the heavens.
Drake lowered his hand and walked towards the gate.
This world was completely unexpected, but having arrived, Drake intended to make the most of it.
His priority was to understand this world before deciding his next move.
The tower, however, felt strangely familiar.
Reaching the gate, he was stopped by a guard.
"Your name?"
"Drake."
"Special pass?"
"No."
"Adventurer?"
Drake paused. Adventurer? A common fantasy profession? He shook his head.
The guard showed an unsurprised expression, then had Drake turn around, shining a lantern-like device on his back.
"No problem, you may enter. Good luck!"
Drake asked, "Shouldn't you ask my purpose here?"
The guard smiled. "Young men like you only come here for one reason! Isn't Orario the land of dreams for adventurers?"
Drake, somewhat confused, entered the gate, looking around.
He immediately understood where he was.
Orario, and that sky-piercing tower... only one world had this combination.
DanMachi: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, that was the source.
This was a world of gods, where the gods weren't distant but lived in this city.
Long ago, an abyss appeared, spewing monsters that ravaged humans and demi-humans.
The first heroes, aided by fairies, drove the monsters back, creating a heroic epic.
Perhaps moved by the heroes, or perhaps bored in the heavens, the gods came down, sealed the abyss, forming the Dungeon.
Mankind achieved a remarkable feat, so the gods sealed their divine power, experiencing mortal life.
The gods gave mortals contracts called Divine Blessings.
Simply put, mortals became players with character sheets, but this "adventuring" game had no resurrection.
With Divine Blessings, more heroes emerged, creating more legends in the Dungeon.
The guard's action at the gate was a check for Divine Blessings using a magical device that senses divine blood.
To Drake, this world's Divine Blessings were a miracle, offering hope for saving Igneel. Resurrection magic truly existed here.
His priority was to join a Familia, get a Divine Blessing, and become an adventurer.
Receiving a Divine Blessing is like becoming family to a god; adventurers united under a god form a Familia.
Orario had various Familias, each with different focuses: exploration, production, security, commerce, etc.
Drake needed to choose a suitable Familia.
While Divine Blessings create skills based on desires and training, only large Familias have specialized knowledge.
In the original story, Freya casually gave a rabbit a valuable magic book; high-level equipment was only crafted by the Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia.
Large Familias don't just accept anyone; Drake wasn't sure if he'd be accepted.
Sighing, Drake began his search.
Combat-focused Familias were a backup; Drake's magic and martial skills were unmatched here.
He preferred Familias specializing in magic, medicine, or forging.
Divine Blessings grant adventurers unique abilities, like job skills in a game.
Drake most desired the legendary highest-tier ability to create Philosopher's Stones: 〈Mystery〉.
However, 〈Mystery〉 is extremely rare; few have the aptitude.
Crucially, there's no specific method to acquire it; Drake wasn't sure he could get it.
His secondary choice was 〈Forging〉. It could be acquired by learning forging skills, and… Drake wanted to try creating soul-imbued equipment.
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