"Orario? Dungeon?" Eriri repeated, her brow furrowing as she looked at me with that curious yet slightly skeptical expression. It was obvious she had no idea what Danmachi even was.
"Yeah," I began, folding my arms as if lecturing in a classroom. "Orario, also known as the Labyrinth City, is the only city in that world that has a Dungeon. The Dungeon itself is a massive and complex underground labyrinth located right beneath the Tower of Babel. Adventurers from all across the world gather there to explore it, fight monsters, and earn wealth or fame."
Eriri tilted her head slightly. "So it's like an RPG city hub but… real?"
"Exactly," I replied with a nod, smiling. "It's the only place in their world where people can risk their lives for glory. And because of that, it's home to all sorts of people. Humans, elves, dwarves, Amazonesses, and even demi-humans—also known to us as nekomimi."
Her eyes sparkled the moment I said the last word. "Nekomimi!? As in—cat girls!?"
"Yup!" I playfully raised both hands above my head, curling my fingers like cat ears. "Cute cat girls, wolf girls, fox girls—everything you could possibly imagine."
"That's… amazing!" Eriri said, her tone full of excitement. "It really does sound like a dream world for otakus…"
"Yeah," I chuckled, though I quickly followed it with a more serious tone. "But even dreams have a price. Orario might sound like a paradise, but at its heart lies the Dungeon—dangerous, unpredictable, and alive in a way that no one truly understands. Some people even believe it has its own will."
Eriri blinked. "Alive? As in… the Dungeon is a living creature?"
"Something like that," I said. "Monsters spawn endlessly from within its walls, treasures appear out of nowhere, and even the strongest adventurers sometimes never come back. It's not a place for the weak."
She frowned slightly, the spark in her eyes dimming. "So it's not all fun and games after all…"
I nodded. "Right. At the end of the day, this is still part of our mission to save the world. But there's a catch in that world. Things aren't always true, but to survive in Orario, the best thing you can do is join a Familia."
"Familia?" she repeated the word again, clearly confused.
"It's kind of like a guild," I explained. "But instead of being led by regular people, a Familia is a group of adventurers blessed and led by a god or goddess who's descended to the mortal world. They form bonds with their followers—giving them power, blessings, and the ability to grow stronger."
Her eyes widened. "Wait, wait. Gods just… come down and start managing adventurers?"
"Yeah! Pretty much," I laughed. "They got bored up there in heaven and decided to live among mortals. Now they run familias like families or clans. Each god has their own style—some are kind and protective, others are selfish or strict. But all of them give something called a Falna—a divine blessing that lets their followers grow, level up, and gain new skills."
"That sounds kind of awesome," she admitted with a small smile. "So, who's the goddess we'll meet first?"
"That," I said with a sigh, glancing toward the glowing system window that appeared in front of us, "is something we're about to find out. Because the system's ready."
[ Connection to Orario: Established ]
[ Synchronizing physical and spiritual data… Complete ]
[ Generating initial Status… Success ]
[ Coordinates locked on destination: Labyrinth City – Orario ]
[ Dimensional Transfer Protocol activated. Please remain calm during transition. ]
[ Transfer commencing in… 3… 2… 1… ]
Before Eriri could respond, a white light began to fill the living room, enveloping us both.
"Eh!? Wait, wait, I'm not ready yet!" Eriri shouted, reaching out toward me in reflex.
And in the end, Eriri and I ended up in a place completely different from the living room inside the VR where we were just moments ago. Now, we stood on a quiet and peaceful street in one of Orario's poorer districts, far from the bustling main streets and the magnificent Babel Tower.
"This is… Ahaha, I really did get isekai'd…" Eriri looked around, realizing that she was truly in another world, still holding my hand, her grip trembling slightly. Whether that trembling came from excitement or shock at experiencing something so supernatural firsthand, I couldn't tell.
"Where are we?" she asked, still glancing left and right.
"Hm, I think we're close to our destination," I said, noticing a certain building that caught my attention, a landmark that I instantly recognized. With just one look, I realized that we had been transferred near the protagonist and the goddess who would be the easiest to work with, right?
The small church where Hestia and Bell, the protagonist of this world, live. From the outside, the building looked old and a little worn down. Its stone walls were cracked, and the bell tower leaned slightly to one side. Most of the windows were boarded up, and the front door creaked whenever it opened.
"Are you serious, this is our destination?" Eriri asked as I pointed toward what would become the base of the Hestia Familia in the early story.
"Yeah. I don't think there's any Familia easier for us to join. The big ones won't accept us easily, and we have no idea whether those gods are good or not. From what I know, the Familia we're heading to is really small, but at least it's led by a kind goddess," I replied to Eriri's question.
Well, Hestia could be a bit protective, stupid, and naive, but she's a good goddess, not the suspicious type like Freya or Loki. As for the other gods and goddesses, Hestia is still the safest choice. And since the system already picked this place for us, that's why we're here.
I didn't think it was a good idea to choose another place.
I was thinking that as I considered knocking on the door, when suddenly, the church door creaked open and someone appeared before I could even raise my hand. It was a young boy, probably around fourteen, with short white hair and bright red eyes full of determination, eyes that reminded people of a brave yet innocent rabbit. He was dressed in light leather armor with a small dagger strapped to his waist and a simple adventurer's pouch hanging at his side. His gloves looked slightly worn, and his boots were covered in traces of dust, clearly showing he was about to head out or had just returned from the Dungeon.
It was none other than the protagonist of this world, Bell Cranel.