At the very heart of the Labyrinth City of Orario, right in front of the great gates of Babel Tower—
Under a dusk-yellow sky stained by the setting sun, Gude stepped out from the Dungeon's entrance. As his eyes took in the medieval cityscape sprawling before him—stone buildings, narrow streets, and adventurers hurrying past with swords on their backs and staves in their hands—the reality finally sank in.
He really had been isekai'd.
Thinking back to that morning… he'd only been "greeted" a little too enthusiastically by the Hundred-Ton King—and the next moment, he'd been hit with a dimensional smackdown straight into the world of anime.
Yeah. Anime. After a full day of firsthand confirmation, Gude was certain: this was the world of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
A world where gods—beings with eternal lives—sealed away their divinity to descend to the Lower World in search of entertainment. They formed Familias with humans and demi-humans, then went about their own affairs, each playing their chosen role.
After arriving here, aside from the clothes on his back and the "system" he'd been gifted, Gude had lost everything he used to have. If he wanted to regain anything, he'd have to start from zero and claw his way up in this world.
And right now, he had no money. No acquaintances. No safety net.
In a world that emphasized personal strength—a world of swords and magic—if he didn't solve food and shelter immediately, he'd either starve in the street… or be "handled" in one way or another by criminals who were very good with people.
When a 2D world became reality, the harshness of it didn't hold back.
Still, it was a second life. Compared to dying under the wheels of the Hundred-Ton King, "starting over" wasn't much of a complaint.
That morning, he'd spent hours going from main streets to back alleys, carefully avoiding Familias that were dangerous or had problems behind the scenes—only to be turned away again and again.
In the end, he found himself in a dim alley, face-to-face with a twin-tailed, baby-faced, voluptuous goddess of the hearth—Hestia—who'd only been in the Lower World for a few months and had no foundation to speak of, and was currently agonizing over how to recruit even a single follower.
Gude didn't mind her "temple" being tiny.
And the goddess didn't turn away a total newbie.
Naturally, Gude joined the Hestia Familia, becoming its very first member.
Both Hestia and Gude were genuinely happy about it.
After joining, completing his adventurer registration, and obtaining his status, Gude immediately dove into the Dungeon to build strength—and earn enough money for both himself and his goddess to eat…
And that brought him to the present.
He gathered his scattered thoughts. With a flicker of intent, a status panel that only he could see unfolded before his eyes:
— The Sea Emperor Training System at your service…
— Error: "One Piece" world module failed to load… Regenerating an appropriate interface…
Name: Gude
Divinity (unobservable): None
Affiliation: Hestia Familia
Level: Lv.1
Strength: I 35
Endurance: I 29
Agility: I 33
Dexterity: I 29
Magic: I 0
Skills:
Three-Color Haki — Observation (Unlocked) / Armament (Unlocks at Lv.2) / Conqueror's (Unlocks at Lv.3)
The One Who Sinks into Improvement (Greatly increases growth rate of ability values)
Magic: None
As for the fact that he was in Danmachi while carrying a system that clearly belonged to One Piece… Gude had stopped caring.
Because even just Observation Haki—and only that—had already become an enormous help in exploring the Dungeon. Once the other types of Haki unlocked with higher levels, they were bound to bring even more advantages.
So, sure. He'd just treat it as a technical fault.
There was one more thing, though.
He understood every other section of the panel, but the Divinity field was still a complete mystery. When Hestia had engraved his status, that field hadn't lit up at all.
So whatever that was… it wasn't something he could access yet.
As for ability values: they were a quantified reflection of one's actual strength. Each stat ranged from 0 to 999, divided into ten ranks—S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I.
Rank I covered 0–99. Rank H covered 100–199. Rank S covered 900–999. And so on.
Right now, Gude was an Lv.1 "five-I panel"—a pure Rank-I kind of guy across the board.
And the higher the value, the slower the growth became.
Yet Gude had entered the Dungeon for only a single afternoon, and his stats had climbed from 0 to their current levels. Even in the fast-growing Rank-I band, that was undeniably exceptional.
The main reason was a skill he'd awakened on the first floor of the Dungeon:
The One Who Sinks into Improvement.
His ability values started rising even faster—and the feedback of getting stronger became even more intoxicating.
And speaking of that… it reminded him of what had happened three hours ago.
Back then, Gude had been on the Dungeon's first floor, adapting to Observation Haki while carefully exploring. He sensed a group of monsters gathered not far away. Given that he was barely stronger than an ordinary person at the moment, he'd decided to avoid them.
But right then, a shimmer of light—like gold at the edge of vision—flashed past him.
In an instant, someone slipped by.
Gude recognized her immediately.
Ais Wallenstein. The Sword Princess.
A core member of the Loki Familia. A first-class adventurer. The strongest female swordswoman in the city. And the holder of Orario's record for the fastest level-up progression in history.
Public information said she'd joined a Familia at age seven, reached Lv.2 in one year, and now—at sixteen—stood at the peak of Lv.5, needing only a single "great feat" to rise to Lv.6.
But those well-known facts didn't do justice to what he saw.
She wore light skirt armor. A slender sword in hand, wrapped in wind. Her gaze was cold and distant, as if the world around her was irrelevant. Her steps barely touched the ground—then, like an arrow loosed from a bow, she shot into the monster pack and became a storm that shredded everything.
When it was over, she tilted her head slightly and asked—expressionless, yet somehow carrying the faint air of an apology:
"Those monsters were probably beyond you, so… this doesn't count as stealing your prey, right?"
There was an unspoken rule in the Dungeon: don't steal kills. Break it, and other adventurers would shun you.
If that mutual understanding collapsed, the strong would monopolize all monsters—and newcomers would have no way to rise.
"Of course it doesn't," Gude answered.
"Mm."
With that, Ais nodded, sheathed her sword, and left.
But Gude's heart didn't settle for a long time afterward.
Because in that moment, he understood something clearly:
Knowing a story's settings and plot from the outside… and standing face-to-face with the people inside it… were two completely different things.
Ais Wallenstein.
Powerful. Beautiful. Overwhelming. A straight-up airheaded natural.
He knew, rationally, that the "mowing down" was because the monsters and the Sword Princess were in totally different leagues.
But her strength wasn't a gift dropped from the sky.
It was the result of relentless refinement—one step, one blow, one day at a time.
In a single encounter, Gude was stunned by her… and his fighting spirit ignited.
If she could do that—
Then so could he.
He would chase the Sword Princess. Catch up. Surpass her.
And then, with crushing strength, stand at the peak of the world and grind everything beneath him into dust.
Still, Gude wasn't a hotheaded idiot. Desire alone meant nothing. The path that supported desire had to be built with the most basic actions, accumulated step by step. Reckless courage wouldn't get him anywhere.
But with that goal set, his motivation burned hotter than ever.
To reach it, the first thing he needed was to improve his strength correctly—and efficiently.
Step one was to exploit his advantages to the fullest.
Compared to others, beyond his knowledge from Earth and his broad understanding of this world's "big picture," Gude's greatest advantage was the system panel itself—his ability values updated in real time.
The next advantage was Observation Haki.
As a passive skill, it let him sense hostility, murderous intent, and incoming threats within a certain range.
When used actively—at the cost of mental energy—it sharpened his perception to read enemy attack patterns, locate hidden foes, and more.
At the extreme, depending on the user, it could even brush against mind-reading… and in rare cases, foresee the next few seconds of the future—though the strain on stamina and focus would become severe.
As an Lv.1, Gude couldn't sustain active use for long, and "seeing the future" was still far beyond him.
So while exploring, he kept Observation Haki passive—focusing instead on familiarizing himself with the labyrinth environment and monster ecology, staying vigilant, and grinding his stats like his life depended on it.
In real combat, Observation Haki's value went far beyond that. In countless small moments, the information it provided could enable sharper, more precise responses—dramatically improving overall combat ability.
It was, in a word, absurdly strong.
So, in the exploration and battles that followed, Gude deliberately adjusted his fighting strategy based on how his panel values rose—targeting the first-floor ecosystem itself.
In short: he increased the density of engagements on purpose.
He accelerated the collection of monster and environmental information, gradually shifting from reactive to proactive.
He started with picking off lone monsters… and gradually escalated into fighting groups of three to five.
With the panel updating in real time, Gude could clearly feel himself getting stronger, little by little. The more he fought, the more obvious the feedback became.
It was exhilarating.
Then, when that intoxicating sensation crossed some invisible threshold—
A skill awakened.
The One Who Sinks into Improvement.
His growth rate surged. The feedback became even clearer.
So lost in the rush of rising numbers was Gude that only when exhaustion and severe hunger hit him did he finally withdraw from the Dungeon.
He hadn't expected it, but time had slipped by until dusk.
Even so, fast growth was one thing. Actual combat power was another. Gude knew this city never lacked monsters disguised as "people." With his current strength, he was still nothing special in Orario.
He quickly calmed down.
After confirming his overall condition, he dismissed the panel, passed between marble columns, and entered the Guild Hall, which operated and managed the Dungeon.
He placed his meager monster drops and several small pieces of magic stone onto the consultant counter's scale.
"Hm?"
A slightly surprised sound came from inside the window.
The voice belonged to the advisor assigned to him during registration—based on his preferences and needs.
Eina Tulle.
Pointed elven ears. Emerald-clear eyes. A slender figure that looked excellent in the Guild uniform, emphasizing her intelligent, gentle aura.
She was a half-elf.
Right now, Eina frowned, scanning Gude from head to toe with a serious expression.
Generally speaking, a brand-new adventurer entering the Dungeon alone for the first time—managing to kill monsters and bring back even a couple of magic stones—was already a respectable result.
But Gude's haul was clearly beyond that.
By the scale's weight valuation, it came out to roughly 8,000 valis.
About ten times what a typical solo beginner could expect.
From his mannerisms, Gude seemed steady—like someone with real-life experience in another line of work.
But in the adventurer business, he was unquestionably new.
His starter gear—light armor and a short sword—had been purchased through a 20,000-valis loan from the Guild, which didn't quite match his "steady" image at all.
In this profession, it wasn't scary when a newbie lacked talent.
What was scary… was a newbie who tried too hard and died for it.
After thinking it through, and judging Gude to be "overly aggressive," Eina spoke in a tone bordering on a lecture:
"Mr. Gude, even if you don't look like a reckless amateur, please allow me to say this anyway—"
"—Adventurers aren't allowed to go adventuring, right?" Gude cut in smoothly.
"…Eh!?" Eina's momentum instantly collapsed. "Y-Yes. Adventurers aren't supposed to 'adventure.' But just blurting out the answer is only playing smart. You need to truly understand that in the labyrinth, you must always prioritize your own safety…"
She recovered quickly, professionalism and responsibility kicking back in.
But if she kept going, the lecture might last forever, so Gude cut in again:
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Miss Eina.
"But I didn't get the chance to tell you earlier—because I rushed out at noon. Before becoming an adventurer, I kept up consistent training. After receiving the blessing and gaining a level, I also awakened a rare skill suited for combat.
"So I adapt to the Dungeon a little faster. And I value my life. I'll keep myself within safe limits while exploring. Please, don't worry."
"…Well. If you truly do have a rare skill, that does raise your safety margin considerably. And if you understand that survival comes first, then that's for the best."
Reading sincerity rather than lip service in Gude's expression, Eina finally conceded. She pushed up her glasses and closed her mouth—cutting off the endless stream of "advisor mode."
With that round over, she proceeded with her usual workflow: appraising and buying back the materials.
Then she slid the money toward Gude through the counter, cleared her throat with a fist to her lips, and said:
"The total value of the materials you provided is 8,000 valis. According to the Guild equipment loan contract, we deduct one-tenth. Here is your 7,200 valis."
"Thank you."
Gude took the money, offered a quick farewell, turned, and walked out of the Guild Hall.
Behind him, Eina adjusted her glasses again, watched his retreating figure, and fell into brief thought. Then she retrieved Gude's adventurer file from the drawer and used a quill to add several marks—notations representing his personality traits.
A colleague at the adjacent counter finished her own work and leaned over.
"What's up, Eina? Is there something wrong with that new adventurer?"
"Wrong… not really," Eina replied, focused on her writing, waving it off.
But her colleague had seen the buyback record and couldn't help forming her lips into a small "o" of surprise.
"For a first solo run, that kind of haul… no wonder you found it strange. He's probably one of those once-in-a-long-while geniuses who awakens a rare skill the moment they gain a level, right?"
"That falls under an adventurer's personal privacy," Eina said calmly. "Let's not discuss it. Back to work."
"Okaaay~"
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