Reaching For Divinity by Curiosity44

World: Danmachi

Rated M

Words: 120k

Synopsis: [Congratulations on being one of the lucky chosen for the annual Isekai promotion!] "Oh for the love of..." Join jake on his journey through the world of danmachi to reach the peak, to attain divinity. Danmachi world focus, Slight AU world, 2 years before canon - Timeline WILL BE CHANGED. 3-4 girl small harem.

Chapter 1: Day 0 - 7020k Words

[Congratulations on being one of the lucky chosen for the annual Isekai promotion!]

'Wha.?'

You ever dream about falling and wake up suddenly feeling terrified and sweaty? Well, that's kind of how I feel now, except I know I'm not dreaming.

How do I know? Well, I clearly recall dying.

My memories are blurry in certain areas, but I know my name was Jake, and I was a high-end personal trainer making a name for myself.

I had a rough childhood as an orphan on the streets. Having to work for a few gangs as a pickpocket and runner just to survive, considering the corrupt government was all talk about helping their actual citizens.

It was a tough time, and I honestly didn't know where I would have ended up if I didn't have a fateful encounter with an old man.

At the age of nine, I tried to pickpocket him only to get myself flipped onto my ass without the old man even turning his head. It infuriated me how I was ignored so easily.

For weeks, I saw the old man go by and tried every trick I learned to get his wallet only to have the same result, my ass or face hitting the concrete.

However, my focus on the old man resulted in me not making enough for my monthly quota. And when I was backed against the wall with three grown men about to teach me a lesson, I was shocked to see the old man appear and proceed to paralyze and knock out the men with only a single hit each.

I was amazed by the skill and bowed deeply, asking the man to take me as a student.

It might seem cliché and something out of a movie, but the old man really did accept me.

Over time, I learned that he was a master of Chinese martial arts who had committed his life to the art.

As a result, he never married or made time for family. He trained many over the years who went on to open their own schools, but none of them ever came back to try and help the old man.

He was getting on in his years, but I owe my life to that man.

He was strict, brutal, almost apathetic, but wise, experienced, and caring in a way I could only imagine a strict father would be.

I was tested by him in many ways, but due to my lack of patience, I was forced to learn Tai Chi for years, learning to control myself, as well as endless repetitions of basic exercises, before he allowed me to move on to other styles.

Seemingly to know precisely what works for me, my master taught me Wing Chun and Iron Palm martial arts.

Both seemed to call out to me from my foundation. I was single-mindedly dedicated to learning everything I was taught without cutting corners or cheating.

It was painful, it was grueling, it pushed me past my limits and forced me to grow, and I loved every second of it. Well, most of it, I'm not an extreme masochist, but every martial artist has to learn to enjoy pain, at least on a minor scale, to achieve anything.

From using the wooden dummy to toughen up in Wing Chun, to punching my hands in sand for the iron palm before moving to higher leveled targets, it was a true challenge.

I wasn't only forced to train though, he made sure I studied and found a way to support myself in the future.

He even allowed me to have an hour or two a day for free time, in which I found manga and later anime. Even with the limited time I had, I fell in love with some of the things I saw, the fantasy elements, the fighting, the life and death struggles. It inspired me to work even harder.

I also felt great sympathy for Kenichi in the mightiest disciple. I felt like I found a blood brother in suffering, even if he was a whiny little bitch in the beginning.

It terrified me when I heard a dark and evil chuckling when I accidentally read that manga when my master passed by. He asked to borrow the story for a bit, and I desperately tried to burn the house down in my attempt to get rid of the book before he could see it. It didn't work.

The years passed, I trained daily, studied how to stay in shape to the best of my ability, studied nutrition, spent years dedicated to the art, and ended up finding a career in helping others achieve such feats as well.

It was the two thousand teens when my master deemed me ready to learn a new art, the last art he ever was able to pass on to me.

After proving my knowledge of nutrition and the body to him, he allowed me to learn the feared and heavily downplayed art of Dim Mak, otherwise known as pressure-point martial arts.

It was downplayed and slandered by critics because there was no proof it worked in real combat. Let me tell you something, hitting a pressure point, in the exact spot, with enough force, with your fucking fingers or finger joints, is NOT EASY.

When I complained about it not working, my master decided I should learn through experience. What proceeded to happen was me experiencing pain in ways I never even imagined I could.

With the correct form, skill, strength, and technique, you can damage, destroy, paralyze, heal, and do numerous things to the human body. It was an art that was passed down for thousands of years.

I can't count how many times I broke my fingers while practicing, but my master would just snap them back into place, prescribe how to heal correctly with medicinal pastes and food, and have me continue again.

I gave it what I had, wanting to show the old man I could learn everything he could teach about it, but the world can be cruel when you least expect it.

The old man was well into his years, and his life was at an end. At the age of 18, almost a decade after that fateful day I met the old man, I had to bury him.

At his funeral, hundreds came, people who studied under him, respected him, and old friends. I wanted to lash out at them for never showing up despite the years, but I had long since learned patience and understanding. They had their own lives, but they came at least to pay respects to a man we all owe a debt to.

The old man didn't have much to his name, but his will was left to me, his house, and a small amount of savings. I mourned him in silence for days before forcing myself into training, allowing my love for the art to help me grieve.

The old man was my father, blood or not, he was my teacher, and I couldn't even imagine how my life would have ended up without him.

I took the money he left, ignored college, and jumped straight into work.

My fantasies of life and death fights, challenging the heavens, and breaking human limits were put on hold, as I had to work and make money in a modern age where violence was becoming more and more socially unacceptable. Fucking cowards, the lot of them.

Still, I used my years of studies to get a personal trainer and nutritionist certification and entered into that area, quickly rising with how many lives I was helping turn around for the better.

Unfortunately, despite everything I did in life, and all my effort, sometimes luck just isn't on your side.

I'm ashamed to say that I actually died in my mid 20's, just as I was taking off and becoming well known in the industry. You see, I had this client, a great and successful guy, CEO of a hedge fund, but he was 72 years old, and he was as stubborn as a mule.

In an accidental twist of fate, I left him alone to deal with something only to come back and find him trying to deadlift over double his current weight, and this guy wasn't conditioned for it at all!

I stood there shocked because the old bag of bones actually managed to lift it!

And then he started falling over, and I snapped back into focus.

In my attempts to catch him, as the last thing I wanted was a dead rich guy on my record, I didn't account for the weight above his head, and well, I'm pretty sure my head got dented in because it all blacked out like dying in a Pokémon battle.

Except I didn't get to wake up at the Pokémon center with a beautiful clone called Ms. Joy with a perpetual smile to greet me, but empty and all-encompassing darkness.

I had no body, but I was still conscious of existing somehow.

I didn't really know what to do, so I kind of just 'looked' around 'shuffling' awkwardly. I didn't have a voice to call out with, and I didn't even know if I had eyes to see with or if I was blind.

But then it all ended with the explosion of brightly glowing text in front of my eyes.

[Congratulations on being one of the lucky chosen for the annual Isekai promotion!]

And that brings us back to now.

'Oh for the love of…. Oi! I have questions!'

[Yes?]

'Great, you can communicate. Where am I? Who are you? What is this promotion, and why do I get it?'

[Great questions! You're in the void because you died, I'm something of an AI that performs mundane tasks like dealing with mortal souls for reincarnation gods, and the promotion is something like an annual festival.

Based on statistics of desires, we randomly throw 'festivals' where a handful of freshly deceased souls are chosen for an Isekai experience. Think of it as a group of friends gathering for drinks and playing cards, this is how reincarnation gods have fun in their endless, boring, and tedious work.

And for why you? No reason, you were a random pick.]

That was surprisingly informative….

'I see… so it's like the fanfictions and anime I've read and seen. You give men and women the chance to live overpowered lives in their dream worlds? And it's not because of good karma or deeds?'

[Not exactly. We are not a catering service for the whims of mortals; this is more for the god's entertainment. They don't interfere with your life while alive, and there is no hidden motive or war behind all this; we did that a few times, and it got far too chaotic.

This promotion grants a single ability, chosen partly by you and partly randomly, and the world you get sent to is also random. The world itself could follow canon timelines or have major alternative versions.

This allows the soul to have a decent amount of freedom and knowledge with their choice while still leaving things up to luck; otherwise, things would be boring.

Oh, and while good karma does increase your chances of being randomly chosen, it's not a game-changer unless you did something big like find the cure for cancer.]

'Hm, that's actually quite relieving seeing that you limit these things. I've read many Gamer fanfics where they end up destroying multiverses, turning the majority of women or men, depending on their desires, into mindless cum dumps and all-around mess with each other. Can you guarantee I won't be bothered by other's who are granted these promotions?'

[It's wonderful that you think that way! Those gamer stories actually happened; it was a side project of a few gods that ended in complete chaos! They had to gather together to exterminate them down to the last atom, considering they kept popping up like undying roaches. It was a genuinely annoying time.

Yes, this promotion system is much more controlled. Even if it will still allow the user to reach the top of their world, it's still limited to a single ability, and you get no growth type system.

No other participant will bother you; you can rest assured.

There may be ways to interact, but you will need to reach a certain level of power for that, so don't worry, it's far down the road.]

I let out a sigh of relief at that, or I think I did anyway.

'Great, great, thanks for being so informative and helpful.'

[It's my pleasure, thank you for not being a jumped-up desperate virgin shouting for harems and overpowered from the start abilities.]

I mentally sweatdropped at that.

'Thank you, master, and your years of engraving patience into me. Willingly or not.

Right, so, where do we begin?'

[Commencing promotion.

Please choose one of the following options.

[Fighter] [Mage] [Rouge] [Ranger] [Support] ]

'So it works like a class system? Ok, I know how this goes.'

Whenever I played games like Skyrim, I didn't really mind what playstyle I chose because I found most of them fun. But considering this is real life, I think I should be a bit more cautious.

Fighter is great; I spent most of my life training but it's not the best for being cautious. I could always work on martial skills on my own time, but I've seen some of the crazy things in anime.

Support has far too many branches; I don't feel like gambling with them.

Ranger and Rouge could be fun and useful; my favorite playstyle was a stealth archer in Skyrim. But again, those are things I could train in with enough time.

Mage, on the other hand, has magic! Who hasn't wanted to really have magic before? I could mentally understand how to train with a sword, bow, or stealth, but how does one train magic?

Unless I get sent to a magic academy world like Harry Potter, I don't see myself easily learning it.

'I choose Mage.'

[Select a specialization.

[Elementalist] [Illusionist] [Druid] [Necromancer] [Summoner] [Enchanter] [Healer] ]

'Wow, so many choices…'

Druid, Necromancer, and Enchanter are out.

I like nature, but I'm not that fanatical. Necromancers are cool but incredibly cliché; every Tim, Scott, and Bob wants to be one, I'll pass. And while enchanting is cool, it's not exactly my first pick.

Illusionist would be fun; I could be something like Itachi Uchiha and just stand there while my foes are lost in illusions. But again, a bit cliché, Uchiha's are OP, but I've read enough on them to feel my eyes bleed. No pun intended. Unless you like puns.

Healer could be useful depending on the world, and I'm sure it has a wide variety of applications, like healing myself as I train to grow at a crazy rate.

Elementalist is, of course, the most versatile. Depending on your chosen element, it could have endless applications.

And finally, summoner. I'm going to be honest; this one appeals the most to me. I always loved the idea of summoning. I was never able to have pets in my last life thanks to lack of opportunity, time, and natural allergies, and I know I'm a bit of a solo kind of guy, so having companions that could never betray me sound like a lot of fun.

'Fuck it, let's choose summoner; this isn't just about becoming the strongest out there; it's also about having fun and living my life.'

My master made me realize that even if you dedicate your life to the art, you need to live a bit as well, or you will end up grim and alone.

[Specialization chosen.

[Summoner]

Please select a summoner deck.]

Before my 'eyes', a new screen appeared showing hundreds of decks of cards, each with a ? mark on the back.

'What is this?'

[Many gods found it boring to stick to a general summoner system, so they changed the class to allow the user to pick a random 'deck.' Each deck is a theme, from Yu Gi Oh, to wuxia worlds, to generic fantasy beasts, to waifu's, to your past lives normal animals, to aliens, to mutant creatures, to modern soldiers, etc.

It could literally be any type of deck. The deck will be your 'pool' of summons to draw power from.]

Did this system just casually say waifu's? There is a waifu deck? I can summon various waifu's to serve me…?

You know what, let's not go down that rabbit hole. I would rather retain my sense of morality and logic. I'm all for small harems, but I don't live by my lower brain.

'Do I get any redo's here? There are endless decks here.'

[It is based on luck, but considering how smooth this process has been so far, it is within my parameters to allow a single redo.

Please select a random deck.]

I sighed in relief at that.

'At least I get one extra try.'

Looking over the vast floating decks, I shrugged and mentally pointed at one.

'They all look the same.'

The one I pointed at zoomed-in and glowed with light for a moment before it flashed and bright words appeared before me.

[MY LITTLE PONY DECK.]

…

…..

….

…

..

{Internet explorer has stopped working – windows is checking for a solution to the problem…

Solution found.}

.

'FUCK NO!'

It took a minute for my frozen brain to restart before I shouted with every ounce of power in my body. I will NOT be a summoner of giant unicorn sparkly creatures! I would rather die! Again!

[Do you wish to use your one redo?]

'Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes, please for the love of god, don't stick me with that cursed path.'

[Redo commencing, please select a deck. There are no more redo's.]

I gulped slightly at that.

'God, I know I haven't been very faithful…. Wait, if there are gods of reincarnation, does that mean gods of luck exist?'

[Yes.]

'Oh, then screw other gods. Gods of luck! Please grant me your divine blessing at this moment; I will create a shrine for you in my next life.'

Nothing changed, but I could swear I heard someone facepalm in the void.

Looking over the options, I zoomed in on one random choice on the far right side.

'I choose you!'

Just like before, it zoomed in and glowed slightly before my eyes. When the light died down, I sighed in relief.

[POKÉMON DECK - Kanto edition.]

'Ah, I can work with this. This is much better.'

[World choice commencing.]

Before I could question the next line, a large wheel with an uncountable number of world names appeared.

It started spinning at a rapid speed, and I saw dozens of world I recognized from anime, books, movies, and such pass by along with countless others I had no idea about.

Solo Leveling, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Bleach, Attack on Titan, Highschool of the Dead, Highschool DxD, and so many more.

An agonizing minute passed, and it still didn't slow down.

'Oi, when is this supposed to stop?'

[When the user says stop.]

I felt a mental eyebrow twitch.

'Why didn't you say that!'

[You didn't ask.]

Ignoring the AI, I thought about wanting the wheel to stop, and it began slowing down.

Tick…tick….tick….tick…..tick….

It slowed one by one to land on….

'What did it land on? The text is too small to read.'

[World choice selected. Danmachi.]

'Danmachi huh?'

I wasn't the biggest fan of it, mostly because of the plot and the MC, but I have a fairly decent knowledge of the world, at least the first few seasons.

[User configuration commencing.

Combining [Summoner] and [Danmachi] to create a world accepted system.]

'Combining them?'

[Yes, we try to blend new abilities with the world we send users to. Rather than give Gamer systems, we want the powers to blend with the world to create a more interactive experience.]

A mentally nodded at that; it made sense.

[Combination successful.

Falna:

Name: Jake

Title: N/A

Level: 1

Strength: I0

Endurance: I0

Dexterity: I0

Agility: I0

Magic: N/A

Inherent Skills: Summoner, Self-Status, Minor Gamers Mind.

Spells: Contract, Summon, Absorb, Shrink, Evolve.

Developmental Abilities: N/A ]

I read it over and paused in confusion.

'Why don't I have mana?'

[As a summoner, all your internal mana will be centered around your summoning ability. You will not be able to learn magic or spells outside of your inherent skills, so mana is not applicable to your Falna. In exchange, all exilia will be redirected to your other four stats.]

I nodded slightly at that. It's kind of a letdown, but magic was a bit iffy in Danmachi anyway.

'And if my magic is about inherent skills, I can easily explain them. Hell, I'm pretty sure Finn, the captain of the Loki Familia, has five inherent skills.

But wait, what is Self-Status, Gamers mind, and what exactly does summoner entail?'

[User, try and mentally 'click' on the skills.]

I did so, and the prompt changed.

{Self-Status – ability to update, hide, and customize your own Falna without the aid of a god.

Minor Gamers mind – Grants invincible protection from mind-controlling and mind-reading effects. Grants minor soul protection. Grants minor boosts to memory, memory recall, cognitive thinking, and emotional control.}

My mental eyes widened at the explanations.

'So I don't need to enter a Familia to level up!? And why was I granted a gamer's mind? Is it just like the manhwa?'

[You do not require a god or goddess to level up, but beware that there are consequences to being found out. Please choose your options wisely if you wish to have a smooth journey.

When you close your eyes, you will always be able to see your Falna clear as this current prompt in the empty void. And when not in combat for at least 2 hours, you can 'Update' your Falna.

As for Minor Gamer's mind, every new user is granted it as a precaution. We cannot allow these multiverse worlds to know too much as it would be beyond their understanding. True gods can create and destroy a multiverse on a whim, so we tend to allow the beings of the worlds to live their lives in their own realities.

As a bonus, it enhances a few mental aspects of the user but nothing extreme. Unlike the real version, you can develop your natural abilities to higher levels, but these boosts will remain the same. Think of it as a 20% permanent boost to memory recall, memorization, cognitive thinking, and emotional control, rather than a 100% perfect boost.

The full gamer's mind is far too much like a machine for us to be comfortable.

With the minor version, you never have to fear for having your mind not under your control or your thoughts read by others. It's considered a beginners gift.]

I breathed a sigh of relief at that; this is looking better with everything explained.

'I'm really glad you guys had so many test dummies before me to reach such an efficient system.'

[We are too, but everything in life is a trial and error process. Moving on, click on Summoner.]

I did so, and the prompt changed.

{Summoner – Kanto Pokémon edition. #01 - #151

User is able to summon a Pokémon from the deck according to their price. For the full list, price, and ranking, click HERE.

Grants summoner spells: Contract, Summon, Absorb, Shrink, Evolve.

Contract: By paying the corresponding price, the user is granted the Pokémon purchased.

When contract is cast, the current inventory list of all available Pokémon will be shown, including their costs.

Evolution forms cannot be purchased.

Once purchased, the Pokémon will forever be available to the user.

Summon: Summon contracted Pokémon. No energy cost.

If Pokémon is killed in combat, the user must wait 12 hours before being able to resummon them.

Summons will retain full memories no matter how many times killed.

Users can only have a max of 6 summoned Pokémon at any one time.

Summon can appear anywhere within 3 meters of the user.

All summoned Pokémon will match the user for level with only their stat bonus and abilities as a difference in power.

All Pokémon retain only 4 moves at one time.

Absorb: Absorb Pokémon into the user to grant boosts and abilities to the user.

Absorbed Pokémon boost a single Falna stat and grant their abilities to the user.

Users may appear to have an altered physical appearance depending on the absorbed Pokémon.

Users cannot turn into the Pokémon absorbed; it will only slightly alter the existing human body.

As the User grows stronger, you can absorb more than one Pokémon at a time. One extra per level.

Shrink: The user is able to shrink Pokémon down to the size of a small dog. Pokémon can reach incredible sizes, but that can be inconvenient to the user.

Pokémon can be shrunk to small sizes for ease of life.

While shrunk, the stats are halved, but abilities are retained.

Evolve: Evolve the Pokémon to their higher level

To evolve a Pokémon requires magic stones and sometimes loot drops.

Each Pokémon is unique and requires different amounts of magic stones and or loot drops to evolve.

To evolve a Pokémon, the base form is first required to be purchased.

To see the price, use evolve on the Pokémon in question.

Falna level up's are required for higher evolution forms.]

I read down the list in shock.

'Wait, what is all this? I mean, I get the majority, but can I have a more in-depth explanation here?'

[Right away.

The summoning system is designed around the user.

The Kanto deck has 151 Pokémon the user can gain.

Each Pokémon, bar the evolution forms, are available for the user to purchase with the required materials in magic stones, loot drops, and such things.

In the world of Danmachi, all monsters drop magic stones. These stones are filled with dense life force generated from mana.

The adventurers usually sell the stones to the guild, who in turn use the stones to create and power various items such as Magic lamps and lights, ignition devices, freezers to store food, etc.

They are also used to power the seal that keeps the dungeon in check, but that's more because the gods are too lazy to use their own power for it. Only Ouranos uses his own energy from time to time and very rarely leaves the sealing room.

Anyway, you can collect these stones and use them to unlock Pokémon as well as evolve them.

The Pokémon are listed with appropriate prices, with young ones being cheaper and legendaries being much higher.

The majority of Summon notes are self-explanatory, but I will explain the last two.

If you are level 1, the Pokémon will be level 1. It will have the same stats as you do bar one specific stat.

For some Pokémon, they will have a boost to their strength, others endurance, others agility, and so on.

That boost can range anywhere from +100 to +2000 in their stat perimeters.

For example, if you at level 1 have a strength stat of I0, the Pokémon with a strength bonus of +200 will have a strength stat of at least G200.

When you absorb the Pokémon, that bonus stat will be added to you.

All Pokémon, similar to the game, will only be allowed 4 moves at a time. To make them remember an old move, you will have to pay a cost in materials.

Unlike the game, not having moves doesn't mean they can't use their bodies naturally. They can fly, swim, tackle, etc., using their body. However, without the move 'tackle', a Pokémon who tackles someone won't have a real attack bonus. It's just a normal tackle like you could do. If they used 'Tackle' the move, it would have an attack bonus on top of their normal tackling.

When you absorb the Pokémon, those moves will be available to you, slightly weakened from the Pokémon's version.

With each level up you gain, you can absorb one more Pokémon at a time.

For shrinking, it's self-explanatory. We added the function because it's more convenient to walk around with a small version of the Pokémon rather than the full-size versions. Imagine walking around town with Snorlax; he would accidentally kill and destroy things just by moving around.

While shrunk, their stats are halved, but they retain their abilities.

For evolution, it is merely the spell you use to evolve the Pokémon in question with the right amount of material.

To unlock the first forms of evolution, you must reach level 2 + pay the price in materials.

Second form evolutions require level 3 + the price in materials.

The required material for evolution will be shown to you on your status.]

'Hm, that's.. ok. I think I got the majority down. I guess Gamers mind is helping me already. I'll figure out the rest on my own. Anything else I need to know?'

[As a result of your summoning ability, you will not be able to gain any other magic in Danmachi. Your magic stat will remain invalid.

Also, to unlock legendaries, you must reach level 4.]

'Ah, so that's why it showed as N/A in my Falna. Well, it's ok; I can use any ability my Pokémon have, so I'm not missing out on anything.

And that seems fair for the legendaries. I'm assuming the price in material wouldn't be simple, but even then, they can be game-breakers for early on.

But how about the cost of summoning? Do I have a mana pool?'

[You do not. Unlike mages who will enter 'mind down' when using too much magic. You will never end up that way.

Summoning up to the maximum of 6 Pokémon at a time will do nothing to drain you. When you absorb a Pokémon, however, using their abilities will drain your stamina.

So train up your endurance if you want to maximize your new powers.]

'That's a relief. And the Pokémon? Do they have limits?'

[Unlike real Pokémon, your summons do not require sustenance or rest. They will retain all memories, and they can eat and sleep, but they do not need it. They are more of constructs than real flesh and blood creatures. I will warn that they do in fact have emotions and thoughts, just like living beings.]

'That's convenient. Oh, one more thing. When I absorb them, what happens to their mind?'

[They will enter a dormant state and awaken only when you release them.]

'So if I were level 6, I could absorb all 6 Pokémon and empower myself while they all slept?'

[That is correct.]

'Awesome. I think that's all the questions I had about my powers; I can figure out the small things on my own.

Can you tell me a bit about how to level up quickly in Danmachi?'

[Very well, I will make this simple.

To level up, you need to gain exilia, similar to EXP in games.

Exilia is gained through pushing your body.

At level 1 with I0 stats, you can gain exilia through simply working out and pushing past your limits.

It is about challenging yourself.

But working out will only take you so far because eventually, you are no longer being challenged.

It's like pushing a rock up a mountain. Each time you reach a checkpoint, in other words, each time you update your status, you lock in your current progress and won't fall back down the mountain.

Leveling up is the path to godhood, so each time you update your status, your body and soul are elevated and cannot fall down under normal circumstances.

At level 2 with I0 stats, working out still won't help you because while it looks like I0, it's actually your level 1 stat of, for example, D400 + I0 = your total stat at level 2.

This is where killing monsters comes into play.

By killing a monster, even if it's weaker than you, you will still gain tiny amounts of exilia from the defeated monster. That exilia is absorbed by your soul by the right of conquest and waits until you update to apply to your body.

As you grow stronger, for example, as you reach level 2. A first-floor goblin will give you such a small amount of exilia that it would take thirty kills to achieve the same amount you would get for one at level 1. That's why even if your stronger and you face a large horde of weaker monsters, you can still grow stronger, albeit at a slow pace.

This is, in fact, how most adventurers prefer to do things.

To grow faster, you must face monsters on your level or stronger ones. Just fighting them will gain you exilia as a sort of extreme workout, while defeating them will get you that portion of exilia as well.

The fastest way to grow is to keep pushing farther and survive.]

'Wow, now that you say it like that, it makes a lot of sense. I feel like the anime and light novel didn't really explain these things in detail. They just kept saying, to grow stronger, you have to adventure!

But what the hell does that mean?

I can have an adventure in my bathtub, will I become a god like that?

Your explanation was incredibly helpful.'

[You're welcome, anything else before we continue?]

'How does the money system work? Just give me the general gist, please.'

[The currency is called Valis, a coin currency.

A floor 1-4 goblin magic stone is worth 250 valis, their fang worth 400 valis. A Kobold magic stone is worth 300 valis, their nails worth 500 valis.

A basic meal can be anywhere from 50 valis for street food, to 300 valis for a restaurant meal, to higher prices going into the thousands or tens of thousands for expensive dishes.

The lowest rank health potion cost 500 valis.

A beginner's dagger cost 3,600 valis.

A party of five level 1 adventurers makes around 25,000 valis a day: minus equipment and injury costs.

A nice house cost around 800,000 valis.]

'That.. is kind of confusing. Why are the numbers so damn big?!'

[You were American in your past life, convert the valis as Yen to USD. 50,000 valis is about 500 USD.]

'Hm.. ok, that does make it feel better. Thank you, that's the end of my questions; I can figure out the rest on my own.'

[Wonderful.

Beginning character creation.

Gender randomization commencing.]

'Wait what… oh fuck no! I'm a man damn it! A man!'

Before my worst nightmare came true, I heard incredibly soothing words.

[Gender: Male has been chosen.

Please choose a beginner race.

[Human] [Elf] [Boaz] [Weretiger] [Werewolf] [Sheep]….. ]

The majority of races belonging to the world of Danmachi appeared before me.

'I can choose any of them?'

[That is correct. You can only choose once.]

I felt excited at that prospect and looked through all the options.

In the end, only three stood out to me.

Human, Boaz, and Weretiger.

'Is there benefits to each race?'

[Affirmative. Between the three you are thinking of, humans, as the weakest race with the highest adaptability, gain a passive exilia boost to their growth. They gain a X2 boost and grow faster but also die faster thanks to being inherently weaker than even pallums. They also have the chance to learn almost any developmental ability if they meet the requirements for it.

Boaz are limited on using magic and growth paths, but they have an inherent boost to strength and endurance.

Weretigers have highly enhanced senses, the strongest one being up to the individual, along with a slight boost to endurance and a heavier one on dexterity.]

'Ouch, that makes choosing all the more difficult. Can I mix races?'

[You can. Many half breeds exist.]

'Can I choose half human – half weretiger? I find the exilia boost and adaptability of humans useful for my abilities, but I also want the enhanced senses.'

[Very well, you will be optimized to have half the benefits of both races. For example, rather than an X4 multiplier to your senses, it will be an X2. You will still get a slight exilia gain boost to End and Dex, but none of the race bonus skills will carry over. From your human side, the adaptability will carry over, but the exilia multiplier will change from X2 to X1.5. That is the best I can do to maximize the characteristic you wish for.]

'That's perfectly fine; thanks for all the help.'

[It is my pleasure. As a half breed, do you wish for ears and a tail of weretigers?]

'Hm.. surprise me.'

[Very well.

Race confirmed: Half-Human, Half-Weretiger.

Beginning character creation.

15% optimization allowed.]

A 3D image of a mannequin appeared before me.

'15%?'

[It was pointed out that it was unfair if someone worked hard their whole life to achieve a fit body, only for someone who has never done a push-up before to instantly get an Adonis quality body. Therefore, the past bodies image is carried over, and only 15% optimization is allowed.]

'Haha! That's great; I was always pissed when I saw things like that in fanfics. Thankfully, I have a great foundation.'

Not to be narcissistic here, but I was above average looking, and my body was refined and cut after all my years of training.

'I guess I'll do something similar to my last life, but let's enjoy the wild experience some more and play around with it.'

After fooling around with the settings for a while, I ended up with something I really liked.

It was a mix of my past self with anime variations. I looked similar to Bacchus from Fairy Tail, a guy I really admired as I felt we were quite similar in both looks and personality.

Being younger is better, but I don't want to go too young, so I settled for 20.

20 years old, standing at 6'2, slightly tan skin, very muscular upper body with a well-built torso and matching arms. For the legs, rather than big and bulky like my upper body, I preferred the more toned form.

In my old life, I knew the dangers of getting a strong upper body and a weak lower one, so I always trained to make them equal, and in the end, I had a body builder's upper body and a swimmer's lower one. It was the perfect combination of endurance and speed.

Here I did the same; bulky legs will only slow me down.

One thing I regretted was never having the chance to grow my hair out; my master was quite strict with not wanting to see long shed hair around the house.

So I made my hair wilder for fun with long, smooth, black hair up to my pectorals. My eyes were settled on crimson wine red. From someone who always had dull hazel pupils, I wanted some fun anime eyes.

I had an elongated face with a well cut jawline and thin linear eyebrows.

I decorated both upper arms and shoulders with tribal design tattoos and had them match each other well. They went from one wrist to the other without being overbearing and looking like I had more ink than skin. Just a nice tribal design.

In my last life, I had only one side of tattoos done and never found the time to get the other side done, so this fulfilled a small wish of mine.

For the wardrobe…

'What's the weather like in Orario?'

[The weather is usually warm year-round with a short winter season. The nights can be chilly. You will enter at the beginning of summer.]

Mentally nodding at that, I decided to go with military-style utility cargo pants and boots, a good quality pair of briefs and socks, and because apparently, I can't choose real armor here, I left my upper body bare and draped a utility cloak over my shoulders.

'Going bare-chested is normal in this world; I always wanted to live like that, stupid modern society and it's no public nudity law.'

Finally, I added a band to my head to keep hair out of my face, allowing my bangs to hang freely and a rough travel pack I could carry over my shoulder.

'Perfect, I'm happy with this.'

If you switched around the clothing options and imagined a more refined version, I looked like the brother of Bacchus from Fairy Tail.

Rather than being a picture-perfect copy of Bacchus, I was a bit taller, more broad-shouldered, a bit more compact, and my jawline was more distinct. I could easily pass as his more handsome twin brother. I also didn't go with his Chinese bun hairstyle and just let it hang free for now.

[Finished?]

'Yes, thanks for waiting.'

[You are able to take as long as you wish; time holds no meaning here.

Character customization complete.

Optimizing race qualities complete.

User is ready to go.]

'So this is it. Thanks for all the help and the opportunity.'

[It was my pleasure, user. Please enjoy your new life.

You will awaken outside Orario two years before Canon. AU elements will be randomized, so be careful.

Beginner package attached.

Commencing soul transfer in 10.. 9.. 8…. 1. Goodbye Jake, have fun. =) ]

After reading that final line, I felt like a hook had stuck into me and whisked me away into the darkness and I quickly succumbed to unconsciousness.

*Line Break*

On one of the main roads leading to Orario, the Labyrinth city, there was a small forest where a large man appeared out of thin air leaning against a tree.

There were no lights in the sky, no ground shaking, no pulse of energy. There was no notice of his arrival that higher beings would be made aware of.

His appearance was silent as he popped into existence.

This man was, of course, Jake entering the world.

And along with the man, something else came as well. It looked around in curiosity before staring at Jake.

It blinked before it giggled and faded from view.

Chapter end.