All Worlds, the Journey Begins in DanMachi

All Worlds, the Journey Begins in DanMachi

Author: Silent West Wind Fungus

Synopsis:

Noah: It might take only a few days to see through someone else, but it takes a lifetime to understand your own desires. For example, it wasn't until I crossed into another world that I realized I wasn't fighting the Demon King to save the world. I just really love fighting!!

Ais: Noah's a man who could be my dad!

Sakura Matou: My desire... is you, Big Brother!

Yukina Himeragi: That may be true, but don't you think you have too many girls around you?

DanMachi: The Great Conflict—Part One

1 Just crossed over, in another world, and spotted a child-trafficking gang

"We'll erect a statue and sing your praises for all eternity, celebrating your great deeds in defeating the Demon King and saving the continent... after you die!"

"Why are you wasting your breath? He can't have much magic left! There are so many of us—what, does he think he can kill us all?!"

"I'm sorry. Your era was far too unfree!"

[Beep beep beep. Good afternoon, Mr. Noah. Congratulations! You have been selected by System 10086, the Hero Who Saves the World System, as this time's Chosen One. This system will assist you in saving the world with ease and joy!]

In a deep alley drenched by the rain, a silver-haired boy lay on the waterlogged stone pavement.

Beneath his shattered silver-gray armor, his body was covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone.

Blood seeped out, slowly turning the puddles red.

Cold rain fell, sliding across the greater part of his shattered, fearsome mask and pattering against his pallid cheeks.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed.

His fingers trembled around the hilt of his sword. The boy's eyes snapped open, his dazed blue gaze reflecting the gloomy sky.

...Please die!

A murderous face appeared before him again, jolting him awake from the chaos and fog in his mind. He instinctively sat up.

But in the next instant, agony and weakness surged through his body, and his vision went black.

Cold sweat poured from his forehead. Noah nearly passed out again.

He hastily checked his surroundings. Once he realized that, though unfamiliar, they didn't seem dangerous, he relaxed again and curled up, clutching his wounds.

"Ugh!"

After panting for a long while, the boy regained a little strength and crawled to a corner where he could at least shelter from the rain.

He removed his shattered mask, revealing a pale face.

After taking a few deep breaths, he finally had enough strength to look around again.

But he was deep in an alley, and all he could see were the gray sky above and the walls on every side.

The only thing he could be sure of was that this wasn't the wasteland where he had fought the Demon King, then battled a host of traitors until the sky and earth had darkened.

"Seriously, where the hell am I? Is this even on the continent?"

As he stared up in bewilderment, a faint crackling sound, like a weak electric current, suddenly rang in his ears.

Tensing all over, the boy gripped his sword and glanced around.

But no enemies attacked. Instead, a pale blue, glowing screen appeared before him.

[Beep. The current world has been identified as the world of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? / Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?]

As he watched the screen flicker, Noah's eyes showed only a trace of confusion.

"Pick up girls? What the hell is that?"

Noah had heard of the Dungeon, a deep cavern full of vicious monsters.

But he'd heard of people entering the Dungeon in pursuit of riches, strength, or even slaughter. This was the first time he'd heard of someone going there to pick up girls.

Dating in a place crawling with bloodthirsty monsters?

Yuck~

Though Noah had killed countless people and could eat beside corpses with their guts spilled out, even he found that a little sickening.

But Noah soon noticed something else.

"Current world? So I've ended up in another world?"

[Beep. Affirmative. This world exists in a different dimension from the one you came from.]

Noah fell silent for a moment.

For an instant, he suspected he might be under an illusion spell.

But he dismissed the possibility out of confidence.

Confidence in himself—though gravely wounded, no one could cast an illusion on him without his noticing.

And confidence in his former companions—none of them would dare risk letting him live. Otherwise, every traitor would meet their end.

Once he realized this, Noah relaxed his guard and instinctively wrapped his arms around himself.

He didn't know whether he was cold from losing too much blood or lost and desolate over his circumstances.

As a hero, Noah had killed far too many enemies on the road to saving the world.

There had been countless external enemies: rebels, bandits, monsters, and foreign races. More importantly, Noah had never spared traitors within his own ranks.

Corrupt officials who oppressed the common people, nobles who lived in extravagant luxury, and sects and churches that wore human faces but hid monstrous hearts...

Quite a few of them had been the elders, classmates, teachers, and friends of Noah's comrades and subordinates.

Some had even risen from poverty and hardship themselves, once fighting alongside Noah for justice with their lives on the line.

Until power corrupted them, turning them into the very people they had once hated—and making them Noah's enemies.

So Noah had long been prepared for the day he and the others went their separate ways.

He just hadn't expected them to be so direct, so impatient.

No, that wasn't right. Noah had seen it coming. The Demon King was dead, and Noah was at his weakest. It was the perfect moment to kill him with a clear conscience. How could those people possibly resist?

But Noah, who had thought the countless battles had already made his heart as hard as iron, hadn't realized that deep down, a final trace of softness and hope had survived from their old friendship.

That last bit of softness had made the already exhausted Noah let down his guard. For the first time, he had taken a gamble.

With the Demon King dead, the hero's mission is over. If everyone is hoping for my death, then I can finally give myself a long, long rest.

Of course, Noah had taken all the traitors with him in the end.

[Beep. As long as the host continues completing missions, there is a chance to return to your original world.]

"...No. I don't need to. I've already given that world enough. From here on, they can carry on by themselves."

Noah shook his head and slowly stood, leaning against the wall.

He tilted his head back and stared silently at the hazy sky, feeling the drizzle fall.

"...From now on, I should live for myself."

Noah set off toward the mouth of the alley, his attention gradually returning from his past to the present.

An unknown world?

A thrilling sense of novelty stirred in his heart, reminding him of when he was twelve and had strapped on the best sword in his village before setting out from the countryside for the royal capital.

Back then, he'd been like a newly forged sword—bright and sharp, believing that swordsmanship alone could cut through all evil and injustice and bring happiness to the people.

But fate's cruel joke had taught Noah politics and schemes. He had learned to weigh every choice, becoming a despicable hero whose heart held nothing but calculations, deliberation, and suspicion.

If he had to be compared to a weapon, he was surely a battered, rusted sword, no longer sharp.

Though he had countless times hypnotized himself with the thought that it was all for justice, Noah understood that his soul had grown murky long before the Demon King's blood sullied his armor.

And yet now, he once again felt the excitement of the unknown, just as he had when he first entered the royal capital.

What would I find in this world?

With that thought, Noah stepped out of the alley.

A bitter winter wind swept down the street, carrying icy rain. The view before Noah suddenly cleared, and he was drawn to the scene in front of him.

A broad road paved with stone stretched between rows of shops and houses.

Merchants in fine robes, adventurers with weapons on their backs, and residents carrying baskets and packs.

Most striking of all were the burly orcs, provocatively dressed Amazons, elegant elves, and handsome men and beautiful women with an ethereal air. All kinds of races mingled together as naturally as could be.

And beyond the ends of the street stood two landmarks: on one side, a massive wall encircling the entire town; on the other, a chalk-white tower rising into the clouds from the town center.

All of this was somehow familiar yet entirely different, coming together in a scene Noah had never seen in his previous life.

But in the next second, his eyes widened.

"Holy crap! They have child-trafficking gangs in other worlds too?"

2 Come on, sneak attack!

On an empty street veiled by icy rain, the eight-year-old girl, Ais Wallenstein, charged forward with enough force to seem as if she would smash the ground beneath her feet.

Scalding drops welled from the corners of her eyes and were swept behind her by the icy wind.

Her damaged armor fell away as she ran, and the motion pulled at her wounds, making them more ghastly and drawing blood. Pain and cold tore at her body, but she didn't stop.

As if she could leave all her pain, sorrow, and worries behind by running fast enough.

But she failed. Those words, sharp as swords, had wounded her and herself alike, and they still clung to her like a nightmare!

'You're not my mother!'

Riveria's pained, sorrowful expression lingered before her eyes, and Ais felt as if her heart were being cut to pieces.

It was as if her heart had been laid on a rusty saw; every breath brought a tearing pain that made her whole body tremble.

Why?

Why couldn't you understand?!

This world was full of danger and darkness. If she didn't gain enough strength quickly, she would eventually be swallowed up by that despairing darkness again!

Just like her father and mother!

Reality wasn't a fairy tale. Heroes wouldn't appear...

They hadn't in the past, weren't here now, and wouldn't come in the future!

No one would come to save her. No one would reach out to help. No one would rescue her.

Even after she searched until she was covered in wounds and cried until she couldn't make a sound, even when blood replaced her tears, the hero she longed for had never appeared at her side.

So she couldn't wait...

So she couldn't hope...

So she picked up a sword...

Because Ais Wallenstein had to become her own hero!

By the time Ais came back to herself, she had already arrived at the Dungeon.