**Chapter 1: The Sword Spirit in the Labyrinth City**
**Labyrinth City · Orario.**
The towering Babel stood imposingly at the city's center, dividing Orario's streets into eight distinct sectors.
In the impoverished eastern district, the atmosphere was far more decayed compared to the city's opulence elsewhere. Crumbling houses, moss-covered cobblestones, and waist-high weeds bore witness to the neglect.
Before the ruins of a church square, a slender young man trained relentlessly under the scorching sun, swinging an iron sword without pause.
Sweat had completely soaked his clothes as he repeated basic swordsmanship drills.
Slash, thrust, strike, lift...
Each sword movement seemed to drain his frail body further, but most striking was his left arm.
The skin bore an unnatural whitish hue, as if infected by some plague. Under the sunlight, the grotesque red veins lurking beneath the surface were clearly visible.
The sinister Demon Arm extended nearly to his shoulder, where a black manacle reinforced with chains restrained it.
Without this constraint, one might think the affliction would spread uncontrollably.
More than a limiter for the disease, the manacle appeared to be a kind of seal containing something indescribable...
Finishing his training, Akihiro exhaled slowly, allowing himself a rest. When he focused entirely on the way of the sword, time seemed to slip through his fingers unnoticed.
—"Is this the way of the sword?"
—"It's easy to lose yourself in it," he murmured, though his gaze grew melancholy as he surveyed the desolate church grounds.
As a transmigrator, Akihiro had been in this world for some time now.
His arrival had been undramatic: after pulling an all-nighter, he'd gone out for breakfast and—bam!—ended up here.
In a world that felt familiar: DanMachi.
A black-haired, blue-eyed goddess had taken him in and eagerly invited him to join her familia: Hestia Familia.
As a god's follower...
Being familiar with the anime, Akihiro quickly grasped the Familia concept from Hestia's explanations: a group of gods and mortals where the former bestowed their blessings upon the latter.
The core of the system was "Falna", which he already knew about.
Receiving it granted something like a "status panel", with abilities displayed on one's back. Most crucially, it provided access to the "vessel", enabling the development of skills like magic or special techniques.
Adventurers also had levels to define their strength.
Currently, Akihiro was a Level 1 adventurer of Hestia Familia.
And its only active member.
Joining from the start, with no companions and beginning from zero... For a transmigrator, it wasn't the worst start.
After all, what transmigrator didn't have a system as an advantage?
Though in his case, it was also the cause of his Demon Arm:
「Sword Soul Template」.
A relic from his past life, from the game Dungeon & Fighter.
Good news: he had a character template from a fantasy game.
Bad news: he was in Orario, not the world of DNF.
The system was simple: it offered the Swordsman template, stripping away elements like equipment or enhancements to focus solely on skills and levels.
Gaining experience would level him up, earn SP points, and allow him to learn new techniques.
「Akihiro」
「Level: 1」
「EXP: 0%」
「Skills: Ghostblade Technique」
「SP: 0」
A streamlined system, no complications.
But there was one problem: how to gain experience?
Without quests or dungeons like in the game, would the monsters in Orario's Dungeon suffice?
—"I need experience..."
—"But first, I have to convince Hestia-sama to let me venture out..."
Akihiro recalled his goddess: cheerful, unpretentious, but terribly poor.
When he joined the Familia, she'd promised:
—"Akihiro-kun is my follower! We'll have a home and food!"
...Though she'd promptly brought him to the church ruins.
Upon discovering his Demon Arm, she'd insisted:
—"Even if I have to work more, I'll save up to heal you!"
—"It's my duty as a goddess to care for my followers!"
And so on, repeatedly.
Despite everything, Akihiro couldn't bring himself to resent her.
But neither could he rely on her forever.
In Orario, adventurers earned valis by selling magic stones and monster materials.
To carve out a place in this world, he needed money...
And above all, strength.
Just then, a feminine figure appeared down the path.
A youthful-looking girl in a white dress, with black hair tied into twin tails.
Though her face was sweet, her silhouette was... conspicuously mature.
Hestia.
A goddess infamous in Orario for her legendary poverty.
Spotting Akihiro waiting for her, her face brightened.
—"Akihiro-kun! That's enough training for today!"
—"We had leftovers at the stall... Freshly fried potato chunks!"
Without ceremony, she sat beside him and opened the steaming box.
Since Akihiro's left arm made movement difficult, she skewered a piece with a stick and offered it to him.
But this time, he didn't immediately accept.
—"...Hestia-sama, there's something important I need to discuss."
—"Tired of fried potatoes?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
She dreaded the worst possibility: that he wanted to leave the Familia.
—"Akihiro-kun... I'll understand if you want to go."
—"Huh?"
—"I want to enter the Dungeon," he declared, meeting her gaze with resolve. "To become a true swordsman, I must fight."
—"...Really?" Hestia relaxed, relieved. "Tell me, why now?"
—"Because I can't let my goddess work to support me," Akihiro admitted sheepishly. "Besides..."
—"I need to grow stronger."