Is It Wrong to be Picked Up by a Girl Outside Dungeon?

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The boy smiles shyly, which is a different style from the girl's gentleness and warmth.

He was clearly young—still green in many ways—but even as he looked straight at Meteria, his gaze held no malice.

This is a really good guy.

A girl like Meteria was bound to have admirers. It was only natural.

But Ronen... he was a handsome stranger, a "heavens lost property" type. He had won at the starting line..

What a ridiculous advantage.

"Oh it's Cranel-san, long time no see," Meteria greeted with smiled gently and said . "You're not wearing your gear... are you just out for a walk?"

She seemed to have good impression of the young man. In fact, her tone toward him was quite gentle. But Meteria was kind to everyone. The only one she ever treated differently was Ronen.

Even now, the two of them were still holding hands—despite bumping into someone she knew. That alone speak volumes of their relationship. they had already reached a subtle yet definite point of stability.

"Eh?.. yeah, just walking around..." Cranel scratched his head awkwardly, then glanced at Ronen. "And this is...?"

"This is Ronen," Meteria introduced with a smile. "My friend."

"Friend, huh..." Cranel seemed a little melancholy, muttering quietly "You sure don't look like ordinary friends. Damn it... our light got stolen by an outsider..."

After some brief conversation, they separated.

"As expected, Meteria is very popular."

Ronen said with a grin.

"Um...what's wrong?"

Meteria noticed Ronen's gaze

Meteria tilted her head, curious, her deep-ocean-blue eyes meeting his with innocent warmth.

Ronen had muttered his comment in Chinese subconsciously so she didn't understand.

"I said you're very popular," he repeated, this time in the common language. "That boy… I think he really likes you. But I suppose it's normal. You're so kind and cute—who wouldn't?"

Meteria blinked. Then, with a soft curve of her lips, asked, "Then… does Ronen like me?"

Her eyes gleamed with gentle curiosity as she smiled like a crescent moon.

Looking at her curious and innocent gentle eyes, Ronen chuckled and said, "Of course I do. And not just a little."

"What kind of 'not just a little'?" she teased, her tone playful.

"A bit more than ordinary like," he replied, making a tiny gesture with his fingers to show just how much.

"Only a little bit more?" Meteria raised her eyebrows, feigning disappointment.

Ronen only smiled wider in response.

Seeing him unshaken, it was Meteria's cheeks that flushed red instead.

"…An entire billion bits more."

Was that… a confession?

Meteria looked at Ronen's cheerful expression. Her heart was beating fast, sweetly, in a rhythm that made her chest feel light.

So this is… love?

"If you like me that much, then don't you dare let go." Even though she was extremely embarrassed, Meteria still looked warm and generous, and gracefully raised their tightly clasped hands.

"certainly,"

Ronen smiled gently.

In fact, the very moment Meteria didn't pull her hand away, it already meant something. Her feelings had quietly started leaning toward Ronen too.

Now, if he wanted to truly win her heart, there was only one thing left to consider—her family.

Speaking of which, Ronen realized, he still didn't know much about her background.

"That boy from earlier… was he someone you know?" he asked.

"He's from the Zeus Familia," she replied. "Even though our Hera Familia and theirs don't usually get along, it's mostly due to how our gods treat each other. On a personal level, we're not enemies."

She giggled softly, then added, "Though Mr. Croney's reputation isn't great. But when you remember he's a follower of that Zeus, it makes a bit more sense."

"Like what reputation?" Ronen asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, you know… peeking at girls while they bathe. Abandoning allies mid-battle as a supporter…" she said casually.

"That's…Isn't this serious?" Ronen exclaimed.

"Yes, it should be. But Zeus taught him all the wrong things. And anyway, if Zeus accepts him, he can't be that bad, right?" Meteria smiled.

There is such a saying... Ronen's mouth twitched, and he had a strong desire to complain.

Just what kind of god is that Zeus?!

Ronen tried hard to hold back his complaints and asked again, "By the way… what exactly is a Familia?"

"You don't know?" Meteria blinked, clearly surprised.

Then, with the grace of a patient teacher, she explained: "A Familia is a group of adventurers granted divine blessings—Falna—by a god or goddess. Each Familia is led by a single deity, who gives them the ability to grow stronger."

"A god, one Familia. It's how adventurers in this world gain power and purpose."

Meteria said regretfully. "it's a pity, I was never very talented. I don't have what it takes to become an adventurer."

"My sisters went off to slay the Leviathan, the ruler of the seas, and I… I could only hide in the church and pray for them."

I always feel that this setting is very familiar...Where did I hear it from?

Ronen furrowed his brows. Where had he heard something like this before?

His grasp of the common tongue was still shaky, so the pieces in his head didn't quite fit yet. Still, he pressed on.

"Could you tell me more about the races in this world? And this city?"

"certainly," Meteria replied, always happy to help.

According to her, the world was home to both humans and demi-humans, collectively referred to as "the children of the Lower World."

And then there were the gods—beings who descended from the heavens to live alongside mortals. Through their power, the system of Familias was born.

Meteria herself was a member of the Hera Familia, though not an adventurer due to her lack of natural talent.

Hearing all this, and recognizing the divine system, the gods, the dungeon, and even the city's name… Ronen finally understood.

This was the world of "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?"—DanMachi.

"Everything lines up…" he whispered, feeling a chill run through him.

But something still felt off.

"Which are the strongest Familias in Orario right now?" he asked.

"That would be the Zeus Familia and our own, the Hera Familia," Meteria answered without hesitation. "Why do you ask? Our names are known far and wide—even in distant regions."

Ronen fell silent.

Suddenly, it all clicked.

There was a difference. The Orario in front of him wasn't the one from the story he knew.

'Talentless' Meteria with white hair.

Her sister, a powerful warrior, leading a Leviathan hunt.

Zeus and Hera—husband and wife Familias—reigning as the strongest.

In the original timeline, both Zeus and Hera's Familias had been destroyed by the One-Eyed Black Dragon fifteen years before the main story began.

But right now… they were still alive. Still at war.

Which meant...

This is the past.

The realization struck hard.

This was the age when gods still ruled with unmatched might. When hope still existed in the form of the strongest two Familias.

Meteria's sister, Alfia, would soon deliver the final blow to the Sea Tyrant—Leviathan.

And right now… there was still time.

Time before the fall. Time before despair.

Ronen clenched his fists softly, eyes narrowing.

So this was the world he had arrived in. A world on the edge of myth and tragedy.

And maybe… just maybe… he was here to change its fate.

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