Is It Wrong To Capture Waifus In The Dungeon?

Waifu Catalog. A random CYOA I stumbled across on the internet. Something I spent a good amount of time on, indulging my more… perverted fantasies.

Turns out, it was real.

The company reached out to me via email—one that my chronically online self couldn't help but think was a scam. Still, on the off chance it could finally free me from the chains of modern society, I decided to bite.

And, damn, did it bloody pay off.

I fist-pumped, breathing in a lungful of air, before shouting, "GOODBYE, TAXES!"

I ignored the strange looks from the bystanders who froze in their tracks to gawk at me. There was no way their judgmental stares could ruin my mood. Not that it could really affect me—I had stress defense for that, after all. But still, whatever.

Grinning at my newfound height from the body tune-up, I skipped and hopped along, whistling a merry tune. Again, I brushed off the stares and whispers behind my back as I asked for directions.

And then, there it was—standing tall in all its rustic glory.

The guild.

Built and maintained by Ouranos, an elder god who descended from the heavens a millennium ago, it now stood as the mediator between the dungeon and the many familias that had sprouted with the arrival of more gods and goddesses in the lower world.

Indeed, I had found myself in the world of Danmachi, aka Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

A classic tale of a naive protagonist's rise to legendary status, with a healthy dose of hot girls. Elves, cat-girls, dog-girls, cow-girls, Amazonesses—you name it, they had it. And, let's be real, that's at least 90% of the reason I chose this world in the first place.

But as much as I appreciated the sight of those demi-humans walking around, they didn't quite do it for me.

Because they weren't canon.

Yes, I absolutely hated OCs with a fiery passion. Can you tell?

Anyway, I walked into the guild's main building—also called Pantheon—with the same cheerful attitude I had the moment I arrived. My surroundings shifted from the busy street of adventurers and merchants to the soft shuffle of papers and the clink of coins and dropped items.

The guild's marble interior gleamed with a golden hue, sunlight reflecting off the white tiles, and portraits of famous adventurers and gods lined the walls, proof of their long, storied history.

I made my way to the counters where adventurers were chatting with their advisors, perking up when I spotted a particularly stand-off-ish werewolf woman in a corner.

Lucky for me, the few adventurers brave enough to approach her quickly decided against it, so I strolled past them and stopped right in front of her.

"Hi! My name's Adam Might. I'm new around here. Could you tell me the requirements to become an adventurer?" I grinned, using Alluring Whisper to make sure she remembered my name.

I also activated Potpourri, an ability especially effective on demi-humans who are more in tune with their senses and instincts.

Her vibrant red hair shook slightly when I mentioned my name, likely due to the effects of Alluring Whisper, but her expression stayed stoic, betraying only the faintest twitch of her nose—something I might have missed if I wasn't so sharp.

She gave a nod of acknowledgement, her eyes briefly flicking to the love spot below my left eye, just beneath the blindfold I wore.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Adam. My name is Rose Fannett, and I'm an advisor for the guild. I'd be happy to walk you through the process, if you'd like."

I winked. "Thanks, I'd really appreciate that."

"It's my duty," she replied without missing a beat, then pulled a stack of papers from beneath the desk. "But before we get started, I need to ask—are you already in a familia?"

"I'm not," I replied, then added with mild curiosity, "Is it required to join a familia to register as an adventurer?"

Rose sighed, her face betraying a flicker of exasperation.

"I figured. Most people come in here with delusions of grandeur. And no, it's not mandatory. We have plenty of people who work as supporters for adventurers without a falna. It wouldn't be fair to only let familia members register."

"I see," I said, though honestly, I didn't care much about the details.

"I suggest you try to get a spot in a familia that's recruiting before proceeding," she said, pushing the stack of papers toward me with an almost daring expression.

I said nothing, observing the way her wolf ears reacted to my nonchalant response. She was clearly trying to come off as cold and detached, but all I could think was, "Cute."

Her eyes narrowed, but I noticed a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Excuse me?"

Oops, that slipped out. But I hadn't expected it to affect her so much, especially given how much I knew about her role as a seasoned receptionist. But she did look young…was she?

"Miss Rose, how old are you?!" I asked, suddenly grabbing her hands and staring into her amber eyes—well, as best as I could with a blindfold on—while simultaneously using Sticky Fingers at full power.

Rose instinctively tried to pull away from the overwhelming sensations, but after a glance at my love spot and a twitch of her nose, her resistance crumbled.

"I…I don't see how this is relevant, but I'm 21," she stammered, her gaze alternating between my face and her hands.

I smiled, releasing her hands that now clutched her chest in relief.

...

Seven years. I found myself seven years in the past.

It was the height of the Dark Age, the most chaotic time in Orario's history, when the city was ravaged by constant tragedies. This was the era when the so-called Great Feud occurred and Evilus ran wild, a period fueled by cruel deities who enjoyed the suffering while others, like Erebus—mostly Erebus—tried to challenge the status quo in hopes of producing a new generation of heroes.

What a load of crap. All of it amounted to nothing in the end. Zald and Alfia's sacrifices, Adi's death, and the destruction of the Astraea familia—For what?

A half-baked level 7 like Ottar? What use would he be against the one-eyed black dragon when he was too busy chasing after his goddess's whims?

Love like the wind? Pfft. Whatever helped him sleep at night.

And don't even try to feed me that "hope for the future" nonsense.

Maybe Zald had no other choice, being on his deathbed, but Alfia could've trained countless adventurers, even with her illness holding her back. The author even said she could've lived for a few more years if she'd retired.

In the end, without Bell, the world was doomed.

I scoffed.

If the Gods wanted a hero, I'd give them one. If they wanted the future of the world to survive, I'd be the anchor. But I would not sacrifice everything for some vague notion of "the greater good."

Such a pyrrhic victory wasn't something I was willing to swallow.

I lifted one side of my blindfold, scanning the papers Rose had laid out for me in a single second with my six eyes.

"Hm, the Astraea familia is recruiting," I muttered, glancing up just in time to see the dazed expression on Rose's face.

But she quickly regained her composure, continuing in her usual professional tone.

"Are you interested in the Astraea familia?"

"I am," I said honestly.

She shook her head. "Then give up."

I arched an eyebrow at her bluntness, though she couldn't see it.

"Why?"

She didn't skip a beat. "The Astraea familia is made up entirely of women. It's impossible for a man to join."

Ah, of course. I already knew that. Still, to the people of Orario, it must have seemed impossible.

I could only imagine how many poor fools had tried their luck, thinking they could be the ones to enjoy the company of all those beautiful women, only to end up traumatized by a sharp-tongued Kaguya or something similar.

People probably viewed them like the Artemis familia. But, as far as I knew, Astraea didn't hate men, despite her similar virgin goddess status. It was more likely that it came down to individual ability, and Astraea just had a preference for women because of her domains of innocence and purity.

Unfortunately for them, they couldn't stop a multiversal slaver with literal cheats that made him the bane of women.

I couldn't stop the smirk tugging at my lips as I replied to Rose, brimming with the confidence of someone destined to be on top—and, in this case, someone who already was.

"I'll be the first."

She shot me a pointed look, though refrained from commenting.

I couldn't hold back my laughter at her obvious disapproval, as she tried to maintain propriety.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, Rose. It was nice meeting you." I gave her a genuine smile.

"It was nice meeting you as well," she said, bowing. Her voice was indifferent, but the almost imperceptible squirm of her wolf ears told a different story.

Heh.

I waved goodbye and took out the company-issued smartphone, opening the mapper app to locate Astraea familia's headquarters as I left.

The Stardust Garden lay in the northernmost part of Orario.

I made my way through the twisting streets, easily avoiding the crime-riddled alleys, until I came upon an elegant white mansion emblazoned with the goddess Astraea's emblem.

Sword of Justice, Wings of Righteousness.

Unlike Loki or Freya, Astraea's familia had only about 11 members, despite also being an exploration-type familia. But their strength more than made up for their numbers.

Most of them were at level 4, and they were well on their way to becoming the third most prominent faction in Orario.

Their relatively small size meant they didn't have strict security at the entrance.

I pocketed my phone and went to knock on the door.

But before my hand could even touch the wood, the sound of footsteps echoed from inside, and the door swung open.

"Come in," said Astraea, the beautiful chestnut-haired goddess, greeting me with a warm smile.

"Okay~ Don't mind if I do." I barged in unceremoniously.

The door shut and she turned around calmly, gesturing for me to take a seat on the couch in the living room.

I did as she requested, watching as she grabbed a tray with a teapot and two cups from the counter, placing them on the small table in front of me.

She poured the tea in silence, and I followed suit, mirroring her quiet demeanour. Finally, she sat opposite me and took a sip of her drink.

"I want to join your familia, dear goddess~" I waited until she placed the cup down before speaking up.

To her credit, Astraea didn't bat an eye at my bold use of Alluring Whisper. Her smile remained disarming, though I noticed her eyes drift toward the love spot on my face.

"I know," she said cryptically, her gaze softening as she closed her eyes and took another sip.

I hummed thoughtfully.

Ah, that's right. I did remember it was mentioned she had a minor prophetic ability. Although, it was mentioned in passing and I didn't put too much thought into it. But it seemed like that very thing came to bite me in the ass—not.

Because it couldn't have told her much—information defense prevented that.

"As expected of a goddess. Does this mean you'll accept me?" I feigned dejection, though I couldn't stop the smirk tugging at my lips. "I'd be so sad if I were rejected…"

Astraea sighed, her smile faltering for a split second before returning with renewed warmth. "I can already tell you'll be a troublesome child…" she muttered. But her smile never wavered. "But that's okay. I wouldn't mind having you. Although…" She paused, looking me over. "Forgive me, but I can't trust you just yet. And neither can my children."

I stroked my chin in thought. "I see...How can I resolve that?" I asked, sensing that she was going somewhere.

Her face brightened. "Simple. I want you to meet them first. If they have no objections, you'll be welcomed into our familia wholeheartedly."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like an excuse to put me off, knowing how eccentric they are. But sure, leave it to me. I have the utmost confidence in my charisma."

I shot her a smug look. I'd already made two women sigh on the same day, surely that counted for something.

She smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get along with most of them just fine. They're on patrol right now, though. Why don't you tell me more about yourself while we wait?"

"Oh, whatever my goddess desires~" I teased. "If only all interviewers were as beautiful and nice…"

"I'm not yours yet," Astraea replied, chuckling at my lament. "But I appreciate the compliment."

God, I just want to be spoiled by this goddess…

My eyes wandered to her forbidden valley, but I quickly tore it away from her generous figure. "Ahem. Where would you like me to start, momm-I mean, goddess?"

She paused thoughtfully, completely ignoring my slip of the tongue. "Hmm… You haven't told me your name yet, have you? You do realize that's quite disrespectful, right?"

My eyes widened—not that she could see it—and I sat up straight.

"B-b-but goddess! You said you had already foreseen my arrival. Doesn't that mean you knew my identity from the start?! Why would I need to introduce myself then?"

"Your assumptions are your own. You still need to follow proper etiquette," she scolded lightly, wagging her finger at me.

"…I suppose you're right," I conceded, sighing.

"Hehe~" Astraea giggled, her laughter sweet and light.

I suddenly bounced back with a complete 180 the next moment, taking off my blindfold and revelling in her curious, then stunned expression.

"My name is Adam Might, the man who will become the strongest." I paused, then added with a smirk, "But you can also call me Gojou Satoru. Nice to formally meet you, Lady Astraea."

I burned the image of my goddess in my mind with the six eyes now operating freely.