DanMachi, My Members Are From Slice-of-Life Anime

And that fake leader named Cecil is actually an AI? Really?

I've heard that SAO's AI technology is already quite advanced, but it still can't guarantee that every NPC will react differently at every moment.

Black Cat readily asked, "If it were a regular player, wouldn't that have triggered a quest?"

Girl, you understand games!

"That's right. If I weren't strong enough, we would have fought."

Shaga reminded him with a slightly serious tone:

"This is a completely real world where no one acts according to the program. So, if you encounter a similar event, please log off immediately! Be careful not to get taken away and forced to do this or that."

Shaga tried to subtly change the black cat's mindset, making her accept the fake game as much as possible.

Chapter 17 In, Strange, Ball, Doing?

"Adventurers who have received favors possess physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary people. Under the same conditions, those who have received favors are significantly stronger than those who haven't."

As Xia Jia swiped her finger across the request forms, selected one, handed it to the black cat, and continued:

"Of course, this is not absolute. Dwarves and elves, who have racial advantages, are an exception. Oh, mercenaries and farmers also have certain differences."

Hmm, it's like Kyogoku Makoto versus Hikigaya, they're both human, so there's no comparison. But if they encountered Mahjong Girl, it might be a completely different story...

The black cat took the commission slip handed to him by Shaga and read: "Slay the goblins, hand over 10 magic stones... worth 5000 fali."

"The monsters outside the dungeon are all very weak; goblins aren't even as strong as elementary school students," Shaga explained as he led the black cat to register for the quest.

"Dungeon?"

Xia Jia paused for a moment, slapped his head, and casually said, "It's like a large monster spawn point. The exact number of levels is still unclear. Just treat it as a large leveling dungeon."

The black cat vaguely remembered it and asked, "Is it that huge hole that was sealed by the gods of the lower realm... that plunged the world into crisis?"

"That's the one."

Xia Jia snapped his fingers, finished registering the details of the commission, and headed out of the city with the black cat.

"Shouldn't we bring some weapons? That one of yours wouldn't happen to be..." The black cat looked on with suspicion.

Although Shaka was wearing armor, the only weapon he could use was a tennis racket...

How could tennis rackets exist in this world?! It's so illogical!

The black cat's face darkened: "Is this considered a bug?"

Shaga dutifully played the role of guide, saying, "Like I said, this is a real world. If you want, you can even make a musket or a Tsar Bomba."

As if remembering something, Xia Jia rummaged through her backpack and took out two round balls encased in metal rings, handing them to the black cat.

"Hold it to defend yourself."

"what?"

"Large firecrackers, please."

"You really did it?!" The black cat looked utterly astonished.

The two walked side by side until they reached the outer gate of the city, where Xia Jia stopped the carriage.

"Go to the Forest of Loran."

The coachman wondered where that was... but didn't ask any further questions, and continued driving towards the forest outside the city. Lately, mercenaries had been heading that way, so something unusual seemed to have happened.

Inside the carriage, Shaka continued explaining to the black cat that this world was merely a game concept:

"Because my magic is insufficient to provide you with much of my power, we must hurry."

The purpose of this test was also to determine how many hours the portal could sustain two players.

He doesn't have a system to test specific numerical values. The ability boosts from skills are ambiguous and won't be reflected in favors.

The black cat nodded, then hesitated and asked, "Are all mercenaries like that?"

Along the way, the black cat reduced the intensity of the evil aura it unleashed, apparently because of that mercenary.

Shaka merely frowned at this...

Darkness pervades this world, and only a few are truly willing to save it. Ultimately, the main reason for deceiving younger players into believing this is just a game is to reduce their psychological burden. Unlike Shaga, these players are bound to experience panic and confusion when facing another world.

Unlike myself, who has been preparing for this for years, honing my fighting skills while also dabbling in 'superpower' competitions.

But Xia Jia couldn't address the black cat's concerns, so she could only offer a simple explanation:

"Whether they are adventurers or mercenaries, they are all living on the edge of danger. Those in Orario are alright, but it's hard to say about the people outside the city."

"Most of them are losers who were driven out of the central cities, or remnants of dark factions, or adventurers whose families were scattered and who eventually went out to make a living."

Shaga briefly explained the relationships between the parties.

Anyway...

"The waters run deep. It's best to avoid conflict, but there's no need to be too cowardly either."

Shaka remembers that in the game DanMachi, there was a level 6 character who could sail a ship, who was said to be a member of the Osiris Familia who had been destroyed by Hera and Zeus...

I hope I don't run into this kind of jerk...

Xia Jia shuddered and continued, "Those kinds of people are just small fry. They rely on their fierce appearance to make a living. They only need to be punished."

"Don't worry, if you can't stand this behavior, you can wait until you recover your demonic energy and deal with them all at once. After all, maintaining order is the duty of our Astrea Familia."

Hearing Xia Jia's teasing, the black cat finally curled her lips into a smile. She tossed a strand of short hair at her sideburns, covered her lips with the back of her hand, and smirked wickedly:

"Cool, cool, cool, that's for sure! When the Night Demon Queen's seal is broken, the holy black flames will surely turn her to ashes!"

Seeing the black cat regain its energy, Xia Jia smiled and said, "Then, without further ado, let's begin our adventure together!"

Two, two people!!!

The black cat suddenly realized something...

'A lone man and woman, riding together in a carriage, enjoying the scenery—this, this is... a date, a rendezvous!!!'

'No, no, it's just a game!! But...but!!!'

The black cat's cheeks flushed, and it was at a loss for what to do...

"What's wrong with you? Are you excited?" Xia Jia teased.

"No, no!" The black cat turned its head to the side, looking at the dense forest path and the wild deer that occasionally darted out from the roadside, its nose filled with the natural scent.

"It's incredible that they can make such a realistic game..."

That's right... I just transported you guys to another world.

Shaka scratched his nose: "I told you, this is the real world. How about it, it's better than the so-called SAO, right?"

"Ha, you really dare to say that." Black Cat seemed to have reverted to his sarcastic side, retorting, "At least they won't leave the player completely naked right from the start."

But they'll burn your brain! In a physical sense.

Xia Jia thought to herself, but could only force a smile and say, "I'm really sorry."

"Humph."

After traveling for almost two hours in the carriage, Shaja patted the driver, signaling them to get off.

The driver wanted to say, "After all that flirting along the way, you finally remembered me."

Shaka gave the coachman the remaining 500 fali in his hand and waved goodbye.

"Now I'm really broke."

"Huh? How are we going to get back?" the black cat exclaimed in surprise.

"There's always a way. At worst... we can run? Run back?" Xia Jia tentatively suggested.

"Huh? Do you think that's possible?"

"At worst, you can just log off, and I'll run back myself..."

The black cat remained silent, hands on its hips, glaring at Xia Jia like a girlfriend who was angry about a misarranged schedule.

But this dissatisfaction came and went quickly; it's just a game, and sightseeing is another way to pass the time.

"Let's go. We still have work to do, don't we?"

"Ah, oh."

Xia Jia scratched his head and led the black cat out into the dense forest.

"According to intelligence, monster activity near the city has recently become more frequent, and there are signs that a large number of them are leaving their lairs. Our mission is to reduce the number of these monsters in order to ensure the safety of the trade routes."

Shaga explained the purpose of this mission: "I will be mainly in charge of the combat. Your task is to experience combat in a realistic state. If conditions permit, you can also choose to challenge some weaker monsters..."

The mountains and forests in DanMachi are different from those in the city. They are overgrown with vegetation and have complex terrain. There are many vines blocking the way, making it very difficult to walk.

"If it weren't for the game, I definitely wouldn't want to run into these deep mountains. Let alone fighting, just walking for a few minutes would be enough to exhaust an ordinary person."

For a homebody like Black Cat, a 50-meter sprint is enough to leave her breathless.

Having accepted the favor, I can still adapt to the current situation.

We explored the dense forest for nearly 40 minutes.