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

The monsters on the ground are different from those in the dungeons.

They are capable of giving birth to "leaders".

This is different from the monsters in the dungeons, who start fighting as soon as they are born, hunting either adventurers or their own kind.

The monsters on the ground have developed intelligence similar to that of wild beasts; they can inhabit, reproduce, and hunt.

Normally, ordinary monsters will hide in their lairs and only hunt within their own territory.

Once they have a leader, they will systematically begin to conquer territory, compete for resources, and even hunt human villages.

Normally, it's relatively difficult for a monster leader (enhanced species) to emerge on the ground. It's also extremely rare for one to cause such a large-scale disturbance.

But given the precedent of the Minotaur, it was only natural to guess in that direction.

Shaga's expression was somewhat grave: "Assess the extent of the damage to this village. Can you deduce the type and number of the attacking monsters?"

Sakura, who was quite knowledgeable, replied in a deep voice: "According to the information provided by the guild, the village was destroyed in no more than 15 minutes, and the looting was very thorough."

"Preliminary assessment indicates that there are at least one hundred monsters, and they have a clear division of labor."

Division of labor?

Shaga noticed the word.

This is quite unique. For example, if the attackers are werewolves, they tend to fight and destroy, while hellhounds tend to burn. There is a clear division of labor, which is a social standard. This kind of thing usually doesn't happen to monsters of a single race.

Shaga then thought of the white minotaur from before.

"Although what I'm saying is a bit far-fetched, I think the enemy might be a beast tamer. A beast tamer who tames and commands monsters while posing as a monster."

"This monster may be enslaving or commanding other races."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia all looked displeased.

Ming calmly analyzed:

"Ordinary monsters are not difficult to deal with. The key question is, what level of monster is the leader who can command this large tribe?"

Shaga's face was ashen: "At least, it's no weaker than the Minotaur I defeated! Conservative estimate: level 3."

Shaga was very certain. He hadn't thought about it carefully before, but it came to his senses afterward. Usually, the leaders who can command monsters are enhanced versions of the same monster.

Just as it's impossible to make a husky the wolf king, it's impossible for the Minotaur to command a group of goblins.

On the contrary, the Minotaur seemed more like a helper summoned by the goblins, and the relationship was more like that of a subordinate.

It's not like they're Hilichurls or Hilichurl thugs; those two species are completely different.

Xia Jia glanced at the bewildered group and said calmly:

"How about it? It's not too late to go back now. But for safety's sake, it's safer to wait for support from the school district."

Sakura's expression was resolute: "No, time is of the essence. A horde of monsters of this size will soon engulf the nearby villages. Who knows how many people will die then!"

Chigusa nodded weakly: "We can't let the disaster get any worse. We can fight too!"

"Since you have no problem, then as the kin of the Goddess of Justice, we naturally have no reason to refuse."

Shaka's expression turned serious as he looked at Yamato no Mikoto: "Our lives are in your hands."

The icy girl from the Far East slowly closed her eyes, feeling the pressure from her companions, and nodded gently: "Ah, please leave it to me!"

Faced with the potential presence of hundreds of monsters, Shaga himself had absolutely no confidence.

The only thing we can do is to encounter monster squads in small groups, just like we did with Shaga before, and then divide and conquer them.

Given the current quality of the squad, as long as they are not surrounded by a monster horde, evacuation should not be a problem.

This requires relying on Yamato's target acquisition skill.

You must anticipate the monsters' arrival and retreat in time before they are spotted and surrounded; otherwise, even several Shagas would not be able to escape the monster horde.

After agreeing on their plans, the group began exploring the dense forest near the village.

"Yata no Kuroga!"

This skill of his has a target range of 30 meters. The range may not seem large, but it is very effective in places like dense forests where ambushes are very effective.

We followed the rugged mountain path upwards.

Gradually, a hazy mist began to envelop the area, and the visible range gradually narrowed. The group moved closer together and huddled together as they advanced.

"Although my skills can be activated at will, they still consume mental energy. The current situation is unclear, so in order to maintain my condition, I will reduce the frequency of use from now on. Everyone be careful."

After saying that, he became even more vigilant.

The sudden surge of fog was too eerie, and everyone became even more cautious.

After advancing for 20 minutes, their visibility had shrunk to just 5 meters. The environment before them was similar to the 11th floor of the underground labyrinth, which was a mid-level area.

An uneasy atmosphere gradually grew within the team.

Ming also kept his skills active almost the entire time; otherwise, with such low visibility, he would have been too easily ambushed.

The group advanced, keeping close together.

"Watch out, enemy attack!" Ming shouted.

Finally, they encountered the first batch of monsters.

Since they couldn't see, everyone stood back to back in a circle, and Shaga drew his short battle axe, scanning the surroundings with his eyes.

In the thick fog, Xia Jia could vaguely see a tall, muscular figure, about the height of a person, poised to move.

They seemed to be organizing a hunting formation; a total of five monsters were slowly approaching Shaga and the others.

Chapter 38 The Poisonous Cat Demon

"Don't let us get surrounded. Let's take the initiative and defeat them one by one."

"Report your location, sir."

Sakura whispered something and gripped the long axe in her hand tightly.

"Using me as the reference point, at the ten o'clock position directly in front of me, it's fifteen steps away."

"Okay!"

Chigusa and another girl drew their bows and arrows, while Sakura and Natsumi rushed out, leaving Ming behind to watch over the back row.

As they advanced, Shaka gradually broke through the thick fog and saw the monster's true form, the information from his predecessors' notes appearing in his mind:

The Berg Bear is a monster that looks somewhat like a Behemoth, with brown fur all over its body, standing 2 meters tall with a waist circumference of 2 meters, a square body shape, a head on its chest, and no neck.

Unlike traditional bears, it has pointed feline ears on its head, making it difficult to distinguish between a bear and a cat.

It usually appears on the 19th floor. Potential ability: lv2, E level.

Of course, if this were an underground city.

"A very common monster."

Having determined this, Shaga drew his axe and swung it down at the monster.

They also saw Shaka and the others, as if they could see in the thick fog. With a small leap, they dodged the arrows shot by Chigusa, and then let out a roar.

"A swift and decisive victory is needed; it's gathering its allies!"

At that moment, Shaga's axe arrived, severing the Berg Bear's foreleg in one strike. Using his waist as leverage, he swung the axe in a sweeping motion, blinding the monster in one eye, and then shouted:

"Switch!"

In SAO, the most brainless monster-killing mode involves having teammates follow up with attacks during the monster's stunned state after using its skills, causing the monster to become stunned as well.

This is the best way for a newbie like Shaga to grind monsters.

The cherry blossoms behind him were taken aback, but the experienced man quickly realized what was happening.

Taking advantage of the moment when Shaga's moves were worn out and his new strength had not yet emerged, he passed by him and brought his long axe down on Berg Bear's head.

The immense force split the bear's skull open, and the axe became stuck in the skull, unable to move.

Sakura, mimicking Sakura, shouted, "Switch!"

Shaga caught up immediately and kicked the monster's corpse away.

The kick seemed to have struck the magic stone, and the severely injured monster immediately turned into black ash and disappeared.

After taking down one of them, the monsters behind him charged forward.

Switch skills and activate [Yata no Shiratori] to lock onto your companion's location, then reunite with Shaka who has disappeared from sight.

The group distanced themselves again, attempting to repeat their previous tactic.

But the monsters gave their prey no chance. The four monsters, relying on their massive bodies, charged into the group's formation.

These Burg Bears are, after all, strength-type monsters, and their charge is far more powerful than that of wild boars.

The sight of four dump trucks seemed to send chills down Xia Jia's spine, making the time traveler feel a little uneasy.

"spread!"

Left with no other option, the group had to abandon their group tactics and switch to one-on-one combat.