"Adventurers with a Falna have physical strength far beyond ordinary people. Under the same conditions, they're significantly stronger than those without."
Shaka swiped his finger across the request forms, selected one, and handed it to Black Cat.
"Of course, this isn't absolute. Dwarves and elves with racial advantages are exceptions. Mercenaries and farmers have differences too like Kyogoku Makoto versus Hikigaya: both human, no comparison. But if they met the Mahjong Girl, it'd be a whole different story..."
Black Cat took the commission slip and read: "Slay goblins, hand over 10 magic stones... reward: 5000 Falies."
"Monsters outside the dungeon are very weak goblins aren't even as strong as elementary school students," Shaka explained as he led her to register for the quest.
"Dungeon?"
Shaka paused, slapped his head, and said casually: "It's like a large monster spawn point. We don't know the exact number of levels yet just treat it as a big leveling dungeon."
Black Cat nodded, remembering. "Is that the huge hole sealed by the lower realm gods... the one that plunged the world into crisis?"
"That's the one."
Shaka snapped his fingers, finished registering, and headed out of the city with her.
"Shouldn't we bring weapons? That thing you have... wouldn't happen to be..." Black Cat looked suspiciously at the tennis racket hanging from his armor. How can a tennis racket exist in this world?! It's so illogical!
Her face darkened. "Is this a bug?"
Shaka played his guide role dutifully. "Like I said, this is a real world. If you wanted, you could even make a musket or a Tsar Bomba."
He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out two round balls encased in metal rings, handing them to her. "Take these for self-defense."
"What are they?"
"Large firecrackers, basically."
"You actually made these?!" Black Cat stared in astonishment.
They walked to the city's outer gate, where Shaka stopped a carriage. "Take us to the Forest of Loran."
The coachman wondered where that was but said nothing mercenaries had been heading to the nearby forest lately, so something was up.
Inside the carriage, Shaka continued framing the world as a game concept: "My magic isn't strong enough to sustain your bodies for long, so we need to hurry. This test is also to see how many hours the portal can hold two players." He had no system to measure exact values, and skill boosts were ambiguous, not reflected in the Falna.
Black Cat nodded, then hesitated. "Are all mercenaries like that man from the guild?" Along the way, she'd toned down her "evil aura" clearly shaken by the earlier incident.
Shaka frowned. Darkness fills this world; few truly want to save it. The only reason I'm deceiving them into thinking it's a game is to lighten their burden. Unlike me, who's prepared for years training to fight and even joining "superpowered" tennis competitions,they'd panic when facing a real another world.
He couldn't address her fears directly, so he kept it simple: "Adventurers and mercenaries live on the edge of danger. Orario's better, but people outside the city are unpredictable. Most are losers driven out of central cities, dark faction remnants, or adventurers who lost their families and had to fend for themselves."
In short...
"The waters run deep. Avoid conflict, but don't be a coward." He remembered a level 6 adventurer from the destroyed Osiris Familia in DanMachi, someone he hoped never to meet. I don't need to run into that kind of jerk...
He shuddered, then added: "Those guys are just small fry hiding behind a fierce face. They just need to be taught a lesson. When you get your 'demonic energy' back, you can deal with them all at once. Maintaining order is the Astraea Familia's duty, after all."
Hearing his tease, Black Cat finally smiled. She tossed a strand of hair from her sideburns, covered her lips with her hand, and smirked: "Cool, cool, cool! When the Night Demon Queen's seal is broken, holy black flames will turn them to ash!"
Seeing her regain her energy, Shaka grinned. "Then let's begin our adventure together!"
Two people... alone... in a carriage... looking at the scenery... this is... a date?! Black Cat's cheeks flushed, and she panicked. No, no it's just a game! But... but!!!
"What's wrong? Excited?" Shaka teased.
"No, no!" She turned her head to the window, watching the dense forest path and wild deer darting out. The air was filled with natural scents. "It's incredible how realistic this game is..."
That's right... I just transported you to another world. Shaka scratched his nose. "I told you it's real better than SAO, right?"
"Ha, you dare say that?" Black Cat's sarcasm returned. "At least SAO doesn't leave players completely naked at the start."
But SAO burns your brain literally. Shaka thought to himself, forcing a smile. "I'm really sorry."
"Snort."
After two hours, Shaka patted the coachman's shoulder, signaling to stop. The driver looked like he wanted to say, After all that flirting, you finally remember me. Shaka handed him his last 500 Falies and waved goodbye.
"Now I'm really broke."
"Huh? How are we getting back?" Black Cat exclaimed.
"There's always a way. Worst case... we run?" he suggested tentatively.
"Huh? Do you think that's possible?"
"Or you can log off, and I'll run back myself..."
Black Cat crossed her arms, glaring at him like an angry girlfriend whose plans had been ruined. But the annoyance faded quickly it was just a game, and sightseeing was a nice distraction.
"Let's go. We still have work to do."
"Ah, right."
Shaka scratched his head and led her into the dense forest. "Intelligence says monster activity near the city has spiked they're leaving their lairs in large numbers. Our mission is to reduce their numbers and protect trade routes. I'll handle most of the fighting; your job is to experience realistic combat. If you're comfortable, you can challenge weaker ones too..."
The DanMachi forest was nothing like the city overgrown, with complex terrain and vines blocking the way. Walking was a struggle.
"If this weren't a game, I'd never come to these mountains. Just walking a few minutes would exhaust me." As a homebody, even a 50-meter sprint left Black Cat breathless. But with the Falna, she could adapt.
They explored for nearly 40 minutes when Shaka's expression changed. Rustling came from all around.
"Watch out! Get down!"
He warned, pulling out his racket. In an instant, five or six rocks flew toward them.
"We're surrounded! And... by familiar faces!"
Shaka swung his racket fiercely, knocking back most of the rocks. After a few muffled groans from the bushes, he got into a receiving stance. A dozen green goblins emerged, their eyes fierce as they stared at him.
Black Cat crouched on the ground, tense. She glanced at trees hit by rocks bark blown off, fresh wood exposed. Getting hit by that would hurt a lot.
"I feel so embarrassed, but I can't stand up!" she whispered. "Are you sure you're okay? Even in a game, I don't want goblins to... force me to do things..."
Ha, where did your demonic aura go...? Shaka didn't look at her, but a smirk played on his lips. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
He gripped his racket tightly and pulled a green ball from his pocket. "I can't beat those tennis players... but mere pitching goblins..."
"Don't underestimate athletes, Black Cat!"
Black Cat...
So... why are you playing tennis in a fantasy world game?!are you crazy!?