"Um, Brave One, shouldn't we introduce ourselves next?" Looking at Takeru, who seemed to have completely forgotten about them, one of the girls dressed as a mage spoke nervously.
"There's no rush. We'll talk after you pass the test." Hearing her words, Takeru spoke coldly.
Hearing Takeru's words, the girl was stunned. She hadn't expected Takeru to still be dwelling on this matter.
Although Takeru was a Hero, he was still only level one.
Without their assistance, it wouldn't be so easy for him to grow in the early stages. He might even face danger. They wondered if Takeru hadn't realized this problem at all.
Although confused, the girl hesitated for a moment, then closed her mouth and quietly followed Takeru. The other two sighed softly.
But since they hadn't left before, it would be even more embarrassing to slink away now.
After some wandering and roughly sampling the local snacks, Takeru finally headed toward the wilderness with satisfaction.
"Brave One, shouldn't we buy some armor first?" Seeing Takeru acting so recklessly, wanting to head straight into battle in the wilderness, the man dressed as a warrior in the group asked nervously.
"That kind of thing isn't necessary. More importantly, we need to prepare for the test. Although I didn't originally plan to choose you as companions, since you insist, I'll give you a chance." Takeru's tone was casual, and his footsteps didn't pause at all.
Soon, after walking for about twenty minutes, Takeru led the group out of the city gates and into the outskirts. Here, many monsters were already roaming around.
In this grassy plain area, most of them were orange balloon-like creatures.
Takeru chose an open spot and stopped. The three looked at Takeru in confusion, while also cautiously watching the balloon monsters around them.
Although most were level one balloon monsters, some had leveled up, with the highest reaching level three.
While they could defeat them, that didn't mean they could completely ignore their attacks.
As soon as Takeru stood still, two balloon monsters targeted him, baring their fangs and preparing to attack.
"Don't mess around." Facing these balloon monsters' attacks, Takeru didn't even turn his head. He simply reached out and swatted. The balloon monsters seemed to suffer some terrifying impact and exploded directly.
Seeing this, the three were stunned. Takeru hadn't used his sword to attack, just an ordinary slap, yet he could easily burst the balloon monsters.
'Most importantly, the Hero should only be level one, right? How could he have such high attack power with his bare hands?'
"Are you ready?" Looking at the three, Takeru spoke calmly.
"Ready for what?" Hearing Takeru's words, the girl dressed as a mage asked nervously.
"Mental preparation. My test is very simple. After I say 'start', you just need to hold out standing for thirty seconds." Looking at the three, Takeru spoke softly.
"Hold out standing for thirty seconds?" Hearing Takeru's words, the three exchanged glances, confused.
Looking at the bewildered three, Takeru didn't explain further. He just stood quietly in place, looking at them.
After about a minute passed, Takeru asked again, "Ready?"
"Yes!" Although confused, the three nodded seriously.
"Then, start." Hearing their words, Takeru spoke softly.
The three were still wondering if Takeru was just giving himself a way to protect his dignity, when they felt an indescribable malice emanating from Takeru.
In an instant, their expressions drastically changed. If it weren't for the fact that all three were above level thirty and had many stat bonuses, they might have lost consciousness right then.
Seeing the three withstand the first wave of malice, Takeru didn't care. After all, the first wave was just an appetizer.
After about ten seconds, Takeru's malicious intent intensified again. The three, who had started to adapt, turned pale. About five seconds later, the female swordsman reached her limit and collapsed on the spot, pale and gasping for air.
In that moment, she seemed to see her own terrifying death. Only after sitting down did the terrifying malice slowly dissipate.
As for the female mage and male swordsman still standing, they were also pale, their legs trembling slightly, but they managed to hold on.
"Now, the last ten seconds." Looking at the two still holding on, Takeru narrowed his eyes and intensified the malice again. As the malice intensified once more, the male swordsman finally couldn't hold on either and collapsed on the spot.
His eyes were somewhat dazed now, his heart pounding violently, as if he had experienced some harsh ordeal.
To Takeru's surprise, although the female mage was also somewhat disoriented, her body remained firmly in place. However, this was temporary. In the terrifying malice, every second felt incredibly long.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, the female mage bit her lip hard. Instantly, blood slowly trickled down the corner of her mouth, falling conspicuously onto the grass below.
Then, she held on until the full thirty seconds had passed. Only then did Takeru withdraw his malicious intent and reveal a smile. "Congratulations, you've passed the first test."
Hearing Takeru's words, the female mage seemed to hear the most beautiful words in the world. She collapsed on the spot, feeling her heart pound violently, a sense of fear rising within her.
"Alright, you two may leave." Then, Takeru coldly looked at the other man and woman.
Hearing Takeru's words, the two, who had regained their composure, were startled. They opened their mouths slightly but couldn't utter any words begging to stay. If they had taken it seriously from the beginning, perhaps they could have held on longer.
With regret and disappointment, the two silently left the grassland and returned to the city. They knew that they might never be able to follow the Sword Hero again.
"Your name." Watching the two leave, Takeru calmly looked at the girl who had held on for thirty seconds.
"V-Via." Hearing Takeru's words, the female mage, snapping out of it, quickly gave her name.
"Vivia?" Hearing her words, Takeru nodded knowingly.
"Eh, n-no, it's Via!" Hearing Takeru's words, the girl blushed and quickly shook her head.
"Via, right? I see. My name is Nara Takeru. You probably already know that. Although you've only passed the first test." Hearing her words, Takeru spoke directly.
"Eh, th-the first," Hearing Takeru's words, Via was completely confused.
"Yes. Now for the second test. If my orders conflict with the king's orders, which one will you choose to follow? Don't lie, because if you lie, I will be able to tell." Looking at Via, Takeru asked again.
"I-I will follow yours, Brave One." Hearing Takeru's words, Via hesitated for a moment, then her eyes became firm as she spoke.
Looking at her firm gaze, and since Takeru didn't detect any signs of lying, meaning she would truly choose Takeru when faced with this choice, even Takeru himself was surprised.
"The reason?" Thinking this, Takeru directly asked.
"Because the king's orders might send us to die meaninglessly. My brother died that way. But I'm willing to believe that you, Brave One, would never do that. At the very least, if I truly face death, I would prefer it to have more meaning." Hearing Takeru's words, Via spoke seriously.
"Process of elimination and a gamble. Although it's a bit cunning... you've passed the test. From now on, assist me well." Hearing her words, Takeru paused for a moment before speaking.
"Yes! I will do my best. Hiss!" Hearing Takeru's words, Via said excitedly. But being too nervous and excited aggravated the wound on her lip.
Seeing this, Takeru cast a healing spell on her, easily healing the wound.
"Eh, it's healed?" Touching her completely healed lip, Via was astonished.
She hadn't expected Takeru to be able to use healing magic so proficiently, with such rapid effect. Her recognition and loyalty toward Takeru rapidly increased.