Brute facts of nature are immutable aspects of existence that cannot be changed.
They exist as a reminder that there are things we can't control.
Things like death, suffering, inequality, pain—they are all examples of brute facts that remain inevitable till date.
Even if concepts like gravity, space, and time can somehow be bypassed or bended to a certain degree—thanks to Skill and whatnot—the aforementioned remain essential aspects of reality that cannot change.
And so, as Britta watched the forty, or so, Monsters close in on the large clearing that her and her candidates occupied, she could see another fine example of a brute fact of nature.
"… iss Britta…"
Without a doubt, they were going to die here.
"… ey, Miss Britta, can you hear me…?"
It was a forgone conclusion. There was no way out. This… this was definitely the end.
"MISS BRITTA, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"
Britta instantly snapped out of her thoughts as soon as a deep, loud voice called out for her.
"E-eh…?" She looked in front of her and saw the dark gentleman, Jet, holding her by both hands and shaking her until she finally responded.
Once she returned to reality, he let her go—though the aftereffects of his tight grip remained as a sensation.
"There are a total of 47 Monsters here. A few of them are hiding behind the dense walls of the trees."
"I see…" Jet's explanation did nothing to assuage her worries.
It only made her more assured of her fate.
"We can't beat them on our own, Miss Britta." Jet's voice appeared calm despite all of the turbulence.
Still, Britta felt a bit disappointed to hear that even the haughty Adventurer didn't have the confidence to win.
Perhaps, deep down, she was expecting a different answer.
"We need to rely on teamwork."
"H-huh?"
"Earlier, you said we can't rely on teamwork since this is an individual test, so…"
"You're still on about that?!" Britta couldn't believe her ears.
They weren't even sure of survival, yet this fool was still thinking about the Heroic Rank Test!
Was there a bigger idiot than this?
"Well, I would very much like to pass this Test. For the sake of my dream…" Jet's smile seemed so distant that for a moment Britta wondered what his story was.
What could be driving him so much?
"If we work together, Miss Brtitta… we should be able to win. But we need your help."
Britta, who had previously thought her death was a forgone conclusion, found herself having hope.
All her skepticism vanished in the blink of an eye, and her face transformed into a look of readiness. She was resolved to whatever it took to survive.
… Even if she had to listen to some newbie whom she looked down on moments earlier.
"Lux' specialty is Wind Magic, and she has an A-Tier Skill to back it up."
"A-A Tier?!" Britta was shocked.
Only very few individuals in all of humanity had A-Tier Skills. Even she, despite being a Heroic Rank Adventurer, only had three B-Tier Skills and one C-Tier Skill..
The Guildmaster had an A-Tier Skill, but she wasn't even sure if the last 6 Star had one. He most likely didn't, considering how very young he was.
It was incredibly rare to possess an A-Tier Skill, since having one essentially made you one of the strongest humans to exist.
The Grand Mage of the Alliance, also known as the most powerful Mage of the Alliance, had only one A-Tier Skill, and she was able to reach such an incredible height. Chief Warrior, Brutus, didn't even have any A-Tier Skill, and yet… even he was considered the strongest man in the Alliance.
Of course, having a high-tier Skill wasn't a guarantee that you could use it well, but the mere mention of Lux possessing one made Britta's turbulent heart settle a little.
"She'll use her Wind Magic to restrain the enemy while you and I will attack them as quickly as possible." Jet continued.
"B-but if she's restraining them, then she'll be vulnerable."
"Don't worry. She has a Defense Item that will protect her from harm. It takes up a lot of Mana, though, so we have to hurry."
'U-unbelievable! Could that be the same Item that protected us earlier?'
Britta felt stupefied, but she did her best to control her expression as she watched Jet, who was cautiously looking at the sneering Monsters.
'I wonder how strong he is…' Britta found herself thinking.
"Looks like the Monsters won't be attacking each other until they eliminate us first. That makes things pretty straightforward."
Jet's voice reverberated as a chuckle. Then, he reached for the briefcase that he kept on the floor.
In a slow, elegant fashion, he unlocked the item, causing two clicks to echo out.
The Monsters descended, charging down at the three who stood at the center of the crater-like clearing. As they did this, Lux chanted her Spell while Jet brought something out of his briefcase—the only thing that was inside it.
It was a hilt.
The hilt of a blade to be precise—about a meter tall, and obsidian black in color. It had silver-blue runes imprinted all over it, and it gleamed with an ominous aura.
"Just so you know, I have an A-Tier Skill as well." As Jet spoke, the runes on the hilt flashed a bright color, causing the object to transform.
Like goo, it changed shape, enlarging swiftly until it became a long blade.
"Combined with the sacred blade passed on to me by my father, who was also granted it by his own father… I will not be defeated here."
Energy surged from the blade, causing the entire area to tremble in response to its invincible power. As space itself shook, Jet took off his hat and gave Britta a confident smile while his hair danced.
"We're going to make it out of this alive."
Somehow, Britta felt like she could believe his words. The blade he wielded, the conviction in his tone… it told her that perhaps she would be able to witness a miracle.
"Awaken from your slumber…." With this whisper, all the blue and silver energy that ran wild began to converge on the dark blade's body.
"… Chaos Blade!"