Britta had always been a very rough girl.
Ever since she was a kid, she liked manly things and didn't find anything the girls did to be of any interest.
She eventually grew up to be tough, just like her father. And just like him, she became an Adventurer.
"Father was stuck at Three Stars his whole life." She always reminded herself. "I want to be better!"
The man her father idolized, Jet Zephyr, was known for many things. He was popularly known as the strongest, but some said that there was a time when he used to be very weak.
No one knew if this was true or not, but the mere idea of this tale made weak men strive to be strong—to be like Jet Zephyr.
It served as an inspiration to her father, and for a time… it inspired Britta as well.
But, she soon learned of the real truth.
'Weak people have their limits.'
Any attempt to try and surpass those limits ended in futility or failure. Nothing good ever came from trying to overturn this brute fact of nature.
Her father, who was an average Adventurer his whole life, ended up dying in a Dungeon Floor he shouldn't have gone to in an attempt to overcome his limits.
Thanks to his foolishness, she was left an orphan for most of her life.
That tragedy taught her an important lesson.
"Those who are strong were always meant to be strong. Weaklings will always remain weak."
Potential was what mattered most.
That was she felt nothing even when foolish Adventurers ended up being killed by Monsters after choosing the Heroic Rank Test.
She felt it was simply a natural conclusion—the very flow of the world.
But…
'Was I right? Did I really… understand?'
As she looked at the world, and felt her life flash before her eyes, Britta wondered if she truly believed in the philosophy she lived by.
Was her father really weak? Was he not stronger than he was years before?
If her father had survived that Dungeon… would he not have been stronger for it? Was it not the same with her—with everyone?
'We all start out weak, don't we?'
One's journey was a path towards growth and strength. The longer one lived, the stronger they were supposed to become—not just physically, but in multiple areas as well.
It was unfortunate that her father's life ended when it did, just as it was unfortunate that hers was about to end now.
After all, she could fill it in her guts…
'I could have gotten stronger.'
Much, much stronger.
Strong enough to witness it, and perhaps stand by his side once it finally happened.
"It's a shame I couldn't see your dream come true, Jet."
~SQUELCH!~
The sound of flesh being pierced echoed in the air, and blood oozed out into streams and bubbles.
Britta could hear all of it, but she felt no pain at all.
Instead, warm hands swooped her from where she stood, and she felt a rush of wind sweep all over her body as she ascended into the sky.
Was she flying? Was she already in the afterlife?
What was this warmth? What was this feeling? It felt like nothing had changed, yet everything around her was different.
"I can't allow any comrade of mine to die!" The loud voice of Jet rushed through her ears, forcing her to open her eyes.
That was when she saw his face. For the first time, he lost all sense of calmness, and a look of concern was etched deeply on his pale face.
"You're going to live, Britta! Live to see my dream, and to fulfill yours! Understood?"
Britta didn't mind that he addressed her casually, neither did she care that her body was tightly hugging his as they descended from the air.
All she cared about was that he had her in his arms.
"Y-yeah…"
She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, hoping he would slay the rest of the rest of the Monsters and never let her go.
"I'll finish things with this…" Jet whispered, channeling all of the purple energy around him to his weapon.
The Chaos Blade began to grow in size until it became twice his size. It crackled with all kinds of energies and power, and with just one hand wielding it, since he held Britta with another… he sent the blade charging down.
"Chaos Judgment!"
~BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!~
*********
The battlefield was silent as the three humans sat among the carcasses and debris of the many Monsters that filled the landscape.
Even the ones hiding among the trees were caught and killed, leaving no loose ends.
Of course, after the Monster Subjugation, all the parties were exhausted, so they collapsed on the ground to catch their breath.
While Lux downed a potion to recover her Mana, and Jet had his back on the ground to catch his breath, Britta sat and rested her back on a wall of earth while looking at them.
'These two are incredible. They're the strongest humans I have ever witnessed. Perhaps even on par with Lady Lucielle and Sir Brutus.'
Britta couldn't be sure of this assessment, considering how those two were the ones who led humanity in the frontlines and warded off the Dragons.
Britta had never seen them in action, but from what she had heard, Jet seemed about equal to Brutus, while Lucielle was a cut above Lux.
That made them rare treasures of humanity.
"You two… how did you get so strong?" Britta didn't even realize it when she uttered those words.
Both Jet and Lux looked at Britta, their expressions so calm despite having fought such an intense battle.
"Ever since we were little… we were ridiculed for being weak. We realized we had to change that, so we worked our asses off. Before we realized it… we had become strong."
Their tale bore a keen resemblance to the story of Jet Zephyr.
Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, perhaps not. Either way, Britta couldn't help but nod and smile at the two of them.
"So… did we pass?"
"Huh?"
"The Test. Did we pass it?" Jet asked as he looked at Britta.
Without a doubt, they had passed the Heroic Rank Test, but by strictly following the rules, they would be disqualified for teamwork.
Plus, Lux didn't even kill any A-Tier Monster.
'But screw the rules…' Britta laughed at herself, surprised at the sound of her own giggle.
When last had she laughed?
"Congratulations, you two." She beamed at both Lux and Jet, warmth radiating all over her face.
"You have now become the fourth and fifth Heroic Rank Adventurers of this City."