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Jason and his party marched southeast through the kingdom. It wasn't long before they had to stop as dozens of balloon monsters appeared in their path.
This would soon become the first battle for the ten people who had just joined Jason.
"Choose your weapon and get rid of the balloon monsters ahead of you. Each of you must kill at least one."
Jason threw a collection of weapons before them, including swords, axes, and sticks. To him, the balloon monsters were no challenge anymore, so he left the task to his group. As newcomers from the village, facing low-level monsters like these was a suitable challenge for their first battle.
"But... we've been pulling the carriage for so long, our limbs are aching," one of them complained.
"Yeah, I can barely feel my arms. I'm not sure I can even hold a weapon," another chimed in.
"Please, Master Shield Hero, spare us," one begged, looking at the weapons in dismay. One by one, they began to complain.
"Do you think I'm asking for your opinion? I gave you a chance before. If you're going to back out now, you may as well be dead!"
Jason planted his foot on the carriage and scanned them coldly, his murderous aura surging around him. Though they didn't know what true killing intent was, they felt an overwhelming fear, spreading deep in their hearts as they looked at Jason, now utterly terrifying. Even the balloon monsters sensed the danger and paused in their advance.
Suddenly, a figure bent down and picked up a longsword from the ground. It was Irene. Without a word, she approached the balloon monsters. Gradually, her pace quickened until she was running, her sword flashing as she cut one of the monsters in two under the moonlight.
"As expected of Irene! She killed one like it was nothing!" someone shouted.
"The speed of her sword is insane. I could barely see it."
"If she's fighting, what are we supposed to do?"
"If we don't fight, the Shield Hero will kill us for sure. Didn't you see how he looked at us? It was like he was staring at a corpse."
"We have no choice. If Irene can do it, there's no reason we can't."
Motivated by Irene's example, the rest picked up weapons and rushed toward the balloon monsters. The battle was chaotic—some killed a monster immediately, while others screamed after being bitten.
Jason sighed as he watched the scene unfold. He regretted taking on this selection task, but at the same time, he was relieved he didn't choose one of the harder options. If there had been even more recruits, he might have lost his temper before even thinking about leading them into battle against the greater disaster.
In truth, it wasn't entirely their fault. Most of them were just teenagers, boys and girls with little experience fighting monsters. The fact that they were willing to fight at all was admirable. However, Jason's attention was drawn to one person standing aside with a dagger in hand. This boy didn't seem frightened, but he wasn't fighting either. Instead, he was simply observing the scene.
"That's Jack, if I remember correctly," Jason thought. "I made him an officer."
"Jack! What are you standing there for?" Jason called out.
"Master Shield Hero, I feel sorry for them," Jack replied with a pitiful expression. "They haven't done anything wrong, and yet we have to kill them. It doesn't feel right. They're alive just like us."
Hearing this, Jason's face twitched with irritation. This wasn't kindness—it was foolishness. He despised this type of person.
Without hesitation, Jason strode over to Jack, grabbed him by the collar, and shouted, "I don't care what your definition of life is. If you don't go kill a balloon monster right now, I'll kill you myself!"
Terrified, Jack nodded frantically, raised his dagger, and rushed at the nearest balloon monster, flailing his arms in a wild attempt to fight.
"Master Shield Hero, it's no use," said Lilith, approaching Jason. "Jack's always been like this, soft-hearted to the point of ridiculousness. He's never even stepped on an ant, let alone killed anything. He's just too timid."
Lilith stuck her tongue out playfully before turning away to find more balloon monsters.
Jason rubbed his chin in disbelief. "Never even stepped on an ant? How is that possible?"
Just then, Jack paused mid-fight.
"What now?" Jason frowned.
"There are ants on the ground," Jack said, pointing. Sure enough, there was a cluster of ants crawling by his feet, and he would step on them if he moved forward.
Jason felt an overwhelming surge of anger. It was almost as if his Shield of Rage was about to activate.
"We're in the middle of a battle, and you're worried about ants? If your companions were in danger and you hesitated over something so trivial, what do you think would happen? Do you think you're kind for respecting life?"
Jason flashed in front of Jack in an instant, hoisting him up by his collar.
"No! Being indecisive doesn't make you kind. It makes you a danger to your companions and the innocent people around you. Someone like that is worse than garbage. You're nothing but a parasite."
"Don't you claim you want to become stronger and protect everyone? You can't even bring yourself to kill an ant, let alone a balloon monster. Do you think you have the right to make such claims? You coward—damn you! Now, get your weapon and kill the balloon monster in front of you immediately, or I'll cut off your limbs and throw you into the cesspit!"
When Jason snarled, not only was Jack stunned, but the others were too, glancing at one another in shock.
Noticing their reactions, Jason slowly turned his head, his gaze as lethal as ever. "You lot, do you still have time to gawk at each other? There are only dozens of balloon monsters. Get moving, or do you want me to handle it for you?"
At that moment, the balloon monster that had been fighting Jack charged forward.
Jason raised his shield and struck the balloon monster with a powerful blow. The monster was sent sprawling to the ground, as if it had been exploded. The impact was so forceful that it cracked the ground beneath Jason's feet.
"Boom!"
Everyone around swallowed nervously. It was just a balloon monster, but Jason's show of force was overwhelming.
"Why are you still standing there? Do you want to end up like that balloon monster? Move, you useless bunch of—" Jason roared, his anger palpable.
Terrified, the group sprang into action. They let out desperate cries as if fighting for their lives and attacked the balloon monsters with renewed vigor.
Jack, too, charged at a balloon monster with a newfound ferocity.
Raphtalia, who had been sitting in the carriage and was feeling a bit motion sick, covered her head and shook it in disbelief.
Under Jason's relentless coaching and harsh demands, the group began to improve at an astonishing rate. Within just six days, their transformation was profound, with Jack showing the most noticeable change.
One day, Jack knelt before Jason and reported, "Master Shield Hero, I've located the Sword Hero. I heard you had some conflicts with him before. Should I take a team and deal with him?"
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