"Nice to meet you, Cantil-san. You're truly imposing. It's great to have a veteran like you on our side!" Just as Yusuke was about to shake hands with Cantil, Keita beat him to it.
"Since Cantil has fought against Orcs before, we hope you can tell us about their strengths and weaknesses." Subsequently, Yusuke inquired again.
"Of course. Everyone, please follow me." Soon, Cantil led Takeru and the others to the center of an open training ground. A thick wooden stump stood there, and Cantil drew a circle on the ground beneath it.
"First, the Orcs's weapon is their fist, swung with their long arm reach. Taking a direct hit means instant death. So you must immediately retreat after landing an effective blow. The basic tactic is to always stay outside their attack range." Looking at everyone, Cantil held nothing back and imparted the experience he knew.
"In other words, hit and run? Okay." Hearing this, Yusuke held two kitchen knives, looking as if ready to strike the stump.
"Little brother, such short blades cannot deal fatal damage to them. Don't you have any other weapons?" Looking at Yusuke, Cantil frowned.
"No, I only have these..." Hearing Cantil's words, Yusuke said helplessly.
"Don't worry, Yusuke. Orcs and the like, we warriors will knock them all away for you. Right, Iu and Hachiman?" Looking at Yusuke, Keita spoke with a relaxed expression.
Subsequently, Cantil had everyone test. Soon, only Keita and Iu were found capable of effectively knocking down the stump and safely retreating. Yusuke was eliminated due to his weapon issue, and Kusue and Yuka were also unqualified.
"And what about you?" After assessing the combat power of Yusuke and the others, Cantil looked towards Takeru and the other two, who had remained silent.
"Should we make a move?" Hearing Cantil's words, Hachiman directly looked at Takeru and asked quietly.
"Make a small showing." Hearing his inquiry, Takeru gave him a slight nod.
Upon hearing Takeru's words, Hachiman nodded understandingly and stepped forward.
"Wait, they are different from us, so they are not suited for front-line combat!" Seeing Cantil looking towards Takeru and the others, Yusuke quickly spoke.
Although he wanted to complete the mission, he also didn't want to see any sacrifices. He was well aware of the dangers of standing on the front line.
After all, although they had become stronger, their defense hadn't increased much, and their vitality was about the same as ordinary people. The only advantage was that if they didn't all die at once, they could fully resurrect in fifty seconds.
Furthermore, if they died in a place from which resurrection was impossible… such as drowning, being eaten, in a blizzard, or in a lava zone, they could not be revived.
"Yeah, I also think it's better for them to provide support from the rear!" Hearing Yusuke's words, Iu said seriously.
The other three echoed their words with nods.
Hearing the five's words, Cantil frowned deeply. He was unaware that Takeru and the others could not be resurrected.
"There's no need for all that trouble. We can fight as well. But as for your training, we'll pass." Hearing everyone's words, Hachiman calmly shook his head and materialized his longsword.
Approaching the stump, his figure flashed. Before Cantil and the others could react, Hachiman's figure had already appeared behind it, and only then did the wooden stump slowly fall.
The sudden turn of events left everyone present somewhat unable to react, completely unaware of what had just happened in that instant.
"What happened?"
"Why did his position suddenly appear over there? And the stump fell!" Seeing this, Iu and the others were puzzled.
Only Cantil's pupils contracted. In that instant, relying on his keen eyesight, he had managed to catch Hachiman's movement.
He clearly saw that Hachiman hadn't suddenly vanished, and he had merely accelerated. He had casually slashed at the stump only once.
Only Takeru and Mio remained calm. Although Hachiman wasn't proficient in swordsmanship, achieving this level was very normal for him.
In fact, not just Hachiman, even Mio could easily do it.
"Is this enough?" Seeing everyone's astonished expressions, Hachiman realized he might have slightly overdone it. But he had really held back significantly, not even using thirty percent of his speed.
"Um, this may be rude, but would you be willing to have a spar with me?" Hearing Hachiman's words, Cantil took a deep breath, directly drew his sword, and looked at Hachiman.
"Eh!" Hearing Cantil's words, Yusuke and the others were even more shocked. Although they hadn't seen Cantil fight, his bearing and his position as the mercenary group leader suggested considerable strength.
Yet now, he was requesting a spar with Hachiman. This meant Hachiman's strength was likely on par with his.
"How troublesome." Hearing this, Hachiman found it somewhat bothersome. However, seeing the expectant and admiring looks from Yusuke and the others, his mood improved slightly.
He then looked towards Takeru again. Since he happened to be in the same world as Takeru, he had long prepared to follow Takeru's arrangements.
For him, following the orders of a stronger person was very natural and normal. Not to mention that Takeru had greatly helped him, and following him was also a way to cling to a powerful ally. Naturally, he felt no resistance towards it.
As for Takeru, he roughly understood Hachiman's mindset and thus tacitly approved of his actions. Seeing him look towards him, Takeru directly nodded.
"I understand. I accept your request for a spar." Seeing Takeru's tacit approval, Hachiman looked at Cantil and spoke softly.
"Phew, thank you. Can we start now?" Hearing Hachiman's words, Cantil revealed a slight smile and directly inquired.
"You may attack whenever you're ready." Hearing his words, Hachiman casually waved his hand.
"Then, be careful!" Hearing his words, Cantil's gaze sharpened. Seizing the moment Hachiman appeared to leave an opening, he charged at Hachiman, his sharp longsword aimed directly at his throat.
"So fast!" Seeing Cantil's movement, Yusuke and the others exclaimed.
However, Hachiman, Cantil's opponent, remained calm, showing no tension.
Although Cantil was rich in combat experience and had sharp instincts, Hachiman, having experienced so many battles, was no fledgling fresh out of the nest. He had long become a battle-hardened warrior. Most importantly, the gap in their strength was like heaven and earth.
Thus, when Cantil was less than half a meter away, Hachiman moved. With an easy side-step, he dodged the attack.
Seeing Hachiman's quick evasion, Cantil's expression hardened. He swiftly turned his forward-leaning body, quickly overcoming his inertia, and thrust his longsword again at the evading Hachiman.
"Hm." Seeing Cantil capable of this, Hachiman grew slightly more serious. With a swing of his longsword, he collided with Cantil's blade.
Clang!
With the crisp sound, Cantil's mind shook. His right hand gripping the sword felt a tremendous force transmitted through it, almost making him lose his grip. Though he barely held onto his sword, the great power caused him to lose balance, tipping him to one side.
Hachiman did not miss this opportunity. He directly pointed his longsword at the fallen Cantil...
"I lose." Looking at the blade less than ten centimeters from him, Cantil took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.
Although he had lost, Cantil felt no disappointment. Instead, he was excited. With such a powerful expert, and a Hero no less, their chances of successfully defeating the Orcs had grown significantly greater.
"Hachiman won!" Watching Cantil's swift defeat, Yusuke, Iu, and the others were still slow to react.
Hachiman, who usually went unnoticed, possessed such power. They had even considered themselves seniors, thinking that after several missions, they would surely be far stronger than newcomers like Hachiman.
Yusuke even thought further: 'Perhaps it was precisely because Takeru and the others were so incredibly powerful that the Game Master assigned them as extra players.'
'But if Hachiman possessed such strength and still couldn't solve future disasters, just how terrifying were those disasters...'
As Hachiman demonstrated his power, Yusuke, after his initial excitement, began to connect many things.