"Ding! Please choose!"
"1: Defeat Ren and his group personally, and receive a 1% completion reward for the Garp template."
"2: Have your followers and monsters take action against Ren and his group, and win, rewarding 3% completion of the Garp template."
"3: Kill Ren and his group yourself, and receive 3% completion of the Garp template."
Jason waited for the task options to appear.
The first choice was simple, but the reward was too small for Jason's liking, so he ignored it.
The rewards for the second and third options were the same. From a difficulty perspective, the second option was clearly more challenging, while the third was easier.
After all, with Jason's current level of power, killing Ren and his group would indeed be as effortless as the system suggested.
However, Jason considered that if he chose to kill Ren, the opportunity for any future tasks related to him might be lost—like killing the chicken to get the eggs too early.
In the end, the most suitable option was clearly the second.
"Boys! Go and kill them. If you can't, don't bother coming back to see me," Jason shouted from the edge of the carriage.
"All 19, prepare for battle!" he commanded.
The moment Jason spoke, Ren knew something was wrong. He quickly shouted to the adventurers around him, "O source of strength, I command you to interpret the myriad phenomena and bring darkness to those before us!"
"O source of strength, I command you to interpret the myriad phenomena and bring light to those lost ahead!"
At the same time, Raphtalia stood atop the carriage, raising her sword, while Lilith aimed her staff at Ren and the others, beginning their incantations.
"Low-Level Darkness!"
"Flash!"
Lilith's staff suddenly flashed a dark aura, enveloping Ren and his group completely.
In an instant, their vision turned pitch black, like they had been plunged into a night so dark they couldn't see their hands. However, since it was low-level magic, their vision returned to normal after a moment.
But right at that moment, the sword in Raphtalia's hand glowed with a blinding light.
Although [Low-Level Darkness] merely hindered their movement a bit, and [Flash] emitted light that wasn't blinding on its own, the sudden shift from darkness to bright light made their eyes incredibly sensitive, similar to how someone feels after leaving a dark room and stepping into bright sunlight—nearly blinding them.
The combination of [Low-Level Darkness] and [Flash] created a far stronger effect than either spell alone.
Ren and his group struggled to open their eyes, their faces twisted in pain.
The rest of Jason's group took advantage of this moment and charged forward.
"Who's attacking me?"
"Ahhh!"
Screams echoed one after another.
"What's happening?"
Ren tried to open his eyes but found his vision still blurred. He could only make out faint figures moving around, attacking the adventurers following him.
"Jason, stop!" Ren shouted, wiping his eyes desperately.
"It's over," a cold voice suddenly declared.
Ren's vision finally started to clear. Standing before him was a blonde beauty with a sword pointed at his throat—it was Irene, the strongest among the 10.
As for the other adventurers, all of them were wounded. Under the relentless attacks from Jack and the others, they could barely protect their vital areas, let alone draw their weapons or catch their breath.
At that moment, the battle was over—completely one-sided.
The boys and girls, once looked down upon, easily overpowered those who suppressed them and gained the upper hand.
Ren's face alternated between white and red. If it had been Jason who personally attacked, he wouldn't have felt this uncomfortable.
This was because Ren knew that Jason's strength was far beyond his own. But the people before him were just boys, nothing more.
"You bastards! If you get knocked down like this, get the hell out of here!"
Suddenly, enraged and embarrassed, Ren leaped off his dragon, dodging the sharp edge of Irene's longsword with both feet.
Irene tried to follow up, but Ren had already drawn his holy sword, the Ten Swords, and slashed downward.
"Meteor Sword!!!"
A burst of sword energy erupted, cutting through the air and slashing toward Irene.
"Hmm?"
Irene had no choice but to retract her sword to block. As soon as her blade clashed with Ren's sword energy, she felt an overpowering force surging through her weapon, forcing her to take several steps back.
She glanced at her sword again—there was now a huge cut on it.
"Meteor Sword again? Why does this guy only have one move?"
Jason couldn't help but complain upon seeing this.
Of course, complaints aside, Jason still acknowledged Ren's strength. Ren had been hunting powerful monsters, and though he treated it like a game, he had unknowingly built up a lot of combat experience.
On top of that, he was nearly 10 levels higher than Irene, and he wielded a holy sword. Both in terms of equipment and level, the gap was vast.
Expecting Irene, who had only been training for six days, to defeat Ren was unrealistic, so Jason wasn't surprised.
"Irene, take this sword!"
However, knowing that battling Ren could provide valuable experience, Jason pulled a magic steel sword from his storage shield and tossed it to Irene, ensuring that her defeat wouldn't come from her weapon breaking.
"Thank you, Sir Shield Hero."
Irene grabbed the sword, gave it a swing, and immediately felt its superior quality.
Meanwhile, Ren, still airborne, launched another Meteor Sword, sending a wave of sword energy toward Jack and the others, who were still besieging the adventurers.
Faced with sword energy that even Irene could barely fend off, Jack and the others had no choice but to dodge.
This momentary reprieve allowed the adventurers to catch their breath and ready their weapons once again.
"Sorry, Mr. Lian, I let you down!"
"Don't worry, leave it to us!"
The adventurers quickly regained their composure, glaring at Jack and the others who had attacked them. Though they were bleeding, none of their injuries were severe.
After all, Jack and his team wielded novice weapons. The adventurers not only had higher levels, but they also wore high-grade gear, making it difficult to break their defenses, let alone deal fatal blows.
"Brats, I take back what I said earlier. You are powerful indeed. Without Master Lian's help, we might've actually fallen into your hands."
"But this ends now."
"Let's go!"
With a rallying cry, the adventurers regrouped and charged at Jack and his team.
But Jack and the others didn't flinch; their red eyes gleamed as they surged forward in silence.
Jason wasn't worried about their defeat, even though their overall strength was at least a level lower than Ren's group.
After all, Raphtalia and Filo hadn't even joined the fight yet.
Especially Raphtalia, who had been the first to follow Jason. Her strength far exceeded Irene's.
Most importantly, if Jack and his group could overcome these adventurers, who were clearly stronger, it would mark a significant step forward in their growth.