"Cough... Cough... You... Solo Leveling?!"
Hyakinthos stood while coughing violently, dust from the destroyed wall still clinging to his expensive clothes. His hand held his bruised jaw, his gaze fixed on the third party who came suddenly.
His handsome facial expression now turned ugly, distorted by anger and a bit of fear he was trying to hide.
In Orario, who didn't know Solo Leveling? He was the phenomenal level-up record breaker—from Level 1 to Level 6 in a time that even made veterans doubt their lives. His name had become a legend among adventurers.
"Good that you know me. That saves time." Charlie lowered Kei gently, glancing briefly at Hestia who had run to approach Bell lying covered in blood. "Since I'm already here... scram."
Normally, any sane adventurer would heed a warning from a Level 6. However, Hyakinthos had lost his rationality. His mind was poisoned by pathological jealousy because Apollo gave more attention to Bell than to him who had dedicated his soul and body.
"Don't be arrogant!" Hyakinthos screamed hysterically. "This is none of your business! Don't interfere in Apollo Familia's affairs!"
He pointed at Bell with his sword still covered in blood. The hostility in his eyes blazed seeing that youth as a threat to his position at Apollo's side.
"That damn youth! Why... why does Apollo-sama give him more attention?!"
"..."
Charlie fell silent for a moment. He looked at Hyakinthos with an expression difficult to interpret, then he sighed deeply.
"It's futile to negotiate with an insane person."
"Judging from your actions that openly violate the rules by attacking other adventurers inside the city, with the intent to torture not kill..." His voice remained flat, but the air around him felt colder. "You're clearly the evil party. So it's okay for me to consider you that way, right?"
Hyakinthos didn't realize how bad the situation was when Charlie began considering someone affiliated with evil. In this gray-filled world, Charlie had a very firm black-and-white line.
But Hyakinthos, who had lost his rationality, could only think about torturing Bell.
"Whatever you want to think! Anyway, don't interfere between two Familias' affairs if you don't want to get involved in a War Game! This is a matter between Apollo Familia and Hestia Familia!"
Hearing that, Charlie raised one eyebrow. "War Game? I see. Apollo Familia issued a War Game challenge to Hestia Familia, but they refused. So you decided to 'uphold justice' by taking the law into your own hands?"
"That's just a War Game. Hestia Familia might not dare." His red eyes blazed as he stared at Hyakinthos without blinking. "But Hera Familia dares."
Human good and evil aren't easily distinguished. Sometimes humans waver between good and evil, so it's basically impossible to categorize them definitively as one or the other.
However, Charlie harbored a terrifying obsession with human good and evil. In his eyes, evil people weren't considered human at all, but merely human-shaped creatures. Or perhaps trash, livestock, cancer cells.
In short, he didn't consider people like that as human at all.
For example, Hyakinthos Clio in front of him right now. Within seconds of deciding this man was evil, Charlie automatically categorized him into 'not human'.
Although ordinary people might angrily call evil people beasts when emotions overflow, when actually facing that person directly, they would still find it difficult not to see them as human.
But Charlie wasn't an ordinary person.
He was the type who wouldn't flinch even if tens of thousands of evil people lost their heads before his eyes. Not because he was sadistic—but because he truly didn't see them as something worthy of empathy.
"You!!!"
Hyakinthos gritted his teeth, his jaw protruding from holding back anger. His hand trembled holding the sword, but he didn't know what to do.
Charlie looked at him coldly.
There was no hatred in his eyes.
No anger.
Only calm emptiness—something far more terrifying.
"Don't make me repeat it a second time."
Those words were said in the same tone as when someone asks for salt at the dinner table.
But for Hyakinthos, it was like a slap in the face.
"Bastard! Who do you think you are?! You really think you're a High Class Adventurer? At best you leveled up by cheating!" Hyakinthos truly exploded. "There must be something wrong with your Status! It's impossible for someone to level up that fast normally!"
The typical logic of someone who refuses to acknowledge their own weakness. Easier to believe in conspiracy than to accept the reality that they're ordinary.
Feeling insulted by Charlie's condescending attitude—which actually wasn't even trying to condescend, just showing facts—Hyakinthos lost his remaining sanity.
He attacked.
In less than two seconds, Hyakinthos closed the distance between them. Years of experience as a Level 3 adventurer, hard training, and natural talent combined in one perfect slash. His sword shot through the air, aimed precisely at Charlie's chest.
*SWOOSH!*
Charlie didn't even bother to dodge, evade, or parry. He just stood there, letting that sword blade slice his chest.
*CLANG!*
Unfortunately for Hyakinthos, the spurting blood and sliced flesh he expected didn't happen. His sword just bounced off.
That was a conceptual defense, Armor of Fafnir, which allowed Charlie to be immune to physical and magical attacks below B rank. No visible armor, no visible defensive magic—just ordinary skin that suddenly became impenetrable.
"What? How is this possible!"
Hyakinthos's eyes widened. His pupils contracted. His hand trembled holding the sword whose tip was slightly chipped.
He was sure the other party wasn't wearing armor. Charlie was only wearing ordinary clothes. No chest protector, no mail armor, and carrying no weapons.
That's why Hyakinthos thought he had a chance. With his sword, with his speed, with surprise he could surely injure his opponent.
Reality had taught him that he overestimated himself. However, his shock didn't last long because Charlie's fist had already shot toward his stomach.
*BAM!*
That punch didn't use Spirit Arts reinforcement, just pure physical strength, yet it was able to make Hyakinthos bend like a shrimp.
Air in his lungs was expelled instantly. Before Hyakinthos could fall, Charlie grabbed his face and slammed it to the ground with a hard thud.
"Ugh..."
Hyakinthos groaned, trying to get up and swing his sword wildly.
"Die! Die!"
He launched a series of quick slashes that should have been able to tear apart monsters, but Charlie just stepped sideways with minimalist movements. Every Hyakinthos slash only cut empty air.
*SWISH!*
Charlie retaliated with a low kick that broke Hyakinthos's balance, followed by an uppercut that sent him flying into the air.
*WHOOSH!*
Before Hyakinthos reached his highest point, Charlie had already appeared above him, gripping his shoulder, and slamming him back to the street paving until its stones shattered into pieces.
"Argghhh!"
Hyakinthos screamed in pain, but another raw punch landed right on his nose, crushing that cartilage to pieces.
Hyakinthos rose with his remaining strength, his eyes blood red with anger and shame. He swung his sword with full force in a vertical attack. Charlie just raised his left hand, catching that sharp sword blade with his bare hand without a single scratch, then with a casual movement, he broke that metal blade in two.
*KRAK!*
Hyakinthos's eyes shook violently seeing his weapon destroyed like a biscuit. Charlie didn't give him time to lament.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Repeated punches landed on his face, chest, and ribs. Every impact sounded like a sledgehammer hitting concrete. Hyakinthos tried to dodge, tried to use quick step techniques, but Charlie was always one step ahead. As if Charlie could read every nerve Hyakinthos would move before that movement happened.
*BAM!*
The last punch landed on his solar plexus, making Hyakinthos collapse kneeling, vomiting bile and blood. His handsome face was now nothing more than a shapeless lump of swollen flesh. He tried to speak, but only a faint groaning sound came out.
Before Charlie who stood tall without a drop of sweat, Apollo Familia's captain looked like a small child trying to challenge a storm.
Charlie looked at the battered figure below him with a cold gaze that didn't consider him as a fellow human at all.
"The only reason you're still breathing is because I don't want you to die here yet."
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