'There's no other choice. If I keep a low profile, everyone will think I'm an easy target. People like that only dare to bully the weak but cower before the strong.'
If it were just verbal insults, Charlie could still tolerate it. After all, he wasn't the protagonist of a xianxia novel who would slaughter an entire family over a minor dispute.
However, when he sensed the faint murderous intent from a few people behind him, he could no longer ignore them.
"Aishia, Est. Protect Goddess Astraea."
"Um, do whatever Charlie wants."
"Onii-chan's will is my will too."
Aishia and Est obeyed Charlie without question.
"..."
From the side, Astraea observed the change in atmosphere. As the Goddess of Justice, she was highly sensitive to malicious intent and human emotions.
And what she felt from those adventurers... was utterly disgusting.
If it were just envy, that would be one thing. But some of them were genuinely considering doing something far worse.
Astraea didn't try to stop Charlie.
"Don't kill anyone."
It wasn't an order, but a request.
"I understand."
Even without Astraea mentioning it, Charlie had no intention of killing them. After all, this was in the middle of a crowded city.
Charlie's eyes opened.
For the first time, the beautiful Six Eyes were seen by many in Orario.
As his gaze swept over the group of adventurers following him, all information about them was instantly engraved in his mind—every stat in their status was clear to him.
In less than a second, Charlie had identified who among them harbored malicious intent.
And the next moment—
*WHOOSH!*
His figure vanished from sight.
It wasn't teleportation, just that his speed was too fast for the naked eye to follow.
The next moment, he appeared behind a large, bald man carrying a massive axe on his back.
Charlie clenched his fist and struck the man's back with full force.
*BAM!*
The axe strapped to his back shattered into pieces, and the remaining force of the punch sent the bald man crashing to the ground, creating a spiderweb-like crack.
"Someone's fighting!"
Someone shouted, and in an instant, a crowd began to gather around the naturally formed empty area.
People weren't panicking. After all, fights between adventurers were common in Orario.
The other adventurers who had been tailing Charlie immediately tensed up, realizing they had underestimated their opponent.
"Damn it, he's not blind and he's an adventurer!"
One of them, a thin Pallum, shouted in a panicked tone.
"He took down John in one hit! He's probably Level 2!"
In Orario, there was no surefire way to gauge someone's Level. They could only guess based on the strength and speed their opponent displayed.
*WHOOSH!*
Charlie disappeared again. In an instant, he appeared right in front of the Pallum who had just spoken.
Before the man could react...
*BAM!*
One punch was enough to send him sprawling helplessly on the ground.
The other adventurers were stunned, now fully aware that they had chosen the wrong opponent.
But it was too late.
Facing a group of Level 1 adventurers who didn't even have the potential to reach Level 2, Charlie didn't need to use Est, or even any magic.
His raw strength alone was more than enough.
However, instead of surrendering, a bearded man suddenly drew his sword, his face filled with anger.
"So what if he's Level 2? He's alone! We have the numbers! Let's attack together!" He shouted, trying to rally his comrades.
Seeing Charlie's youthful appearance, he hated geniuses. The bearded man had been stagnant at Level 1 without making progress even after ten years. Meanwhile, there were geniuses who leveled up so quickly.
This world was unfair!
"..."
His eight companions didn't immediately draw their weapons.
They hesitated to fight a Level 2 adventurer who was likely a genius from a major Familia.
However, before they could make a decision...
"Oh, that's the mindset of the weak."
"A hallmark of the weak is that they like to gather in groups. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. No matter how reluctant they are in their hearts, no matter how much they deny it... when the weak need others, or face difficulties and have nowhere to turn, the first thing they think of isn't those far stronger than them, but those as weak as themselves."
Charlie's words cut deeper than any sword.
People prefer comforting lies over painful truths.
And that truth burned their pride.
"Screw it! Kill him!"
In an instant, the eight adventurers charged simultaneously.
They swung various weapons—swords, axes, daggers, even clubs.
However, Charlie didn't move. He just stood still, letting all the attacks rain down on his body.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
Swords struck his body, axes swung with full force, daggers stabbed toward his heart. Yet, not a single one pierced his skin.
Not even a scratch was left on his body; the combined attacks of Level 1 adventurers weren't enough to penetrate the defense of Armor of Fafnir.
The only thing that happened was his clothes were slightly torn.
The attacking adventurers froze.
Their eyes widened in shock and fear.
"W-What the hell...?"
"My sword... can't pierce him...!"
"My axe too! It feels like hitting a rock!"
"T-That's impossible... Is he a monster?!"
They stood rooted to the spot, staring at Charlie with faces full of disbelief.
The attacks that should have been fatal to an ordinary adventurer didn't even scratch his skin.
However, the shock wasn't limited to just those adventurers.
The onlookers around them—civilians, other adventurers, and even the gods—were shaken to their cores.
Someone swallowed hard.
"T-This... Is he really human?"
"That's insane... even a Level 4 adventurer couldn't possibly be this strong!"
"What did we just witness...?"
Some other adventurers who were only watching from a distance shuddered in horror.
"Damn... This isn't even a fight... It's a one-sided slaughter!"
"Those idiots didn't realize who they were dealing with... They should've run when they had the chance!"
Among the onlookers, a god frowned, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Hoo... interesting. What kind of human can take attacks like that without a scratch?"
Meanwhile, Charlie simply stared at the eight adventurers now filled with fear.
Realizing they couldn't harm him, their faces, once filled with anger, turned pale. Some of them even unconsciously stepped back, their bodies trembling in fear.
However, Charlie had no intention of giving them a chance to escape.
*WHOOSH!*
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from their sight.
"Huh?! Where—"
*BAM!*
A body flew through the air before crashing hard onto the ground, forming a large crack.
"GAAAH!!"
The others didn't even have time to react before Charlie appeared in their midst.
*CRACK!*
With a kick to the stomach, one adventurer folded in half before being sent flying backward, crashing into his comrade and sending them both tumbling down.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Three others fell almost simultaneously, their bodies hitting the ground with loud thuds.
"UWAAGH!!"
"UGH!!"
The last remaining adventurer tried to back away with a terrified face.
"W-Wait... We can talk this out, right?"
"..."
Charlie didn't answer.
*BAM!*
A solid punch struck the man's chest. His eyes bulged, air forced out of his lungs, and he immediately passed out before his body even hit the ground.
Such a commotion couldn't possibly be ignored by the city's peacekeepers—the Ganesha Familia members.
'No matter the world, the police always arrive after everything's over.' Charlie thought with amusement.
Three people quickly arrived to assess the situation.
Two men and a tanned woman wearing the distinctive armor of the Ganesha Familia. Their eyes immediately focused on the white-haired young man standing amidst the fallen adventurers.
"What happened here? Fighting in the city is prohibited. You know that, right?" One of the men stepped forward with a firm tone.
"They started it." Charlie replied, closing his eyes again.
The Ganesha Familia members exchanged glances.
"Take them all. We'll talk more in the interrogation room."
They didn't want to listen to a one-sided account. According to protocol, anyone involved in a fight had to be taken in for questioning.
However, before they could move...
*BOOM!*
The sound of an explosion shook the air.
People in the distance suddenly started running, shouting in panic.
"RUN! THERE'S A MONSTER LOOSE!"
Unsurprisingly, it caused mass panic. Civilians ran in all directions, trying to save themselves from a danger they hadn't even seen.