Charlie slowly opened his eyes, momentarily stunned as he stared at an unfamiliar ceiling he didn't recognize. It took a few seconds before memories of the previous night flooded his mind. Turning his head to the side, he saw the blonde Elf woman still fast asleep.
"Ah, that's right..."
Last night, he had decided to visit the Entertainment District managed by Ishtar Familia. Perhaps because it had been a while since he last relaxed, Charlie got carried away and ended up falling asleep here instead of going home after just spending some time.
"Oh crap, I need to get back before the women at home realize I'm gone."
If it were just Aishia and Est, Charlie wouldn't be too worried. However, there was the Goddess of Justice, Astraea, who was now living in his house! Just imagining having to explain his whereabouts made him shudder.
Charlie hurriedly grabbed his clothes, which were scattered on the floor, and began putting them on in a rush. But in the middle of his haste, his instincts made him pause.
'An ambush? But why?'
After getting fully dressed, he frowned. Although the other party was hiding themselves very well, thanks to his Six Eyes, which could see energy flow and had X-ray vision, their actions were clear to him.
There were a total of 30 people surrounding the building. Charlie realized that the other guests and workers had been moved, leaving only him and the still-sleeping Elf woman.
'Only one faction could act this freely in the Entertainment District, and that's Ishtar Familia.' He thought quickly.
This only made Charlie even more confused as to why he was the target. He had never interacted with Ishtar before. Among the three Goddesses of Beauty, he was closest to Aphrodite, his relationship with Freya was lukewarm at best, and he had never once met Ishtar.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. Three figures walked in with confident strides. Among them, one stood out prominently. A large woman with a frog-like face. She was over two meters tall, with a broad body that made her look massive and intimidating.
Phryne Jamil alias Androktonus. The captain of Ishtar Familia and a Level 5 adventurer!
Phryne looked at Charlie with a hungry gaze, licking her lips as if she were looking at a delicious prey. The two Amazonesses behind her also stared at the man with lustful eyes.
'Damn! Even though I don't judge women based on their appearance, this woman is the ugliest I've ever seen in both of my lifetimes!'
"Who are you, and why are you surrounding this place?" Charlie asked calmly, though he felt deeply uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Oho, you noticed the ambush we set up? Impressive." Phryne chuckled lightly. "Ishtar-sama wants to meet you. You'll come with us."
"And if I refuse?" Charlie retorted.
Flexing her large fists, Phryne grinned cruelly. "Then we'll take you by force, handsome. Don't worry, we know you're only Level 2. It won't be hard for me to subdue you."
'Sigh... I'm not the protagonist, okay?' Charlie complained inwardly.
Taking a deep breath, he didn't want to cause trouble, but trouble seemed to find him anyway.
"I refuse." He said firmly, staring at her without fear.
Instead of getting angry, Phryne smiled even wider, revealing her uneven teeth.
"Good! I like men who resist. I'll torture you a little before taking you to Ishtar-sama. She won't mind receiving slightly damaged goods." Phryne said in a heavy voice.
"You'd better not underestimate me. You're mistaken if you think I'm only Level 2." Since a peaceful exit was impossible, Charlie wasn't afraid of causing a scene.
"Oh? Are you bluffing? Are you Level 3? That won't make a difference against me!" Phryne laughed mockingly.
"What about Level 4?" Charlie smiled faintly, causing the three women to pause for a moment.
"Level 4? Don't joke around! According to the Guild, you're just a Level 2 adventurer!" Phryne was skeptical.
Of course, no one believed Charlie's claim. After all, their information came from the Guild. Therefore, it was impossible for the information to be wrong. Falsifying one's level was a serious violation of the rules and would be severely punished by the Guild. So, no adventurer would dare falsify their level to the Guild.
"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Phryne was growing impatient. "You two, capture him now!"
The two Amazonesses beside her immediately charged forward with high confidence. Both of them were Level 2. Subduing Charlie should have been an easy task. However, that only applied if Charlie was truly Level 2 as they believed.
With Six Eyes providing extraordinary dynamic vision, Charlie saw every movement of his opponents as if they were moving in slow motion. He dodged the first attack by tilting his body slightly, then ducked to avoid the second. With a smooth motion, he launched quick punches to the stomachs of both Amazonesses.
*BAM!* *BAM!*
"Guh!"
Both of them curled up like shrimp, falling to their knees while clutching their stomachs, which felt like they had been hit by a sledgehammer.
Phryne looked at her two companions with disgust. "Useless! How could you lose to a lone Level 2?"
*CRUSH-BANG!*
Before she could act, Charlie had already jumped toward the nearest window, shattered the glass, and immediately ran toward the streets.
"AFTER HIM!" Phryne roared furiously, her voice echoing throughout the building. "DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"
Charlie ran through the streets of the Entertainment District, which were still quiet in the early morning. Behind him, dozens of Amazonesses from Ishtar Familia began emerging from various corners, forming a spectacular chase. His white hair fluttered as he leaped over an Amazoness, made a sharp turn at a corner, and slipped between buildings.
"You won't escape, handsome!" Shouted one of his pursuers.
More than thirty dark-skinned women in the typical skimpy Amazoness attire moved swiftly and nimbly behind him. Some jumped from roof to roof, while others cut through narrow alleys. Their encirclement strategy was quite organized.
The commotion of the chase began to wake up the men who had spent their nights with the workers in the Entertainment District. One by one, they stepped out to their windows or balconies to see what was happening. Some were still half-naked, looking confused at the unusual sight.
"Look! There's a man being chased by dozens of Amazonesses!" Shouted one of the men, pointing at Charlie as he ran.
Among the spectators were also some gods enjoying their visit to the brothel. They seemed highly entertained by this morning spectacle.
"Huh? Isn't that Charlie? What did he do to provoke Ishtar Familia?"
Among the gods, only Hermes recognized Charlie. He hadn't expected to see him being chased by Ishtar Familia.
As for the other gods, they watched with great interest. They didn't move to help. Their purpose in descending to the lower world was to have fun, to enjoy sensations and experiences they couldn't feel in Heaven. To them, watching a handsome man being chased by dozens of beautiful and dangerous women was highly entertaining.
Charlie leaped over a low fence, avoiding three Amazonesses who tried to intercept him from the front.
"Damn, they're really serious!" He muttered as he continued running.
Every time some pursuers got close to him, Charlie demonstrated speed and agility that clearly surpassed the capacity of a Level 2. He pushed one Amazoness, sending her tumbling backward, leaped over the head of another, and kicked the third with a smooth spinning kick.
"He's too strong for a Level 2!" Shouted one of the Amazonesses.
"Could he really be Level 4?" Asked another, panting heavily.
Behind all of them, Phryne ran with a furious expression. Her speed was no match for Charlie, but her determination was unshakable.
"Don't let him escape! Ishtar-sama wants him!"
The entire Entertainment District was now awake. The morning chase had become the main spectacle starting the day in a district that usually came alive at night. The gods laughed and bet on who would win, while Charlie kept running, searching for a way out of the absurd situation he had somehow gotten himself into.
[Note: Some readers might wonder why the MC doesn't just fly away. Isn't that the easiest way to escape the chase? The answer will be revealed in the next chapter.]