"Hmm?"
Hyakinthos' long, slender leg was aimed directly at Roy's head. Seeing that the opponent was actually able to block it, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"An LV.3 needs to resort to sneak attacks? Is that how Lord Apollo teaches you?" Roy took two steps back, shaking his slightly numb hands. Fortunately, his Dungeon training and the current fight had allowed him to initially grasp his LV.2 power, or he would have been kicked flying.
"Shut up!"
"A despicable person like you is unworthy of discussing Lord Apollo!" Hyakinthos fiercely threw a punch.
"Better than you bunch of perverts!"
Hearing this, Roy's expression turned cold. He relentlessly tore off the Apollo Familia's facade.
The immense power of an LV.3 rushed toward him. Roy stared intently at the opponent, his muscles tensed, choosing to dodge. The punch grazed past his cheek.
It would be foolish to directly clash when his Ability Scores were inferior. To defeat an enemy above one's level requires a combination of Ability Scores, skill, strategy, courage, and even verbal provocation.
Roy seemed to be frantically fleeing under Hyakinthos' pressure, yet he managed to flexibly avoid Hyakinthos' attacks at the last second. The opponent's movements were ferocious, but he didn't actually land a single hit.
This made Hyakinthos increasingly furious.
Roy was like a patient hunter, lurking in the grass, waiting for the prey to expose a weakness.
He didn't have to wait long for the moment.
Compared to the original timeline, the current Hyakinthos was in his late teens, having just been promoted to LV.3. As the Familia Captain, he was at the peak of his youth and arrogant.
His movements were far from seasoned.
"You're just a monkey who only runs away!" Hyakinthos stepped forward quickly, swinging a large, fierce uppercut.
In that instant, Roy seized the opportunity.
Roy tilted his body, dodging Hyakinthos' uppercut, and spun 180 degrees, worming his way into Hyakinthos' embrace like a loach.
His back pressed tightly against the opponent's chest, and he delivered a fierce elbow strike right into the stomach.
"Pugh!"
Hyakinthos' eyes nearly popped out. He staggered backward, coughing violently.
"You're LV.2!"
Saliva dripped from Hyakinthos' mouth, but he ignored his image. In this new round of engagement, he finally confirmed that Roy was not an LV.1 weakling.
The surrounding adventurers erupted in shock.
Roy looked to be in his early teens. LV.2 adventurers of this age were quite rare. Among them, some were still lingering at LV.1 even in their thirties or forties.
"Surround him!"
The contempt on Hyakinthos' face vanished. LV.1 and LV.2 were two completely different domains.
To level up to LV.2 meant the opponent must have achieved a great feat. Such adventurers inevitably had achievements in certain fields that surpassed ordinary adventurers.
Underestimating an LV.2 adventurer would lead to trouble!
The twenty or thirty members of the Apollo Familia completely surrounded Roy. Most were LV.1, with four or five LV.2s, and Hyakinthos, the LV.3 Familia Captain.
The nearby adventurers cleared a path, their eyes filled with schadenfreude toward Roy. You wanted to interfere, huh? Now you'll reap what you sow!
"Hmph!"
Roy scanned the circle, a disdainful look on his face. Did you really think only you can call for backup?
Since the opponent was higher-leveled and resorting to a numbers game, it would be crazy for Roy to continue fighting alone. He opened his mouth and shouted loudly, "Ms. Ryuu! Your Familia member is about to be jumped!"
Checking the system for his teammate's location, Roy had known Ryuu was nearby all along.
With an LV.4 bodyguard following him, why wouldn't he dare provoke a mere Apollo Familia?!
Several seconds passed. There was no movement.
The air seemed to be filled with awkwardness. The faint cawing of crows could be heard in the distance.
Roy's face darkened. No way, is that girl really going to watch me get jumped?
"Sigh!"
Finally, a frustrated sigh rang out, distinctly audible in the quiet crowd.
Everyone's gaze shifted. The familiar figure draped in a cloak—who else could it be but Ryuu?
"The Gale!"
The onlookers quickly backed away, creating a clear path. Ryuu's deterrent power was obvious.
After dealing with the Rudra Familia previously, she had walked out of the Dungeon looking like a bloody ghost.
Ryuu first gave Roy a deep, meaningful look, then said coldly, "Apollo Familia, step down. He is a member of our Astrea Familia!"
The Apollo Familia members exchanged glances, their attention ultimately centering on Hyakinthos.
"Gale, he let our target escape. Do you really think you can take him away with just a few words? Isn't that too much?" Hyakinthos stated grimly.
If it were the former Astrea Familia, they naturally wouldn't dare provoke them. But with only the Gale remaining, the Apollo Familia might not be completely outmatched!
Although they didn't know how these two had wiped out the Rudra Familia in the Dungeon, those methods wouldn't work on the surface!
Seeing Ryuu remain silent, Hyakinthos mistook this for having gained the upper hand in the confrontation. He continued, "Gale, you are nothing but remnants of an old era. There is no place for you in the new age!"
Hyakinthos' reckless behavior left Roy dumbfounded. He saw Ryuu's expression darken further.
Fight! Fight! Roy inwardly cheered them on.
As he wished, the cold light in Ryuu's eyes intensified. The next second, she shot out like a gale.
Facing the renowned Ryuu, Hyakinthos dared not be careless, raising his guard to the maximum. But the gap in their strength was far too great for him to overcome.
Before he could even clearly see Ryuu's figure, a thin, long shadow flashed past. It was Ryuu's wooden sword, which hit him, instantly sending him flying and utterly bewildered.
Plop!
Hyakinthos slammed onto the ground and rolled several times.
Ryuu quickly swung her wooden sword, creating countless flashing blurs, mercilessly whipping Hyakinthos' body, specifically targeting spots that were painful but not fatal.
Hyakinthos' agonizing screams echoed through the plaza.
The Apollo Familia members dared not step forward to stop her.
This was an LV.4 adventurer!
There were perhaps only a little over a hundred of them in all of Orario, mostly concentrated in the top-tier Familia. It was truly difficult to encounter one normally.
The higher the level, the greater the disparity, especially at the higher tiers, where a one-level difference was as vast as a chasm.
In a short while, Hyakinthos was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, resembling a pig's head. He lay on the ground, unable to muster any strength.
Ryuu pressed the wooden sword against Hyakinthos' neck, asking without emotion, "What did you say just now?"
"I… I lost… I apologize to you…" Hyakinthos had several teeth knocked out, making his speech whistling and slurred. A hint of fear had been added to the look in his eyes as he looked at Ryuu.
"Let's go!" Ryuu glanced at Roy.
"Ms. Ryuu is mighty!"
Roy laughed, following closely behind her as they left.
Seeing the two walk by, the hostility had not yet faded from Ryuu's small face. Her powerful aura was palpable. The onlookers were frightened, backing away repeatedly, frantically scrambling to get out of the way.
The figures of the two gradually faded into the distance.