In the cramped space, the sword energy, amplified by the "Flowing Heart" skill, was akin to adding an invincibility buff to himself.
He wasn't dual-wielding short swords.
It wasn't even Liang Yue's peak state, but against adventurers whose strength was so weak it invoked fear, a single short sword was more than enough.
As the table was kicked flying, creating a brief distraction—
Gathering all his muscular strength into his legs, the explosive burst of speed covered nearly four meters, leaving no time for the adventurers to react.
Liang Yue gripped the sword with both hands, slashing forward as he dashed—three rapid strikes.
Accompanied by sword energy that tore through everything like dry weeds, ordinary adventurers had no time to respond—let alone in the cramped Soma Familia hall.
These men had long been hollowed out by wine and women. Their strength was only good enough for the dungeon, and for bullying supporters—absolute trash!
Within the range of the sword energy's sweep—an area that could easily slice through monster defenses—these lightly equipped adventurers didn't stand a chance.
Even screams were too late.
Feeling the hot, fresh blood splatter onto his cheeks, Liang Yue, having completed the first round of his "Triple Slash," steadied his stance and turned around.
Unlike monsters in the dungeon, their bodies didn't vanish after being slain.
These were real, flesh-and-blood adventurers.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the scattered limbs and broken bodies on the floor still brought a strong wave of visceral shock to Liang Yue.
The blood pouring across the wooden floor slowly pooled into a puddle through the cracks, the heavy scent of iron beginning to fill the Soma Familia hideout.
"Shame about the range limitation on Draw Slash…"
"Otherwise, I'd clear them faster than dungeon crawling."
He understood well: these were adventurers standing on the opposite side—it had nothing to do with good or evil.
If you don't have enough strength, this would be your fate.
Liang Yue lightly flicked his blade, the blood dripping down from the groove at the tip onto the wood floor. This was literally a blood-forged edge.
And now, the blade—already sharp—radiated an unmistakable chill.
He once again turned his gaze toward the remaining Soma Familia adventurers. His eyes hadn't wavered a bit, not even in the face of such carnage.
"Now then…"
"What about you?"
The sword energy from the Triple Slash hadn't reached the corners of the room, but the visual impact remained undiminished.
Their fellow Familia members—comrades they saw every day—had their lives snuffed out in an instant.
Even the most mentally resilient of them gagged at the thought that they might be next.
"This guy…"
Most of these adventurers had been drawn to the Familia by Soma's divine wine. It was useful for dungeon exploration, but it wasn't omnipotent.
And once they realized—this was suicide—
Fear gripped their hearts. In the face of true life-and-death danger, not even the divine wine could stabilize their minds.
"This guy's a monster!!"
"There's no way he's just a Level 2 adventurer!"
The first to mentally collapse was a middle-aged adventurer who fell to the floor, trembling.
He had no thought of resisting—he only wanted to survive.
His voice trembled as he tried to hide behind a corpse, begging,
"Sir… if I leave now… is it still not too late?"
The one-sided massacre had already shattered the will to fight in all the remaining low-level adventurers.
The ones closest to the main entrance—if not for the overwhelming pressure of Liang Yue's strength—would have already fled.
Finishing them off would be easy. Soma wouldn't care whether these Familia members lived or died.
The hard part was justifying the deaths of so many Soma Familia adventurers—after all, the Soma Familia wasn't a dark faction.
"Why leave now?"
With countermeasures already in mind to tie up loose ends, Liang Yue looked around and said:
"Aren't you at all curious… who the new Soma Familia captain might be?"
"Like—"
"What if it's one of you? And even if it's not, don't you still want to keep drinking that divine wine?"
The previously chaotic atmosphere began to settle after his words. The implication was clear—what just happened was only intimidation.
His real target was the former captain, Zanis.
After enduring high-risk dungeon expeditions, they received only a pittance of divine wine. Many had already begun to harbor resentment.
And now, everything—
Was Zanis's fault!!
Now that they had seen the absolute gap in strength, even the Level 2 adventurers began to waver in their loyalty toward Zanis.
"We're both Level 2, yet…"
"Why does he get to send everyone else to their deaths, while he hides and enjoys the rewards?"
Liang Yue's words were like a devil's whisper.
As this terrifyingly powerful youth walked past them, the remaining Soma Familia adventurers didn't show the slightest resistance. In fact, their eyes were starting to show… something else.
Finally, someone reacted—a burly beastman adventurer.
Of course, he didn't choose to die. Instead, he hoisted an intact table, propped it upright, and used it to block the broken main entrance of the Soma Familia hideout.
He even cast a flattering look at Liang Yue.
"Sir…"
"Well done!"
These adventurers, drawn in by divine wine, had little real loyalty to Zanis. One of them even volunteered to block the door.
Exactly what Liang Yue wanted to see.
Dealing with the low-level adventurers was easy. But if Zanis managed to escape, a simple matter could quickly spiral into chaos.
With Lily in tow, Liang Yue headed up the wooden staircase to the second floor.
Having witnessed the one-sided slaughter with his own eyes, Zanis already knew—this youth was no ordinary Level 2 adventurer!
In an instant, over a dozen Familia members had been wiped out, the others losing their will to fight!
Zanis, who had spent years managing the Familia and rarely entered the dungeon himself, understood clearly: Liang Yue was far beyond him.
His rage had now turned into frustration and fear.
Compared to Lily's rare magic skill, he actually valued his own life more. If he let them leave quietly and covered it up—
He might just survive.
But the words Liang Yue spoke earlier had already closed that path!
Watching Liang Yue draw closer, Zanis trembled, retreating continuously:
"I—I'll approve Lily's withdrawal from the Familia right away. Tonight—"
"Tonight's incident…"
"Was just a drunken brawl between Familia members fighting over divine wine! It had nothing to do with you! I'll keep your secret!"
Despite his desperate pleas, Liang Yue's pace didn't slow. Regret now consumed Zanis as he stumbled backward—
Until he tripped and fell to the floor.
He looked up, madness overtaking his eyes:
"Everything I have—everything in the Soma Familia—I can give it to you! Why won't you let me go?!"
"I'll keep your secret too!!"
Looking down at the crumbling middle-aged man, Liang Yue lowered his voice:
"Only the dead can keep secrets."
His death was now certain. Even the fate of the entire Soma Familia was sealed in this moment. Zanis felt as if his heart had stopped.
He just wanted a clear answer. He looked up at the young Far Eastern man before him.
"Are you a Level 3 adventurer?"
"Sorry. You guessed wrong."
Faced with Zanis's confused stare, Liang Yue calmly explained:
"I applied to ascend to Level 2 yesterday."
"Mm."
"And she rejected me."
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