After dinner, the atmosphere in the living room was somewhat heavy.
Haruhime was diligently tidying up the dishes in the kitchen, the constant rushing of water providing the only background noise. Eina sat upright opposite Lili, her face wearing a look of professional concern, while Lynn leaned back boldly on the sofa with his eyes closed, looking as if he were simply digesting the meat stew in his stomach.
Lili's tiny frame was sunk into the soft cushions. She held the fresh cup of hot tea Haruhime had just brought her with both hands. Her head was bowed low as she summoned the greatest courage of her life, beginning to tell her story in a faltering voice so thin it was barely audible.
The Soma Familia. It sounded like a normal Familia, but in reality, it was a distorted cage. Their primary god, Soma, was indifferent to all the Familia's affairs. He was like a hermit craftsman, locking himself in his workshop all day, obsessed with only one thing: brewing Divine Wine.
Consequently, the actual power of the Familia had fallen into the hands of the Captain, Chandra, and his inner circle.
The Divine Wine was indeed an unparalleled delicacy. Lili described it as a nectar so mellow it could melt the tongue; once a person tasted a single drop, every other drink in the world became bland and tasteless.
Chandra used exactly this to his advantage, hanging the Divine Wine over everyone's heads like a carrot. If you were obedient, you got a small cup; if you weren't, you didn't get a single drop. It wasn't a physical addiction, but a spiritual craving—a mad longing for an ultimate flavor.
But what truly controlled the lower members of the Familia was something much more direct: violence and fear. Disobedience led to beatings, being locked in windowless solitary confinement, and having already pitifully meager rewards docked even further.
Lili had been in the Soma Familia for as long as she could remember. Her parents were also members, but their concern for their daughter was far outweighed by their thirst for the Divine Wine. To obtain more of it, they entered the Dungeon with reckless abandon until, eventually, they never returned.
She had endured it all this time not just because of the lingering thought of the wine, but because she had nowhere else to go. If she left the Soma Familia, she would have nothing.
As Lili finished her last sentence, a long silence fell over the living room.
Eina pushed her glasses up, the look behind her lenses complex and difficult to read. She looked toward Lynn and realized he had opened his eyes at some point. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if he were deep in thought.
In the kitchen, the water stopped. Haruhime walked out carrying a plate of sliced fruit, her eyes red, clearly having overheard everything. She placed the fruit plate on the table and silently sat beside Lili, gently patting her on the back.
Lili finally looked up. Her amber eyes, swollen from crying, bravely met Lynn's gaze for the first time.
"Master Lynn... Lili doesn't want to go back. But Lili has no Familia, and nowhere to go..." Her voice carried a tremor of despair.
Lynn looked at her. "Who said you don't?"
That night, Lynn lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
A single phrase echoed repeatedly in his mind—the words the man named Zoru had shouted before he died: "W-we've done it many times..."
This meant that what had happened today was not an exception for the Soma Familia, but a well-practiced business model. They had used the same methods to hunt down other lone, wealthy adventurers. This was no longer a personal grudge; it was a black industrial chain hidden in the shadows of Orario.
Eina would surely report it to the Guild. But Lynn could guess with his eyes closed that the Guild's process would be tedious and slow. Filing a case, investigating, gathering evidence... by the time they finished their procedures, Chandra would have already cleaned up all the loose ends. He might even turn the tables and pin all the blame on the dead men like Zoru.
He had to act quickly to secure evidence before they could react.
The next morning, the sun was bright.
At the dining table, the miso soup and grilled fish prepared by Haruhime gave off an inviting aroma. Lynn took a large bite of soft bread and announced indistinctly:
"I'm going to the Soma Familia today."
Clatter. The chopsticks in Eina's hand dropped onto the table. She adjusted her glasses and looked at Lynn seriously. "I've already submitted a preliminary report to the Guild. They will intervene and investigate. Do not be impulsive!"
"The Guild's process is too slow." Lynn took a sip of milk, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "Besides, they set a trap to kill me. It's not too much to ask for an explanation in person, is it?"
Eina stared into his calm, placid eyes for a full three seconds before finally sighing helplessly and picking up her chopsticks. "...Don't kill anyone."
"I'll try." Lynn's answer was crisp and direct, without a hint of hesitation.
Lili, who had been silently sipping her soup, suddenly set down her bowl and utensils. "Master Lynn," she stood up, her tiny stature not even reaching the height of the table, "Lili is coming with you."
Lynn raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "You sure?"
"Yes." Lili nodded heavily, her amber eyes shining with an unprecedented light of determination. "Lili wants to tell them everything to their faces. Lili... doesn't want to hide anymore."
The Soma Familia headquarters was located in a dilapidated, chaotic district in the northwest corner of Orario. It was a drab stone building with peeling paint on the door and cobwebs on the knocker; it looked more like an abandoned warehouse.
Lynn walked in front, hands in his pockets. Lili followed closely half a step behind him, her small hands tightly clutching the straps of her backpack, the veins on the back of her hands bulging.
At the entrance, two scruffy-looking guards leaned against the wall soaking up the sun. Seeing an unfamiliar face like Lynn approaching directly, they straightened up and reached out to block him.
"Halt! This is Soma Familia territory. Outsiders are not—"
Before the words were even finished, Lynn didn't slow his pace for a second. He moved both arms simultaneously, his palms like iron clamps, pinning each of their faces.
BANG!
There was a dull thud, like two watermelons colliding. The two guards didn't even grunt; their eyes rolled back, and they slumped to the ground, knocked out instantly.
Lynn didn't even look at the two pieces of trash. He raised his foot and kicked the dilapidated wooden door with all his might!
BOOM!!!
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the entire door panel was blasted off its frame. Carried by a cloud of dust, it slammed heavily into the center of the main hall.
Inside the hall, a dozen or so Soma Familia members were gathered around broken tables, drinking and boasting loudly. The sudden roar caused everyone to freeze in their tracks.
Drinking cups stopped at their lips; boasts died in their throats. Everyone turned in unison to look at the entrance.
As the dust slowly cleared, Lynn's figure appeared in the doorway, silhouetted against the light. Behind him, Lili peeked out, her face full of tension.
"Liliruca?!"
A man with a scar on his face recognized Lili. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face full of shock and malice. "You traitor, you dare come back?!"
Lynn ignored his shouting. His gaze calmly swept across everyone in the hall as he spoke flatly:
"Where is Chandra?"
No one answered. The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense and hostile.
A beastman built as broad as a bear stood up, cursing as he grabbed a wine bottle from the table and lunged at Lynn. "Who the hell are you? You dare come to the Soma Familia and act wild?!"
Lynn didn't even change his stance. Just as the beastman reached him and raised the bottle high, Lynn threw a punch with lightning speed.
WHAM!
It was a heavy, visceral impact. The brawny man, who was two sizes larger than Lynn, had the muscles on his face contort instantly. He looked as if he had been hit head-on by a charging Minotaur. His feet left the ground, and he was sent flying!
With a loud CRASH, he overturned two tables before slamming heavily against the wall. He slid to the floor, twitched twice, and went still.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
The remaining dozen or so people looked at their unconscious comrade, then at the teenager by the door who looked completely unruffled. They all swallowed in unison. The strongest among them was barely an early Lv.2; most were only Lv.1. The power behind that single punch... was absolutely not something they could withstand.
They exchanged glances and silently lowered the weapons they had grabbed. No one dared move an inch.
Lynn repeated himself. His voice wasn't loud, but like a stone dropped into a stagnant pond, it reached the ears of everyone in the hall clearly.
"I asked, where is Chandra?"
"I am here."
A sullen voice came from the top of the stairs on the second floor. With slow, unhurried footsteps, a middle-aged man with gray-white hair combed perfectly into place walked down. He had shrewd, triangular eyes and a formulaic, hypocritical smile on his face. His gaze swept back and forth between Lynn and Lili like a venomous snake.
"If it isn't the 'Unaffiliated' newcomer who's been making a name for himself lately, Mr. Lynn? To what do we owe the honor of your visit? This is quite a..."
"You sent those men yesterday."
Lynn cut off his hollow pleasantries. He didn't like beating around the bush, especially regarding such matters. This wasn't a question; it was a plain statement of fact.
The smile on Chandra's face stiffened for a moment, but it quickly returned. The smile even deepened, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"Mr. Lynn, I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about. Our Soma Familia has always been law-abiding. Why would we do something so out of line?"
"Is that so?"
Lynn couldn't be bothered to waste words on him. He raised his foot and gave the pile of broken door panels at the entrance a light kick.
Clatter—
A piece of wood was kicked away, revealing something pinned beneath it. It was a short sword broken into two pieces. The hilt was inlaid with silver wire depicting a distorted chalice—the emblem of the Soma Familia.
It was Zoru's blade.
Lynn's gaze locked back onto Chandra's face, his tone remaining flat. "Zoru is dead. Before he died, he told me everything. He said you ordered him and his men to set a trap on the fifteenth floor to kill me and steal my equipment and gold."
The air in the hall seemed to be sucked dry. The dozen or so Familia members who had been holding out hope turned pale. They instinctively backed away several more steps, their eyes filled with horror as they looked at Chandra.
The Captain... really sent people to hunt adventurers? And the most famous newcomer at that?!
The smile on Chandra's face finally collapsed completely. He stared fixedly at the broken blade on the floor, his triangular eyes flickering with the cold, venomous light of a snake. He hadn't expected those useless wastes like Zoru to not only fail the mission but also let their secrets be exposed.
"You killed them?" he asked, his voice low and threatening. "Do you have any idea how much trouble killing members of another Familia without cause in Orario will bring you?"
"They tried to kill me, and I fought back. That's called self-defense." Lynn shrugged, looking indifferent. "I didn't come here today to quibble over rules with you."
Chandra narrowed his eyes, and his aura began to turn dangerous. "Then what did you come for? To demand justice?"
Lynn didn't answer. Instead, he walked directly toward him. With every step he took, the members of the Soma Familia in the hall retreated in unison, afraid to block his path and be sent flying like the beastman earlier. A path leading to Chandra opened up automatically.
Lynn stopped three steps away from Chandra and held up two fingers.
"Two things."
"First: have that god of yours named Soma get out here and immediately dissolve the Blessing on Lili. From today on, she has absolutely nothing to do with your Soma Familia."
"Second: compensation. Mental anguish fees, lost wages, and the ransom for this Supporter of mine. I'll name a figure; you have three days to deliver it to Miss Eina's residence."
After hearing this, Chandra looked like he had heard the funniest joke in the world and began to laugh out of sheer rage.
"Haha... Hahahaha! Kid, have you gotten something confused? Who do you think you are? The Captain of the Loki Familia? On what grounds?!"
"On these grounds."
Lynn's answer was simple and direct. Before the words had even faded, he flicked his wrist, and the uniquely shaped, ominous-looking curved greatsword—the Bloodhound's Fang—instantly appeared in his hand. The bright silver tip carved a cold arc in the dim hall, pointing steadily at Chandra's throat.
Cold killing intent enveloped the entire hall like a physical weight. Chandra's laughter stopped abruptly, and his face turned ashen. He could feel that the other party wasn't joking. The aura radiating from the blade made his skin crawl with goosebumps.
"You're truly determined to make an enemy of the entire Soma Familia?" he gritted out, gesturing to his inner circle nearby.
"You guys started it," Lynn corrected him.
Chandra's brain was working at high speed. According to the intelligence he had, this kid Lynn might be famous, but it hadn't been long since he leveled up to Lv.2. Chandra himself was a genuine Lv.2 and a veteran at that level. This was his home turf, and he had a dozen Lv.1 members. No matter how strong the kid was, how far could it go? As long as he could stall him, the others could swarm him and bury him under sheer numbers!
Thinking of this, a flash of ruthlessness appeared in Chandra's eyes. Today, he absolutely could not let this kid walk out of here alive!
"Everyone together! Take him down! Dead or alive!"
At his command, he struck first. He drew a slender rapier from his waist and lunged forward like an arrow from a bow, thrusting directly at Lynn's heart!
His inner circle of thugs exchanged glances. Though they were afraid, they couldn't ignore the Captain's order. They roared, grabbing various weapons and closing in on Lynn from different angles!
Seeing this from the doorway, Lili's heart jumped into her throat, and she instinctively cried out:
"Master Lynn, watch out!"
However, Lynn's reaction surpassed everyone's expectations. Facing Chandra's all-out strike, he didn't even use the Bloodhound's Fang. He simply shifted his body slightly, letting the sharp rapier glide past his ribs by a hair's breadth. At the same time, his free left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Chandra's sword wrist.
"What?!"
Chandra was horrified. He hadn't expected his own speed to be as slow as a snail's before this opponent. He tried to pull his hand back, but the other's palm was like an iron clamp, unmoving.
In the next second, an irresistible force surged from his wrist. Lynn twisted and pulled!
CRACK!
The sound of bone snapping echoed clearly!
"AAAAAAAGH—!"
Chandra let out a scream like a slaughtered pig. His wrist was forced into a grotesque angle, and his rapier fell to the floor with a CLANG.
Lynn didn't even look at him. With a crisp, direct knee strike, he slammed into Chandra's abdomen!
OOF—!
Chandra's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He doubled over like a boiled shrimp and was sent flying backward, overturning three or four tables before slamming heavily into the corner. He clutched his stomach and coughed violently, nearly vomiting bile.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The thugs closing in from the sides and rear hadn't even reached Lynn yet. Seeing their Captain incapacitated in a single exchange, the ferocity on their faces froze and turned into pure terror. Their forward momentum halted so abruptly they nearly tripped over themselves.
But Lynn didn't give them a chance to hesitate. Since they came, they shouldn't expect to leave so easily.
His figure moved like a ghost, instantly charging into the middle of the stunned thugs. There were no flashy moves, only the simplest, most direct punches, kicks, and elbow strikes.
THUD!
A knife-hand strike hit one man's neck; his eyes rolled back, and he slumped over.
WHAM!
A kick slammed into another's chest. In the dull thud of the impact, the man flew back like a ragdoll, knocking out the two companions behind him.
CRACK!
A spinning elbow hit the jaw of a guy trying to sneak up from behind. The clear sound of bone shattering made one's scalp tingle.
In less than ten seconds, the battle was over. In the entire hall, aside from Lynn and Lili at the door, not a single person was left standing. A dozen Soma Familia members lay scattered across the floor, groaning and twitching, completely stripped of their ability to fight.
Lynn shook out his hands as if he had simply swatted away a few annoying flies. He walked step by step to the corner, looking down at the curled-up, horrified Chandra.
At this moment, Chandra didn't have even a trace of a Captain's dignity. He looked at the unscathed youth before him, his eyes full of unbelievable terror.
This isn't Lv.2!
Absolutely not! That crushing power and speed, that absolute control over the battlefield... even a Lv.3 powerhouse wouldn't be much more than this!
The intelligence was wrong! Terribly wrong!
"You... you dare to act in a Familia's headquarters?!" He snarled weakly, trying to use the rules of the Familia to intimidate the other. "You are making an enemy of the entire Soma Familia! Master Soma will not let you go!"
Lynn chuckled as if he had heard a joke. He leaned down, picked up the rapier from the floor, and pressed the tip against Chandra's chest. The cold sensation caused Chandra's body to shake violently.
"When you set a trap to kill me in the Dungeon, why didn't you think about making an enemy of me?" Lynn's tone was calm, but beneath that calm was a chill that made Chandra's soul tremble. "Also, don't try to use that useless god of yours to pressure me. If he actually managed things, would your Familia be this rotten?"
Lynn looked at Chandra's fear-contorted face and suddenly felt that letting him off with just a fine was far too easy. Zoru had said they had done this many times. That meant that in this seemingly dilapidated headquarters, there must be hidden spoils from all those years—and evidence of their crimes that couldn't be erased.
A better idea formed in his mind.
"I've changed my mind," Lynn said. He pulled the rapier back and tossed it aside. "The compensation still needs to be paid, but not right now. Right now, I'm much more interested in your ledgers and your warehouse."
He straightened up and scanned the foul atmosphere of the headquarters, a flash of disgust in his eyes. "A god who only hides in a workshop brewing wine, indifferent to the lives and crimes of his Familia members... to be honest, he's the most pathetic god I've ever seen."
He turned his head toward Lili at the door and beckoned to her. "Lili, come here."
Lili blinked, then quickly trotted over. She looked at her former comrades groaning on the ground and Chandra shaking in the corner, her small face full of complex emotions.
"Master Lynn..."
"Lead the way," Lynn's tone left no room for argument. "Take me to your warehouse, and then to this 'Soma'."
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