As the four members of the Loki Familia left, the expression on Cao Ye's face changed immediately.
Haruhime, who had been watching him closely, quickly realized something was wrong. From Cao Ye's earlier behavior, she understood that something had happened—though she didn't know exactly what.
"Haruhime, stay here and don't move. I'll have the snow wolves guard you."
"Understood."
Haruhime knew very well that if something dangerous happened, she would only hold him back.
So she obediently stayed put.
Meanwhile, Cao Ye bent his legs and launched forward at high speed.
"Damn, we've been discovered."
Up in the treetops, the bald man immediately realized what had happened.
Cao Ye had noticed them.
His three subordinates were also surprised, but they didn't seem concerned.
Over the years they had killed plenty of adventurers.
Not just Level 1, but Level 2 and even Level 3.
In their eyes, Cao Ye was simply a talented newcomer.
Just a mere Level 1.
No real threat.
"Since we've been found out, let's just attack."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later."
"Just remember to keep the fox girl alive."
"I want to properly 'taste' her first."
"Hmm… he's fast. Seems this kid isn't so simple."
Below them, Cao Ye moved swiftly through the trees.
His speed was far beyond what a typical Level 1 adventurer could achieve.
"Remember—both targets must be captured alive."
"If you kill them by accident, don't blame me when I bring your heads to the boss."
"Relax."
One of the men replied casually.
His face showed no concern at all.
He jumped down from the tree canopy.
The other two followed immediately.
Seeing this, Cao Ye smiled coldly.
They really didn't take him seriously.
Whether they had planned this in advance or simply wanted to rob him didn't matter.
Their fate was already sealed.
"Mana Burst."
Magic surged through his body.
Cao Ye's physical abilities instantly increased.
Anyone capable of reaching the 22nd Floor wasn't weak.
At minimum they were Level 2, possibly Level 3.
Cao Ye wasn't arrogant enough to underestimate them.
"Ten-Slash Spell."
In Cao Ye's perception, the bodies of the three attackers were divided into ten segments.
And the vulnerable 3/7 points became clearly visible.
"You brat—"
Slash!
Before the man could finish speaking, Cao Ye suddenly accelerated.
His speed increased dramatically.
With a single swing of his black sword—
Both of the man's legs were severed.
The strike was so smooth that it almost felt like cutting through sponge.
Thud.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
The man collapsed instantly.
The agony from losing both legs caused him to scream in pain.
At that exact moment—
A snow wolf puppet that had been waiting behind them lunged forward.
Crunch!
Its jaws closed around another man's throat.
The wolf's fangs tore his neck apart instantly.
One strike.
One kill.
Meanwhile—
Stab!
The last man hadn't even reacted before Cao Ye's sword pierced straight through his body.
Within less than ten seconds, three seasoned Level 2 adventurers—who had spent more than a decade surviving in the Dungeon—were completely defeated.
No—
One was still alive.
The man whose legs had been cut off.
The pain was unbearable, but he hadn't died yet.
The other two, however, were already dead.
One from the wolf's bite.
The other from Cao Ye's sword.
"How… how is that possible?!"
From the tree canopy, the bald leader stared down in disbelief.
His three men—
All killed instantly.
"Hm?"
After finishing them off, Cao Ye slowly looked upward toward the trees.
The malice hadn't disappeared.
Besides the crippled man on the ground—
There was still someone else.
"Damn… he noticed me."
"Retreat!"
Instinctively, the bald man decided to escape.
The three instant kills had shocked him completely.
He needed to report this to his boss.
This mission had suddenly become far more dangerous than expected.
This man was not a normal newcomer.
His strength was terrifying.
The bald man leapt down and began fleeing through the treetops.
In the Great Tree Labyrinth, dense branches made pursuit extremely difficult.
"Trying to run?"
Cao Ye smirked.
Beside him, cracks began to tear open in space.
From those rifts—
Swords began emerging.
A Gate-of-Babylon-style arsenal created through Imaginary Space.
Cao Ye hadn't stopped using it.
He had simply been saving it for moments like this.
Over time, he had stored quite a number of weapons.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Blade after blade shot out from the dimensional cracks like arrows.
"What the—?!"
Clang! Clang!
The bald man was startled by the attack.
He had never seen anything like this before.
But as a Level 3 adventurer, his reflexes were still formidable.
Swinging his large blade wildly, he knocked away the incoming swords.
"Projection… begin."
A bow slowly materialized in Cao Ye's hand.
It was a bow he had once seen in Tsubaki's workshop.
High quality.
Not quite First-Class equipment, but among Second-Class weapons it was definitely top-tier.
TWANG—
An arrow shot through the air.
Focused entirely on blocking the flying swords, the bald man failed to notice the arrow coming toward him.
THUD!
"AAAAH!"
The arrow pierced straight into his shoulder.
And unfortunately—
It was his right shoulder.
With his dominant arm injured, he could no longer defend properly.
Stab!
Stab!
Stab!
Multiple swords immediately struck his body.
Crash.
The bald man collapsed to the ground, riddled with wounds.
He could no longer escape.
"You… what the hell are you?!"
Despite his injuries, his face twisted into an even more ferocious expression.
"You tried to attack me without even knowing who I am?"
"Brother… I admit I misjudged."
"Name your price."
Cao Ye looked at him calmly.
"Sorry."
"I'm not a very forgiving person."
"Anyone who tries to harm me…"
"The best place for them is underground."
"You—!"
Slash.
Without hesitation, Cao Ye swung his sword.
The blade sliced cleanly across the man's throat.
And just like that—
The final enemy fell.
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