Knowing the storyline, Charlie's presence was unnecessary. In the end, Bell and the others managed to defeat the Black Goliath even without help from the Loki Familia.

But only because events followed the original narrative.

With Charlie's intervention—though he hadn't formed any close bond with Bell—something was bound to change. He was like a ripple: a small alteration that could cause a massive deviation.

Storyline? Narrative? Charlie didn't care much about either.

If the only way someone could survive was by memorizing a script, then the moment the story strayed from its path.

They would be helpless—unable to make decisions on their own.

Such a person would be meaningless.

Rather than cling to canon, Charlie preferred to understand this world.

Once he grasped the rules of this reality, he could act freely and seize whatever he desired.

Yet, so far, everything had unfolded according to the story.

In Rivira Town, Asfi met with Bors and his group, gathering the city's adventurers to fight against the threat of the Black Goliath.

Initially hesitant to comply, Bors changed his mind upon learning that all exits from the 18th Floor had been sealed. Since the only way for everyone to escape was to defeat the Black Goliath, he and his men were convinced to join the fight.

Meanwhile, Ryuu, accompanied by Mikoto, Ouka, and Welf, launched attacks that proved futile against the Black Goliath.

From Ryuu's perspective, she judged the monster's strength to be on par with a Level 5. As she continued her assault, Asfi arrived and informed her that reinforcements from Rivira were ready to assist.

When Asfi was used as bait to lure the Black Goliath, Bors' comrades fought desperately to buy time for the mages to gather power for a powerful spell.

Once the mages were ready, they cast their spells on the Black Goliath, inflicting massive damage. Seizing the opportunity, the front-line fighters launched a full assault—only to stop in shock when they realized the monster had regeneration abilities.

After fully recovering from previous injuries, the Black Goliath launched counterattacks against the adventurers.

Surrounded by various monsters, Bell defeated a Minotaur and was then approached by Ryuu and Asfi. They devised a plan to use themselves as bait so the mages could cast their spells again, repeating the process until the Black Goliath was finally defeated.

Then came the climax: Bell faced the Black Goliath, wielding a large two-handed sword empowered by his Argonaut skill.

As Bell charged his attack, Asfi blinded the Goliath, and Ryuu unleashed Luminous Wind upon it.

Mikoto briefly restrained the Goliath with the gravity magic Futsunomitama, allowing Welf to use his magic sword, Kazuki.

Thanks to his comrades buying him enough time to charge, Bell unleashed a Heroic Shot on the Black Goliath, obliterating its upper body. He then finished it off with Hestia's Knife.

"Even with nearly a hundred adventurers from Rivira Town combined, it took thirty minutes to defeat the Black Goliath—and even then, they needed the help of a perverted elf and Perseus, both Level 4s."

Watching everyone's performance, Charlie felt disappointed by how weak the majority of adventurers seemed to him.

"If the average adventurer here were just Level 3, their cooperation could have defeated the Goliath much faster."

He didn't know the identity of that perverted elf who fought in provocative clothing—just a thin top and short shorts resembling panty—but based on his observations through the Six Eyes, he estimated the elf's strength as Level 4.

"It's true the Black Goliath is stronger than a normal Goliath. Even I'd need at least five minutes to defeat it."

For reference, a normal Goliath is Level 3, while the Black Goliath that appeared today was Level 5. Clearly, this was an Irregular.

The crowd cheered for Bell, their hero. But Charlie could only shake his head in disappointment.

"Haaa… So disappointing. No wonder Goddess Hera looks down on most adventurers in Orario. They're utterly useless."

His words weren't arrogance—they were genuine disappointment. Charlie saw clearly how weak the average adventurer truly was.

His thoughts drifted to a far greater threat.

"Whatever, whether they're weak or strong, it's not my concern. If one day the One-Eyed Black Dragon breaks free from its seal, all adventurers will have to unite against it—or the world will be destroyed."

"Honestly… if this is all they're capable of, I fear there will be countless casualties in the future."

Charlie decided not to place hope in anyone. With the exit now reopened after the Goliath's defeat, he turned and walked away, leaving the cheers and commotion behind.

It was time to return to the surface.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Unwilling to waste time on the journey, Charlie decided to use his full power.

*WHOOSH!*

In an instant, his figure shot forward, flying at supersonic speed.

If this had been earlier, he wouldn't have dared use such a reckless method.

What if he accidentally collided with someone? That person would be turned to minced meat by the kinetic energy of a supersonic impact.

Now, however, Charlie had no such concerns. Thanks to the combination of Six Eyes and Mind's Eye, his vision and reaction speed allowed him to maneuver and avoid collisions—even while flying low through the narrow Upper Floors.

*WHOOSH!*

On a corridor of the 5th Floor, two rookie adventurers walking cautiously suddenly felt an extremely strong gust of wind.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Maybe just the wind."

"I faintly saw a silhouette of someone."

"You must've imagined it. Anyway, don't lose focus! We're in the Dungeon—danger lurks at every moment."

"You're right."

It was their first time exploring the 5th Floor; they couldn't afford to be careless.

According to the Adventurer's Handbook, exploration between Floors 5–7 officially required at least one basic Rank G ability or higher, proper weapons and armor, and at least one Supporter to be considered a qualified party.

These were rules repeatedly emphasized by the Guild and various Familias.

But... for whom were these rules made?

They were created for the weak!

The weak follow the rules—while the strong break them!

*WHOOSH!*

Meanwhile, maintaining his high speed, Charlie shot out of the gaping hole that served as the Dungeon's entrance. His body continued soaring upward, hundreds of meters above ground, easily passing over the peak of the Babel Tower.

He paused briefly, hovering in midair, and looked down. Orario sprawled beneath him like a cake sliced into eight pieces. The view reminded him of something.

"Looking at Orario from here, I feel like Pain floating above Konoha before leveling it with Shinra Tensei."

Unfortunately, he couldn't use Shinra Tensei, nor did he possess the Rinnegan.

"Better head back quickly. Est will definitely be mad I didn't come home last night, right?"

Thinking this, Charlie decided to buy some sweets to bribe… ahem, to calm Est down.