Is It Wrong To Level Up In A Dungeon?

Chapter 12. Saving Lili

And yet, here Bell stood.

Unshaken. Unyielding.

And they all knew it.

Zanis Lustra finally stepped forward, his presence casting a long shadow over the room. Unlike his subordinates, he wasn't intimidated. The fear that had gripped the lesser members of the Soma Familia did not reach him.

To Zanis, Bell Cranel wasn't a threat.

He was an inconvenience.

"You think just because you've gotten stronger, you can take whatever you want?" Zanis smirked, arms crossed as he studied Bell like an insect beneath his boot. "That's not how Orario works, boy. Lili is ours—unless you're willing to pay."

He named a price so absurd that even the wealthiest adventurers would balk at it. A sum meant to mock, to remind Bell that power alone could not break the system. That no matter how much he had grown, he was still beneath men like Zanis.

But Bell?

He didn't flinch.

His crimson eyes burned with unshaken resolve as he took a step forward. "I don't need to pay for something that was never yours to begin with."

The air shifted.

Zanis's smirk twitched, his amusement cracking into something colder. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the room erupted into chaos.

Soma Familia thugs lunged at Bell from all sides, their weapons flashing under the dim torchlight.

But Bell wasn't there.

A gust of wind. A blur of white. Before the first blade could reach him, Bell moved.

His dagger carved through steel, shattering weapons like brittle glass. He weaved between strikes with effortless precision, cutting down foes before they could even react. Each motion was deliberate. Each attack, decisive.

The Soma Familia had expected a fight. They weren't prepared for a massacre.

A sword arced toward his back. Bell twisted, his foot planting into the floor as he brought his dagger up in a blinding counter. The sword split in two. Its wielder barely had time to gasp before Bell sent him crashing into the ground with a brutal kick.

This wasn't the same rookie they once mocked.

Through the chaos, his voice rang out—clear, unwavering.

"Lili is not your pawn!" His dagger found another target. A grunt crumpled before he could scream.

"You think strength is measured by control? You're wrong." Another fell. Then another. The tide had turned before the fight had even begun.

"Real strength is fighting for those who can't fight for themselves!"

One by one, the Familia members faltered. Some hesitated. Some dropped their weapons entirely. The battle wasn't just physical—it was psychological. And Bell was winning.

Then, only one opponent remained.

Zanis.

The air between them was heavy with unspoken malice.

Zanis drew his sword. Unlike the others, he didn't charge blindly. He moved with experience, a predator measuring his prey. But Bell had already seen through him.

A single clash. A flurry of steel. Sparks ignited as their weapons met in a violent exchange.

Zanis had the technique. Bell had the speed.