Jayden turned slowly, eyes narrowing as the system notification hovered in his vision like a glowing taunt. His breath hissed out through clenched teeth, jaw tight.
"I’m starting to think the system likes ssing with ." he mused.
Luna giggled. [Maybe a little, yes]
Jayden rolled his eyes and sighed. "I wonder why it says the woman would be kidnapped. The n obviously just want to rape her."
[Maybe they want to do both]
Jayden took a deep breath. He stared down the alleyway again, the flickering streetlight casting long shadows against the cracked brick walls.
The woman was still pinned, now sobbing, her pink hair disheveled and tangled as the man pawed at her. The others stood nearby, chuckling like hyenas waiting for their turn.
Jayden exhaled sharply, stepping into the alley like a shadow walking out of the void.
"Hey," he called, voice low but sharp, like a blade dragging across tal.
The n froze. All five heads turned toward him.
The one at the front.. tall, with a shaved head and a wicked smile snorted. "You lost, kid."
Jayden kept walking. Calm. Controlled. His aura still suppressed, his hands in his pockets.
Another man stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Scram, punk. This ain’t your business."
Jayden stopped a few feet away, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "You see, that’s the thing... I didn’t want to make it my business. But apparently, the universe thinks otherwise."
The one gripping the woman scoffed. "What, you gonna fight all of us? You alone? Don’t be stupid."
Jayden tilted his head. "Funny... I was just about to say the sa thing to you."
The air shifted.
In the blink of an eye, Jayden vanished.. and reappeared directly in front of the man holding the girl.
CRACK!
His fist collided with the guy’s jaw so hard that his body twisted midair before crashing against the wall with a sickening thud, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The woman gasped, falling to her knees, chest heaving.
The rest of the n charged.
Jayden’s pupils flared.
The first swung a tal pipe—Jayden ducked, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him forward into a devastating elbow to the gut. The thug coughed blood before Jayden lifted him by the shirt and flung him into a pile of trash cans.
Another tried to co from behind, but Jayden spun, grabbed him by the face, and slamd him into the wall, leaving cracks behind.
The last two hesitated, finally sensing the gap between predator and prey.
"Monster..." one whispered.
Jayden’s eyes glead gold. "Now you get it."
He moved again... faster than sight.
BAM!
A roundhouse kick dropped the fourth like a bag of cent.
The fifth turned to run.
Jayden lifted his hand, focusing.
A soft pulse of telekinetic energy surged forward, yanking the man back by the hoodie and slamming him flat into the pavent. He groaned and twitched, unmoving.
Silence returned to the alley, save for the sound of the woman crying.
Jayden turned, walking past the pile of groaning bodies. The woman looked up at him, tears streaking down her face.
"T-Thank you..." she whispered.
Jayden paused, eyes softening just a bit. "Go ho." he muttered.
The woman nodded, grabbed her heels and quickly left the alley.
Jayden turned away, hands slipping back into his pockets, and began walking again. The alley stretched behind him like a mory already fading.
[You did the right thing] Luna said softly.
"Yeah," Jayden muttered, glancing at the new system notification.
*Random Quest Complete:
[Defeat the bad n and save the woman from being kidnapped]
*Reward:
[One Integration slot received]
[Integration slots left: 2]
"Wasn’t gonna do it for free." he smirked, clearly pleased with the reward. It was one of the things he had been praying for.
[Of course not, Mr. Lone Wolf.]
He chuckled faintly as he stepped out onto the street again, the wind cool against his face.
"Let’s go ho."
Jayden strolled down the dimly lit street, shadows stretching long under the streetlamps. Just as he reached the corner, another system notification blinked into view.
[ 20 exp Received]
He stopped mid-step.
"What the..." he murmured.
He blinked at the screen, brows knitting together. "I got exp from those guys?" His eyes narrowed, a quiet dread curling in his gut. "Unless... It’s only from one of them."
Without wasting a second, he turned around and retraced his steps back to the alley. The quiet was thick now.. no sobs, no movent. Just the soft rustle of night wind and the distant hum of a machine sowhere nearby.
Jayden stepped into the alley, eyes scanning the scene. Five bodies lay sprawled across the ground, bloodied but still. He glanced at them one by one, his golden gaze sweeping over each unconscious form.
Then he spotted him.. the one he’d elbowed and hurled into the trash cans. Blood coated the man’s mouth and chin. Jayden narrowed his eyes and focused.
Thump... thump...
He heard it. The heartbeat.. faint, but steady.
He exhaled a deep breath of relief.
"Still alive," he whispered. Then he checked the heartbeat of the others, they were all alive.
So then how did he get the exp.
Curious now, Jayden checked the man’s info. He was only at level 18.
Jayden scoffed. "No wonder one elbow to the gut was all it took."
Then his eyes landed on the man’s Hp. It read:
[1/120]
His eyes glinted with interest. it was the first ti he was checking soone’s info after beating them up. He’d never thought about it before.
"This is a good way to monitor the exp of my opponents." he deduced
He turned, surveying the rest. With a flick of his gaze, he checked them all. Levels ranged from 20 to 23. And Hp was above 10 for each of them.
Jayden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Only the one bleeding from the mouth had an Hp of 1. But at the sa ti, only him was below level 20.
He pondered. "So maybe..."
"Ughhh..."
Just then, a groan echoed from the side. One of the n.. the one who’d grabbed the woman—began to stir.
Jayden turned, an amused smirk curving his lips. "Hm... let’s try sothing."
The man blinked, dazed. Then he saw Jayden approaching, and his eyes widened with horror. "No, no.. not again!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and making a break for it.
But Jayden blurred.. and appeared right in front of him.
The man skidded to a halt, face pale. "Please..."
Jayden tilted his head, cold and calm. "Begging won’t save you," he said. "But relax—I just want to test sothing."
Before the man could open his mouth—
BAM.
Jayden’s fist buried itself into the man’s nose, sending blood splashing across his face. The man reeled, barely conscious.
Jayden didn’t stop. He punched the man again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
The man collapsed to his knees, trembling and leaking blood from his shattered mouth.
Jayden glanced at the system display:
[5/160]
A smile crept across his lips. "Okay. Just one more hit." he said and raised his hand to deliver another blow.
"P-Please... no more... please..." the man whimpered, tears mixing with the blood streaking down his chin. Half his teeth were gone. His voice shook with raw desperation.
Jayden lowered his fist slowly... then sighed.
"Fine," he muttered.
He turned his back and walked away, letting the man fall backward in a heap.
But after two steps, he stopped.
He turned his head, eyes sharp and cold again.
"You know..." he said, voice low, "You slapped that woman. After you said you wouldn’t ruin her body."
The man froze, stamring. "I... I didn’t an—"
Jayden cut him off. "You lied."
The man swallowed hard, eyes bulging.
Jayden’s next words ca like ice. "So... I lied too." he muttered.
The man’s eyes widened, but before he could even think of running.. Jayden was already in front of him. And without warning...
SLAP!
His palm connected with the man’s face.
The man flew sideways like a ragdoll, blood and broken teeth spraying midair as he crashed into the wall and slumped down, unconscious.
Jayden glanced back at the system display.
[1/160]
He exhaled. But there was no notification. No reward. Nothing.
He narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Guess I was wrong."
He turned, walking toward the exit of the alley, disappointnt hanging over him like a cloud.
But just as he took his next step.. the system screen appeared.
[ 20 EXP Received]
He stopped. Then smirked.
"Well," he muttered, voice laced with excitent. "This just got interesting."
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