Osric walked out of the underground arena covered in bruises and the cold of the night hit him immediately.
"Huff. Fuck, I thought my body had gotten more used to the cold."
'I should've brought my coat.'
"Ding!"
A blue screen appeared.
'Haha. Good.'
He looked at it with a smile.
+1 Endurance
Close Combat (E) Minor Progress
Combat Instinct (D) Minor Progress
'Not bad. Especially the stat improvement.'
'But Combat Instinct has been stuck at D-Rank for a while. It's my highest level skill, but when will it increase?'
Osric sighed and hot air could be seen coming out of his mouth.
'No matter. I got good results tonight.'
'From my first fight, I got a profit of 4 silver, not including my win money of 1 silver, and from my fight with Adam I got 3 silver for my win.'
'Then there is also my system rewards, and the best one for me is that I have a favour in my pocket from Adam.'
Osric already had something in mind for it, but decided that it wasn't time to cash it in yet.
—
"I said no!"
"What do you mean no?!"
"Do you know who we are?"
"You won't find a better offer than ours. Don't be an idiot, just accept it or you'll regret it kid."
'Hm?' Osric noticed the yelling came from an alley near the arena, on the way to the common area, where his inn was located.
'Isn't that—
Jayson?'
A teenager was surrounded by five men.
'Fuck.'
'Should I get involved?'
Osric considered his options.
'I am injured and fatigued. They have five guys. I don't know their strength.'
'But, Jayson is my highest priority recruitment target.'
'If this was happening to some random guy, I wouldn't care, but this is an opportunity to get him on my side.'
'Also, those guys aren't armed, since they also came from the arena.'
Then Osric remembered something.
'Franklin.'
'Since he's only helped me with training so far, I forgot that I actually have his backing since I joined his faction.'
'If this comes back to bite me, I'll just have to put my faith in Franklin.'
'He's among the two strongest guys in Ashbrook, no one would mess with him. I also believe he is trustworthy.'
"Phew."
'Screw it. I'll risk it.'
In Osric's opinion, the pros outweighed the cons.
He sneaked up closer to the alley without being noticed.
'How should I approach this?'
They were still arguing, and things were starting to get more tense.
"I told you like ten times already! I don't work with criminals!"
"Grow up kid. Most people here have dirtied their hands at least once."
"Well, I'm not trash like you bastards."
"This piece of shit!" One of the gangsters yelled.
Pow!
His fist drove into Jayson's stomach.
Since he was surrounded, he couldn't dodge it, despite his excellent reflexes.
Osric frowned.
'He has guts, but he clearly can't read the room. I guess he's still a kid.'
"Grab him." The man in the middle said.
He looked like the one in charge.
"Beat him until he changes his mind."
'They really are trash.' Osric thought.
'But this is typical for Ashbrook. Most people here are ruthless.'
Pah!
Pow!
"Argh!"
'Shit. Without a weapon, I need to take them down as quickly as possible with a surprise attack, before they gang up on me.'
But Osric was over 5 meters away. He would definitely be seen before he arrived there, no matter how fast he was.
The alley also wasn't narrow enough to fight them one on one. Three guys could stand next to each other.
'What should I do?'
Osric's eyes moved quickly.
The ground.
The walls.
The spacing between them.
'Not all of them are watching.'
Two of them were focused on Jayson.
One was laughing.
Another had turned slightly, half-listening.
Only the leader stood fully aware.
'That's enough.'
Osric bent down slightly and picked up a loose piece of stone from the ground.
Without hesitation—
He threw it.
Not at them.
Past them.
The stone struck the wall deeper in the alley with a sharp crack.
"—What was that?"
Two of the men turned instantly.
Another shifted his stance, looking over his shoulder.
For a split second—
Their formation broke.
Osric moved.
Fast.
The distance vanished in an instant.
Before they could fully react—
His fist drove into the nearest man's jaw.
A clean impact.
The man dropped instantly.
"What—?!"
Osric didn't stop.
He stepped past the falling body and closed in on the second.
The man raised his arms too late.
Osric's first strike hit his ribs.
Hard.
The air left his lungs in a sharp gasp.
His second strike followed immediately.
A compact blow to the side of his head.
The man staggered—
But didn't fall.
Osric grabbed his collar and drove his knee upward.
The impact snapped his head back.
This time, he collapsed.
"Jayson, fight back!"
The shout cut through the chaos.
Jayson froze for a brief moment.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"—Yeah!"
The remaining three reacted at once.
"Get him!"
One rushed Osric from the side.
A wild swing.
Osric turned his shoulder into it.
The hit landed, but he absorbed it and stepped inside.
His counter came immediately.
A short strike to the man's throat.
The attacker choked and stumbled back.
At the same time—
Another lunged forward.
Jayson moved.
His body twisted awkwardly—
But fast.
The punch aimed at him missed completely.
Jayson's counter came without thought.
A rough, desperate strike.
It landed harder than expected.
The man staggered.
Osric noticed it instantly.
'Good.'
The leader stepped in now.
Unlike the others, his movements were more controlled.
He didn't rush blindly.
His strike came straight toward Osric.
Osric blocked—
The impact was solid.
Stronger than the others.
'He's the only decent one.'
But Osric didn't give him space.
He stepped forward.
Closing distance again.
Another clash.
Jayson moved beside him now.
Not coordinated.
Not clean.
But present.
The fight turned messy.
Two against three.
Blows exchanged in tight space.
Osric took another hit to the side.
Jayson barely avoided one.
Another man tried to grab Osric from behind—
Osric twisted free and drove his elbow backward.
A sharp impact.
The man collapsed.
Only two remained.
The leader and one other.
They hesitated.
Just for a moment.
That was enough.
Osric stepped in again.
Relentless.
Jayson followed.
The last thug faltered under pressure.
A quick exchange—
Then he dropped.
Only the leader remained.
His eyes darted between them.
Breathing heavier now.
Blood trickling from his lip.
"You'll regret this…"
His voice was lower now.
More controlled.
"The Dark Ogre Gang won't forget this."
Osric didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
The man tried to strike—
Too slow.
Osric's final blow landed cleanly.
The leader collapsed.
Silence filled the alley.
Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.