Then it hit him.
Among the skills he had received when he awakened his class… there was [Battle Adept] and [Instinct].
Maybe those two skills were working together right now, sharpening his battle sense without him even noticing.
Jake's eyes suddenly brightened with awe and excitement.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he finally taste the feeling of power... of having a Class.
And a cocky grin slowly spread across his face.
'Heh… not bad.'
Seeing the smug look on Jake's face, the subordinate felt a surge of irritation boil within him.
...A fierce urge to wipe that expression clean.
He growled lowly and lunged again, this time with far more force behind the strike as his blade cutting through the air as it aimed straight for Jake's neck.
But Jake's body moved almost on its own.
He leaned back just enough for the blade to whistle past his throat, then instinctively stepped in close.
Before he even realized what he was doing, his fist shot forward and smashed hard into the man's jaw with a loud crack.
Bang!
The subordinate staggered backward, blood flying from his mouth, eyes wide in shock.
Jake also blinked, then stared at his own fist in amazement.
"Whoa… that actually worked?"
The leader's expression turned ugly.
He finally drew his own weapon, a sleek black saber that hummed with faint energy.
"You little shit... you're dead."
He signaled the third man, and both of them moved forward together, flanking Jake from the left and right.
Jake's confidence wavered as he saw the two trained fighters closing in.
He quickly glanced toward the woman, who had managed to sit up but was still watching everything with her wide golden eyes.
"Hey, golden eyes!" he called out, his voice half-panicked and half-shameless as he wink at her.
"If I actually beat these guys, you owe me a proper reward, okay?"
The woman's cheeks flushed red at his sudden flirting.
"You...! This is not the time for that!"
Jake just laughed nervously while dodging another slash, while his mind was actually racing for a plan.
'Okay, Battle Adept and Instinct are helping… but I'm still just a Common Class. I can't win a long fight against three of them.'
He needed to end this fast or find a way to escape with the woman.
But then the subordinate lunged again, swinging his weapon with even more force.
Jake's body reacted on instinct once more as he ducked low, letting the blade whistle harmlessly over his head.
But this time, instead of counter-attacking like a proper fighter, Jake did something much dirtier.
He scooped up a handful of filthy alley mud mixed with rotten fruit scraps and slammed it straight into the man's face.
"Suck on that!"
The subordinate screamed as the disgusting sludge got into his eyes and mouth.
He staggered backward, clawing desperately at his face and coughing violently.
"Argh! You bastard!"
Jake didn't stop there.
While the man was blinded, he kicked him hard between the legs with everything he had.
Thud!
The subordinate let out a high-pitched wheeze and dropped to his knees, clutching his groin.
"One down!" Jake cheered, though his voice was still shaky.
The leader's face turned purple with rage.
"You filthy rat!"
He and the third man charged at the same time from both sides.
Jake's eyes darted around desperately.
His [Instinct] screamed at him to run, but he needed an opening first.
At the last second, he pretended to trip forward and rushed straight toward the approaching leader.
"!?"
The leader was caught slightly off guard by the sudden charge, but he quickly sneered and swung his blade.
Slash!
And the strike missed again.
"What!?" the leader shouted as he watched Jake leap surprisingly high.
But then Jake's foot slammed onto his face.
Bang!
"Urghh!!"
And using it as a foothold, Jake pushed off and launched himself forward, delivering a flying kick toward the last subordinate.
Bang!
Jake's kick landed squarely on the man's face.
As Jake spun midair and landed, he was briefly shocked by his own agility.
But he quickly turned and shouted at the woman.
"Golden-eyes! Let's run!"
He didn't wait for a reply.
Grabbing the edge of a large wooden crate leaning against the wall, he shoved it over with all his strength.
BANG!
The heavy crate crashed down right in front of the two men, blocking their path and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
While they cursed and tried to regain their composure, Jake sprinted toward the woman, grabbed her wrist without asking and yanked her to her feet.
"Let's go!"
The woman's golden eyes widened, but she didn't resist.
She quickly pulled her hood back up with her free hand and ran beside him.
Behind them, the leader roared in fury:
"After them! Don't let them escape!"
Heavy footsteps pounded the ground as the two remaining men kicked the crate aside and start giving chase.
Soon, as the sound of the men running faded into the distance,
Jake slowly peeked his head out from behind the same large wooden crate they had knocked over.
They were only a few meters away from the place where the fight had started.
"Hehe… this old trick always works," he whispered with a smug grin.
Sometimes the most dangerous place was really the safest.
Those three idiots had charged right past them.
They never once thought the pair would hide right next to the original spot.
Even so, Jake know they couldn't stay here for long.
Those men might come back to check at any moment.
Jake glanced at the woman crouched beside him.
She was breathing quietly, her golden eyes wide with disbelief.
"You… you didn't run?" she whispered.
Jake smirked, brushing the dust off his clothes.
"Haha… this is called a tactical retreat."
Then he slowly peeked out again.
The alley was empty now but he could still hear the distant angry shouts echoing from those man.
"Perfect. They're heading toward the market. We've got maybe five minutes before they realize they've been tricked."
The woman stared at him as she was still stunned.
She never expected the guy who had acting like the hero of justice and flirting mid-fight to suddenly turn so cunning.
Jake wiped the dirt from his hands and offered her one with a playful wink.
"Come on, golden-eyes. Time for phase two of the escape."
She hesitated for half a second, then slowly placed her small hand in his.
With a firm gripped, Jake smile and pulled her up gently and led her out of the alley in the opposite direction.
They moved quickly but quietly, slipping between stacks of crates, barrels of salted fish and hanging fishing nets that swayed gently in the sea breeze.
Every time they heard footsteps or voices approaching, Jake would yank her behind the nearest cover.
Sometimes the space was so tight that he had to pull and hug her tightly against his chest, with one arm wrapped around her shoulder to keep her steady while he carefully scan the area.
And at the same times, Jake couldn't help but notice just how soft and warm her petite body felt in his arms.
...Especially those large breasts that looked almost exaggerated on her small, delicate frame.
They pressed softly against him every time he held her close, and the sensation was driving his brain wild.
'And she smells nice too…' he thought, catching a faint, sweet scent that reminded him of sun-warmed flower mixed with cool spring.
Jake, who had come from modern Earth where cleanliness was everything, suddenly found himself growing more and more attracted to her with every passing second.
'Damn, focus Jake. Safety first and flirt later.'
...But it was getting harder to concentrate with their body pressing close like this.
Suddenly,
"Eh?"
A soft, cute voice slipped out from beneath the cloaked woman as she felt something pressing against her abdomen.
Curious, she reached down and touched it, then blinking in confusion.
"...a burning sword?"