Lyon POV:

I slumped down against the cold wall, panting heavily while beads of sweat ran down my forehead. My gaze shifted to the knife embedded deep within my thigh as I raised my trembling hand.

My fingers coiled around the handle, gripping it firmly while I narrowed my eyes. I took a deep breath and yanked it out.

“Heok!”

A pained moan slipped through my clenched teeth as blood squirted out like a water fountain. I quickly ripped off a part of my top and wrapped it around the wound. I made sure the knot was tight, applying enough pressure to help stop the excessive blood flow while my head rested back against the wall.

‘What now?’

I gazed at the overcast sky. I thought about where I should go from here as Mike’s last words echoed through my mind.

It didn’t scare me, but rather made me wonder why exactly Zane had sent me here. I pondered for a while when I heard an ear-piercing shriek from the next alleyway in front.

“P-please...! S-stop...!”

“Hehehe, I’ll make you experience a world far beyond your imagination! Damn... This chick is flippin’ sexy!”

‘Hmm.’

I gazed at the blood seeping through the tied knot and contemplated. I needed some sort of connection here, and if I assumed that everyone was as strong as those guys from before, then I’d need to use a more strategic approach.

For now, it’d be better not to trust anyone. I had to learn that lesson the hard way; though I did suspect Mike from the beginning.

I got to my feet and activated the Mark of a Pantheon as I hobbled to the next alleyway. I peeked my head around the corner and saw three men ripping away the clothes of a blond-haired woman.

‘!’

It was the same mature woman who had approached me before. I didn’t expect her to still be out here.

‘A coincidence?’

Perhaps this was for the best since we already had one interaction with each other. More importantly, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to this kind of scene.

I stepped forward while the three men quickly noticed my presence.

“Ey, look here kid. We grown ups are in the middle of something, so run along.”

“Hehehe, he's probably getting excited looking at this one.”

He kicked her in the stomach as she curled over on the ground in pain.

“P-please... I-It... hurts...”

‘Disturbing.’

I watched her try to crawl away as the three men laughed at her while one of them tried to grab her bottom.

My eyes narrowed instantly while I quickly deduced their levels and bolted forward. They could use Ki, but they were only around the Irini Stage.

“Bahaha, ey, kid. You can’t fight. So... Last chance, okay?”

He cocked his head to the side and glared at me menacingly as my eyes flashed.

“Ghost.”

Dark red optimal lines of attack flooded my vision while I flickered in front of the target—a few seconds was all I needed for these low-level goons.

The man who had been threatening me tried to grab me, but I sidestepped and chopped his adam's apple. He fell to the ground coughing everywhere as I spun and smashed the other man in his temple with the blade of my foot.

“Keuk!!”

He flopped to the ground like a goldfish out of water as the sole of my foot smashed his head deeper into the earth, helping his flailing limbs to come to a stop.

The first man laid passed out on the ground; his hands around his throat as foam bubbled out of his mouth.

“W-wait!”

The last man who had been crouching down on top of the woman quickly fell back on his butt. He backed away like a scared child while I drew closer.

“You can have her! S-she's all yours, ehe?”

My hand covered his vision as I piledrived his head into the ground. I lifted him up by the hair and smashed him against the side of the alley. I heard the cracking sound of bones as I dashed his limp body to the side.

I let out a deep breath and checked on my injured leg—it didn’t look good. I had tightened the muscles around the area to forcefully slow down the bleeding, but it was a technique I never had the chance to practice much, so the result wasn’t satisfactory.

“Ugh...”

My head was starting to spin slightly and my vision became cloudier. I ignored it, choosing to check on the woman who was trembling in fear.

She had backed away into a corner and covered her upper body with her ripped clothes. Our eyes made contact as she bit her trembling lip.

“P-please... D-don’t... hurt... m-me... T-they... said... I-I c-could... find w-work...”

“...”

Perhaps calling her a mature woman wasn’t very respectful or accurate at all. I closed the distance between us and smiled softly.

“Let’s go.”

I helped her up while she belatedly noticed my injured leg.

“Y-you’re hurt... I-I can... T-treat you...”

A plethora of emotions washed over her face as she bent down to examine the wound. She seemed a bit too trusting? Even if I had just saved her, she was too... nice?

‘Hmm.’

I studied her character carefully and concluded that her behaviour earlier may have been out of the norm for her. She also didn’t have the strength to overpower those three men, so if she tried anything funny; it wouldn’t be a problem to deal with her.

“Take me to your place.”

“M-my... P-place...”

I looked down at her while she hurriedly got back to her feet. Her baby blue eyes looked directly into mine as her soft lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Y-yes...”

She lead the way and I followed after.

***

We walked up a flight of stairs within the estate as I made a mental note of my surroundings. Some floors of the building were quiet while others contained the sounds of glass smashing, people swearing, crying out for help or even the thudding sounds of fighting.

The young woman beside me would often flinch at the noise, opting to move closer towards me as I saw her body tremble. A loud bang rang out, causing her to immediately retreat and hide behind the wall leading to the stairs.

“S-sorry... J-Just... a m-moment...”

Her pupils dilated to the extreme as sweat poured down her face. I observed her blond hair sway side to side while her head abruptly spun around to look over her shoulder.

“It’s okay.”

My lips formed a short smile as I extended my hand toward her. Her gaze alternated between my face and hand while a faint shade of red appeared on her cheeks.

“T-thank... y-you...”

She lightly took my hand and we continued on.

This type of housing was unfamiliar to me. I hadn’t seen anything like it in Efros, and it was hard to imagine so many people living in one building like this. I could understand its usefulness in terms of saving space, but Efros had plenty of space available.

She stopped in front of a door and reluctantly let go of my hand. She turned her face away from me slightly while she went a darker shade of red.

Her hand hovered over the key, hesitating to open the door before she did so. She peeked her head inside and let out a relieved sigh.

“Do you live alone?”

“Y-n-no... B-but it’s o-okay...”

My gaze shifted between her and the entrance. She politely gestured that I come inside, and after deliberating for a few seconds I headed in.

The room was as I imagined it to be—simple and bare. Past the short passageway, there was a bed in the corner and a small door that led to a bathroom as well as another room. A stool was placed beside the closed window that also had a washing line attached to it.

She sat me down on the bed and took out a bucket from underneath. I watched her remove my bandage while she carefully inspected the wound.

“Y-you tied... I-it w-well...”

“Thank you.”

I smiled at her as she looked away embarrassed.

‘Something’s not right.’

Now that my vision had cleared somewhat, she looked incomparably younger than before. I had interacted with a lot of people in Efros, so I developed quite a discerning eye.

However, I couldn’t put my finger on what the issue was—she definitely appeared to be only a year older than me, but how? Did she have an older sister who happened to look almost identical to her? I wasn’t sure.

She cleaned the wound with water and placed her hand on it gently. She closed her eyes while muttering something before opening them. I watched her leave and come back with clean bandages.

‘What was that about?’

I decided not to ask since I noticed the change in her eyes—they became more serious, more resolute.

“M-might h-hurt...”

She pointed to a small bottle of what I assumed was disinfectant. Her clothes weren’t on properly, so her large breasts, which appeared deceivingly moderate, were completely exposed from this angle.

‘...’

I grabbed hold of the duvet and wrapped it around her securely as she looked up at me with large eyes.

“It's okay. Please continue.”

“T-thank... y-you...”

She blushed faintly before wiping the wound with some disinfectant. It stung a lot, but the pain was nothing compared to what I went through during training.

She wrapped a bandage around my thigh and tied it in a tight knot. She took a step back before sitting down on her knees in front of me.

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

“W-welcome... I a-am.. M-Marina...”

I looked at her carefully while I pulled up my trousers and deactivated the Mark. Her appearance aside, it was time to get some answers.

“Marina, why did you throw yourself at me in the afternoon?”

She cocked her head to the side confused. I was taken aback by her reaction since it wasn’t a difficult question to answer.

“W-wasn’t m-me...”

I remained silent and pondered for a while. I had been second-guessing whether it was her based on her appearance, but the body build and frame were definitely identical. However, the manner of speech differed greatly, and this person sitting in front of me was definitely a lot younger.

‘Hmm.’

I made a mental note of everything and decided to come back to this matter later.

“Marina, do you have any friends?”

“N-no... O-only have... L-Len... S-she's nice.. t-to me...”

‘Marina mentioned earlier that she didn’t live alone, maybe Len would sometimes look after her?’

No matter how I looked at it, Marina came across as a vulnerable young woman. It seemed like pursuing this lead would be for the best; I also didn’t want to burden Marina much either.

“How can I meet Len?”

“T-tomorrow... L-Len checks... On m-me... Every t-two... Days... i-if possible...”

I thought as much. This Len person had been taking care of her. I looked down at Marina and felt a sudden pain in my chest as I watched her innocent smile.

‘She’s sweet.’

I bent down on one knee and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Marina, can I stay with you for awhile? I won’t let anyone hurt you while I’m here.”

She stared into my eyes as her lips spread out into a bright smile.

“O-of course a-and... T-thank you... F-for... S-saving m-me...”

Her radiant smile was like a blinding light so much so that I had to look away while I replied.

“You’re welcome.”

I tried to keep the dialogue simple while we spoke about a few topics. Marina wanted me to sleep on the bed, but I declined and told her that I’d be fine with the floor.

She was unhappy at first but soon accepted my decision. The night passed by peacefully and morning came.

***

I was deep in meditation when Marina woke up. She jumped out of her bed and hugged me tight.

“Y-you... D-didn't leave... M-me.. T-thank you...”

“Don’t worry, Marina.”

I rubbed her back gently to reassure her while my eyes narrowed. I imagined that many people had given her false hope before, but she couldn’t help trusting people so easily.

I watched her get up and head into the bathroom with a bounce in her step.

‘Len didn’t return the whole night. It’s possible she also has a different residence. Additionally, since she looks after Marina, she must be earning enough for both of them to survive.’

I pondered to myself as I listened to Marina humming away in the bathroom.