Chapter 19: Victory

He separated again and created some distance between them.

"It's 2-0 Now. One more, and I win," Ryder said to Esmi as he gazed into her deep eyes that were starting to look uncertain. 

'I can't believe I'm talking to an underworld boss like this,' Ryder could feel the adrenaline pumping through his body. He was fighting the powerful woman who ruled the underworld. The person most of the populace was scared of.

"You're better than I thought. Who trained you?" Esmi inquired as she looked at him with full seriousness.

"I self-trained for years before finally getting some strength," He lied to her without even the least bit of shame. 

'I can't just tell you that I learned my martial arts from the system without even spending a day to learn it,' He thought as a wry smile formed on his face.

"Very well. I might as we get serious,' She said as she attacked him again. Her speed was visibly faster, and her movements were more fluid. It was getting harder to dodge her attacks, but he was barely managing it.

"Wait, Michel, don't shoot!" She called out abruptly as she looked behind Ryder.

Ryder was stunned and couldn't help but turn back; that was when he realized that he fucked up.

Esmi had caught him as she wrapped her arm around his neck from behind. It looked like Ryder was caught in a sleeper chokehold.

"2-1," Esmi said with a smile as she lowered her hold and placed her other hand on his chest.

She freed him after a brief moment.

"That was foul play! You cheated," Ryder let out with an annoyed look on his face.

" That wasn't cheating, sweetheart. Didn't you hear? Everything is fair on love and war," Esmi chuckled as he glanced at Ryder.

"Is this love, or is this war?" Ryder asked with a curious look on his face.

"Can't it be both?" Esmi said seductively as she licked her lips.

"It doesn't matter," Ryder let out as he attacked again.

Esmi looked like she was getting the hang of the fighting and giving a tough fight to Ryder.

'She's quite skilled. No wonder she was able to become the mafia boss,' Ryder thought as he dodged her attack.

Ryder knew that if he got hit by any of her attacks, It would be over for him.

It was at that moment that he noticed an opening. Using the lower level Martial arts, he finally caught a hold of her hand as he twisted her hand. Her chest was stuck facing the wall while her hand was twisted behind her back.

She tried moving, but she couldn't.

"3-1. I think it's my win," He said with a wide smile as he kissed her fair cheeks.

"Yeah, you did win. You definitely aren't weak. Just what I like," She said as she chuckled.

Ryder freed her hand. Esmi turned back, and now her back was against the wall as she kissed him.

Ryder also responded to her kiss.

After a 10 minutes long kissing session, He separated his lips from hers.

"You're taking my breath away. Let's go to my room, at least," She said with a drunken look on her face.

"Alright. Just tell me where your room is," Ryder said as he picked her up in his arms.

She provided him directions, and he carried her. Her room was on the second floor. 

He placed her gently on the bed as he took his shirt and pants off and climbed on the bed.

Ryder was just about to kiss her again when he heard Janus' voice.

<Ding… Another mission has been issued to the host>

<Mission: Leave this mansion and go back home>

<Reward: 5 origin points>

<Punishment 5 for failure: origin points shall be deducted>

<Time 5 Limit: Minutes> 

Ryder could feel his blood boiling as he heard Janus' voice at such a crucial time.

'You bastard! Can you stop messing with me! Do you think that I can leave in such a situation? Go fuck off,' Ryder thought in his mind, and he was sure that Janus would hear him.

He decided to ignore him and continue with what he was doing.

______________________________

The night passed away as the morning arrived.

It was around 6 in the morning, and the rays of sunlight were falling on Ryder's face. He woke up from his fantastic sleep. 

After opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the beautiful sleeping face of Esmi.

'This woman is simply amazing—such an unforgettable experience. Now I understand what my college friends talked about. Anyway, I should leave. Alice must be waiting for me at home, and it would be awkward if Bastion saw me here," This was the thought going on in his mind as he got up.

He wondered if he should wake Esmi up to tell her, but she was in a deep sleep. He decided to leave without disturbing her.

He looked for his clothes and wore them as he left the room. He went downstairs. Thankfully the place was empty, and he didn't see Bastian as he left the mansion. Probably Bastian was still sleeping.

The guards were still outside, but they didn't say anything to him as he walked out of the mansion. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could see a glimpse of a grin on their faces. Just what were these guys thinking, he couldn't help but wonder.

"I didn't think about it before, but how am I supposed to go back? There are 15 kilometers of distance between me and my house," He muttered as he walked on an empty road.

"I better call an uber," He muttered as he took out his phone.