Chapter 8

[1st POV]

I rushed into the nearest alley, and I didn't regret it. 

That's where the scene was taking place.

There were five guys with baseball bats around a girl who couldn't stand, beating her with all their might.

She was clearly very drunk. Even while being beaten, she didn't let go of a bottle containing some alcohol.

"Scum!"

"Die!"

"Wait a minute!" 

The third one shouted.

 "How about we have some fun with her? This bitch is hot!"

"Exactly! Come on, guys, flip the bitch over!"

Using my "Inventory," I put on a black hoodie and a cap to at least partially conceal my face from outsiders.

"Hey! Guys!" 

I pulled out a hammer. 

"Get away from the lady."

"Get lost, man, before you get a face full of punches!" 

One of them shouted without turning his face toward me.

I didn't wait long and ran toward the group, pulling out a shield from my inventory. 

As the first pair noticed my approach and turned their attention completely to me, I threw the shield at them with all my strength. 

They ducked, but it struck the guy standing behind them in the stomach.

Then, I pulled out another shield and used it to block one attack while swinging the hammer at the second.

Meanwhile, the other pair forgot about the lady and charged at me.

I once again pulled off a Captain America move, throwing the shield at one of them while quickly retrieving a third to defend against their attacks.

At one point, I managed to smash the hammer into my right opponent's fingers, knocking the bat from his grip and then hitting him in the shoulder and stomach. 

After that, I switched my focus to the others.

With all my might, I tried to move faster, but the three criminals and the fourth were intimidated.

I shifted to the side to line up all three of them in front of me, but only two were in position. 

A sharp shove with the shield knocked them to the ground while I disarmed the third and smashed one of his arms and a leg with the hammer.

Then I threw the third shield at the rising guy and charged at the two idiots getting up.

In just another ten seconds, they were on the ground, groaning in pain.

I hadn't damaged any vital organs, and they would be able to make it home. 

I checked their condition.

By that time, she had gotten to her feet and sat on a trash can, staring at me with eyes clouded by alcohol.

"How are you, miss?" 

I asked, putting the hammer away.

"I'm fine. Thanks, but I could have handled it myself."

She had not a single scratch or bruise and looked like she wasn't feeling any pain from the beating. 

One arm of her denim jacket was torn off, and her dirty, torn blue jeans showed no signs of distress. 

Overall, if I had to put it that way, she had come away with just a fright. 

Although it didn't seem like she was scared at all in this situation, it felt as if she couldn't care less as if those thugs hadn't just beaten her a minute ago...

"Yeah." 

I nodded at her.

"Ding!"

[Quest Completed: Knight on a White Peugeot]

[Reward:

+200 Relationship with other "saved princesses."

Title: "Knight on a White Car."

1% chance that the person you saved will fall in love with you.]

[You have acquired the attribute "Shield Thrower."]

[Shield Thrower: You can throw shields with great accuracy and strength.]

[+250 relationships with everyone who has a shield.]

I activated "Player's Eyes" to assess the level of injuries on the fallen idiot and to better understand the lady I had saved.

[Name: Jessica Jones

Level: 65

Race: Genetically Modified Human

Class 1: Spy

Subclass 1: Detective

Class 2: Warrior

Subclass 2: Martial Arts Mastery.

Trait: Genetically Modified Human, Alcoholic, Private Detective, Psychologically Unstable, Chronic Undersexed

Age: 26

Attributes: See details.]

'Why am I not even surprised? It's only been two months of my life here, and I've already met Jessica Jones.'

"Thank you." 

She finally said, finishing off the bottle.

"Don't mention it. I did what I had to do." 

I replied like a typical "hero."

[+200 relationship with Jessica Jones.]

"What's your name?" 

She asked, trying to stand up but swayed and nearly fell into my arms. 

Well, it was more like she almost fell to the ground, but I caught her. 

"Oops! Looks like I got a bit tipsy."

"My name is Christian. Christian Smith."

"Jessica Jones." 

She introduced herself, gripping me as she tried to steady herself.

"How did you end up here, alone, drunk, and in such company?"

"I was out for a walk." 

I discreetly returned the remaining shields near us to my "Inventory."

"My advice for the future is don't go out alone. You might get into trouble."

She was a pretty brunette with long, small moles and tangled hair that was slightly dirty from being rolled in the trash. She had blue, miserable, "naive" eyes and seemed about five centimeters shorter than me.

"I can take care of myself!" 

She exclaimed, letting go of me and nearly falling again. 

I caught her once more.

"Well, fine, I guess this works too."

[+100 relationship with Jessica Jones.]

"Where do you live, Miss Jones?"

"Just Jessica. I'm not a stalker. Just… there!" 

She said, pointing somewhere to the north.

"I see, but could you be a bit more specific?"

She focused her gaze on me and, not breaking eye contact, pulled out a piece of paper with an address from her inner pocket.

Clearly, this wasn't her first time doing this.

"Okay, I'll take you home. But... don't you need to go to the hospital? You were beaten..."

"I'm tough, I just couldn't get up immediately to deal with those jerks. I assure you, I'm strong and resilient." 

She smiled at me, pressing closer. 

"And you did great, taking on five of them. Even being a bit of a fatso didn't stop you from beating them. I just didn't see much of it."

She was quite friendly when it came to discussing strangers...

"I'm pretty agile." 

I smiled, letting the fatso comment slide. 

"Let's go, Jessica."

I led her to my car and helped her into the front seat, giving her a bag just in case. 

We arrived at her apartment, and I walked her to the barely open door.

"Aren't you afraid that someone will break in and rob you?" 

I asked as I laid her down on the only place to sleep—the couch.

"This area isn't exactly the safest."

"If they break in, I'll give them such a beating that they won't know what hit them." 

She replied, smiling with her eyes closed.

 "And there's nothing worth stealing here. If they try to look for anything valuable, I'll even help them... well, after I knock them out, heh."

"It's clear that things are pretty bad."

She was out cold.

I couldn't just leave her like that, so I decided to fix her door at least. It was barely hanging on, and my skills were enough to repair it.

After about forty minutes, the door was completely fixed. 

I gained another level in my skills and some experience, then left, closing the door behind me.

Jessica truly was a tough girl, and System didn't warn me too much about the consequences for her.

As a good Samaritan, I did a good deed and got out of there. 

I didn't want the Defenders to notice me. Besides, it seemed she had a thing going with Luke Cage in the canon...

The next morning, I received another +250 relationship points with her. 

That was it.

I went alone to a dinner invitation with George and his family, where Mary was already nagging me, clearly obsessed with the idea of my marriage...

However, I didn't want to get married yet. Moreover, I didn't have the time.

I decided to endure and stay away from that area to avoid any trouble, and I had plenty on my plate. 

Bureaucracy, work, training, dungeons, and even occasional phone chats with Emma, who sometimes came to the café to talk. 

I no longer considered her warily. I just kept things within limits while she seemed to be waiting and enticing me with her looks. 

To be continued…