Watching Closely

'Interesting... so he's not as boring as I thought,' Lucy giggled to herself, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

Unlike last night, the Asher who was fighting now looked far more alive.

He still wasn't showing any strong facial expressions, but she could tell from the smell of his blood that he was currently releasing way more emotions. 

She had been observing him ever since he left his apartment and had considered approaching him directly, but when she tried, the female landlord had intervened.

This only deepened her curiosity about why an specter was giving him so much special treatment and attention. 

At first, it struck her as odd that someone with his fighting skills would settle for working a low paying part-time job. It felt like he was playing it too safe, wasting all that talent.

But as she watched him more closely, she was elated to discover this side of him—there was more to him than she'd first assumed.

Sure, he might be weak compared to demons, but for a human, he was quite the talent. 

And Lucy didn't say that lightly. After all, she had lived for thousands of years and met humans far stronger and more impressive.

But, there was something intriguing about him, something that made her want to keep watching. 

'This is not good, my heart is pounding just watching him,' she muttered, biting her lip. 

A rare sensation began to creep through her body, making her feel hot all over. 

'I wonder what his blood tastes like,' she whispered to herself, the words slipping out before she could stop it.

As more sadistic thoughts crossed her mind, her nose twitched, and her lips curled into a frown. 'What is that disgusting smell?'

Back in the fight. 

Asher's serious warning silenced everyone. They could tell from how he spoke that he was determined to take down the opponent alone.

So— 

They just waited in silence until the distant echo of multiple running footsteps reached them.

It was the rival group's backup, and among them stood a man with a huge muscular body, towering at an imposing 6 feet 7 inches.

He boasted a brown complexion paired with well-defined muscles.

A mere glance at him would make anyone assume that he was stupidly strong. 

In comparison, Asher was tall too, but at only 6"1", he looked like a kid in front of the Black Hound.

His body was also slender, as he never bothered with building too much muscles since no one had been able to threaten him.

"You," the Black Hound pointed directly at Asher, signaling with a throat-slashing gesture. "Dead," he declared.

"Okay" Asher responded with a bored expression, unfazed by the Black Hound's intimidating appearance.

Even if his enemy was a giant at 7 feet tall, it didn't concern him.

His strategy didn't involve taking hits; instead, his greatest strength relied on quick reaction times and skillfully dodging attacks. No matter how strong his opponent was, if they couldn't land a hit, it would all be useless.

Seeing his nonchalant reaction, the rival gang members were offended and began screaming at him.

"Let's beat him up !" someone from the crowd shouted, and the rest followed suit, ready to go.

But before they could do anything, the Black Hound raised his hand to stop them.

"Don't interfere," he said loudly, his voice deep and husky.

He walked slowly toward Asher, each step sounding heavy and making a noticeable mark against the hard ground.

"Hit me," The black hound challenged.

"Thanks," Asher immediately went for a quick jab in the chin. It was his go-to move against larger opponents.

But, as his fist connected, something felt off.

The Black Hound just took the punch, then hit back with a strong left uppercut of his own. 

Quickly responding, Asher jumped backward . He could almost feel the wind whooshing past as he evaded the powerful strike. It was the first time he had encountered a punch like that.

"Weak punch," Black Hound sneered, casually touching his chin and mockingly opening and closing his mouth.

'He's way tougher than the guy last night,' He adjusted his posture, slipping into his Orthodox Boxing stance.

His left foot led while his right foot stayed slightly back. With his knees bent, he was ready to pivot or move in any direction.

Black Hound, on the other hand, remained cocky, just advancing casually.

He didn't even mount any defense, and just gestured Asher to keep hitting him.

"You're done for, little man," the Black Hound growled, his lip curling in contempt as he stepped closer, towering over his opponent.