"Have you sent out the men?" Madame Freya asked.
"Yes, ma'am," James, her handsome blond bodyguard, answered.
"And?"
"No news yet. I couldn't send any of our men since you wanted us to keep it a secret from Marxon, so I sent Kaegan just in case," he responded.
"Kaegan? Isn't he the leader of that Devil's Cross gang?" she asked.
"Yes. He said he'll do it."
"Okay, that's a good call. If someone like Kaegan is there, I'm sure the job is already done."
Just as she had expected, Vincent was having a really tough time against this guy.
He didn't look like much, an older guy with a slender frame and scruffy beard, but it was hard for Vincent to even land a punch.
'I'm struggling again' he gritted his teeth. 'If I lose here, who knows what will happen to Sarah?'
He went for a straight punch again, but Kaegan positioned himself in a way that made the punch roll off his shoulder, then returned with a direct hit to the chin.
[Moderate pain extracted +20 points]
Vincent fell to the floor but quickly got back up.
'If his punches were a little heavier, I would have passed out already' he thought, wiping the blood from his lips.
"Kid, which gang are you from?" Kaegan asked.
"That's none of your business," Vincent replied angrily.
It was even more frustrating losing to this guy because he could see that he was stronger and even faster, yet he was still losing.
"Yikes, forgive me for asking… I was just wondering why I haven't heard of you before."
"I'm guessing that's because you're new to our world. It's so easy to figure out with the way you're fighting."
"You're strong, but you don't know how to fight yet. And that's why you're losing. I used to be a boxer, so it's easy for me to see these things."
"Unless you're telling me where Sarah is, just shut the fuck up," Vincent replied and attacked again.
All his strikes were either blocked or parried, before Kaegan landed a clean hit to his lower abdomen, sending him to the floor again.
[Moderate pain extracted +31 points]
"You're strong, maybe even stronger than me, but there's something you don't understand," Kaegan said with a smug grin.
"Fighting can be done in two ways, one is blindly attacking, like you're doing right now, the other is adding a bit of creativity."
With Vincent still slumped over, Kaegan kicked him in the face like it was a ball.
[Severe pain extracted +40 points]
Vincent rolled a few feet before struggling to his feet, but as he got up, Kaegan's fist came flying at his face.
"Fighting is an art."
[Moderate pain extracted +26 points]
He recovered quickly and threw a punch, but Kaegan ducked and landed an uppercut, sending Vincent to the ground once more.
[Severe pain extracted +37 points]
"Seems like your endurance is also no joke," Kaegan said, almost surprised.
"I have to say this… why don't you join our gang?"
Vincent was surprised by the sudden offer. So were the other men present.
"B-but boss, we were paid to get rid of him," one of them said.
"Shut the fuck up," Kaegan shot a glance at the man, then returned his attention to Vincent.
"So what do you say? If you join me, I can teach you how to fight. With your natural potential and my skill, you'd become untouchable."
"Is that a joke?" Vincent asked, struggling to his feet. "Why the hell would I join you?"
"You should think hard about it. That's the only possible way you're getting out of this alive."
"Then what about Sarah?" Vincent asked.
"I'm sorry, but the best I can do is not kill you. You should appreciate that, at least."
"If that's the case, then you'll have to kill me." Vincent raised his fists, ready to fight.
Kaegan sighed. "That's disappointing… Well, I've had my fun. Time to end this."
He charged at Vincent, but Vincent steeled his resolve and didn't move.
'He's right. I can't keep on attacking blindly. I need to be smart about it… If I could only get a hold of him and land one clean hit…'
That was when Vincent decided to take his chances. Instead of blocking the punch that was heading his way, he put down his guard and allowed Kaegan to hit him.
"Have you finally given up?" Kaegan smirked as he landed the blow.
"No," Vincent replied. "I decided to be creative."
It was then Kaegan noticed Vincent had gotten a hold of his shirt. Before he could react, Vincent gave him a heavy punch that sent him smashing to the ground.
But it wasn't over. Kaegan got back to his feet. Vincent quickly charged before he could fully regain himself, grabbing him by the waist and attempting to slam him.
Kaegan used that moment to wrap his arm around Vincent's neck, putting him in a chokehold. His oxygen was immediately cut off as he gasped for breath. He had mere seconds before he would pass out.
Thinking fast, he did the only thing he could — he forced both of them to the ground. But Kaegan's grip remained firm.
"Sorry, kid. This is just the way it has to be."
It looked like the fight was finally over — but Vincent wasn't ready to give up.
"Put… all my… points into strength."
"No need to beg now, it's already too late," Kaegan chuckled, thinking Vincent was talking to him, but the message had reached the right person.
[Understood]
Just like that, Vincent felt his strength surge. The points he had gotten from trashing those guys earlier plus the ones he earned getting beaten added up to 420 in total.
With his strength nearly doubled, he grabbed Kaegan's arm and began forcing it off his neck, bending it until it cracked.
[Excruciating pain extracted +70 points]
"FUCK!!!" Kaegan screamed as the bone snapped.
"If you were really as good as you claimed," Vincent said through gritted teeth, "you wouldn't have let me get this close."
He stood over him, fists clenched, "You've got five seconds to tell me where Sarah is."