The two muggers were startled by the sudden roar.
"Who's this lunatic?" the mugger with the knife cursed. He spun around and lunged at Don Quixote with his blade. "Get lost, you old fossil!"
But Li Wei was faster than all of them.
He first activated [Fluent Speaker], shouting "Halt!" at the Black mugger closest to him. Then, he instantly activated [Berserk], doubling all three of his attributes!
Boosted to 3.0 Strength, 2.8 Agility, and 2.8 Constitution, Li Wei's physical abilities were pushed to the very brink of what was considered humanly possible. The mugger with the gun at his waist felt his vision blur, and just like that, Li Wei vanished from his sight.
Before he could even turn around, an irresistible force slammed into his side, feeling as if he'd been hit head-on by a small car. He was sent flying sideways, smashing violently against the brick wall and landing in a puddle of urine in the corner.
Without so much as a word, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and passed out.
Meanwhile, the knife-wielding mugger lunged at Don Quixote, but his blade was deflected by the old man's trash can lid.
Don Quixote let out a furious roar and charged like a true Knight, a raging bull. He wrapped his arms around the man's waist, put all his strength into a final sprint, and pinned him hard against the wall.
"Let me go! You're insane!" the mugger struggled wildly, trying to slash blindly with his knife.
The woman nearby screamed and moved to get away, only to see a figure rush in and land a punch on the mugger's jaw.
In the late-night alley, she heard a distinct CRACK.
The mugger lost consciousness instantly, slumping limply to the ground along the base of the wall. The alley fell silent once more.
Li Wei pulled back his fist, and only then did it hit him.
'I just knocked out two regular guys with a single kick and a single punch?'
He suddenly remembered the voice in his head and quickly checked the notifications:
[You have received the quest: Fight Side-by-Side]
[This is your first time fighting alongside Knight Don Quixote since becoming a Heroic Knight. Defeat the enemy with him.]
[Quest Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.1]
[Quest Reward has been distributed.]
Besides the regular quest, Li Wei discovered he had also triggered the second stage of the Knight's Path quest line!
[Knight's Path: The 'Step into the Extraordinary' series of quests has begun.]
[One of your individual attributes has reached the human limit of 3.0 for the first time. This means you have experienced the limits of a mortal body. The mortal flesh is so very weak.]
'Weak?' Li Wei glanced at the two muggers he'd knocked unconscious with one punch and one kick. And that was after he'd held back a little.
After activating [Berserk], Li Wei felt his overall abilities had reached an almost unbelievable level. 3.0 Strength didn't mean one part of his musculature had reached the human limit; it meant that *all* of his muscles had reached that limit.
He'd just had a feeling that, if he wanted to, his hand could crush the mugger's wrist like a hydraulic press.
[The path of a Heroic Knight has only just begun to be paved. Life must evolve further.]
[Stage Reward 1: Reach 3.0 in a single attribute. Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.2]
[Stage Reward 2: Reach 3.0 in two attributes. Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.3, draw 1 new skill.]
[Stage Reward 3: Reach 3.0 in three attributes. Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.3, Knight: Bronze Body (Extraordinary) Evolution.]
[When four attributes reach 3.0, the next stage of the Knight's Path quest line will unlock.]
It took Li Wei less than five seconds to think it through and make a decision: he would raise a single attribute to 3.0, start collecting the stage rewards, and then keep snowballing his power. As long as he could max out one attribute first, the rest would become easier and easier.
Meanwhile, Don Quixote scrambled up from the ground. He looked at the woman he had just saved and suddenly roared again:
"She is a Witch!"
Then he slapped her on the forehead.
...
It took a great deal of effort for Li Wei to convince Susan that Don Quixote wasn't mentally ill.
On the way back, Li Wei was surprised to discover that Susan was an out-and-out rich lady.
According to her, she had been married several times and had gotten over a dozen properties in Brooklyn from her ex-husbands in the divorces. She was now living entirely off the rental income.
Today was just like any other day. She had come to Sunset Park to play mahjong with her Chinese friends, and when they were leaving, she was accosted by these two robbers.
"Thank goodness for you two," she said, glancing at Don Quixote escorting her from the front, then turning her head to Li Wei. "Otherwise, I might have been in real danger today."
"A place like this on Eighth Avenue, late at night," Li Wei asked, a little curious, "did you not drive here today?"
"Well," Susan shook her head, "my car is parked nearby. I took a ride with my friends to the mahjong parlor. We were drinking while playing, and they all got wasted. I figured my car was only a few hundred meters away, so I didn't think... "
"You just have to be more careful," Li Wei shook his head. "But I agree, it does sound a little too coincidental."
"You're right!" Susan nodded in agreement. "I think something's fishy too. Especially since I told my friends today that I had just finished collecting rent, and then this happens tonight..."
Li Wei noticed her gaze seemed to be fixed on Don Quixote, so he ventured tentatively,
"Sorry," he said. "My uncle isn't quite right in the head. He made a fool of himself."
"Not at all," Susan said. "Don't you think he has a chivalrous air about him? He's like a real Knight."
"Besides," she continued, looking at Don Quixote's back, "if he hadn't been sleepwalking today, I probably would have been in real trouble."
Li Wei nodded in agreement. "That's true."
With one in front and one behind, Li Wei and Don Quixote escorted her to the parking lot, stopping in front of a white BMW X6.
"I really can't thank you enough for today," Susan said, handing Li Wei a business card and a stack of USD. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have done. I was wondering, are you and your uncle free tomorrow? I'd like to treat you to dinner."
Li Wei shook his head. "I don't have time tomorrow. I have to go look at apartments. My uncle and I are still living in a basement."
"Two grown men living in a basement? You poor child," Susan's eyes lit up. Her tone held no pity, but was full of pleasant surprise. "What kind of place are you looking for?"
"I was looking at a 2B2B—two bedrooms, two bathrooms," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "My uncle and I both need our own space, after all. The thing is, we'd have to live with the landlord, which is a bit..."
"Now that you mention it, I just remembered," Susan said. "I have a vacant apartment, over 120 square meters, that was converted from a three-bedroom to a two-bedroom. Since you're looking to rent, why don't you come take a look tomorrow?"