The pounding on the door grew louder.
The girl flinched at every hit, pressing herself against the wall. Ethan stood in front of the door, every muscle tense.
Another heavy slam.
Then a voice, dripping with rage—
"We know you're in there! Open it before we break it down!"
Ethan's heart thudded painfully.
The system chimed:
[WARNING: Threat distance — 5 meters.]
[Hostile intent detected.]
[Time remaining: 01:59:12]
They had found the right apartment.
Ethan motioned for the girl to move farther back. "Go to the kitchen. Hide behind the counter."
She shook her head violently. "I'm not leaving you."
"You're not leaving. Just staying out of sight. Please."
She hesitated, then obeyed, crouching behind the counter, hands trembling.
Another slam rattled the entire doorframe.
Ethan checked the lock.
It wouldn't hold.
Not against kicks like that.
He scanned the apartment desperately. No weapons. No chair to block the door. Nothing.
Only his body.
He backed up a few steps, preparing for impact.
The men outside murmured among themselves.
"Count it down."
Three seconds of silence.
Then—
"ONE!"
BAM!
The door bent inward.
"TWO!"
BAM!
Wood cracked violently.
Ethan's pulse hammered.
"THREE!"
The door exploded inward with a deafening crash. Wood splinters scattered across the floor.
The biggest thug stepped inside first, eyes burning with hate.
"There you are."
Ethan didn't let him take another step—he rushed forward and rammed into him with everything he had. They crashed against the wall, but the brute barely moved.
The man grabbed Ethan by the shirt and slammed him onto the floor.
The girl screamed from the kitchen.
Two other men entered—the smaller thug with the swollen lip, and another one holding a metal pipe.
Perfect.
Three-on-one again.
Ethan rolled aside as the pipe whistled down where his head had been.
He stumbled to his feet.
The system flickered.
[Adrenaline Surge Lv.1 — Available.]
[Activate? Y/N]
"Yes!"
Heat rippled through him like electricity.
Everything sharpened—the air, the footsteps, the shining pipe coming toward him again.
He ducked and grabbed the pipe, twisting it out of the attacker's hand. He jabbed the blunt end into the man's ribs, sending him staggering back.
But the brute grabbed Ethan from behind again, lifting him off the ground.
Ethan elbowed wildly—once, twice—but the grip barely loosened.
The girl cried out, "Ethan!"
Her voice stabbed through him.
The brute slammed Ethan onto the floor again, the impact knocking the air from his lungs.
The smallest thug approached with a sick grin.
"You think you can embarrass us twice? Tonight, you're done."
He pulled out the same knife from the alley.
Ethan rolled over, chest heaving in pain. The knife reflected the apartment light in a cold gleam.
The man crouched down.
"Any last words, hero?"
Ethan spat blood.
"Yeah."
He kicked upward with all his strength.
His foot slammed into the man's wrist—
The knife flew across the room, skidding into the kitchen.
The girl flinched but grabbed it instantly.
The thug whirled toward her. "Don't you dare—"
She held the knife with both shaking hands. "Stay away from him!"
The man lunged at her.
Ethan moved before he even realized it.
He tackled the thug mid-sprint, slamming him onto the ground. They wrestled, fists flying, rolling across the floor in a blur of pain and desperation.
The brute lumbered toward them.
"Move," he growled, ready to stomp Ethan's skull.
The girl screamed, "Ethan, behind you—!"
He rolled aside just as the brute's foot came crashing down, missing his head by inches.
The pipe man swung again—
Ethan grabbed the metal pipe off the floor and blocked the attack, the impact vibrating painfully up his arm.
The brute roared and charged.
Ethan braced himself—
But he didn't have to.
The girl hurled a pot from the kitchen.
It smashed into the brute's shoulder.
He stumbled.
She froze, horrified. "I—I didn't mean—"
The brute turned toward her, murderous.
Ethan's heart stopped.
"NO!"
He jumped between them and swung the metal pipe with every last ounce of strength.
It cracked against the brute's jaw.
The big man crumpled like a collapsing building.
Silence.
Then the system chimed.
[Threat level: Reduced.]
[Time remaining: 01:47:55]
Two men were still conscious, groaning on the floor.
Ethan exhaled shakily, limbs trembling.
The girl rushed to him, gripping his shirt.
"Ethan… you're bleeding…"
He looked down.
His side was split open where the brute's ring had cut him. Blood dripped steadily.
"It's fine," he gasped. "More importantly… are you hurt?"
She shook her head, eyes brimming with tears.
"You saved me again…"
Ethan managed a weak smile.
"I said I would."