Chapter 5
"Hey, pretty girl. Allow real men to have a taste of this your beauty," a man was heard saying from inside an alleyway.
Beside him were three other men, and right in front of them stood a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties.
Her back was pressed up against the wall, worry etched deeply on her face as she gulped loudly. She stared at the four men in front of her, all of whom eyed her like predators that had just found easy prey.
"Pl… please let me go," the young woman begged, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes were moist now, glimmering with fear as she clutched her handbag tightly to her chest.
"Let you go? Have you seen yourself?" one of the men asked as he scanned the woman from head to toe, licking his lips with a twisted grin.
"Yoo, Scorpio. Do what you want to do on time. My pants are already getting uncomfortable from trying to restrain my bulging soldier," another man said with a grin, speaking to the first man who stood directly in front of the young woman, now sobbing silently.
"That's true," the one known as Scorpio muttered as he stretched his hand forward. The young woman instinctively closed her eyes in fear, her arms flaring across her chest in defense.
"Pl… please… I'll give you anything you want. Money, jobs, or anything. Just please don't touch me. Let me go," the young woman cried out, her voice cracking under pressure as tears streamed down her face like a waterfall.
"What makes you think we don't have money or jobs?" Scorpio asked with a raised eyebrow, his outstretched hand pausing just inches away from the young woman.
"We don't want anything from you. The only thing we desire is your body," he said, and then his hand moved toward the woman's face.
His fingers caressed her cheeks, brushed over her lips, and then traced along her jawline while she shut her eyes tighter, trembling, completely powerless to stop him.
'Is… is this how this goes? Raped by a bunch of weirdos? Argh! I hate my helpless life! No! I can't give up. I need to fight back!' the woman thought, and just then, her eyes snapped wide open, startling the men.
"Help! Help me! Anybody, anyone, please help me! SAVE ME!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her fists pounding furiously against Scorpio's chest.
"What the hell?! Shut up, woman!" Scorpio roared, his hand swinging across her face and slamming against her cheek, leaving it reddened with a sharp, stinging pain. "I decided to take things slow so you wouldn't feel a thing or get injured, but I see you like things rough, huh?"
The young woman couldn't say anything. She just clutched her burning cheek in pain, more tears flowing down her face as her long brown hair stuck to her symmetrical, oval face.
"Guys! Pin her down for me!" Scorpio barked the order, and the three men by his side immediately bolted toward the stunned woman.
She barely had time to react before she was swept off her feet and slammed onto the dirty, grimy floor.
One of the men pinned her legs, while the other two held her arms tightly, rendering her completely helpless as Scorpio climbed on top of her.
Only then did the full weight of the situation hit her like a brick wall.
"NO! Please, no! Pl… please don't do this! Please!" the woman screamed louder, her voice hoarse with desperation as her body trembled beneath them. But her cries only fueled the sick excitement in their eyes.
Without wasting a second, Scorpio grabbed the camera hanging around the woman's neck and ripped it off, hurling it across the alleyway without a second glance. The device shattered on impact, pieces skittering across the concrete. Before the woman could even blink, her shirt was ripped off in one smooth, practiced motion.
Her blue bra, stretched tight over her large breasts that looked like huge melons, was fully exposed. Scorpio licked his lips with increasing hunger while the woman trembled, crying harder, her sobs echoing helplessly through the alley walls.
"Do your thing quickly. I'm feeling tempted to jump in myself," the man gripping the woman's legs scolded Scorpio, his voice thick with frustration and desire.
"Right," Scorpio replied with a nod, quickly shifting his hands down toward her pants. His fingers curled beneath the waistband and were just about to yank them off when—
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! What has this world come to?" a voice echoed loudly from the mouth of the alley. "Four able-bodied men stooping to rape just to please their twisted sexual urges? If you're craving sex and can't get a partner, there's something called masturbation, you dumbasses!"
The voice was calm but filled with disgust, and it instantly drew the attention of all four men. They turned as one, eyes narrowed toward the alley entrance.
There stood a young man, about 5 feet tall. His sharp, piercing green eyes glinted under the faint streetlight, and long, silky blue hair flowed from his head like strands of moonlight. A well-defined jawline and a small stubble on his chin gave him a mix of youth and rugged charm. His presence was sharp, almost surreal, as though he didn't belong in this filthy, cruel alley.
"Hey! Who the hell are you? What do you want here?" one of the men holding the woman's arms shouted, his grip tightening in anger.
"Who am I? Kek!" the man chuckled slightly, his head turning away from them as his gaze lifted to the empty air like he was seeing something invisible—because he was.
{Quest Alert!}
{The system wants you to save the girl in danger.}
{Rewards: +50 XP, +2 skills.}
This individual was Max—just in another form. His Draconic form had been activated, giving him a drastically different appearance. Handsome. Powerful-looking. Almost ethereal. But good looks don't win battles.
And that was exactly what worried Max.
Still, what choice did he have? His system wanted him to rescue the girl. That meant he had to act, especially when the rewards were juicy—XP and skills? Totally worth the risk.
"You know what?" Max said, cracking his knuckles and grinning. "Just call me the Harem Lord!"
"Harem Lord? What a stupid name," Pix groaned from inside Max's mind, clearly disappointed.
'Hey! I couldn't help it, okay?' Max snapped inwardly. 'I was under pressure and had to say something cool! Later on, I'll think of a better name. For now, let me focus on this damn fight I got dragged into because of this shitty system!'
"Didn't you hear what we said? We said leave!" Scorpio barked, standing up slowly from the woman's body, his face twisted with rage.
"And what if I don't?" Max asked, raising a single eyebrow in mock curiosity.
"Then we just have to make you," one of the other men growled. He quickly glanced around and grabbed a thick stick from the ground, pointing it threateningly at Max, who stood only a few meters away.
"Fine," Max said with a small shrug. He raised his hands, which confused the men, making them think he was about to surrender or turn back.
Then a smirk played across his face.
"Come make me," Max taunted, his voice calm but challenging.
The man holding the stick gritted his teeth and bolted forward, fury pumping through his veins.
'System, activate magical energy.'
{Ding!}
{Skill—Magical Energy activated. Host has received a 20% boost in strength and speed. Attack power and combat speed increased.}
'Good,' Max grinned. 'Let's dance.'