Free Web NovelChapter 35: Chapter 35: First Blood.
"Shit!"
Jake’s mind raced.
He couldn’t afford to let this hidden shelter be exposed, as it was the perfect safe haven, shielding him from the nobles’ power struggles and the chaos surrounding them for the time being.
At least long enough for him to grow a bit more stronger.
Seeing the man turning to flee, Jake’s eyes turned cold and serious.
"Grace, we can’t let that guy know about this place!" he growled.
In one fluid motion, he vaulted out of the hatch and charged forward like a predator unleashed.
His newly upgraded muscles exploded with power, propelling him across the forest floor in powerful strides.
The man in glasses had already turned to run, desperately raising a whistle to his lips.
"Not so fast!" Jake snarled.
The suited man spun around, his eyes widening in shock at how quickly Jake was closing the distance.
But a cruel, arrogant grin soon twisted his face as he drew a sharp short sword.
"You’re dead, bastard!"
He slashed viciously at Jake’s chest in a wide arc, aiming to disembowel him.
Slash! fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
But Jake’s right hand shot out with terrifying speed and precision.
His fingers clamped around the man’s wrist like iron vices.
CRACK!
The sickening sound of bones snapping echoed through the trees.
"AHHH—!!"
The man screamed in agony, but Jake instantly clamped his bloodied hand over the man’s mouth, muffling the cry into a pathetic gurgle.
The short sword clattered uselessly to the ground.
But the man wasn’t finished yet.
With his free hand, he desperately drew a hidden dagger from his belt and stabbed toward Jake’s side.
Whoosh!
Jake twisted his torso at the last moment.
The blade only grazed his clothes.
Using his overwhelming strength, he yanked the man forward off-balance, then drove a brutal knee strike directly into his stomach.
BAM!
"Ughh!!"
All the air exploded from the man’s lungs.
He doubled over, eyes bulging.
Jake gave him no room to recover.
He spun the man around and slammed him face-first into the tree trunk with raw power.
BAM!
CRACK!
The impact rattled the entire tree.
Bark exploded outward as blood sprayed from the man’s broken nose and split lips.
Yet the suited man was tough.
Despite the devastating injuries, he still struggled wildly, elbowing backward in a desperate attempt to break free.
"Damnit...!"
Jake grunted and tightened his grip.
He wrenched the man’s already shattered wrist further, drawing another muffled scream, then drove his elbow down hard into the back of the man’s neck.
CRUNCH.
The man’s legs buckled.
Jake seized the opening.
Grabbing the back of his head with both hands, he smashed the man’s face into the tree once more with savage force.
BAM!
SPURT!
Blood and bits of teeth exploded across the bark.
The tree trunk itself cracked from the repeated brutal impacts.
The man’s body convulsed violently for a few seconds, then went completely limp in Jake’s grip.
And soon... silence returned to the area.
Jake held the man up for another moment, breathing heavily, before letting the body drop to the ground with a dull thud.
’Ha...Ha...What the fuck.’
He had expected the strength upgrade to make him stronger, but this was on another level entirely.
He had crushed bone like dry wood and caved in a man’s head with almost casual brutality.
...And this was the first time he had ever killed another person.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest as a strange mix of adrenaline, nausea, and a dark, unsettling sensation swirled inside him.
He then stared down at his own hand... covered in warm, glistening blood.
Jake stood frozen there at the sight as the metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils.
The man’s head was partially crushed, brain matter and blood splattered across the cracked tree trunk.
’This... this was me?’
His hand trembled slightly.
He had killed countless times in games, movies, and his imagination... but this was real.
The weight of ending a human life, no matter how necessary, settled heavily in his stomach.
’He was going to expose the shelter... He would have brought more people... He would have taken Grace...’
Jake tried to justify it to himself, but his breathing grew rougher as the reality sank in.
"Jake...!"
Grace’s worried voice called out from behind him.
She had climbed out of the hatch and immediately hugged him tightly from behind, her massive breasts pressing warmly against his back.
Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face on his back.
"You’re shaking..." she whispered, her voice full of concern and tenderness. "It’s okay... You protected us. You protected me."
Her warmth seeped into him.
The soft, plush feeling of her body, the familiar sweet scent of her golden hair, and the way she clung to him like he was her entire world slowly eased the tightness in his chest.
Jake let out a long, shaky breath and turned around, pulling her into a proper embrace.
Grace melted against him instantly.
Her wet, nearly transparent shirt did nothing to hide the heat of her body.
"I’m sorry you had to see that," Jake murmured, stroking her damp hair.
Grace shook her head gently and nuzzled her cheek against his blood-stained hand without hesitation.
"You did what you had to do... for me. For us. I’m not scared of you, Jake. I’m proud of you. My strong, protective Captain..."
Her words, spoken with such innocent sincerity, cut through the turmoil in his heart.
Slowly, the nausea faded.
Grace’s warmth, her complete acceptance, and the way her body responded to him even now made him feel strangely at ease.
Jake’s eyes flashed with desire as he looked at her flushed face.
He tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply.
Grace didn’t resist as she moaned softly into his mouth, kissing him back with desperate affection, as if trying to absorb all his tension.
When they finally parted, Jake felt significantly calmer.
"Thank you, Grace," he whispered against her lips.
She smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed. "Anytime, Captain... I’ll always be here to comfort you."
Jake smiled at her words.
Just then—
"You bastard! You dare kill one of my men!"
A group of similarly dressed men in suits emerged from the distance.
...This time, there were even more of them.
