Escaping from the brigands' den

Thanks to the new attribute, Natsuo hit harder and was able to confront Gregory, who was a lot stronger than him.

Gregory placed a hand in the sore spot, shocked and excited at the same time: it had been a long time since anyone had punched him so well.

"Not bad, not bad" he said excitedly.

Gregory wondered how Natsuo could still be moving after his last attack, but this made the fight even more interesting.

Gregory charged a punch into Natsuo’s direction, but his fist stopped an inch from his face.

Natsuo had blocked his punch with just a hand.

"You want to fight with bare hands, uh?" He smirked. "As you wish."

Grabbing him from the wrist, Natsuo pulled Gregory towards himself and hit him in his stomach with his knee.

Gregory bent over for the pain. How was it possible that a skinny boy like him had all that strength?

Natsuo grinned satisfied: he was loving his new attribute. He smashed Gregory’s face again, then followed with a punch in his stomach, one under the chin and lastly a kick that made the thug clash against a tree.

Gregory fell on his knees, out of breath. Even Natsuo was shocked by the force his system provided him with.

Gregory laughed mixed with a cough, amused.

"What’s your name, mate? You’re not bad at all."

Natsuo smiled smugly.

"Himura Natsuo, don’t forget that."

He took his scythe, checked Olive’s position in the map and started running towards her, leaving Gregory behind.

Gregory chuckled. "I won’t forget it, Himura Natsuo."

Natsuo was running as fast as he could to reach Olive, when, suddenly, an explosion echoed through the forest. It was right from the place where the girl was supposed to be.

Natsuo cursed in his mind. He hoped that Olive was fine, otherwise he would have never forgiven himself. He glanced at the girl’s pin in the map and noticed that it was moving.

Natsuo shifted direction where he imagined that Olive was going to meet her halfway. After some time, he glimpsed her coming in his direction.

Seeing Natsuo running towards her, Olive’s eyes widened in joy.

"Natsuo!" she exclaimed.

Natsuo was about to reply, but, at that moment, a brigand got out of a bush near Olive and raised his club to hit her.

"Olive!" Natsuo exclaimed.

He was still too far away to reach her. Olive turned her head, startled, and her expression turned into one of fear when she saw the thug. She instinctively protected her face with her arms and looked away.

Right when she was about to get hit, someone appeared from the bushes behind the thug and hit him in the head. The brigand fell on the ground.

Olive slowly lowered her arms to see what was happening. In front of her there was a Gregory in rough shape holding a metal club in his hands.

"Gregory! Who hurt you so badly?" she asked, surprised.

Gregory was a well-built guy, who could reduce him in that state? He had wounds on the face and bruises everywhere.

The grey haired man grinned. "Himura Natsuo" he replied.

Olive glanced at him, flabbergasted.

"What?"

She didn’t doubt Natsuo's strength, but it sounded highly unrealistic.

At that moment, Natsuo reached them. He put an arm in front of Olive, as to protect her and glanced suspiciously at Gregory.

"Don’t worry, Natsuo, Gregory helped me earlier too! He’s a good guy" said Olive.

Natsuo turned to her, reluctant.

"I don’t trust him, he’s a thug, after all. And why do you know his name?"

A group of brigands spotted them.

"They’re there!" they yelled.

"Damn it! Let’s run away!" exclaimed Natsuo.

"I’ll take care of them!" said Olive.

She opened her hands and two ampoules appeared in her hands. She threw them near the group of brigands and they both exploded, making the trees fall blocking the thugs’ way.

"Even the explosion we heard earlier was yours, then" commented Natsuo.

Olive nodded.

"It was a diversion to escape!"

Gregory pointed towards a spot in the forest.

"Your cart must be there, let’s go take it back!"

He started running and the other two followed him. Natsuo was still reluctant, but Olive seemed to rely on that thug, so he decided to trust her.

As Gregory had anticipated, they found the cart. Natsuo and Olive immediately got on, but Gregory didn’t follow them.

Olive turned to him.

"Gregory, get on the cart! You can come with us!"

"It’s better if I stay here. I’m a brigand, after all" he replied.

"But they will surely kick you out for helping us!" insisted Olive.

Gregory smiled with resignation.

"It doesn’t matter. I’m used to being alone anyway."

Natsuo glanced at him: he looked really sad saying those words.

Gregory turned to Natsuo.

"Thank you for the exciting fight, mate. Now I have a new reason to improve!"

Natsuo reached out his hand to Gregory.

"Get on. I’ll destroy you a thousand more times, if you want to" he said.

Gregory couldn’t believe his eyes.

"Are you serious? Do you really want me to come with you? I almost killed you!"

"You know, everyone has the opportunity to redeem themselves" Natsuo replied.

Gregory felt moved by those words. He took Natsuo’s hand and got on the cart. Natsuo spurred the horse and they left the brigands’ den.

"Olive, can you hold the reins for a bit?" asked Natsuo.

Olive nodded and took his place.

Natsuo tuned his guitar and played a healing song. Gregory observed with curiosity how his hands, moving like spiders between those strings, produced that strange sound.

When Natsuo finished the song, in shock, he realized that his wounds and bruises were healed.

"What was that thing you were doing, just a moment ago?" he asked, flabbergasted.

Natsuo smirked.

"It’s called rock music. We’re about to take the world with it, are you in?"