Gathering Husbands with a System in a Game Like World [BL]
Chapter 8: The Value of A Hero

Chapter 8: The Value of A Hero

The alley fell silent. Only the little girl’s frightened sobs echoed between the damp stone walls. Kai stood alone at the entrance. Three traffickers faced him. One terrified child stood behind them. There was no easy escape.

The scar-faced leader slowly drew his sword. The blade scraped against the worn leather scabbard with a chilling sound.

"So the pretty boy wants to play hero."

The two men beside him laughed. One cracked his knuckles. The other lazily twirled a dagger between his fingers.

Kai did not answer. His silver-blue eyes calmly swept across the three men. His Arcane Eye activated. The world seemed to slow down. Blue windows appeared one after another.

[Name: Garrick Holt. Level: 19. Status: Wanted Criminal. Primary Weapon: Steel Longsword. Analysis Complete. Right shoulder injury. Strength reduced by 18%. Repeated overhead attacks. Weakness: Poor balance after heavy swings.]

The second window appeared.

[Name: Bronn. Level: 18. Primary Weapon: Iron Dagger. Old fracture in left knee. Mobility reduced. Prefers attacking from blind spots.]

The third.

[Name: Kade. Level: 17. Primary Weapon: Iron Sword. Weapon Durability: 12%. High probability of structural failure upon strong impact.]

Kai’s eyes flickered. So that’s it. They’re stronger than me. But they aren’t perfect.

The system spoke.

[Estimated Probability of Victory in Direct Combat: 7.4%.]

Kai almost smiled.

"That high?"

[Host appears unusually optimistic.]

"I’m choosing to be."

The leader pointed his sword toward Kai.

"Last chance. Walk away. You didn’t see anything."

Kai glanced at the little girl. She was trembling so badly that she could barely hold onto her worn stuffed rabbit. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Big brother... Please help me."

Kai slowly exhaled. He looked back at the traffickers.

"I’m afraid I can’t do that."

The scar-faced man’s smile vanished.

"Kill him."

Bronn moved first. He disappeared from Kai’s line of sight with surprising speed. Behind me. Kai did not turn. Instead he stepped sideways. A dagger sliced through empty air where his neck had been only an instant earlier. Too close. Kai twisted his body. His elbow slammed into Bronn’s wrist. The dagger flew from the man’s hand and clattered across the stone ground. Bronn stumbled backward.

"What?!"

Kai had no time to celebrate. The leader’s longsword was already descending in a powerful overhead slash. Exactly as Arcane Eye had predicted. Kai rolled to the side. The blade struck the stone pavement instead. Fragments of rock scattered through the alley. The impact forced Garrick’s injured shoulder downward. His body leaned forward for just a fraction of a second. A weakness. Kai immediately kicked a loose wooden barrel resting against the alley wall. The barrel rolled directly into Garrick’s legs. Caught off balance, the large man stumbled.

"You little—!"

Before he could recover, the third trafficker charged with his sword raised. Kai’s Arcane Eye highlighted several glowing cracks running along the weapon. That sword won’t survive another heavy impact.Kai backed away deliberately. Not toward the open street. Toward the narrowest part of the alley. The three traffickers instinctively followed. Now they could no longer surround him. Only one could attack at a time.

The system chimed.

[Host has successfully altered battlefield conditions. Estimated Survival Probability: 31%.]

Kai smiled inwardly. *Better.*

Bronn retrieved his fallen dagger. His face twisted with anger.

"Stop dancing around!"

Kai calmly picked up a handful of loose sand from the cracked ground. The traffickers frowned.

"What are you—"

Kai threw it. The sand exploded into Bronn’s face.

"AAAGH! My eyes!"

The dagger-wielding criminal staggered blindly into the alley wall. Kai did not waste the opportunity. He grabbed another empty crate and kicked it toward Garrick. The wooden box shattered against the larger man’s knees. Again his injured shoulder forced him to lose balance.

"You brat!"

The third trafficker rushed in recklessly. Kai waited. Three steps. Two. One. He sidestepped at the last possible moment. The sword crashed against the stone wall. A sharp metallic sound echoed. The blade did not break, but another deep fracture spread through its center. Kai noticed immediately. One more. Just one more collision.

The little girl stared with wide, tear-filled eyes. She had never seen someone fight like this. The beautiful young man was not stronger than the bad men. He was not faster either. Yet somehow they could not catch him.

Kai briefly looked toward her.

"Our names can wait. When I tell you to run, don’t look back."

"But..."

"You trust me?"

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes."

Kai smiled reassuringly.

"Good."

His eyes shifted back toward the three traffickers. The fight was only just beginning.

The three traffickers had stopped laughing. Their expressions had become grim. Kai was not stronger. He was not a trained swordsman. Yet somehow he had controlled the pace of the fight from the very beginning.

Garrick rubbed his injured shoulder and growled.

"Stop underestimating him! Take him together!"

The remaining two nodded. For the first time all three rushed Kai simultaneously. The system spoke.

[Warning. Direct confrontation no longer recommended.]

Kai did not need the reminder. Three against one in an open exchange was suicide. His Arcane Eye swept across the alley once more. Every loose brick. Every barrel. Every discarded crate. Every puddle. Then his gaze landed on the cracked stone wall beside him. An idea formed.

Kai deliberately retreated toward the wall. The traffickers grinned.

"Cornered!"

Garrick swung his longsword with all his strength. At the very last second Kai ducked. The blade slammed into the weakened wall instead of his head. The impact shook the entire alley. Several loose stones rained down. Dust exploded into the air. Bronn instinctively shielded his face. Kade charged through the dust with his cracked sword raised high. Kai smiled. *Now.* He stepped aside. The damaged blade struck the fallen stone. The sword shattered in half. Kade stared at the broken weapon in disbelief.

"My sword!"

Kai did not hesitate. He drove a swift kick into Kade’s chest. The man stumbled backward, crashing into Bronn. Both collapsed into a heap. At the same moment Garrick struggled to free his sword from the cracked wall. It refused to budge. The opening Kai needed had finally appeared.

He turned to the little girl.

"Now! Run!"

She clutched her stuffed rabbit tightly. Then she sprinted toward the alley entrance with all the strength her little legs could muster.

"No!"

Bronn shouted.

"Catch her!"

The three traffickers immediately abandoned Kai. A living child was worth far more than a dead noble. They rushed after her. Kai stepped directly into their path.

"No. You’ll have to go through me."

Garrick roared in fury and threw a punch. Kai narrowly leaned aside. The fist grazed his shoulder. Pain shot through his arm. He grimaced. That actually hurt. But he had done what he intended. He had bought the girl a few more precious seconds.

The little girl burst out of the alley crying.

"Help! Please help! They’re trying to take me!"

Her desperate screams echoed through the nearby streets. Pedestrians turned. Merchants looked up. A nearby patrol of City Guards instantly reacted.

"What was that?"

"A child!"

"Move!"

Six armored guards sprinted toward the alley. The traffickers heard the approaching footsteps. Their faces paled.

"Damn it! We’ve been seen!"

Kai smiled despite the pain in his shoulder.

"Looks like your business is closed."

The leader snarled.

"You little bastard!"

He lunged one final time. Before he could reach Kai, a spear flew through the air. It struck the ground directly in front of Garrick, forcing him to stop. The City Guards charged into the alley.

"Surrender your weapons! In the name of the Empire!"

The traffickers glanced at one another. Running was impossible. Fighting the guards was suicide. Within moments all three were forced to the ground. Heavy iron shackles snapped around their wrists. The captain of the patrol frowned as his subordinate searched them.

"Captain! We found documents! And several missing children’s belongings..."

The captain’s expression turned cold.

"So it’s true."

He looked toward Kai.

"You uncovered the Black Fang Slave Network."

Kai shook his head.

"I only stopped them from taking one child."

The captain gave him a respectful nod.

"Sometimes that’s where justice begins."

One of the guards suddenly spoke.

"Captain! These men are all wanted across multiple provinces."

The captain looked genuinely surprised.

"How did you know who they were?"

Kai had already prepared an answer.

"I noticed the bounty marks tattooed behind their ears."

The captain blinked.

"I completely overlooked that."

Kai simply smiled. His Arcane Eye remained his secret.

A famaliar chime echoed in Kai’s mind.

[SSS-Rank Husband Candidate Detected Nearby.]

[Candidate: Lucien Ashcroft]

[Candidate has witnessed Host’s actions.]

[Affinity Increased: 2% to 5%]

[Reason: Respect for Host’s compassion, intelligence, and courage.]

Kai instinctively looked around. Nearby? His eyes swept across the rooftops. But he saw no one there.

"Must have been a miscalculation" Kai muttered but the system chimed in almost immediately...

[Negative! I can assure you it is not a miscaculation]

Kai rolled his eyes "whatever" he said, if a man named Lucien Ashcroft was truly there...then he just made a very good first impression.

As the guards escorted the traffickers away and the grateful little girl was reunited with her frantic mother, Kai quietly slipped out of the growing crowd. He had never liked being the center of attention. The moment he turned onto a quieter street the system appeared.

[Emergency World Quest Complete.]

[Objective: Rescue the kidnapped child.]

[Status: Success.]

Rewards unfolded one after another.

[Level Increased. Level 10 to Level 12]

[Bond Points +2,500]

[Intermediate Healing Potion ×1]

[Reputation +100]

Kai stared at the rewards.

"Saving lives pays surprisingly well."

The system answered in its usual calm voice.

[Heroism possesses measurable value.]

Kai laughed.

"I’ll remember that."

As he continued walking, his Arcane Eye suddenly activated on its own. Far across the street at a tiny roadside stall that most people ignored, a faint golden aura shimmered around a dusty black ring lying in the corner. Kai stopped walking.

"Huh?"

The aura grew brighter. The system spoke immediately.

[Legendary Item Detected. Probability of discovery by ordinary individuals: 0.0003%.]

Kai’s eyes widened.

"You’re kidding..."

Slowly he changed direction and walked toward the forgotten stall.