Roman stepped out of his room later in the evening, closing the door gently behind him. The atmosphere was quieter than usual, and the only significant view was the lanterns lit across different buildings. For a low-tier community like this one, there was no hope for electricity due to not having an Entrant with the Engineer Profession.

A soft breeze drifted through the open spaces of the outpost, carrying with it the distant sound of chatter and clinking plates from the restaurant.

He exhaled slowly and began to walk.

He and Rena had agreed to meet there, and for some reason, he didn’t want to be late. Not today. Not after everything that had happened between them.

His hands slid casually into his pockets as he walked through the pathway leading down from the residential quarters. His mind wandered a little, replaying moments from earlier. The hunt. The fight. The way she looked at him. The way she said yes to being his, and most especially...

The moment they had in the cave.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Yeah... I guess things really changed," he muttered.

He was having a really good time recollecting everything, except for the fact that he had risked getting himself into fatherhood.

Roman wasn’t really seeing it as a big problem, but he would just say he didn’t want that to happen.

He had acted like a punk in his first sex, and he couldn’t deny that.

But just as he turned into a narrower path that led directly toward the restaurant, his steps slowed.

Figures appeared from nowhere.

Several of them, standing right in the middle of the path like they had been waiting.

Roman’s expression didn’t change much, but his eyes sharpened as he recognized them.

Arnold... and his boys.

They weren’t leaning casually like the last time. They weren’t joking or pretending to be relaxed either. This time, they stood firm, blocking the path, their faces darker, their gazes fixed directly on him.

Roman stopped a few meters away as silence stretched between them for a brief moment.

It looked like it was going to be like that for a while until Arnold stepped forward. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I warned you."

His voice was low, heavy, carrying a weight that wasn’t there before.

"About what?"

Roman raised a brow slightly like he didn’t grasp the context.

Arnold scoffed, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

"Don’t play dumb with me. I told you to stay away from her," he voiced, his face darkening the more he said those words of rage out.

Roman let out a small breath, almost like a laugh, though there was no humor in it. He had expected what this conversation was going to be about in the first place anyway, and well, he was looking forward to where it would end.

"See, Arnold, I would have to tell you this... I don’t get to take orders from you."

Arnold’s jaw tightened upon hearing that, clenching his fist in fury. The rage he had been holding back felt like it could no longer be contained, and he felt like unleashing it.

"You think this is a joke?" he asked, taking another step forward. "You think you can just walk around with her like you earned it?"

Roman tilted his head slightly, his gaze calm but sharp.

"She chose to walk with me. That’s not something you can control."

A murmur came from the boys behind Arnold, except for the guy who was sent to spy on them back in the valley, and Arnold himself didn’t move.

His eyes hardened.

"You don’t understand, do you?" he said. "You don’t know who she is. You don’t know what kind of person you’re messing with."

Roman scoffed and shrugged lightly, finding fun in what the angry guy thought he had knowledge about.

"And you do?"

That seemed to hit something, and Arnold’s expression twisted.

"At least I know enough to tell trash where it belongs."

Roman’s eyes narrowed slightly at that, but he didn’t lose his composure. Why would he when he knew he was totally on top of the argument?

Whatever was happening here... he was the boss.

Why? Because the girl he had been fighting for was his girlfriend.

"Funny," he replied calmly. "Because from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t give a single damn about you."

The words landed pretty hard this time, and for a brief second, Arnold froze. The next moment, his lips curled into something ugly.

Or something far more terrible than that.

"You think she cares about you?" he asked, his voice rising slightly. "You think you’re special?"

Roman smiled and didn’t hesitate.

"I don’t think anything," he said. "I just see what’s in front of me. And right now, she’s with me. Not you."

The air grew heavier this time, and it hadn’t taken long before the tension began to rise.

One of the guys behind Arnold stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

"This guy is asking for it," he muttered.

Arnold lifted a hand slightly, stopping him at once, and his gaze never left Roman.

"You had one chance," he said quietly. "One chance to stay out of this. But you just had to act smart."

"Yeah," Roman said simply. "I did."

He said that without moving, and well, it only led to more chaos.

That was it.

Something snapped, and Arnold’s face darkened completely as he turned slightly.

"Get him."

The moment the words left his mouth, his boys surged forward, ready to give Roman the beating of his life.

They were coming at him all at once, which could make the situation overwhelming for him. However, Roman was still standing with full composure and seemed ready for what was coming.

But before any of them could even reach Roman...

"ARGHH!"

THUD!

One of them dropped instantly after a scream that made them flinch.

No warning. No sound of impact beforehand.

Just a body hitting the ground.

"What the—?!"

Another one stepped forward, confused as he glanced up, checking if something had fallen from above.

But then...

CRACK!

He went down next.

Then another.

And another.

They didn’t even get the chance to react properly, and the tension began to grow between them, like the one they were trying to attack was winning the fight without even throwing a punch.

Something... someone... was moving between them faster than they could follow.

A shadow.

A blur.

Appearing behind them.

Striking.

Disappearing.

Roman didn’t move. He just stood there, watching calmly as he smiled, like he was the only one who had an idea what was going on.

Well, for sure... truly, he was the only one.

Within seconds, the group that had rushed forward was already on the ground, groaning, unable to stand.

Silence returned, and only Arnold remained standing right in front of a free and composed Roman.

His breathing had grown uneven, his eyes darting around, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Show yourself!" he shouted.

And for a moment, he hadn’t gotten a response... until he did.

A soft sound followed.

A step. Then another.

And from behind him, a figure appeared.

Arnold froze the moment he caught a glimpse of who it was, his mouth agape.

Roman didn’t need to look twice, because he already knew it was Rena.

She stood there casually, brushing her fingers lightly as if she had just finished something trivial. Her expression was calm, but her eyes... her eyes were cold.

"Seriously?" she said, her voice quiet but sharp. "You’re still doing this?"

Arnold turned slowly, his face pale for a second before anger rushed back in.

"Rena... I..."

"Don’t," she cut him off instantly.

Her gaze locked onto his.

"I’m really getting tired of this. No, I’m already tired."

Arnold clenched his fists, trying to believe that this wasn’t happening.

"You don’t understand," he said. "He’s not..."

"I said don’t," she repeated, firmer this time.

Arnold was silenced, and it was crazy how she was quenching his rage. The Arnold at that moment was a complete shadow of himself.

Rena took a step closer and continued.

"Let me make this very clear so you don’t embarrass yourself again," she said.

"Roman is my boyfriend."

Arnold’s eyes widened slightly, stunned.

He couldn’t believe it.

That she chose a lowlife over him???

"And I like him," she added. "A lot more than you think."

Roman remained quiet, watching, and Rena’s tone didn’t soften one bit.

"If you have a problem with that, then keep it to yourself. Because the more you act like this, the more pathetic you look."

Arnold’s face twitched as he tried to speak.

"You’re choosing him over..."

"I’m choosing what I want," she cut in. "And that’s not you."

That one landed deeper than anything before.

She stepped even closer, her voice dropping just enough to make it sharper.

"Stop chasing something that was never yours in the first place."

Arnold’s eyes turned red at that point. Not from tears, but from anger. From frustration...

But he didn’t move... he couldn’t.

Rena held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away like he wasn’t worth another second.

She walked straight to Roman, her expression softening almost instantly.

Without hesitation, she took his hand.

"Let’s get going, babie."

Roman glanced at Arnold one last time, then back at her, a faint smile forming.

"Yeah."

And just like that, they walked past him.

Leaving Arnold standing there like a statue.

Alone.

But the rage he was feeling... this time...

It was really one that could be very explosive.

"Roman!!!"