"Do you want to fight?"

Ash froze. When did things come to this? He hadn't even said a word till now.

Even Luther stopped arguing with his brother and looked toward Samantha—his wife—as if saying, Not again.

"Don't worry, it'll just be a friendly spar," she said, ignoring her husband's sharp gaze.

Ash finally understood the reason behind Jessie's flamboyant attitude. She got her looks from her father, but her wild spirit clearly came from her mother. At least Jessie wasn't the type to get excited about fighting random people.

Samantha dragged him through a gate, revealing a large open arena paved with mountain stone.

Ash looked toward Luther, his eyes pleading for rescue from this battle-hungry woman. He was only level 11, and his physical stats were practically nonexistent compared to hers.

Luther, seeing him being dragged away, turned his head toward his brother—who had gone silent—and started arguing with him instead.

Ash scanned the surroundings for an escape route, hoping Jessie would return soon from wherever she had gone.

Ash put the black box to the side, keeping it safe.

"What profession did you get?" Samantha asked, stretching her shoulders and cracking her knuckles.

Just as Ash opened his mouth to answer, she continued excitedly, "Let me guess… a Ranger or Scout? Or maybe a Guardian with high sensory ability?"

"Hunter," Ash said flatly.

"What a surprise!" She grinned. "You must've wasted a few skill choices on sensory skills. You should've picked strength skills instead—there's nothing better than raw power to crush your opponents!" She flexed her biceps proudly.

The whole conversation was awkward for Ash. She was clearly a fighting maniac.

"Let's see what you've got," she said, throwing a punch.

Ash had no chance of winning a fight against her. His only option was to run for his life. His intuition screamed for him to dodge. Luckily, she wasn't using any suppressive aura that could paralyze him, which meant he could still move freely.

At least she was considerate enough to hold back.

Ash ducked at the last second, rolling sideways. His hands instinctively reached for his gun—but it was in his armoury tab. His fingers brushed the blades sheath instead.

He gripped the short blade, watching her footwork carefully.

But Samantha stopped mid-step, looking at him with amusement.

"I expected you to run away after that punch, but I guess you've got some courage to fight back."

"I won't use any weapons or skills," she added, smirking. "You can, though. I'll even give you something special if you manage to land a hit."

'Yeah, like I care, Just spare my life you battle freak'. Ash muttered inwardly glancing toward the gate, half-hoping Jessie would save him from this torture.

"Watch out!" she said and launched another punch.

Ash ducked low again, moving sideways as a faint mist of poison spread around them. Her fist struck empty air, but her elbow immediately followed through, shooting toward his back in a seamless motion.

A thought crossed his mind "I should've stayed in the dungeon… monsters were gentler".

Ash cast his skill—

[King's Domain – 60 MP/second]

Her elbow froze mid-air, her eyes widening in momentary fear before regaining composure.

[King's Domain has been countered]

That brief moment was enough for Ash. He slipped behind her, her movements slowed by the lingering poison.

He slashed upward—but she caught his arm, halting the attack. Twisting her leg behind his ankle, she tried to trip him down.

A wicked smile spread across Ash's face. He pulled on her wrist, swung his legs upward, and locked them around her neck. With a swift motion, her throat was trapped between his thighs.

In a real fight, that choke would've crushed the trachea, carotid arteries, and possibly snapped the cervical spine—killing or crippling the opponent instantly.

But the difference in their physical strength was massive. She only looked slightly uncomfortable. And that was only because of the stat boost from Ash's armor.

"Haha… what a technique!" Samantha laughed locked between his legs.

Ash's fighting style was far more refined and diverse than hers—or anyone else he'd met so far—but against such a difference in power, it barely mattered. She could have shattered his ribs with one serious hit. His techniques only worked when the opponent's strength was equal or slightly higher.

Short blade was still in his hand, His mind was always searching ways to kill the person. His hands Twitched ready to poke her eyes out. But he knew she wasn't her enemy, he let her free.

Still, Samantha seemed genuinely impressed.

She adjusted her neck, red mark could be seen on her neck.

"Boy, where did you learn that? It was totally awesome!" she said, giving a thumbs up.

By the time they finished, Jessie walked in, looking amused.

"Mom, are you testing a new mannequin?" she teased.

Ash shot her a deadly glare, silently threatening vengeance.

"Jessie, where did you find him? He's amazing in close combat!" Samantha said, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Huh? Really? He's far deadlier in long—" Jessie stopped halfway, noticing his expression, and coughed.

"Mom, he's just a servant. Why are you bothering him?"

That word made Ash's blood boil. Servant? Was that really necessary to say?

"It's a waste of talent," Samantha muttered, massaging the red marks on her neck.

"You know tomorrow Grandpa will address the family, so let's rest for today," Jessie said quickly, trying to rescue Ash.

"I know, I know. Just one more round! Why don't you join us and show me your progress?" Samantha grinned, excited as ever.

Jessie said nothing. She only gave Ash an apologetic glance before running out.

"Jessie! Where are you going?" Samantha shouted, but the gate had already closed.

"She's always so hesitant to fight," Samantha sighed, then turned to Ash with a predatory smile.

"Ready for another round?"

Ash sighed, realizing there was no escape. 'Guess I'll use this to retrain my jiu-jitsu skills'.

The fight continued, Ash showcasing a wide range of grappling and submission techniques.

As Her kicks sliced through the air, whistling near his ear. Ash closed in, grabbed her weak thigh, wrapped his legs around it, and pulled in the opposite direction of its natural bend with his hands.

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