Lux skillfully navigated these familiar, shadowy alleys.

This was the city's underbelly: dark, filthy, where rotting animal carcasses and household refuse were strewn everywhere, piling up into nauseating mounds.

In the deepest parts of the alleys, one could even glimpse curled-up human corpses, like casually discarded puddles of mud, silently merging with the filth.

This was the city's hidden network of veins, through which flowed the foul blood of poverty, death, and sin.

Lux’s figure was as swift as the wind, silently flitting through the labyrinthine, maze-like alleyways.

Just as she vaulted over a half-collapsed crate, relying on memory, a dull "thud" suddenly sounded from ahead—several heavy wooden planks had been deliberately pushed over, instantly blocking her path.

"Hey, little one, looks like your luck's been good lately, made quite a bit, huh? Shouldn't you share some with us brothers?" Sparse, shuffling footsteps approached from the other end of the alley, and at the same time, two figures squeezed through the gaps in the fallen wooden planks ahead.

Lux pressed her back tightly against the cold wall, her sharp eyes darting back and forth, quickly assessing the enemies before her and the perilous situation.

Seven men in total.

They all wore crudely fashioned purple cloth shirts, most of them over five foot nine; the leader who had just spoken was nearly six foot three.

They gripped simple wooden clubs wrapped with wire, and two of them also carried rust-stained meat cleavers.

Their exposed skin was covered in tattoos of totems and symbols from the Northwestern Orcish Empire, and around their necks and wrists hung chains strung with beast teeth—the kind street vendors would boast were "fangs taken from powerful magical beasts by heroic hunters or warriors," but Lux knew better; these trinkets were most likely pried from the mouths of a vicious dogs in the underground fighting pits.

"On this street, they all call me Dead Fist. We all see each other around, we're all friends, right? Friends should help each other out, shouldn't they? For example, us brothers are a bit tight on cash right now…" The tall leader, known as Dead Fist, said with a malicious grin, casually tossing the meat cleaver in his hand.

"Is that so? Then is that thing in your hand a welcoming gift for me?" Lux’s voice was calm, even tinged with a lazy mockery. "Could you trouble yourself to put it on the ground first? I'd be very 'happy' to accept it." She paused, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Also, could you maybe stay a bit further away? You guys… kind of stink."

These words were like sparks hitting tinder, instantly igniting the thugs' fury. "Fuck you, are you looking to die? Dog-bastard mongrel, want a taste of my club?" Similar profanities immediately filled the air.

"All of you, shut the fuck up for me." Dead Fist barked impatiently, quelling his underlings' clamor. He lowered his head, looking down at Lux with a fierce and mocking gaze, like sizing up prey he could kill at will. "Look, it wasn't easy for us brothers to corner you here. And I hear you have a pretty little sister… Guess how much money it'll take to protect your precious sister's innocence? There are… quite a few of us here, you know." As he finished speaking, the surrounding thugs immediately burst into knowing, utterly lewd laughter.

"My boss is Pony." Lux’s eyes suddenly turned cold, like quenched steel, fixed firmly on Dead Fist's face before her. "It seems your empty heads really aren't afraid of death." Seeing that the others, even after hearing Pony's name, not only didn't flinch but instead gripped their weapons tighter and pressed closer, Lux understood completely—this fight was unavoidable. She slowly extended her right little finger, pointing it at the leader, her voice icy: "You idiots, get ready… to eat dirt."

"Haha… Hahaha…" Dead Fist let out a dry, grating laugh, like stale bread baked hard under the sun for three days. The other thugs sensibly shut their mouths, waiting for Dead Fist to finish laughing. "I said, we'd be 'friendly'." Dead Fist's smile turned into a ferocious snarl. "In a little while, we'll be very 'friendly' when we break your arms and legs, and then even more 'friendly'… when we sell off your sister." Before his words had even faded, the thugs wielding wooden clubs lunged forward like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Ha." The thug charging at the very front swung his arm wide, the wooden club in his hand whistling sharply through the air as he brought it down viciously towards Lux's face, his own face contorted with bloodthirsty excitement. However, that smile had yet to fully bloom before it was completely twisted by a sudden, heavy blow. It was Lux. In a flash, she had slightly extended her left leg, pushed off hard with her right foot, and her body spun nimbly in the air, allowing the club to graze past her cheek by a hair's breadth. Then, her toes tapped the wall for leverage, her body turned sideways, and a swift side kick landed precisely on the thug's face, the immense force sending him flying backward.

"What?" The thugs behind him cried out in disbelief. At the same time, the two thugs who had flanked Lux from behind brought their clubs down towards her head. One of them immediately let out a piercing scream—because Lux, upon landing, had not retreated but instead lunged forward, ducking low like a panther, charging between the two. She slammed her forehead hard into one man's chin, while simultaneously ramming her elbow into the other's chest, sending him staggering backward.

The remaining club-wielding thug saw his chance and immediately shifted his stance slightly. The narrow alley restricted the swing of his club, so he decisively opted for a kick. Lux didn't dodge this time but instead braced herself to take the blow, and at the same time, her hand shot out like lightning, grabbing hold of his worn-out shoe. Then, with a grunt, she viciously kicked the toe of his own shoe into the back of his thigh, near the groin. The man let out a muffled groan of pain, instinctively clutching his rear, wildly swinging his club to force Lux back, before hopping away pathetically on one leg.

Lux spun around quickly; by now, the other club-wielding thugs had closed in again. She could only retreat temporarily to create some distance. [Not enough… I have to take these guys down completely, or there'll be endless trouble later…] Just then, a vicious gust of wind came from behind her head. Lux immediately dodged sideways, but she was still a fraction of a second too slow; the heavy wooden club slammed hard onto her outer thigh.

"Hiss—." Sharp pain, like an electric current, shot through her entire body instantly. Lux didn't even have time to gasp for breath, as the thugs in front had already seized the opportunity to charge. She hurriedly retreated backward. The thug who had landed the blow wore a triumphant, savage grin and was just about to raise his club for a follow-up strike when Lux, moving with almost ghostly speed, advanced instead of retreating, instantly closing the distance to him. She grabbed a handful of hair from the back of his head and yanked down viciously.

"Bastard." The thug had just cursed when Lux gave him no further chance. She kicked accurately at the back of his calf, and as he lost his balance, she slammed his head hard against the nearby wall. With a dull "thud," a faint bloody mark appeared on the wall. Immediately after, Lux mercilessly kicked him in the lower back. The thug didn't even grunt before collapsing softly to the ground, able to only let out pained groans.

"Fuck, finally dealt with one." Lux gritted her teeth, rubbing her struck thigh, which was already swelling rapidly. The remaining four club-wielding thugs exchanged glances, seemingly intimidated by Lux's ferocity, but then, their baser instincts took over, and they roared, rushing forward together.

Lux’s hands darted into her tunic like lightning, then she abruptly bent low, and then, like a coiled spring, suddenly leaped up. Her left foot pushed off the wall forcefully, and her entire body shot upwards, directly over the heads of the charging thugs. As they looked up in astonishment, Lux swung both hands downwards, and two puffs of white powder instantly spread out.

"Fuck. My eyes." The two thugs in the lead couldn't dodge in time and were hit squarely by the powder, immediately screaming and covering their eyes, rubbing them painfully. "Thump." Lux landed, and following through with the motion, kicked one of the men behind, sending him tumbling to Dead Fist's feet. The last remaining club-wielding thug, seeing this, showed terror on his face and instinctively retreated several steps.

"Fucking useless. Five of you can't even handle one damn kid?" Dead Fist was furious, viciously stomping on his still-groaning accomplice at his feet. Then, he tightened his grip on his knife, his eyes glinting sinisterly as he advanced on Lux. "Jack, with me." The burly man beside him who hadn't moved yet grunted in acknowledgment and charged forward with him.

The knife-wielding thug named Jack was faster, reaching Lux first and raising his knife to chop down. Lux nimbly sidestepped, but the chop was a feint in mid-air; the blade changed direction, and Jack followed through with a vicious side kick with his left foot. Lux hurriedly raised the half-broken club she had picked up earlier to block, staggering back two steps with a "clack."

The assault didn't stop. Jack immediately followed up with another horizontal slash. Lux twisted her wrist, reversed her grip on the club, and viciously jabbed the sharp, broken end into his side. Pain instantly contorted Jack's facial muscles. Lux seized the opportunity, flicked her wrist, and sharply jabbed upwards with the club, accurately hitting his chin.

Just as Jack was reeling from the blow, momentarily disoriented, Lux raised the club again, preparing to smash it into his face. "Do you think I'm dead?" Dead Fist, who had been watching from the side, finally erupted, charging like a bull between the two, the meat cleaver in his hand whistling through the air as he swung it in a huge semicircle. This strike was fast and vicious, aimed straight at Lux's shoulder.

[So fast.] Lux was alarmed, hurriedly raising the club horizontally to block. "Bang." A loud noise, the blade chopped heavily into the wooden club, sinking deep, almost splitting it in half. [This guy has incredible strength.] Lux felt her hand go numb from the impact, her arms aching as if her bones were about to shatter.