17 Three against one!

When Lorenzo walked into the deli, he noticed Deborah helping Fat Moe serve a bustling crowd of customers.

He chuckled at the sight and chose his usual table, casually signaling Deborah with a raised hand like any other patron eager to place an order.

Busy with other customers, Deborah caught Lorenzo's gesture out of the corner of her eye. She rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smile as she made her way over to him, knowing he was a regular.

"What do you need?" she asked, poised to take his order.

Lorenzo was tempted to tease her by saying, "You," but decided against bothering her and instead requested, "I'd like a sandwich, please."

As Deborah turned to fetch his order, Lorenzo couldn't resist adding, "Deborah, when are you going to dance?"

She paused and turned back, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "I'll be off around 4 PM, maybe then."

"4 PM?" Lorenzo checked the time on the system interface; it was already 3:32 PM. "So, in about half an hour?"

Deborah simply nodded, then teased, "What, you want to watch me dance again?"

Lorenzo confirmed with a nod and added, "Yes, and I suddenly thought, why not dance together?"

This took Deborah by surprise. "Dance with me?" she echoed, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

Lorenzo gave her a confirming nod but kept the true reason — a task from the system — to himself.

Deborah noticed Lorenzo had nothing more to say, so she went to prepare his order.

A short while later, she returned with his sandwich. "Thanks," Lorenzo said, accepting it with a nod.

Deborah returned the nod and lingered for a moment, looking at him before she turned to attend to other customers.

Lorenzo ate his sandwich, watching Deborah as she bustled around the deli. He figured he had about half an hour, so after finishing his meal, he left through the back door that opened into the alleyway.

Just as he stepped outside, a voice called out, "You finally came out..."

Lorenzo turned to see Max standing there with his two friends, Patrick and Philip.

With a smile, Lorenzo challenged them, "You guys still have the guts to show up in front of me?"

This comment seemed to strike a nerve, and Max replied defiantly, "I admit I underestimated you before, but this time... I won't hold back."

Lorenzo noticed the brass knuckles glinting in Max's hand.

"Oh? Think brass knuckles will make a difference?" Lorenzo chuckled.

"It's not just him you're up against, punk," Patrick retorted, as he and Philip, also armed with brass knuckles, joined Max to encircle Lorenzo.

"Now things are getting interesting... all three of you at once?" Lorenzo said, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Let's see how smug you are after we're done with you," Max snapped, as the trio took up fighting stances, facing Lorenzo who remained relaxed.

Max and his friends Patrick and Philip were careful not to underestimate Lorenzo again. They knew of his capabilities, especially after seeing him excel in boxing and even defeat Max, a known brawler in street fights.

"Let's do this," Lorenzo muttered, clenching his hands into fists. He was ready to draw on the martial arts skills from his previous life. He understood that while martial arts wouldn't make him invincible in a real fight, they would help him focus, counter specific moves, and retaliate under the right conditions. However, he knew he was no master like Ip Man or Bruce Lee—achieving such prowess would require exceptional agility and quick reactions.

Lorenzo was aware that improving his "Agility" attribute could make a significant difference, but for now, it remained at a basic level of 1, while his "Strength" attribute was only slightly better at 2.

Lorenzo was fully alert as Max and his two friends charged at him with fists flying. Facing three opponents, his vulnerability was his back, where he lacked awareness. Patrick exploited this, striking Lorenzo from behind while he was busy dodging punches from Max and Philip.

Lorenzo instinctively sensed danger to his back and barely managed to dodge, but not before Patrick's punch, amplified by brass knuckles, landed on his shoulder. Despite the pain, Lorenzo didn't flinch as he continued to evade the barrage, though a few punches still found their mark.

Max, Patrick, and Philip seemed pleased, thinking their strategy to overwhelm Lorenzo was succeeding.

However, Lorenzo began to counterattack fiercely, managing to land solid punches on both Max and Philip's faces. The impact was especially painful for Max, who still bore bruises from a previous encounter. Philip was also surprised by the strength behind Lorenzo's punch, which felt heavier and more powerful than he had anticipated. Despite this, they pressed on, with Philip managing to hit Lorenzo in the face.

Shortly afterward, Patrick also connected a punch to the side of Lorenzo's head, leaving a ringing in his ears.

Battling dizziness from the onslaught, Lorenzo fought valiantly. His "Strength" attribute, though only rated at two points, seemed to fortify him. He stood his ground, continuing to fight back and inflict damage on the trio assaulting him.

Lorenzo managed to land punches on Patrick's face and stomach, and struck Philip solidly in the eye, causing both to stagger backward. He also delivered several hard blows to Max's head.

Although Lorenzo fought back effectively and inflicted significant damage on the three, he wasn't without injuries. His head was bleeding, with blood streaming down his face...

Despite feeling dizzy and his surroundings seeming to spin, Lorenzo stood his ground and continued to fight. His punches were strengthened by his "Strength" attribute, which he had recently increased. Max, Patrick, and Philip were gasping for air, exhausted from both throwing and receiving punches. Even though they were hurting, they persisted in the fight, seeing that Lorenzo was taking more damage.

Aware of the gravity of the situation, Lorenzo checked the system interface during the fight.

Lorenzo noticed that he was still at level 1, with his experience bar at [30/50]. This meant he needed about 20 more XP to level up. According to the system, leveling up would grant an additional increase of 1 point to all his attribute points, along with a reward of 3 Attribute Points that he could use to enhance an attribute of his choice.

He quickly skimmed through the [Task List] to see if there was any task he could complete in his current situation that would yield the necessary 20 XP. However, none of the tasks seemed feasible given the circumstances.

There was one task that caught his eye: if his relationship with Deborah reached 30, he would earn exactly 20 XP. Unfortunately, his current relationship progress with Deborah was only at 26. He needed just 4 more points to complete the task, but it was impossible to achieve right now, as he couldn't simply manipulate someone else's feelings towards him.

---

Inside the deli, Deborah was given the opportunity to rest a bit earlier than usual. She was tired but happy and decided to look for Lorenzo since he had proposed a dance with her.

Noticing his absence, she frowned, feeling an uneasy sense that something bad might be happening.

"Why am I worried about him?" Deborah pondered as she searched the deli. She acknowledged that she had started to view Lorenzo as a friend and was even beginning to like him. However, she knew her feelings weren't romantic—her heart still belonged to Noodles, her childhood friend.

Fat Moe noticed Deborah pacing and looking around. He couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking around? Are you looking for someone?"

After a moment of thought, Deborah turned to her brother and asked, "Did you see Lorenzo? He was here earlier, right?"

Fat Moe glanced at Deborah and began to suspect that there might be something between her and Lorenzo, especially after noticing they had gone out together the day before.

Still, he answered her query despite his suspicions, "I saw him go out the back door to the alley."

Upon hearing this, Deborah nodded and quickly made her way to the deli's back door. As she approached, the sounds of a scuffle reached her ears. Peeking outside, she saw Lorenzo struggling against three attackers.

Deborah's eyes widened in shock. Lorenzo was fighting back but was clearly overwhelmed. A surge of worry and concern flashed through her as she flung the door open and confronted the trio, recognizing them as friends of Noodles. "What are you doing to him!?" she demanded.

Max, Patrick, and Philip paused their assault but dismissed her concern. Max replied coolly, "You don't want to get involved in this, Deborah."

Deborah's eyes flashed with anger as she glared at Max. "If you don't stop, I'm calling the police!" she roared.

Max and his friends chuckled dismissively. "You've got to be kidding me," Max replied. "Street fights are nothing new in New York. They're common around here; no one's going to bother."

Patrick nodded in agreement. "People here just keep to themselves and mind their own business. I'd advise you to do the same, Deborah."

Deborah's frustration mounted as she listened to them. Despite knowing there was some truth in their words, her anger didn't subside.

Turning to Lorenzo, she gasped softly at the sight of blood streaming down his face. "Lorenzo!" she cried out.

Lorenzo, dazed and struggling, glanced at Deborah. His vision was wavering, almost surreal. "De-Deborah..." he managed to nod, acknowledging her presence amidst the chaos.

Seeing Lorenzo in distress, Deborah disregarded Max and his friends' attacks and ran toward him. As she approached, Max and his friends ceased their punches, watching her actions closely.

"If you hit him, you'll have to hit me too!" she declared, wrapping her arms around Lorenzo to shield him from further blows.

Max and his friends exchanged looks and chuckled. "You better get out of the way, Deborah," Max warned.

Ignoring him, Deborah clung tighter to Lorenzo, hoping her connection to Noodles, whom she knew was friends with the attackers, would deter them from continuing.

"Are you hiding behind a girl now, Lorenzo?" Max taunted, aiming to provoke him.

Hearing Max's taunt, Lorenzo gently patted Deborah on the back, whispering, "It's okay. You don't need to protect me—"

"No!" Deborah interrupted, shaking her head adamantly, refusing to step aside.

Lorenzo felt helpless in the face of her determination. Just then, a mechanical voice from the system interface echoed in his mind: [Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing a task! Deepen your relationship with Deborah, aiming to reach a relationship level of 30 - completed!]

[You received 20 XP!]

[Ding! Congratulations! You Level Up!]

[Your Attributes increased by 1! You received a reward: 3 Attribute Points!]