Brad had already rolled up his sleeves, revealing the dragon and tiger tattoos on his arms.
The other diners instantly recognized that he was not someone to be trifled with. Although Brad was not tall, he was burly and covered in rolls of fat. Anyone with a bit of experience knew that people with this much flab were the most vicious in a fight.
In contrast, Marcus looked like a clean-cut college student. Although he had a lean and strong physique, he still seemed a bit thin compared to Brad.
However, seeing him step forward to act bravely in such a situation, many people felt a sense of admiration for Marcus in their hearts.
Marcus's sudden appearance caught Brad by surprise.
"Do you really think you can play the hero?"
Brad stood in front of Marcus, his tone icy. He glared fiercely into Marcus's eyes, his rage seemingly ready to explode at any second.
Marcus broke into a cold sweat internally. The aura radiating from Brad made Marcus feel a bit afraid. Although, as a kid who grew up in an orphanage, he had gotten into his fair share of fights, this was his first time going up against a tough nut like Brad.
However, Morgana was the cashback target bound to his system, so he couldn't just let Brad bully her like this. Furthermore, he already held a grudge against Brad for stealing Jessica away from him. This was something no man could tolerate.
"Ding, danger detected for the host. The host's current physical fitness level is 2, while the opponent's is 3. The host can spend 5 points to increase their physical fitness level by 1. Do you wish to redeem?"
The system's sudden prompt was like a shot of adrenaline for Marcus.
"Great! Redeem! Redeem immediately!"
Since he happened to have 5 points, Marcus chose to redeem without the slightest hesitation. Looking at Brad's posturing, it was clear that things wouldn't end peacefully today. The atmosphere had built up to this point; it was highly likely that a fight was inevitable. The system's boost at this moment was incredibly timely.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for a successful redemption. Host physical fitness is being enhanced... Enhancement complete. The host's current physical fitness level is 3."
A surge of warmth instantly flowed from his heart throughout Marcus's entire body. Every cell in his body seemed to be filled with power.
Marcus clenched his fists with satisfaction, snorted coldly at Brad, and turned to help the fallen Morgana up.
"Are you okay?"
Brad's sudden attack had given Morgana quite a fright. It was her first time encountering a situation like this. Her initially fearful and helpless heart seemed to find redemption the moment Marcus appeared, and tears of grievance streamed down her face.
"I... I'm okay... Thank you..."
Looking at the bright red blood on Morgana's palm, Marcus grabbed a towel from the table and carefully wrapped the injury.
"Stop the bleeding first. It's best to disinfect it with iodine later."
Marcus had often been injured in fights when he was a child, so treating wounds like this was a piece of cake for him.
Morgana: Favorability +5
Morgana: Favorability +5
Morgana: Favorability +5
Morgana: Favorability +5
Morgana's current favorability is 30.
While Marcus was taking care of Morgana, Brad became unhappy. He had been standing there for so long, and Marcus was acting as if he didn't exist.
"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?"
Brad's angry roar startled the people around them.
Marcus protected Morgana behind him and turned to look at Brad impatiently.
"You fat pig, why are you barking? You scared me!"
Marcus's words instantly ignited Brad's fury. A fist the size of a sandbag immediately flew towards Marcus's face.
Marcus dodged to the side, but his shoulder was still grazed by Brad's fist, sending a burning pain through it. But at the same time, Marcus landed a powerful roundhouse kick on Brad's side. Although Brad had thick fat for protection, he couldn't avoid a piercing pain.
After this blow, both were fired up and instantly started brawling.
Marcus was half a head taller than Brad, but his center of gravity wasn't as stable, so he was pinned to the ground by Brad. However, Brad didn't get the upper hand either, as he took several heavy punches to the stomach from Marcus.
Morgana: Favorability +5
Morgana: Favorability +5
Morgana's current favorability is 40.
There isn't a beauty who wouldn't be moved by a scene of a hero saving the beauty. As Morgana looked at the boy standing up for her, besides gratitude, a strange feeling seemed to be gradually developing in her heart.
Hearing the system's notification sound, Marcus actually became anxious. He hadn't even farmed cashback from Morgana yet, and her favorability had already reached forty. The system rules stated that cashback couldn't be earned once it reached over fifty. If her favorability kept rising like this, what was he supposed to do!
However, Morgana wasn't the only one conquered by Marcus's righteous actions at this moment.
Sofia: Favorability +5
Sofia current favorability is 60.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for receiving a 5-point reward."
"Danger detected for the host. The host can spend 5 points to increase their physical fitness level by 1. Do you wish to redeem?"
The 5 points of favorability from Sofia at this critical moment made Marcus overjoyed.
"Redeem immediately!"
"Ding, redemption successful! Enhancement complete. The host's current physical fitness level is 4."
Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Marcus's eyes. In that instant, the previously deadlocked situation turned around completely.
Marcus clamped down on Brad's hands and drove his knee hard into his stomach. The massive impact forced an eerie indentation into Brad's flabby belly.
Brad felt his stomach churning violently, and a mouthful of bitter bile rose in his throat. After struggling a couple of times, he knelt on the ground, clutching his greasy belly in pain.
"You... you brat... you're done for... Assaulting someone in public... don't even think about attending college!"
Brad was in so much pain he couldn't even lift his head, but he still stubbornly pointed his finger at Marcus and spat out threats.
Hearing this, Marcus felt a bit uncertain. It was only the first day of freshman registration; if he were really expelled from school because of this, it would be a huge loss.
Seeing the look of panic on Marcus's face, Brad became increasingly smug. After all, he was a tough guy who feared nothing. But college students like Marcus were different; they had too many weaknesses that could be exploited.
Thinking of this, Brad clutched his stomach and struggled to crawl up from the ground, plopped back into his chair, and looked at Marcus with a cold sneer. He was contemplating what methods to use to get back at this young man and regain the face he had lost today.
Just then, a beauty with wavy hair, wearing a black bodycon skirt, walked elegantly in high heels up to the two of them.
The beauty blocked Marcus, and spoke to Brad in a calm, composed manner.
"Let me introduce myself; I am a lawyer. I have recorded everything that just happened on my phone. Today's conflict was caused by you making the first move. This young man's actions can be classified as acting bravely for a just cause."