In Deadpool With a System [13]

But before he could finish the job—

A battle axe came hurtling through the air from an unknown direction.

With an almost unnatural trajectory, the blade embedded itself deep into the green-haired man’s arm, sinking in a full five centimeters.

“Aaargh!” He let out a scream of agony.

His grip on Dane loosened immediately.

Dane fell to the ground, his legs barely supporting him as he stumbled backward. His vision swam from the lack of oxygen, and he only stopped when he bumped into something—no, someone.

Turning his head slightly, he realized who it was.

Ajax.

For the first time, Dane actually found Ajax’s presence comforting.

The man’s usual smirk played on his lips as he casually steadied Dane, making sure he didn’t collapse completely.

If Dane hadn’t been naturally tough, he would have been dead by now.

Ajax’s voice was soft but carried a weight that sent chills down everyone’s spine.

“You tried to kill one of mine?” He didn’t raise his voice, but there was a deadly edge to it. “Getting bold, aren’t you, Green Hair?”

The green-haired man’s face twisted—not in anger, but in fear.

If it had been anyone else mocking him with that name, he would have snapped.

But this was Ajax.

And against Ajax, there was no room for pride, only survival.

“Mercy! I… I didn’t know he was yours!” Green Hair stammered, his face drained of color. “I thought he was just some stray mutant!”

He was still lying on the ground, his own blood pooling beneath him.

“Well,” Ajax said, tilting his head. “Do you know now?”

His tone was almost gentle, but the weight of his words crushed any thoughts of resistance.

“Yes! Yes, I know now!” Green Hair’s voice trembled. “I swear I won’t touch him again!”

Ajax let out a hum of approval. “Since you’re still useful to me, I’ll let you live.” He crouched down and—without hesitation—ripped the axe out of Green Hair’s arm.

“AAAHHHH!”

A fresh spray of blood followed the weapon’s removal.

The two women who had been holding Angel immediately released her and scrambled to Green Hair’s side, grabbing him by the shoulders to drag him away.

They were about to flee when a voice stopped them in their tracks.

“Wait.”

Dane.

The two women stiffened, turning back with caution.

Dane took a step forward, despite the soreness in his throat.

“You’re not leaving yet,” he said, his voice steady. “You haven’t apologized to Angel.”

[Your words have stirred something in Angel’s heart.]

[She never expected someone as weak-looking as you to stand up for her.]

[Her opinion of you has doubled.]

[Strength +20 (Current Strength: 100)]

[Strength has reached 100—Unlocking Ability: Monstrous Strength. Your raw power is now doubled. As your base strength increases, so will the enhancement.]

“W-We’re sorry…”

“Angel, please forgive us! We won’t mess with you again!”

The three of them bowed their heads, their arrogance from before completely gone.

“Get lost,” Angel said without even sparing them a glance. She had no interest in their pathetic apologies.

“Y-Yes… T-Thank you…”

Without another word, the three scrambled away, practically tripping over themselves as they fled under the disdainful gazes of the surrounding onlookers.

Now that the tension had faded, the gathered crowd quickly dispersed.

The hallway returned to its usual state, no longer packed with spectators.

Angel turned to Dane.

“…Are you okay?”

That single question caught Ajax off guard.

Ever since Angel had become a mutant, she had grown distant, cold, and detached.

He had never once seen her show concern for anyone.

Yet Dane, a complete newcomer, had somehow changed that in just a single day.

Dane chuckled, rubbing his throat. “I can take a beating. But all this fighting really cut into my meal time.”

“Don’t worry. If we head over now, there’s still plenty left.”

Ignoring Ajax’s raised eyebrow, Angel led Dane toward the cafeteria.

After taking a few turns down different hallways, Dane finally stepped inside the dining area.

To his relief, the place didn’t disappoint.

It was a full buffet-style setup, just like he had imagined.

An endless spread of food stretched before him—steaks, seafood, fresh vegetables, dairy products, burgers…

It was a feast.

“For a moment,” Dane said, his eyes shining as he scanned the food, “this almost makes me forget I’m in a mutant experimentation facility.”

“Go eat. You must be starving,” Angel said with a small nod.

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Without wasting another second, Dane dashed toward the steak station.

One plate after another piled up in his hands—seafood, meats, vegetables, burgers—he grabbed as much as he could, barely able to carry it all.

He wished he had extra hands to hold more.

His enthusiasm quickly drew attention.

“Bet that kid’s here for the first time.”

“He looks new. I was just like that when I first came to the cafeteria.”

“Only the valuable mutants get to eat here. I wonder what his ability is.”

“If he’s hanging around with Angel, his power must be decent.”

Whispers filled the air as other mutants took notice of him.

Meanwhile, Dane finally sat down, his table now packed with food.

“Sorry for taking up so much space.”

Angel gave him an indifferent look. “You don’t have to apologize. Eat whatever you want.”

Dane nodded. “What about you? You’re not eating?”

“I’ll just have some fruit.”

Dane blinked. “I get it. You’re skipping dinner to stay in shape, right?”

Angel frowned. “What?”

“Well, if that’s the case, you should still eat. You need energy to exercise. How can you burn calories if you don’t have any in the first place?”

“Enough already,” Angel sighed, looking away. “Even while eating, you can’t stop talking?”

She had just started seeing Dane in a better light, but his chatterbox nature was ruining it.

Meanwhile, Dane completely ignored any sense of table manners.

He tore into his food, devouring meat and gulping down milk like a man possessed.

His eating speed was insane—before he even finished chewing one bite, he was already stuffing more food into his mouth.