Chapter 348

Aiden gaze moved across each of them before he continued.

"Since all of you were planning to run away anyway, be quick about it."

"Leave." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"So I can do what I came here for."

Aiden’s grin widened slightly.

"Run along, little kittens."

He said with an annoyingly carefree smile plastered across his face.

The smile irritated all the heroes, filling them with rage and fury almost beyond reason.

One of them, a large black man, suddenly charged forward, reaching Aiden in only a few seconds.

"Shut your mouth, you brat!"

The hero shouted as his punch came barreling down toward Aiden’s head.

The expressions of the other heroes changed when they saw this, but they were all too late to stop their companion.

"Stop that!"

Elen shouted as she dashed forward, but she knew she wouldn’t make it in time.

Francis’s full-powered punch would probably wound the young arrogant kid severely, if it didn’t outright kill him.

While everyone watched in horror at the fate they believed was about to befall Aiden, Aiden himself merely looked at the man’s face.

Then the corner of his lips curled upward slightly.

"Stupid mistake."

He muttered under his breath.

And then he moved.

To those watching, including the man attacking him, it was as if Aiden had phased out of existence.

He effortlessly dodged the attack, and before the man could even comprehend what had happened, Aiden’s boot was already beside his jaw.

The kick connected calmly, almost softly.

Yet the force behind it was enough to completely lift the man off his feet and launch him high into the air.

The hero felt his jaw shatter under the impact, blood spilling from his lips.

As he flew through the air, however, he suddenly saw a dark figure moving upward.

His eyes widened in shock and horror.

Aiden was there.

His gaze remained calm as he raised one leg overhead before swinging it downward toward the airborne hero.

Another devastating force erupted from the kick.

The attack collided directly with the man’s chest.

A loud PAH echoed through the area.

The hero came crashing downward with even greater force than before.

BOOM!

He slammed into the ground, and a cloud of dust exploded outward.

Heavy dust filled the air.

When it finally cleared, the young blond-haired man could be seen standing calmly beside the fallen hero.

The remaining nine B-Rankers quickly turned their gazes toward their companion.

What they saw made chills run down their spines.

The man’s eyes had completely rolled into the back of his head.

He was unconscious.

Completely knocked out.

And all it had taken was two attacks.

Not only that, the attacks had seemed casual.

Almost effortless.

Aiden had only used his right leg twice.

Yet one of the strongest heroes among them had already been taken out of the fight.

Meanwhile, the blond-haired youth remained as relaxed as ever.

Aiden turned his gaze toward the remaining heroes.

Without meaning to, they all took a step backward.

"Heroes who are willing to abandon citizens in times of danger aren’t worthy of being called heroes."

His voice was calm.

The part about the portal being dangerous for them, he could understand.

But instead of finding a safe route and helping the citizens evacuate before the portal broke, they had been planning to flee while leaving hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives at the mercy of whatever monsters emerged from the portal.

The heroes all lowered their heads and looked away.

All except one.

Elen.

She was also the only one willing to step forward.

Although her suggestion had been suicidal even by Aiden’s standards, at least she had courage.

Unlike the others, who were simply acting like cowards.

"Take him and leave."

Aiden said as he turned his attention back toward the Red Portal standing only a few meters away.

The heroes nodded.

They quickly grabbed their unconscious companion and began retreating.

None of them dared look at the blond-haired youth improperly anymore.

Not after witnessing what had happened to Francis.

One by one, they left.

All except the woman who had originally suggested charging into the Red Portal.

Aiden glanced at her and gave her a questioning look.

The woman stared back.

Aiden raised an eyebrow.

His expression seemed to ask a simple question.

What are you waiting for?

After a moment, the woman’s expression became more confident.

She bowed slightly.

"You must be an A-Class Hero."

"I’m sorry for my partner’s aggressive actions toward you earlier."

Aiden waved dismissively.

He didn’t really care about the heroes.

What interested him was clearing this portal and seeing whether he could obtain more beast DNA to add to his already massive collection.

Seeing that the youth didn’t appear offended, Elen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Who knew what powerful guild he came from?

If they offended him and he decided to make life difficult for their guild, there would be little they could do about it.

"If that’s all, then you should leave."

"And before you go, tell everyone in the area not to come close."

Aiden spoke as he continued walking toward the portal.

Seeing that he truly intended to enter the Red Portal alone, the woman hurriedly spoke.

"Hey, you can’t!"

"Don’t you see the color? It’s a Red Portal!"

"No matter how strong your skill is, you still can’t clear that portal on your own."

"You need help."

Aiden paused briefly.

Another smile appeared on his face.

Just how many Red Portals had he cleared over the past year after the Curse was defeated?

Yeah.

More than twenty.

And he had cleared most of them alone.

This woman had absolutely no idea who she was talking to.

Still, he turned and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Trust me."

"I’m more than enough to deal with anything waiting for me in there."

With that said, he turned around and entered the portal without another word.

Elen stared at the Red Portal in stunned silence.

The face of the confident blond-haired hero and that carefree smile were etched deeply into her mind.

"He must be strong."

She muttered while looking at the portal.

For a few moments she simply stood there.

Her eyes remained fixed on the crimson gateway.

Then her expression suddenly changed.

He might be strong.

But it wouldn’t matter in front of a portal like that.

He needed help.

And he needed help right now.

She looked around desperately.

There was nobody within several miles capable of helping.

Her companions had already left.

If she contacted the Hero Association now and waited for reinforcements, it might already be too late.

The brave blond hero could be dead long before help arrived.

When that thought crossed her mind, she gritted her teeth.

The young man was a hero.

Just like her.

They carried the same title.

Yet he had been brave enough to enter alone.

And here she was, hesitating.

Forcing all her willpower to the surface, she tightened her grip on her blade, which glowed with a bright green light.

With steely resolve, she charged directly toward the Red Portal.

A moment later, she crossed through it.

The world around her changed instantly.

She found herself standing in what looked like an ashen wasteland.

The sky above was blood red.

Three dark moons hung ominously overhead.

She had barely gotten the chance to examine her surroundings when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

Her instincts screamed.

Danger.

Extreme danger.

She spun around instantly.

And there it was.

A massive ashen hammer was already swinging directly toward her head.