Chapter 353: He’s Strong
Chapter 349
Aiden stepped into the Red Portal with a smile on his face.
The reason was simple.
He was excited.
There was hardly any fun when he cleared lower-tier portals such as Green Portals and Yellow Portals. They posed so little threat to him that he had gradually started becoming bored whenever he entered one.
But Red Portals?
Now that was exciting.
The danger a Red Portal posed was on an entirely different level, mainly because the monsters and beasts that inhabited them were extremely powerful.
Not only that, but there were countless varieties of creatures as well.
The more special and powerful they were, the more excited Aiden became, since he would get the chance to extract their DNA after defeating them and become stronger through it.
Aiden stepped out of the portal and found himself standing in an ashen world.
Three dark moons hung overhead in the crimson sky, and even the very air itself felt wrong and dreadful.
Any normal hero who stepped into a place like this would immediately feel a powerful sense of apprehension gripping their heart.
But Aiden wasn’t normal to begin with.
Instead, his smile only widened.
That was until he encountered a strange ashen creature.
The creature appeared to be a mixture of human and beast.
Without giving him any time to think, it immediately attacked.
Aiden engaged it head-on.
At first, he was almost certain that the humanoid beast would fall after only a few exchanges at most.
However, he quickly learned that wasn’t the case at all.
Instead, the battle became increasingly intense.
The monster attacked with incredible speed, razor-sharp reflexes, and to make matters worse, its skin was as hard as steel.
That was assuming steel itself had become nearly indestructible.
The battle was difficult.
Or at least, far more difficult than Aiden had initially expected.
Still, the creature was only an A-Rank monster.
And who was he?
He was Aiden Vire.
One of the core members of Tryst Guild.
He was far stronger.
After adapting to the monster’s fighting pattern during the first few minutes of battle, Aiden decided to stop holding back.
The moment he did, the battle immediately shifted in his favor.
His fists became a relentless storm.
Punch after punch crashed into the monster.
Several devastating barrages struck the creature.
Yet its body endured.
It continued enduring under Aiden’s relentless assault.
That was until it couldn’t anymore.
Aiden’s fist finally tore straight through its chest.
His hand emerged carrying something that looked similar to a heart, though its shape was strange.
It resembled a smooth obsidian square marble.
After pulling the strange object free, Aiden reached into the creature’s body once again and extracted another marble-like object.
The monster immediately collapsed.
This time, it didn’t rise again.
Aiden didn’t get the chance to enjoy his victory.
The sound of battle suddenly reached his ears.
His head perked up.
Without hesitation, he moved toward the source.
Fortunately, he arrived just in time to see that the curly black-haired woman he had met outside the portal had actually been crazy enough to follow him inside.
And she was already on her last legs.
She dropped to her knees, her sword clattering onto the ground beside her.
Aiden observed the scene for only a brief moment before making his decision.
With explosive speed, he charged forward.
Just before the hammer-wielding ashen creature could crush the woman beneath its weapon, Aiden’s fist connected with its face first.
BOOM!
The creature was launched through the air at incredible speed and disappeared into the distance.
Even after using that much force, Aiden was certain the monster was still alive.
He would deal with it later.
For now, he turned toward the woman.
She stared at him with wide eyes.
Aiden couldn’t stop himself from speaking.
"And why the hell did you follow me?"
"Are you crazy?"
The woman stared at him for a moment before replying.
"To aid you."
"You can’t handle a Red Portal on your own."
Her gaze was solemn.
She had come intending to help him.
Instead, she had ended up needing his help.
Aiden merely glanced at her before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small white pill.
He tossed it toward her.
The woman caught it and looked at the pill before giving him a strange look that seemed to ask what it was.
Aiden met her gaze calmly.
"That will heal your injuries."
After saying that, he turned away.
The rapid sound of footsteps had already reached his ears.
The monster was approaching again.
Better take care of this one as well.
With that thought, Aiden rushed forward.
A loud bang soon echoed through the area, followed by the sounds of another fierce battle.
Elen looked at the pill in her hand.
She had no idea how effective it was.
Still, she needed healing.
No matter how little.
If she recovered even a portion of her strength, she could help Aiden.
After all, if they wanted to defeat that hammer-wielding bastard, he would need assistance.
Without hesitating any longer, she swallowed the pill whole.
Almost immediately, a strange sensation spread through her body.
A soothing warmth flowed through every inch of her being.
The sensation was comforting.
Gentle.
Peaceful.
It spread through her nerves, muscles, and bones alike.
It made her feel calm.
It made her feel safe.
And it felt wonderful.
Before she realized it, she had closed her eyes and immersed herself in the pleasant sensation.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last forever.
Only a few seconds later, the feeling faded away as though it had never existed.
Elen slowly opened her eyes.
Then she blinked.
Not because the soothing sensation had disappeared.
No.
It was because she felt different.
Her gaze shifted toward her hands.
Her eyes widened.
They looked pristine.
Smooth.
Perfect.
There wasn’t a single injury left.
All the battle damage she had accumulated was gone.
Her cracked ribs had healed completely.
Every wound had vanished.
Yet what stunned her most wasn’t the fact that her injuries had disappeared.
It was something else.
She felt stronger.
Only slightly.
But she could clearly sense an increase in her physical strength.
"This..."
She was completely stunned.
Before she could gather her thoughts, however, footsteps approached.
She looked up and saw the blond-haired youth walking back toward her with a small frown on his face.
Apparently, he was still annoyed about her following him.
"Since you’re healed up now, you should go back."
"I’m not bragging or anything, but to be frank, there’s no help you can offer me here."
"Any one of the creatures in this place is enough to threaten your life."
His voice remained calm.
Elen wanted to argue.
But she knew he was right.
Those monsters were terrifying.
The fact that this young man had dealt with the same creature that had nearly killed her in what seemed like only a minute or two proved just how powerful he was.
He might very well be one of the strongest A-Rankers she had ever met.
Perhaps even stronger than her own Guild Leader.
Yet despite all of that, she still couldn’t see him clearing the entire portal by himself.
It was common knowledge that portal dimensions differed according to color.
Green and Blue Portals usually contained areas ranging from several meters to hundreds of meters.
Yellow Portals often contained spaces as large as cities or even entire nations.
And Red Portals?
They ranged from the size of continents all the way to entire worlds.
So whether she underestimated Aiden or not, there was still virtually no chance of him clearing a Red Portal entirely on his own.
Elen voiced all of her concerns.
She explained everything she believed he needed to hear.
She told him that this was suicidal.
She explained that they would need to work together.
There was no turning back anymore.
Once they entered a Red Portal, there was only one way out.
Kill the Portal Boss.
Clear the Portal.
Only then would they be allowed to leave.
She even laid out her strategy.
Find the boss.
Eliminate it as quickly as possible.
Leave immediately afterward.
Throughout her entire explanation, Aiden simply listened with an amused expression.
After she finally finished and waited for his response, expecting him to agree with her plan, he merely shook his head and spoke a few simple words.
"If you want to leave, then don’t stay too far from me."
That was all he said.
Then he continued walking deeper into the gray world of monsters.
Elen frowned while staring at his back.
Yes, she was grateful for his timely rescue.
And yes, she was grateful for whatever miraculous medicine he had given her.
But that didn’t give him the right to look down on her.
Who said she wouldn’t be able to survive without sticking close to him?
She thought angrily.
Yet despite those thoughts, her legs were already carrying her directly behind him.
Her brain insisted that she could survive on her own.
Her heart, however—the same heart that had nearly stopped beating only minutes ago—completely disagreed.
And so she followed him.
Aiden walked calmly.
He hadn’t wanted company.
But now that he had one...
Why not put on a little show?
The duo continued traveling for a while until they arrived at a large open area.
Aiden suddenly stopped and turned toward Elen.
The unexpected action startled her.
"What is it?"
"Is there a monster nearby?"
She immediately raised her sword.
Aiden shook his head.
Then he asked his own question.
"Would you like to see something fun?"
A small grin appeared on his face.
