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Chapter 113: An Enraged Aiden
Aiden was also internally perplexed. How did Apollo set his sights on me?
The news of his promotion to Level 2 shouldn't have spread yet. There were only a handful of witnesses to his Great Feat, and the Guild was still keeping it strictly confidential. He didn't even have a proper adventurer alias to his name. Given the Apollo Familia's overall capability, it was even more impossible for them to know about his rare skill or his connection to the Dungeon's anomaly.
Surely... Apollo didn't possess an eye like Freya's, capable of gazing directly at the brilliance of a soul in the lower world, did he? No, that level of rule-breaking clairvoyance was supposed to be exclusive to the Goddess of Beauty. Furthermore, even after seeing the glow of his soul, Freya hadn't made any moves. So what in the world was Apollo playing at? Was he using cheat codes?
While Aiden was lost in thought, Hermes recognized the instigators as members of the Apollo Familia and flashed a highly meaningful smile. He elegantly adjusted the brim of his traveler's hat and leaned in to whisper to Asfi. "Asfi-chan, looks like we've got front-row seats to a good show. It seems we won't even have to wait until after the Denatus. Apollo's character is as rotten as ever... but this time, I suppose I have to thank him."
Asfi threw another deadpan stare at her chaotic patron, her sympathy for Aiden threatening to overflow. Poor Mr. Aiden... First, he had caught the eye of the God of Trickery, ensuring his fiercely guarded secrets were about to be broadcast to the world, and now he was entangled with a deity whose favorite pastime was aggressively collecting beautiful young men. She knew the Apollo Familia's abysmal reputation all too well. Since they had already set up this elaborate trap, it meant Apollo was genuinely fixated on him.
"Lord Hermes, is this really okay?" Asfi couldn't help but ask quietly. "If the hero candidate you've taken a shine to falls into the hands of the God Apollo... I'm afraid he might break him."
Despite their brief interaction, Asfi firmly believed Aiden wasn't the type to tolerate the toxic culture of the Apollo Familia or submit to Apollo's twisted, "special" hobbies.
"Heroes are always forged in the fires of adversity. Only those who survive the flames earn the right to be called heroes," Hermes chuckled, his eyes glinting with feverish anticipation. "Don't worry, Asfi-chan. Even without Apollo stepping in, I would have found ways to dial up the heat on him anyway. I need to see if he truly has what it takes to be the candidate I've been waiting for. After all, merely having a rare skill isn't enough to make a hero. Only someone who can shatter obstacles and rise from absolute despair is the real deal."
The commotion quickly caught the attention of every adventurer in the tavern. When the patrons realized it was the Apollo Familia swarming a lone young man, a look of grim understanding washed over many of their faces. Especially when their eyes landed on Aiden's striking white hair and exceptionally handsome features, the majority instantly settled in to watch the drama unfold.
"Hah, here we go again. The Apollo brats are hunting for a new toy for their god." A heavily muscled beast person took a massive, schadenfreude-laced gulp of his ale and muttered loudly.
"Their methods are as despicable as ever." In a dark corner, an elf polishing his longsword frowned, his voice dripping with pure disgust. However, he made absolutely no move to intervene.
Apollo's degenerate intentions were an open secret. Antagonizing a faction that boasted Level 3 adventurers for the sake of a total stranger was something no one was foolish enough to attempt. Thus, glances of pity, discomfort, and twisted amusement intertwined across the room, yet no one stepped forward.
"You did that on purpose." Ignoring the surrounding murmurs, Aiden shot an icy glare directly at the food-covered Prum sprawled on the floor—Luan Espel.
Naturally, Luan wasn't going to admit to it. He lifted his head, pointed a grime-covered finger at Aiden, and contorted his face into an expression of terrified victimization. "Y-You're lying!" he shrieked indignantly. "You clearly rammed right into me and now you won't even own up to it! Look at me! Look at my clothes! This was my favorite outfit!"
His comrades exchanged smug glances. The largest among them, a hulking beast person, took a step forward, looming over Aiden aggressively. "You look like a broke piece of trash who can't pay us back anyway. Tell you what—I've seen a couple of cute girls hanging around your Familia. Have them come out and 'entertain' us for a while, and we'll be merciful enough to let this little incident slide. How's that sound?"
The very instant those words left his mouth, the air inside the tavern seemed to freeze solid. Aiden's eyes turned pitch-black. Unfiltered, naked killing intent erupted from his body, causing the ambient temperature to plummet. These scumbags had just touched his absolute reverse scale.
"Say that again." Aiden's voice was frigid, stripped entirely of human emotion.
Utterly oblivious to the terrifying reaper standing before him, the beast person flashed a vile, lecherous grin and continued to run his filthy mouth. "I said, tell the bitches in your Familia to come entertain us real men—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a hand clamped onto his face with the speed of a striking viper. The crushing force gripping his skull was beyond anything he could comprehend. He didn't even have the time to process what was happening. The next thing he knew, the world violently spun out of control, blurring into a sickening reverse motion.
BOOM!!!
The beast person's massive frame was launched backward like a cannonball. He smashed through three or four thick wooden tables in his path, sending splintered wood and shattered glasses exploding in every direction. Finally, he slammed brutally into the tavern's solid stone wall, his body embedding deeply into the rock. A terrifying, spiderweb-like crater spiderwebbed outward from the point of impact.
The beast person's eyes rolled back into his skull. Thick blood, choked with pulped organ fragments, spilled continuously from his nose and mouth. His body convulsed twice before he lost consciousness entirely.
"You bastard, you actually attacked us!"
A deathly silence claimed the tavern. Everyone sat paralyzed by the sudden, hyper-violent display. The remaining six Apollo members were stunned for a split second before their faces contorted in furious rage. Although this was exactly the outcome they had been baiting—goading the target into throwing the first punch so they could 'rightfully' teach him a lesson—seeing one of their own dismantled so effortlessly sent the blood rushing to their heads.
"Kill him!" they roared in unison, lunging at Aiden from all sides with fists swinging.
Aiden showed absolutely no mercy. Without even glancing at the man rushing him from the flank, he delivered a devastating side kick straight into the attacker's chest. The man let out a muffled groan and flew across the room like a kite with its string cut. At the exact same moment, Aiden's right hand shot forward like lightning, perfectly intercepting a heavy punch aimed squarely at his face.
CRACK!
Aiden viciously twisted his wrist. A sickening, bone-shattering snap echoed sharply throughout the silent tavern.
.....
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