CHAPTER 37: 37: ATTACK TOGETHER

Silence.

The kind of silence so absolute, dropping a pin would’ve echoed like thunder.

Cough cough.

"I’m not ready to be a father yet... I’m not even mature enough," Aaron coughed awkwardly, caught completely off guard by the random lady’s bold outburst from the crowd.

"Now, where were we?" Aaron recovered with a dry chuckle. "Ah yes. Should I attack, or will you all attack instead?"

"You can do anything," the same female voice piped up again, "as long as I can have your bab—"

Cough cough!

Aaron quickly cut her off with a well-aimed shot of his blood, eliminating her before she could finish the embarrassing sentence.

"Thank you!" several students chorused in unison, bowing their heads in genuine gratitude. She had, after all, been saving up some real cringe.

Aaron gave a small nod, pleased with himself. He had, after all, done them all a favor.

"Attack!!!" a brave soul yelled, breaking the temporary peace. He rushed at Aaron with a kunai in hand, his eyes bloodshot with adrenaline and false courage.

"Hah. This feels nostalgic," Aaron said, jumping off the boulder as if he’d just descended from heaven to grace mere mortals with his presence.

He met the first attacker with a calm palm to the chest, knocking the student backward like a ragdoll.

The signal was set.

The entire valley erupted into chaos as hundreds of students charged at Aaron like moths drawn to a flame, eager to test their luck—or meet their doom.

"Ugh!" "Argh!"

Aaron sent students flying left and right with precise counters and blood-powered strikes. His smile widened like that of a madman reveling in the storm of battle.

"Katum!" Aaron suddenly announced, pressing a blood-stained hand over his mouth and spewing forth a condensed stream of blood energy.

"Block it!!" students shouted as those with defensive talents scrambled to the front, erecting barriers, shields, and magical domes.

"Hahahaha! You’re the best, Aaron!!" Leo cheered from a distance, enjoying the show like a front-row spectator at a concert.

"What are you even cheering for? Come at me!" Aaron grinned, turning his attention to his best friend.

"Me... Me...?" Leo blinked in disbelief, pointing at himself like a confused pedestrian caught in headlights.

"No need," Aaron said ominously.

"Hah! You almost scared—"

"I’ll just come to you," Aaron smirked, stepping off in Leo’s direction with deliberate intent.

"HELP!!!" Leo screamed, panic erupting in his chest as he ran for dear life.

"You can’t escape these eyes," Aaron said coolly, eyes locked on Leo’s back.

Leo looked behind, and a chill crawled up his spine. "No! Aaron, don’t do this to me!!"

"Hahaha! You scream like a girl, bro!" Aaron laughed, forming finger guns.

"Thousand Years of Pain!!"

Bang!

A small but highly focused blood bullet shot straight for Leo’s butt.

"I swear on my life I will kill you!!!" Leo shrieked, clutching his backside.

Ting!

Leo’s watch vibrated.

He had been eliminated.

"Ahhh... that was refreshing," Aaron exhaled like he’d just finished a spa day. "Now then... who’s next?"

The crowd shuddered in shared fear. If he could do that to his own best friend...

Ting!

Ting!

Ting!

Ting!

Ting!

"What the hell are you all doing?!" Aaron shouted in panic as dozens of students chose self-elimination, tapping their watches and escaping with their dignity intact.

Aaron’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Only twenty students remained.

"Hahahaha... I never knew someone like you could exist," Draken’s voice rang out through the thinning crowd as he walked over with a grin. "What a way to steal the spotlight."

"Hold up. It’s not time to fight the boss monsters yet," Aaron dismissed him casually, waving him off. "You’ll be dessert."

Aaron’s eyes shifted toward the remaining ranked players.

"Nicholas, huh?" he read off one watch. "An A-rank lightning talent... not too shabby."

He walked forward, cracking his knuckles.

"Let’s make this snappy, shall we?"

"I’d advise some humility," Nicholas warned, lightning crackling in his palms. "Pride comes before a fall."

"You’re mistaking my confidence for arrogance," Aaron said with a slight smirk.

"I’ll show you the difference!"

Zzzap!

A burst of lightning shot from Nicholas’ hands.

With casual grace, Aaron weaved to the side, dodging the blast entirely. In the same motion, he dashed forward, balled his fist, and launched Nicholas flying into the air.

Ting!

Nicholas was eliminated.

"That won’t do. You double digits... come all at once," Aaron said with a wave of his hand. "You’re nothing more than elite monsters in a raid."

"YOU BASTARD!" Heracles, ranked eleventh, roared with fury, charging with his twin swords glowing with A++ Swordsmanship talent. His blade whistled through the air as he went for a killing slash.

"Didn’t I say all of you should come at once?" Aaron scowled, launching a compressed blood shot that cracked like thunder.

BOOM!

Heracles was blasted back like a cannonball, his swords spinning from his grasp as he slammed into a tree.

Ting!

Eliminated.

"You know what? This is a waste of time."

Aaron fired off multiple blood bullets, too fast to track. The rest of the double digits dropped like flies.

Only nine remained.

"Hmm. Let’s hope you’ll be impressive," Aaron muttered, narrowing his eyes at the single-digit ranked students.

"Who knows?" Anderson said, rolling his shoulders. "Why don’t you find out for yourself?"

"That’s exactly what I intend to do," Aaron replied.

BOOM!

Hayley Crossfire moved first, unleashing energy blasts while sprinting straight at Aaron.

Aaron pivoted, dodging the blasts. But then—

Shhhk!

Grey emerged from a nearby shadow, his dagger swiping at Aaron’s chest.

Aaron leaned back just in time, the dagger slicing air.

"Urgh!" Aaron groaned, vines snaking up his legs.

Isabelle Heart gritted her teeth, her plant-based power pinning him in place.

"My turn!!" Reynold yelled from above, bringing his hammer down like a meteor.

Aaron grunted, manipulating the blood in his body to cut the vines and free himself just before the hammer smashed into the earth.

He rolled out of the way.

SCREEEE!!

A flaming bird screeched toward him—Draken’s doing.

Aaron summoned a thick wall of blood to intercept it.

FWOOSH!

The wall held, barely.

Bang bang bang!

Mana bullets rained down—Leah Steel’s attack. They struck the wall relentlessly.

Then—

Wham!

Reynold’s hammer flew into the weakened wall, breaking it apart.

Aaron was sent flying, smashing into a tree.

BOOM!

But at the last moment, he cushioned the blow with another blood wall to minimize the damage.

Smoke curled from his shirt as he rose to his feet, grinning.

"Wow," he said, flexing his fingers. "You guys aren’t half bad."

He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and cracked his neck.

"But I was expecting a one-on-one, not a group project."