Chapter 15 : Relentless Assault

As Aaron neared the ambusher, a shiver ran down his spine. Something felt off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the man's movements seemed too calculated, too staged. Aaron took a deep breath and prepared himself for anything.

"Stay alert, Aaron." he muttered to himself.

"Don't let your guard down."

Meanwhile, the woman strolled along the path, oblivious to the danger lurking in the shadows. The colorful flowers growing along the walls muffled her footsteps, making it even harder for Aaron to keep an eye on her.

While Aaron was running toward the ambusher, someone else popped out from the bushes and shouted to ambusher,"Stop moving or else I will start shooting. Drop your knife now!"

As Aaron sprinted towards the ambusher, a sudden shout jolted him from bushes infront of the ambusher. He was surprised to see a mercenary, one of the same ones he had seen yesterday, emerge from the bushes, demanding that the ambusher drop his knives or face the consequences.

Aaron hesitated for a moment, watching the unfolding confrontation with bated breath. He marveled at the mercenary's stealth and skill, but his attention was soon drawn to something else.

With his enhanced vision, he spotted a figure lurking on top of a tree several hundred meters away from the woman's position. The shooter was still tracking the woman, completely oblivious to the danger that lurked behind him. Aaron wasted no time in teleporting behind the shooter, delivering a swift blow to his neck that left him unconscious.

Normally, Aaron would have felt relieved and relaxed after the situation was resolved, but his heightened senses warned him that things could still get worse. He quickly teleported up to a nearby higher tree and scouted the area from above, searching for any potential threats.

As Aaron surveyed the area, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Two more shooters had emerged from opposite sides of the path, aiming at the woman.

Knowing the need for speed to safeguard her, Aaron acted quickly since the shooters were a hundred meters apart. He teleported behind the first shooter who was about to pull the rifle trigger and delivered a powerful blow that sent him tumbling to the ground.

The second shooter, who had seen the whole incident from a distance, rushed to shoot the rifle, but before he could, Aaron threw multiple shuriken that broke the rifle apart. In a flash, Aaron blinked behind the second shooter and hit him hard on the neck.

Aaron vanished from the spot and he was relieved to find the woman safely arrived at the student's dormitory. Her spacious room, which boasted a kitchen and bathroom, stood out from the others. As he kept watch from the building next door, Aaron passed the time playing with his phone. The mission had consumed much time, leaving ample room for him to kill time.

….

Meanwhile, at the mercenary headquarters, the interrogations of the captured criminals had just concluded.

"How is my daughter, Chief? I heard the news of her attack and immediately came here!" A man clad in a white suit bellowed at the branch chief. He was the father of the woman who was under Aaron's protection.

"Your Highness, everything is under control. We have done our best. Also, you may interrogate the criminals we caught as we couldn't get much out of them," replied the branch chief in a calm manner.

"I heard that my daughter was being protected by a new platinum-ranked mercenary who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Rumor has it that he got the title because of his connections. Can he ensure my daughter's safety?" The king sounded composed yet frigid.

The branch chief let out a deep sigh before replying, "I understand it might sound like a coincidence, but he was the only available platinum-ranked mercenary at the time. Although he might have some connections, he broke records for almost every task required to become platinum-ranked."

"I will personally remove him from the mission if he doesn't prove to be qualified enough for this job," he continued.

The branch chief handed the father a file of the mercenary's test results to convince him.

The king scrutinized the test results and was astounded by them. He looked up at the branch chief and asked gravely, "Is this even legitimate? If this is true, is he even human?"

…

It was almost midnight and Aaron was still confined in a shabby storeroom located just across the woman's residence. The mercenary group assured him that they would provide a suitable place for him to rest during the mission, but he didn't expect it to be this subpar.

"I suppose it serves its purpose... to remain inconspicuous," Aaron mused as he surveyed the dismal conditions of the room.

The building appeared to have been abandoned for quite some time, evident from the dilapidated paint and the thick layers of cobwebs that adorned the corners.

Within a few hours of settling down in the abandoned room, Aaron's keen senses alerted him to the presence of three individuals donned in military attire, stealthily making their way across the rooftop of the dormitory towards the woman's room.

Acting swiftly and without hesitation, he teleported silently behind them, his intention being to gather information about their motives for relentlessly pursuing her.

After observing the three individuals patiently camping in the same spot, Aaron's disappointment grew as they remained silent, depriving him of any valuable information.

"So, I waited for nothing... Who the heck are these guys?" Aaron pondered, frustration tinged his thoughts. With his patience exhausted, he decided to take action and approached them.

"Chop, chop"

In an instant, two of them crumpled to the ground, incapacitated by Aaron's swift strike. The remaining man, caught off guard, barely had time to react before Aaron closed in on him.

Just as the last man prepared to unleash a barrage of bullets from his rifle, Aaron deftly chopped at the weapon with his right hand, causing it to shatter into pieces. Panic flashed across the man's face as his primary means of defense was abruptly rendered useless.

Seizing the opportunity, Aaron vanished from sight, leaving the disarmed man bewildered.

"Chopp"

In the blink of an eye, Aaron reappeared behind the last man, delivering a powerful blow that sent him into unconsciousness.

He swiftly retrieved the phone provided by the association and dialed the number of the cleaner, instructing them to come and collect the unconscious individuals lying on the floor.

With that task taken care of, Aaron returned to his room, intent on resuming his surveillance of the woman. However, a sudden realization dawned upon him.

"Wait a minute... How am I supposed to sleep?" he exclaimed in frustration.

....

As the hours ticked by, Aaron found himself effortlessly dispatching wave after wave of people attempting to approach the woman. Sneaking up behind them, he swiftly incapacitated each one, rendering them unconscious and out of the picture.

The mission felt surprisingly easy, and Aaron couldn't help but feel a tinge of boredom. Not once did he have to unleash the power of his magic hammer, leaving him longing for a greater challenge.

Despite his increasing boredness, Aaron persevered. Thankfully, he found solace in knowing that the cleaners sent by the association always arrived on time when he called for them. Their efficiency provided him with a brief moment of relief amidst the chaotic circumstances.