Evolving Infinitely From An E-Class Hero

Chapter 2

It was raining.

Cold droplets cascaded down from the night heavens, washing over the destruction that had turned Sector D's heart into a wasteland.

The beauty of the Sector had completely vanished.

Buildings crumbled, reduced to ruins. Sparks of electricity sizzled in separate places, the neon lights that once brightened the streets flickered weakly, their glow swallowed by the smothering darkness of the storm.

Cars were tumbled over, the ground was littered with shattered concrete, broken glass, and unmoving bodies. Roads were broken in numerous halves, cracks spiderwebbed everywhere.

And in the midst of it all, a monster reigned.

S-Class Villain, the Snake King. A Cataclysm Level Threat.

He was a titanic, coiling beast, donning a body that stretched high above. From what had been reported, his entire form was almost long enough to form a road channell around the entire city.

The sheer length of it vanished into the shadows of the collapsing cityscape. His emerald scales gleamed under the rain, thick and unbreakable like living armor.

He had two massive arms, unnaturally muscular, jutted from his sides, each ending in jagged claws sharp enough to slice steel like butter.

But the worst part wasn't his size. It wasn't even the long, spiked tail that had crushed buildings or the gaping maw filled with venomous fangs.

It was his eyes.

Malicious, glowing slits filled with amusement and cruelty. The Snake King was a being that took pleasure in destruction, in the helplessness of those beneath it.

He was the kind of villain I despised.

The kinds that needed to be eliminated for the good of mankind.

Every Sector has a Safehouse, also numbered A-Z, where the civilians were to gather incase of an emergency such as this.

But Sector D's Safehouse had already been breached by Snake King.

Hundreds of civilians cowered behind its crumbling walls, eyes wide with terror as the serpentine villain licked his lips hungrily, ready to begin a slaughter.

I arrived at that instant, riding the skateboard beneath my feet. I stopped just behind the giant monster.

I heard the gasps before I even saw the people peering out from the broken safehouse wall.

"Wait… that's… Skateboard Man?"

"Skateboard Man?"

"He's the only hero left?"

"No… that can't be right… He's only an E-Grade!"

"Are we really destined to die here?"

Their voices were trembling. Some of them had already written me off. I couldn't blame them. I understood why.

Six heroes already lay before me on the broken battlefield.

I wasn't even sure if they were still alive. Their bodies were twisted and battered beyond recognition. Blood oozed through their numerous wounds, their bones were broken, their uniforms torn.

I recognized some of these heroes. They were ranks above me. B and A-Class Heroes. Strong. Capable. And yet, they had been tossed aside like ragdolls.

One of them, MuscleMan Red, wasn't even moving at all. His lifeless eyes stared up at the storming sky.

The Snake King had annihilated them.

And I… I was just me.

An E-Class Hero. No powers. No overwhelming strength or hidden trump card.

What chance did I have?

What was I doing?

Why was I even here?

The Snake King turned his massive head towards me, fangs glinted as he studied me and then burst into a loud, rumbling laughter.

It was deep and mocking, sending a crippling chill down my spine.

"Ah… what do we have here?" the Snake King snarled, moving his head like a cunning cobra.

His voice was terrifyingly guttural and after each sentence, it was like it reverberated like thunder.

"A human?" he squinted before letting out a chuckle. "No, no… a 'hero,' I see. How laughable."

He flexed his claws, still dripping with the blood of the heroes stronger than me.

"Tell me, little bug… do you truly think you stand a chance? Do you think you'll fare any better than these failures who are Ranks higher than you?"

"I am Snake King! S-Class Villain! Cataclysm-Level Threat! I rule the hidden army of slithering serpents and we will rule this world after I rid it off humans. You think a tiny fly like you can stand in my way?"

I swallowed. I wanted to run. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to turn around and flee.

I stood no chance here. Why am I doing this?!

But then, a tiny voice pierced the night.

"You can do it, Skateboard Man! You can beat him! You can save us!"

I turned.

There, standing behind the crowd in the Safehouse, clutching her mother's arm, was a little girl. Her eyes were filled with absolute belief.

I recognized her. She was the same girl whose cat I had once rescued.

She believed in me.

My eyes suddenly widened with realization. That's why I was doing this.

For them.

For the people.

I was doing this because I was a hero. And it wasn't power that made me a hero. It was my will to protect them. That was what mattered.

I clenched my fists and stood on my skateboard.

Then, narrowing my eyes, I placed one foot on the ground and I began to ride forward as fast as I could.

Snake King only watched, curious on what I was going to do, but I was hellbent on surprising him!

I stopped abruptly, kickedu skateboard up and hurled it with everything I had.

"SKATEBOARD ATTACK: FRONT HIT!!!"

The board sped straight through the air, slicing towards the Snake King like a speeding bullet...

"GO SKATEBOARD MAN!"

...and bounced harmlessly off its chest.

The skateboard clattered uselessly to the ground.

A beat of silence. A realization that they were doomed.

I sighed… What was I expecting, really?

The next thing I felt was pain.

A monstrous fist collided with my side.

The impact sent me flying. I crashed into the pavement, hitting my stomach first as my ribs screamed in agony.

"Pathetic."

I groaned, clutching my midsection as I tried to get up to my feet. The Snake King sighed, shaking his head.

"You're weak and worthless. I almost feel bad because of it. Wasted energy on someone like you."

Blood trickled from my lips. The pain in my stomach burned and burned. But…

I pushed myself up.

Snake King's eyes narrowed.

With a yell of fury, I charged again. Once I reached him I attacked with punch after punch on his flank.

They were weak punches. Nothing. Snake King barely even felt them.

"You really are a pest."

He struck me again, pushing blood out of my mouth, and then again, causing me to crash and roll on the ground till I hit a trash can, stopping on my knees.

"Just stay down, insect. You mean nothing. The heroes are powerful in their own right, yet they all stand no chance against me, the Snake King. But you, you are just weak. The very definition of the world."

He turned around and slithered towards the Safehouse. "So sit there and watch as I devour these humans one after the other, and take over this wretched city."

For a moment, I sat there, feeling my limbs cry out to me in pain. I wasn't sure what part of me was broken and what part wasn't.

Everywhere hurt. I wanted to faint.

But my eyes saw Snake King move closer to the Safehouse, and I saw the fear and panic in the eyes of the civilians.

I had to get up.

I spat out the blood and used all my willpower to push my body to its feet.

I staggered forward, hands up in a combat position, though I wasn't sure I could even muster the strength to throw a single punch.

I looked up at the towering beast, my vision blurred, my limbs failing. And I spoke, voice hoarse but defiant.

"I know I'm weak. I know I don't stand a chance."

"Mhm?" Snake King stopped, noticing me and turning around.

"But just once… just once… look at me like I'm worth something!"

"You stupid human!" Snake King attacked angrily with another blow. More blood burst out of me. My ribs cracked into two.

"Look at me like my sacrifice matters!"

Pain. Agony. I fell again.

I stood again.

"For once, measure my worth not by the power of my fists… but by the content of my soul!"

Tears mixed with the blood running down my face.

"I just want… to be a hero."

The next punch broke more than bones inside me.

I couldn't move anymore.

The Snake King grabbed me, his massive claws wrapping around my tiny, broken frame.

He sneered. "And yet, you'll still die."

It flung me.

Crack.

I crashed against a twisted iron pole, the impact shattering what was left of my body. My vision was swimming. Everything hurt. Everything.

I heard the people crying. I heard the little girl sobbing.

The monster laughed.

I knew I was about to die, but just as my eyes started to close, I saw a golden light split the sky.

The storm clouds parted.

Three shadows descended, floating above the wreckage, their capes billowing in the wind.

The civilians gasped. They raised their hands and pointed to the sky.

"The Guardian Corps!"

A roar of relief swept through the people. "It's the Guardian Corps!"

The Snake King turns around. "Tch. What?"

I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. But even through the blinding pain, a weak smile crept onto my bloodied lips.

At least…

At least I was able to buy enough time for the S-Class heroes to show up.

At least…

I helped.

Then, everything went black.