章 59: Daniel's struggle
"Pant… Pant… Damn it! How much have I covered so far!?"
Daniel groaned as he looked down, only to see fog clouding his vision.
He couldn't help but feel frustrated. He had been climbing for a while now but still couldn't see the mountain top.
Not only that, the view below had also become obscured, making him feel chilly.
One wrong step and it would be all over for him.
His heart pounded in his chest as he contemplated the situation he was currently facing.
He shivered as he imagined his body turning into a bloody pudding.
A gust of wind whipped around him, threatening to throw him off balance.
"That old man… he is a snake!" he could not help but curse that man again.
He was really resentful of the old man who was responsible for their current predicament. While this was said to be part of training to determine their standing and base, he still felt there must be better ways to measure these things.
Why did it always have to be the hard way? Was there no other path to greatness?
He was also skeptical when the old man said he could climb two such mountains in a row at their age.
Surely, that was impossible?
He clenched his fists, determination battling with doubt.
That's what he had been telling himself.
He looked up and frowned. Despite being fast and strong, he was still almost at the end.
Each step felt heavier than the last, the weight of failure pressing down on him.
To be specific, he was the second last in line among the other children.
He looked above with narrowed eyes. Just above him was Amber; after her was Evelyn, then Oliver, and finally Nadia and Bella, who had been climbing non-stop.
'Am I this weak?'
His face darkened. He had been conserving his energy while climbing but still did not expect to be at the end of the line.
He had initially thought that being someone from the Sacred Swords clan, specializing in producing the best physical exorcists, he would be stronger than all of them.
But reality said otherwise. Even Amber, who had tied with him, was above him.
He could overtake them, but then he would be using a lot of stamina and energy. Using espera was also becoming difficult as he felt an invisible pressure slowly pressing him down as he climbed further up.
His muscles burned with the effort, sweat pouring down his face.
And while it was not a big deal to use espera to strengthen the body, using espera while others were not would be a strike to his dignity, so he did not use it.
He was sure he could climb on his own.
This thought made him more confident. Looking up at Amber, he was sure she was using some sort of tool or artifact to aid herself; otherwise, they would have been at the same level of climbing.
He smirked to himself, feeling a small surge of confidence.
And looking below him at some distance, he spotted Alphonso as well.
It gave him some relief that he was not the last in line, at least.
He still had some pride.
But… looking at the figures of Nadia and Bella, he felt bitter.
Why did they make it look so easy? Was he really that far behind?
Those two girls were extremely strong—stronger than him, at least. He could tell by their speed and power.
What surprised him the most was Evelyn. Clearly, she was the same age as them and not older like Bella, but she was also above him.
A flicker of envy sparked in his chest, quickly replaced by resolve.
He had not seen her fight during their last meeting, so it was surprising to see her climbing way above him.
Did that not mean that even she was stronger than he was?
He could not help but feel more annoyed.
She was almost on the same level as that guy called Oliver.
Of course, he could not forget about Oliver.
That guy Oliver… was strong.
He had witnessed his fight earlier with Bella, and he fought toe-to-toe with such an opponent. He was undoubtedly worthy as his rival.
If Oliver could climb faster, then so should he.
He gritted his teeth, pushing his body to its limits.
A burst of energy filled him as his eyes turned more focused and his speed increased slightly.
He made a small note to reach up to Oliver first and then aim for Bella and Nadia.
____________
Alphonso, who was panting, looked at Daniel, who was above him, increasing his speed and cursed inwardly. Of course, he did not use a vulgar term, being the gentleman he was.
He had been disheartened ever since he started to climb. He was given a big reality check.
It turned out he was the weakest in the entire group of children.
Being the last in line of all the other heirs while climbing towards the mountain top and not being able to match up to any of them, he felt truly pathetic. He was far from even the second last person in the line, Daniel too.
At this moment, he wanted to scoff at his previous self during the meeting.
How bold he was at that time, thinking about balancing the team and eliminating the weaklings who would be nothing more than weeds among the cream of the crop.
Now, he felt the sting of his own arrogance.
How audacious he was when he declared Oliver to be the weakest and most useless one of all…
The memory of Oliver's distant figure way up seared in his mind, he was printing that sight into his memory, to prevent him from underestimating others again.
How shameful it was for him to even think of removing Oliver from the picture just because he was weak.
Now that the situation was in front of him, he was in the last spot. Did that not mean he was the weed in the field?
Did that not mean he should be eliminated from the group?
It was obvious. If he followed his own logic and thinking, he was a burden to the team.
In the future, he might drag others down with him, given his lack of strength.
He was truly repentant for harboring such thoughts now.
Once this was all over, he vowed to train harder than before.
He had always been the best talent in his clan. He had always been respected by others and praised for being so talented.
But those praises felt hollow now, echoes of a time when he thought he was invincible.
He realized that he was just a big fish in a small pond.
And now that he was exposed to the ocean, he realized he was nothing more than a small fish in a vast ocean.
There were people out there way more powerful and talented than him despite being the same age.
He had to catch up to them in the future if he really intended to keep up with them.
The road ahead was long and arduous, but he would not falter. If he did then he would not be a gentleman.
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