Chapter 7: Pain

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"Agh, it hurts…" Apollo whimpered as he struck the post continually. The pain bought frequent pauses in his strikes. Not to mention, the unfamiliar movements made his shoulders ache profusely. Moreover, the repeated impacts triggered small tears in the webbing of his hands.

[I understand it hurts, but do continue. You must remember, pain is only temporary while the strength you desire will be forever. Will you really stop at the beginning?]

'No...but, it hurts!' Apollo complained in anguish. As he thought about it, Apollo's eyes filled with aggravated tears. However, recalling the scorn he received as well as the treatment, he found the strength needed to continue. Thus, he resumed the staggered strikes

Meanwhile, Danyul looked at his small figure in the corner, 'His body is trembling, so it's obvious he feels immense pain from hitting that post. But, why doesn't he stop? Additionally, there was that outburst earlier. His usual timidness would have caused him to meekly accept.'

Intrigued by Apollo, Danyul remained in the background rubbing his chin as he observed Apollo's actions.

"8-82...83…"

Soon enough, the blisters and tears on his hands worsened. However, clinging to his desires, Apollo continued his actions. When it came to the last of the strikes, his body trembled visibly with faints smears of blood under his palms. With the last strike, he dropped to his knees powerlessly.

As Danyul witnessed this, he nodded, commending Apollo's perseverance. 'Exactly 100 strikes. He has persistence...but does he have any talent to couple with this? We'll have to see.'

〈System Alert! Execute 100 staff strikes COMPLETE!〉

[It is best you begin your run now.]

Although it took a moment, Apollo ultimately nodded. Staggering to his feet, he began a light jog around the training area. Due to this being his attempt at training, his pace was exceedingly slow which drew strange looks from the other children.

"Why exactly is he running?" asked a child named Klyde.

"No idea, let that idiot do what he wants. What use does running have when we will just be cultivating later, we can absorb the world's energy, " Axel shrugged.

However, unlike them, Danyul arched his eyebrows. 'Interesting, even though running isn't as effective as stance training, it does promote endurance when done properly. Beyond that, it also tempers the lungs inducing faster respiration of Natural Essence. Hmm, that's a good idea.'

"Ahem, everyone. Stop what you're doing and follow Apollo; begin a run. However, everyone is expected to run at least 5km without pausing," Danyul commanded, causing numerous groans amongst the kids.

"Ughh...what the heck! It's his fault," Brendel growled, glowering at the struggling Apollo.

Along with him, many kids chided in. Unfortunately, their displeasure was nipped in the bud by Danyul immediately increasing their run to at least 10km nonstop. As such a good deterrence, they shut their mouths.

Despite that, if looks could kill, Apollo would have died about 11 extra times by now.

After giving direction, Danyul stood with his arms crossed, watching over the progress of the kids. As a whole, the training was around 1km in circumference. Therefore, the kids would need to run at least 10 laps without pause.

Although they began after Apollo, they began lapping him as they chuckled teasingly. However, paying them no mind, Apollo looked forward as he panted. In his mind, only the goal remained now; he was halfway there.

Upon noticing the lack of response, the other kids found teasing him to be boring, sucking their teeth in response. With this becoming a buzzkill, they focused on running as they chatted amongst themselves.

"Hey, Apollo are you ok?" Aaron asked as he ran up to him, placing his hand on his back. To offer better support, he even slowed his pace to match Apollo's.

"I'm...okay...don't worry," Apollo let out through breathless pants. The more he continued, the more his chest and legs burned.

"You know, you don't have to push yourself so hard! I'll be right here to accompany you, we can take our time," Aaron exclaimed when he noticed Apollo's terrible breathing pattern. It looked like he was on the verge of collapse.

Without any other choice, Apollo nodded, continuing his run. As a result, their pace slowed. With the new pace, it took Apollo over 10 minutes from start to finish to complete his 1km run. By the end of it, his breathing was ragged and his rags of clothing were soaked. Unlike the others, Danyul didn't force him to continue.

'My idol's son...do you have the talent inside you? I hope you do, so you can change your image within the family. Even now, unlike the others, your body is only in the 1st Rank of the Mortal Realm.'

It had to be known, upon reaching 10 years old, a normal kid would be halfway through the 2nd Rank of this realm by now. Additionally, they'd be capable of wielding 15-18 Zuls of force. Whereas, in comparison, Apollo was only able to wield 2.

This was the large difference between the current Apollo and the others. Falling on his butt, Apollo took a breather as the system gave him a notification once again.

〈System Alert! Run 1km COMPLETE!〉

'My legs...they burn so bad! No...they feel so heavy too. How can I do squats and stances? I have no more energy,' Apollo complained to himself. He couldn't foresee how he would get this down.

His chest heaved over and over as he stared at the 2 bright suns in the sky. Lifting up his hand, he reached and grasped for them.

'I aspire to be that, free and unbounded like the sky.'

[Hmm? That is what you want? Then you must train more! Furthermore, the sky cannot be the limit. For there is always a sky beyond the sky you see. What you must be is peerless! Unsurpassed by any other demon, I want you to claim that mantle, so get up!]

Amidst Azridan's motivation, Apollo closed his eyes recollecting himself. When they opened again, his eyes seemed focused. Thereafter, a shred of the pain afflicted upon his body seemed to have vanished.

The brimming inspiration elicited his actions. Apollo rosed to his feet and took a squatting stance. As he performed them, he tried to forget about his trembling feet and sore muscles. In exchange for this tactic, one fluid motion was repeated continuously.

In due time it happened, Apollo performed them in a fashion that made him forget what he was doing; only stopped when the indication from the system came.

〈System Alert! 50 squats COMPLETE!〉

With this newfound energy, he continued right into the stance training. Surprisingly enough, when it came to the stances, a small clip played in Apollo's mind. Thus, Apollo copied the demonstration.

He spread his feet, lowering his center of gravity until he took a horse stance with tucked arms. While shifting the weight back and forth, Apollo's hands also made obscure hand seals.

However, instead of fatigue from holding these stances, Apollo's body felt at ease. In pain, but at ease.

[Correct form, it seems you are a natural when it comes to shifting your force. Even though it is minuscule, to do this is surprising enough.]

Similar to Azridan's surprise, Danyul's face lit up. He was shocked by what Apollo was doing.

"Stance training? That is something done only when you reach the 5th Rank of the Mortal Realm…he shouldn't have anything over 2 Zuls of force being generated from within his body. This is interesting…he is using that small amount of force to train his muscles."

Danyul nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, 'If he shows at least a semblance of talent, I'll pay more attention to him.'

Soon, 30 minutes passed. With that, Apollo's daily mission was over.

〈System Alert! Daily Mission COMPLETE!〉

«You have been rewarded 25 Experience, .1 Strength, and .1 Agility.»

«Experience: 25/200»

Upon completion, Apollo's persistence gave out. He struggled to his hands and knees as he tried to regain focus. It took more time than desired, but his body was recovering.

[This is the current limit of your body, but we will correct that.]

Shortly after this message, clapping was heard, gathering everyone's attention. This included the children who finished their 10 laps not long after Apollo finished his one.