Chapter 119: Daniel's struggle

Chapter 119: 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.

____________

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.