7 Pain
''----''
''"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.''