Ascension: Demon Monarch System

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.'