Author's note: this is more of a rant, so you can skip it if you want. I finally got to the part where I always wanted to write (I'm a few chapters ahead) and... it wasn't how I wanted or imagined. Life really is a longing to have and a boredom to possess
Everything returned to normal in the blink of an eye, Kayden only recovered from the shock when the other boy's voice reminded him of the situation he was in.
"It's clear that he has already mastered the pressure of sister grandmother", the boy said, looking up. Kayden was surprised that the old man was the boy's grandmother and was surprised to hear the old man's response.
"He has not dominated, until now it is only his will that keeps him standing", his tone showed genuine surprise and his sentence caused absolute silence in everyone watching.
Those who were in the first realm and above understood what the phrase implied and the weight of what Kayden was doing.
"Boy, I'm going to increase my pressure to the maximum, do you want to continue?" The old man gave Kayden an ultimatum. The boy didn't even need to think before facing the challenge. He was sure nothing could bend his will.
"Do your best", as soon as Kayden said that, the pressure increased thousands of times. It was as if he weighed an entire galaxy on his shoulders. All the air in his lungs was emptied.
The boy found himself kneeling on the ground and having difficulty breathing, but... still conscious. And this time the force of the pressure did not increase over time. Second by second, Kayden got used to it.
Your body could be bent, your bones could be broken, but your mind would not be bent. His will was unshakable.
Crack!
The boy heard his bones cracking as he began to try to get up. He looked like a dummy controlled by strings. Its movement was erratic but constant. Inch by inch, he rose.
The pain of having his bones broken didn't change his actions at all. Under everyone's astonished gaze, Kayden stood straight as an arrow. His eyes showed no feeling.
It took him 10 minutes to overcome the old man's pressure. This meant that in 10 minutes, Kayden surpassed the will of a wizard in the fourth realm who was hundreds of years old. The silence was palpable. Nobody knew what to say.
"Monster", that was the first phrase that came out of the crowd.
"He's from the north," someone quickly identified Kayden.
"The monster from the north is", a new nickname received by the boy. But it wasn't just a nickname. This time, he got an insanely high highlight. In the coming days, his name would probably appear in every newspaper in the kingdom.
Even though he was standing proudly, Kayden's teeth were clenched from the effort. Every inch of his body was being utilized to its maximum strength. He didn't know how long he could last like this.
"That's good, isn't it, Argus?" Another voice came out of the air, revealing a completely stunning middle-aged woman. Her blond hair bordering on white flew beautifully in the air.
Her white skin and red lips gave an angelic image to the woman. Kayden could feel a mystical vibe from the woman, almost as if he wasn't present in the place.
"Sorry, Amanda, I got a little carried away", the old man rubbed his head with an expression that showed he wasn't sorry at all. "Kid, what do you think about becoming my apprentice?"
"I'll give you double what the old man offers you," the woman said quickly, without giving Kayden time to understand the situation.
"You should give your elders due respect," the old man said arrogantly.
"You're the same age as me, Argus," the woman revealed that she was old without even thinking twice. Even with such stunning beauty, she didn't have the slightest bit of vanity.
"He already belongs to the army", another voice came out of nowhere, surprising the two who were fighting. The surprise came from the fact that they had not noticed his presence before.
"I see…" The old man accepted without even blinking. His only action was to pull a book out of nowhere and throw it at Kayden. "A little gift, boy." It was obvious to everyone that the old man recognized Kayden's potential and decided to start a good relationship with the boy early.
" Humph !" The woman snorted and threw a rock at Kayden. "It's a lightning element mana stone, it's only at the second realm, but it should be of some help." Kayden was surprised by the two gifts and, even in pain, bowed in gratitude.
It was something unexpected, but very welcome for the boy. This stone would accelerate his cultivation and at the same time strengthen his understanding of his element. Before he could truly say thank you, Kayden was taken out of the arena.
After being healed by the medical team, Kayden was handed over to the director who was jumping with joy. Everyone on his team congratulated him. What he did was ridiculous.
In another tent, the nobleman who ridiculed Ryan last night was breaking everything around him in uncontrolled rage.
"How did I lose to that trash?" His voice had been far from reason for a long time. He was eliminated just a few minutes into the competition and seeing Kayden have that unbelievable performance took away the last strands of the boy's patience.
"Young master, calm down. The next stage of the championship will be completely yours." The one speaking to him was a wizard dressed in a suit. His tone and movements seemed extremely disjointed as if his bones and muscles were not in sync.
"Yes, that's right."
********
The next day, Kayden woke up normally and calmly went to drink his coffee. After taking a few bites of his bread and drinking some coffee, he opened his cell phone and... overnight his social networks exploded with followers.
He had almost three million followers. Overnight, he became a sub-celebrity. Considering that, in this world, a few million people were a minuscule amount, Kayden was still not a very well-known person.
But it was still impressive. He could live the rest of his life peacefully just by publishing advertising and receiving percentages. This was the dream of many in their past life.
The famous dream of being a digital influencer and living in glamor and a fake life. At least that was the dream of many, but Kayden was terrified of having such a calm and boring life.
Limiting his direct messages and mentions to mutual followers, the boy calmly continued his breakfast. A few hours later, his entire team gathered for the second test of the championship.