Chapter Thirty-Eight: Apex the Loner {Bonus Chapter!}
Apex had once been a bright twelve-year-old boy, a good kid with talents that set him apart from his peers.
Yet, for all his gifts, he endured endless bullying. His name alone sparked laughter and mockery; his academic achievements only fueled his classmates' jealousy.
"Hey, loser, Apex," they'd sneer.
"Come on, show us how to be the 'peak' of the world!" The taunts never seemed to end.
It didn't take long for Apex to grow numb to the ridicule. Their words became as routine as his morning coffee, yet each day brought new pranks designed to provoke him.
They tore pages from his textbooks as he tried to study, laughing as they sabotaged his efforts. And when he dared to argue back, they'd gang up, leaving him bruised and defeated.
In desperation, Apex turned to his teachers for help, but they either ignored him or dismissed his complaints.
Some wanted to avoid the hassle of addressing the situation; others sought to appease the bullies, who were the children of influential politicians.
He finally confided in his father, who shrugged it off, telling him that this was simply part of "school life" and he should toughen up.
His mother, however, offered comfort, promising to speak with the school on his behalf.
For a while, the bullying ceased, and Apex found a brief peace. Eventually though they seemed to take his happiness as an affront, redoubling their efforts in the bullying.
His classmates became relentless, and he found no refuge, even in his teachers' offices - they'd branded him a "problem child."
With nowhere to turn, Apex chose to lay low, hoping the torment would end. Yet it only escalated. Bullies would lock him in the bathroom, their laughter echoing down the halls.
"Apex, conquer the bathroom peak, why don't you?" they'd jeer, leaving him trapped and humiliated.
Holding back tears, he reported everything to his parents. This time, they sued the school, prompting authorities to shut it down.
The scandal even cost one of the bullies' politician father his election.
But the price of justice was steep. Transferred to a new school, Apex found himself met with even harsher treatment. His reputation followed him, and both teachers and students despised him.
"What, are you going to get this school shut down too?" a teacher once sneered.
School became a place of loneliness and pain. Apex kept to himself, enduring the animosity without complaint.
Sometimes, he even grew to hate his own name, wishing he could escape it entirely.
By the time he reached high school, he had withdrawn from everyone, refusing to interact with classmates or teachers.
He found solace only in mythology of the 40th century Earth, reading tales from the world's four major divisions: the North, South, East, and West.
These legends became his sanctuary, a place to escape reality. The heroes' journeys, their trials, and triumphs stirred something deep within him - a desire to be as strong and unbreakable as they were.
"If I could be like them," he often thought, "I'd be unstoppable."
Without realizing it, he spent his high school years secluded, wrapped in stories of gods and heroes, distancing himself further from society.
The years passed, and Apex graduated as a true loner, burdened by a lifetime of isolation. He had no friends or companions, only Webnovels to keep him company.
When he reached his twenties, his parents urged him to find a partner. Yet Apex, whose ideas of love were steeped in fantasy, struggled in the real world.
A misguided attempt at a romantic gesture - catching a girl as she stumbled - landed him in the hospital, thanks to her boyfriend's misunderstanding.
Undeterred, he tried a softer approach, visiting a coffee shop where he hoped to meet someone. With his limited social skills, he crafted a poem inspired by the mythologies he loved:
(By the presence of Hero Alrys; the warrior of compassion, I ask you, fair one to go out on a date with me.
This won't end like the tale of Heroine Catherine and Riley; my love will be as unwavering as my devotion to myths. Join me, and I'll cherish you like a legend.)
Yet his poetic gesture was met with confusion, even suspicion, and he was once accused of stalking.
Afterward, he resigned himself to a solitary life, immersing himself in work and the fantasy worlds he knew best.
However, his parents had other plans. They arranged a date with the daughter of a family friend, and to Apex's surprise, it changed everything. For the first time, he experienced genuine affection - someone who shared his interests and cared for him.
Their wedding day arrived, and he poured his savings into making it memorable. But as he looked around, the small crowd of unfamiliar faces reminded him of his lifelong isolation.
He had no close friends in attendance, only distant acquaintances looking for business opportunities.
As he waited for his parents, unease grew. Hours passed, and still, they hadn't arrived. Then came the news that shattered his world: his parents, his only true supporters, had died in an accident.
It was then that Apex's happy day changed into a mournful one. His whole life flashed through his mind.
They were the only ones who had truly cared for him, who had wanted to see their grandchildren and yet, they died.
For an hour, he just stood in place as regret overwhelmed him, suffocating his soul and choking him with guilt.
"If only I hadn't insisted on this wedding…" he thought, tears streaming down his face.
In a haze of grief, without care for the consequences, he abandoned his wedding halfway and drove his car to the accident site to face the loss of his family.
---
Dusken watched these scenes unfold with a cold, detached expression. These were the memories of his past life, playing before him like a cruel reminder.
'So, the third layer of the inheritance is this? What do they expect me to do now?' Dusken wondered, attempting to summon his powers.
However, something blocked him - he could neither access his spells nor summon his material cards. All he could do was watch the scenes unfold like a TV show.
'So, this is the trial, someone is trying to mess with my mind by resurfacing the deepest feelings and emotions of soul.' He thought, raising his head and staring at the sky, his gaze piercing through the illusion.
"Whoever's behind this, know this: you will not succeed in breaking me."