Chapter [250] A Quarter Done, Of Our And Others Stories.
Once upon a time, there were two young men in a small town named Aror. They were sworn, brothers. They went by the name of Micheal And Adam. They were rising stars, in their city.
They had grand ambitions and dreams, dreams to become the best hunters and prove their mettle in the world. They were hardworking and aspired to be at the top.
Adam was a hardworking individual, ready to do anything to achieve success, He was honest and an exceptional individual, Whilst Micheal was a little laidback, but an honest and caring individual.
They were friends but brothers born from different mothers, each carried a weakness that the strength of the other supplemented. They were unstoppable together.
Their aim was to be number one, and they knew that only one could be at the top.
So they made a promise.
"Micheal, When the time comes, Duel me fairly to decide."
Adam, a handsome individual with white hair and fierce eyes said as he bathed in the light of the sun.
"Sure Sure."
Micheal, Another handsome young man with bright red hair and scarlet eyes replied half-heartedly as he read a book underneath the shade provided by a tall tree.
Adam went silent as he heard this, he knew the promise was made. Although Micheal may have appeared nonchalant, he knew he was serious.
Adam stood up.
"Where are you going?"
Micheal inquired as he saw his friend stand up.
"To train to become number one."
Adam answered before disappearing swiftly. His speed was incredible.
"Workaholic."
Said Micheal as he watched Adam leave. He then continued reading.
But he knew as well, He won"t stand down when the time came.
Was their dream too much? Or were their ambitions so great they were unaware of their standing in the world?
They were just two ambitious boys that wanted to be at the top, born in a small town. Would their ambitions bear fruit when they were oblivious that there were greater geniuses in the world besides them, geniuses that could completely destroy them? Or was this naivety?
OR ignorance?
Regardless of whatever it was, They worked hard, until their bones broke and their sweat-filled buckets.
Countless times. They both worked and worked, trained and trained.
They were the rising stars of the city with their Talent in MAna. They were scouted by numerous guilds but they rejected them. Although this proved to be difficult they persevered. No matter the obstacles in their path, they persevered and stood at the top.
They both became Combatants, Micheal being blessed with the Elemental Affinity of Figher [High] And Adam blessed with the elemental affinity of Wind[ High].
Their abilities complemented one another, they were teammates that supplemented each other"s weaknesses and amplified one another strengths.
Could there be another duo that would surpa.s.s them? Yes, there was.
Although they were the strongest, new challengers emerged.
Alfred and Anna, a couple that came, blessed with the affinities of Water and Ice Respectively, also complemented their weaknesses and amplified one another strengths.
A duel was held a friendly duel between the four, a duo battle.
Alfred and Anna against Adam And Micheal.
The princes of Fire And Wind, Against the King of Aqua, And Queen of Frost.
And the result of this duel was...
The Inferno of Micheal was stopped by the blizzard Of Anna, and The Storm of Adam was thwarted by the tsunami, Micheal and Anna had fought incredibly and had both gone down at the same time, and then only Adam and Alfred were left.
Adam"s gauntlets went against the Spear of Alfred, both engaging in battles as waves of water and blades of Wind clashed, the bout dangerous to the spectators.
But even then, Adam lost by a hair"s breadth, And Alfred was victorious.
Alfred congratulated Adam, but Adam could not let this defeat go.
As a result of his loss, he felt humiliated, and his pride was hurt to an astonishing degree.
He trained and trained until blood came from his eyes until the skin of his knuckles fell off. All of it was to defeat Alfred.
Yet, he couldn"t do it. Because Alfred was also diligent. Their duels were always so close, but Alfred managed to win with a bright smile always. He enjoyed it, someone giving him a challenge.
Yet Adam never won, he was always so close but alas he lost every time.
Micheal warned him to take care of himself, but Adam did not listen. He did not listen at all.
As time went on, The duels between Adam And Alfred continued, and Adam won some but lost most. Alfred always adapted quickly.
Micheal fell in love, and all of them grew old. Micheal had children, And Anna And Alfred as well, although Alfred and Anna didn"t really show their children off.
Adam was then truly left alone...and he hit the wall everyone hit.
The Wall of Talent.
The unsurpa.s.sable wall that thwarted the advancement of many. A Phenomenon that was universal, which appeared when one had reached the limit of his talent.
But it was okay...right?
Hard work and Perseverance...were they, not enough?
To surpa.s.s this unsurpa.s.sable wall?
They must be.
Although Natural talent is the greatest booster, it is not a reality...right?
His hard work and Natural talent will allow him to pa.s.s.
And so, believing in this...he worked and worked more, yet no matter what he couldn"t do it despite his best efforts.
He dug his finger into that wall and climbed that d.a.m.n mountain yet it did not end.
It was depressing.
He watched it all...he watched how Micheal opened a shop, disregarding his promise with him to his family. Even though his strength was on par with Adam"s...He saw how Alfred and Anna lived happily with their families...
And Yet, Alfred"s growth did not stop, he crossed the wall of Rank [B] and entered into the rank of elites...
The Rank of [A], only a few awakened were above this rank, in the rumored S Rank.
And he stayed stuck at B.
His greatest efforts were useless... The guild he established was the one that reigned supreme in Aror...and even then, with all the resources at his disposal, he was unable to do so.
He was unable to break into the revered A rank.
He stayed stuck, whilst the one he considered his greatest rival, surpa.s.sed him.
He had hit the limit of his natural talent, and no amount of Hard work, effort, and perseverance could help him now.
And he hit the lowest of the low...his breaking point.