Free Web NovelChapter 4: Neron the Stetlas 3
"Stop—wait! Are you trying to kill me?!" I shouted angrily, while my feet were being dragged along the ground behind him.
He didn’t even look back at me.
On the contrary, he increased his speed a little, as if he had decided to completely ignore my existence.
We passed through the long corridors of the palace, and the servants stopped working the moment they saw us.
Some of them bowed quickly, while others exchanged silent glances filled with astonishment.
"The young master... has finally come out?"
Faint whispers echoed behind us, which made my face grow darker.
What a farce...
After several minutes, Arshaf suddenly stopped in front of a massive door made of dark wood, decorated with complex carvings that suggested grandeur and prestige.
He opened the door with one hand—
Boom!
The door slammed into the wall with force, making the entire hall shake. In the next moment, I was pushed inside violently, and nothing escaped my lips except a faint groan.
Painful... is he trying to kill me or what?
"Run fifty laps, do one hundred push-ups, and swing the sword one hundred times. Quickly, what are you waiting for? We don’t have all day."
"Huh? Are you kidding me?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Stop talking and do what I told you, before I break one of your bones. You need to regain your fitness quickly... before the inheritance ceremony. You must be ready for that day."
"Huh... oh, I don’t want that, I’ll retu—"
I didn’t finish my sentence before my body slammed into the ground, crushed under an invisible pressure.
I heard my bones make muffled cracking sounds, and unbearable pain swept through me.
Breathing became extremely difficult, and I felt blood flowing from my five openings.
And suddenly... the pressure disappeared, as if it had never been.
A strong gasp escaped from my chest, and my breathing gradually returned, but before I could process what had happened, a large hand grabbed my hair, and a vial was shoved into my mouth by force, and I was made to swallow a bitter liquid to the last drop.
"Alright... I’m sorry, I think I overdid it a little. But you really angered me. Do you still refuse to listen to me?"
Arshaf said as he pulled me to a standing position, then patted my shoulder, and on his face was a clear look that said: do you want to repeat the experience?
Without thinking, I shook my head quickly.
At that, his face lit up with a satisfied smile, and he said:
"Then, what are you waiting for?"
Alright... fifty laps, right?
That’s easy.
You should have said that from the beginning... this is trivial.
Do you know who I am?
I took a deep breath and checked my body.
The pain I felt earlier had almost disappeared, and even my bones, which I thought had shattered... had completely healed.
It must be a high-level dose.
And suddenly—I felt a terrifying aura strike the back of my head.
I didn’t need to turn around... I knew exactly who was behind me.
I sighed, and immediately started running.
At first, it was comfortable... even somewhat refreshing, as the wind hit my face while I moved.
But as time passed, I began to feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead, even though I hadn’t completed five laps yet.
The hall was extremely huge... no less than fifty meters in size.
And this was real torture for someone like me, who spent most of his life behind a computer screen.
And yet... I couldn’t stop.
Every time I thought about giving up, I could feel that terrifying aura looming in the distance, as if it was ready to crush me at any moment.
So I kept running.
When I reached the twenty-fifth lap, I felt like my breath would cut off at any moment... and yet, I forced myself to continue.
Wait... shouldn’t my fitness be good?
Isn’t this a young body?
Then... why am I suffering this much?
...It doesn’t matter. Just keep going.
At the fortieth lap, I had literally become like a zombie.
The only difference was that I was sweating profusely.
I slipped more than once, and fell hard... but I got up every time and continued.
I don’t know how much time passed... but in the end, I arrived.
The fiftieth lap.
I collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, my eyes staring at the glowing golden ceiling above me... and suddenly, a shadow fell over me.
"What are you doing? Get up. We haven’t started yet."
"One minute... all I want is one minute..."
"How I pity your mother... she gave birth to someone useless like you."
"...And I pity myself even more..."
I muttered that in a low voice.
Tkhsh—
I felt Arshaf’s aura tremble slightly.
And that alone was enough.
I jumped to my feet immediately and said quickly:
"I feel energy renewing in my veins! What’s next? One hundred push-ups? No— I’ll do two hundred... immediately!"
I regretted my words as quickly as I said them.
Arshaf smiled lightly, and said coldly that I would have to double the number... and that he would accept nothing less than that.
I tried to .
But before I could finish, I was struck by a blow that nearly tore my insides apart.
I fell to the ground, writhing in pain... but as usual, he healed me again, only to force me to continue.
...And I did.
It was the hardest thing I had ever gone through in my life.
The tendons in my hand tore, and my muscles burned as if they were being ripped apart from the inside. I cried— yes, I really cried— and begged him to stop... but he didn’t even blink.
He even said that every word I spoke would double the number even more.
At that moment... I realized.
I might die here.
And worse than that... no one would come to save me.
I don’t know how I did that... but in the end, it was over, or that’s what I thought. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"There are fifty swings left again." Arshaf said simply, then threw a sword to me.
I grabbed it with a trembling hand... or tried to.
In the first moment, the sword fell from my hand due to exhaustion.
But that didn’t stir even a trace of sympathy in Arshaf.
I cried silently.
Rather... I reached a point where I seriously thought: Should I end my life myself?
What did I do to deserve this? I miss my quiet days. My previous life.
"...Finally... it’s over." I muttered that, while the sword fell from my hand, and my body rolled onto the ground.
Every part of my body was screaming in pain.
And at that moment... I didn’t want anything more than a hot bath.
"I don’t understand... how did you become this weak? The last time I saw you, you were much better. What happened to you, boy?"
I answered him in a tired voice:
"Because I... am not Neron."
"Huh? Has exhaustion messed with your mind?"
"Maybe..."
"Alright, it doesn’t matter. Take a short rest... then we continue."
"Huh...? No, no... I won’t do that. Just kill me. Yes, that’s better... because I won’t move from my place."
And yet— as soon as the rest ended... I returned to training.
And that was how my life became for an entire week.
A continuous hell without stopping. Until... the day of the inheritance ceremony finally came.
The inheritance ceremony... it was not even a ceremony, but an inheritance that is only granted when a direct heir, who carries in his veins the blood of those who came before him, those who left their experiences, talents, and skills preserved inside an independent space, completely separate from the world.
The space was not a place that anyone could enter.
Its gate does not open except for the one who is truly connected to the inheritance, a connection of blood and lineage.
The ancestors created this legacy to be a refuge for their descendants, a path through which they continue to develop, and preserve their legacy forever, and it was one of the reasons that made Neron turn into a villain.
"...Wait. Why did I even go through all this training in the first place...? I didn’t need it, maybe it was—... well, it doesn’t matter."
"Haaah"
I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection.
Curly black hair, and crimson eyes beneath which were dark circles tinged with redness from lack of sleep.
I frowned.
Why? Because I... had become ugly.
I mean, when I was Nolan, I wasn’t stunningly handsome, but at least... I was acceptable.
As for Neron... his appearance was so ordinary that you might see him today, and forget his face tomorrow.
"It is not appearance that makes the man... but his actions."
I muttered that, trying to convince myself.
Then I put on my glasses, and checked the number of override points.
Current override points: 500
Only... five hundred?
After all that hell?
I expected to surpass a thousand easily... but it seems I was delusional.
I sighed, then left the room heading toward the inheritance place.
As soon as I stepped out, I saw Arshaf waiting for me.
He looked at me and said:
"Are you ready?"
"No. I want to sleep."
"Good. Keep that enthusiasm... you will need it."
"...."
How I wished in that moment to strangle him to death.
But, if I tried... I would be the victim, not him.
We walked through the corridors of the palace.
It was unusually quiet... I didn’t see anyone around.
I knew the reason for that.
’Damn, it’s truly a waste of money.’
The luxury of the palace surrounding me was enough to amaze me every time.
And I don’t think I will get used to that anytime soon.
How could I? Everything around me screams wealth.
I even thought for a moment... if I stole just one piece, I would never need money again.
But, why would I steal in the first place?
All of this... is mine.
In the end, I am the son of this family.
And honestly? It’s not bad at all to be the heir of one of the four great families.
"Your father will not attend the ceremony." Arshaf said suddenly, as he placed his hand inside a hidden slot in the wall.
"An urgent matter came up... and they need him in the south. But don’t worry, it’s not dangerous—as far as I know."
After a moment... a long passage opened leading downward.
I paused for a moment after hearing his words.
And suddenly... I felt something squeezing my chest.
My breathing quickened, and my heartbeat intensified in a terrifying way, until I felt as if it would stop at any moment.
I grabbed my chest, trying to hold myself together... and after a few seconds, I managed to control myself, and gathered my scattered thoughts.
"What’s wrong? Are you okay?" Arshaf asked, looking at me with slight suspicion.
"Yes... it’s nothing. Just tired."
I answered calmly, despite the disturbance that was still echoing inside me.
"Then hurry. We are very late."
"Haaah" I took a deep breath, then followed him in silence.
I had an idea about what happened. Neron’s feelings must have started to affect me.
Because I know what will happen. Lord Daimon Statelas... one of the few who reached the level of "Saint (SS)". free𝑤ebnovel.com
He will die.
The organization "Etran" will set a tight trap for him... and he will be eliminated.
And that... was one of the main reasons for the collapse of the Statelas family, and its complete downfall.
I controlled my emotions a little and walked behind Arshaf into the dark passage.
The darkness was so dense that I could barely see the path in front of me.
Only our footsteps were breaking the silence.
And after long minutes... we reached the end of the passage.
And there— I saw it.
A massive red gate, standing in the darkness like a sleeping monster.
No doubt... that was the inheritance gate.
