Journey to Become the Zenith

The Weight of a King’s Shadow

As they were talking, the young man walking behind Brinda heard everything.

Every word.

Every teasing tone.

Every subtle implication.

And it burned.

His jaw tightened slowly, the muscle along his cheek twitching as his eyes fixed on Victor’s back. That calm, unbothered figure walking ahead—black shirt, golden jacket catching the morning light—looked almost careless.

Too careless.

Like none of this mattered.

Like he didn’t matter.

The young man’s fingers curled slightly at his sides.

The woman he liked—no, the woman he had long convinced himself he would have one day—was looking at another man like that.

Not just looking.

Following.

Speaking lightly.

Smiling.

Even flirting.

And worst of all—

That man didn’t even return it.

Didn’t acknowledge it.

Didn’t need to.

That was what made it unbearable.

Because this wasn’t a rivalry.

Not even close.

Victor had already made it clear—

He had absolutely no interest in Brinda.

And yet—

That only made things worse.

Because it meant the young man wasn’t losing to a rival.

He was losing to someone who didn’t even see him as worth competing against.

His teeth clenched harder.

”...Damn it.”

The memory hit him again—

That moment earlier.

That invisible force.

That crushing pressure.

He hadn’t even been touched.

Victor hadn’t drawn a weapon.

Hadn’t cast a spell.

Hadn’t even moved.

And yet—

He couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t move.

Couldn’t resist.

It wasn’t strength he understood.

It was something deeper.

Something instinctive.

Something that made his own body betray him.

Even now—

Just thinking about directing killing intent toward Victor again—

His chest tightened.

His thoughts stalled.

It was like his very mind rejected the idea.

Like some unseen wall stood between them.

And no matter how much he pushed—

He couldn’t cross it.

His gaze lowered slightly.

Frustration boiled under his skin.

”...Pathetic.”

Yet even with that—

Even with the humiliation.

Even with the overwhelming difference in power—

That wasn’t what irritated him the most.

No.

What irritated him the most...

Was the truth he couldn’t escape.

Victor wasn’t his rival.

Not even close.

Because Victor didn’t want Brinda.

Didn’t look at her that way.

Didn’t care.

And somehow—

That made everything worse.

Because it meant—

Everything he was feeling...

Was one-sided.

Meaningless.

His nails dug slightly into his palm.

’Damn it!’

His breathing steadied.

Slow.

Controlled.

Then—

A decision formed.

Clear.

Sharp.

Unyielding.

’Fine then...’

His eyes lifted again.

This time—

There was something different in them.

Not just frustration.

Not just anger.

Resolve.

Cold.

Focused.

’It doesn’t matter if I’m weak now.’

His gaze locked onto Victor’s back.

’I’ll just get stronger.’

The thought settled.

Solid.

Heavy.

’I’ll use him... to make myself stronger.’

A flicker of something dangerous passed through his expression.

Whatever this training was—

Whatever hell waited ahead—

He wouldn’t run.

He wouldn’t hesitate.

He wouldn’t fall behind.

’Whatever training it is...’

His lips pressed into a thin line.

’I’ll do it.’

...

With different thoughts swirling through each of their minds—

The group continued forward.

The road slowly gave way to open land.

The grass grew thicker.

Wilder.

Untamed.

And soon—

They arrived.

An empty field.

Wide.

Silent.

Endless.

The kind of place where the wind had nothing to stop it.

Where even sound felt like it stretched too far.

This was the place.

The usual ground where Videl would practice her swordsmanship.

The earth beneath their feet was firm, packed from repeated impact, marked faintly with old scars—cuts, dents, shallow craters.

Evidence of past battles.

Of strength.

Of discipline.

The group slowed to a stop.

Eyes scanning.

Waiting.

Expecting something.

Anything.

But there was nothing.

No enemies.

No obstacles.

No weapons laid out.

Just—

Open space.

And silence.

Confusion began to spread.

Brows furrowed.

Glances exchanged.

Eon was the first to speak.

”What are we supposed to do here?”

His deep voice carried across the field as he looked around, clearly searching for something that wasn’t there.

”...There isn’t even a single monster nearby.”

Victor turned slightly.

The sunlight caught his golden eyes for a brief moment, making them gleam faintly.

”Well...”

He rolled his shoulders once, casually.

”First things first.”

His tone remained relaxed.

Calm.

”I want to see what you people are capable of.”

He glanced briefly at Clara and Lane.

”Clara and Lana will be on standby.”

Clara folded her arms under her chest, expression unreadable but attentive.

Lane tilted her head slightly, watching Victor with quiet interest.

Victor’s gaze returned to the group.

”All I want you guys to do... for now...”

A faint smile touched his lips.

”...is attack me.”

The words landed.

Heavy.

Unexpected.

A few of them blinked.

Processing.

Eon narrowed his eyes slightly.

”So you want to test us one on one... is that it?”

Victor chuckled softly.

”One on one?”

He shook his head.

”No.”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

”I won’t test you like that... since all of you are so weak.”

The bluntness hit harder than any insult.

Some of the men stiffened.

The young man’s jaw tightened again.

Victor continued, unfazed.

”If we did a one on one, it would no longer be a test.”

He raised a hand slightly, gesturing loosely.

”And I wouldn’t be able to gauge your abilities.”

A pause.

Then—

His voice lowered just a fraction.

”No... that’s not what I want.”

The air shifted.

Subtly.

Dangerously.

”What I want...”

His golden eyes swept across all of them.

”...is to test all of you together.”

Silence.

Then—

He cracked his neck lightly.

Casual.

Almost lazy.

”Don’t worry.”

A faint smirk.

”I’ll give myself a handicap.”

He lifted his hand.

Flexed his fingers once.

”I won’t use any weapon aside from my fist.”

A step forward.

The ground beneath his boots gave a faint crunch.

”And I’ll only use body enhancement magic.”

Another step.

Closer.

”So...”

His voice dropped.

Sharp.

Clear.

”Come on.”

A beat.

”Attack me.”

The wind picked up slightly.

Grass swayed.

Tension snapped tight.

Eon exhaled slowly.

Then—

Without another word—

He stepped forward.

Battle stance.

Solid.

Grounded.

Brinda followed.

Her playful expression faded into something more serious, more focused.

The air around her shifted faintly as mana began to stir.

Both of them had already seen enough of Victor’s strength to understand one thing—

This wasn’t a game.

This wasn’t a spar.

This was survival.

Behind them—

The young man and the two girls stood frozen for a second.

Caught off guard.

Unprepared.

Then—

Brinda’s voice cut through the hesitation like a blade.

”Sana, Livia, Humer!”

Her tone was sharp.

Commanding.

”Attack Victor from the distance using magic!”

She pointed forward without looking.

”Support Eon!”

The three snapped out of their daze instantly.

Positions shifted.

Mana gathered.

Energy thickened in the air.

The young man—Humer—gritted his teeth.

This was it.

His chance.

To prove something.

To himself.

To her.

To him.

Eon moved first.

A massive axe appearing in his grip as he charged forward—

Each step heavy.

Each step powerful.

The ground trembled slightly beneath his momentum.

And Victor—

Didn’t move.

Didn’t shift.

Didn’t even raise his guard.

He simply stood there.

Waiting.

As Eon, axe in hand—

Charged straight toward him.