NOVEL NEXT Chapter 379: Holding Back
"I could've finished it earlier, but would it really have mattered? In the end, you were going to give me the same reward anyway. Still, with a proper fight, I could learn more from you." Daniel laughed with a smile on his face.
He was holding himself back. Even though these heroes were truly powerful when they were on his rank, they were nowhere near being actual opponents for him.
On the other hand, he was certain that no matter how fast he won, the reward would be the same in the end. So the best option was to use the fight as a chance to learn from his opponent's experience and combat methods.
He also wanted to know how these legendary figures of the past used to fight, how their combat style compared to the ones of his own era, and what differences existed.
And above all, maybe he could find his own weaknesses through this and fix them. Fortunately, it worked—he managed to get the result he was aiming for.
"Correct." Veyzer smiled for the first time, as if he had finally found an interesting young man.
He extended his hand, and just like before, a small glowing orb flew toward Daniel and entered his body. But this time, nothing happened—no noticeable change at all.
"When you reach the final step, you'll be able to see your reward and use it. If you fall before then, you get nothing."
Daniel nodded. By now he had already realized that this staircase seemed to be far more difficult for him than for the others. He had some guesses as to why, but in the end, did it even matter?
No matter how hard it became, he would still be the one to reach the end. He still had plenty of trump cards left unused.
By using the skill [Apocalypse], he could've defeated both of his opponents so far in less than ten seconds, but something told him he'd need it for the final challenger.
"Despite what I said, you actually performed better than I expected. Still, if I'm not mistaken, you should have that bloodline. If I'm right, you could've been even better than you are now." Veyzer spoke again with the same indifference.
"You know about my bloodline?" Daniel asked curiously. Even he himself didn't know much about it—only that it had truly legendary traits.
"I don't know much. I can't even say for sure if it's really what I think it is. Either way, you'll discover it yourself sooner or later."
After hearing those words, Daniel's awareness returned to his body.
Looking around and realizing he was back on the staircase again, he let out a sigh. It seemed there was still no hope of finding any real information about his bloodline.
Before moving forward again, he glanced back. Andreas had successfully reached the thirtieth step, where Selera and Tormyn were as well.
They were the only ones who had made it to the thirtieth step. Many had already fallen at the tenth, and a good number of others at the twentieth.
Interestingly, Olivia was on the twenty-fifth step, and it looked like she had the potential to reach the thirtieth. The same could be said for Ilaris.
It seemed a tight rivalry was forming between those two girls. But this only made Daniel frown.
He expected more from Ilaris. In fact, out of everyone, he had the highest expectations of her. After all, she was born destined to lead the civilization and race of the elves.
"Too weak… Maybe I really do need to do something." Daniel sighed again. He had many ways to help her, but in the end, it all depended on her own choices.
Then his eyes landed on Lorak and the rest of Tormyn's dogs. Most of those useless idiots had already been eliminated, and the rest were stuck somewhere between the tenth and twentieth steps.
"Those fools planned to attack me, but even their master can't reach me." He burst out laughing.
He turned and resumed climbing. Strangely enough, this time he began to feel pressure. It wasn't too heavy, but it was definitely irritating.
The higher he went, the stronger the pressure became. It was like a swarm of flies constantly buzzing and bothering him, and with every step, the swarm grew larger.
It didn't take long before he reached the fiftieth step. When nothing happened, he continued climbing.
"How is this possible? Why is the mechanism of the staircase acting differently for him?" In the clouds above, the elders of the Lionheart family were watching him.
But what they saw was hard to believe. This boy was breaking every record. So far, the fastest time to reach the fiftieth step had already been shattered.
The remarkable thing was that throughout the entire history of their family, ever since this ancient staircase had been brought here, only a very small number of people had ever managed to reach the fiftieth step and beyond.
And now another one had, and this one had even set a new record.
"But why is his awareness being drawn into a battle every twenty steps? That makes no sense!"
"The same thing that happened to that woman is happening to him." one of the elders suddenly said.
At those words, many frowned, reminded that this had happened to one other person before—the wild woman standing across from them, the White Whale.
The White Whale was one of the very few who had ever reached the one-hundredth step in history. Yet even she had been defeated.
And the interesting part about her case was that instead of every ten steps, she had been pulled into battles every twenty steps.
They all looked at her, hoping she'd say something. But her gaze was completely locked onto the white-haired boy, giving them not the slightest attention.
Still, anyone who dared to look into her eyes right now would be utterly shocked… because in her eyes, there was a trace of curiosity and amusement…?
At that moment, Daniel finally stepped onto the sixtieth step. Once again, the world around him turned dark, and he found himself in another space.
Strangely, this time the space was a river. But not an ordinary one.
It was a river where the fate of every living being could be seen flowing within it—one could watch their past, present, and future.
The entire story of their lives existed inside that river.
It was magnificent and unparalleled, as if it were the greatest existence in the entire cosmos.
With just one glance, Daniel realized where he was. One of the most legendary and mysterious places in the cosmos, a place with no recorded entry at all.
"The Long River of Fate…" he muttered to himself. And right then, a figure emerged from within the river.
A strikingly handsome young man, with short hair and gray eyes, dressed in an ornate royal purple outfit.
He looked exactly like an emperor, yet his presence had nothing of an emperor's heaviness—it was more like a free man who held everyone in his grasp.
"Welcome, young man. I didn't expect there to be anyone in this world capable of summoning the remnant I left behind… Though it seems you're not from this world." the man said with a smile.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the Hero of Destiny, and the founder of the Irenwald family."