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*Cough*

Alex coughed up blood as he was thrown into the air by the Sword Saints Kick.

*Thud.*

He fell on his back into the cold marble floor.

His vision was getting blurry.

'...it hurts...it hurts so much...'

He thought as he coughed up even more blood.

His nose was broken and he was pretty sure some ribs were cracked as well.

He had taken such a beating...and he was the only one who appeared to have been affected.

He was beaten black and blue and was unable to continue.

Well...that was what he thought anyways.

'...how do they do it?'

How do they all do it?

How does Lucas keep getting up even after all of his body has been broken?

When he's been beaten to a degree that should be bringing him to death's door.

And how does Olivia even keep up with Master?

Disregarding Alan, who was on leave, he didn't understand how those two did it.

He didn't understand how Lucas kept getting up again and again even though multiple bones were broken.

Was it his pride that kept him alive?

And was it her intelligence or superb Battle sense that made her even more of a challenge?

'...compared to them I'm...nothing.'

He, along with Alan had started training with the sword saint first.

He had trained for longer, yet those two had already caught up.

...How frightening...talent is.

And how enviable it is...that they have normal elements...

While I'm stuck with this useless [Null] attribute.

'...I need to get up and get back into the fight.'

Alex thought to himself and tried to get up using his elbow as support...until.

*Crack.*

He fell face flat into the marble floor as a faint cracking sound was heard from his elbow.

He spat out a tooth covered in blood and looked at it with his blurry vision.

...hah...

'...I can't do this...not like them.'

I don't have the superior body Alan does, I don't have his talent with his weapon and mana.

I don't have enough whatever makes Lucas stand up again and again.

I don't have the intelligence that makes Olivia a threat.

... I don't even have a normal damn attribute.

I'm...useless.

I'm always the first one to fall.

I'm always the first one who gets his ass kicked.

Alex thought as tears started to form.

Slowly, they went down his cheek, got mixed with his blood, and fell to the floor.

He sat there in pain, crying at his uselessness.

He didn't know how long he was crying for.

He just knew that he was crying.

Because of the pain.

Because of his lack of Talent.

Because of his lack of will.

Because of his lack of Intelligence.

Because of his lack of an element.

Because of his uselessness.

'I've tried...I've tried..'

He thought those words again and again in his mind.

He tried...he kept up with this brutal training longer than anyone else...yet they all improved even faster.

What am I even doing?

Trash is always Trash.

That's the fucking law.

Yet...I tried to break that law...and failed miserably.

I'm....I'm....so fucking pathetic.

"Are you done?"

And suddenly, he heard the sword saint's voice.

And in his blurry vision, he raised his head as high as he could and only saw the Sword Saints' legs.

He wasn't able to form words.

"Did I hit you too hard?"

The Sword Saint said as he sat down on the stone-cold floor in front of Alex.

"Well, you should be more careful, but congrats-"

"...I'm sorry."

The Sword Saint was interrupted by Alex's Apology.

"...im sorry."

He heard it again, and fell into a deep silence, before asking.

"What are you sorry for?"

He asked Alex, who had kept his head low.

And he got his answer pretty quickly.

"...im sorry im weak...huh...im sorry I can't last as long as them even though I've trained longer..."

"....im sorry im always the first to go down."

Alex said as he cried, even more, letting all his sorrow out.

And in front of him, The sword saint silently stared at him.

'...to think he of all would call himself weak.'

Arken thought as he stared at Alex.

Hah...to think the one who was only behind Alan in terms of hits landed...

To think of the one who was the first to reach him and attack him.

the one who was the fastest among his students.

The one who had e best

reaction speed, the best reflexes he had seen among all his students.

Was calling himself weak...when little did he know he was the second strongest out of all his students.

Who was the Fastest?

Alexander.

Who was the One who always attacked him first?

Alexander.

And who was the one that received the most hits besides Alan?

Alexander.

Because he was so fast, unlike the slow Alan and Lucas, The Sword Saint was dealing with him most of the time.

And Arken knew damn well that he sometimes hit Alexander harder than he meant to hit.

Yes, He fell...but who wouldn't?

Even Lucas was knocked out because of the beating he endured, and Arken hit Lucas lighter than he hit Alex.

Now that Alan was gone for a few days.

Alexander was the top among his students who managed to hit him and the only one who could dodge his counterattacks even when Alan was here.

Alexander Wright...only had one problem....which was not his element.

It was his confidence, his belief in himself.

He always thought so lowly of himself that he failed to realize his potential.

...

...

...

"Do you want to hear something, Alex?"

Arken spoke, and without even waiting for an answer, he continued to speak.

"There was a time when everyone is weak when they doubt themselves."

"When they fail to realize to realize their potential, and subsequently fall."

It's time to teach his Student an important lesson.

"You can cry all you want because of the pain."

It's ok to cry...especially after holding all those feelings inside for so long.

But...something else is unforgivable.

"But...Never...ever doubt yourself."

Never do it, self-doubt kills your potential faster than anything else.

And Most Importantly....

"Never ever apologize for trying hard..

It's an insult...to the effort, to the determination you put in."

The moment you do that.

You fall into an endless abyss that you will never escape from.

Never.