Chapter 1655: Potential [4]

August, Melania, and Valerie were all undergoing their own trials.

Melania definitely faced something leagues above what the other two were facing, but they were all being challenged in ways that would help them grow.

For Valerie, it was character rather than potential.

Damien truly put her in a situation to test her loyalty. Not to August and Melania, but in general.

He needed to see if she would betray others for her own sake, since she was generally someone who prioritized herself over others.

And, he needed to see if she would be a friend worthy of August.

Regardless of the outcome of her test, he wouldn't interfere in their relationship. If she truly was a person unfit for their group, then August would eventually learn the hard way.

That was a life lesson for him. If Damien interfered, then it would become meaningless.

He more wanted to know for his own sake, since he was naturally concerned with who his son kept in his company.

If Valerie failed the test, then he could at least be prepared for that fateful day when her mistakes caught up to her.

If it happened far in the future and truly put August at risk, then he'd be ready to save his son.

That was the most important thing.

As for what Valerie's results were...

Well, her loyalty was a bit surprising.

Valerie really was selfish. She did things for her own amusement regardless of how it impacted others. This was an arrogance that most geniuses possessed, including Damien at their age.

She was used to seeing others as below her. Not because she discriminated against them, but because that was the truth of the matter.

Still, she cherished those she held dear.

The Revell Clan and the Wood Dragon Clan it controlled were filled with compassionate people.

Their element was already peaceful, which is what led Alcharist to leave Arulion instead of defending his position. On top of that, because their numbers were so small, they truly cared about each other.

Valerie was raised in an environment where everyone chose love over hate.

It was both the reason for her recklessness and her loyalty.

Valerie was hardly scolded, so she never faced the consequences of her actions severely. That was the only method for people to truly understand the weight of their choices, and until they faced it, they'd always remain ignorant.

For her, that moment had not come yet.

Still, she was willing to throw herself in the way of danger to protect her people. And, as she battled in the imaginary war that Damien had fabricated for her, she showed the clear ability to grow and adapt to her circumstances.

It was a brutal simulation.

The Wood Dragon Clan was discovered by the Holy Clans and declared an enemy of the kingdom. They were hunted down by every other dragon clan and were forced to defend themselves to survive.

Valerie mentally aged many years in the span of only a few hours. Damien didn't let her stay in the illusion for as long as she wanted like he did Melania, but she still lasted for a long time.

It was only a few weeks in the illusion, but the aura of war forced Valerie to turn into a completely different person, losing the childish innocence that she still had.

'That won't do.'

Damien didn't intend for that to happen.

He wasn't going to deprive the girl of her youth just because he wanted to test her. That wasn't fair to her or Alcharist who sent her to August in good faith.

When Valerie had proven herself, Damien blurred her memories. He replaced the more harrowing experiences she'd had with more peaceful yet challenging tests.

In the end, the outcome was the same, but without the tragedy of that war, Valerie was able to stay the same person as she was before she entered this place.

The question was...

Did Damien feel guilty?

To toy with the lives of others in this way, was it really okay?

He didn't know. It wasn't something he considered often.

As he grew in power, his view became more detached from reality.

Like the young geniuses, Damien naturally ended up seeing others as below him.

That was why he consciously reminded himself of his humanity.

He made sure he felt guilty when he needed to. He considered the perspectives of others so that he could understand the consequences of his actions and avoid them as much as he could.

He was still toying with the lives of others, but that was the nature of a supreme being.

The fact that he tried his best to make sure they weren't ruined by his interference was the most consideration he could give.

In most cases, that was enough.

He never felt too bad about his actions.

Valerie was included in that. He thought it was for the best, so he didn't feel bad about manipulating her memories.

Melania, however...

Melania was a different situation.

Time didn't pass the same for her as it did for Valerie.

When Valerie felt a week pass, Melania only felt a few hours.

While Valerie's trial lasted for three weeks, Melania...

...had been in the trial ground for 2 years already.

And for that, Damien felt incredibly guilty.

***

2 years.

In that time, she had died three hundred times.

She'd become numb to death. She'd become numb to emotion.

She had climbed this mountain over and over again, and she'd even reached the cusp of the peak before.

But she always failed.

She was always crushed by the boulder and left stuck at the bottom of the mountain.

Melania had practically forgotten why she was climbing in the first place. All she knew was that she needed the boulder to reach the peak as soon as possible.

She had been struggling on her own, suffering from loneliness and doubt without anyone to support her or anyone to acknowledge the hard work she put in.

But Damien had seen it.

The entire two years that she'd suffered, he'd witnessed it.

Countless times he'd thought about pulling her out. She'd more than earned every reward he could possibly give her, so for her own health, it was better for her to leave this mountain and forget about its existence.

However, Damien couldn't do it.

He couldn't deny the efforts of this girl who put everything on the line for power.

Unlike Valerie, whose motivation was artificially provided by Damien for the sake of the trial, Melania had done all of this alone.

She had never given up. No matter how many times she failed, she always got back up and tried again.

It was amazing.

It was an undeniable struggle, a struggle that forced one to acknowledge the one struggling and feel genuine respect, no matter what kind of differences separated them.

Damien knew how much those kinds of struggles contributed to his own growth.

He was able to become the person he was because he was desperate at every step, doing everything possible to grow.

He even died for it.

So if she was willing to die for it, then he couldn't deny her efforts.

He had to let her go until she either completed the trial or gave up.

And that was how months turned into a year, and a year turned into two.

Melania stood on the cusp of the mountain again. She had been here many times already.

It was hard at first. She couldn't climb even a third of the mountain without spending an entire month.

Nowadays, she could reach near the peak in just a week.

The problem was that, at this level, the slope was practically vertical.

Melania could still find ledges to use to support herself, but she was forced to carry the entire weight of the boulder on her shoulders.

Plus, as she got closer to the peak, it got heavier.

The boulder weighed at least ten thousand pounds already.

For a young dragon, this was a maddening load to carry.

But, Melania's body wasn't the same as it was when she started.

She was covered in lean muscles that could only be seen when she flexed. They carried far more power than their appearance suggested, and with their help, Melania was truly able to support the whole weight of the boulder while keeping it stable.

There were only a few steps left before she reached her end goal.

She had failed here before because she got too confident.

This time, the same mistake wouldn't be repeated.

She took a deep breath, her eyes focused on the hard rock in front of her.

Fifteen steps.

As long as she made them precisely and safely, she would finally reach the place that she'd been dreaming of for the past two years.