Chapter 37: Reality Check (2)
Boom!
The moment Gary stepped forward, a crushing pressure descended upon him like a mountain falling from the sky. His body immediately stiffened, sweat erupting across his brow. With tensed muscles that pressed down with an invisible pressure, he dropped to his knees on the very first step.
The room fell into stunned silence.
The middle-aged man watching from the front of the hall shook his head faintly, disappointment flashing in his eyes. Around him, the other children stared in disbelief..
"He couldn’t even take a single step?" someone murmured in a hushed voice, the words hanging in the air.
No one else spoke.
The crowd of young children turned solemn, expressions growing serious as they looked at the bulky, kneeling figure on the staircase. The arrogance that had once radiated from him was nowhere to be found.
High above them, seated comfortably on a plush sofa in an elevated viewing platform, was a man clad in casual attire, his distinctive green hair setting him apart. His sharp eyes gleamed with faint amusement as he watched Gary struggle.
"So... Baron Avalon’s son is nothing more than a disappointment," he said.
Next to him stood an older man, dressed in a more formal noble’s attire, his clenched fists betraying the storm of emotion beneath his composed exterior.
"My Lord... I apologise for the disappointment," the elder man said, whose voice was filled with restrained anger.
The green-haired noble merely gave a small, dismissive wave.