Chapter 124: First Glimmer of Light (9)

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: First Glimmer of Light (9)

"Don’t worry," Seraphina said. "From the very beginning, I’ve had my eye on first place!" She suddenly broke into a sprint. While the others were merely climbing, she wasn’t just walking anymore—she was running up the mountain!

The students on the path were all leaning on sticks, crawling along like snails. Seeing Seraphina’s insane speed and inhuman stamina, their mouths couldn’t help but twitch. ’Is she even human?’ they thought. ’She can still run up the mountain at this point! Is her stamina limitless?’

Michelle Galloway and Crystal Marshall were rendered completely speechless. Seeing Seraphina’s agile form and then looking at their own exhausted state, they recalled what they’d said at the beginning and felt their faces burn with embarrassment.

Simon had been in the lead the entire time. Just as victory seemed within his grasp, Seraphina came rushing up from behind.

"Going for first?" Simon asked, not even flushed or out of breath. While the others looked tired enough to cough up blood, he was as relaxed as if he were simply enjoying the view.

"I’m just hungry," Seraphina replied, her guard raised. ’This guy won’t be easy to beat.’

"I hear they’ve already prepared a feast at the summit. I’m not hungry, but I am very interested in Apex cuisine!" Simon covertly picked up his pace.

"Then we’ll just have to see which of us makes it to the top first!" Seraphina matched his pace.

The two of them were practically neck and neck, leaving the students behind them utterly dumbfounded. ’They’re basically two savages—the primitive kind!’ ’How else could they have such inhuman stamina!’

Simon said, "It’s impressive for a girl to have kept up this far! But you can’t beat me. Let me tell you, I’ve never lost a mountain-climbing competition."

"Oh? Is that so? Well, there’s a first time for everything, and I’d be honored to be the first person to ever beat you at it." Seraphina accelerated again, picking the shortest route and using the power in her legs to bound upward.

The closer they got to the summit, the narrower the path became. Just as the winner was about to be decided, Simon suddenly shot his leg out in front of Seraphina, blocking her way!

Anyone else might have been unable to pull back in time and would have fallen. But Seraphina had endured Terrence Grant’s brutally demanding training. A cheap trick like this was nothing to her.

Seraphina didn’t hold back. She kicked his leg without hesitation. ’Anyone who gets in my way, I’ll kick them aside, one by one!’

Caught off guard, Simon took the full force of the kick to his calf. His face instantly went white with pain. ’Is she even a girl?! How can she be so strong!’

Seraphina let a faint smile grace her lips as she successfully claimed first place. ’This is the price you pay for underestimating me.’

The crowd below watched with incredible tension. It was just a mountain climb, so why did it feel more nerve-wracking than watching an NBA game? Their hearts were in their throats until the moment Seraphina took first place, at which point they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

In that moment, every student from Apex, regardless of their city or school, felt the same swell of national pride.

This was especially true for the supervising teachers from each school and the event organizers who had come from Aethelgard. If Simon had won, it would have been a huge loss of face.

The comparison was shocking. They hadn’t realized until now just how poor the physical fitness of Apex’s high school students was! It was just a mountain climb, yet students were either collapsing from dehydration or sprawled out on the side of the path. Barely any of them could complete the entire course. It seemed high schoolers would have to start taking physical training more seriously. No, not just high schoolers—all students needed to improve their physical fitness!

If a foreign student had taken first place individually, and then they took first place as a team, this winter camp would no longer be about promoting Apex’s traditional culture. It would be a complete embarrassment, making them a laughingstock for everyone else.