Chapter 1: Chapter 1 – The King Family’s Shadow

 

In a large auditorium, a young man sat unhappily amongst his classmates. While his peers cheerfully conversed and discussed their future plans and what college they would be attending the following fall semester, he kept his head low and avoided others, waiting patiently for his name to be called…

 

As time slowly passed, students were called in alphabetical order based on their last names. Finally, his name was called…

 

“Next up… Mr. Damien King! Congratulations on your excellent academic performance. Mr. King was ranked 3rd in his graduating class and will soon be attending The University of Calivornia, Los Angeline!”

 

As the principal announced his achievements, Damien stood up and approached the podium, receiving his high-school diploma with a fake smile.

 

The audience clapped out of necessity, but there were no family members present in the audience to cheer for him. Of course, Damien expected as much…

 

After receiving his diploma, he quickly returned to where he was sitting and tried his best to ignore the gossip and whispers around him…

 

“Is that him? The rumored stalker? Is he really a member of the famous King family?”

 

“Maybe he was adopted? He certainly doesn’t stand out like the others…”

 

“I heard his mother was a prostitute!”

 

Rumors with no basis continued to pass through Damien’s ears… He wasn’t adopted, nor was his mother a prostitute. He was most certainly a legitimate blood descendant of the King family.

 

Though it can’t be said that he is appreciated by his family… He was a disgrace who lived his entire life in the shadow of others.

 

Damien wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t born with the handsome face of his brother nor the enchanting beauty of his sister. He never did well in sports, and his only notable skill was his diligence in studying.

 

Yet even, he was only ranked third in his grade… He lacked the talent that the famous King family was known for.

 

An ordinary man with nothing special about him; that was the only way to describe the individual named Damien King who was haunted by his own inferiority.

 

No matter how hard he worked, he could only bitterly accept that he couldn’t bridge the gap in talent. What he could accomplish in ten days, his brother and sister could do in an hour…

 

So Damien simply stopped trying. Even if he was fated to live and die in obscurity, he was still a legal child of the King family who would eventually inherit a portion of the family's wealth. Even a mere 1% of that money would be enough to let him live in luxury for several lifetimes.

 

You are reading story The Rise of The Greatest Talent at novel35.com

Damien always hated the malice and ulterior motives his family name invited, but he couldn’t deny the usefulness of having a lot of money. Even if his parents and siblings never let him touch it...

 

His dreams and plans for life were simple and modest. Study hard, graduate from college, get a mediocre job, and retire early.

 

It wasn’t much, but it was the most someone like Damien could hope for in his life…

 

Suppressing his ever-present bitterness, Damien awaited the end of the graduation ceremony. If he was lucky, he would never have to see his fellow alumni ever again. He certainly wouldn’t miss them.

 

In his eyes, they were nothing but scavengers who flocked around him for money or to form connections with his siblings. The instant he refused their absurd requests, they would spread malicious rumors in an effort to defame him.

 

As time passed and gossip escalated, those rumors became “truth” in the eyes of others. His reputation was already the worst it could be… It was practically a miracle that the rumors never evolved into violent bullying.

 

As the graduation ceremony concluded, Damien quickly left the auditorium without a word to his classmates and was picked up by a suited man driving a black sedan.

 

No words were exchanged between them as the car returned to the family mansion in silence. Damien didn’t have a good relationship with his family, nor did he get along well with the servants or bodyguards they employed.

 

It would be exaggerated to say they despised him like his classmates, but he was almost certainly looked down upon. After all, he was the family's only letdown. A mediocre child born amongst geniuses...

 

The minute he returned home, Damien didn’t bother greeting his siblings and instead returned to his room; isolating himself as usual.

 

Today marked the beginning of his last summer vacation before college, but he had no special plans. There weren’t any friends he could spend his time with and he was rarely ever invited to family events.

 

All he could do was pass the time by reading books in solitude or casually chatting and playing video games with online acquaintances.

 

Upon entering his bedroom, Damien turned on his personal computer and began checking his email out of habit. His correspondences were typically limited to spam emails or internet advertisements he would delete, but this time was different…

 

An unexpected email arrived from an unfamiliar sender…

 

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