Arthur fell to his knees, his gaze was empty as that of a dead fish, his head hanging slightly forward as he breathed heavily and artificially as if he were nothing but an empty shell.
He was in a circular room, its ceiling open, revealing a beautiful blue sky and a sun that radiated a brilliant light, but somehow didn't seem real. It shone but had no warmth or life.
The walls of this room were dark and there was only one entrance to it. Its floor was concrete, and in the middle of it was a small trench through which crystal-clear water flowed, feeding a small flower garden around the small stream.
In the middle of the room was a single tree, also surrounded by a flower garden. It was over 10 meters tall and provided pleasant shade.
"Hm... why don't you react?" The guardian waved his hands in front of Arthur's face, but the young man didn't even blink or seem to notice him.
The Guardian placed his hand on the young man's forehead and sighed heavily; he couldn't feel anything wrong.
Taking a few steps back, he pondered what to do and made a decision, albeit hesitantly.
Raising his hands, he drew some symbols in the air, and in the next second, a silver light flashed as a floating ball of light appeared in front of him.
"Guardian number 309,874, please state the reason for your call." A female robotic voice rang out.
Keeping his posture straight and showing the utmost respect to the voice, he said, "I have had some irregularities with one of the challengers..."
Hearing this answer, the ball of light turned to Arthur.
"You have broken the rules." A single glance was all it took for her to realize this.
"I'm sorry, but it was a special situation, I was forced to intervene..."
"Hm..." She ignored the guardian's apology and focused on Arthur.
"He's fine, all his damage is physical. His soul seems to be intact, protected by his bloodline."
Hearing this, the Guardian breathed a sigh of relief. All those who come to this world to make a breakthrough are given false bodies, perfect replicas of their originals. When they die here, they are simply sent back to their home worlds.
But he was also surprised that the damage was only physical. No power in this world came without a price, which was well demonstrated by Arthur's body's inability to fully regenerate after months of battle.
There was no power without sacrifice, and in any other situation, Arthur would be dead by now, his soul condemned to a suffering far worse than death, even if the damage was only physical. The fact that his soul was intact was a miracle.
"What is his lineage?" The Guardian asked.
The ball of light stopped analyzing Arthur's body for a few seconds and focused on the Guardian, "That is classified information and you have no reason to know."
"You should focus more on yourself, I have doubts that you will be able to maintain your current position," the voice concluded before turning back to Arthur, "I will wake him up, do all the routine procedures, and then come to me."
Hearing these words, the Guardian stiffened, and his fists shook, but he didn't dare to do anything but nod politely.
Just then, the light vanished into thin air, leaving only a few small fragments that floated toward Arthur and flowed through his body.
Slowly, the young man's mind regained its clarity, and he was finally able to realize the situation he was in.
His body shuddered and he nearly vomited. He managed to hold back his bile with great effort and looked at the Guardian, all his senses were now unlocked and for the first time in months he could hear and see again.
"Congratulations, young man! You have just completed your ascension to the second level!" The Guardian sent his bitterness to the bottom of his heart and opened his arms to congratulate the young man.
Arthur just watched him coldly for a few seconds before looking down at his hands. They were in a terrible state, completely made of living flesh, with no skin left.
"Don't worry about your appearance, everything will return to normal once you return to your original world! Now... I can answer a few questions and give you your well-deserved reward." The Guardian smiled, but Arthur could not see his face to recognize it.
His eyes were vacant, and his mind was still clearly clouded, but he forced himself to ask: "What are you? And what is this damn test?"
"Hm... I'm sure I've introduced myself to you before, and as I said, all you need to know is that I'm the keeper of this test. As for what it is... I thought that was common knowledge on your level, but I'll explain it to you calmly. The Guardian waved in the air and a screen appeared in front of Arthur.
"It is a form of refinement. Every living being that advances to the second stage is put to a test where they must use and improve their weakest points. A swordsman who is weak in fencing will be sent to a training camp where he will fight to perfect those skills, and the same goes for any other affinity."
"Your weakest affinity was mana manipulation, so your test was about mana manipulation." The Guardian finished speaking and looked at the young man expectantly, but again there was no reaction.
"I see..." Arthur said, absorbing the information but deciding not to think about it for now. Even though his body was relatively well, mainly due to the almost infinite vitality his lineage granted him, his mind was still exhausted to the limit and all he wanted to do was get out of this place, throw himself onto a soft bed, and sleep until the end of the world.
"Ahem..." The Guardian cleared his throat, realizing Arthur's current state. "Well... you're a special case, and frankly, you've caused me a lot of trouble," he said, catching Arthur's attention again.
"Why?" Arthur asked.
" It doesn't matter..." "You must already know the importance of the second stage in a person's life, but I don't think you know exactly why since such knowledge is quite controlled in your world..."
"You say 'your world'... are there others?" Arthur asked, a little confused by the Guardian's words.
"No more questions." The Guardian's voice hardened.
"You have done well in this challenge and deserve a worthy reward..." The Guardian waved in the air and a small metal box appeared in his hands.
"Open it when you're in a safe place, it will be very useful for you in the future." The Guardian threw the box towards Arthur, and the moment it touched the young man, it disappeared in a flash of light.
"Ah... out of millions of Guardians... why the hell do I have to be such a problem?" The Guardian spoke as his body floated in the air.
Suddenly, he looked up and exploded at an absurd speed, creating a sonic boom, and sweeping everything around him as he soared into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, he reached space and found himself on top of a dome that covered thousands of square kilometers, no smaller than the largest metropolises in Arthur's world.
"And once again the cycle repeats itself."
And then, with a casual wave of his hand, everything below him turned to dust as he dissolved into space.
It wasn't a skill or anything like that. It was just raw power.