Mila walked to the heavy metal door and inserted a long silver key into the lock.

  The sound of the mechanism unlocking echoed through the courtyard. Without wasting time, she pushed the door open, revealing a circular arena illuminated only by openings in the ceiling that allowed columns of sunlight to pour in — making Mark narrow his eyes.

  "This is the Battle Arena. You will face a mechanized combat unit, a Grade 4 Iron Golem calibrated to simulate the pressure of a Gold Rank. The objective is to survive and disable the unit."

  Mark stepped into the arena, his eyes fixed on a figure. At the center of the circle, a three-meter-tall mass of iron stood motionless.

  "The unit will activate as soon as I close the door. You have as much time as you need, but the evaluation ends when the Golem is neutralized or you surrender. Understood?"

  "Yes." Mark nodded without even looking. To Mila, he appeared tense, but internally he was surprised.

  A Golem!

  It was the first time he had seen something like this in real life. The monster looked to be made entirely of iron, and he could sense its power even while it was inactive. Deep down, he was excited and eager to begin.

  "Very well. Be careful!" With a final warning, Mila stepped back and shut the metal door with a heavy thud.

  Mark was left alone in the arena.

  The sun struck directly against his back, and he could feel his Blood Essence bubbling beneath his skin, impatient. Beneath the cloak, Pippin clicked his tongue twice — the signal that he was ready to hide or act if things went out of control.

  "Do not interfere." Mark murmured to the servant.

  He wanted to do this alone, and this was not the time for Pippin to reveal himself.

  Not here.

  Even without seeing the servant's expression, Mark could sense Pippin's frustration at the command.

  Krrreeee!

  The Iron Golem emitted a metallic screech. Its eyes, made of dull red gems, flared to life with a sudden glow.

  The flail began to spin, creating an oppressive hum that sliced through the air. The machine had no ego, no fear, and no hesitation.

  Mark simply waited, letting the Golem have its moment while he decided how much strength would be necessary to defeat it.

  The Iron Golem wasted no time.

  With a hydraulic screech that echoed off the arena walls, the three-meter mass of metal lunged forward. Each step hammered against the ground, making the stone structure tremble.

  Instead of retreating or dodging aside, Mark simply stood still.

  A genuine smile appeared on his face. In the game Age of Blood, he had faced countless enemies, but that mechanical construct was something new.

  The engineering behind that structure, the way the magical runes engraved into the iron plates pulsed with a crimson glow... it was fascinating.

  Who had the mind capable of creating something so crude yet functional?

  Truly marvelous!

  Suddenly, Mila's voice echoed from speakers installed high along the walls, metallic and urgent as she saw him standing still.

  "Mr. Vaelin. The test has begun. If the system detects imminent risk of death or if you become incapacitated, the Golem will be manually deactivated. But until that happens, the Guild cannot guarantee your physical integrity. Please use your full power."

  Mark gave a slight nod, his eyes fixed on the flail now spinning at a deafening speed.

  He did not want to use his class or racial abilities; they would attract too many questions.

  "[Mana Barrier]." His voice was low, almost a whisper, as he layered reinforcement over his body.

  As before, the skill formed an invisible film of stable energy around him. It was one of the spells that did not require a specific class and served as his first layer of protection, capable of absorbing both physical and magical impacts without exposing his nature.

  Very useful.

  "[Body Reinforcement]." Another basic support utility skill.

  In the game, it served to "harden" the character's structure, increasing impact resistance and balance in close combat. It was yet another neutral spell meant to ensure the user would not be knocked back by heavy blows.

  As he activated his skills, the Golem arrived.

  It did not use its weapon immediately. In a display of pure brute strength, the automaton delivered a massive sideways slap with its enormous hand, a horizontal strike carrying the weight of a small freight wagon.

  THUD!

  The impact was sharp and deafening.

  Mark was sent flying like a rag doll.

  He crossed the arena midair in a blur before crashing against the stone wall with a thunderous explosion, raising a dense cloud of dust and debris.

  "Mr. Vaelin?!"

  Mila's scream echoed through the speakers, laced with pure panic. "Mr. Vaelin, respond. I... I am going to deactivate the unit!"

  'Damn it, I knew it was too early for a rank leap!'

  In her mind, Mila already saw Mark's shattered body beneath the rubble.

  She should have realized something was wrong when he stood there watching the Golem charge.

  No one in their right mind would do that!

  Perhaps he had been so stunned and anxious that he froze? Now the outcome would be horrific. Not even an elite Gold Rank could take a direct hit from that unit and simply walk away.

  Her hand hovered over the emergency lever inside the observation booth, ready to pull it.

  However, before she could, a silhouette leapt out from the curtain of smoke.

  Mark landed lightly at the center of the arena, brushing dust from his cloak as if cleaning off dirt. The smile on his face was now wider.

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  He bounced lightly on his feet twice, testing the weight in his legs and the response of his active skills.

  'Not bad...' Mark thought, feeling the lingering trace of impact along his forearm. 'The weight is good, but the penetration force is low.'

  He had felt the [Mana Barrier] disperse the strike's force before it even reached his skin reinforced by [Body Reinforcement]. The pain was minimal, almost nonexistent.

  For a Gold Rank monster, that blow should have been the end, but for a level 500 Sovereign, it was little more than a massage.

  "Do not turn off the toy just yet..." Mark muttered, though he knew Mila would not hear him without the speakers.

  He looked at the Golem, which was already adjusting its posture for another attack.

  "Now it is my turn."

  Mark shifted his stance and, without warning, exploded toward the Golem. He used no spells, simply charging in a straight line, turning into a gray blur beneath the beams of sunlight.

  He was using half of his 40,000 agility.

  Mila's eyes could not track him, and her mouth fell open in shock.

  Should she stop it?!

  The Golem attempted to react, raising its iron arm for a heavy block, but Mark was faster. He twisted his body with inhuman fluidity and delivered a simple side kick to the machine's chest.

  BOOOOM!

  The sound that followed was not flesh striking metal, but an explosion. A massive shockwave reverberated through the arena walls, shaking the structure's foundations.

  The Golem's massive figure, weighing tons, was ripped from the ground and hurled violently across the arena. It flew through the air exactly as Mark had moments before, slamming into the opposite wall with devastating force that carved a deep fissure into the stone.

  Inside the observation booth, Mila dropped her parchment. Her eyes were locked on the scene, unmoving. "What...?" she whispered, her voice failing.

  A normal human, no matter how strong, should have shattered their leg kicking a Grade 4 Golem with that intensity.

  Mark, however, simply set his foot down lightly, as though he had kicked a cloud.

  The silence lasted only a few seconds.

  From within the crater in the wall, the Golem's red gem eyes flared with furious intensity. Metal groaned as the unit tore itself free from the rubble.

  Its chest plates were dented, clearly bearing the imprint of Mark's foot, and the internal core crackled with electricity.

  "Graaa-Kooom!"

  The machine recalibrated its joints and, with a metallic roar, charged once more toward the center. Gears screeched under the strain of its overloaded core.

  Watching the approaching mass of metal, Mark felt Pippin stir eagerly.

  "Hold on." Mark whispered beneath the cloak.

  He dug his feet into the arena floor, feeling the solidity beneath his boots. Bending his knees, Mark gathered strength and... launched forward.

  The impulse was so violent that the floor where he had stood exploded backward.

  Mark turned into a gray meteor.

  Even faster than before.

  The Golem attempted to react according to its combat model, swinging its heavy arms in an interception attempt, but Mark was already within its upper field of vision.

  Drawing his right fist back and rotating his torso to generate maximum leverage and power, Mark punched.

  His hand connected directly with the metal face, feeling the hardened iron yield.

  The impact snapped the Golem's head upward with the crack of breaking metal, and sparks burst from its neck joints. For a moment, it seemed the unit would fall backward, but the Grade 4 combat programming was relentless.

  Even with its face deformed and primary visual sensor fractured, the machine dug its heels into the ground, gears grinding to stabilize its weight and prepare another assault.

  Taking advantage of Mark's proximity, the Golem raised both thick arms.

  Bringing them together in a hammer-like motion, it intended to bring them down and crush Mark's head.

  At that moment, the difference in size became evident.

  And it was staggering.

  The Golem's joined fists descended like a hydraulic press, growing larger in Mark's field of vision.

  'Holy shit.'

  He crossed his arms above his head, forming a shield with his forearms and hands in an attempt to protect his face.

  Even if he was durable, he did not want his face hit!

  THOOOOM!

  The impact that followed was brutal. The sound of metal colliding with something as dense as metal itself reverberated, sending a shockwave that swept the dust across the arena in a perfect circle.

  Mark's knees did not bend even a millimeter under the weight of tons of force, but the stone floor beneath his feet was not so fortunate.

  KRR-CRACK!

  With a sharp snap, the ground sank a few centimeters, cracks spreading like spiderwebs around his boots.

  In the booth, Mila stood frozen, hands pressed against the enchanted glass. Cold sweat ran down her temple as she watched with growing anxiety.

  "This... this makes no sense." She muttered to herself.

  In theory, a Grade 4 Golem was physically superior to any ordinary Gold Rank human adventurer.

  Gold was the rank where humans began to touch the realm of monsters, but what she was witnessing was beyond that.

  Mark was not merely surviving or using evasive tactics; he was engaging in a contest of pure strength, bone against iron.

  And he was winning.

  Mila gripped the railing of the booth, her knuckles turning white.

  Her thoughts were a storm of emotion.

  "Is he really... human?" The question echoed in her mind as she watched Mark push the Golem's fists upward, breaking the press with surreal ease.

  She had seen famous warriors of Luminaris endure heavy blows, but they always used shields, armor, or hardening techniques that made their veins bulge with strain.

  Mark, on the other hand, looked as if he were merely brushing aside an annoying breeze.

  While she tried to process the scene, something even more shocking happened.

  In a casual motion, Mark uncrossed his arms and grabbed the Golem's massive fist.

  It was a swift gesture, as if he were seizing a rag doll.

  Before the machine could process the capture, Mark spun on his axis with powerful centrifugal force, hurling the three-meter Golem across the arena.

  VROOOOM—THUD!

  Mila's mouth opened into a perfect 'O.' She watched the iron mass sail through the air and crash into the opposite wall, making the entire structure groan.

  The Golem, however, did not remain down.

  The gems in its eyes flared into a vivid, almost pulsating red.

  It leapt out of the crater, but its movement had changed; the gears now emitted a high-pitched sound, like a turbine entering overload.

  The Iron Golem extended its right arm, and the forearm split open to release a thick, heavy chain connected to a spiked metal sphere. With a violent mechanical motion, the automaton began spinning the flail above its head.

  WHIRRRRRRRR!

  The sound of metal slicing through the air at high speed was deafening, creating a vacuum that pulled dust inward.

  The Golem was no longer merely trying to crush Mark with brute weight; now it used the weapon's centrifugal force to turn its defense into an absolute death zone, preparing to unleash the blow against the intruder.

  The unit entered a frenzy.

  Mila went pale.

  Within Gold Rank, power variation was immense, and the automaton had been programmed to scale its strength to the absolute limit in order to test the candidate.

  The machine's blows grew so heavy that precision was sacrificed for brutality.

  When the Golem missed and struck the ground, the impact was so violent that the vibrations traveled up through the soles of Mila's boots.

  If she did not have absolute confidence that the arena had been built with top-tier engineering and reinforced with magical matrices to withstand Gold-level battles, she would have pulled the emergency lever and ended the test immediately.

  Down below, Mark continued fighting barehanded, his feet sliding over fractured stone as he dodged the attacks.

  The Golem was enraged now, and he did not want to be struck by that weapon.

  Mila was so absorbed in the destruction below, hesitating over whether to stop the test, that she did not notice the approach.

  The sound of the heavy observation booth door opening suddenly cut through the air, making her jump.

  "End the test. That is sufficient."

  A cold, cutting voice filled with authority spoke.

  Mila turned quickly, her heart pounding against her ribs.

  Before her stood a woman. Her hair was absolute white like snow, falling in perfect waves over the shoulders of a navy-blue, military-cut tunic.

  Her blue eyes, clear and icy, stared at her.

  But what drew the eye and created that pressure was not merely her beautiful, cold appearance, but the identification pinned to her tunic. It shimmered between pure silver and deep blue as the light struck it.

  Platinum Rank.

  Across the continent, adventurers at that level were treated as walking weapons of mass destruction, living legends whose names entered history books before they even died.

  To see one up close, there in the Bronze District, was like witnessing a deity walking among mortals.

  Mila felt the air around her drop several degrees instantly.

  That was the Guild's Vice Leader.

  "V-Vice Leader Isolda." Mila stammered, bowing hurriedly. "I... I was only following the Grade 4 escalation protocol. The candidate Vaelin requested a direct leap to—"

  "I know." Isolda interrupted, walking to the glass and watching the Iron Golem unleash a strike that carved a crater into the floor, only for Mark to evade with a millimetric movement.

  The thunderous impacts continued to echo as both figures engaged in fierce combat.

  "If you allow the automaton to continue in frenzy mode, it will eventually collapse its own core. Deactivate it before it destroys the foundation of this sector." Isolda said calmly, her eyes never leaving the arena.

  Mila swallowed and quickly pulled the emergency lever.

  Below, the Golem, which was about to launch a full-force pincer strike, halted abruptly.

  The red gems in its eyes flickered for a second before going dark, steam escaping from its joints as it entered forced standby mode.

  Mark stopped immediately. Looking upward, he stared at the observation booth window.

  '?'

  The two locked eyes before Isolda gave Mila her order.

  "Bring him to me."