System, please just shut up

Kael fell to his knees, his body screaming at the edge of collapse.

His vision was blurry, struggling to focus on the slowly approaching Guardian.

He had lost... again.

Despite the newfound strength, the adrenaline, the surge of power—it hadn't been enough.

He was still weak, pathetically so, and he was about to die.

His mind drifted to the chilling thought: What if this wasn't an exam? What if he had actually encountered something far beyond his strength out there in this new world, where all kinds of dangers probably lurked?

Doesn't that mean he would have died... for real?

The thought made him chuckle, a dry, humorless sound.

He was weak... pathetically weak.

Even with a cheat, he was still beaten like a kid.

His vision worsened, the Guardian's towering form blurring further with every passing second.

It was now upon him, like a judge about to render a final, damning verdict on a guilty soul.

Kael's body dropped to the ground as the effect of the skill began to wear off.

The pain returned, sharp and biting, causing him to curl around himself like a pitiful, broken turtle.

His state looked truly pathetic, covered in deep cuts, swollen bumps, and streaks of dirt and blood.

He just lay there silently, waiting for it all to end.

Unlike last time, he wasn't filled with rage, just an overwhelming, bone-deep fatigue.

And without even knowing it, his body shut down again as he drifted into slumber.

The Guardian didn't seem to be planning on wasting any time.

It raised its mouth open, ready to unleash whatever power it used to erase people, poised to end the human that dared challenge it.

But before it could, a sudden, clear sound cut through the silence.

"Halt."

One word.

Coming from a voice calm and steady, as the rhythmic sound of approaching footsteps echoed across the pulverized earth.

But the truly shocking thing was that the Guardian actually... Halted?

It stopped mid-motion, its monstrous maw still agape, ready to finish its prey.

Its pupils dilated, slithering left and right, filled with an utterly alien shock as it frantically tried to figure out where the threat was coming from.

Theo calmly walked up to the curled-up body of Kael.

Kael's form was truly pitiful, a crumpled heap of cuts and bruises.

And despite his unconsciousness, a faint frown still creased his face, clearly indicating the pain he was enduring.

Theo silently stared at him for a couple more seconds, his gaze unreadable, then shifted his gaze back to the Guardian, then back at Kael.

He slowly mumbled, almost to himself, "Hmm, not bad."

Then he turned back to the beast, his eyes still filled with an unnerving indifference.

He slowly raised his left hand and pointed his finger towards it.

What followed next was something that would have left any other candidate in such profound shock that they would begin questioning their very existence.

Theo's finger glowed, as condensed particles of pure white light began swirling around it.

What started as a small, luminous bead began increasing in size with every second that went by, until it reached a point where it was almost the size of the Guardian itself.

The beast watched in undisguised horror as its impending death steadily grew before its sightless eyes, utterly unable to do anything about it, frozen by the unspoken command.

When the ball of light had grown to a satisfactory level, Theo performed a very simple action.

A flick.

And the colossal ball of light shot forward with a speed that would leave any novice in awe, streaking across the ruined landscape.

It flew straight for the Guardian... and went straight through it.

When it passed, it left nothing behind. There was no cry or wailing; it was a clean, smooth, and peaceful end.

The Elderbeast simply ceased to be.

After performing what others would have labeled impossible, Theo, still with his indifferent gaze, calmly returned his attention to Kael, still curled up on the floor.

His gaze felt heavy, staring intently at Kael as though he was looking at something that went beyond the human eye, seeing beyond the physical.

Then a small smile, subtle and fleeting, graced his lips as he mumbled again, "Not bad at all indeed."

At that moment, a swirling light suddenly coalesced around Theo, flowing around him until it gave form to the shape of a small... cat?

It was totally black in color, and its sleek body shimmered with mystical light as it floated in front of him and spoke in a flat, mechanical tone.

"Congratulations, you have defeated the Totem guardian and obtained the Totem."

But Theo didn't react, his expression unchanged as he just quietly stared at the talking feline.

The cat stared back at him for a while, maintaining its blank face.

Then, after a few seconds, its voice took a more natural, almost bored tone as it stretched its body, yawned, and said,

"What? I still need to perform my role as your Archive record holder."

Then the cat turned its luminous gaze to Kael, lying motionless on the ground. "So... What do you want to do about him?"

Theo calmly shrugged, his indifference unwavering. "Put the kill on his name."

"Noted," the cat replied, seemingly uninterested in the why.

Then it exploded into sparks, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

Immediately after, both their bodies began dissolving into light, indicating the end of the exams.