As the golden barrier flashed around him for the tenth time Liam tiredly settled on the ground, trying to gather himself. It turned out that his guess wasn't far off. After the first beastkin every single fight had been a challenge in one way or the other. He mostly had to go all out, well at least use 80% of his strength and resources in every fight.
But despite the tiredness, there was also a smile on his face. The fights were indeed hard but they also pushed him forward a little at a time. Coming here so far has been very fruitful in more than one way. Now if only the main task were as easy to accomplish.
Liam's thoughts stopped drifting away as he was teleported to the next arena or so he thought. He was proved wrong as he found himself standing amidst a group of fifty participants inside some sort of a hall. Was that the end of the selection process? Liam frowned because he had clearly read before how it was notoriously difficult to get into this place and sometimes for years together not a single person got accepted. Did something change now?
Soon an announcement arrived clearing all his doubts. The second round of the selection began as a wall became transparent and an arena opened up on the other side. At the same time, a group of people walked over from the corridor entering the big hall.
"I am Adias. I will be overseeing today's selection trial." An elder with a striking presence, clothed in flowing robes that seemed to shimmer with a subtle light, stepped forward. His voice carried a tone of authority that instantly drew attention and commanded respect. He scanned the group with sharp eyes, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Liam.
"The next stage of the selection process is usually a group combat but today I will be doing things differently," Adias added as if the statement was directed specifically to Liam.
Liam sensed that something was wrong but before he could think about it, he was abruptly whisked away into the arena. A system prompt flashed in front of him.
[Ding. Authorized Restrictions Initialized]
He immediately understood what restrictions were because the next second an odd sensation gripped him leaving him momentarily shocked. Liam stood shaking and shivering as if something had sucked the very life out of him. He couldn't fathom how something could even be accomplished. Every single mote of mana or for that matter any other energy in his body was completely sucked dry.
His spatial artifacts were locked. His items had disappeared. His soul strength was reduced. Even the miraculous unique treasure embedded in his very heart seemed non-existent. He suddenly felt naked and exposed. Liam's initial shock quickly shifted to a cold realization: he had been entirely stripped of his powers and resources, a situation he hadn't faced in a very long time. He was now as vulnerable as he had been at the very beginning of everything. All his stats were sucked dry and left behind a dry husk.
Liam let out a wry smile seeing his bony body that had multiple bruises both hidden and exposed. This was his state right before entering the tutorial for the very first time. Well, also the second time.
He was once again back where it all started. Just a mere mortal with absolutely no strength whatsoever, a scrawny high school kid.
However, while everything was the same, something was also different. His gaze did not hold the weakness his body held. He turned to see the elder standing outside on the viewing deck and the elder met his gaze. If one assumed that Liam's current state would perhaps elicit a response from the old man, then they would be sorely mistaken. The coldness in the man's gaze had not changed at all.
Liam did not care about that because he already knew too well that pity had no place in the myriad realms and pity was not going to get him a ticket to this place.
With a smile, Liam steadied himself, calming down his mind and body. Taking measured breaths he assessed the arena, finding a sword lying down on the ground in front of him. A simple iron sword with no special engravings or other add-ons tacked on to it. He could already guess what sort of test this was going to be. This was definitely the worst match-up for him but that did not mean he was going to throw in the towel just like that, without even a fight.
Liam walked over and picked up the sword when a loud rumbling sound echoed. He looked up to see a metallic golem appear in front of him. Unlike the golem he had faced back in the Spire, this one looked completely normal and unordinary right from first glance. The golem also had a similar-looking sword in its hand.
"The trial begins!" A voice boomed and the next moment the golem dashed forward as it swung the sword toward Liam with mechanical precision. Liam parried the first blow with a clang that sent a jarring vibration up his arm. The impact was stronger than he anticipated, forcing him to take a step back to maintain his balance. However, it was still manageable.
It looked like the golem's attributes were adjusted to match his own. His assumption had been spot on. This trial was not like the others. It was a test of pure swordsmanship. It was a test of his core martial prowess stripped of all enhancements. He did not have his superior stats or his soul strength or his mana cores to fall back on.
Ignoring the pain in his body Liam quickly moved as he once again blocked the attack from the golem. The clash of steel rang out repeatedly as Liam and the golem exchanged a flurry of blows. Though the golem might have similar stats to him, it was a relentless monster when it came to attacking.