Beaten

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.