----

After the notification appeared, everyone's surroundings began to gradually blur as the process of transportation began. A warping noise filled their ear and soon, Lucian found himself back inside the Proximal Space, standing before an idle Overseer Vohr.

However, Lucian also noticed something else directly by his side, 'Have they been here for a while? Why do they appear so comfortable?'

This time, the people warranting his attention weren't those of his party but rather the 8 Extraordinary Guardians. Unlike the rest, who gradually appeared from what seemed to be digitized portals, these 8 and their teams were shockingly carefree.

'I wonder if their strength gave them additional benefits inside the tutorial. Plus, I wonder if all of the teams received the same objectives?' Lucian wondered while examining their actions.

But, another thing that felt odd to Lucian was their stagnant aura. Since they entered, it seemed as if their auras experienced no growth. On the other hand, the same couldn't be said about the other 7 in their parties.

Each of their strengths seemed to have skyrocketed. From what he observed, Lucian presumed it was the efforts of the extraordinary Guardians that allowed this to be so.

After all, even though their followers were strong, if they experienced the same events, there was no way they accomplished that with ease. Just the horde of monsters was enough to prove difficult.

'This isn't the actions of kids without insight. They must hail from prominent backgrounds, or at the very least, their sights are set in the future. If I'm not mistaken, they must have funneled all of the enemies to their subordinates while supervising the unraveling of events, allowing them to gather a mass of points.'

What Lucian didn't know was that them moving at all would be a waste. While he received .5 points per kill and the others in his party received .3 points, what the extraordinary Guardians received was infinitesimal in comparison.

A mere 0.05 points; that's what defeating an E Rank beast gave them. After all, unlike the rest, their attributes started within the range of B to B+. Simply put, E Rank monsters were a waste of their time.

A Guardian with an Extraordinary Refinement was not to be underestimated. Even an A Rank Awakened wouldn't necessarily be their opponents. Their strength didn't just lay in their attributes, but the ridiculous abilities awakened in the refinement process as well!

'That's how you foster your forces, but here I am…' Lucian thought, taking a look around at the party he was forced into. He was an outsider, and there truly wasn't a presence to look out for him. Alone; that was how he felt.

Nevertheless, Lucian soon moved his attention elsewhere, focusing on Overseer Vohr who finally opened his eyes.

"As you can see, the number of you who returned pales in comparison to the number of contenders we sent in. This just means those who aren't present now failed to protect the Guardian Stone. In other words, they've failed the test and their privileges have been revoked, downgrading them to mere Awakeneds once again. Perhaps they'll receive another chance in the future, but chances are, that is wishful thinking," Overseer Vohr said, panning his view through the remaining individuals.

"Just over a 60% passing rate; exactly 648 of you. On the higher side of the results. But, the birth of 8 extraordinary figures already sets you apart from the rest. Now, allow me to reveal your rewards," Overseer Vohr continued.

With a wave of his hand, a list appeared before everyone's on it.

「You have received the following rewards:

-Guardianship - Invokes the trait «Guardian's Right»

-1,000 Merge Tokens

-2 Accumulated Destinies

-Enhancement Voucher (Inferior)

-Bronze Treasure Orb 」

The information within their status menu changed, updating to match the given rewards without pause. Quietly, Lucian skimmed through the last two.

「Item Name: Enhancement Voucher (Inferior)

Usage: Allows the user to increase one of their attributes, ignoring the current balance of Enhancement Points.

Limitations: Allowable up to D-. Ordinary Quality Voucher required for attributes beyond this level. 」

「Item Name: Bronze Treasure Orb

Usage: Contains randomized items. There is a chance to receive between 1 and 3 items.

Limitation: This orb can only generate up to Tier 2 items from within the FM Shop. 」

...

Outside of the other results, the Bronze Treasure Orb caught Lucian's eyes the most. In this case, he could receive up to Tier 2 items. Although he wasn't sure of their exact specs, it was bound to be many times stronger than the inferior items he used.

Of course, he was curious about other things but he didn't quell his curiosity at this very moment. Before he could indulge in that, it appeared Overseer Vohr wasn't done with his announcements.

"I'm sure most of you are curious about the new trait you've all received. Well, in short, take a look at your current status. Do you notice anything different?"

Murmurs sounded in response to Vohr's question. Everyone rushed to bring up their status screen, some overlooking one small factor. For those who realized it, they connected the dots easily.

----

Name: Lucian Salvatore

Title: N/A

Archetype: Augmenter

Fractal Rating: F+ (F+)

Authority: Delta

Health: 100%

MQ: 21/21 (1 MQ per min)

[«Attributes»]-

»Strength: F+

»Agility: F+

»Endurance: F+

»Dexterity: F+

»Vitality: F+

»Perception: F+

»Spirit: F+

»Wisdom: F+

----

[«Enhancements»]

»Points: 35.0

----

[«Abilities»]-

»Reinforce [F+ Rank Ability]

…

'Is that what he's talking about?' Lucian questioned, immediately noticing one blaring difference.

"You have all officially joined the Delta Guardian Echelon. I think it's safe to disclose its orientation as the weakest echelon. This starting condition is partnered with your birthplace being a Minor World. It'll be quite some time for you all to evolve to the peak of your latent abilities," Overseer Vohr said, pacing back and forth through the Proximal Space.

The upgraded Delta Authority is what allowed the people present to peer into the Knowledge category of the FM Shop. Without it, they would've been barred from gleaning its contents.

It was sole the reason why despite having 100 tokens, enough to purchase knowledge, they were restricted from doing so.

Authority meant everything inside the Fractured Monolith because, without it, their options were limited as seen in their initial predicament. Furthermore, obtaining increased authority wasn't as simple as increasing their Fractal Rating. If so, then even the Elites would have a starting authority beyond Delta.

It was more so related to their current clearance of the Fractured Monolith. Simply put, authority was acquired by climbing the tower.

"What's the highest clearance our planet has achieved so far?" A person questioned while stepping forth, beguiling nearly everyone.

The inquiry came from an unparalleled beauty with gorgeous snow-white hair shaming the finest silk. Her silver pupils could enrapture any man with a single gaze. But that wasn't the only thing to warrant fervent stares. Most of all, she possessed a lithe waist accompanied by voluptuous curves that weren't hidden in the slightest.

Gasps were heard as she did so, for an alarming reason—she was one of the 8!

"Oh, Miss Aurora Callisto, I presume," Overseer Vohr responded, scanning her presence.

"Mn," She nodded in response.

"As of right now, the highest granted authority back in your world are those individuals in the Gamma class. For reference, the weakest is Delta, followed by Beta, followed by Alpha, and then Gamma. So, those individuals have reached the Fourth Echelon," Overseer Vohr answered.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Aurora's face as she nodded. Following this question, she remained silent. All she wanted was a reference towards the older generation's strength, thus her curiosities were flawlessly resolved."

Conversely, quite a few individuals seemed rather restless. Eventually, after trying to hold it in, a blurted question was heard.

"Overseer Vohr, is it time to leave now that we've become official Guardians?!" One of the individuals questioned impatiently. However, his question merely earned him an amused chuckle.

"Far from it, that was merely a prelude to what you'll have to accomplish. While you may already be official Guardians, you've yet to even take your first step. The first floor of the Monolith awaits you!"

"T-the first floor? Right now? Already? There's no intermission, but I'm t-... What?"

"Heh, have you just noticed? Returning to the Proximal Space has reset your condition. Furthermore, I'd like to disclose that this is the last time you'll visit here. This space is reserved for candidates only. From now on, you'll appear within the Echelon Lounge. In the meantime, prepare yourselves."

"Lucian, regale me for a moment. I'd like to have a word with you."