Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 608: A kingdom full of Guardian Tier life forms.

Chapter 608: A kingdom full of Guardian Tier life forms.

Vlad’s eyes sparkled with keen excitement. Although thoroughly analyzing and deciphering all the Champion-Tier tomes on these shelves would take hours—even for his A.I. Chip—simply copying their contents took only a few seconds per shelf.

A wide grin spread across his face as he removed his hand from the first shelf and saw how drastically his database had grown. Pausing only to confirm that his covert method was still undetected, he moved on to the next shelf.

One by one, he moved his palm through the protective runic barrier of each shelf, reaching the books inside and allowing the A.I. Chip to scan them. The scanning function captured every page of every tome, storing knowledge that could be dissected later. In less than fifteen minutes, Vlad made a complete circuit of the Champion Level section, leaving no shelf unexamined.

Although this Champion-Tier information was no longer relevant to him—he had advanced well beyond that level—he knew it would be invaluable for his kingdom.

Overlord, the A.I. Chip’s clone that managed much of his people’s day-to-day affairs, could dissect this knowledge thoroughly. Once digested, these diverse techniques and insights could be distributed among the population, fostering new specialties and lines of research.

Civilizations thrived on the varied contributions of their citizens, each adding a unique piece to a vast mosaic. Over time, these collective increments built a metaphorical ladder that could lift the entire society to new heights.

Despite his satisfaction, Vlad never forgot that his time was limited. He moved swiftly back to the platform in the center of the chamber. A familiar robotic voice immediately echoed in his mind.

[Cultivation Base detected at Guardian Tier. Choose the level you wish to access.

– First Level

– Guardian Level: Guardian-Tier Combat Trial

– Sage Level: Peak Guardian-Tier Combat Trial

– Peak Sage Level: Sage-Tier Combat Trial

– Legendary Level: Peak Sage-Tier Combat Trial]

"Guardian Level," Vlad said without hesitation. At once, dazzling light flared around him, and he vanished from the Champion Level and returned to the white dome.

Almost immediately, streams of brilliant white energy converged in front of him, coalescing into a massive Dino Warrior with a horned head, a bulging physique, and rippling muscles. It clutched an enormous battle ax just like the first one, yet its power was on an entirely different level.

"A Guardian-Tier life form," he muttered. In the measure of raw power, this foe was worlds apart from the Champion-Tier construct he had crushed earlier. Though Vlad’s real combat strength allowed him to kill Sages, he couldn’t simply obliterate this Guardian creature with a casual punch. The difference between a Level 6 Champion and a Level 16 Guardian was enormous.

[Begin!]

At the prompt, the energy construct charged forward at astonishing speed. In less than three seconds, it closed the gap between them and raised its ax, preparing to bring it crashing down.

Just as the Dino Warrior’s ax dropped toward him, Vlad’s blade flashed upward. A single, precise slash tore through the construct’s neck, severing its head from its body. The momentum carried the ax’s blade past Vlad, but the headless form was already disintegrating into motes of scattered light.

The moment the Dino Warrior collapsed, the brilliant whiteness surrounding Vlad evaporated. He found himself once again on a new library floor, different from the Champion Level he had just cleared. There were only a few dozen shelves this time, each populated by significantly fewer books. Yet Vlad felt a renewed surge of excitement. Each tome here carried information and techniques relevant to Guardian Tier cultivation.

Even with his strength, if ten well-trained Guardians fought together in a perfected battle formation, it would be tough for him to prevail without sustaining serious injuries. If one hundred did so, he would likely be forced to withdraw after killing a few. And against a thousand, he could only hope for a quick death.

"An entire kingdom full of Gurdian Tier life forms. How amazing would that be." Although it was an almost impossible goal, Vlad’s eyes could not help but glow with excitement at the idea.

[You have passed the Guardian Combat Trial. You may choose two books. Any attempt to bypass these restrictions by magical or other means will lead to immediate expulsion.]

The robotic voice pulled him out of his reverie. Vlad’s gaze shifted to the hovering number "2" that appeared above his right hand. The formation was stringent: the higher the level, the fewer the officially allowed books.

With a careful, deliberate motion, Vlad approached the nearest shelf. He lightly brushed his fingertips against the runic barrier enveloping the shelves and reached the books before channeling the scanning prowess of the A.I. Chip.

The difference between Champion-tier books and Guardian-tier books was immediately evident. Simply copying the Guardian texts took considerably longer. It took him a full minute to finish scanning the thirty or so tomes in just one shelf.

Undeterred, Vlad moved from shelf to shelf, carefully extracting data until every relevant manual was stored in his personal database. It took him around twenty-six minutes to complete the entire Guardian Tier floor—nearly twice the time he’d spent on the Champion Tier.

When finished, Vlad returned to the platform, satisfaction brimming in his chest. Although he had not deeply studied anything, he had gathered a treasure trove of techniques to be dissected later.

No sooner had he stepped onto the runic circle than the voice reverberated in his mind again. This time, he did not bother waiting for the list of options. "Sage Level," he declared confidently.

As expected, the dome of white light swallowed him once more, teleporting him to the same colorless arena. This time, the energy coalesced into a Dino Warrior that still bore the Guardian aura but at the Peak of that tier, Level 18

[Begin!]

The massive warrior lunged, covering the distance with terrifying speed. The force of its battle-ax falling was akin to a small mountain sliding from the sky. Yet Vlad’s reflexes were honed by countless battles. He sidestepped the downward strike, letting it crash into the empty floor, sending a ripple of power outward. With his sword free and clear, Vlad pivoted and drove the blade through the Dino Warrior’s eye, unleashing a wave of internal energy.

The construct’s head exploded from within, and its body dissolved into shimmering fragments.