Level 10. [Basic Slash] and [Defend] at 90% SCR. A full set of Normal leather armor, the Rare [Worn Alvari Bracer], and now the solid [Rare Guardian's Buckler] strapped firmly to his arm. Drake strode towards the final tutorial instance gate at the northern edge of the Verdant Threshold feeling practically invincible, at least by tutorial standards. He'd meticulously ground out every advantage possible, his [Eidetic Execution] ensuring his peak performance was now his baseline. While the forums were a cesspool of complaints about failed skills and impossible odds, Drake felt he'd largely bypassed those struggles through sheer, focused effort amplified by his unique talent.
"Alright, final boss. Level requirement met, skills honed as much as possible out here. Let's see what this Guardian Construct is made of."
The ancient Alvari archway pulsed with energy as he approached the platform before it. As expected, a semi-transparent interface materialized, displaying the trial information.
<< Tutorial Completion Trial: Guardian Construct Confrontation >> << Please Select Difficulty >>
A list glowed below:
[ Easy ][ Normal ][ Hard ][ Hell ][ Hardcore ][ Unbeatable ]
At the very bottom of the interface window, printed in a smaller, standard system font easily mistaken for boilerplate legal text, was a single line: Warning: Difficulty selection is permanent for this trial sequence upon confirmation.
Drake's eyes scanned the glowing tiers rapidly, his gaze flicking past the lower options with disdain. Easy? Normal? Hard? Utterly pointless for someone with his guaranteed execution. Hell and Hardcore sounded slightly more interesting, but his attention immediately locked onto the final, most challenging option.
"Unbeatable. Now that sounds like a proper test. Why waste time working up through the lower difficulties?"
His mind, buzzing with the anticipation of the fight and buoyed by the smooth progress he'd made compared to the struggling masses online, barely registered the warning text below the list. It was just background noise, typical interface clutter he'd learned to filter out over years of gaming. The thought that a tutorial boss difficulty selection might be truly irreversible simply didn't compute; it violated the standard logic of countless other games. His focus was solely on the challenge itself, blinded by confidence in his locked 90% SCRs.
Without a moment's hesitation, fueled by a potent mix of pride and impatience, Drake focused his intent and selected the final option. [ Unbeatable ].
The confirmation prompt appeared instantly. << Confirm selection: UNBEATABLE difficulty? This choice is permanent. >>
"Yeah, yeah, let's go!" He slammed the 'Confirm' virtual button almost before the prompt had fully rendered.
The interface vanished. The archway flared with blinding blue light. << Difficulty set to: UNBEATABLE >> << Warning: Trial difficulty is permanently locked. >>
Drake barely noticed the second warning flash briefly at the edge of his vision; his attention was already fixed on the archway itself as the stone dissolved into swirling particles of energy, revealing a portal pulsing with raw power. Beyond it, in a vast, metallic chamber, the Guardian Construct stood waiting. It was immense, easily three times taller than the Elder Grove Sentinel, a formidable figure of interlocking Alvari plates and humming conduits, its single cyclopean eye igniting with a cold, assessing blue light.
"Big guy. Looks tough. Let's dance."
Completely oblivious to the permanent, potentially character-ending consequences of the choice he'd made in his confident haste, Drake gripped his sword and shield, took a steadying breath, and stepped through the swirling portal. It shimmered and snapped shut behind him, sealing him inside the Unbeatable instance.