[Previous Choice Status: REFUSED]

[Guardian: Confused]

[Warning: Unexpected Response]

[Analysis in Progress...]

"Wait... what?" The guardian's dual forms flickered, its perfect synchronization faltering for the first time. "What do you mean you refuse?"

Eren stretched casually, his Observer's Eye still picking up the subtle ways the guardian's essence rippled with genuine confusion. "Exactly what I said. I refuse both options."

"You refuse—" The guardian's voice actually cracked. "Mortal, do you understand what you're rejecting? What is your reasoning for this... this unprecedented choice?"

"Honestly?" Eren scratched his head. "Nothing much. I just don't really have to pick sides."

"Pick... sides?" Both manifestations spoke in perfect bewilderment. "What do you mean—"

"That's exactly what I mean," Eren interrupted, unable to keep a slight grin off his face. "Light versus Dark? Divine Paladin versus Shadow Lord? Come on. If you wanted to be subtle about this being a trick, you shouldn't have made it such an obvious 'choose between good and evil' scenario."

[Observer's Eye Detecting]

[Guardian's Confusion: Genuine]

[Hidden Parameters: Analyzing...]

[Note: Core Deception Identified]

"If these were both divine positions, or both shadow paths, maybe it would've been less obvious. But this?" Eren gestured between the two manifestations. "This is practically screaming 'pick a side in some cosmic battle.' That's not how the tower works. That's not how any of this works."

The guardian's forms wavered slightly.

"And let's talk about these positions themselves," Eren continued, warming to his topic. "Self-cultivating divinity? I've heard about the rankers on the 75th floor who spent centuries collectively researching divine cultivation. Even with their combined knowledge and resources, only a handful achieved semi-divinity. They'd probably laugh themselves sick at a 'self-cultivating divinity' path being handed to a tutorial challenger."

He turned to the shadow manifestation. "And then there's the Shadow Lord position. Death essence? Really? Even the most talented necromancers have to study for decades to grasp death magic basics. You don't just hand that to someone because they show a little talent in the tutorial."

[Guardian Status: Mask Cracking]

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

[Hidden Trial Parameters Shifting]

[Warning: Deception Exposed]

[Note: True Purpose Emerging...]

"That's not even how advancement works here," Eren pressed on. "You start smaller, work your way up. These positions? They're not just suspicious—they're practically impossible. So either this is some kind of scam to get people removed from the trial itself, or..."

The guardian's forms began to merge and separate rapidly, like a visual stutter, before suddenly...laughing. Deep, genuine laughter that filled the coliseum. Then it paused, its ancient eyes narrowing with sudden intensity.

"How... how did you achieve this knowledge, mortal?" The guardian's voice held a note of genuine bewilderment. "These are secrets known only to those who have climbed far beyond—"

"What?" Eren blinked, genuinely confused by the guardian's reaction. "What do you mean? Isn't this obvious—" He stopped abruptly as a flash hit him. Less than a second. In his mind, he saw faces—countless faces of rankers gathered in a vast chamber, discussing divine cultivation theories. The memory slipped away before he could grasp it, leaving him momentarily disoriented.

The guardian's forms rippled with obvious suspicion at his sudden silence.

"I... just figured it out," Eren said, shaking off the strange moment. "Can we move on?"

The guardian's forms merged into something new, neither light nor shadow. "Clever. Far cleverer than any challenger we've seen before. You're right, of course. About most of it. This trial was designed to find those who wouldn't be swayed by the promise of power alone, no matter how tempting."

Its ancient eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and lingering suspicion. "The creator of this trial... let's just say they grew tired of watching potential wasted on those who would pledge themselves to any side that offered power. The obvious nature of the choice was intentional—a test to see who could look past immediate gain and question what they were being offered."

[Analysis Complete]

[Hidden Purpose: Partially Revealed]

[Warning: True Trial Uncovered]

[Note: Genuine Path Emerging]

"Thousands," the guardian continued, "have taken this trial. Many chose the paladin's path, believing they could handle the responsibility of self-cultivated divinity. Others embraced the shadow's call, thinking they could master death itself. All of them missing the point entirely."

The guardian's form shifted again, but this time into something Eren's Observer's Eye could barely process. "You saw through not just the deception, but the nature of the deception itself. You understood that true power in the tower isn't about choosing sides or accepting gifts—it's about finding your own path."

The space around them began to change, the coliseum's walls falling away to reveal something else entirely. "So, challenger who refuses to be swayed by false choices... are you ready to see what lies beyond the illusion?"

[New Status: UNLOCKED]

[Hidden Trial: TRULY COMPLETED]

[Warning: Reality Shifting]

[Note: True Path Emerging...]

"Let me guess," Eren smiled, his Observer's Eye catching glimpses of something forming in the space around them, even as he pushed away the lingering questions about that brief memory flash, "this is where things actually get difficult?"

The guardian's new form radiated with genuine approval. "Oh, you have no idea. The real trial is just beginning..."

[To Be Continued...]

[Status: True Path Revealing]

[Guardian: Genuinely Impressed]

[Observer's Eye: Recording New Possibilities]

[Note: Beyond The Illusion...]