Everything turned white for a moment; when Eva’s vision returned, she was in a room with twenty-five others.

In her group, the first to be eliminated was a man foolish enough to try to lay a hand on her. After that, terror gripped the room, but Eva, acting every bit like a true Queen, managed to calm the rising panic.

Soon, a beautiful young woman named Bela became her right hand, staying by her side at all times. Bela looked at Eva with intense admiration, ready to follow any command without hesitation.

She wasn’t the only one; the entire group began to treat Eva as their natural leader. Amidst the chaos of the test, her unwavering self-assurance acted as a safe harbor.

Even the examiner responsible for the group was impressed; more than that, he was practically smitten. However, he was no fool and did not let his feelings cloud his judgment.

He wrote an impartial report on her talents, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that a woman of her stature would likely never spare a glance for someone like him.

With her talent, even the top clans would like to invite her in, especially if her system proved to be powerful.

Back to the test, the queen won her group’s trust in the first thirty minutes. Then Eva proved her true worth when they faced the statues.

She didn’t remember every specific strategy her King had recommended. Still, she remembered the core principle: the best way to win was to unite everyone toward a single goal.

Since each statue only attacked when provoked, they could be picked off one by one. The problem was the inherent selfishness of the system; only the one who dealt the finishing blow received XP and items. Convincing twenty-four survivors to share the spoils was a feat deemed nearly impossible.

In all the years the test had been conducted, no examiner had ever seen a participant unite an entire group so flawlessly.

But Eva did it.

Unlike Kaho, she had no need to rush, and her group systematically dismantled nearly every statue in the room. They hoarded weapons, recovery potions, and magical items, pushing Eva all the way to Level 28.

The only enemy they did not confront was the Statue King.

Towering at the far end of the hall, the King sat upon a throne of cold, jagged stone. It was a gargantuan figure, carved from a dark, obsidian-like rock that seemed to swallow the light around it. I

As Eva and her group drew near, a crimson-bordered system notification flickered before their eyes:

[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL ENTITY DETECTED]

[Notice: Do not provoke the Statue King. Attacking the King will trigger ’Berserk Mode’ for all surrounding entities. All fallen statues will be resurrected immediately and will continue to attack relentlessly until the King is defeated.]

[Engagement is NOT recommended for the current level.]

Eva stared at the monolith of stone, feeling the sheer power emanating from it. She knew her limits.

Below the king’s status, there was a plaque where a simple instruction was written: "If you wish to pass, bow before the king."

Eva’s expression tightened slightly. She didn’t like the idea of bowing to anyone but her Shin. In that moment, she silently promised herself that one day, she would bring this false king down.

But for now...

She slowly lowered her body in a controlled, respectful bow. The others followed her lead without hesitation.

Then, with a subtle gesture, Eva guided her group away from the throne, leaving the sleeping giant undisturbed as they quietly made their way toward the exit of the stage.

That was how Eva reached the third stage.

In the forest, her group continued to perform exceptionally well. Acting as a cohesive unit, they discovered an abandoned castle and established it as their base of operations.

From there, they ventured out to hunt monsters, complete hidden quests, and search for a guide.

Eventually, they struck a deal with an evaluator who agreed to lead them to the exit in exchange for a "Celestial Angel Crystal", a rare item Bela had discovered thanks to her [Miner System], which proved invaluable for locating hidden treasures.

However, during their time in the Forest of Shadows, Eva had an encounter she never expected.

At the moment, the beautiful blond stood in a clearing, calmly directing three men as they engaged a massive, armored bear.

"Move left! Keep its attention while the others strike the flank!" she commanded. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Suddenly, a flash of steel cut through the air. Before the men could strike, Hiro appeared in a blur of motion. With a single swing of his sword, he decapitated the beast. The bear’s massive body slumped to the ground before the trio could even blink.

Without a word, Hiro turned, pointing the tip of his blade directly at Eva’s throat.

"Still the same, I see," Hiro hissed, his eyes burning with disdain. "Manipulating these fools, making them your slaves just like you did to me back then. Do you ever stop?"

Eva remained perfectly calm, even with the cold steel inches from her skin. She didn’t flinch.

"I apologize for what I did, Hiro," she said softly. "But I’m not the same anymore. I have no special relationship with these men. They are simply members of my group, and we are working toward a common goal."

Hiro narrowed his eyes, glancing at the three men for confirmation.

"She’s right!" one of them shouted, his face flushed. "She didn’t force us! It’s an honor to serve her!"

"She’s perfect," another added, looking at Eva with genuine worship. "She’s a goddess! We would die for a single smile from her!"

Eva let out a long, tired sigh. "I can’t help the fact that I am attractive," she murmured, her tone shifting. "But you are all mistaken. I will never have anything to do with any of you. I already have a wonderful King I love more than anything in this world."

As she spoke, her expression changed. She sank to her knees, a manic, borderline-crazed smile spreading across her face. Her eyes sparkled with a terrifying devotion as she thought of Shin. "My King... my everything..."

The men smiled ironically at Hiro, seemingly used to this. "She’s at it again," one whispered. "She talks about her ’King’ every single day. She loves him so much it’s almost scary."

"I don’t know who this lucky bastard is!" Another one said, envying Shin.

Surprised, Hiro lowered and sheathed his sword. "Maybe you really have changed," he muttered to himself. He looked at her with a bored expression. "Fine. I’m no longer interested in you, or in women at all."

In a sudden burst of speed, Hiro vanished, reappearing instantly in front of one of the men in the trio. He drew his blade again, moving to strike as a test of reaction. He intended to stop just before the kill, but before his blade could reach its mark, Eva was there.

Clang!

Eva used a metal hip to deflect Hiro’s blade. The epic grade item was one of the many drops they had gotten from defeating all the statues.

Then the queen moved with incredible speed, positioning herself so she could shield her teammates from any danger.

The reason she didn’t defeat the beer earlier was not that she couldn’t, but because this was part of the trio’s training.

Hiro’s eyes widened in genuine shock. He wasn’t just surprised that she had moved to save someone other than herself; he was stunned by how much her power had grown.

"You really have changed, Eva," he whispered, a hint of respect touching his voice before he vanished into the shadows of the trees, leaving her alone with her devoted followers.

Finally, Eva and her group advanced to the final stage. Just as Shin had predicted, the ultimate challenge was a duo battle.

Each Chosen was paired with a Tower resident of the same age, and they were forced to prove their worth by working together; both the Chosen and the young resident were being tested simultaneously.

Eva, possessing overwhelming power, had no trouble impressing the judges. Thanks to her performance, her partner also passed with ease. In their first match, she dismantled a golem; in the second, they faced off against another duo. Upon her victory, Eva was rewarded with Rubies, the official currency of the Tower.

Kaho didn’t face much difficulty either. She already knew the golem’s weakness and provided crucial tactical information to her partner, allowing them to take down the monster without major issues.

Although Kaho was defeated in the subsequent duel, she was still granted approval. Her strategic contribution was enough to secure her spot in the Tower, though she missed out on the Ruby reward.

With the tests concluded, they were officially part of the Tower. However, one final decision remained before their formal entry. When converting a System to its "Complete Form," a user must choose one of three paths:

1 - Maintain current level and basic system functions.

2 - Reset level to zero in exchange for a much more powerful system core.

3 - Sacrifice 50% of current levels and all existing skills to receive an "Enhanced Version" of the system.

For Kaho, there was only one logical path. Since she was still Level 1, she had no levels to sacrifice for more power, so she simply chose to maintain her current status. Eva, however, followed her King’s counsel and chose to sacrifice half of her progress, dropping to Level 14.

A Complete System grants a new skill every ten levels, and Eva was presented with three powerful options. Without hesitation, she chose Legendary Summoning.

She didn’t realize it yet, but she had just claimed the single most coveted ability among the Great Clans of the Tower.