Emilia had died in Leon's past life.
Because of that, seeing her standing here, alive, breathing, and looking at him with wide eyes, was extremely strange.
Back then, he hadn't been strong enough. He hadn't been fast enough. He had arrived too late, and by the time he learned of her fate, there was nothing he could do about it.
And now she was here. Alive.
Standing inside the [Novice Divine Temple], having already reached level 10.
What made it even stranger was the fact that Emilia recognized him instantly.
Leon was used to cold looks. Arrogant gazes. Indifference.
Especially here, where races from higher-level worlds naturally looked down on those from weaker ones.
Yet Emilia hadn't hesitated for even a second. She had seen him and immediately called out.
Leon quickly opened his [Appraisal], directing it toward her without any hesitation.
The panel that appeared was different than usual.
---
[Name: Emilia Verdant]
[Level: 10]
[World: Verdia (High-Level)]
---
As one might expect, every individual or group in this hall was from a different world.
People from higher-level worlds had more restrictions placed on how much information others could see. Especially at this stage.
Verdia. A high-level world. That explained a lot.
Leon glanced around the hall while Emilia was still processing the shock of seeing him.
Nearly everyone present was from a different world.
Leon even took the time to observe some of those displayed, though the majority were from intermediate to high-level worlds.
One important thing Leon already knew, but many newcomers didn't, was that this hall wasn't temporary.
People could stay here as long as they wanted.
Only after completing their first assessment would they be allowed to leave the [Novice Divine Temple] and move on to the next domain of [Eternal Ascension].
"I'm… surprised," Emilia finally said as she stepped closer to him. "I really thought we wouldn't meet again for a while."
Leon shrugged lightly.
"Fate's strange," he replied. "At least you're safe."
Emilia let out a small laugh.
"Yeah," she said, though there was something sharp behind it. "The ones who tried to kill me already moved on to the next domain. I didn't find them in my novice village."
Leon's expression didn't change, but his thoughts shifted immediately.
In his past life, those people had succeeded, as Emilia had arrived in his novice village and died.
This time, Leon had intervened. He had changed the outcome.
But the people behind it were still out there. And now they were ahead.
"Did you go through your assessment yet?" Leon asked, already aware of how this whole thing works.
"No," Emilia shook her head. "I'm still trying to understand how this place works. And… I want to prepare first. Just in case."
Leon nodded. That was the smart move.
The first assessment was always done solo.
Once you entered, it was just you and the trial.
Because of that, support-focused individuals were naturally at a disadvantage.
People like Alice, for example, would struggle far more than front-line fighters.
"Let's move," Leon said simply, already turning around.
Emilia hesitated for half a second, then followed him, her bow resting against her side.
As they walked together, Leon could feel eyes on them.
A human and an elf. Side by side. That alone drew attention.
Some gazes were curious. Others were disdainful. A few were openly mocking.
Leon ignored all of it. Eventually, they reached the center of the hall.
There, standing tall and unmoving, was a massive divine stele.
Its surface looked like smooth stone, yet light constantly flowed beneath it, as if something alive existed inside.
A person stood before it now, their palm pressed against the surface.
Others had gathered around, watching closely.
After a few seconds—
Ding!
[C-Rank.]
A panel appeared above the stele. Immediately, voices erupted.
"Hah, only C-Rank?"
"I mean, that's still decent. Only around twenty percent of people can even complete that."
"Yeah, but the rewards won't be that great."
"What are you talking about? Don't you need at least 4,000 Combat Power just to qualify for a C-Rank assessment?"
"Well, I've got over 6,000, so I'm aiming for B-Rank."
Leon listened quietly. This was the [Divine Stele].
Its purpose was simple: it evaluated an individual and determined the highest-rank assessment they were allowed to attempt.
The ranks went from F all the way to S.
The higher the rank, the harder the assessment. And the better the rewards.
It was said that even among high-level worlds, very few people could clear an A-Rank assessment.
As for S-Rank… Those were legends.
Only people from Eternal-level worlds were even qualified.
And even then, completion rates were abysmal.
Failure didn't mean death, at least not immediately.
If you failed an assessment, you were downgraded to the rank below and forced to attempt that one instead.
For example, if that person failed their C-Rank assessment, they would have to go through a D-Rank one and so on.
But if you failed an F-Rank assessment… You were obliterated.
Deemed too weak to continue existing in [Eternal Ascension].
In his past life, Leon had only qualified for a D-Rank assessment.
He barely survived it. The rewards were mediocre at best. This time was different.
"My turn," Leon said, stepping forward with a faint grin.
As he approached the stele, whispers followed.
"A human…"
"I've heard of them. Weak race."
"I met some from an intermediate-level world before, but this one's from a low-level world."
"E-Rank should be more than enough for him."
Emilia watched quietly from behind, her gaze fixed on Leon.
She didn't say anything. She just waited.
Leon placed his palm against the divine stele.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Fwoosh!
A blinding light exploded outward, flooding the entire hall.
People cried out in surprise, shielding their eyes. The stele vibrated violently.
BOOM!
A massive panel appeared above it.
[S-Rank]
The hall fell into stunned silence.
"…What?"
"S-Rank?"
"That's impossible!"
"I thought only people from Eternal-level worlds could get that!"
"This has to be a mistake…"
Emilia stared at the panel, then burst out laughing.
She couldn't help it. Of course it was S-Rank. She had expected nothing else.
Leon had never bragged. Never showed off his strength.
But she knew. From the moment he saved her, she knew he was different.
"Don't you need around 8,000 Combat Power just for A-Rank?" someone shouted.
"Then how much do you need for S-Rank?!"
"At least 10,000… This is insane."
"A low-level world human… at level 10…?"
No one could understand it. And more importantly, no one dared approach him.
In front of them stood someone with nearly ten thousand combat power. A complete anomaly.
Leon calmly stepped away from the stele and returned to Emilia.
She took her turn next. Light flared.
And moments later—
[A-Rank]
Leon nodded, "That's good."
Emilia let out a small sigh.
"Not as good as yours," she said, shaking her head. "But I'm satisfied. Now we just need to complete them."
Leon didn't respond immediately.
He didn't know what an S-Rank assessment contained.
In his past life, he had never even seen one. He would be going in blind. But he wasn't afraid.
'The rewards will be worth it,' Leon thought calmly. 'I'll be fine.'
They walked together toward the far end of the hall. Seven gates stood there, each marked with a letter, from F to S.
A person could only enter a gate if their evaluation matched it, or was lower.
"See you later," Leon said, "Let's both complete our assessments."
Emilia looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nodded.
"Alright."
She headed toward the A-Rank gate, where only a few others stood nearby, and stepped inside.
As for Leon, he walked toward the S-Rank gate.
There was no one else around it. Not a single person. Because no one else here qualified.
Leon stopped in front of the gate and took a slow, steady breath.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped inside.