" Listen to me well boy, there is a difference between the tier promotion tests you have given uptil now and the tier promotion test you are about to attempt today.
The tier5 promotion test is essentially just a further extension of the tier4 promotion test.
In tier4 the lightning helps reforge your body, your bodily processes improve and you go from being a mortal to a demi-god.
Your reactions are way faster, your ability to control destructive spells is higher and you become one of the very few people in the universe capable of reaching this stage, enough to call you an elite amongst a sea of commoners.
The tier5 promotion test however is not about the physical but more about what's inside of you.
Just like tier4 prepares your body for Godhood, tier5 tempers your mind, comprehension and personality for Godhood.
You must transcend your own limitations, you must defeat your own deepest inner demons and have a clear objective in your mind.
The tier5 promotion test is different for every individual and the criteria for getting a SSS rating is also different for everyone.
When you eventually trigger the test, just cling onto your identity strongly, think about your goals single mindedly and don't let the queen manipulate you or your memories to depress you.
There is no amount of preparation or skill that can prepare you for this promotion test.
It's just you, your will power and temperament now.
Go do your best! " Drax said in Max's mind as he felt that the time for the promotion test to trigger was growing closer.
Max had been circulating mana for close to 23.5 hours now and his breathing and emotions had stabilised completely which was a prerequisite to triggering the test.
The test could start any moment now and this would be one of those tests where he would not be physically present with Max to guide him, hence, advising him beforehand Drax tried to provide him with the best guidance that he could.
[ System Notification - You have met the conditions to undertake the tier5 promotion test, are you willing to start the test now?]
[ Yes ]
[ No ]
Max mentally selected yes and instantly he felt his consciousness pulled out of his body just like when Angakok took over his physical body, but instead of being teleported into a white space of nothingness, Max was teleported to a place he was all too familiar with.
His home back on Earth, in his old room.
[ System Notification - Beginning the first trial, the test to conquer the heart demon.
Good luck adventurer! ]
Max saw the system notification and he felt his body finally assimilate into something solid as he felt heavy and unusually drowsy for some reason.
As he tried to get up from his bed of his old room, he realised that he could not get up no matter how hard he tried, which is when he took a good hard look at his own body and realised that he was back to being the fat chubby government worker that he once was and no longer had a tier4 body.
Max's emotions were calm, he knew this was not real, that his actual body was that of a powerful adventurer and this was just the system trying to play tricks on him.
" You can't rattle Max Rajput like that, you need to do better " Max commented as he took a moment to adjust to his old body and stood up from his bed with great difficulty.
It was a funny feeling for Max to be trapped in his old body as it was something of an eye opener for him.
When he tried to sense his body, he felt that all of his muscles were lumped into one and he could not clearly feel the distinction between them.
Having gone gradually from tier0 to tier4 he could never appreciate the complete change his body had underwent tier after tier, but now that he was suddenly back to being trash he understood just how much he had improved.
In his tier4 body he could clearly feel all his muscles. Contracting his arm was not just a process of using the bicep muscle as a whole but he could feel the short head and the long head distinctly alongside the contraction of his forearms, his back muscles and his shoulders.
He could feel every single muscle fibre in great length at tier4 and could exploit each strain to its maximum potential, but he could hardly feel his own body at tier0
It was like being heavily sedated and crippled, a feeling that could break his morale completely if he knew that it was going to be something permanent.
" Ha- This just makes me proud, I've come a long way! " Max said with a smile on his face as he was feeling very good about the trial, but his emotions went into a turmoil when he heard a familiar voice knock on his door.
" Max? *Knock* *Knock* Max can I come in? " The voice asked politely as Max could feel his heart rate spike.
Instinctively he clutched his second heart only to realise it was no longer present in his body.
" Yeah " He said calmly reminding himself that this was all just an illusion as his brother opened the door and walked into the room with both Jake and Amy on his shoulders.
When Max looked at the smiling face of his brother, his emotional state was thrown into a mess.
He knew perfectly well that this wasn't real and he wanted to behave normally. But it was simply impossible for him to see the person that he loved probably the most in the universe being back from the dead in front of him and not feel his heart flutter at the sight.
God was witness to the nights that Max had woken up from nightmares where his brother gave him advice about life and combat.
About the countless hours that he felt a heaviness in his chest when he thought about how unjustly his brother was killed and how his killer was roaming scot free in the universe.
Maybe it was the queen manipulating his emotions or maybe all the feelings that he had repressed for so long were springing back up, as Max was unable to utter a single word while looking at his brother playing happily with his two children.
' I've missed you, brother ' Max muttered in his mind as he closed his eyes and tried to dry the tears that had unexpectedly formed inside his pupils.