Far away, Skyler held his breath when he spotted Jenny and Elena searching for him.
He wasn't even surprised anymore to catch Jenny's angry expression. It told him that if necessary, his sister would beat him to get the jewels and the treasures he had taken.
Skyler shrugged. A bit surprised, he wasn't bothered by her anymore. Well, he had long since stopped expecting anything from her.
Jenny had made it very clear to him, time and again, that he was nothing more than a burden and an embarrassment—a younger brother who could easily be cast aside.
He abandoned his hiding place, seeking a new one just as Elena fired a bullet toward his location. Skyler sneered, his voice icy.
"Even if people are only siblings in name, they wouldn't let someone fire their rifle at the location where their brother might be hiding. What a good older sister you are."
His eyes narrowed as he observed the two women through the small gaps in the rocky structure where he was hiding.
"I swear I will surpass you and your team, sister. Let's see if you all still act like you're the main characters in some grand story."
Skyler let out a tsk and left in the opposite direction. His footsteps were very silent as he rushed toward the mountain base.
The jagged rock formations where he had hidden were nestled close to the mountain that held the dragon's cave. They were just quite a distance from the cave's entrance.
He ducked his head as he emerged from the rocks, seeking cover behind a thick tree, as he overheard a group of people claiming that they had seen the man who had stolen the Dragon's jewels. His lips twitched when he heard one of them saying that the thief was a short man with an ugly face.
Skyler secretly glared at the group.
"From what angle did my running figure look... ugly? Is their eyesight weak? And who are these clowns calling short?"
He clenched his fists, frustrated.
"What I don't get is that Zack, Max, and his whole crew also took the dragon's treasure! Why am I the only one being hunted? And that ridiculous special mission."
He lost it when he heard someone calling him a dwarf with a goblin-like nose. Skyler rolled up his sleeves, grabbed his handgun, ready to bring justice to his handsome face. But luckily, before he did something idiotic again, which he had a tendency to do, a familiar screen flashed in front of him.
("Host...? 505 glitched for a while. QAQ. But due to that, the main system didn't find out that I broke the rules! I was so scared!")
Skyler's eyes flickered with relief and joy when he saw the system screen. He stored his handgun away, forgetting he was about to fight some people just to prove he wasn't ugly. Naturally, he would conveniently leave out the fact about his height.
"You're back, my dear 505! I was worried you got caught by the main system."
("You were worried about 505? Worried? If you were so worried, why did you put 505 through so much stress? I nearly met my end due to the emotional overload!")
Skyler rubbed his nose, feeling guilty. Still, he wondered how the systems in the Battle Royal were designed. In Eldoria, the AI had advanced quite a lot, but not so much that it could simulate human-like emotions.
He shifted the topic swiftly.
"505, take a look at my sorry state! My elemental crystals are nearly depleted, my muscles are screaming from running like a madman, and my stomach is growling. And worse, so many are on my tail to snatch my jewels! Shouldn't we prioritize keeping me alive first? We can always argue later!"
("My jewels...?")
"Of course!"
505: "...."
("Host, your clothes are torn and dirty.")
Skyler nodded thoughtfully.
"Right, I forgot to add that point."
505: "...."
The system sighed melancholically. It seemed it had to get used to this, or else it would malfunction before the main system even found out it had broken many rules.
("So, what should we do, host?")
505 tossed its grievance out the window when it heard its host's next words.
"Let's leave this level. This place has nothing to offer anymore, and due to Max and Zack, a dragon is wreaking havoc here. I am weak, so I shouldn't stick around this perilous place. I have a map; we just need to find the Gate leading to the next level."
Skyler clicked his tongue. Shamelessly dumping everything on Max and Zack.
505 wasn't even surprised anymore.
Skyler looked around, grabbing a hoodie from his storage ring and pulling it on over his clothes to hide his face and hair.
"First, you help me get to the mountain's peak undetected so I can use the map."
505 immediately sprang into action. The system regained its lost enthusiasm. After all, Skyler climbing to the next level meant it would also be getting stronger! There was no time to be lazy or dwell on the past.
The system had already discovered that it could only scan the surroundings within its host's field of vision, but that was sufficient to alert Skyler about any monster or human in his path or approaching him, allowing him to avoid everyone and everything.
That's how, one system and one human, escaped the vicinity of the crime scene.
Skyler's legs nearly gave out as he began climbing the mountain, dotted with familiar scattered trees in all directions that clung precariously to the rocky slopes.
The exhaustion from everything he had endured finally caught up to him. Yet, he knew he couldn't collapse just yet. He doubled over, holding his stomach.
"Damn it, I swear I'm logging off and going back the moment I enter the next level. The rule that we can't leave for ten days once we enter will be void once I clear a level."
He jolted when a faint, familiar roar of a dragon echoed from far away behind him. It seemed the cocoon holding it had shattered. A curse escaped his lips, but his eyes shone with newfound determination. There was no way he would give up even a single coin, let alone the jewels! So he had to escape!
Steeling his heart, he held out his hand.
"505, but a novice-tier healing and stamina potion for me. I need to go back as soon as possible. Riruru must be missing me!"