"I..."
Zack straightened, his gaze nonchalant. Though Charles had found him, he wasn't worried. He was the stronger, and he had also decided to disregard the storyline.
Thanks to Skyler, everything had gone to hell. He wasn't naive enough to think the story would unfold as written with such a significant variable entering the picture.
Charles' fate had also been dramatically altered. He, who should have met a tragic end, had not only entered the academy but also the Battle Royal, a place he was never meant to enter after the preliminary test.
Actually, there were good reasons Zack wanted to follow the original storyline. The most important of them was that he wanted Max to do the same as he did in the original storyline because there were certain things only the protagonist could do in this world.
Like being chosen by a fallen god to wield the Legendary Blade of Aethel, forged from the fragment of a dying star, which granted its wielder unparalleled power and the only blade that can kill the old immortals ruling above the 50th level of Battle Royal.
That's why he made every effort to not interfere with the original story too much.
Even when he did, he only meddled with things that were only mentioned briefly, or that he was dissatisfied with in the story.
Yet, the story had gone downhill.
All because of a single individual who had vanished to who knows where after waking a dragon who never woke up in the story.
Even the Gate supposed to send them to the next level in this level was missing.
Considering all this, he was sure that the story wouldn't follow its intended path. The fact that Max, who was supposed to leave the first level of Battle Royal in a week with his team, was still around solidified this.
So why should he follow the original story? There was no need when everything was already a mess even when he did nothing.
Zack's lips curled upward as he stared at Charles, who was waiting for his answer.
"I followed you. That's how I'm here."
Charles's expression hardened. His brows furrowed slightly. He had not expected Zack to admit so blatantly that he followed him. He took a defensive stance, ready to fight.
"I will not ask why. I know anyone would be intrigued after seeing someone following a floating box. Just tell me this, do you want to fight? I will not back down if you do."
Zack raised his hand in surrender. His eyes sparkled with mischief. He always wanted Charles to join his team. That's why he had even gone to look for him. How about he steal this fine teammate from Skyler?
"No, I do not want to fight. I just wanted to see where the box was leading you. We are classmates, how about we get along? It would be even better if we teamed up."
His smile stiffened when his offer was rejected without a hint of hesitation.
"No thanks. I like traveling alone."
Charles retracted his aura, sensing his opponent's disinterest in a fight. To be honest, he didn't want to fight either.
Because unlike the people he had faced before, Zack exuded a chilling presence, even without releasing his aura. Such an opponent was the most dangerous.
Charles took a step back, a gesture of peace, his gray eyes fixed on Zack.
"Do whatever you want."
He said, his voice calm.
"There's only one rule I'm setting: the one who finds the treasure, gets to keep it."
Zack sighed, giving Charles an okay sign. Then watched as Charles walked towards the chairs at the far end of the chamber.
"He's not friendly. Just like how he was described in the story. Cold and sharp."
He muttered, only to curse next.
"Damn it, then how the hell did Skyler befriend this emotionless ice block?"
Clicking his tongue, he stepped out of the shadows and approached the chairs. His eyes once again took in the golden name floating above the chair in the center.
"Skyler Ironhart."
Hearing him, Charles gave him a look. He shifted away when Zack's footsteps came to a stop next to him. A knowing smile flickered in Zack's silver eyes as he pointed his finger toward the floating golden name.
"You know Skyler, right? You both entered the academy together. How do you think he found this place and left behind his name?"
He had just finished his words when a familiar screen flickered before him.
#Keeper of Time: This place...?!!?
Zack's eyes narrowed at the exclamation marks. He couldn't speak to the Keeper of Time before Charles. Fortunately, he didn't have to speak because the Keeper of Time gave him the full details the next second.
#Keeper of Time: I thought one could only find it after they had gone beyond level 50. It's linked to one of the weak higher realms. You can get a pass to enter the 'Mythic Trial of Fighters,' which occurs every hundred years, by sitting on any of the chairs.
Zack's eyes widened. The Mythic Trial of Fighters? The one Max was invited to join after slaying his first immortal?
He can get a pass to enter that place, the one that grants the reward of two lives as long as you have passed the trial?
Holy! He always wanted to enter that trial, but he had dismissed the thought because in the original story, only Max was invited to join the trial. It was never mentioned again once the protagonist returned victorious!
"One of the chairs is mine!"
Zack declared, interrupting Charles, who was about to reply to his earlier question.
Then, all of a sudden, he rushed forward excitedly and sat down on the chair next to the one where Skyler's name floated. In an instant, a gray light enveloped his body.
Charles stood in stunned silence, watching as the gray light around Zack coalesced and formed a golden pendant with a mark of two crossed swords, suspended before Zack.
"A treasure?"
With that thought, he also hastily settled down in one of the empty chairs. But unlike Zack, he chose to sit farthest away from the chair where Skyler's name floated.
A similar light enveloped him, forming the golden pendant. Charles reached out and grabbed the pendant. The instant he did, a notification flashed before his eyes.
("Congratulations Host!
You have found a pass to enter the 'Mythic Trial of Fighters'. Further information will be shared with you when the trial, held in the higher realm, is opened to the outsiders.")
Charles rose to his feet.
"It's not a treasure..."
He looked at the pendant and wondered if Skyler knew about the trial somehow. After all, he had defeated so many statues in this chamber just to obtain it. His gaze flickered toward Zack, who had also stood up.
"You know what this thing is. Or else you wouldn't have been so eager to sit down."
Zack chuckled and joined him.
"I do. But I won't tell you."
Charles scoffed and turned away.
He would find out eventually.
There was no point in asking this person if he didn't want to tell him. Not to mention, he barely even knew Zack except for the fact that he had seen him at the academy.
Charles began searching for another exit in the chamber. He couldn't fly, so he wouldn't be able to leave the way he came in. Yet, a vein flared on his forehead when the other man followed behind him with a smirk.
"I can tell you on one condition. How about you join me and we form a team? I am sure we can find the exit of this level together."
Charles' reply didn't change.
"No thank you. I am fine alone."
Zack shook his head with a calm look. But inwardly, he was cursing the Keeper of Time, who was having a lot of fun laughing at him for being rejected for the second time.
"This place is dangerous. A teammate is what you need. And I know you can't fly. I can help you leave the chamber."
Charles paused in his steps.
"What do you really want? Why are you so insistent on becoming my teammate? You are stronger than me. So what do you gain from making me join your team?"
Zack blinked, his smile fading. Charles was right, but he didn't know what Zack knew.
'I want you to join my team because you have potential. Potential that was wasted due to a woman in the original timeline.'
He sighed and stopped pestering Charles. Well, it seems he wouldn't be able to steal a teammate from Skyler. Not so easily.
"Okay. Don't join me. Still here..."
He tossed a talisman toward Charles, who caught it instinctively. Charles examined the talisman with furrowed brows. He could tell it was expensive, even though he had never studied anything about talismans.
"What is this for?"
Zack took out another talisman.
"Pour your Evol into it and..."
He poured his Evol into the talisman, and with a flash, it exploded into tiny particles. The air around him quivered, and then, just like that, Zack vanished. Charles stared at the remnants of the floating particles before glancing at the talisman in his hand.
"A space-type talisman that even those who have no affinity with the space element can use? This is definitely worth a lot."
He glanced around the vast chamber one more time. Now, three of the many chairs had golden names floating above them.
"How did Skyler manage to defeat so many statues? Well, if he could go into a dragon layer and steal, he could do this as well."
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Charles used the talisman in his hand and vanished.
He arrived at another location a distance away and began to roam again. Everything was fine, but after that encounter with Zack, for some reason, that man started following him around. Even when Charles tried to get rid of him, he wouldn't leave him alone.