In the familiar room, enveloped in a thin haze of Evol, Skyler's eyes snapped open and the world swam back into focus. He had formed his 3rd elemental crystal.
This time, he had succeeded in his first try, with nary a hint of pain. He already knew the process of forming a crystal. Perhaps that's why it didn't feel as hard as when he formed his first elemental crystal.
Now just like the golden and dark Evol, a wave of gray Evol pulsed through him.
He instinctively reached for his chest, his fingers tracing the outline of his heart.
There, within the depths, he felt it.
One more minuscule, ant-sized crystal, floating in a corner. A new sensation, a foreign presence, yet it felt… familiar.
It was as if this tiny gray-colored crystal was simply another part of his whole being that had been missing for a long time.
His brow furrowed in confusion.
"Strange... why does it hurt? My heart. It's not a physical pain, but more like an ache I cannot ignore. It began when I created the space elemental crystal. What's going on? The space element has no connection to my other selves. So, why do I feel so sad, so empty after forming the space crystal?"
Skyler blinked, startled by a wet sensation beneath his eyes. His hand shot up, fingers fumbling blindly until they met a wet, sticky trail trickling down his cheeks. Tears. His mind supplied. He was crying. But why?
"This..."
He rasped, his voice raw with confusion. Feeling overwhelmed, he called out to the two figures living in his subconscious.
"You better tell me what's happening!"
He roared. But there was no answer. The silence in the room stretched, an agonizing, suffocating emptiness. Fortunately, it was broken by Riruru, startled by his shout. She rushed to his side to see if he was okay.
Skyler shook his head and seeing Riruru's worried eyes, a smile lit up on his lips.
"Why are you so anxious? I am the one who's feeling confused."
He shoved the matter deep into his mind, ignoring the storm of emotions that raged within him, emotions that were clearly not his own. Absentmindedly, Skyler caressed Riruru and shifted his focus to his status.
His excitement returned as he muttered.
"Status!"
_______
Status:
Name: Skyler Ironhart
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light: 5-star (Middle stage)
2) Darkness: 6-star (Final stage)
3) Space: 1-star (Final stage)
4) Lightning: (Locked)
5) ???
Overall Strength:
6-star Adept (Final stage)
Potential: 10-star Adept
(Currently locked due to 'Special Spirit Constitution'. No further information.)
Class: None
Skills/Spells: (11)
System 505 Functions:
- System store: (Closed)
- System points: 21,450
Imagine pressing the words to:
- Enter 2nd level of Battle Royal (Available)
- Exit Battle Royal (Not available)
_______
Skyler's elation dampened a little as he checked the results. Unfortunately, unlike his darkness element, his space element didn't jump to 5-star in one swoop.
True, he didn't want to go through the pain he felt when his dark crystal jumped from 1-star to 5-star. However, what was a little pain if he could get stronger?
Clicking his tongue, he stood up.
"What a pity. It seems my space element won't advance on its own from the start."
Yet, his blue eyes were gleaming as he looked at the treasures before him.
"Then it seems I'm forced to utilize my special constitution and get stronger. It's time to see how much power my body can absorb without harming my foundation. I remember that my spirit constitution can absorb as many treasures as possible. I lacked treasures before, but not now."
Skyler rubbed both of his hands together, letting out an eerie laugh before he threw himself amidst the treasures and started absorbing the natural treasures he found. Even then, he only ate the ones related to the 3 elemental crystals he had formed.
Riruru gasped in shock, her crimson eyes widening as she quickly tried to stop him.
An old memory flickered in her mind.
It was the memory of one of her monster friends she had seen foolishly eating a lot of herbs filled with Evol. The excess energy had caused its body to explode!
She couldn't let that happen to Skyler!
He toppled over the ground with a golden leaf in between his lips when she lunged at him with all her strength. She hissed, telling him to spit out what he had consumed, but when he didn't, her eyes blazed with dread.
A golden light flashed in the room, and he froze when a soft body fell over him. Skyler clenched his hands over her waist and shut his eyes, swelling the herb in his mouth.
"Ri-Ru-Ru! Stop moving!"
His body stiffened when, instead of doing what he asked, she raised her eyes, her long white hair falling to the sides of his face as she reached out with her fingers to open his mouth and remove what he had just eaten.
Skyler's eyes flew open and he sealed his lips to stop her fingers. He reached out and grabbed both of her hands, his ears flushed due to their awkward position. A strained and hoarse voice escaped his lips.
"Stop, Riruru. Calm down. Let's talk. I need to know what's wrong, alright?"
She struggled a bit. She was stronger than him, so she could have easily freed herself from his grip, but she stopped upon hearing him. Her brows furrowed tightly in worry as she fixed her crimson gaze on his lips.
"Dangerous! You ate too much energy!"
Skyler's eyes widened in realization as he finally understood what she meant. Though, he was surprised she knew consuming too much Evol could be very harmful. He didn't let go of her hands and let out a soft sigh.
"I understand. However, it's not dangerous. Look, I'm doing fine. Aren't I?"
Riruru blinked, her gaze traveling over his body to make sure he was really okay. She shifted, and he finally released her arm, only to purse his lips when she fumbled around on his body. He grabbed her when her hand accidentally brushed against his crotch. His face and neck flushed red in mortification as a pained voice escaped his lips.
"Change back into a snake. Please."
Riruru tilted her head. She didn't want to change back so soon. Yet, his stern gaze made her flinch slightly. Skyler didn't raise his voice, but his words were firm.
"Now, change back."
Huffing, she retreated. A brilliant light flashed in the room, and she turned into a snake. Then, she left his side and climbed the bed, giving him a cold shoulder. Skyler stayed on the floor for a long minute; only when he calmed down did he rise.
He glanced at the grumpy snake. Rubbing his temples, he quickly took out his phone and searched online for a good artifact that could form clothes around Riruru whenever she changed into a human. He should have done it sooner. But he had forgotten. It took him a while, but he found one such artifact. It wasn't on Star-Net; instead, it was on a private website that belonged to a guild.
Skyler scanned the website, selecting multiple items designed for women. His brows furrowed in concentration.
He wasn't content with merely one artifact; he went ahead and ordered several more.
Once he was somewhat satisfied with his selections, he clicked the purchase button and requested the delivery to be sent to the academy, providing his current address. The payment would be made upon delivery.
With this important matter settled, Skyler resumed consuming the natural treasures.
As expected, no matter how much Evol he absorbed, his body never felt overwhelmed.
It was as if it were a bottomless pit.
The only problem was that the amount of treasures he needed to absorb to advance a Star in any of the elements he possessed was increasing as he became stronger.
Riruru's eyes darted toward him when she realized he hadn't come to comfort her. She huffed in annoyance and approached him.
He hissed when she bit his finger, only for her to lick the wound afterwards and then settle on his lap with a satisfied gaze.
That was enough; she forgave him.
Skyler chuckled at her antics and stroked her head, finding her cute. Then resumed what he was doing. When he was done, a wave of happiness washed over him as he realized he had grown more powerful!
He was sure that no one in Eldoria could achieve such power in such a short time!
He cleared his throat, suppressing his joy.
"I need to stay away from the keen eyes of those who can sense my elemental crystals and aura. Or else I am in big trouble."
Nodding solemnly, he muttered.
"Status!"
_______
Status:
Name: Skyler Ironhart
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light: 8-star (Final stage)
2) Darkness: 9-star (Final stage)
3) Space: 5-star (Final stage)
4) Lightning: (Locked)
5) ???
Overall Strength:
9-star Adept (Final stage)
Potential: 10-star Adept
(Currently locked due to 'Special Spirit Constitution'. No further information.)
Class: None
Skills/Spells: (11)
System 505 Functions:
- System store: (Closed)
- System points: 21,450
Imagine pressing the words to:
- Enter 2nd level of Battle Royal (Available)
- Exit Battle Royal (Not available)
_______
Finally satisfied, Skyler stood up and tidied his room. He hid his storage rings and went downstairs with Riruru to eat dinner.
The familiar old couple greeted him. This student was always late or missing meals, so they were relieved to see him on time.
Unlike the couple, who were just ordinary humans, the students eating at the tables dropped their cutlery in shock when they sensed the aura emanating from Skyler.
Confusion crossed their faces as they questioned their own senses.
Because how was it even possible? In the end, they all decided they must have been imagining things and needed rest.