After Skyler left the academy, a familiar figure arrived before the First Year Elite student building where Skyler resided.
Alfanzo's frustration was palpable as he entered the building. But unfortunately, he was still unable to find the young man he had been looking for, even in his room.
"Where the hell did he go?"
He checked his phone.
"The VP mentioned this is his room. He should be here if he's not taking classes."
He headed towards the Vice Principal's office, but the news that awaited him left him completely dumbfounded. It was even more surprising than discovering Skyler Ironhart possessed a treasure tracking skill.
"You are telling me he left for the Royal Castle? He wasn't supposed to leave the academy. That's the government order."
Doris winced, her fingers massaging her temples as weariness settled over her.
Since accepting Skyler into the academy, her workload and stress had skyrocketed.
"Prince Alistair Thorne took him. Do you think the government would say anything? They work for the royal family. Why would they oppose the prince's decision?"
Alfanzo turned silent as he digested her words, only nodding in response.
'Tsk, I was late. I wanted to offer Skyler to join my guild after he was finished with the academy. The guild leader wouldn't have rejected the idea knowing about him.'
He left the VP office, annoyed. In the end, Alfanzo decided to conceal everything he had seen about Skyler for the time being.
"I will tell the guild leader everything after I have confirmed everything. It's not like that kid would stay with the royal family forever. For whatever reason the prince took Skyler, he would send him back soon because he is a student of the Starlight Academy."
***
Meanwhile, inside the Battle Royal, sitting atop a rock, Jenny suddenly felt a strange sense of loss for some reason.
She bit her lip.
"What now? Why am I feeling down?"
Shaking her head, she glanced at Max and Austin who were looking down the edge of the mountain they were on. It had been so many days, but they all had found no clue about the Gate leading to the next level.
To make matters worse, due to the angry dragon on their trail, they were no longer allowed to leave the Battle Royal.
Jenny took a deep, shuddering breath and launched herself off the rock, landing with a soft thud. Her gaze was unwavering, cool as ice, as she approached the others.
"Did you guys find any clues? What about your systems? Are they still saying that we are not eligible to leave?"
She asked, her voice low and steady.
Austin tsked instead of answering. His silence spoke volumes. It was Max who shook his head in response. His injury had healed thanks to the many healing potions he had consumed. But the worry lines on his handsome face had only worsened.
"I fear we have to stay in this place longer. A lot longer than master Moore predicted."
The words hung in the air, a thick fog of frustration settling over the group. Yet, no one commented. Anyway, just like always, they would discover a way as long as they stayed together and pushed forward.
Max's golden eyes shifted from Jenny's face to the familiar screen flickering before him.
#Goddness of Compassion: It should be around here. You need to jump down from this place. That jerk, Keeper of ???, took a lot from me to sell me this information. I still don't know how he got this information, but I have confirmed with others that it's valid.
His brow furrowed as he peered down the sheer drop of the mountain. Did they really have to jump? It was a terrifying height.
They could fly, of course, but Max wasn't sure how to tell his team to jump down a mountain, without sounding insane. In the end, he bit his tongue and decided to come clean. Anyway, his friends would soon be able to talk with higher beings once they went to the higher levels of Battle Royal.
He had already lied to them a lot.
Even then, he held back a lot, only telling them about the Goddess and that he had only started talking to her recently.
It was just a tiny lie—he had been talking with the Goddess for a long, long time.
That's how they all ended up inside a very familiar chamber, filled with broken statues and countless chairs. As they stood before the chairs, they also noticed the golden names that floated above three of them.
Jenny clenched her fists.
"Sky? He arrived here before us."
Elena's eyes, however, were fixed on the other familiar name next to Skyler's.
"Zack Everlette? The same we know!?"
Max's gaze fell upon the last name.
"Charles Mahson. He was here too."
Austin raised his hand, interrupting the tension. His question was different.
"Guys, shouldn't we be more curious about how they managed to shatter the statues in this place? With the lingering scent of blood, it's obvious a battle took place here."
All heads turned to him.
They hadn't missed what he'd noticed.
Max's frown deepened further.
"Skyler isn't powerful. Nor Charles. Let alone Zack, who we all know. How did they defeat the statues? I can tell, thanks to a skill, that the statues were all 15-star."
Austin slapped his fist over his hand.
"That's what I'm saying! Three people who we all know were barely 5-star defeated so many 15-star statues. Yet, we don't know how. Only when we meet the trio can we uncover what actually went down here."
Max opened his mouth but closed it again. He was at a loss for words. The situation was too perplexing. The air was heavy with many unanswered questions. Regardless, they all settled down on the empty chairs and received a familiar pendant. A similar notification flashed in front of them all.
("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.")
With this, thanks to Skyler's interference, the story 'Fate of Eldoria' had completely veered off its intended track. After all, in the original—the first timeline—Max Smith was the only one who entered the Mythic Trial of Fighters.