Once Skyler was done marveling at the power of his spell, he dashed across the barren land devoid of any sign of life that stretched far and wide before him.
His feet would occasionally sink into the shifting sand, but as he channeled his Evol into his legs, they became impossibly light and swift, propelling him forward with an agility that defied the harsh terrain.
Beneath the starless, moonless, dark sky, his sparkling blue eyes were the only ones gleaming as he surveyed the structures in his surroundings that dotted the horizon, ignoring and dodging the many creatures made of Evol lurking within the tomb.
He encountered another wayvern, this one larger than the first, with a greenish hue in its dark, non-solid, flame-like body. Skyler's lips curled upward as he eyed the wyvern, not with fear but with evident thrill.
It hadn't even been an hour since he had sworn off using his space element spell, claiming it was too draining. Yet, here he was, a faint whisper escaping his lips, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement as he prepared to witness its power again.
"Cosmic Collapse."
This time, Skyler chose the space directly above the wyvern to manifest the spell.
The beast let out a piercing shriek as its whole body was pulled upward, toward the gravitational singularity he had conjured. It wasn't just the wyvern; every speck of Evol in the vicinity was drawn into the vortex.
Then, the next moment, that chosen space collapsed, destroying all the Evol it sucked in and leaving behind a dangerous void.
Skyler chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. He was always unfortunate, however, the sole space element spell he had acquired was actually perfect for this ancient tomb!
As long as his space elemental crystal had Evol, he could literally destroy every type of Evol thrown toward him, no matter if it was in the shape of an attack or a monster!
He glanced at his status, and seeing the spell, mentally patted himself on the back for choosing it and learning it.
_______
Status:
Name: Skyler Ironhart
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light: 9-star (Initial stage)
2) Darkness: 9-star (Final stage)
3) Space: 6-star (Initial 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)
11) Cosmic Collapse: (Epic tier)
A space spell that creates a gravitational singularity at the chosen spot, drawing in the energy within its range. The singularity then collapses, destroying all the energy it had sucked and leaving behind a void. This spell is powerful but difficult to control. It can only be used by space elementists.
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)
_______
He snapped out of his excitement and resumed his frantic dash. Time was of the essence. Despite the tomb's vastness, the calamity slumbering within would soon stir, sensing his presence and that of the many others who had dared to enter its domain.
He had to hoard... Ahem, collect all the treasures and escape before it woke up.
Thankfully, the tomb's exit was located at his point of entry. It would remain open as long as the tomb was accessible, and he needed to reach it before it was too late.
"Ten days... I have only ten days...!"
He muttered faintly under his breath.
Unlike the rest who had entered the tomb without any knowledge and were battling the creatures made of Evol just to survive, he knew where to go thanks to the fact he had read the original timeline, Max's story.
He finally reached his first destination. A massive square structure that looked very similar to the others scattered around him, the only difference being that this structure had a statue of a winged serpent atop it.
Skyler knew he was in the right place.
That statue was described in the book!
"How convenient! Hehe!"
He rubbed his hands together with his signature laugh and, without a care for the traps, rushed into the structure. Anyway, he knew all the traps inside, so he could easily avoid them. The rusty, ancient gate creaked open with a sharp noise that told Skyler it hadn't been open for a long, long time.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a pen from his main storage ring. The one gifted to him by his father. Naturally, he could have taken out a coin, but a gold coin was too precious to waste. Then tossed the pen, barely used, into the dark space within the ancient gate.
Instantly, under his gaze, a surge of Evol erupted from the darkness, obliterating the pen. Skyler hissed at the broken remains. In the original story, it was Austin who entered the gate first, and his arm was the one that bore the brunt of the attack. He was healed, of course, but the injury caused him to lose a significant amount of blood, forcing him to sleep for an entire day in the tomb while Max and the other girls stood guard.
"First trap cleared."
Dusting off his clothes casually, Skyler sauntered into the gate as if he owned the place. The darkness enveloped him, but a bright light soon flickered, illuminating his path. He had arrived in an empty room with three paths leading to different directions.
He smirked as he leaped aside, dodging another trap. Then another, as he entered the path on his right without hesitation.
However, when an unexpected trap, not described in the book, sprung to life as he stepped on a tile, his smirk finally faltered.
Instantly, a swift arrow shot out from the ceiling, grazing his right cheek. The speed was such that even when his body reacted instinctively, he wasn't able to dodge it. And it left a scratch with a bead of blood oozing from the wound. His face drained of color as he reached out to touch the blood.
Skyler staggered back, horrified.
"Shit, I was too enthusiastic...!"
He cursed his overconfidence. It was good the metal arrow wasn't poisonous and had just grazed his cheek. Or else he should have already said goodbye to this world!
"Why the hell didn't Max step on this trap? Don't tell me that jerk avoided all the minor traps thanks to his protagonist halo?"
He groaned faintly, his voice laced with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. Well, he knew, deep down, that even though he was stealing the protagonist's role, he couldn't really steal Max's protagonist halo.
"Why are Max and his whole team even the chosen ones? I'm way better in every way!"
Grumbling, Skyler quickly made his way deeper into the path he was traversing.
This time, he moved with more caution, taking careful steps. He didn't want to end up in his grave due to his recklessness, did he? He still had a lot to do. Like saving his world from dying... Well, that was one big goal. But he really did have a lot to do.
Also, Riruru was waiting for him.
And let's not forget to mention, those treasures that he still needed to steal.
He pressed forward, dodging all the traps and trying his best to avoid activating any he had no knowledge of. However, thanks to his 'incredible' luck, he still somehow managed to trigger five more unexpected traps.
By the time he reached the end of the path and arrived at the center of the structure, he was limping, clutching his injured shoulder.
His face was a mask of calmness, but inwardly he was fuming and cursing.
Then and there he vowed.
He was going to steal the treasure Max found on the 20th floor of Battle Royal at all costs. 'The Crimson Mermaid Pearl', an orb that amplified Max's already incredible luck.
"I need it more than him!"
His injuries were healing thanks to his self-healing skill. They weren't grave either. Nevertheless, who would like pain? Skyler definitely didn't. Even the slightest ones.
So, he would like to avoid it if possible.
Regardless, his protest died down the moment his eyes landed on the treasure, the sole source of illumination, floating in the center of the eerily quiet chamber he had arrived in. The walls around him bore the markings of many ancient symbols.
His eyes sparkled. There was a reason he had entered this structure! The treasure in front of him was a lightning treasure!
A swirling vortex of pure, crackling energy, suspended effortlessly in mid-air. It was a miniature storm, a chaotic ballet of silver lightning bolts that whipped and crackled.
At the heart of the storm, a single, brilliant silver point pulsed, reflecting its tiny core.
The air around the vortex crackled with static, and the ground beneath it vibrated with the violent energy it emanated.
In the original story, this powerful treasure was given to Austin, who possessed affinity with the lightning element. The unique silver color of his lightning, in contrast to the white lightning of others, always stole the attention of many. But now Skyler would consume this treasure and craft his next elemental crystal!
He laughed and rushed toward the floating treasure, unaware that a pair of emotionless, cold, indifferent eyes, meant to only awaken when one entered their vicinity, had already stirred. All because of his familiar presence.