"I'm feeling very competitive."
Skyler declared, leaning back in his chair with a confident look, his eyes locked on the professor at the front of the room.
Charles shot him a sharp glare from beside him. Only the three of them remained in the classroom—Skyler, Charles, and Zack, who watched their exchange with amusement.
After wrapping up her speech and lecture, Professor Sinclair had announced a small competition, with rewards for the top three.
Charles couldn't hold back any longer. He yanked his arm free and grabbed Skyler by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously.
"If you're feeling competitive, why are you still sitting here? You're holding me back as well! Everyone else has already sprinted off to win the race! Do you think space will just open up and teleport us to the finish line because you feel competitive?"
A vein throbbed on his forehead as Skyler chuckled in response. Zack rose from his seat and silently sauntered over to them.
"You two not competing?"
Immediately, Charles turned to him with a flat, unamused look. Of course he wanted to compete! He had been ready to run the instant Professor Sinclair announced the race—but Skyler had held him back!
The rewards were star coins—credited directly to their student IDs! Just which student wouldn't want that?!
Unbelievable. This bastard!
Zack simply shrugged his shoulders when he didn't get a response from the two, then turned to leave the classroom.
He hadn't bothered to join the race—he wasn't interested in the trivial rewards.
But he couldn't just remain seated in the class while Professor Sinclair watched them with a sharp, disapproving frown.
He knew her temperament—she would punish them if they didn't participate.
So, at the very least, he had to get up and leave the classroom. As for the race, who cared? After all, he already knew Max was certainly going to take first place, Austin would take second place, and between Jenny and Elena, one would claim third.
The rest of the class was merely there to lose and make Max and his team shine.
He froze in his tracks when a familiar voice called out from behind, offering something he was certain was impossible—especially since Max, Austin, and the rest of the class had already been gone for over a minute.
"Wanna take the third place?"
Professor Sinclair immediately raised an eyebrow as she observed the three youths, her attention caught by Skyler's words.
Zack spun around, fixing his silver eyes on Skyler, pure curiosity flickering in his gaze.
"Why not, if it's free? But how? The goal is to reach the far end of the academy, where the professor's assistant is waiting—that's as far as a small town from here."
Skyler raised his hand confidently, holding up a finger toward him and Charles, a sly smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
"Give me just one minute. I'm working on modifying a skill I learned. And I am only offering you third place because you're the only one here. You'll have to give me your reward in exchange for helping you win."
Zack blinked, confused. Modifying a skill? Was that even possible? What kind of skill could help them win the race? His puzzled gaze shifted to Charles, seeking an answer, but the latter looked just as bewildered as him, silently waiting for the minute to pass.
Ultimately, he just sat down nearby. Just one minute, right? It wasn't like Zack had anything better to do except carry out his new plan to scout around and steal all the treasures meant for Max in the academy.
He also wanted to see Max lose for once. Plus, this was his chance to discover what kind of powerful skill Skyler possessed.
"Okay, I agree. Let's see what you've got."
Skyler's eyes were focused as he reviewed the knowledge of the skill he was adjusting in his mind. He had planned to use it only with Riruru—it was a secret skill, after all.
But what was the point of hiding it when many people had already sensed the five elemental crystals floating in his heart?
Sure, the rest of his crystals were hidden from prying eyes thanks to his master—the Calamity—but he could still wield the power of the five crystals that those stronger than him could sense in his body. There was no need to keep so much hidden.
He was powerful—undeniably so.
And everyone needed to know it.
His eyes gleamed with mischief as he suddenly stood up, startling Charles.
"Done. I will take the first place."
Charles's eyebrow twitched. Why did it feel like they were at a market, casually buying race placements like vegetables?
Zack chuckled as he waved his hand to dismiss the screen floating before him.
Ever since the cursed twins incident, the Keeper of Time had been lingering around him more frequently than usual.
It was getting very annoying.
"So that means second place goes to Charles? I'm fine with third. Now what?"
Skyler waved him over. He didn't want to give third place to Zack, but unfortunately, they were the only ones left in the class. It wasn't like the professor was competing—he couldn't exactly drag her into the race.
If only professor Sinclair had declared that the rewards were for the first place only, he wouldn't be caught up in all this hassle.
Zack approached, his silver eyes fixed on every move Skyler made, eager to witness the powerful skill he was about to use.
But just as he closed the distance, the last thing he heard was Skyler faintly muttering, 'Voidstep', before he lost his composure as that freaking bastard grabbed both his and Charles's shoulders, only to drag them with him as he stepped through the very space.
Not just anything—space itself. Fuck!
Zack screamed inwardly, cursing Skyler as the spatial cracks he was dragged through seemed to claw at his body. It lasted only a fleeting moment as Skyler stepped through space, pulling both him and Charles along.
Yet, they caught a glimpse of their end!
And nearly fainted from sheer dread!
Charles and Zack gasped for breath as Skyler stepped out from the other end of the space he had entered—into a field filled with tall trees, just a short distance from the race's finish line—and released them.
They both collapsed to the ground, too terrified by what they just experienced.
If looks could kill, Skyler would've been six feet under with the way both of them were shooting daggers at him. Ignoring them, he turned to glance back in the direction from which the other students would be arriving.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted Max's floating figure high in the distant sky.
"We're on time. Take your positions."
He smirked when Max's gaze locked with his from afar, the golden eyes widening in both shock and disbelief. Then, he turned and began jogging toward the finish line, where the professor's assistant awaited.
The assistant, a bespectacled man holding a register in his hand, was surprised to see a student arrive so quickly—especially one he recognized: the famous Skyler Thorne.
As Skyler casually crossed the finish line, the man recorded his name in first place.
Once he had calmed down, Charles sprang to his feet and rushed over to stand beside Skyler, his heart still pounding.
"Next time, don't you ever do that again...! I saw my life flash before my eyes. Space is dangerous—not a child's game. And to think you modified that skill on the spot. Just the thought of it gives me goosebumps."
Skyler draped his arm over his shoulder.
"Worry about that in the future."
Charles shuddered and pulled away.
This person was truly insane.
Zack, who had also stood up and was sprinting toward the finish line, grew a bit solemn as a screen flashed before him.
#Keeper of Time: He just used a Mythic-tier skill—a space-element ability. Where did he learn this? Inside the ancient tomb? Such a skill was never mentioned in the story. Did you lie about killing the cursed twins? You did, didn't you? He's different from before.
Zack waved his hand to dismiss the screen.
'Like I don't have the same question. That skill never appeared before, yet he knows about it—a powerful ability even stronger than Max's teleportation skill, which only covers a short distance due to its low tier.'
He stopped opposite Charles, his solemn gaze locked on Skyler as his mind raced.
'Skyler... He truly is the biggest wildcard in this story. What exactly is he? Did he really die at twenty, or did this man simply travel to another dimension through the crack he fell into and become the strongest there?'
He sighed and pushed the questions to the back of his mind. He had already decided to do whatever he wanted. The storyline could go to hell—he no longer cared. He had one mission: stop Max from using the Wheel of Time. Everything else? He would steal and change the story however he pleased.
If only Zack knew that Skyler had been reading every single message the Keeper of Time was sending him—quietly, amusedly.