The six youths cleared the cave by tossing the lizard's body outside and settled down there for a while. After running around for so long and then fighting such a powerful beast, everyone was famished and tired.
As Charles lit a modestly sized fireball, everyone settled around it in silence. Zack slid closer to Skyler, who absentmindedly toyed with the gem hanging from his wrist.
"What now? He's faster than we are—I'm sure he already took all the good stuff."
Around them, everyone's ears perked up.
Although they had followed Skyler, they were sure he was hiding a lot, and Zack seemed to know what he was hiding.
They knew neither of them would reveal anything if asked. All they could do was eavesdrop and piece everything together.
Skyler stopped fiddling with the gem.
"Let's give up on the treasures. With the speed that man is moving, it's clear he's already far ahead of us. Instead..."
He leaned back.
"Let's focus on advancing. Now, we only have 29 days remaining from the original month. If I recall correctly, there's a place on the 20th level where time stands still.
We'll enter that place and stay there until we all reach Mythic tier. Then, we'll climb toward the 52nd level of the Battle Royal with all our power and reach Divine rank."
Everyone around him choked on their breath. Even Zack coughed in disbelief.
He was a transmigrator, yet he wouldn't have even dared to think what Skyler had just uttered. Becoming a Divine Being in a month? What gave him the audacity to lay out such an impossible plan so boldly??
Had he lost his mind??
Austin muttered in a daze.
"So… Mythic tier isn't the peak of one's strength… I had a hunch when the voice that echoed across our universe said we finally have a Divine Being. So someone from our universe had already surpassed Mythic tier… Damn, damn, that's insane."
Around him, the others were also piecing things together quietly. They weren't fools—each was intelligent in their own way. Yet questions still lingered, particularly about how Skyler and Zack seemed to know so much. They could attribute some of it to research in the academy libraries, but the extent of their knowledge about so many things suggested something beyond that.
It was as if they knew the future!!
But that was impossible, right?
And who was this person Skyler and Zack were talking about? Someone they knew?
Then it clicked.
Skyler and Zack had been rushing toward different locations for hours. It seemed this person was reaching those places before them and taking everything they wanted!
Yuris rubbed his head. So much thinking was giving him a headache. Why couldn't these two bastards just spill everything instead of leaving them to figure it out?
Everyone was silent.
Skyler had already closed his eyes, trying to talk with the dormant, beautiful ghost within the gem after dropping the bombshell.
After a while, Charles broke the silence, finally speaking up with a question.
"What about our potential?"
Isaac agreed immediately.
"Yes, won't it hold us back?"
Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing. Instead of questioning whether Skyler had lost his mind, these kids spoke of potential as if they were already convinced that, if he said it, they could become Divine Beings in a month. Had they also lost their minds?!
After all, no one had ever achieved Divine Being status in just one month! And these kids, barely at Adept tier, dared to dream it?
Even Max Hales had taken years!
Even he hadn't dared to imagine it as a transmigrator… Or perhaps they were the transmigrators, and he didn't know it yet.
Skyler chuckled at their concerns.
"No need to worry about potential. The system shop has plenty of treasures to boost it. Now stand up—we're moving."
He suddenly took out a new set of clothes, stepped aside from the others, and called out to 505 while shedding his burned outfit.
The system answered reluctantly, but what Skyler asked it to do next made 505 wish it could go back and choose another host—anyone would have been better than him!
Still, 505 steeled its virtual heart and, with trembling invisible fingers, hacked Charles, Zack, Austin, Yuris, and Isaac's systems. It cried digital tears of blood as Skyler gently consoled it from the side with an evil smile.
"Hey, hey, what are you so scared of? The best systems always have disciples. You'll need some too. These little systems will be the start of your, 505, supremacy. Hehe."
505: "..." Why does it feel like it's edging closer and closer to its end? How scary!!
Skyler buttoned the shirt he was wearing, and by that time, 505 was finished. Five status screens flashed before his eyes.
_______
Status:
Name: Yuris Yu
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Space: 12-star (Final stage)
2) Darkness: (Locked)
Overall Strength:
12-star Epic (Final stage)
Potential: 20-star Legendary
Class: Shadow Assassin
_______
He raised a brow as he read the class.
"Oh, I haven't heard of this class before."
With that, he moved on to the next status.
_______
Status:
Name: Zack Everlette
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Lightning: 12-star (initial stage)
2) Fire: 9-star (Final stage)
3) Wind: 7-star (Final stage)
Overall Strength:
12-star Epic (Initial stage)
Potential: 25-star Mythic
Class: None
_______
His eyes sparkled with surprise.
"Tsk, tsk, and this person claimed he was just a dual elementist, with an affinity for lightning and fire, when we first met."
He moved on to the next status.
_______
Status:
Name: Charles Mahson
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Wind: 10-star (Initial stage)
2) Fire: 5-star (Final stage)
3) Earth: (Locked)
4) Lightning: (Locked)
Overall Strength:
10-star Adept (Initial stage)
Potential: 23-star Mythic tier
Class: Gale Berserker
_______
Skyler nodded with a hum.
"I already knew which elements he was attuned to. But a berserker? He didn't give off that vibe. Could it be because he has started using gauntlets as his weapon?"
_______
Status:
Name: Isaac Brown
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Fire: 6-star (Initial stage)
3) Water: (Locked)
Overall Strength:
6-star Adept (Initial stage)
Potential: 18-star Legendary
Class: None
_______
His brow twitched at Isaac's status. It seemed that, aside from brewing potions, this kid wasn't interested in anything else.
"I need to work a lot on this one. Sigh."
_______
Status:
Name: Austin Reed
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light: 11-star (Final stage)
2) Fire: 9-star (Final stage)
3) Lightning: 12-star (Middle stage)
Overall Strength:
12-star Epic (Middle stage)
Potential: 24-star Mythic
Class: Divine Healer
_______
Skyler paused at Austin's status and then let out a chuckle. It seemed that, although he had stolen Austin's opportunity to claim a powerful lightning treasure in the ancient tomb—which turned his lightning a brilliant silver and more potent than ordinary white lightning—this person had still managed to progress far in his lightning element.
He rubbed his chin.
"Divine Healer… A healer is an ordinary class, but the small word 'Divine' makes it extraordinary. Well, I wouldn't expect any less from the protagonist's teammates."
He paused, realization dawning.
"No, wait—he's on my team now! Doesn't that make me the protagonist? Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the space, sending a chill to those in the distance. They all quietly shifted further away from him.