By the time Isaac finally woke up, three hours had passed. He tried to stand but failed due to soreness in his limbs. The potion's side effects left him lethargic.
Ultimately, Skyler sighed and told 505 to buy the room-sized space pocket it had purchased before from the system shop, where Isaac could stay until he recovered completely while doing something useful, like creating potions. Skyler watched as 10,000 points were cut from his points.
He turned to Isaac gloomily, making the youth, who was trying to stand, shudder.
"You'd better create a big batch of good potions in the next three days while the pocket lasts, or else I will make you kill monsters until I get all my points back."
Isaac couldn't even process his words or understand what was going on before he was kicked into the familiar space pocket along with a new, larger batch of herbs.
Satisfied, Skyler stretched his limbs. Then he turned to look at the door leading to the next level of Battle Royal and gestured for the others to follow as he pushed it open.
He was the first to step into the light, followed by Yuris and the other three.
The moment they appeared in the next level, they were met with warm air and a bright, sunny sky dotted with small black specks—flying creatures of various types.
Skyler glanced down when his feet sank, only to see an expanse of glowing sand.
"We are in the 14th level. The Desert."
Yuris squinted at the bright landscape.
"Huh, I can't see anyone around. I don't believe we are the only ones in this level."
Austin fanned himself behind him. He hadn't bathed after running through the maze, and now being in the desert made the sweaty feeling return once again. He narrowed his eyes and looked around.
"Well, everyone's probably hiding from the flying creatures. There have to be hidden villages scattered throughout the level."
Skyler nodded in agreement.
Ignoring the sweltering heat, they began searching for the challenge of this level.
Since both Zack and Skyler already knew that Max was in the Battle Royal, they didn't bother searching the level for the treasures and missions mentioned in the novel. After all, Max would have already claimed them, just like the treasures in the previous levels.
Therefore, while fending off the numerous flying monsters that tried to devour them at every step and avoiding the hidden villages and groups of people they came across on the way, they finally found the challenge of the level after several exhausting hours.
It was a 'Sandstorm Arena' that emerged before them from within the sand as the sun in the bright sky turned orange. Their systems informed them that they had to face a powerful, shifting sandstorm that reduced visibility and made movement difficult, all while battling sand creatures.
At the center of the storm lay an ancient arena filled with sand warriors who would challenge them. Winning the battle would grant them access to the next level, while losing meant they would be kicked out of the ancient arena and have to try again.
Skyler touched his chin thoughtfully.
"This doesn't sound too hard."
Austin buried his face in his hands.
"Not hard? NOT HARD? Skyler, even if we clear the sandstorm and reach the arena, do you have any idea how powerful those sand warriors are? The system said the weakest one is peak legendary tier!"
"I know we only need to fight one, but..."
Charles completed his words.
"We'd still be crushed with a single hit!"
He wanted to leave the Battle Royal, but then he recalled—he couldn't even leave.
His system was under Skyler's control!
Skyler chuckled at their grim faces and patted Austin's shoulder in assurance.
"Don't worry, I'll handle the sand warriors. You all just need to safely get through the sandstorm and find the arena unscathed."
Everyone swiftly looked at him, hoping to confirm he wasn't joking and that he truly meant what he said—only to find the jerk had already vanished into the sandstorm.
In the end, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow. They couldn't help but wallow in frustration, wondering why they hadn't learned potion-making, which would've allowed them to clear the level while crafting potions in a space pocket.
The moment they entered the storm, they were separated. As they struggled to push through the swirling sands and fend off the worm-like creatures with steel-hard bodies that emerged from beneath, Yuris suddenly caught a bright flash in the sand. His vision was blurry, so he quickly narrowed his eyes.
"Wings...?"
He muttered, stunned as he finally saw them in full. The wings were breathtaking and magnificent, gold and azure in color.
"What kind of monster has wings this beautiful? These sand creatures are all brown with a hard exterior. Very ugly."
Before Yuris could take a closer look, a centipede suddenly burst from the sand and attacked him, leaving him injured.
Yuris wiped the blood from his lips and cursed as he shielded his body with Evol.
"Not even gonna give me a moment to understand if I'm hallucinating, will you?"
His emerald eyes shimmered with a fierce, angry gleam as he attacked the centipede's body with his skills and spells. Fortunately, he had created a crystal for his Darkness element as well, giving him more abilities.
By the time he defeated the centipede, breaking through its steel-like scales, he was down to his last breath. In his fury, he had simply ignored that his opponent was far stronger and bigger than him, pushing himself to the absolute limit. In the end, it was either he dies or the opponent dies.
Now that he looked at the situation, the centipede was dead, and he himself was standing at death's door. Yuris laughed to himself and took out a healing potion.
"Well, it seems I'll survive—thanks to the healing potions I swiped from Isaac."
Just like him, Zack, Austin, and Charles were facing the same ordeal. Eventually, the four managed to reach the arena.
Though quite battered and bruised, they were still breathing. But as they gazed up, they were met with a very shocking sight.
Standing in the center, Skyler kicked the shattered remains of the sand warriors scattered around him and glanced back.
"Why did it take you guys so long?"
"I've been waiting—and getting bored."