Skyler watched from the side.
Speechless.
It was not that he was not tired—after everything, he felt like fainting as well.
But seeing all of them faint, he did not dare to collapse too. After all, who knew if some monsters might come and bite their heads off while they were sleeping? Grumbling, he dragged the five along. Only when he found a hidden tunnel nearby did he throw them all inside and finally allow himself to rest.
They rested for a full 24 hours. When they woke, everyone was famished. Even though they had grown quite powerful and could go without eating for days, feeling hungry after running around with little rest was normal.
In the end, they witnessed Skyler cooking for the first time and were amazed to find that this jerk could actually make delicious food, yet had not done so even once in the past eighteen days...! They were resentful but could not stop finishing the food. Hah, was there anything this guy could not do?
Charles, who knew that Skyler could cook, didn’t dare to mention that he knew, having forgotten about this fact amidst everything.
He was certain the others would beat him up if he revealed now that he had forgotten.
After eating, they all freshened up. Isaac used his water element to create a small pond outside the tunnel, amidst the heat.
Feeling somewhat better, though their bodies still ached, their next destination was the realm where time stood still.
Eighteen days had already passed; time was short, yet so much still needed to be done. After journeying this far with Skyler, they had come to believe that a looming threat was approaching their planet—and that Skyler was preparing them to fight it should the others fail. It all still sounded absurd; after all, so many powerful Lights existed on their planet, and yet, in Skyler’s eyes, they were meant to fight this threat if those powerful and famous Lights failed.
It even sounded insane. Delusional. But who made this bastard so convincing?
Everyone was ready to move again.
However, this time, Skyler didn’t instantly follow the plan to drag everyone off to the ancient secret realm where time stood still—a realm they had agreed to find and enter at this level. Instead, he gathered them and said that, before entering the secret realm, he needed to take care of something first.
Everyone looked confused but nodded.
Zack, feeling suspicious, massaging his legs, leaned in and asked Skyler quietly.
"What do you need to do? This level is the most barren so far. Even if everyone seems fine now, our bodies have gone through too much in too little time... It will not be long before they give out. We need to discover that secret realm before that happens."
He sighed.
"Even if we both have a rough idea of the ancient realm’s location from the story, it will take time to locate its exact position."
Skyler knew Zack was right. Even he now felt that he had pushed past his limits—let alone the rest, who were entirely human.
"I know. But did you forget the Crimson Mermaid Pearl? It is the only treasure Max cannot take, even if he is claiming all the others before us, since there is no woman with him... Only a woman can get it."
He rubbed his hands together.
"I want that Pearl."
Zack’s eyes widened.
Of course—how could he have forgotten about that precious treasure? It was in the 20th level! His mind raced as he stared at Skyler, both shocked and amused at how casually he now talked about these things with him, as if there was no need to hide that they had both read the original novel.
But there was a problem.
Zack looked around, frowning.
"Hey, I don’t see any women with us either. So, just how do you plan to get that Pearl?"
Skyler just gave a mysterious smile.
"Who said there are no women with us?"
Zack replied cautiously.
"Wait—is there a woman among us? No way, I am sure about everyone’s gender."
Skyler rolled his eyes at Zack.
"Are you an idiot?"
Shaking his head, he ignored him and stepped out of the tunnel. Zack and the others followed silently. They wandered through the 20th level for hours, crossing paths with many who looked shocked to see a group of such young people, before stopping in front of a stone structure.
It was a large statue of a lake monster.
Skyler narrowed his eyes, inspecting the structure, then quietly nodded to himself.
"If I am right, it is here."
He scanned the structure for any hidden gate or opening and spotted one amidst a patch of burning rocks. Hissing at the heat, Skyler covered his body with a shield and stepped in, the others following closely.
Inside, they found themselves in a vast chamber, its ceiling and walls lined with jagged rocks. At the center lay a golden lava lake, starkly different from the lava outside. The molten gold bubbled, as if even approaching it could scorch them.
Skyler eagerly stepped forward, looking around, only to be stopped by Charles.
"It looks dangerous. Do not be reckless."
Charles’ warning was useless as Skyler patted his hand away with a chuckle.
"I know. Do not worry."
Watching him, Zack muttered to himself.
"Is this guy really trying to enter the lake? He will be burned to death. Only a woman can enter it and come back unscathed."
But what happened next shocked not just Zack, but all present. At first, they just saw Skyler lift the gem hanging from his wrist and kiss it, muttering something under his breath. That alone seemed harmless. But when a wave of red energy emerged from the gem and began to take shape, forming a translucent figure of a beautiful woman with long crimson hair, their jaws dropped.
Isaac helped Austin close his mouth.
"Are you seeing what I am seeing?"
He asked, but Austin just couldn’t respond. They watched as the ghostly figure leaned toward Skyler, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose—her eyes a mix of affection and annoyance—before stepping into the lake.