With a sweep of his hand, Skyler hastily cleared the transparent screen in front of him. It flickered and dissolved into thin air.
He sighed and shifted his body.
The rabbit before him moved back to give him more space. It watched silently as he unclenched and clenched his fists before stretching his legs and arms slightly.
Skyler couldn't stand up since the underground chamber wasn't big enough, so he had to make do with it.
His stomach growled with hunger, and his eyelids felt a bit heavy. Still, he pushed the heaviness aside and reached out to stroke the rabbit's head one last time.
"Truly, thank you, little one. I don't have anything with me, but if we ever meet again, I will surely repay this favor."
The rabbit nudged his fingers with a confused look in its red eye. Skyler chuckled softly and glanced at the grass surrounding him. When he first arrived, the entire chamber was filled with its glow. But now, except for a small patch, all the grass had lost its luminescence, indicating it had been used to heal his injuries.
"Goodbye. Take care."
Wholeheartedly, he hoped inwardly that this little rabbit become a strong creature in the future. Then, he turned his body back to the hole behind him and slowly crawled in.
The rabbit watched his fading form, a white gem mark illuminating on its forehead as it tilted its head with a blink. 505 was startled to notice the glowing mark. The system had never encountered such a mark before, so it quickly dug through the database.
To its shock, it uncovered the results.
The mark was known as the 'Emblem of Gratitude.' It manifests on its own when a higher being marks another. It also serves as a form of repayment, helping the bearer grow stronger at an accelerated rate.
Every higher being possesses a distinct mark that sets their unique identity apart from others. However, the white gem mark that 505 saw on the rabbit's forehead was not recorded anywhere in the database, as if such a mark did not exist.
505's mind short-circuited. Questions like: What on earth was its host? How could he possess the power to bestow such a mark onto another? gawned at the system's core.
The system even accessed the systems' group chat and typed furiously, only to be told that it needed maintenance. How can a mortal who hasn't yet passed the initial test of the Battle Royal possess such ability?
505: Why does no one believe it!?
It wanted to take a picture to show them proof, but it was already too late. The mark on the rabbit's forehead had vanished.
While the system was going crazy, the culprit had already exited the hole. Skyler hastily shielded his eyes from the blinding sunlight. He surveyed the ruins surrounding him. The trees lay broken, and the ground was indented with large footprints.
He searched for the sneaker he had lost when entering the hole and began to clear the debris around him. At that moment, a shadow loomed over him.
Skyler froze, his hands instinctively reaching to grab the earth, ready to attack. But before he could, a male voice, tinged with joy as if he had finally found what he had been looking for, echoed above him.
"Do you need help?"
He looked up at the owner of the voice. It was a tall young man with short dark hair and striking silver eyes, clad in a familiar Starlight Academy uniform. Zack's eyes sparkled as he chuckled inwardly.
'Finally, found you! My personal healer!'
He extended his hand toward Skyler, his smile growing wider with each second.
Skyler shuddered at the smile and the outstretched hand. Why did he feel like the man in front of him was gazing at him like one of those ruthless old bosses who had just discovered an innocent employee they could work to the bone without pay? His perception of the students at Starlight Academy diminished even further.
It seemed all the students of that top academy were very, very weird.
The longer Skyler hesitated to take Zack's hand to stand up, the more impatient Zack grew. He waited and waited, but the boy in front of him just glanced at him with those narrow blue eyes filled with suspicion. His smile grew stiff, and he lowered his hand.
Skyler's stomach grumbled at that moment, causing him to feel embarrassed and finally retract his gaze. Zack raised an eyebrow.
"Are you hungry?"
He asked in a very soft voice, his eyes scanning Skyler's whole body, assessing his condition. The latter's clothes were stained with dried blood and torn in various places; he was even missing a shoe.
"You are injured as well."
Saying that, without hesitation, he hurriedly took out a pack of dried nuts and a bottle of water from one of the storage rings on his fingers and held them out to him.
"Here, this water is infused with healing properties, and the nuts are packed with enough energy to fill your stomach even if you haven't eaten for days. I've heard they grow in lands filled with elemental power."
Skyler's suspicion grew. This was the second person to show him such kindness. The first was Max. Yet, unlike Max, whom he knew was good to him because of his older sister, this time he had no idea why a stranger was being nice to him.
He felt reluctant, but considering his condition, he accepted what was offered, silently planning to leave this place the moment he regained some energy.
Behind Zack, two ordinary-looking individuals—a short woman with dark hair and a sturdy male with a muscular build, both clad in the Starlight Academy uniform—glanced at each other in surprise. Oreon and Mila had spent the last few days with Zack and knew he wasn't a kind soul.
He had suddenly appeared out of nowhere when they were in danger, and after helping them, he asked them to join his team.
The two agreed easily because the teams they had allied with before being teleported to the preliminary test of the Battle Royale left them during the monster wave.
Now, witnessing this familiar scene, they knew Zack was also planning to recruit this young man for his team. Zack's next words to Skyler confirmed their suspicions.
"My name is Zack. I am a dual elementist with an affinity for lightning and fire."
He could manipulate more elements, but these were the only ones the original owner of the body could, so he couldn't reveal the others. He slowly turned back.
"These two are my teammates: Mila, a water and wind elementist, and Oreon, an earth elementist. I am the front fighter, Mila is a ranged fighter, and Oreon is the shield of the group..."
Skyler, who had finished drinking the water and was eating some nuts, finally feeling a bit refreshed, felt a sense of déjà vu when Zack turned back to him with a smile.
"Would you like to join our team?"