Skyler had laughed as he woke up in the place where his mother had once slapped him and left—the place he had thought he had left far behind once his life had finally become stable. Yet, after that bitter laugh, he buried all his grievances, and once he no longer felt as though he was falling apart, he went to find Max Hales, the leader of the hundred people chosen by the Battle Royal.
After all, they were currently inside a trial, and he, Skyler, was a participant as well. If he didn’t join them, what else could he do?
Honestly, nothing.
There was nothing else he could do.
Because even within the trial, he had woken up as nothing more than an ordinary being.
Yet, although Max accepted his presence, Skyler’s own sister’s eyes were filled with disdain when she learned about him. Still, Skyler paid no attention to the gazes that looked down on him with such contempt.
Because he knew his place all too well.
He was merely an ordinary human, while they were powerful Lights who had been born with exceptional potential, praised by all, and had spent years growing stronger.
He only wanted to survive.
To stay alive until they cleared the trial.
So, he ignored everything else.
Still, among the many participants who gathered under Max’s leadership to discuss how they could grow strong enough to one day qualify for the Divine War, there were a few people who showed Skyler kindness.
The first was Max himself, who believed everyone deserved to be treated equally. But he wasn’t always watching, and even when he was, he couldn’t really do much.
The second was Zack, an arrogant young master who had entered the challenge in hopes of proving himself to his family. His father had disowned him after his betrothal to the daughter of a prestigious family fell apart when his so-called fiancée fell in love with another young man, publicly made a scene to humiliate him, and dumped him.
Skyler had choked in surprise when he found that the fiancée who had dumped Zack was also in the trial, and it was none other than Monica. The man she had fallen for was Max Hales—someone who didn’t even know about any of it. Or perhaps he did know and simply chose to ignore it.
The third was Charles, who had run away from home because of his stepmother and had secured his place among the chosen participants for the trial of the 100th level.
The fourth was Nate. Yes, Nate.
A half-human, half-spirit with a grumpy expression, yet a compassionate heart.
Despite Nate’s rough attitude and sharp tongue, he was one of the few who would walk over, sit beside Skyler, and talk with him whenever everyone else ignored him.
There was a time when Nate had quietly admitted to Skyler that he really hated the human half of himself and wished he had been born a complete spirit. Ever since his father vanished, he had believed that if he were a complete spirit like his mother, she and her family would no longer look at him as though he were some strange outsider.
The last two were Isaac and Yuris—one a quiet young master from a wealthy family, the other with a powerful older brother.
So, despite the hardships, everything in Skyler’s 2nd life—which had begun inside the trial—was going just fine. Although he sometimes felt exhausted enough to just collapse, he never let himself fall behind.
For even their small acts of goodwill were enough for him to survive and keep going.
But before the gathered individuals could even enter the Battle Royal to grow strong, let alone reach the so-called Divine War, a calamity changed everything for Skyler—a calamity that made his heart grow cold.
He was left behind to die when a massive blood-red crystal leading to another realm suddenly appeared and exploded near the location where everyone had camped after hearing news of a treasure, unleashing a horde of powerful, grotesque monsters.
Skyler still remembered meeting Jenny’s gaze at that moment. She had turned back at the sound. She saw his body covered in scratches, his clothes soaked with sweat. Even his trembling eyes were reflected in hers. He had never felt more wretched.
He had even called her ’sister’ in panic—something Skyler hadn’t dared to do after seeing the disdain and contempt in her eyes. Jenny had been the closest to him when he stumbled and lost his balance.
But... she did nothing.
Nothing at all.
Even after seeing the horrifying monsters closing in around him—creatures capable of crushing him with a single step—she only glanced at him once before following the others as they ran, fighting the monsters.
He wanted to shout for help. But at that time, for some reason, no other words left his lips. After all, if Jenny had wanted to, she could have saved him. But she didn’t.
And in that moment, Skyler knew he had been right all along. They were strangers.
Yet... the biggest irony?
He didn’t die.
He survived.
Because before the monsters could end him, he fell into a rift that had spread like a giant spiderweb in every direction after the crimson crystal appeared and exploded.
And that was the very first time Skyler witnessed the Spirit Realm. It was truly breathtaking, blanketed in twinkling stars and towering trees bearing huge flowers.
Yet beneath its beauty lay a world utterly foreign... and unimaginably dangerous.
Surviving the journey through the rift, filled with raging currents, had been nothing but agonizing, especially for someone like him.
He could feel that nearly every bone in his body had shattered during the journey—yet, somehow, he was still alive and breathing.
Before he completely lost his focus, the only thing he remembered was hearing a rustling sound nearby. When he woke up again, all his injuries had somehow been miraculously healed, but he had no idea where he was or who had saved him. He was alone in a shelter woven from large leaves, hidden under a massive flower.
Skyler had waited in that place for many days, hoping to meet the person who had saved his life so he could offer his thanks and ask about this unfamiliar place filled with towering trees bearing large flowers.
Yet, no one ever came back.
In the end, he had no other choice but to leave, as he could no longer find anything edible in his surroundings, unaware that a pair of conflicted crimson eyes had been watching him all this time. Only when he vanished did they look away with a sigh.