Simultaneously, in the Royal Castle, where Queen Elizabeth and the royal family lived, the guards stationed in the Royal Garden—which had been rebuilt after its destruction two years ago, when the trial on the 100th level of Battle Royal suddenly began and forcibly took away a hundred individuals—suddenly noticed something and jolted.
They watched in shock as many pillars of familiar light suddenly descended upon the garden. They were the very same pillars of mysterious light that had descended two years ago to take the participants away!
Back then, after the pillars of light vanished, no other person was able to enter the 100th level of the Battle Royal again. They couldn’t establish any type of connection with those who had vanished either. Ultimately, all they could do was wait and hope for their return.
But when an entire year passed without a single one of them returning, hope faded.
Eventually, everyone assumed the worst.
They believed that all the participants who had been forcibly taken away had probably died somewhere within the hundredth level.
One of the hundred youths chosen by the Queen who was not taken away by the trial at that time was considered lucky to have escaped such a tragedy. It was later found that, in his place, some unlucky youngster named Skyler had been taken away by the 100th-level trial. No one knew why that kid had even been in the Royal Castle, as the news related to him had been suppressed.
The Queen’s daughter, Riya Thorne, had even broken down in tears after the Queen declared her daughter, the Crown Princess, dead in the news and decided to choose another heir from their distant relatives.
Only recently had this tragic matter that happened two years ago finally settled.
But who would have imagined that the pillars of light would appear once again?
The guards ran away from the pillars of light in panic, their eyes filled with fear, yet they still raised their weapons toward the mysterious lights. However, many of them soon froze in shock when familiar figures began to emerge from within the radiance—figures they had seen disappear two years ago. One of the guards suddenly shouted, trembling as he pointed toward someone.
"That’s the Crown Princess!"
"She is alive!"
Another guard collapsed to his knees, overcome with emotion.
"A miracle! It’s a miracle!"
"Quick! Tell the Queen!"
Hearing his words, many of the guards quickly rushed toward the Royal Castle.
However, Elizabeth had already heard the noise. Her figure materialized above the castle as she watched everything unfold.
It was only when her indifferent, cold eyes landed on a familiar, slender figure behind the crowd that her breathing grew ragged.
Her expression changed, flashing with a hint of joy, and she murmured in disbelief.
"He’s also alive...!"
As the light disappeared, Max was the first to open his eyes. His golden eyes flickered with confusion as memories of entering the trial, winning it, and finally returning flashed through his mind. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had forgotten something—or perhaps many things. But... no matter how hard Max tried, he couldn’t remember what they were. In the end, he frowned in unease.
Behind him, Jenny also opened her eyes.
She remained dazed as a sudden wave of anger and frustration washed over her. The emotions were intense and inexplicable, yet she couldn’t identify the reason for them.
Monica, Elena, Charles, Austin, Isaac, Nate, Zack, Yuris, and many other familiar faces opened their eyes after Jenny. They looked confused at first. But as memories of how they had won the trial returned, they felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness along with the joy of returning. However, none of them could pinpoint exactly what was missing.
They had all returned wearing the same clothes they had disappeared in, carrying the same resources they had possessed before being dragged into the trial. They hadn’t brought anything back from it. The only fact that revealed to those watching that they had truly returned from the trial was that every one of the youngsters had somehow reached the peak of the Mythic Tier—the top of the power level in Eldoria, second only to the powerful Divine Rank.
At first, everyone stood in silence.
No one spoke.
No one even knew how to react.
Then, a cry of disbelief and joy rang out from the Royal Castle, finally jolting those standing completely still from their daze.
It was Riya Thorne.
The moment she saw Jenny, she rushed out of the castle, practically flying across the garden. She threw her arms around her and pulled her into a trembling embrace, tears already streaming down her face.
"My daughter... you’re alive!"
"Haha, my good daughter is alive!"
Jenny froze for a split second. Then, she slowly raised her hands to pat Riya’s back.
Still, there was a frown on her face.
Seeing the scene, Max closed his eyes and rubbed his brows. A smile appeared on his face as he shouted toward the sky in relief.
"Ah, we are finally back!"
Max didn’t know why those words made him want to cry. Longing lingered deep in his heart as he gazed at the familiar sky.
Everyone else standing behind him also began sighing after hearing his words.
Some people chuckled.
Some smiled.
Others wore smug expressions at having won the last-level trial of the Battle Royal.
Finally, after the initial heaviness, a faint hint of chatter drifted through the crowd.
Yuris slapped Charles on the back with a laugh before quickly draping an arm over his shoulder. His emerald eyes crinkled.
"You brat! Are you really going to pretend you don’t know me and the others after we’ve won something this big together?"
Charles hissed. His dark eyes narrowed, and he ruthlessly slapped his hand away.
"Don’t be noisy."
From behind them, Isaac stepped toward the two, casually adjusting his glasses and revealing his narrowed maroon eyes. As he reached them, he straightened his clothes, his calm voice carrying a hint of laziness.
"I’m going back home. For some reason, I’ve got a lot of inspiration in my head and want to create some new potions. Anyone wanna join me? Free ride. I’ll call the car."