Moore watched the last student who accepted his offer vanish. The thought of Skyler excluding a powerful dark aura was already at the back of his head. He grinned widely, his eyes shifting to the students who hadn’t accepted his offer.
"Of the 102 students, 45 left. That’s more than I expected. Haha. Now, I will wait for them to return and make me proud. Once they clear a level of Battle Royal, they can bypass the rule that prevents them from leaving that place for 10 days."
Jolted by his voice, Riruru snapped out of her daze. Her eyes widened as she realized Skyler was gone. Instantly, the aura around her spiked, and the space trembled as she increased her size to its original in anger.
The students gasped in shock, seeing a massive snake behind Professor Moore. But before they could react, she slammed her tail on the ground, and it cracked.
Moore let out a sigh, his eyes flashing with a brief, intense glow as he clenched his fist. A surge of Evol erupted from him, forming a wind barrier around Riruru, who struggled.
"What a cranky beast. Its partner just left, and it’s already out of control."
He looked back at the struggling snake. Its true form was huge, and it even made him, who had seen many tamed beasts, envious.
"But I must say, it’s magnificent."
The students staring at Riruru nodded in agreement, admiring the beautiful beast. Yet, they froze when the voice-concealing barrier Professor Moore erected earlier shattered with a resounding sound.
Next, a furious bellow erupted from the dome entrance, shaking the very air.
"Moore Isaknor!"
VP Doris, her assistant Lorian, and Professor Sinclair strode into the dome. Doris’ face was grim as she surveyed the area, her gaze finally settling on Moore, who was prepared to flee the scene.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?"
She asked, her voice icy.
He let out a dry laugh, his palm slick with sweat, because he knew he was done for.
"Esteemed VP, I found something valuable in the 40th level of Battle Royal, so I offered the students a deal they would never get in their life. Believe me, they will be grateful!"
His words were barely out before powerful bolts of lightning struck down from above, their speed impossible for anyone to track. Moore’s eyes widened and he vanished.
Doris clenched her fists in fury.
"How dare that fool break the academy rules again! This time he’s gone too far! If I hadn’t heard from my spirit about what he was doing, I would have never known!"
She glanced at Professor Sinclair.
"Put a bounty on his head! Tell the off-duty staff and the academy Lights to track that prick down and bring him to me!"
Sinclair nodded and left. Then, the VP turned to her assistant, Lorian.
"Make sure the news of what happened here today doesn’t spread. If our enemies and the other academies found out, they would jump at the chance to damage our reputation. Even the relatives of those who had vanished would cause a scene. That’s why, keep this under wraps until I speak with the principal about how to proceed."
Lorian nodded before pointing at the struggling white snake trying to break free from the wind barrier around its body.
"What about the snake?"
Doris noticed the cracked ground in the dome and rubbed her temples with a sigh.
"Handle it until its owner is back."
***
In the first floor of Battle Royale, Skyler blinked open his eyes when he felt his sneakers touch a hard surface. Before he could process his surroundings, a rather familiar gray screen flashed before him.
("Host! You have finally decided to come back! I thought I would have to wait for a year or two! 505 missed you so much!")
Skyler chuckled at the enthusiasm. Even without having a physical form, the system was able to show its excitement.
"Me too. I didn’t think we would meet so soon. But it’s good to see you again. How did you know I am here so soon?"
("Host, did you forget we share a link? Of course, 505 will be the first to know when you arrive here! Anyway, 505 isn’t sure if it should be happy that there are more skills and spells added to your status or cry knowing they are completely useless?")
Skyler blinked. Was the system being sarcastic? If yes, it was an improvement compared to the first time they met.
"You have become too chatty, 505."
Another screen flashed in front of him.
("Gasp! I am not! 505 is just stating what it is seeing in host status. And host, why are you still so weak? Have you not worked hard at all in the outside world?")
The system started panicking when it saw that its host was only at the mid-stage of 4-star! How was its host going to clear the 1st level with such pitiful power? Was its journey going to end when it had just begun?
Skyler’s eyebrow twitched.
"Stay quiet, 505. Do your job instead of worrying about my strength. Or else you won’t become the best system!"
This threat successfully shut up 505. It became professional in an instant and another screen flashed in front of him.
("Welcome, contender, to the first level of Battle Royal! Now you will start your journey to officially fight for the 3,000 Thrones and one Supreme seat above them all!
505 believe you remember the rules:
Now that you have returned to the Battle Royal, you cannot exit for the first 10 days. You cannot exit if there are enemies within 100 meters of you, if you are in battle, or if you are performing tasks.
Please do your best to survive the 1st level and cross the Gate to the next level.")
Skyler nodded with a serious expression. He already knew he wouldn’t be able to return easily once he entered this place.
"Now I am a contender, not a participant?"
("Yes, host. You have cleared the initial test, so you have officially been given the right to fight in the true Battle Royal.")
"So, are there any other rules I need to be aware of and must follow here?"
("No, other than what 505 has already mentioned. There are no other rules. You are free to do anything. Killing monsters and spirits, completing missions, and advancing through the Battle Royal levels will earn you system points as usual. The system shop will always be open to you in this place.")
Skyler scanned the words on the screen before him. This was quite dangerous. The system was practically telling him that no matter what anyone did in the Battle Royal, they wouldn’t face any consequences. This could also mean a powerful contender can kill him. He needed to stay cautious.
He finally took in his surroundings.
He had appeared in the middle of a forest, but this forest was different from the one he had seen in the preliminary test.
The towering trees here were so thick, so close together that he couldn’t see what lay beyond the trunks before him. Yet, despite the thick foliage, the area was bathed in an unnatural light. A sun, fractured into three distinct parts, blazed brightly overhead.
He retrieved a standard handgun from his storage ring. It was one he had asked his dad to buy for him, for fun... ahem, ’safety purposes’ before he left for the academy.
"505, show me my skills and spells. I want to get a good understanding of what I can do."
_______
Status:
Skills/Spells:
1) Physical Augmentation: (Novice-tier)
This is a self-taught skill. The host has learned to manipulate the Evol within his elemental crystal to enhance his agility and the power of his physical attacks.
2) Self-healing: (Novice-tier)
This is a self-taught skill. The host has manipulated their Evol to heal themselves so many times that it now moves to heal them instinctively when they are injured.
3) Object manupulation: (Novice-tier)
This is a self-taught skill. As long as the user’s Evol is in another object’s body, he can move it at will. It can only work on lighter objects currently.
4) Burning Touch: (Novice-teir)
A fire element spell, which infuses the user’s hand with fire Evol upon speaking the correct incantation, enabling them to inflict minor fire damage with just a touch. This spell is exclusive to fire elementists.
5) Water Ball: (Novice-teir)
A spell used to conjure a small, swirling ball of water in the user’s hand. It can be thrown at a target, dealing minor water damage and leaving them slightly damp. While not particularly powerful, it can be useful for interrupting an opponent or creating a small distraction. This spell is exclusive to water elementists.
6) Glimmering Spark: (Novice-tier)
A Light spell that creates a small, but bright, burst of light. It can momentarily blind an opponent or illuminate a small area, but it doesn’t do much damage.
_______
Skyler was speechless when he saw the information on the last two spells. They were the ones he had learned in the academy. He couldn’t use the skills and spells related to elements he didn’t have an affinity with.
"Wow, they are truly useless. Just guide me to the nearest monster. One that’s as strong as I am. I want to try my new weapon."