It was agonizing and dark... hot and suffocating. Those were Skyler's thoughts as his heavy eyelids finally fluttered open.
At first, he was in a daze, disoriented and uncomfortable, staring into the darkness that surrounded his vision, struggling to remember what had happened. Then, the memories from before he fainted surged back like a tide, causing him to blink away the remnants of haze from his eyes.
He shifted slightly but hissed as his entire body ached. His throat felt unbearably dry, and he was extremely hungry, as if he had not eaten in days.
Ultimately, he gave up and channeled the golden Evol in his body to heal himself.
Skyler was astonished to realize that his severe injuries, particularly the deep cuts on his body, had already healed. The pain and discomfort he experienced were simply a result of his stiff and strained muscles.
He parted his lips and faintly called out to 505. There was a moment of silence before the system screen came into view.
("Host! You're alive! I had almost lost hope... since you didn't wake up for three whole days, but you made it!")
Skyler's eyebrow twitched. Why does it feel like the system is eager for him to die? This annoying system... if only it had a physical form so he could punch it.
Regardless, if 505 is still here, it means he is alive and breathing. The system's words also clarify why he felt so hungry; he had been unconscious for three days!
He narrowed his eyes and shifted his body despite the discomfort. The grass covering him, which had lost its glow, fell away, and finally, the darkness in his vision vanished.
He glanced around the small chamber. It still had a faint glow, allowing him to see, but most of the unusual glowing blue and green grass had lost its luminescence.
Sensing his movements, the white rabbit that was pushing more grass toward him let out a joyful sound and moved to touch his fingers.
Startled, Skyler pulled away, causing the rabbit to gaze at him with a pair of cute, sorrowful eyes, as if it were hurt.
'What the....'
He muttered inwardly, speechless.
That was when 505 couldn't take it any longer and decided to intervene, like the good system it was.
("Host! How could you be so cruel? This rabbit saved your life by sacrificing all the 1-star grass it had collected to form its first elemental crystal! You should be grateful!")
Skyler blinked and stared at the rabbit, pondering why an animal would choose to help him. However, he was not ungrateful, so in a gesture of appreciation, he lifted his hand to rub its head and ears.
"Thanks..."
The rabbit purred in delight. Skyler's lips curled upward into a smile. He actually liked this creature, especially its red eyes, which sparkled like rubies... so beautiful.
The moment he thought this, the rabbit distanced itself from him and shuddered, leaving both him and 505 confused. What they didn't realize was that it instinctively sensed an inexplicable sense of danger. It had tasted Skyler's blood and knew that, despite the saintly spiritual side within him that was pure good, there was also a pure dark side that had yet to reveal itself.
505 suddenly had a realization.
("I don't think this is just a normal animal. We're in Battle Royal. How could anything be normal here? It probably has powerful ancestors or heightened senses.")
Skyler nodded. But inwardly, he thought a rabbit was just a rabbit. What could be so special about it?
He pushed these thoughts aside when he recalled that he had formed his very first elemental crystal! Licking his dry lips in anticipation, he spoke in a raspy voice.
"505?... Show me my status."
("Oh, right, host! Congratulations, you are no longer a 0-star with no power! You now possess a meager amount of power!")
Skyler's eyebrow twitched, but before he could snap, fortunately, 505 displayed his status. The system was also happy to see its host improve instead of dying.
_______
Status:
Name: Skyler Ironhart
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light: 1-star (Final stage)
2) Darkness: 0-star (Final stage)
3) Space: (Locked)
4) ???
Overall Strength: 1-star Novice (Final stage)
Potential: 5-star Novice
(Currently locked due to 'Special Spirit Constitution'... Loading... attempting to retrieve more information. Failed.)
Class: None
Skills/Spells: None
_______
Skyler's eyes widened when he saw his status. His second element, the Darkness element, was unlocked! Now he could form his second elemental crystal whenever he wanted and use that element!
To make him even more thrilled, another element had appeared in his status, and it was the Space element! This meant he could unlock it in the future!
Space has always been the rarest element in Eldoria, and Space elementists are highly sought after everywhere because they are the only ones capable of creating storage rings and teleportation devices!
"505... There are still question marks under the Space element. Does that mean I could manipulate more elements in the future?"
He asked tentatively, holding his breath.
("It's the same as I mentioned before. The question marks indicate that there are more elements the host can have an affinity with, but the system isn't able to determine how many or which ones.")
Skyler's eyes sparkled, and he let out a laugh, only to end up coughing due to his dry throat. He patted his chest softly, and his lips curled into a wide smirk.
He was already a tri-elementist, but he could become someone who wields four or potentially even more!
His potential had increased as well! Granted, it had only risen from 1-star to 5-star, but it remained locked, indicating that he could enhance it in the future!
His happiness was palpable and even affected the little rabbit, but 505 just had to pour a bucket of cold water on his joy.
("Host, you are still just a 1-star who is currently losing life due to extreme hunger and thirst. Your injuries are healed, but you have lost a significant amount of blood, so you need something substantial to regain it. Please calm down and find something to eat, as I don't want to lose you just yet.")