The more Zack thought about how he had wasted so much time searching for Skyler, the more annoyed he became.
Suddenly, he moved, wanting to snatch the remaining nuts from the ash-brown-haired youth who seemed to be done eating and looked satisfied. But before he could, the latter stored the pack in his storage ring.
'Damn it! Did he sense my intentions?'
Skyler didn't notice the myriad of emotions that crossed Zack's face. He had long since turned his gaze away and was checking his storage ring—the one his parents had gifted him previously—but he could only use it now that he could harness Evol.
He smiled when he saw that his ring had ample space, equal to that of a standard room, about 10 to 12 feet. It looked like his parents had gotten him an expensive ring. At least something good had happened.
Seeing his smile, Mila giggled.
'How pretty... he looks so good when he smiles. It's even more beautiful than Max, the most famous student in our year.'
Her thoughts were interrupted when Zack suddenly clapped his hands with a curt and annoyed expression, as if his earlier polite demeanor was nothing but a facade.
"Okay, Skyler, since you aren't useful, just stay back and don't join the battle until we get some spells for you. Everyone, hurry up! What are you wasting time for? We need to complete our kill count."
With that, Zack turned with a click of his tongue, ready to go fight some monsters. He wanted a good healer for his team, not someone he had to teach even the basics!
Mila and Oreon stood up and hurriedly dusted off their clothes to follow him, a bit surprised because they had thought they would give Skyler some time to rest. But they didn't question his decision, as Zack was the strongest among them.
Skyler stood up as well. He wanted to dust off his clothes but, seeing their state, could only sigh. Thanks to the water and nuts, he no longer felt hungry or tired.
He called out to Zack.
"Wait, I'll do my best to be the healer. You're the team leader, right? Can you give me a few pairs of clothes and shoes if you have any extras? I don't have anything with me."
Zack nearly tripped. Not one, this jerk was asking for a few pairs directly?? Really? Of course, as a man with no shame, he would never admit that it was his own fault that the boy ended up here without anything.
Skyler followed them. He knew he was being somewhat brazen by asking for so much when they had just met a while ago, but he had nothing with him. So this time, he wanted to get some clothes and shoes to prepare for any future situations.
Zack flashed him a polite smile, but his words were anything but kind.
"My clothes won't fit you. You're too short. And my shoes are too big as well."
Skyler froze. One thing he didn't like was people mentioning his height. He knew he was a bit shorter than most for his age. A vein flared on his forehead, and he clenched his fists tightly. His impression of Zack had just plummeted to rock bottom.
"Just say it; you don't want to give. There's no need to make excuses."
Zack looked at him with a wounded expression, as if he truly meant no harm. Seeing the fake look that couldn't even fool a child, Skyler felt an urge to punch him.
Oreon intervened, sensing that they were about to fight, and quickly offered Skyler a few pairs of shoes and clothes.
"They are a bit large since I am on the muscular side, but they are new. I have plenty, so you can take them."
Skyler discarded his only sneaker since he could not find the other and quickly put on one of the pairs of dark shoes. He stored the rest in his storage ring and murmured a sincere thanks. Yet, his anger simmered just beneath the surface. On his hit list, Zack's name was written in bold red.
He was the one who asked him to join his team. But after realizing he was useless, he changed his colors? That's it, isn't it?
If he ever got the chance, he was going to make this hypocritical bastard suffer.
'I am sure if he knew my potential, he would not have even asked me to join his team!'
505, who had been grappling with the fact that its host possessed the ability to use the mark of 'Emblem of Gratitude,' just had to show up and poke its nosy self at this very moment to further fuel his anger.
("Host... I was wondering, are you sure you are human? Should I check your race? You just need to give me permission...")
It was startled when Skyler shattered the screen into fragments with his hands. The system vanished instantly. Its host was truly scary! This time, 505 meant it literally, as it had witnessed not long ago that its host was no ordinary human!