Mila noticed Skyler's bad mood and held out a dark dagger to him with a sigh.
"Don't mind Zack. Here, take this. It's the only weapon I have since I don't use one. You can use it to protect yourself later if we're busy fighting and can't help you."
Skyler muttered a thank you and took the weapon. It was light with a curved blade. The cold metallic surface gave him a nice feeling as he twirled it between his fingers.
Seeing the smooth movement, Oreon blinked in surprise. Was it his imagination, or did the way Skyler maneuvered the dagger look very professional?
"You know how to use it?"
He asked aloud, unable to contain his curiosity, and Skyler shook his head.
"No, but I used it once in a game where I played as an assassin-type fighter to get my hands on some treasure after my 'team' accidentally died... It shouldn't be any different, right? Using it in real life?"
Oreon's eyebrow twitched, and Mila just laughed. As a good person, Oreon wanted to burst his bubble and tell him that using weapons in video games, which are played with buttons, is different from reality. But he couldn't because Zack stopped them all.
"Guys, there are six monsters a distance away from us: one 4-star, four 2-star, and one 3-star. Get ready for battle."
"Skyler stay behind and wait. You won't be able to handle it if those beasts attack you."
Mila and Oreon quickly got ready. The duo didn't use weapons, nor did Zack. They left together to kill the monsters.
Skyler watched them leave as they disappeared into the trees, sighing. Why was he being treated like this everywhere?
"First Jenny's team, now them... they're all the same. Why don't they give me a chance to fight? It's not like I will die from a single attack. I know how to fight, alright."
Now that he was alone, he changed into a clean set of clothes. Just as Oreon had said earlier to him, the deep blue hoodie and dark trousers were oversized, but he couldn't be choosy at that moment.
The sounds of fighting reverberated in the distance and eventually faded as he waited for them to return.
He waited, and waited, and waited silently and patiently, but they didn't come back.
Ultimately, fed up with waiting, Skyler went to see what the hell they were doing, only to discover some dead bodies of monsters and no one else around. He blinked.
"Oh, it seems I am abandoned for the second time. Well, at least they didn't leave me in a life-and-death situation."
He let out a chuckle and toyed with the dagger in his hand. Interesting, what a way to abandon someone. He would remember this and use it in the future on others.
"To think they were the ones who asked me to join their team when I didn't even want to. It's truly laughable."
With a hum, he turned to leave, already aware of why they did what they did. He was weak and not needed; that was why.
"505, I lost my gems due to the monster wave. How about we start collecting some more now that I have a weapon?"
The system, which had been silent, instantly sprang into action. How could it forget that they still had to complete the mission of killing 300 monsters in 30 days? Many days had already passed. They couldn't waste any more time!
("Host on your left, a bit of distance away, there is a winged 1-star darkness element blackbird. It has a gem on its forehead!")
Skyler nodded and left. He heard the sounds of footsteps and paused. A group of individuals with beautiful wings on their backs passed by his side. He couldn't see their faces because they were moving very fast and left in a blur, but their iridescent wings were breathtaking. He wondered what their race was.
He had never heard of any race in Eldoria that possessed iridescent wings, except for the beast race, which had animal features—but they had bird-like wings.
"But why are they here? Isn't it usually the case that during the preliminary test, even though the testing area stays the same for all, each planet's residents are teleported to locations that are far apart? So, I should only encounter people from my planet. Or perhaps I'm mistaken. I don't have much knowledge about the Battle Royal."
Skyler muttered. He wouldn't have paid much attention, but for some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity when that group of winged individuals passed by. However, he left when the system informed him that their target, the blackbird, was fleeing.
Just like him, another individual passed in their tracks. A pair of beautiful red ruby eyes looked back. The owner frowned.
"What was that feeling just now?"
Seeing her stop so suddenly, everyone around her came to a halt as well.
"What happened, princess?"
"We need to check if any fragments are here before the test ends. What if one of them is here and we miss it?"
"Yes, we won't be able to return here since it's just a testing ground, not the real Battle Royal, once the time limit expires."
The one they referred to as the princess nodded with a faint sigh. It was likely just her imagination and nothing more.
Even though her mother, the Spirit Queen, disagreed, now that she was participating in the preliminary test of Battle Royale with her peers, she wanted to look for the scattered fragments of her incomplete soul herself.
That's why she couldn't afford to waste time, because the longer she delayed, the closer she would get to death.