Skyler was laughing like a maniac, caressing the golden barrier. But 505 finally appeared to ruin his mood.
("Host! I’m so happy! I can’t put it into words! Thanks to you, 505 can finally leave the boring preliminary testing ground! Now, we will climb the Battle Royal together!")
The system was enthusiastic, but it was met with a lukewarm response.
"Oh, okay."
505: QAQ
Skyler sighed because the panel and words before him vanished after 505 arrived. Even the pretty color of his barrier had faded.
He looked around, and like his, the silver barriers had also reverted to their original transparent state. 505 asked him what had happened, but he shook his head.
"Just tell me what you need to say. And when will I be able to leave this place?"
505 quickly responded.
("Host, you have established a permanent connection with 505. This link allows you to return to the Battle Royal at any time. You will start at the first level, where you must survive and find a way to advance.")
"I know this much already."
("Let 505 finish! You can enter and exit the Battle Royal whenever you want.
However, there are rules:
Once you have returned to any level of 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.
So, host, please be prepared whenever you decide to return to the Battle Royal.")
Skyler absorbed all the information shared with him. He knew they could enter and exit the Battle Royal after clearing the first test, but he was unaware of the rules.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
"What if I have cleared a level of the Battle Royal in less than 10 days? Can I exit?"
The system was speechless. People can’t clear a level in months or even many years, and here its host was considering that he could clear one in less than 10 days.
("Yes, you can. But host, there’s one rule you must follow at all costs: you can only talk about the 3,000 thrones and the one Supreme Seat in the Battle Royal.
If you try to speak about it outside, you won’t be able to articulate anything.")
Skyler’s eyes widened slightly. Now he understood why no one ever mentioned the thrones in the outside world, as if they had never heard of them! Another gray screen flashed before him.
("Host, I also have some bad news!
505 is going to miss you! QAQ! We are permanently connected, but you can only talk to me when you’re in the Battle Royal. When you leave, I will have to return to the system’s base and wait for you!")
The system was crying, but Skyler had different kinds of worries.
"What?? Does that mean I can’t see my status in the outside world??"
("Host! I thought we were friends?")
Skyler’s eyes crinkled with amusement. He never realized 505 had been so impacted by his nonsense. Hehe.
"Yes, yes, we are friends. But being able to see my status in the outside world is very important as well. You understand, right?"
505 eyed him very suspiciously. However, he still answered his question.
("You can see your status in the outside world. That is the link you shared with 505. Please quickly check your status, as two more options have been added to it: the ability to exit or enter Battle Royal.
The system shop is also open. The host has about half an hour to use it, since it is available only in the Battle Royal. After that, you will be teleported back to the place from where you were summoned.
Lastly, you have not received any additional rewards for passing the initial test, as the host’s performance was just... average.")
505 didn’t dare to say that, based on the calculations, Skyler’s performance was one of the worst since he had barely completed the 300 kill count. It was a good system, so it didn’t want to hurt its host, even though the other systems had mocked him when the assessment results were revealed.
Skyler nodded, a bit aggrieved that even after so much hard work, his performance was just ’average’, and he called out.
"Status!"
A screen appeared before him.
_______
Status:
Name: Skyler Ironhart
Elemental Affinity with:
1) Light: 4-star (Initial stage)
2) Darkness: 0-star (Final stage)
3) Space: (Locked)
4) ???
Overall Strength: 4-star Novice (Initial stage)
Potential: 5-star Novice
(Currently locked due to ’Special Spirit Constitution’. No further information.)
Class: None
Skills/Spells: (3)
System 505 Functions:
- System store: (Opened. Imagine pressing the words to access the store.)
- System points: 3710
Imagine pressing the words to:
- Enter 1st level of Battle Royal (Available)
- Exit Battle Royal (Currently not available)
_______
Skyler’s eyes paused at the white words indicating that he can enter the 1st level of Battle Royal now, and he shuddered.
"No way. Surviving without clothes, weapons, and food is very difficult... I will enter the first level when I am prepared."
He looked at the system store option and imagined pressing the words. Instantly, his status screen vanished, replaced by a new screen filled with various categories such as potions, weapons, skills, spells, crafting materials, clothes, food, armor, artifacts, herbs, mounts, and many more. A search bar was located at the top of the screen, telling him to think about what he wanted, and at the bottom, there was a tiny prompt telling him to imagine scrolling down. He did so to view all the available options.
"Wow... this isn’t just a store; it’s like a market filled with everything. I feel like I’m browsing online on Star-Net, haha."