Skyler wore his slippers and glanced back at the LED TV in the living room. He didn't have much knowledge, but he had learned the history of the Battle Royal.
As the news anchors reported, it wasn't present anywhere in the universe but was speculated to exist in a much higher realm.
A thousand years ago, a loud and aloof female voice echoed throughout the entire universe, announcing to all its inhabitants that their universe was eligible to participate in the Battle Royal and that every planet in their universe would be linked to it. They were required to first pass the preliminary test and then complete its levels.
The rules stated that each level of Battle Royale must be cleared within 30 years. Failing to do so would result in calamities—and ultimately, total annihilation.
At first, no one took the voice seriously, but they soon regretted it when all 20-year-old youngsters with a potential of 15-stars and higher suddenly vanished. That marked the first time the balance of the universe was thrown into complete chaos.
The parents and relatives of all those youngsters descended into panic and wanted their children back. But before they could comprehend anything, the familiar, aloof female voice echoed throughout the universe once more. This time, the voice informed everyone that the first batch of eligible participants from each planet had been sent to participate in the preliminary test, and that this cycle would continue from that point forward.
Many participants died during the preliminary test; some failed, while others succeeded. Those who returned, however, had become more powerful and acquired multiple powerful treasures. They explained that they had suddenly seen a gray screen informing them of their eligibility. Without their consent, they were then transported to another place and got a weird system.
Those who cleared the initial test were informed by the system that they had established a permanent connection with it. With this link, they could return to the Battle Royal at any time. They were informed that they could now freely navigate the 1st level to conquer it and ascend higher.
Unlike the preliminary test, this time they needed to survive and complete the levels. Additionally, now they could enter and exit the Battle Royal whenever they wanted.
Those participants who failed the preliminary test could no longer enter the Battle Royal. Nevertheless, every year, new participants aged 20 with 15-stars or more potential would be teleported to participate in the preliminary test.
It was then that the universe believed the voice. Some were greedy for the treasures, while others sought the power that came with participating in the Battle Royal.
Unfortunately, the older generation that preceded its descent could not take part. Therefore, they trained their young for the future the moment their kids awakened.
Over time, everyone discovered that the threat of calamities was also real. Planets that failed to clear the 1st level of the Battle Royal within 30 years faced calamities.
With each new level of the Battle Royal climbed by a planet, they were required to clear it within the 30-year time limit.
There were limitations, however. A participant in the Battle Royal could only enter and fight at the next level if they had cleared the previous one. They couldn't access next levels cleared by others. For instance, only those who had climbed to the 10th level could navigate at that level. Moreover, no one knew exactly how many levels existed in the Battle Royal, but the people of Eldoria had cleared 50 levels so far, with their strongest Lights currently struggling to clear the 51st level.
Skyler wanted to turn off the TV, but his mother stopped him from the kitchen with a worried yet excited look on her face.
"Don't, Sky. Your sister is going to be teleported to participate in the preliminary test of the Battle Royal soon. As usual, all the academies have given their students video broadcasting artifacts to watch and broadcast the performance everywhere. I heard this channel is going to feature the Starlight Academy students."
She quickly took the remote from him and settled down on the sofa across from the TV, calling her husband to check when he would return home, planning that they would all sit and watch together.
In the past, no one could oversee what happened in Battle Royale. But with time, Eldoria, with its advanced technology, has created several artifacts that let them watch the events happening in Battle Royale.
Riya was worried about her daughter. However, the death rate in the preliminary test has decreased significantly, nearly by 95%, since the academies now provide tiny location tracking devices to their students and instruct them to group together. So, she felt confident that her daughter would be able to pass it with ease.
Amidst all her nervousness and worry, she overlooked the fact that Skyler's expression had grown stiff. He glanced at his mother and didn't settle down next to her.
It had been two years since Skyler last talked to his older sister.
He had her contact in his phone and had heard her speaking with their parents, but he couldn't bring himself to reach out.
She also hadn't reached out, and he understood exactly why. He had seen the look of shame on her face when she left that day after he awakened.
Jenny Ironhart didn't want to keep in touch with her brother who made her lose face.
Skyler had nearly forgotten that she would participate in the Battle Royal with everyone this year since she had recently turned 20.
He hummed. Such is fate. One child from the household will ascend to the top, while the other will end up at the bottom.
With a low chuckle, he turned to get some water to drink in the kitchen.
"Mom, Jenny isn't the only one. Many students from various academies and young people around 20 years old from across the universe are participating as well. The test usually lasts from a week to a month... Just how are you going to keep track of all that?"
Riya hushed him, not really caring if she could even see Jenny on TV. She simply wanted to keep an eye on everything. At this time of the day, she normally assisted her husband in the guild, but she had taken a vacation specifically for this reason.
Skyler tsked inwardly. His sister had awakened a 20-star potential, but Jenny isn't the only one with high potential, nor is she some kind of main character. So, why would Jenny Ironhart performance be the only one highlighted and broadcast when there are so many others?
If only he knew that his older sister was indeed one of the main characters on the protagonist team and that her performance, along with her team's, would be a heated topic across the entire continent, he would never have dared to think so petty.
"Alright, good luck finding her. I'm going to take a nap. Will cheer for you in my sleep."