Late in the morning, Max and his team gathered outside his tent, with Elena and Austin arguing with him to wake up Sky. They had been waiting for hours, but the young man still hadn't emerged.
Max hurriedly stopped Austin just as he was about to go in and drag Sky out.
"Wait, wait, guys. He must be mentally exhausted. Let's let him rest a bit longer."
Austin could only stare at him, speechless. They needed to go hunt monsters! What on earth was wrong with him?
"I'm going to activate the flying drones so our performance can go live. The academy instructed us to use them during the day so they can monitor us from the outside world. We can't afford to waste any more time."
Jenny, who had been standing with them silently watching, was the one who stepped forward with a solemn expression.
"I will wake him."
Max wanted to stop her, but she swiftly stepped aside and entered the tent. They watched from the entrance as she quickly moved closer to the figure sleeping in the distance and shook his shoulder.
"Wake up! This isn't home; you can't just sleep here for so long without a care!"
Skyler finally stirred from his position.
His first instinct was to ask his mother to let him sleep for just a few more minutes, because his entire body felt sore.
However, recalling where he was, his eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly.
"Ah... 505! Why didn't you wake me up!"
Hearing him, the system that could only communicate with him by flashing a screen in front of him was rendered speechless.
He turned, only to be met by Jenny's face, causing him to back away with a frown.
"I am awake. Thanks."
Jenny nodded, a bit startled when she saw his calm expression, which regarded her as if she were a stranger.
She left, feeling a bit complicated, while he quickly threw off the blanket and put on the sneakers that had been given to him.
Skyler stumbled when he stood up, but he quickly straightened himself before tying his bundle of elemental stones around his waist and leaving the tent.
"Let's go."
Austin noticed the bundle with him, and his eyes widened in surprise when he sensed what was inside. He frowned and moved closer to Sky while Max stored his tent.
"Can't you use your storage ring? It's dangerous to roam around with them. How the hell did you get so many?"
"No, I can't use storage ring."
"What... Do you even have a weapon?"
"No..."
"Shit! Why are you even here???"
Skyler stared at him quietly, and Austin's eyes widened. This person genuinely had no idea why he was here!
He nervously licked his lips.
"Ummm, how old are you?"
"18."
"Fuck!"
His voice rose above the normal range, startling Elena, who stood beside him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Austin ignored her and got closer to Sky, who would be nothing but dead weight for their team. However, he couldn't kick him out since Max had the final say.
"Do you, like, know how to fight?"
Skyler pointed at the elemental stones, and the dark-haired man, who was freaking out inwardly, finally felt a sense of relief.
"Good. Good. At least you can fight."
Everyone gathered, and Austin quickly activated the tiny, ant-sized drones resting in his storage ring. They began to float high above them, live-streaming everything to the outside world as they moved.
Elena moved closer to Skyler and extended a bow toward him, along with some arrows.
"I heard everything earlier. Don't be dead weight. Stay behind if you can't fight. We're heading toward a group of 2-star fire wolves with the system's help."
Austin scoffed from the front.
"I don't think he knows how to use it. Look at his hands—so soft and without calluses. It's clear he's never used any weapons."
Max glared at him, but he didn't stop.
"Killing 300 monsters isn't the real challenge in the preliminary test. The real challenge is surviving for 30 days. With no idea what might happen next, we now have a burden on the team."
Jenny frowned slightly. She didn't want to admit it, but Skyler was indeed a burden.
Skyler took the bow, his fingers tightening around the wooden surface. He wanted to get angry, but he knew he couldn't.
"I can take care of myself. I'm not weak. There's no need to worry about me."
Max looked back at him with an apologetic expression and slapped Austin's shoulder.
"They didn't mean it."
Skyler scoffed inwardly. He fiddled with the bowstring. He had never used a bow before; the only time he had was in games.
It shouldn't be any different, right?
Thinking that, he took one of the arrows and nocked it onto the bow.
The four in front of him didn't notice, but his movements were so smooth that it felt as if he had done this countless times.
Max whispered to his teammates to get ready as they arrived in the vicinity of the 2-star fire wolves. There were eight wolves in total, with a 3-star alpha in the center, sitting in an open area amidst the trees. It was a bit challenging since all the wolves could manipulate the fire element, but he knew they could take them down.
He froze when suddenly an arrow shot out from behind. It whizzed past his side and soared through the air before striking one of the wolves squarely in the eye.
All eyes turned to the only person with a bow in his hand, and Skyler lowered his bow, startled by his own accuracy.
"It's not that hard... I suppose?"
No one had time to be shocked for long because the wounded fire wolf let out an agonizing howl, alerting all the others.
Austin cursed and grabbed his javelin.
"They've noticed us!"
"Attack! Don't just stand like idiots!"
Skyler grabbed another arrow when he noticed a wolf lunging at them. He nocked it almost instinctively, his speed surprising Elena, who was watching him. Instantly, the arrow shot out, striking the leaping wolf in the neck. Blood splattered, and the wolf's body slumped down, convulsing.
Those who had doubts about his earlier shot, believing it was possibly accidental, now had no doubts at all.