Dread pushed the spider’s legs away as they tried to stab him, and a web shot from its ugly mouth to ensnare him, followed by a ball of darkness. However, he rolled away with gritted teeth, panting heavily.
"Why... ha... and how the hell did this boss spider get so strong?! A novice-tier crystal shouldn’t have a 8-star monster, which is only present in adept-tier crystals!"
Scar barely stumbled to her feet, her head bleeding. It was clear she couldn’t fight any longer, but she still pushed forward.
"We should have searched for those two students... sacrificed them... to escape!"
Her voice came out very faint, and she began to cough up blood. She checked her storage ring and took out a vial of healing and a vial of fire Evol restoration potion.
She drank them, but her condition didn’t improve since they were novice-tier potions she had bought from the alchemist market.
Dread called her for help.
"Help me... The boss spider is almost dead. When we leave through the only exit, those two will suffer a fate worse than death!"
Scar clenched her jaw in anger and hurriedly dragged her body forward to fight. As a villain, this was the first time she felt that she wasn’t paid enough for this shit!
Never in her life had kidnapping some weaklings turned into such a disaster!
They once again engaged the spider, unaware that a pair of glowing red eyes was watching them intensely, filled with rage for intruding on its new territory.
A large body slithered from behind the silk web, encasing the crystal core. The spider, sensing the presence, trembled but could do nothing but fight under its command, having grown so strong all thanks to it.
Hiding behind a rocky structure, Skyler quickly ducked down when he accidentally met the many dark eyes of the spider.
"Why is the boss monster of a Novice-tier crystal so strong? The villains are losing..."
Charles, who was pressing his shoulder after Skyler took out a shirt he still had in his storage ring and tore it to bandage the wound, shook his head.
His face was losing color, and his breath was growing increasingly shallow.
"No... they won’t. Stay ready; we need to jump into the portal that will be created once they shatter the crystal core."
Skyler glanced at him, his eyes flickering with worry. If only he had a healing skill or spell, he could have healed him.
When he came back from the preliminary test, he should have stocked his ring with more items. But he didn’t, like an idiot. The things he had in his storage ring were all that he had obtained during the test.
"Don’t speak. You aren’t fine."
He took out a Light elemental stone from the many he had gathered during the test by killing monsters. His eyes were reluctant to part with it, but he still handed it to Charles.
"Here... I’m not sure if it would be useful, but press it against your wound. Maybe the golden Evol in this crystal will help you."
Charles chuckled at him. He grabbed the elemental stone, wondering how Skyler had obtained it since finding them wasn’t easy. After all, only one out of multiple monsters is able to form them outside their bodies.
Unaware that 505 had worked hard to find monsters with elemental stones due to its host’s obsession with gem-like objects.
He was surprised when his pain lessened a bit after doing what Skyler had told him.
Charles sighed as he stared into the air.
"I have been through worse... this is nothing. Don’t worry, I won’t die easily."
Skyler moved to observe the villains.
"Me too. Life isn’t easy."
His voice was faint, but Charles heard him. Perhaps it was because he was injured, but he found himself discussing things he had never talked about before.
"Do you think it’s wrong for someone to consider hurting their own family?"
Skyler didn’t look at him.
"It depends on the reason. If they hurt you and you can’t forgive them, then it’s okay."
He thought about Jenny... He had yet to figure out how he would act around her after what happened between them.
But he knew he would forgive her if she came to him since she was his older sister. It’s just that he wouldn’t be able to love her the same way he did in the past. A scar had formed in their relationship, and he knew it would take time for that scar to heal.
Charles closed his eyes at his words.
"I feel the same way. After my mother’s death, my father married another woman. Since then, my life has been a nightmare. I could endure going without food and being beaten until I was half-dead by that woman. But what made me miserable was that the man I called father never helped."
Skyler finally turned to him. He didn’t say anything and simply listened. Perhaps that was what Charles needed the most.
"I... was actually not supposed to enter college. As you know, as long as one has awakened a potential of 15 stars or higher, invitations to join academies flock to their door, even if they are poor. A special pass to join the Starlight Academy without any test was sent to my door but..."
He paused for a second.
"Due to my stepmother... who feared I would surpass my younger stepbrother, my father sold it, even though they both knew I needed to join an academy to survive. And since the top academy invited me, the other academies didn’t send an invitation."
"So, I worked as hard as I could to get through the preliminary test. You know... seeing me back alive, both of them looked startled, as if they wished I had died."
He opened his eyes, filled with mockery.
"I immediately went to college to have my name removed since I no longer wanted to have any relationship with them. From their expressions, I think they were also planning to kick me out of their house, fearing I had grown strong enough to harm them."