Isaac and the rest of the players were also surprised that they received prizes even after defeat. Only five of the players managed to get any reward, while others had to leave empty-handed.
Many were displeased, but the countdown to the next battle attracted many to try it out.
Most of the players pulled out their purple-colored tickets and ripped them in half. They disappeared and left a pile of floating pixels behind.
'74 level…' Isaac thought after seeing his new level. There were also 30 Stat Points, and he assigned them without thinking too deeply.
''Well then… See you in a week.'' King Jonathan pulled out his purple ticket from his pocket.
Queen Diana and Darth nodded at him. Isaac turned around to look at him and their eyes locked.
''You will join the next battle?'' King Jonathan asked Isaac.
''Yep,'' Isaac replied.
''Heh, good.'' King Jonathan's mouth curved upward. He felt much safer knowing that the white-haired youth would compete in the next battle. In his mind, the chances of victory became much higher.
Rip!
He ripped the ticket in half and disappeared.
Isaac took out the ticket and fidgeted it around his hands. He talked with the Black Arrow members for a short while. Then, they used their tickets and went back to the Stronglord.
Darkside and the men with tattered rags were the first ones to disappear. Most of them glanced at Isaac and wondered how he managed to escape from the Avatar.
After Isaac was alone. He glanced at the granite door, and since he had escaped the hall. He had felt some weird sensation around his skin. It felt like he was cocooned in a layer of ice and could feel a dull pain.
He shook his head and ripped the ticket in half. Then, he saw his vision swimming as his body was teleported away.
…
''Whew…'' Isaac collapsed on the bed after logging out of the game.
''How did I escape?'' He felt like there was a void in his mind that stopped him from remembering something very important.
He shook his head and sat up in his bed. Then, he saw the clock and thought that his parents must be in the living room.
That gave him an idea, ''Should I go… Check my father's office…''
At first, he thought he shouldn't, but he couldn't stop his adventurous spirit from igniting. Isaac jumped to his two feet and left his room.
With sneaky and inaudible steps, he walked past his sibling's room and moved toward Maxwell's office.
Soon, he reached the office door and saw that the room was dark underneath the door. Then, he looked around him and saw nothing except the bright hallway.
He grabbed the door handle and opened the door slowly. His heart pounded in anxiousness, and soon, he could see the office. At first, he only managed to see the wooden desk with stacks of papers piled on top and the computer monitor standing in the middle.
Isaac stepped inside the office and closed the door behind him. He didn't turn the light switch on, instead, crept toward the painting that showed his grandparents and a younger version of his father.
Then, he took it off the wall and gently placed it on the ground. He saw the safe and saw that there was a lock mechanism.
It needed a key code, which made Isaac ponder, ''What could it be…''
He knew that he couldn't waste his time. Otherwise, he would get caught. Then, he began pressing on the numbers and dialed his father's birth date.
Beep!
An ear-piercing sound came, and a red light flickered. Isaac felt his heart exploding in nervousness. The sound was much louder than he anticipated.
''Alright… It isn't his birthday.'' Isaac pondered for a second and thought about trying one more time. His finger hovered in front of the numbers, and at first, he thought about dialing his mother's birth date.
Then, he thought about typing his birthday date, ''It can't be… Right?''
Ding…
Isaac pressed the first number and continued until his birth date was on the tiny screen. Then, he tapped the enter button and was prepared to scurry away if the ear-piercing sound came.
However, he heard a soft clicking sound and saw that the safe opened!
Isaac's heartbeat increased, and he slowly opened the safe. It was completely empty, except for a small wooden box with carved symbols.
He took it away from the safe and placed it gently on his father's desk. Then, he turned on the desk light, and the area around the wooden box was enveloped in a honey-colored hue.
''Let's see…'' Isaac turned the box around and saw an opening mechanism for the box. However, it looked like he could just flip it open.
He tried it and saw the lock that kept the box closed was unlocked just from a simple flip of his finger. Then, Isaac opened the lid and saw the interior of the box.
There was an envelope and a small metallic pipe. Isaac's brows furrowed as he took out the pipe.
''Why was this in safe?'' He moved the pipe around and was amazed at how light it was, even though it looked heavy at first.
Tap! Tap!
Isaac felt his body becoming cold as he heard footsteps echoing throughout the hallway. He placed the metal pipe back on the box, closed the lid, and stuffed it back into the safe.
Then, he slammed the safe shut and covered it by putting the painting over it.
Creak!
The door opened, and a sleepy-looking Maxwell appeared while rubbing his eyes. He tapped the light switch and saw the room become bright.
''Yawn.'' He rubbed the back of his head and looked around the room. It was the same as he left it. Then, he went to the desk and began shuffling the papers around.
Unknown to him, a white-haired youth hid underneath the desk with a sweat-drenched face.
Then, Maxwell grabbed several papers and left the office while humming a song. Before stepping out of the office, he tapped the light switch and ensured that the light was killed off before leaving for good.
