It's rumored that in ancient tis, Trion was ho to powerful creatures like Dragons and Hydras.
The magical density of the world was also far greater back then.
However, this didn't necessarily an the heroes of that era would be weaker in the present day—their legendary achievents were not solely due to high magical output.
These heroes defeated the monsters that once threatened Trion and sohow transford them into magical equipnt.
How this was done remains a mystery, even to modern researchers ard with advanced tools.
The best they can manage now is crafting sturdy armor from hides or blending fangs into sword alloys.
Strangely, those legendary heroes, the monstrous creatures, and the techniques for creating such equipnt all disappeared from Trion's history, as if deliberately erased.
---
A man clad in knightly armor stood atop a tower, gazing down as if surveying all of Trion. Only his red eyes were visible through his helt. This man was Asef, the leader of the Keldars.
"How are the preparations going? When will we be able to reach Kelta?" he asked the Beastman woman behind him.
"If nothing unexpected happens, we should reach there in six months," she replied. "We still need to prepare for the next five months and plant the seeds."
"Make sure everything is flawless. We won't get a second chance."
"I understand. Sir, are you sure the saviors won't pose a problem?" the Beastman asked.
"Not at all. They aren't strong enough to disrupt our plans in the next six months. Even if they beco stronger in ti, we won't be fighting only on the frontlines.
There's no way they can know our plans in every city in advance."
"You're right. I apologize for the unnecessary question."
Little did they know, there was soone who, although unaware of their plans, knew their outcos.
---
Atlas Core
"Core made from an Atlas. It is not known when the Atlases lived or when this one was killed. It emits a strong aura. It had been inside the stomach of a naless monster, granting it imnse power."
"You have found a 'Monster Core'. Do you want to absorb it? The player should be aware that this process may cause adverse effects."
Arlon realized a lot of things after reading the explanation and the system's question
First of all, this was a Core. In Trion, monsters didn't drop Cores naturally
. According to Arlon's knowledge from his past tiline, these Cores were created by exceptionally powerful warriors in ancient tis.
The fact that other monsters lived in ancient tis and that heroes made equipnt from them was already common knowledge.
But even the Trionians were unaware that the Cores were the middle step while forging monsters into equipnt—this information, together with another Core, wouldn't surface for another five years unless Arlon intervened.
Even with that knowledge, no one could turn a monster into a Core or create equipnt from it.
The key difference was that modern armor and weapons crafted from monsters were simply tools—sothing hard to wear or wield.
Equipnt made from these ancient cores, however, possessed unique features, such as granting the wearer damage reduction or the ability to fly.
Arlon then considered the monster he had just slain.
Its absence from the records wasn't because it was unique, but because it was likely a weak, naless monster that randomly consud a Core to gain enough strength to threaten all of Trion.
If such a monster could grow this powerful, wouldn't he, too, beco incredibly strong?
Arlon wanted to absorb the Core imdiately. What held him back was the plural ntion of "Atlases"—it seed there used to be many Atlases.
If that was the case, why weren't there more powerful monsters or people around that absorbed these cores?
After hesitating a bit more, he decided to absorb the core.
He wouldn't be able to turn this into equipnt even if he held onto it, even the best researchers couldn't accomplish it in his past tiline.
Besides, he was a player—what harm could it do? Then he clicked Yes.
"There has been an error absorbing the Core"
Arlon's heart skipped a beat. He felt as if he'd made a huge mistake.
"Since the player already possesses a stronger magic vessel than this Core can provide, the process has been stopped to advise the player. Do you wish to replace 'Agema's Magic Vessel' with the lesser 'Atlas Core'?"
Arlon breathed a sigh of relief. The system hadn't replaced his magic vessel outright, which would have been disastrous.
He had already obtained the strongest known magic vessel. Without hesitation, he rejected the offer.
"The magic vessel of the Atlas has been deleted from the Core. Continuing the process of implanting the core."
"What process? Is there sothing else in this Core?" Arlon asked nervously.
"Granting the skill of the Atlases: Teleportation."
"What!" Arlon gasped. For a mont, he felt suffocated. Teleportation was a skill even Efsa didn't possess, and now it was being granted to him just like that. Could anyone learn these skills as easily?
But Arlon also understood how hard it was to co by a Core. There were no monsters on Trion before Keldars arrived here.
The ancient creatures had already vanished even from the history records.
Atlas was an ancient creature according to the system's explanation, aning that this core was created far in the past.
The ancient creatures seemingly had skills and when they were turned into a Core, their skills also entered these Cores.
That should be how heroes of the old could create equipnt with skills.
Of course, it wasn't possible to find Cores lying around and absorb them to learn new skills.
This was only the second Core he saw in his two lifetis even though the second one had just started.
He decided to find the other Core rather than wait for soone else to discover it in five years. Excited by the prospect, Arlon checked the details of his new skill:
Teleport: Allows the user to teleport instantly from one place to another.
"The user can only teleport to a place they have previously marked. Mana consumption increases with distance."
Eager to test it, Arlon marked the spot where he was standing, walked to the other end of the room, and activated Teleport.
"Insufficient Mana," ca the system notification.
"What? It's not even three ters away! How much mana would I need to teleport between countries, then?" Arlon muttered, frustrated.
This revelation was a blow. However, as he thought about it, a realization struck him: Atlases had used this skill effectively despite possessing weaker magic vessels.
With his superior Magic Vessel and enough mana, he could potentially beco an even greater master of Teleport than the Atlases themselves.
Comforted by the thought, he decided it was ti to rest. It had been a long day filled with gains and surprises.
Tomorrow would bring its own challenges, and he needed to prepare. He still had people to find and plans to set in motion.
Arlon didn't intend to stay in Istarra for much longer. He had to level up, grow stronger, and return ready for whatever awaited him.
---
The next day, just before the servers reopened, Arlon strolled around the city. Everything seed normal, as though nothing unusual had happened yesterday.
He was impressed by the seamless cooperation among the Trionians. If this were Earth, he doubted people would work together so harmoniously.
Five minutes after he returned to his usual NPC spot, the servers ca online. The number of people logging in had noticeably increased.
'That's understandable,' Arlon thought. 'No matter how advanced EVR is, it's still limited by Earth's delivery systems. So capsules would've been delivered later than others.'
There was another reason for the increase: initial skepticism. The groundbreaking nature of Zeno's technology made many hesitant.
Unprecedented and untested, it was natural for people to fear the idea of letting it interface with their bodies.
Then there was a third group—fantasy fiction fans. These cautious players had waited to see if anyone would get "trapped in the ga."
After no such reports yesterday, they finally decided to take the plunge.
As the new arrivals poured in, Arlon listened to their conversations.
"Yeah, I felt like I had the best sleep of my life after logging out yesterday. Zeno must really work wonders," one player said.
"I didn't even need to eat or use the restroom the whole ti!" another added.
Similar discussions were likely happening on Earth's news and social dia. Of course, Arlon had no way of knowing, since he hadn't logged out.
Soon, more new players began to approach him. Word about the Legendary Guide must have already spread.
Arlon briefly wondered what was being said about him on the forums but quickly pushed the thought aside.
This ti, he kept his delusions in check and perford his role diligently.
Of course, that didn't stop him from subtly punishing the arrogant or disrespectful players—he gave them bad advice, ensuring their overconfidence would lead them astray.
As he continued his act, a new five-person team approached him.
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