The roads were eerily silent.
It wasn't unusual for Trion's roads to be empty.
Natives rarely left their cities unless absolutely necessary, and rchants seldom traveled to the frontlines or the starting towns.
Because of this, players hardly ever encountered NPCs on their way from one city to another.
But this was different.
For the first ti, Arlon and June had stepped into the Keldar side of the world.
And the silence here felt wrong.
It was thick, suffocating, as if the entire land was holding its breath.
They had encountered Keldars along the way—scattered groups lurking in the wilderness. But these enemies weren't anything special.
Their strength was comparable to the monsters found near starting towns, and Arlon had barely paid them any attention.
A few quick battles, and they were dealt with.
Yet, as they moved deeper into enemy territory, the opposition grew stronger.
It was only natural. In gaming terms, they were advancing into a level 150 zone, a place ant for the highest-tier players.
The monsters, the terrain, the dangers—everything here was beyond what most could handle.
June, though strong, was nowhere near level 150.
Arlon, who rarely bothered to check the leaderboards or forums, hadn't even realized just how much she had progressed. If he had, he might have been more surprised.
At level 102, June was the second player in history to break past level 100.
And the gaming world had noticed.
Her na was everywhere. Forum discussions, speculation threads, ranking debates—June had beco a legend overnight. If she wasn't famous before, she certainly was now.
Which is why the topic naturally ca up in their conversation.
"I finally understand why you wanted to hide your identity," June remarked, breaking the silence between them.
Arlon glanced at her. "Huh? Where did that co from?"
June giggled. "You really never check the forums, do you?"
"I check them sotis," he said with a shrug. "But it's been a while. What happened?"
"Well," she said, smirking, "I hit level 102. And unlike you, my identity got exposed."
Arlon raised an eyebrow. "Really? Congratulations."
June scoffed at Arlon's indifferent reaction, crossing her arms as they continued walking.
"That's it? Just congratulations?" she repeated, mimicking his flat tone.
Arlon chuckled. "What do you want to say? Throw a party?"
"At least acknowledge how insane it is!" she said, waving her hands dramatically. "Do you even realize how much people are freaking out? I'm the second player to reach triple digits!"
"I know," Arlon replied casually. "The leaderboard makes it obvious."
June rolled her eyes. "Then why don't you react like a normal person? The forums have exploded.
People are debating whether I can close the gap between us, though considering you're already level 140, that's not happening anyti soon."
Arlon smirked. "Exactly. I don't get what's so surprising. You were already the second highest-leveled player before this."
June huffed. "Yeah, but it's different now. I'm officially at triple digits. Do you know how many ssages I've gotten? Guild invitations, recruitnt attempts, random people asking for power leveling? It's ridiculous."
"Welco to my world," Arlon said with a shrug.
She sighed, shaking her head. "I guess this is just normal for you."
"Pretty much. Though I don't let anyone send a ssage, only the people I know."
Their conversation continued as they traveled, shifting from ga rankings to their upcoming destination.
Arlon explained their plan: to reach Sara Marsh, a dangerous swampy region infamous for the Sara Stone.
Players who reached level 150 could interact with the stone to obtain a title quest, but since Arlon was still level 140, their imdiate goal was different—hunting Nad Monsters around the marsh.
Though the place wasn't too far away, Arlon and June were walking instead of riding a carriage.
The reason was simple, no one would rent them a carriage to move outside the border.
So, they walked for two days. That was how long it took them to arrive at Sara Marsh, including June's log out ti, of course.
The air was thick with moisture, and the scent of damp earth and stagnant water clung to everything.
Twisted trees jutted out from pools of murky green water, their gnarled roots weaving through the swamp like the limbs of ancient creatures.
Occasional croaks and rustling noises echoed through the mist, but there was an unsettling stillness to the place.
This was Sara Marsh.
June exhaled slowly. "This place is unreal."
Arlon scanned their surroundings. "Stay sharp. Nad Monsters here are strong."
The plan was simple—slay as many of these powerful monsters as possible.
June wouldn't reach 150 in ti, but Arlon would.
He was only ten levels away, and with enough high-tier kills, he could push past the threshold needed to activate the Sara Stone.
As if responding to their arrival, the marsh suddenly ca to life.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of sothing massive shifting beneath the water.
Arlon cracked his knuckles, a smirk forming on his lips. "Looks like we have company."
June unsheathed her weapon, exhaling sharply. "Let's do this."
The hunt had begun.
---
One day before Arlon and June reached Sara Marsh, at Rouis.
The sound of battle filled the air as Zack, Carole, Pierre, and Lei finally reached the outskirts of Rouis.
The once-peaceful starting town was now a warzone—flas consud buildings, the streets were littered with rubble, and the cries of both players and NPCs echoed through the chaos.
"We finally made it," Pierre said, gripping his sword tightly. His eyes scanned the battlefield, his usual easygoing deanor replaced by grim determination.
"Yeah, but Rouis is barely holding on," Carole added, her expression dark. "lner must've been fighting nonstop just to keep this place from falling."
Zack clenched his fists. "Then we better hurry."
They advanced into the town, dodging stray attacks as they made their way toward the center of the battlefield.
lner, the powerful Trionian warrior, was locked in combat with a terrifying enemy—a Demoness with an ethereal form that flickered between life and death.
Her presence exuded a cold malice, her wounds closing unnaturally fast each ti she was struck down.
Her na was Zaira, the seventh strongest Demon among twelve.
lner, exhausted but unyielding, struck Zaira down once more with a devastating blow to the chest. The Demoness collapsed, her body turning into particles.
But he didn't relax, for he knew that she would be back before long.
A Demon couldn't be killed by a Trionian; they could only be killed by the other Zeno users.
Panting, lner steadied himself, gripping his weapon tightly as he turned toward the approaching figures of Zack, Carole, Pierre, and Lei.
His gaze was wary, his exhaustion evident, but his stance remained firm.
"Who are you?" he demanded, eyes narrowing. "If you're here for fun, Rouis is no place for you right now."
Zack stepped forward, raising his hand in a non-threatening gesture. "We're not here to hide. We ca on Lord Zephyrion's orders."
lner's brows furrowed. "Lord Zephyrion? Really?"
Carole nodded. "We were sent to help."
Pierre pointed at the empty space where Zaira had vanished. "That Demon—she's coming back, right?"
lner let out a heavy sigh. "She always does. No matter how many tis I cut her down, she reforms sowhere else and returns. I can't stop her.
The saviors here are not strong enough to kill her. They die even with the wind of our clash."
This was normal since Rouis was a starting town.
Lei adjusted her grip on her bastard sword. "But we can. That's why we're here."
lner studied them for a mont before nodding. "Then let's not waste any more ti. If you can truly kill her, we might stand a chance."
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