Arlon was beyond shocked. The thing in front of him wasn't the Sara Stone he rembered.
But even worse than that, he knew exactly what it was.
The image burned into his mind from his dream the other day—the ship, the one that had crash-landed on Trion. The very sa ship Efsa had destroyed after it descended onto this world.
And now, right before him, was what remained of it. A residual fragnt of that legendary vessel.
Arlon's heartbeat quickened. Without hesitation, he activated the Eyes of KET**, his vision shifting as he focused on the massive object.
A translucent bubble appeared near the so-called Sara Stone, displaying a ssage in glowing script.
***
"A remnant from the great hero Efsa. It has been decomposing since the old tis and will be completely gone in three years."
***
Reading the explanation, Arlon felt a rush of realization. The pieces of the puzzle finally aligned.
Their group was far ahead in levels compared to most players.
But even if they hadn't been, Sara Marsh was a remote, high-level zone, one that wouldn't normally be discovered until much later. Given its difficulty, most players wouldn't have ventured this far until at least three years into the ga.
That ant, in the past tiline, no one had ever seen this remnant of the ship before it had fully decomposed. No one had ever witnessed this stage of its existence.
And now, for the first ti, soone was standing before it.
Arlon took a deep breath, suppressing his excitent. If this piece of the ship had remained undiscovered for so long, there was a chance—just a chance—that sothing valuable was hidden within it. Sothing even Agema might have left behind.
Turning to June, he t her questioning gaze. She could tell sothing was off, but she waited for him to explain.
"We're not just looking at a stone," Arlon finally said. His voice was firm, laced with newfound determination. "This is sothing much, much bigger than that."
The air around them seed to thrum with significance.
And Arlon knew—whatever happened next, it would change everything.
---
Rouis was filled with players.
Upon receiving the notification, every player, no matter where they were, moved toward Rouis.
So arrived swiftly, already stationed nearby, while others took longer, their journey fraught with dangers.
But in the end, they ca.
And after their saviors arrived, the majority of the NPCs—the Trionian civilians and lower-ranked warriors—moved behind the frontlines.
They were not running from battle. Each individual Trionian was strong.
Yet, there was a stark difference between them and the players.
The saviors could not die permanently, while the Trionians could. It was a brutal truth, one that dictated their actions.
Why risk the lives of those who had no second chances when there were warriors who could rise again after each fall?
Still, their retreat did not an they escaped unscathed. The battle had taken its toll, and the aftermath was grim.
Among the civilians and soldiers, the wounded far outnumbered the dead, but the loss was still felt deeply.
And despite the overwhelming number of players who had rushed to defend Rouis, there was one undeniable fact—the enemy's true strength had not been tested.
Zaira was gone.
The Demoness who had tornted Rouis, cutting down anyone in her path, had vanished before the battle reached its climax.
After the player team arrived, she must have realized her disadvantage.
Instead of facing an unknown number of powerful opponents, she retreated after being killed by lner.
A tactical retreat, no doubt, but a troubling one.
Because of this, the strongest players—Zack, Carole, Lei, and Pierre—never truly had a chance to prove themselves in this war.
They had fought. They had slain Keldars and even taken down a few Nad Monsters. But the real challenge had already fled.
After the war began, sothing else beca clear.
There was no longer a notification when a Nad Monster was killed.
This was true not just for Rouis, but for Arlon's side as well.
The system, which had once declared their victories with flashing alerts, was now silent.
Most players assud it was a sign that Nad Monsters had finally beco regular monsters, no longer worthy of special recognition—another shift caused by the top ten players who had pushed the ga's balance forward.
But those who understood the ga's chanics on a deeper level knew better.
This war had marked a turning point.
And after days of relentless battle, it finally ended.
The players and the Trionian soldiers worked together to cleanse the city, driving out the remaining Keldars until not a single one remained.
Victory, in the technical sense, was theirs.
But it had co at a cost.
Twenty-three civilians had died before anyone—players or soldiers—could intervene.
To many players, this number ant nothing. A re statistic in the ga.
But to the Trionians, it was a tragedy.
Every life lost was felt. Every na, every face, was rembered. The Gars, those who treated this as more than just a ga, understood it too.
This wasn't just another battle in an endless grind for experience. It was real.
And the worst part? There was no true victor.
No, if anything, the Keldars had won.
Their casualties had been aningless—low-level soldiers, expendable forces ant only to test the waters.
And now, the Keldars knew. They had witnessed the players, analyzed their strengths, their weaknesses.
This battle had not been about conquest.
It had been a ssage.
And next ti, Rouis would not be the only city under attack.
---
"So, should we go inside now?" June asked, stretching her arms.
"No," Arlon replied, glancing at the sky. "The day is about to end. You should log out."
"What about you? What are you gonna do?"
"I'll keep leveling up. Hopefully, I'll reach level 150 by Monday."
June sighed dramatically. "Man, that's like cheating. I wish I could stay logged in too. Won't you tell how you got that title?"
Arlon shook his head. "Sorry, it's not possible. Also, it's not sothing you could get anyway. I don't think there will ever be another."
June raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's so special about you? Ah, I don't an that in a bad way."
He smirked slightly. "It's okay, don't worry. Let's just say… it was about balance."
June exhaled slowly, as if piecing together her thoughts. "Sigh… I see. I still have so ti before I need to log out. Wanna chat a bit before then?"
"Chat?" Arlon tilted his head. "Sure. About what?"
She smiled. "There doesn't have to be a topic. Let's just talk. Tell about yourself."
Arlon hesitated, then shrugged. "There isn't much to talk about. I have no family. No friends."
June's expression darkened, and she frowned at him. "Hey! Don't say that."
Realizing his mistake, he quickly added, "Ah, not anymore. I have friends now."
She nodded in approval. "Good. Continue."
He thought for a mont before continuing. "Well, that's pretty much it. Since I don't need to log out, my 'ga' character is everything I have."
"Isn't that boring? If you lived close by, you could co hang out with us on Earth."
Arlon hesitated. "It's not just that I don't want to log out… I an, I don't, but I also can't. Due to… certain circumstances."
June's eyes narrowed. "What kind of circumstances?"
"Sorry, but I can't say." His voice was firm. "Unless there's a real danger to on Earth, I won't log out."
June crossed her arms. "So, what you're saying is, I can only see you here."
Arlon chuckled. "There's not much to see anyway."
June rolled her eyes. "Speaking of that, why don't you dispel your disguise spell? It's just us here."
Arlon shook his head. "You never know who might be eavesdropping. I should keep my face hidden—even from the Keldars."
June gave him a long look before sighing. "Well, that kind of life seems tough… but if that's what you want, I won't push."
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