Arlon needed to move around a few more tis, but thanks to the gathering of the insects, he reached the last batch in a shorter ti than he anticipated.
With the last of the insect-type Keldars eliminated, Arlon finally let out a slow breath, lowering his hand as the glow of his magic faded. The quest was over.
Despite wiping out thousands of them, he had gained zero experience points. It wasn't surprising.
These creatures were essentially the newborns of their kind—weak, insignificant, and offering no real challenge.
Killing them was literally like squashing ants; no system would reward that.
Still, the objective had been completed, and that was all that mattered.
The trio made their way back to the Sara Stone, retracing their steps across the sandy terrain.
The stone—or rather, the remnant of Efsa's ship—stood exactly where they had left it, its mysterious presence unchanged.
As soon as Arlon approached, a notification rang in his mind.
[Quest Complete: Clear the city of Mumba of its impurities]
Bonus: First player to complete this quest.
Another notification followed imdiately after.
[You have leveled up! (x4)]
Bonus Experience applied for being the first to complete this quest.
Arlon blinked. Four levels? That was unexpected.
He hadn't gained anything from killing the Keldars, but the system compensated him in a different way.
Before he could say anything, June noticed the glow surrounding him.
"Wait, you leveled up?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Arlon nodded. "Yeah, four tis."
June's expression imdiately soured. "Four?! How? You said those Keldars didn't give experience!"
"They didn't. But I got bonus experience for being the first one to complete the quest."
June groaned, crossing her arms. "Ugh, I wish I had cheats like you! If only I had reached level 150 before you, I could've been the first to complete it instead!"
Arlon smirked slightly. "Not my fault you were slow."
June shot him a glare but didn't argue further.
anwhile, Arlon turned his focus back to his notifications. Alongside the level-ups, there was another prompt waiting for him.
[You have earned the title: Magic Swordsman]
The mont he read the title, sothing inside him clicked. His chest tightened—not with concern, but with satisfaction.
He had been worried that the title would force him into one specific class, either as a warrior or a mage. But no—it recognized both. It acknowledged his full class, not just a fraction of it.
He quickly pulled up the details of the title.
***
[Title: Magic Swordsman]
A title given to those who have mastered both magic and swordsmanship, balancing both arts in perfect harmony.
Absolute Shield: A translucent shield encompasses the user at all tis. It absorbs the first instance of damage taken and then disappears. The shield regenerates once the user exits combat.
Mana Surge: When wielding a sword infused with mana, the user can extend the mana outward, increasing the weapon's length. The mana blade can extend up to twice the sword's original length, retaining all properties of the original weapon.
***
Arlon clenched his fists. This was perfect.
He had gained not only additional survivability with Absolute Shield, but also a major boost to his close-range combat with Mana Surge.
Though he kept his emotions in check, inside, he was truly satisfied with this result.
A magic spell left Arlon's hand, turning into a dove and flying toward sowhere.
---
"He's already level 170?!"
The voice echoed through the sleek, dimly lit conference room.
The walls were lined with holographic displays, each showing real-ti data on players, rankings, and potential recruits.
At the center of it all sat the leader of NKG, the in-ga division of NinKel, one of the largest corporations invested in EVR.
A nervous subordinate nodded. "Yes, sir. His leveling speed remains unprecedented. Even the top-ranked players can't keep up."
The leader's grip tightened around his armrest. "Then why the hell can't you find him? There aren't that many places to grind at that level!"
The subordinate swallowed hard. "Sir, we've checked everywhere. None of the starting towns, none of the high-level cities, and none of the known grinding zones have recorded his presence. We've even tried tracking movent patterns, but..."
"But what?"
"The other top-ranking players refuse to disclose his location. So outright ignore us, while others claim they don't know."
A sharp thud echoed as the leader slamd his fist onto the table. "Useless! Every single one of you!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Find another way. Secure a ans of contact—anything. We need to get to him before soone else does."
The room fell silent. No one dared to speak, but eventually, another employee hesitantly raised a suggestion.
"Sir, we've also tried searching for his real identity. If we can match him to a real-world player, we might have a way in."
"And?"
"It's as if he doesn't exist. His face doesn't match any known records. The na 'Arlon' isn't enough alone, and we have no other leads."
The leader's fingers drumd against the table, frustration evident in his expression. "Ridiculous. How does a player like that have no footprint?"
They had been after Arlon for a long ti.
And yet, despite their extensive resources, they had nothing.
Arlon had always been a target.
From the mont he started influencing the ga's balance, companies had wanted to recruit, buy out, or control him.
At first, it was just interest—a powerful player was always valuable.
But in the past three months, that interest had turned into desperation.
His leveling speed wasn't just high—it was impossible.
Even as more players crossed level 100, all they found was how slow progression beca beyond that point.
EXP gains dropped dramatically. Grinding beca exponentially harder.
anwhile, Arlon was already at level 150. And now, at level 170.
It defied all logic.
The corporations didn't just want him anymore.
They wanted to know how he was doing it.
The biggest factor was, of course, his Unfair Regressor title—the ability to stay logged in without limitations.
That alone gave him an advantage no other player could hope to match.
But that wasn't the only thing.
Agema's training had pushed him even further. Her thods weren't sothing that could be replicated by ordinary ans, and the proof of her effectiveness was clear.
Even June, who had trained under her for only when she was logged in, was leveling at a rate far beyond the average player.
This only fueled more speculation.
What trick did they have? What hidden chanic were they exploiting?
NKG wasn't the only corporation after the answer.
But even NinKel, the largest among them, had co up empty-handed.
They had tried everything—including sending people to June's real-life house under the pretense of sponsorship offers and "career opportunities."
That move had backfired spectacularly.
June had reported them to the police, and under public scrutiny, they had been forced to drop the approach entirely.
Now, all they could do was watch Arlon climb the rankings, helpless to do anything about it.
And for a corporation that thrived on control—that was unacceptable.
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