Arlon left the area where the Keldars were staying, assuming that lingering any longer would only put him at greater risk.
The notification about the Nad Monster's defeat should have been sent to both the players and the Keldars. That ant Keldars with Zeno and others of higher levels could potentially co here.
Given the situation, Arlon had no imdiate way to reach level 100. As this thought crossed his mind, a sudden sharp ache struck his head.
"What the hell is happening?" he muttered, clutching his temple.
A voice followed, soft but firm, resonating in his mind. "Sir Arlon, I am known as Lady Rael. I apologize for this intrusion..."
Arlon listened carefully to Lady Rael's explanation. After a mont of silence, during which he contemplated her words, he finally responded, his voice steady and decisive. "I will see you at the tournant."
As soon as those words left his lips, a sudden wave of relief washed over him. The ache in his head vanished instantly, and he understood that the communication had ended.
Still, Arlon was left a little puzzled. Even though he had slain a Nad Monster and reached level 99, he couldn't be certain this alone warranted direct contact from Trion's higher-ups.
But he wasn't particularly worried about the attention. Unlike many worlds he had experienced, Trion's governnt was remarkably efficient and incorruptible. Their involvent posed no apparent threat to him.
Deciding it was best to bide his ti for now, Arlon turned his steps back toward Istarra—a place he hadn't expected to see again for at least six months.
---
On a Saturday morning...
"June, wake up! Breakfast is ready!"
"I'm coming, Mom."
June was at ho. She couldn't log into the ga on weekends, and while that felt like a sha, part of her was grateful. If she could play every day, she doubted she'd ever step away from it.
June had been lucky since birth. Her father was a ga developer, and her mother was a physician, so wealth and opportunity had always been within her reach. But that didn't an she coasted through life without effort. She poured her heart into everything she pursued.
In the end, she followed in her father's footsteps, aspiring to beco a developer herself.
Being rich gave her a unique freedom—she didn't need to start at a random company or work her way up the corporate ladder. Instead, she could bide her ti, waiting for inspiration to strike so she could create her own ga. Her parents supported her fully, confident she would accomplish great things.
This freedom allowed her to explore different experiences, always on the hunt for that creative spark. EVR was part of that exploration. Whenever the servers were open, she dove into the ga. But she knew if she had constant access, she'd likely forget about everything else in her life.
She was fortunate to have good friends she could rely on. One of them ssaged their group chat just then.
- Have you checked the news? (Lei)
- No. What's on? (Pierre)
- Arlon... (Lei)
June, curious, headed to the dining table for breakfast and turned on the TV while eating.
***
The sa reporter from the EVR launch day appeared on the screen, now seated in a studio.
"Mr. Jihan, you've always been one of the most respected gars of our era. Can I assu you're not playing EVR?" the reporter asked.
"No, I am playing. But this ga is... different. I'm skilled with a keyboard and mouse, but this ga? It's my weakness, haha. I'm not great at moving my body, so I don't expect to be in the top ten here."
"I see. But you're still playing, which says a lot. Well, according to our sources, more people are playing than not."
"Of course," Another guest chid in, his tone conspiratorial. "I've never seen anything like this. How is it even possible? The technology behind this ga is far beyond anything we currently have. I think there are hidden forces at work."
"Ah, my apologies," the reporter interjected. "Let introduce our other guest, Mr. Kane, a prominent (conspiracy) theorist on Wetube. Mr. Kane, do you think a governnt is behind this ga?" (Reporter)
"Mrs. Reporter, I can't say for sure who's responsible. It could be a shadow governnt, aliens, or even God. What matters is that this ga did not co from humanity's current level of technology. And soone has already been chosen as its representative." (Kane)
"I assu you're referring to the recent major developnt in the ga. Let explain the details for our viewers who don't play the ga: a player triggered a global notification by killing what's called a 'Nad Monster.' Mr. Jihan, do you have any thoughts on this?" (Reporter)
"Yes, I was in the ga when it happened. I imdiately started asking the NPCs for information. Most random NPCs didn't know about Nad Monsters, but the stronger ones did. Do you rember the ga's intro that was shown when you tried to create your character? It ntioned the Keldars, who were the ones attacking Trion."
Players watched this intro when they entered the ga for the first ti. Of course, it was possible to watch it again later.
Arlon had skipped it since he knew the intro by heart already.
"From what I've gathered, Nad Monsters are key figures among the Keldars. It seems defeating them is essential to progressing the story—or even completing the ga." (Jihan)
Kane interrupted, shaking his head. "That's not the important part. One player is already level 99. According to my research, it's impossible to be above level 30 right now. This player must be the Chosen One—the prophet. We should..."
***
"Isn't that the ga you're playing?" June's mother asked.
"It's not just a ga; it's a revolution," her father interjected. "Once I reverse-engineer it and crack the code, it'll change the world."
"Dad, you can't even connect to Zeno's system yet. I think it's a bit too advanced for you."
"Hey, watch it, you!" he said, feigning offense. "Anyway, do you know that Arlon guy?"
"No one does. And get this—the NPCs are asking players for information about him."
"What kind of storytelling is that? If I were on the developnt team, I'd have done a much better—"
"Yeah, yeah, Dad. You're the best," June interrupted, rolling her eyes with a grin.
They continued joking and chatting until breakfast was over.
---
"Achoo! Who's talking behind my back? It's hard being at the top of the leaderboard," Arlon muttered with a smirk.
He was on his way back to Istarra but wasn't in a rush. He had done his part in informing the relevant people, and now it was ti to focus on preparing for what lay ahead.
In his pursuit of mastering designated spells, Arlon had been neglecting Agema's Book. He still needed one more spell for future plans, but he decided to learn it during his journey to Istarra.
Afterward, he promised himself he wouldn't just skim the book for one spell again; next ti, he'd read it cover to cover.
The spell he aid to learn now was… Doppelganger.
---
On Earth, in a eting room.
"No response from the developer team, again," said Employee A.
"What is their problem?" the manager snapped. "We are NinKel! How dare they disrespect our offer?"
NinKel was one of the top conglorates on Earth. Officially, they sold electronic gadgets, but behind the scenes, their reach extended everywhere.
This was why they had decided that the sole rightful shareholder of EVR should be none other than themselves.
"Sir," Kevin interjected, "it's impossible to reach the developers or their team. But there's another way."
"What is it?"
"We create our own presence in the ga," Kevin explained. "Our research departnt is confident that this ga won't be replicable for at least 200 years—unless the developers willingly share their code. In the anti, the player base will only grow."
"And what does that have to do with us?" the manager asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If we beco the strongest in the ga, we'll control everything. The NPCs are powered by advanced AI, so if we dominate the ga world, even they could fall under our influence. Eventually, we could use this power to control real-world dynamics. It's a long-term plan, but we need to act fast before other companies catch on. I propose we form a guild in EVR."
The manager leaned back in thought, then nodded. "Hmm… not a bad idea. Start the procedures. Purchase enough Zeno for the necessary personnel and prioritize hiring the top ten players on the Leaderboard. Also, form specialized teams to lock down critical leveling areas. We can't let just anyone gain power unchecked."
"Understood!" Kevin replied, already taking notes.
---
"Aaaah! Why do I have to be level 99? Why not 100?"
Arlon was close to Istarra, complaining about his level to himself. He had already learned the spell to a great degree.
He was getting used to the magic vessels, making it easier for him to learn new spells.
He had only spent two days learning the weakened Doppelganger spell.
Doppelganger (Weakened): Creates a copy of the user that can obey basic commands. The mana use increases with every change made on the copy.
**The copy will vanish if hurt due to the weakened state of the spell.
Arlon couldn't change the appearance of the copy he created, but he could modify so things.
He changed the copy's level and gave it the Sentinel's Legacy Set. Of course, it wasn't the real set—the copy only imitated its appearance.
Arlon wore so random, normal light armor instead and headed toward the doors of Istarra.
"Ah, I already missed this so much. I think I'm getting old," he muttered.
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