I Don't Need To Log Out

Arlon stood still for a long while in the black void after the vision ended, his breath shallow, eyes locked on nothing in particular.

He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

The truth behind Asef... was far more complex than he had imagined.

A tragedy twisted into hatred. A child turned into a weapon. A brother who never truly had a chance to heal.

But even with all of that, even after seeing every memory, every step Asef had taken from the well to Trion, Arlon couldn't condone what he had done.

Understanding wasn't the same as forgiveness.

And even though Asef had been manipulated, even though Hon and others had pulled the strings and fanned the flames, Asef had still made his own choices.

He had walked forward on that path willingly. Hatred didn't excuse what he became.

Arlon clenched his fists slightly.

If it were just a matter of being deceived... maybe he could've done something differently.

But this?

This wasn't someone he could let go free.

This wasn't a path that could be undone.

A soft pulse echoed through his body. A familiar system notification chimed in the back of his mind.

[The skill Eyes of KETA* (Weakened) has been upgraded.]

[The skill Eyes of AKETA has been obtained.]

His gaze sharpened. A glow formed in his pupils.

He immediately understood what had happened.

Agema had explained it to him once—how the Eyes of KETA*, despite their strange name, worked by unlocking truths tied to major entities.

Each letter, a key. Each name, a story.

And now, the skill had changed. A new name. A new threshold.

AKETA.

He didn't need to think hard to know where the letter 'A' came from.

It was Asef.

His story. His truth. His burden.

A presence that had been shadowing Arlon's steps for far longer than he realized.

He still didn't fully understand the 'E'. That one had always been murky. He hadn't unlocked it through a revelation or emotional connection, but rather through the Adaptive Skill Core—an artificial means.

He had theories. Agema had told him that it was related to his future.

Efsa.

Earth.

Maybe even something else entirely. It could represent a connection broader than either of those, something that tied all this together.

But that was for later.

For now, the change in the skill meant something deeper.

A threshold had been passed.

A truth had been faced.

And the system, whatever it truly was, had acknowledged that.

Arlon pulled up the skill information.

Lines of text formed before his eyes, shimmering faintly in his vision.

He took a breath.

***

Eyes of AKETA

See the world through the Eyes of KETA*

Some of the effects of this skill can be turned on and off. Using more than one effect will increase the mana consumption.

- (A) Passive: Your emotions affect your strength. Warning! This feature doesn't need to be activated and is always in use unless the user deactivates it.

- (K) You can check the name, stats, skills, information, and weaknesses of weaker existences or names, as well as some stats of the higher existences. Warning! Higher existences may catch on when this skill is used on them!

- (T) You can see the levels of the others by looking above their heads. Also, you can perceive the time in the lower realm, making it seem like the time is moving slower. Warning! This skill doesn't make the user faster or the others slower. Only the time in perception changes.

- (E) You can perceive the movement in the upper realm, helping you see the future. Warning! The extent of future perception can't exceed two seconds, and the mana use will increase catastrophically as the time closes in on two seconds!

- (A) You can see through every spell used around you, analyzing them and learning their structure for casting. Warning! This feature can only be used on the spells that the user can cast!

***

The first thing Arlon noticed was the change in the name.

The parentheses were gone.

No longer was it Eyes of KETA* (Weakened).

Now, it was simply Eyes of AKETA.

Fully formed. Complete.

It wasn't just cosmetic. He could feel it. The skill had changed, and the difference was more than symbolic.

This was no longer a broken or developing ability. It was a real, functioning skill now. Whole.

And with that came a new feature.

He noticed it quickly—passive, subtle, but real.

Emotions.

That was the core of it. Just like Asef, he could now channel his emotions directly into power. Not in some dramatic, explosive way—at least, not yet.

But it was there, faint and waiting. A quiet engine humming beneath the surface.

He didn't know how to use it. Not properly.

It would take time. Training. Experience.

But there was no time left for any of that.

Still, he couldn't help the small satisfaction that settled in his chest.

It had been over a year since he'd first obtained Eyes of ***** (Weakened).

Since then, he'd uncovered stories, confronted memories, and made connections he hadn't thought possible.

One by one, the letters had come—each tied to someone, each bound to meaning.

And now, finally, it was complete.

A small victory.

Before he could think more, a new notification appeared.

[The information transfer has been completed. The user will be sent back.]

Information transfer?

That was new.

He'd seen many system messages before—level-ups, skill changes, damage reports—but never this.

Arlon frowned.

He had always wondered why he was seeing these visions. The pasts of people like Asef, Efsa, and others. The stories hidden behind titles and names.

It wasn't the skill alone. That much he was sure of.

Eyes of AKETA had evolved with each vision, but it wasn't the source. It was a recorder. A translator.

Something, or someone, was sending him these memories.

And now, the system itself was acknowledging it.

The presence of a "transfer" meant something far more complex was happening behind the curtain.

That someone had tapped into the system—EVR's core framework—and used it as a medium.

Which meant they were strong.

Arlon had learned recently that even among ascended existences, only a select few could manipulate or even access the system. Zeno was the baseline—a creation with authority.

But above Zeno… there were others. Rarer. Stronger.

The Architect of the Tower of Time was likely one of them.

He didn't know if Agema or Karmel were, either. Agema had never spoken about the system directly. And Karmel… well, he operated in riddles.

Still, even if those above Zeno were a minority among the ascended, that didn't make them few.

There were too many worlds out there. Too many unknowns. For all Arlon knew, every planet with magic or advanced structure might have produced an ascended existence.

Even if just a fraction had reached this level, the number could be staggering.

But in the end, it didn't matter.

Whoever was helping him, whether they were guiding him or just passing on a burden, they were reaching out through the system.

And Arlon had received it.

Willingly.

He didn't need to understand all of it now. He would find out more when the time came.

And then, one last notification appeared.

[Another Chance has been activated. The user is being healed.]

A familiar warmth spread through his chest. A soft tingling across his limbs. The pain, the damage, the ache of near-death—it all began to lift.

Slowly, his body started to recover.

Arlon exhaled.

Whatever was waiting when he opened his eyes… he would be ready.