NABC Chapter 27 Earth
Chapter 27 Earth
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 Named Monster's defeat should have been sent to both the players and the Keldars. That meant Keldars with Zeno and others of higher levels could potentially come here.
Given the situation, Arlon had no immediate 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 moment of silence, during which he contemplated her words, he finally responded, his voice steady and decisive. "I will see you at the tournament."
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 Named 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 government was remarkably efficient and incorruptible. Their involvement posed no apparent threat to him.
Deciding it was best to bide his time 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 home. She couldn't log into the game on weekends, and while that felt like a shame, 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 game developer, and her mother was a physician, so wealth and opportunity had always been within her reach. But that didn't mean 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 become 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 time, waiting for inspiration to strike so she could create her own game. 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 game. 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 messaged 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.
***
Afterward, he promised himself he wouldn't just skim the book for one spell again; next time, he'd read it cover to cover.
The spell he aimed to learn now was... Doppelganger.
---
On Earth, in a meeting 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 conglomerates 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 game," Kevin explained. "Our research department is confident that this game won't be replicable for at least 200 years—unless the developers willingly share their code. In the meantime, the player base will only grow."
"And what does that have to do with us?" the manager asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If we become the strongest in the game, we'll control everything. The NPCs are powered by advanced AI, so if we dominate the game 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 some 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 some 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.