I Don't Need To Log Out-Chapter 243: Forums (1)

June stretched her arms as she sat in front of her computer, the glow of the screen illuminating her face in the dimly lit room.

The air in her bedroom felt crisp compared to the heavy, almost oppressive atmosphere of the Tower.

It always took a few hours for her to fully readjust after logging out.

Of course, that was because she was there for a longer time than anyone else had noticed.

She tapped her fingers against her desk, staring at the familiar forum interface.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

It had been a while since she last checked.

Unlike other players, she couldn't just open the forums whenever she wanted.

When inside the Tower, all external communication was cut off.

She couldn't message anyone, couldn't check updates, couldn't even see if the outside world had changed in her absence.

That was the case for Arlon as well.

If he logged out, he'd be able to check everything just like she was now.

But the difference between them was obvious—he never logged out.

That meant that even she didn't know what he was doing.

She sighed and clicked into the forum, watching as the latest headlines loaded. The discussions had undoubtedly changed since the last time she checked.

The top headline immediately caught her eye:

[June and Arlon's Duo Leveling Up—How Are They Doing It?]

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Of course, people were talking about it.

With how quickly they had been gaining levels, it was only natural that players would speculate.

Actually, even though they were leveling up quickly, it wasn't as quick as people thought.

But, since the time flowed faster in the Tower, their leveling speed seemed much faster on Earth and Trion.

The second headline was no surprise either:

[Is This Really a Game? (Ongoing Discussion)]

This one had been around for a while, always lingering in the top three posts.

Players were still debating whether EVR was just an advanced simulation or something more.

And every day, more and more people started to believe the latter.

June scrolled down.

[Where Is the Secret Leveling Spot? Arlon's at It Again]

Secret leveling spot? June held back a laugh.

She had seen these kinds of rumors before.

Every time Arlon's level increased at an unnatural pace, players assumed he had found some hidden location packed with high-value monsters.

This time they were right, though.

She continued scanning.

[Can Arlon Really Be a Prophet?]

June blinked. What?

That was… a new one.

Shaking her head, she moved on. The next few headlines were more typical of game forums—some serious, some completely absurd:

[Best Build for a Dual-Wielding Mage?]

[What's the Dumbest Death You've Had in EVR?]

[Named Monster AI Is Too Good—Has Anyone Else Noticed?]

[Who Is the Strongest NPC in Trion?]

June smirked. The forums were always entertaining.

But now, it was time to actually read through these posts.

---

[June and Arlon's Duo Leveling Up—How Are They Doing It?]

"Okay, let's get straight to the point. Arlon just hit level 200.

Let me repeat that. 200.

Do people even realize what that means?

The next highest-level player after him was June at level 150 something, and only 8 other people had reached level 100 two months ago.

But if we don't count them, the players only recently surpassed the barrier known as level 100.

Not only that, but June is now level 175. That actually seems faster than Arlon's progress, but at this point, who knows anymore?

As someone who has actually reached level 100, let me tell you—it is NOT NORMAL to level up this fast after 100, let alone level 150.

You don't just casually jump multiple levels in a few days.

It takes days, even weeks, to earn enough experience to level up a few times at our level. And yet, they're just flying past milestones like nothing.

So what the hell is happening here?

Is it actually easier to level up past 150? Because that's the only explanation I can think of. But if that's the case…

Anyway, all jokes aside, I have another question.

Where the hell are WE supposed to level up once we get there?

I don't see any strong enough monsters in Trion.

Yeah, sure, Demons exist, but there are only four left, and they'll be dead long before the rest of us hit 150.

Are the devs planning to release new content once more people reach the threshold? We are already 100, devs! Release the "whatever" content.

Or... Did they give special treatment to Arlon and June?

I mean, think about it.

What if they have their own leveling ground? What if there's a secret place filled with level 150+ Keldars that only they have access to?

I am not saying that they know the devs. But maybe, since they are too far ahead of others, the devs couldn't release the new content.

But they also didn't want to make these two wait, and gave them a special map.

Well, if that place exists, it sure as hell isn't on the map."

[Post Owner]

***

- I've been thinking the same thing. The way they're leveling up is just too ridiculous. I don't care how skilled they are—there's no way they're doing this at a normal pace. [Answer]

- Maybe they're just grinding non-stop? [Answer]

- Bro, I've been grinding non-stop too. Guess what? I'm still stuck at level 103. [Answer]

- It's obvious they have a secret spot. No other explanation makes sense. [Answer]

- Then the real question is: WHERE? [Answer]

- Does anyone actually know where they were last seen? [Answer]

- Not Arlon. That dude is a ghost. No sightings at all. [Answer]

- Actually, I saw June. Three months ago. She left the front lines with a man I didn't recognize. They rented a carriage together.

Then… they didn't return it. The NPC who rented it out wasn't mad, though, which was weird.

Also, I took photos and videos of the guy. The thing is, he's not Arlon. Or at least… not Arlon as we know him. [Answer]

- Wait, what do you mean? [Answer]

- Well, we already knew that June and Arlon were a duo. Maybe even more than that, if you get what I mean.

So when I saw her leaving with this guy, I thought, Oh, that must be Arlon without the mask. But then I did a search. No one on Earth with that face is named Arlon. [Answer]

- …What? [Answer]

- Wait, hold up. You're saying there's no record of his face anywhere? [Answer]

- None. It's like he doesn't exist outside the game. [Answer]

***

June stared at the screen, her lips pressing together.

It had already been obvious that people would be suspicious.

There was no way they wouldn't notice how fast she and Arlon had been leveling. But this?

Players had photos now?

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, debating whether or not to reply.

In the end, she leaned back in her chair.

It didn't matter.

They could speculate all they wanted. No one could find the Tower—not even she would've found it if not for Agema.

And Arlon?

The fact that no records of him existed outside the game…

Well, she already knew the truth behind that—he had changed his face.

But she still decided to be more careful before skipping to the next headline.