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Arlon saw blackness once again.

An empty void. Silent. Endless.

Then, the weight of realization hit him like a crashing wave.

"WHAT?! What happened after that?!" he shouted, his voice echoing into nothingness.

But there was no answer.

No response.

No continuation of the dream.

And then—he fell.

The sensation was sudden, like plummeting through the darkness. His body tensed instinctively, but before he could even process it—

He woke up.

Gasping, he sat up in bed. His heartbeat pounded against his ribs as his eyes darted around, adjusting to his surroundings.

Wooden ceiling. Dim lighting. The faint scent of herbs and potions in the air.

He was back.

Lying in his room beneath Charon's Moonlight Potion Store.

For the first time, he remembered the dreams he had seen. Not just flashes or vague feelings—but actual memories.

And yet, it wasn't enough.

He wanted to know more.

Without wasting a second, he threw off the covers and left the room.

***

Outside the shop, under the pale glow of the moon, Charon stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the stars.

The old man didn't move when Arlon approached, but as soon as he stopped behind him, Charon spoke.

"What is it?" he asked, not even turning around.

"Sir Charon," Arlon called, his voice steady but laced with urgency.

Finally, Charon turned. The moment his eyes met Arlon's, his expression shifted.

He could see it.

The questions.

The confusion.

The hunger for answers.

Arlon didn't hesitate.

His voice was steady, unwavering.

"What do you know about Efsa?"

Charon blinked.

For a moment, silence stretched between them.

Then, his expression darkened.

"Efsa?" he repeated, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief. "Where did that come from?"

Arlon kept his expression neutral. "I was just reading something about him," he lied. "But it was only half-complete."

Charon exhaled through his nose, his gaze lingering on Arlon as if weighing whether or not to believe him.

"You won't find much," he finally said. "I don't know more than anyone else. Efsa is remembered as the great hero who ended the race wars and led to the foundation of the Trionian government."

"That's it?" Arlon pressed. "What about his private life?"
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Charon let out a tired sigh.

"He lived among the Humans," he said. "And they're extinct. So, naturally, we don't know much about his personal life."

Arlon absorbed the information, his mind racing.

So what I saw… was probably the truth.

But still, could he trust it?

Every time he entered that black space, he lost consciousness. He had no control over what he saw, no way to verify its accuracy. What if it was just a dream? A fabrication?

Then, something else caught his attention.

Above Charon's head—

Three question marks.

Arlon's eyes narrowed.

What is that?

Of course, he already had an idea. It was most likely Charon's level. Normally, when someone was far weaker than their opponent, they couldn't see their level—it simply appeared as '???'.

But this was a Trionian skill.

I shouldn't be able to see other people's levels unless I activate Eyes of KET**.

A thought crossed his mind. He checked the skill's description.

Sure enough, a new line had been added:

"You can see the levels of others."

Arlon's eyes flickered.

So, the skill upgraded itself again…

This was a useful development. But for now, it wasn't that helpful.

He could already see the levels of those weaker than him. What he needed was the ability to see the levels of people above him.

But to see that, he needed to activate the Eyes of KET**, risking to be caught like he was caught by Orlen.

Still, this had its uses.

More importantly, it would help him in his act as an NPC.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Arlon nodded at Charon.

"Thanks," he said before turning to head inside.

As he walked away, he didn't notice the way Charon's face twisted into a deep frown.

---

The next day, the players' party departed from Istarra, heading toward Oceina.

This wasn't a mission or a battle—just sightseeing. A brief moment of leisure before they went their separate ways.

For a long time now, they had traveled as a large party, fighting together, growing stronger together.

It had been the most efficient way to train—almost like molding an elite squad from scratch.

But now, it was time to apply what they had learned.

To grow further, each of them had to walk their own path.

And so, as they made their way to Oceina, they discussed how they would split.

First, June would move with Arlon.

The Gamers Guild had originally wanted to stay together, but this wasn't a game anymore. They no longer had the luxury of treating it like one.

Arlon had also wanted to take Carole with him. He had seen her potential and knew she could become far stronger.

But in the end, the Gamers needed her more as a priest. Their survival depended on it.

So, the four original members of the Gamers Guild—Carole, Zack, Lei, Pierre—would remain together.

They could also separate into two groups if they wanted to later.

That left Maria, Evan, and Carmen.

After some discussion, they decided to form a trio.

Carmen, in particular, liked Maria a lot—she saw her as a reliable older sister, someone who could rein in Evan whenever his cool-headed act crumbled into reckless behavior.

Evan, for his part, also liked Maria, though more often than not, he found himself at the receiving end of her teasing.

Despite that, the group dynamic worked, and they were all comfortable with the arrangement.

Once the groups were decided, Arlon gave them a warning.

He gathered them together, his voice serious.

"There are places where Demons live. Do not go to these places without letting me know first," he said.

The group fell silent, listening closely.

"You're free to go after them whenever you want," Arlon continued, "but if you die, they'll switch places."

A few people exchanged glances.

"To track them, we need to know when you're attacking. Even if you lose, we have to know where their next destination is."

The weight of his words settled over them.

These weren't just empty instructions. These places—these hideouts—had been discovered through Arlon's painstaking research.

He had been the strongest in his past life, and because of that, he had been the one to hunt Demons the most.

If they lost track of them now, it could cost them everything.

And, of course, by this point, the Demons must have noticed something was wrong. Even Syme had been killed.

Normally, at this stage, it shouldn't have been possible for Trionians to locate so many Demons so quickly.

After laying out the rules, Arlon did something he rarely did—he encouraged them.

"I believe you can defeat all the Demons after the fourth one," he told them. His voice wasn't just confident—it was certain.

"So don't hesitate. Once you've trained enough, go after them. Don't be afraid."

With that, the planning was complete.