I Don't Need To Log Out

One Month Earlier – Inside the Tower

The silence before a battle was always the same.

Even in this strange, shifting space of the Tower, where time itself bent in ways no one could truly understand, there was always a moment of stillness before the fight began.

Arlon stood alone in the vast chamber of Floor 51, his gaze scanning the battlefield ahead.

It was an empty, desolate arena—smooth stone stretching endlessly under the eerie blue light flickering above.

The floating flames that lined the ceiling cast long, shifting shadows, their glow pulsating in an almost hypnotic rhythm.

No markings. No grand architecture.

Just a place meant for killing.

And for the first time since he entered the Tower, things were about to get interesting.

A system notification appeared before him.

[Floor 51, Level 1 will begin when the challenger is ready. Do you wish to start?]

Arlon barely glanced at it before selecting Yes.

The moment he confirmed, the ground beneath him pulsed.

A low hum resonated through the air as the space distorted, and in an instant—

They appeared.

One hundred monsters materialized before him, their bodies forming from swirling masses of dark energy before solidifying into tangible, living creatures.

Once again, they weren't spread across different levels of strength.

[Level 200 – 205]

Arlon didn't even need to activate Eyes of KET**.

His passive ability had already shown him their levels the moment they arrived.

He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders.

This was it.

For the first time since stepping into the Tower, every enemy before him was above level 200.

Individually, they weren't as dangerous as Kurge, the boss he had fought on Floor 50.

But they weren't weak either.

Arlon had no doubt that if an average high-level player were here, they'd be slaughtered in seconds.

Unfortunately for these monsters, he wasn't an average high-level player.

And he wasn't here to struggle.

He was here to dominate.

The moment the battle began, the creatures lunged.

A blur of movement.

A surge of monstrous roars and screeches.

They didn't hesitate.

They didn't test him.

They just attacked—relentless and overwhelming, their bodies moving in perfect synchronization.

Arlon didn't move right away.

Instead, he activated another feature of his Eyes of KET**.

A soft, golden glow flickered across his pupils as the world shifted.

The future unraveled before him—not far, not hours or even minutes ahead—just a few moments.

A second. Maybe less.

But that was all he needed.

His vision split, showing two realities at once—the present and the near-future.

In one, he saw the incoming attacks as they were happening.

In the other, he saw them just before they landed.

This was why Eyes of KET** was so powerful.

He didn't need to turn his head, didn't need to watch his blind spots.

He already knew what was coming.

His body moved before the attacks even reached him.

Step. Twist. Counter.

Aetherion's Edge flashed as he pivoted, his sword slicing through the first creature in one clean motion.

It never even saw the strike coming.

Its body split apart before it could finish its attack, black blood spraying into the air.

Another lunged from behind.

Arlon didn't turn.

Instead, he took a single step to the side, letting the beast's claws swipe harmlessly past his shoulder.

He didn't even need to glance back—his vision had already told him where the next enemy was coming from.

Another step. Another swing.

Slash.

A second monster collapsed.

A third followed.

Then a fourth.

Then a fifth.

A massacre.

The creatures tried to adapt, but they couldn't.

No matter how fast they moved, no matter how unpredictable their patterns were—Arlon was always a step ahead.

His movements were precise and calculated.

There was no wasted motion.

Every dodge, every attack, every counter was executed with perfect efficiency.

Minutes passed.

The ground was painted in dark blood, the corpses of fallen monsters littering the battlefield.

Arlon exhaled, glancing at the remaining enemies.

They hesitated now.

Even though they were driven by instinct, even though they weren't truly intelligent, they could still feel it—

They were prey.

And he was the predator.

It took him an hour to clear them all.

They were difficult. Much more than any monster on the former floors.

Also, there was no reason to waste unnecessary energy.

He fought with patience, precision, and overwhelming skill.

And when the last monster fell, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

[Floor 51, Level 1 – Cleared]

Arlon exhaled, rolling his shoulders.

His muscles weren't sore, and his breathing wasn't heavy.

If anything, the fight had been a warm-up.

But he wasn't going to rush forward immediately.

Instead, he stood still, letting the silence settle around him.

He had already realized something important about the Tower.

Unlike battlefields, he wasn't forced to continue right away.

The system didn't demand that he move forward.

It let him decide.

The time in between levels and floors was his to use however he wished.

Of course, there was no point in wasting time here.

If he wanted to take things slow, it would be much smarter to do so on the higher floors—when the time ratio became truly absurd.

If he could reach a point where time inside moved one thousand times faster than the outside world, that would be the time to rest, to plan, to take full advantage of the Tower's mechanics.

He could even spend all his time training if he reached his goal before the three months time was up.

Of course, he wasn't sure how much of it he would spend here instead of outside, with Agema.

Agema, for some reason, felt really close. He didn't have any romantic feelings for her, it was something else.

If she looked older, he could even call it a parental love.

He didn't know this, but Agema wasn't different. She also felt the same way toward Arlon.

So, he wasn't sure, but it wasn't the time to decide that now.

Right now?

Right now, he needed to climb.

This floor wasn't the real challenge.

The hardship he was facing now was temporary.

Once he passed level 200, the monsters below level 250 wouldn't pose a challenge anymore.

Right now, they were dangerous.

But soon?

Soon, they would just be experience points.

Arlon exhaled, rolling his shoulders one last time.

Then he stepped forward.

[Floor 51, Level 2 will begin when the challenger is ready. Do you wish to start?]

A small smirk tugged at his lips.

He pressed Yes.