I Don't Need To Log Out

"Welcome to NEWS! Tonight, we have a very special guest—one of the most renowned game developers of our time, Mr. Dawis Trunt.

Mr. Dawis, thank you for accepting our invitation. It's been almost half a year since we last spoke about your thoughts on EVR." (Reporter)

"Thank you for having me. Yes, I believe that interview was… in front of my house?" (Dawis)

The reporter let out an awkward chuckle. "Eh—s-sorry about that. But hey, it landed me this desk job, so I'd say it worked out!"

Dawis laughed. "Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, then."

"Haha! Thank you! But let's get straight to the big news.

As many of you may know, a few months ago, the first Named Monster was slain by none other than EVR's highest-ranked player—Arlon." (Reporter)

"That's right. The entire player base was shaken when it happened. Since the NPCs hinted that Demons were the endgame, many of us thought Mr. Arlon would clear the game before the rest of us even had a chance to level up and fight a Named Monster ourselves." (Dawis)

"Exactly! But today, everything has changed.

In the span of a single day, seventeen Named Monsters were taken down by eight different players—seven of whom are on the leaderboard!" (Reporter)

Dawis whistled. "Seventeen in a day… That's insane."

"And here's another twist—these eight players have been well-known in the community since the early days of EVR. They were among the first to dominate the leaderboards.

However, many believed they had given up or slowed down, as their rankings had been gradually slipping.

But today, they shot right back to the top—and not just by hunting Named Monsters. Another Demon was taken down as well, this time by the second-ranked player, June." (Reporter)

Dawis leaned forward. "I'm honestly in awe. For months, the forums were full of people saying those top players wouldn't be able to keep up. That they had lost their advantage. But instead, they went silent, trained, and came back stronger than ever.

And now, they're leading the charge against EVR's strongest enemies. If this keeps up, they might be the first group to reach the true endgame."

"That's a good point! A lot of players are wondering if they'll ever be able to catch up. EVR is unpredictable, but one thing is clear—these eight players aren't slowing down anytime soon." (Reporter)

Dawis nodded before grinning. "By the way, I should probably admit something—I've been a fan of June for a long time. I actually joined her fan club before she even defeated that Demon."

The reporter laughed. "Oh? A developer and a fanboy?"

"Hey, I respect strong players! And June is ridiculously strong." (Dawis)

"Well, you're not alone! I'm a fan too. That said, we should respect her privacy. Unfortunately, her identity seems to have been leaked, and the last thing we want is for people to harass her in real life. So, let's move on to our next major topic." (Reporter)

The screen behind the reporter shifted, displaying bold red text: "Breaking News: Game-Stopping Bug Discovered?"

The reporter's expression grew serious. "A potentially game-changing issue has just been discovered.

For the first time, a critical bug has been reported—some players are unable to log back into EVR using their Zenos, or even other Zenos, after being PKed."

Dawis frowned. "Wait, what? That's never happened before."

"Exactly. Reports are flooding in, confirming that if two players from opposing factions fight, the one who dies cannot log back in. Their Zeno becomes completely useless." (Reporter)

Dawis sat back, rubbing his chin. "That's… not just a bug. That's a major issue. This could change everything."

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"Indeed. Right now, we don't know the cause, and we don't know if the affected players will ever be able to return."

***

"Well, that's how it happened…" June said, setting down her fork.

She was having breakfast with her family, but it felt more like an interrogation.

The previous day, she had killed a Demon—or at least, she landed the final hit. That was enough for her name to appear in the global notification.

And since her father also played EVR, he had seen it firsthand.

Now, June wasn't just a high-ranked player—she was famous.

Her name was all over the forums. Even the news was talking about her.

Her father, who had always been competitive in games, was beaming with pride. "My daughter, the second-ranked player, and now a Demon slayer! Who would've thought?"

Her mother, on the other hand, had a much different reaction. "I don't care if you're the strongest in the game—what if people start bothering you in real life?"

Her father sighed. "She's right, you know. We're proud of you, but we don't want your identity exposed to the whole world."

"It's already too late for that," June muttered, poking at her eggs. "The damage is done. Now we just have to figure out what to do next."

Her mother leaned forward. "Is there any way to change your in-game name? Maybe disappear for a while?"

June shook her head. "Nope. The system doesn't allow name changes. And disappearing? That's not an option either. If I suddenly go inactive, people will notice. It might make things even worse."

Her father crossed his arms. "Then we need a plan. It's not just random players—news stations are talking about you. That means companies, sponsors, and God knows who else will want a piece of you."

Her mother frowned. "You're not selling your face to some corporation."

"Mom, I didn't say I would!" June sighed. "But I can't just ignore this either."

Her father tapped the table thoughtfully. "Alright, let's think logically. If people are going to recognize you anyway, you might as well have some control over it. Maybe we can work with it instead of against it."

June raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I should go public? Just fully embrace it?"@@novelbin@@

Her mother groaned. "No, he's saying we need to manage how much information gets out. If you just let things spread without controlling them, rumors and false stories will get mixed in."

Her father nodded. "Exactly. If you control the narrative, you can decide what people know and what they don't."

June exhaled, leaning back in her chair. "This is way too much thinking for breakfast."

Her mother gave her a look. "This is serious, June."

"I know, I know." She rubbed her temples. "Fine. So what do we do first?"

Her mother smirked. "For now? Finish your breakfast. Famous or not, you're still my daughter, and you're not skipping meals in this house."

June rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Yes, ma'am."

But her mind was somewhere else.

She was the only one who knew that Arlon was still logged in and he was fighting against a Demon.

At least that was what she thought.