I Don't Need To Log Out

"So," Arlon said, trying to sound casual. "Can you tell me when I'll ascend?"

Agema laughed.

And then she laughed more.

Not the elegant kind of laugh she sometimes faked when she wanted to act composed—but a full, uninhibited one. It rang through the room like bells that didn't care how loud they were.

"So, you want to ascend now?" she said once she finally caught her breath. "I thought you didn't want to."

Arlon looked away. Quickly. Turning his head just slightly, as if pretending to study the far wall.

At the same time, he did what he'd gotten a bit better at—emptied his mind. As much as he could, anyway. Focused on stillness. On nothing. On silence.

It was hard not to think about something. Still, he needed to do his best.

But he was too late.

He hadn't even finished clearing the thought before she caught it. Or at least, before he knew she had caught it.

Because Agema laughed again. Not as loud this time. But with a softness that somehow felt worse. Or better. He wasn't sure.

There was something else in her eyes now.

A different emotion.

Compassion?

Loneliness?

She looked at him like she knew. Like she'd always known. And maybe she had.

Had she also been alone all this time?

What Arlon was thinking about was nothing but the fact that he wanted to ascend for her—to see her again in the future.

But instead of diving into that train of thought, Arlon pushed forward.

He didn't want to linger in something he couldn't define.

"Will you tell me when?" he asked again.

Agema gave him a slow look. There was a warmth to it now. Like she wasn't trying to be mysterious for once.

"No. Of course not."

She said it with a small smile. Not cruel. Just matter-of-fact.

"My disciple," she continued, "I understand your intentions. And I believe you will ascend one day. But I can't help you with that."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how it works. Ascension isn't something I can hand you. It's something you need to search for on your own.

Otherwise, there would be a lot more ascended beings walking around—ones shaped by others instead of themselves."

That... actually made sense.

He hadn't thought of it that way. But now that she said it, it felt obvious.

If ascending could be taught like a skill, there would be entire organizations training people into higher existences.

"But don't worry about it," she added. "Your goal is different anyway. Didn't you promise Karmel something?"

The last words Arlon heard in the black space echoed in his mind:

Save Trion. Please.

He hadn't said the words back then, but the moment he nodded, the promise had been made.

He intended to keep it.

"What should we do now, then?" he asked.

Usually, he had a direction. A goal. Even a vague one.

But now?

Now, he had no idea.

"Now?" Agema tilted her head. "We wait."

"For?"

"June, of course."

A small pfft slipped from her lips, barely audible.

But then—just like that—her face snapped back into something completely serious. So fast that even at level 300, Arlon almost missed it.

Way to use ascended powers.

---

They ended up talking about different things for a while.

It was easier than Arlon expected.

He told her about the Tower. About everything he'd gone through—the endless climb, the battles, the floors that made no sense, and the silence between fights.

He told her about Jiroeki and the Architect.

That part interested her. A lot.

Especially when it came to time.

Agema had always been talented with magic, but she had a particular affinity for time magic.

So when Arlon mentioned the strange temporal layering inside the Tower, or the swirling mana streams beneath each floor, she leaned in.

Asked questions.

Listened.

Her focus was sharp, like she was trying to memorize every detail for herself.

But before long, she brought the conversation somewhere else.

"It's weird," she said, suddenly. "I thought you'd ask about my gift."

"Your gift?" Arlon didn't know what she was talking about.

Was she talking about her letting him sleep on her lap?

No, Agema wouldn't tease him that way; she was serious.

"No," she said, reading his thoughts. "I mean my real gift. Or, well, not mine exactly. My main body's."

Arlon thought back to the black world. Only then did he remember what had happened.

Just before Agema's real body and Arlon parted, a notification rang in his mind.

His eyes widened.

He opened the system immediately, almost without thinking.

And there it was:

[The skill, Eyes of KET** (Weakened) has been upgraded into Eyes of KETA* (Weakened)]

"What?"

Arlon was shocked to learn the skill had been upgraded.

He hadn't done anything. Or maybe he did?

Did becoming level 300 count?

He didn't know why some letters opened anyway.

He immediately started thinking about what he knew.

When he learned about Karmel, the letter K opened.

When he learned the past of Trion, the letter T opened.

He didn't know why the word E opened. He had used the adaptive skill core on the skill and the letter E opened.

And A...

The letter A had appeared when the real Agema petted his head.

Had she done something?

Was it her interaction? Or simply her presence?

Did the name originally include these letters, and Arlon was just lucky?

Or maybe this was the part of his destiny. The road ahead had already been seen through the Eyes of KETA*, and the letters had been chosen.

But when he checked the skill description after the third letter was opened, he saw for the first time that each letter had a specific purpose.

It was too confusing, and Arlon only had questions.

So Arlon turned toward Agema again.

Looking for answers.

She was already smiling.

"Hehe. Of course, you'd come to me," she said. "The dictionary."

She was mocking him again, probably for calling her a dictionary that didn't reveal anything in his mind before in the black space.

So Arlon bowed his head with mock seriousness.

"I'm sorry, master," he said, playing along. "For calling you a dictionary. Please teach me your ancient knowledge."