I Don't Need To Log Out

It seemed like Agema was pleased with Arlon playing along since she smirked and motioned for him to sit beside her.

He did as he was told.

"Your guesses were mostly wrong," she said. "But you were trying, so I'll reward you. Listen closely."

She leaned forward slightly.

"It has nothing to do with levels. Not directly, anyway. Think of it like a game where you gather things."

"A game?"

"Yes. We have those, you know. Even among the ascended. And I'm the best at them. Like everything else."

Of course, she was.

"Now, let's put it in game terms. Since your brain will actually absorb it easily that way."

She raised one finger.

"What you have is a skill—Eyes of an existence—that can evolve. And you gather what I'll call evolution points."

"Evolution points?"

"Yes. Every time you interact deeply with someone or something important enough, you accumulate those points. And when you reach the threshold, you gain a feature tied to them. Along with their letter."

She paused, letting it sink in.

"The letter T was for Trion. When you learned about its past, you received the T. And that gave you two things: the ability to see levels like Trionians do, and the ability to perceive time slower.

Since your current body belongs to Trion, the second one is an effect you can only use in this body."

She was right. His current body didn't belong to him. It was something created by Zeno in Trion.

Arlon nodded slowly. That explained a lot.

"As for E," she said, "I can't tell you what it represents. Not yet."

"Why not?"

"Because the E is tied to your future. To something... or someone... you haven't encountered fully. No, you have encountered them. You even have some part of them... maybe?

So the feature it granted comes from them. That's why it lets you see the future. Or at least, glimpse it."

That was... unsettling. And also kind of amazing.

Agema smiled again, slower this time.

"And then there's A," she said. "Me. Of course."

"You mean... when your real body touched my head?"

She nodded.

"You had already accumulated enough evolution points through me, but it took meeting my real self to finalize it."

Arlon stared at her. Still trying to wrap his head around the system. It was so different from everything else he'd seen.

"Would you like to see what you received by yourself?" she asked.

There was a knowing look in her eyes.

Without hesitation, Arlon opened the system again.

And what he saw...

Was unbelievable.

***

Eyes of KETA* (Weakened)

See the world through the Eyes of KETA*

"This skill's effects were weakened to make it suitable for the player's level. Unlock its full effects as you grow stronger."

The effects of this skill can be turned on and off. Using more than one effect will increase the mana consumption.

- (K) You can check the name, stats, skills, information, and weaknesses of weaker existences or names and some stats of the higher existences. Warning! Higher existences may catch on when this skill is used on them!

- (T) You can see the levels of the others by looking above their heads. Also, you can perceive the time in the lower realm, making it seem like the time is moving slower. Warning! This skill doesn't make the user faster or the others slower. Only the time in perception changes.

- (E) You can perceive the movement in the upper realm, helping you see the future. Warning! The extent of future perception can't exceed two seconds, and the mana use will increase catastrophically as the time closes in on two seconds!

- (A) You can see through every spell used around you, analyzing them and learning their structure for casting. Warning! This feature can only be used on the spells that the user can cast!

***

It was amazing.

Since Agema was a genius, she could probably break every spell into its components with just a glance—like dissecting a puzzle without even touching the pieces.

And now, that very feature was Arlon's, granted through the Eyes of KETA*.

He could see through spells, analyze them, and understand how they worked, just like she did.

It felt like stepping into a realm of understanding that had always been closed off to him.

Also, there was only one letter left before the (Weakened) status of the skill would be removed. One final step remained.

After that, he would finally see the true form of the skill.

But just as he was absorbing all this, another thought crossed his mind. He turned to Agema again, brows furrowed.

"Wait a second. I found this skill—Eyes of ***** (Weakened)—in the same place I found A Magician's Secret."

He paused for a moment, letting the implication settle.

"So, you're the one who gave me the skill. But… why? This is such a strong skill. Why didn't you use it?"

He wasn't just confused. He was genuinely shocked. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't add up.

In Agema's hands, this skill would be devastating. She had the knowledge, the instinct, the control.

Someone like her could unlock all its secrets effortlessly. So why give it to him?

Agema smiled faintly, then shook her head, as if the answer was obvious but also not something she enjoyed explaining.

"Depending on others' power won't help you once you ascend," she said. "Ah, I shouldn't say more about what happens after ascendance."

Her eyes drifted for a moment, like she was trying to avoid giving away something important.

"But I didn't need this skill," she continued. "It's not as strong as you think it is. Not really."

Just like that, she dismissed it. Just like she had done with the spell Doppelganger, back when he was still struggling with basic combat mechanics.

And this time, she was probably right.

He was relying too much on the powers gifted to him—tools made by others, refined by others, and handed down to him.

If he kept walking this path, he wouldn't grow in the ways that truly mattered.

He wouldn't learn to read the enemy's magic from instinct or observation—he would just let the skill do it for him.

Of course, he wasn't going to throw it away. Not now, not ever. It was a gift from Agema, something she had chosen to leave for him, whether intentionally or not.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try to surpass it.

If the skill let him see through spells, then he would learn to do it without the skill. If it gave him insight into the world, he would train his eyes to see deeper than it could ever show him.

This was a gift.

And someday, he would stand above it.

As he was thinking about it, a light shaped like a girl formed beside them.

June was here.