I Don't Need To Log Out

Arlon stood at the edge of the 90th floor, his body still as the remnants of his latest training session faded from the air.

How long had it been now?

He didn't need to check. He could feel it.

Outside, it was 13:00 PM.

That meant he had only six more hours.

It wasn't just a random time limit. He had issued this challenge to himself—a deadline to return.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this wasn't just a challenge.

It was a subconscious desire.

Arlon exhaled, his breath steady despite the weight settling in his chest.

He had spent years here.

At first, it hadn't mattered. He had been alone before, for ten years straight, and it hadn't broken him. It hadn't even felt strange. But something had changed.

Maybe it was after meeting Agema again.

Maybe it was after befriending the others.

Whatever it was, the isolation didn't feel the same anymore.

He could lie to himself and say that he was fine with it, that he was still the same person who could spend decades training alone. But that wasn't the truth.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, the time he had spent here had been too long.

Far too long.

It wasn't just that he was alone.

It was that after tasting what it was like to have people again—people who knew him, people who spoke to him, people who mattered—being alone felt different.

It felt heavier.

His gaze drifted to the empty expanse before him, the vast floor stretching endlessly in all directions.

He had spent decades in this Tower. He didn't even know anymore. He stopped counting at some point.

And yet, outside, it had barely been two months and a week.

Two months.

A time so short that anyone else wouldn't have noticed it pass. But for him?

He had lived through more than most would in a lifetime.

That strange dissonance still clung to him.

He remembered everything outside as if it had happened yesterday.

He could recall every conversation, every battle, every moment—fresh, untainted by the passage of time.

And yet, at the same time, he remembered every single day he had spent here.

Every training session.

Every battle.

Every second of silence.

It was an impossible contradiction.

He had lived through so much here, but the outside world had barely moved.

It was unnatural.

And now, he wanted to leave.

Even if he could stay.

Even if he could spend decades more refining himself, sharpening his skills, ensuring his absolute victory—he didn't want to anymore.

If he were absolutely certain that the Tower ended at floor 100, maybe he could find the ambition to continue.

Maybe he could push himself further, knowing the end was within reach.

But Jiroeki hadn't told him how many floors there were.

And that uncertainty changed everything.

Arlon clenched his fists, his expression unreadable.

What if the Tower had no end?

What if the floors stretched endlessly, one after another, with no final destination waiting for him?

Then what?

Would he keep going?

Would he spend another decade? Another century?

No.

That wasn't who he was.

His fingers loosened. His body relaxed.

He had made up his mind.

It had been over two years since he had cleared Floor 90.

He would climb now.

If he lost, then he lost.

He would revive in Trion, and that would be that.

If he won, then he would keep going.

Since time would be readjusted once again, he would desire to move forward a bit more.

But no matter what happened, he wouldn't waste more time.

Arlon took one last breath, steady and measured.

Then, without hesitation, he opened the system notification in front of him.

The words were still there, waiting for his decision.

[Would you like to proceed to the next level?]

His gaze lingered on the text for only a second.

Then—

He said, "Yes."

---

As soon as Arlon stepped onto Floor 91, the change was immediate.

Just like before, the challenge started the moment he entered.

But something was different.

His instincts screamed at him before his mind could even process it.

There was only one monster.

The summoning light had flared, but instead of the usual swarm of enemies, a single figure emerged from the depths of the arena.

Arlon narrowed his eyes.

One monster?

That didn't make sense.

His fingers twitched at his side as he kept his stance steady. This wasn't like Floor 90.

The Tower had followed a strict pattern in its structure—three stages, each summoning increasing numbers of monsters.

But now, instead of hundreds appearing at once, only one had shown itself.

A heavy silence filled the air.

Only then did he glance at the notification.

And the moment he read it, his back felt like someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him.

[Challenger, the challenge in Floor 91 will start now.]

He froze.

His mind reeled, his thoughts racing faster than he could control.

Not Level 1 of Floor 91.

Just Floor 91.

The wording was wrong.

Immediately, the first thought that struck him was—The bug is back.

His pulse pounded in his ears as he clenched his jaw.

No.

The Tower was supposed to have been repaired.

What happened?

For a brief second, the memories of the chaotic mess from before flashed in his mind—monsters appearing where they shouldn't, rules breaking, the very structure of the Tower crumbling under an error.

But before he could panic, he forced himself to focus.

He could think about that later.

Right now, he needed to know what he was up against since the last time the Tower was broken, the monsters came in random levels.

And after level 300, the random levels were dangerous.

Without hesitation, he activated Eyes of KET**.

Unlike the previous boss, the moment his vision sharpened, far more details were revealed.

The information screen expanded before him.

***

Name: Zar'veth

Level: 300

Race: ???

Abilities: ???

Weaknesses: ???

"*****+%)********''+!*?*****"

***

Level 300.

It wasn't at a higher level than the boss before, at the very least.

But still, a full step beyond him.

His fingers curled slightly, tension settling into his muscles.

And yet, that wasn't what shocked him the most.

He could see the level.

And the name slot was visible.