I Don't Need To Log Out

Arlon considered the bracket carefully. Unless something unexpected happened, he was certain of the outcome—he would face June in the finals.

Of course, he still had two matches to win before that became a reality.

As Maria and Liyam's match began, Arlon found himself paying more attention than usual. While he didn't generally care about other people's fights, this one intrigued him.

Maria was ranked 10th on the leaderboard, and Liyam was 11th. Their closely matched skill levels promised a competitive duel.

Maria, a summoner, relied on her summoned creatures to fight for her, while Liyam, a mage, depended on his spellcasting.

The battle was intense, with spells and summoned creatures clashing in bursts of light and sound.

In the end, Maria's advantages tipped the scales. Her higher level meant she had more mana to sustain her strategy.

Summoners used less mana compared to mages, allowing her to outlast Liyam.

Once his mana was depleted, Liyam had no way to hold his ground against two summoned creatures. Outnumbered and outmatched, he conceded defeat.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Maria returned to her seat, looking calm and composed.

The announcer wasted no time moving things along:

"The next match is June vs. Crag!"

The arena fell silent for a moment as the participants stepped forward.

It was a striking visual contrast—on one side stood Crag, a massive barbarian warrior with bulging muscles and an imposing frame. Opposite him was June, petite and unassuming.

While appearance didn't matter in EVR, many spectators couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for June.

This matchup featured a mage against a barbarian. Barbarians were known for their brute strength, high natural defense, and resilience.

However, they were also slow, and this gave June a significant advantage.

As they prepared for the fight, Crag grinned and shouted across the arena, his booming voice carrying easily.

"Was that guy your boyfriend? I saw him looking back at you constantly in the waiting room," he said, clearly referring to Zack.

The comment was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Arlon noticed Zack flinch, his face quickly turning away from the arena. Carole's expression soured, and even Pierre seemed uncomfortable.

June, however, remained calm.

"Come on," Crag continued, his tone teasing. "We all know you're going to win. I'm barely in the top 20 on the leaderboard. Why not let me at least have a conversation with a beautiful girl before I lose?"

June didn't even dignify his words with a response. She merely looked at the referee, signaling her readiness to begin.

The referee, glancing between the two fighters, raised his hand. "Begin!"

---

The match began with Crag charging forward, his heavy axe raised high. His steps were thunderous, the sheer weight of his build making the ground tremble slightly with each stride.

June stood her ground, her petite frame almost dwarfed by the sight of the approaching barbarian.

Her calm demeanor didn't waver, and she began chanting under her breath, her fingers tracing intricate patterns in the air.

Just before Crag's axe could come crashing down, a glowing barrier materialized in front of June.

The blade slammed into the shield of light with a deafening clang, causing sparks to fly. The crowd erupted in cheers and gasps at the clash.

Crag grinned, showing no sign of frustration. "A little shield won't stop me!" he bellowed.

With surprising speed for someone of his size, he swung his axe again, this time from the side, aiming to catch her off guard.

But June was already moving. With a swift motion, she sidestepped, the axe slicing through empty air. She continued her chant, her voice steady and rhythmic.

Crag tried to close the distance again, but suddenly, glowing vines erupted from the ground beneath him. They coiled around his legs, tightening and restricting his movement.

"What the—?!" Crag roared, swinging his axe wildly to cut through the magical restraints.

The audience leaned forward in anticipation as he hacked at the glowing vines, his strength breaking free in just a few seconds.

June used the opportunity to gain distance. She pointed her staff at Crag and unleashed a flurry of fireballs.

Each orb of flame streaked through the air, exploding on impact against Crag's chest.

The barbarian grunted, staggering back under the barrage of fire.

His naturally high endurance absorbed most of the damage, but scorch marks now marred his once-polished armor.

"That all you got?" Crag taunted, brushing soot off his chest as if to prove he was unbothered.

June didn't respond. She raised her staff again, and this time, icy shards formed in the air around her. With a flick of her wrist, the shards launched toward Crag in rapid succession.

Crag tried to dodge, but his massive frame made him an easy target. The shards struck his arms and legs, slowing his movements as frost spread across his armor.

His footing faltered, and the audience could see his breath misting in the cold air.

Realizing he needed to act fast, Crag roared and charged at June with all his might, his axe swinging in a wide arc.

The Roar was a skill that canceled the crowd control effects on Crag, letting him run at his normal speed.

June didn't flinch. She slammed her staff into the ground, creating a shockwave of energy that erupted around her.

The blast knocked Crag off his feet, sending him sprawling across the arena.

Before he could recover, glowing chains of light wrapped around his limbs, pinning him to the ground. No matter how hard he struggled, Crag couldn't break free this time and died.

The referee stepped forward, raising his hand. "The winner is June!"

The crowd cheered wildly as June lowered her staff, her expression calm but satisfied. She bowed slightly to the audience before returning to her seat.

---

Arlon was actually surprised by the number of skills June had but he probably knew the reason.

The Gamers Guild must have pooled their resources to invest heavily in her.

Among them, June was clearly the most capable player, and with a powerful mage leading their group, leveling up would become significantly easier.

No matter how strong a tank was, without powerful attackers, the tank would eventually fall.

Warriors were effective against single targets, but their utility was limited in other scenarios.

Meanwhile, it was still too early to heavily invest in a priest. Thus, building up the group's mage was the most strategic choice.

And with the staff Arlon had gifted her, June was now their strongest asset.

---

The next match was between Evan and Aedar. Aedar, like Lei and Zack, was a swordsman.

But unlike Lei, he wasn't among the best. Against Evan, his chances of winning were slim.

Still, like everyone else, Aedar gave it his all, fighting with everything he had in hopes of earning the coveted training reward.

In the end, the result was as expected—Evan emerged victorious after ten minutes of solid combat.

"And now, the next match: Arlon vs. Pierre!" the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.

Arlon had grown almost bored of waiting. He disliked the idea of fighting members of the Gamers Guild, the only group of players he was intentionally guiding, but there was no way around it.

If not now, he would have to face them eventually.

Both Arlon and Pierre descended the stairs into the arena.

"Mr. Arlon, I hope we have a good fight," Pierre said with his usual polite demeanor.

"Yes," Arlon replied curtly. Conversations like this were not his forte.

The referee stepped forward and raised his hand. "Begin!"

As Arlon stood in the participant seats earlier, he had been reflecting on his approach to these final matches.

Though he disliked Zack's behavior, he recognized a small kernel of truth in Zack's argument: it wasn't productive to win every match with a single blow, especially against the Gamers.

These players needed to grow stronger, and if the training opportunity could help them, he needed to ensure they had a chance to shine.

So, when Pierre charged forward with his shield raised and long sword poised, Arlon did something unexpected—he blocked the attack instead of dodging or countering.

The arena fell into stunned silence. Even Pierre hesitated briefly, surprised, before continuing his onslaught.

To Arlon, however, Pierre's attacks were laughably slow. The swings of the sword felt like they were moving through syrup, and the occasional Shield Bash posed no threat to Arlon even without using skills.

After two minutes of this, Arlon began to grow bored. Then, an idea struck him.

"Lift your shield to your left," Arlon instructed suddenly.

"What? Why would I—"

"Just do it. Move it up and to the left. You can bring it back when needed. Right now, it's blocking your arm's range and slowing your sword's arc."

Pierre hesitated, his face twisting in confusion, but he ultimately followed the advice. Arlon was the best player here—ignoring him seemed foolish.

From the participant seats, the others watched in astonishment.

"Does Arlon know Pierre? Why is he helping him?" Carole asked.

"No, he doesn't," Lei replied, equally baffled.

Zack, sitting nearby, groaned. "Why didn't he do that with me? He's been in there for over five minutes! I could've won the bet..."

"Don't be such a sore loser," Lei laughed.

---

Ten minutes later, Pierre surrendered. His stamina had run out, and he could no longer hold his shield aloft.

But for Arlon, the match had served its purpose. Pierre had learned something, and that was enough.

As Arlon walked back to his seat, the announcer stepped into the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the semi-finals are here!" he declared, the crowd erupting into cheers.