(Real World)
Once the second Rankers’ event concluded, Leo logged out of the game, only to discover that four of his login days had been consumed by the event.
He had played continuously for 44 hours, which cost him four entire days of gaming time since each day token only lasted 12 hours.
“Sigh… The gains I made this time were worth it, but the lack of gaming time I have left is troubling,” Leo muttered as he stretched out on his bed.
He had gained 202 levels in this event, reaching level 602, which was a massive 33% increase over his previous peak state of level 400.
Leo was confident that this gain was sure to help him in his eventual battle with the Demon King. Yet, what concerned him more was the limited game time he had remaining.
“The third evaluation is just around the corner—day after tomorrow, to be exact. A lot will change then.
I’ll move into the VIP manor, and my pet will finally be born.
“I wonder what my pet will be? A legendary dragon? A mighty lion? Or perhaps some rare, unknown species I’ve never seen before?” Leo mused, feeling excitement build at the thought.
Back on Earth, he had always wanted to adopt a dog, but his family’s financial struggles meant he couldn’t afford to care for one. Now, though, things were different.
Now, he was going to have a mythical pet beast, and he intended to raise it with all the love and care he couldn’t afford before.
“I wonder if Amanda will like the pet? In the far future, when we land on Terra Nova and I meet it in reality, the three of us could become a family,” Leo whispered, his thoughts drifting to the future. He longed for the day he could marry Amanda and start a family, but for now, it was just a dream.
The Arc-Ship was still two years away from reaching its destination, and there was much left for him to achieve in that time.
But Leo had no doubt—the next two years would fly by.
Once the third evaluation concluded, his focus would shift entirely to capturing territories from the Empire and eventually challenging the throne.
It was going to be a long, grueling campaign, culminating in his coronation as the new Emperor.
“I must do it for Ben…” Leo said quietly, a wave of sadness washing over him as he thought of his late master.
The game felt different without Ben, and the constant ache of his absence lingered. To Leo, Ben had been more of a father than his real one, making the loss even harder to bear.
“I still don’t understand why that old fool helped Luke during the second Rankers’ event… He didn’t need to,” Leo muttered, his thoughts drifting to Jacob and the surprising turn of events.
At the event, to Leo’s shock, their father had fought and sacrificed himself to aid Luke. Although it wasn’t enough to warrant forgiveness, it was an unexpected gesture from a man who had always been distant.
“I’ll have to ask Luke what he thinks about all of this,” Leo mumbled, feeling a mix of emotions stirring inside.
He would have been more content if Luke had suplexed their father to the ground repeatedly, but seeing him help Luke wasn’t something Leo could easily process.
*Yawn*
Yawning, Leo stretched and got off his bed.
A new year was about to begin, bringing with it fresh challenges.
But he was ready for them all.
***********
(Meanwhile PinkLotus)
Having crossed the level 350 threshold, PinkLotus found herself on the cusp of reaching the realm of a master herself, however there were still a few requirements that she needed to fulfill before she could become one.
‘If I become a master, perhaps the gap between me and ‘TheBoss’ will decrease enough for me to challenge him’ she thought, as she began determinedly making a plan to turn this vision into reality.
For the first time ever, she had become obsessed with a man and reaching his level of strength, as although she did not realize it yet, she had already begun secretly idolizing Leo.
Although his attitude towards her was not the best, there was an indescribable attraction that she felt towards him that made her thoughts constantly linger on him.
‘If I become a master, he won’t be able to refuse my sparring request….’ she thought, as she confirmed her plans to reach the realm of a master in the coming month.
It was the start of an obsession and although her obsession with Leo was only limited to her wanting to match his strength for now, it was bound to delve into something romantic sooner or later.
Unfortunately for her however, Leo did not have eyes for any other woman but Amanda, and she was to learn about it the hard way.
********
( Meanwhile the developers )
Captain Kid reported the results of the second rankers event to his superiors and not everyone was thrilled that ‘TheBoss’ solo’d the whole event.
For those controlling the union government on the actual planet Terra Nova, this was the confirmation they always feared, which proved that the balance of the game was broken.
However, there was not much they could do about it, as there were many who now valued Leo alone more than the whole project.
“Increase the difficulty for him on his future path….”
This was the order that Captain Kid received from the higher ups, as although they decided not to nerf Leo anymore, they did decide to restore the balance of the game by making his future path more challenging.
Hence, unbeknownst to Leo, because of his performance in the second ranker’s event, his eventual goal to become the Emperor and kill the black dragon had become more difficult.