Before Arlan's boots touched the moss-slicked earth outside the city gates, there was a final moment of weighted silence.
In the dim light of their rented room, Arlan placed a heavy leather pouch on the wooden table. The sharp, metallic clink of gold coins and the rustle of preserved rations was a grim guarantee.
"Mom, listen," Arlan gripped her shoulders, staring into her vacant eyes. "In this bag, there's Gold for rent and food. I've also stocked the kitchen storage with supplies that won't spoil because of the system."
He shook his head slowly. "If I stay here and just become an NPC, we're just waiting for the system to delete us. I have to find out why Jakarta changed. I have to find a way to take us home... or at least make sure we stay alive."
He pulled her into a brief embrace. As he stepped out and closed the door, his expression turned cold and focused.
Walking through the tenement hallways, Arlan checked his inventory: potions, whetstones, and detection scrolls. As a former hardcore player, he knew what the Guilds didn't: Rare Item Spawn Points.
"Stasiun Kota," Arlan whispered. "There has to be something there. A Hidden Boss that drops a Magic Circuit for a Sword Magician."
With his black cloak snapping in the wind, Arlan crossed the North Gate and plunged into the concrete jungle. He was no longer a shut-in; he was a Player hunting for reality.
The darkness around Kota Tua was suffocating. Rusted railway tracks were encrusted with jagged, violet mana crystals. Arlan didn't rush for the heart of the station. He knew the rule: never challenge a boss on an empty experience bar.
For three days and three nights, Arlan turned the outer platforms into a slaughterhouse.
[LEVEL UP! 12 -> 13]
[LEVEL UP! 13 -> 14]
[LEVEL UP! 14 -> 15]
With his rising level, new skills began to unlock. "Elemental Infusion: Frost!"
His blade was coated in a thin layer of ice that hissed with white vapor. With a fluid, circular motion, he tore through a pack of Station Ghouls—Level 15 horrors that were slow but physically resilient. The frost bit into them, slowing them down and giving Arlan the window he needed.
"Magic Missile!"
Three sapphire energy orbs streaked from his left hand, detonating against the monsters' necks. He didn't stop. He pushed himself until his muscles screamed, harvesting every scrap of power.
[LEVEL UP! 15 -> 16]
[LEVEL UP! 16 -> 17]
[LEVEL UP! 17 -> 18]
Finally, the grueling effort paid off.
[LEVEL UP! 18 -> 19]
[LEVEL UP! 19 -> 20]
A violent wave of heat surged through Arlan's body, instantly knitting his torn muscles and replenishing his stamina. He distributed his points: Strength for the bite, Intelligence for the fire, and Agility for the blur.
"Enough," he muttered, wiping grime from his forehead. "Level 20. The minimum threshold for the Hidden Boss."
He stepped into the main hall. The grand colonial architecture was now a cathedral of dread. In the center, hovering above Track One, a crimson dimensional rift pulsed.
Then, he appeared. [The Forgotten Conductor — Level 25 Elite Boss].
The figure manifested from the fog: a titan in a tattered station master's uniform, his face hidden behind an archaic gas mask. In his right hand, he gripped a massive maul forged from twisted railway steel.
"Player... detected..." The voice was a jagged rasp of static. "Ticket... show me... your ticket!"
Arlan unsheathed his sword. "I don't need a ticket to pass through here."
The Conductor roared and swung. BOOM! The concrete shattered. Arlan leaped back, his heart thundering. He could feel the displacement of air and the smell of burnt oil.
"Elemental Infusion: Fire!"
His sword erupted into a cauterizing flame. Arlan blurred forward, using Flash Step to reappear behind the Conductor. He carved a searing line across the boss's leg, but the titan spun, a massive boot catching Arlan in the chest.
[HP: 65%]
"Damn this electricity," Arlan grumbled, clutching his ribs. He downed a Health Potion, the liquid burning as it worked. The boss's patterns were erratic—more "human" than the original code.
"You want a ticket? Here's your damn ticket!"
Arlan tossed five Magic Stones into the air. As he leaped, he slashed through them with his flaming blade, triggering a chain reaction of explosions in the Conductor's face. While the boss stumbled, Arlan funneled his remaining mana into the tip of his blade.
"Ultimate Skill: Spell-Blade Nova!"
He drove the sword into the Conductor's chest. Arcane energy detonated from within, a pillar of light tearing through the roof. The Conductor let out a distorted wail before shattering into gold coins and a silver chest.
[LEVEL UP! 20 -> 21]
[LEVEL UP! 21 -> 22]
Arlan collapsed to his knees, lungs burning. He opened the chest. Inside was a necklace—a pendant shaped like a pulsing blue circuit.
[ITEM OBTAINED: ANCIENT MAGIC CIRCUIT (RARE)]
[EFFECT: -30% MANA CONSUMPTION, +20% ATTACK SPEED]
"With this," Arlan whispered, a dark smile tugging at his lips, "Eclipse's criteria don't mean a thing. I'll make my own."
Suddenly, rhythmic clapping echoed from the shadows.
"Impressive. Taking down an Elite Boss solo with a 'trash' job... who the hell are you, really?"
Arlan spun around. From the darkness emerged a woman in streamlined assassin's garb, twin daggers glowing with toxic green light.
[Rina — Level 22. Class: Assassin]
PLAYER STATUS - AzureBound
- Level: 22
- Job: Sword Magician
- PLAYER STATUS :
- Strength: 25
- Agility: 27
- Intelligence: 26
- Vitality: 10
- Dexterity: 7
- Skills: Flash Step, Elemental Infusion (Frost/Fire)
- Spell-Blade Nova
- Equipment Update: Ancient Magic Circuit (Rare)
- Key Item: Access Key: Maintenance Room (Mysterious)