Nobody knew why EVR chose Earth.
Some believed it was by chance, while others thought it was because Earth and Trion were similar in terms of the length of a day, week, and year; Trion, like Earth, had one Sun and one Moon.
This also led some to believe that Trion wasn't a different planet at all, but rather Earth in the past or future.
Of course, nothing could be proven, as no one could communicate with EVR.
---
"Mr. Dawis, what do you think about the new game 'EVR'?" asked the reporter, addressing the famous game developer Dawis Trunt.
She had been waiting outside his door to get a quick interview and caught him on his way home from work.
"It's unbelievable! I never thought I'd live to see such technology!" Dawis exclaimed, his excitement like that of a child.
"This changes everything. If the game's developers were to share the secrets behind their gaming capsules, it would open new paths for technology to advance and bring amazing games to life." He didn't seem annoyed by the reporter's sudden appearance or questioning.
"I see," the reporter replied. "But according to our sources, it's said that no one has been able to contact the developers of 'EVR'. Is that correct?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Even I tried reaching out but didn't get a response. But let's not offend them by saying anything negative—who knows, we might be left out! Haha. Anyway, I need to go now; the servers are about to open!"
With that, the reporter was left alone. "I think I should try this new game, too!"
---
Light covered Istarra, and as it faded, players began to appear. This marked the game's launch time on Earth, and everyone flooded in the moment the servers opened, eager from the wait.
That was when Arlon noticed something odd. 'Come to think of it, it was the same in my past timeline.' None of the NPCs were looking directly at the players.
Some glanced secretly now and then, but for some reason, they avoided directly watching what should have been a wondrous sight for the natives of this world.
It was too late to ask why, so he decided to imitate them.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, Arlon ran through the NPC lines he'd rehearsed.
Standing right at the town's entrance with his sword grounded and one foot propped against the fence, he took on what he thought of as a cool stance, ready to act as a guide.
He stayed still, waiting for players to approach him.
Arlon was relaxed. Since this was his second life, he knew no one could surpass his level on launch day. Though he'd considered leveling up quickly, he had other plans.
First, he knew the Keldars wouldn't initiate an attack for another three months, and even then, it wouldn't be a major battle. He could handle that later.
Second, there were a few people he wanted to befriend.
Making friends had never come easily to him, and after being a loner for the last 13 years in his previous life, he decided to use his NPC role to connect with people.
Since this was real, while shop owners still did business with most players, some NPCs only gave quests or offered help to those they personally chose.
The players that disrespected the NPCs were left out. The ones that unnecessarily killed or caused an NPC to be killed were banished from the town.
So Arlon could choose whom to help.
And lastly, he had the days and weekends to himself and could level up anytime. He could even leave his spot as an NPC and go leveling up while everyone was online.
This wasn't unusual; sometimes, it was a headache trying to track down an NPC who had left their usual spot for some reason.
As Arlon thought about this, the town was bustling with players exploring this new experience. One ruffian had already tried getting close to a female elf, only to be beaten up quite badly.
Zeno provided a 90% reduction in pain, which made players more daring; however, pain was still pain, and getting beaten by a higher-level being wasn't something to laugh off.
Levels defined a person's existence in this world, allowing higher-level existences certain freedoms over lower-level ones—except taking the lives of the players, which were protected by EVR, the highest-level existence.
While looking around, Arlon noticed a familiar face approaching him.
"Are you an NPC?" asked the handsome European man, Gellard.
"What's an NPC?" Arlon replied, laughing to himself. This was how natives answered if someone asked if they were NPCs. It was an absurd question.
How would they know if they were NPCs? "I'm the guide! I'll help worthy people become the strongest, not only in this world but across all the stars above!" Arlon was cringing inside.
"Hey, have you heard this NPC's lines?" Gellard laughed loudly, calling the people nearby.
Arlon was irritated but didn't show it. He had plans for this guy. "Do you know there's an old man in a cabin southwest of the Great Forest? I heard he could use some help."
Assuming this was a quest lead, Gellard stopped laughing. "What's the quest?"
"What quest? Do you think you're a legendary hero on some grand mission? I told you this so you can help an old man. Don't worry; he's known for compensating generously. Just don't spread this around; he doesn't like crowds."
Gellard was briefly annoyed by Arlon's tone but perked up at the promise of a reward. He started running in that direction without even thanking Arlon.
In the past timeline, Gellard was the one who had taken the Magic Swordsman class.
Arlon sent him on this "quest" to prevent him from obtaining that class again and as a bit of payback for mocking him.
Helping the old man in the Great Forest was the worst mistake a player could make.
It was the longest quest chain in 'EVR', lasting at least two months, with no reward—not even a trivial item that could actually turn out to be legendary.
The old man just thanked you, and that was it. Even worse, no other NPCs would offer quests to players on this chain, allowing them to "help" the old man uninterrupted.
---
Arlon talked to a few other people, guiding them to the places they should go. He was always a solo player and intended to stay that way.
He didn't need anyone's help to save the planet; in his past life, he'd been confident he could defeat the final boss alone.
But now, knowing what lay ahead, he wanted to save more people. For instance, he couldn't defend all the starting towns himself, as they'd be attacked simultaneously.
To prepare, he aimed to help players grow stronger, pointing them toward easy leveling areas and sharing tips. He almost felt like a game's loading screen full of hints.
Before long, players began discussing him:
"Have you heard about the legendary guide?" one player asked.
"Yes, I did. They say he's one of the most useful NPCs—though he always looks angry, and his lines are really cringe-worthy."
"Doesn't matter, dude. We should go ask for advice."
Soon, the entrance to Istarra was crowded with players seeking the "legendary guide's" wisdom. All the other NPCs were flabbergasted.
Why were so many saviors consulting the lowest-level native? Even a Beastman kid could easily beat him in a one-on-one match. Still, they kept their thoughts to themselves.
Arlon, on the other hand, felt troubled by the crowd. He hadn't expected so many people to come looking for him, and delivering his cringey lines to a large group now felt more embarrassing.
Deciding it was time to slip away, he moved to leave—only to be blocked by eager players.
Most NPCs would react poorly to being disrespected or restrained, and the players were lucky it was Arlon, not some other NPC, that they were doing this to.
'I think I should teach them a lesson so they don't try this on other NPCs,' he thought.
"I'll warn you only once," Arlon said loudly. "Even though you are our saviors, we won't tolerate disrespect."
Hearing this, most of the players backed off, worried they might lose access to his guidance. Yet some were skeptical of his authority.
"You're an NPC," scoffed a player named Jack. "Stop trying to sound impressive and tell me where to level up."
Jack was the highest-level player in Istarra—other than Arlon, of course.
He wasn't a great player or anything, it was just that he entered the game together with his friends and went directly to leveling without even looking around.
While leveling up, they involuntarily attracted a lot of monsters and fought to death.
All of his friends died to respawn at the cemetery and since there was no penalty for dying before level 20, they didn't lose anything.
But since they died and he was the last one standing, when the fight was over and the experience was given he took all the XP, becoming level 4.
The other high-level players were only level 3 yet.
His friends warned him, "Be careful; he might be stronger than he looks."
But Jack's arrogance got the best of him. "So what? Even if I die, there's no penalty before level 20. Let's see how strong these NPCs really are. Especially him. He doesn't seem like he has good equipm-"
Arlon's expression hardened. He gripped his sword and, before Jack could finish his sentence or react, used Dash to close the distance and swung his new iron sword, beheading him in one swift motion.