Kara g Sora, curiosity in her eyes. “What are you doing? Waiting for something?”

  Sora sighed, his tohoughtful. “I’m trying something... I’m adding Rachel as a friend. I want to see where she is.”

  Kara’s eyes were full of curiosity. “Rachel? Is that the girl I’ve seen in the pictures inside your brother’s room? I always wondered why you never mentiohat girl in our years ihe [Time Space].”

  Sora nodded, his expression darkening. “Yes, that’s her... She’s killed my brother and me.”

  Kara froze, her breath catg at the ued revetion. “She... What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  Sora watched her rea carefully, knowing this moment could not be avoided forever. Kara was the closest person to him after his parents, and after spending years together, he knew her better than anyone. He had always avoided discussiain parts of his past with her, afraid of how she might react if she saw the darker side of him.

  'Maybe it’s time to tell her… I think she’ll uand now,' he thought, letting out a deep sigh.

  With resolve, he began to ret his story.

  ...

  When he finished, Kara’s fists ched, barely tained her ahe girl she had ohought looked cute and harmless in the pictures noeared monstrous in her mind. 'Cute? No, she’s a snake.' she fumed inwardly.

  They waited in silehe friend request hanging in the air. Sora’s expression remained calm, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed his true feelings. Kara sat beside him, her thoughts simmering. She wasn’t part of his revenge, but she wouldn’t stop him either. If Sora chose to deal with Rachel, she’d stand by him—not to judge, but to support him.

  “I still think it's ihat you're adding your murderer as a friend.” Kara muttered, still in disbelief at her friend's nonsensical as.

  Shed it off, and soon received a notification.

  [Rachel Cude has rejected your friend request]Slightly disappointed, Sora attempted to send another friend request.

  [This pyer has deed your friend request within the past hour. Please wait 59 minutes before sending another request.]Sora sighed, his annoyance evident as he dismissed the notification. “Let’s fet about her for now. I’ll find another way,” he said, turning his attention back to Kara. “Let’s head to South Korea.”

  Kara nodded in agreement, and without further dey, the two of them set off, headi. Their jourook them through the vast nds of Russia, guided by a detailed map Kara had purchased. The map proved useful, allowing them to navigate around several high-level zones.

  fident in their ability to navigate all Western Europe, they were well aware that Russia was not part of the New European Union but an indepe region. With several extremely high-level zones scattered among others, they carefully noted which areas to avoid.

  To ensure easy travel iure, Sora and Kara made a point to purchase teleportation scrolls for every city they visited, knowing they might o return to one of these pces iure.

  Their jourhough brief due to their immense speed, opeheir eyes to the varied ways the world had evolved after the global update. Flying over vast ndscapes and stopping briefly at some locations, they discussed the striking differences between regions, cities, and vilges.

  As they crossed through parts of Western Russia, Kara poio a cluster of ruins in the distance. "Look at that. Another abandoned vilge. This must be the 10th we've seen already"

  Sora nodded, his gaze fixed on the buildings. "With the average level of monsters here, the beasts are to for the locals. With level 100 monsters a few kilometers away from the vilge, there's no use in staying here. They probably evacuated a long time ago."

  Sora and Kara were aware that a vilge or city's prote only fell if the pce was fully emptied. And quests to help these pces evacuate were aking such a phenomenon known to most pyers.

  "Do you think they’ll ever e back?" Kara asked, before adding. "I don't think I'd accept my vilge turning into a ruin if I were from the area."

  "Unlikely," Sora replied. "Unless some high level dungeon appears in the area, no one will bother ing back here. It’s easier for civilians to move to safer areas, and high level pyers to look for a poputed area with more opportunities."

  Entering Russia, they entered the thriving city of Kazan, which at first gnce looked much like it did before the world update. Sora had already seen such city when studying geography. The familiar skyline was there—the historic cathedrals, the modern high-rises—but somethi different.

  Sora slowed their pace, his eyes sing the city from above. "It almost looks untouched by the update," he remarked. "But upon a closer look— I feel mana in almost everything. Buildings, transport, even streetlights are infused with it."

  Ihe city had incorporated mana into its existing infrastructure. The streetlights, once powered by electricity, now absorbed mana from the surrounding to light up the street. Vehicles moved silently along the roads; they still looked like old cars but operated on mana-powered engines instead of bustion. In some areas, the sound of heavy industry had been repced entirely by the quiet energy of magic facilities.

  Kara's eyes sparkled with excitement. "It's incredible," she said. "They've kept the essence of the city intact but enha with mana."

  She poio a group of people floating effortlessly a few inches above the ground, despite not being able to use mana, moving along the sidewalks without taking a step. "Look at that—they're usiation spells for civilians to move quickly."

  Sora nodded, equally impressed. "I've never seen anything like this in Europe. Here, they've fully embraced the world's ges while preserving their heritage."

  Notig the city thriving with life and poputed low level pyers, Kara and Sora realized that Kazan was a haven for civilians.

  "It's bigger than Lyon, Frankfurt, or Rome," Kara tinued. "I had never heard of Kazan, and now I want to see more of this city. The way they've adapted mana into every part of their lives is amazing. Why aren't we doing this in Fra's such a shame."

  Sora raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm, smirking slightly. "What, you don't want to visit South Korea anymore?"

  She ughed, momentarily torn. "Oh, I still do! But seeing this makes me want to help my city develop in a simir way..."

  Upon leaving Russia, they traveled through Mongolia and proceeded toward a.

  Within the kingdom, humans were allowed to move freely as long as they avoided enemy forces. With the speed they maintaihe likelihood of interception was minimal, except for a sudden ambush. The territories they crossed didn’t require armies to guard their borders, as internal flicts between regions weren't on. The only internal strifes among humans happened when guilds decred wars against each other, and such flicts did not usually impact passerbys.

  Crossing into a, they arrived in cities where mana and teology blended seamlessly. Tech-mana hybrid devices powered both industry and agriculture, creating an enviro of automation and unparalleled efficy. Less and less surprised by the ges, Sora and Kara quickly flew past most cities, and soon reached the sea. Flying at lightning speed above the sea, they quickly reached Seoul, ready to explore the city and faew challenges.

  Kara, whose eyes had sparkled with excitement throughout the journey, having seen marvels of nature and the beauty of different nds, couldn’t help but be in awe of Seoul’s sheer scale.

  Passing through the first illusory barrier that protected the gigantic farming fields outside the city, they soon reached the t walls surrounding Seoul. After paying the entry fee—a shog 10 gold s—they were finally allowed ihe city sprawled out in every dire, a mix of t skyscrapers and a architecture. Neon lights paihe sky in vibrant hues as enormous advertisements hung on skyscrapers, each more eye catg tha. The city pulsed with energy, with bustling crowds moving along the rge sidewalks that ected the t buildings.Drones flew through the air, delivering packages, while modern vehicles drove by on highways below. The Han River, cutting through the heart of the city, shone uhe daylight, refleg the t skyline, while traditional paces and temples stood defiantly against the wave of modernity, reminders of Korea’s older periods.Street markets were packed with activity, selling everything from rare beast parts to exotic materials from around the globe. Sora's eyes were drawn to bels like “From Morocco” and “From Nigeria” on some of the merdise. "This city is really trading with the whole world, stantly getting fresh products it seems" he told Kara.He khat Au Houses allowed pyers to sell and buy items globally, but only for system-reized items. The fact that materials nnized by the system, such as certai parts, that o be harvested manually, were still actively traded showed how resourceful people had bee. These items held value in human hands, even if the system didn’t aowledge them.The air hummed with the sound of the city—loud from sounds of chatter, distant music.“This is... breathtaking,” Kara whispered, her eyes looking everywhere as they stepped further into the heart of Seoul, ready to explore its streets and various areas.They soon noticed digital panels projeg rankings of local pyers, a strikiament to the city's intense petitive spirit in this new system-governed world."Are these… rankings?" Kara asked, surprised by the sight."Looks like it," Sora replied, intrigued. “Let’s get a closer look.”As Sora and Kara approached one of the t digital panels dispying the rankings, they were immediately drawn into the petitive atmosphere that thrived withiy. The massive holographic ss projected shimmering lists of names, levels, and aplishments, stantly updating as pyers pleted quests, battles, or challehroughout the region.The rankings were divided into several categories, showg different aspects of pyer strength aation:Top bat Pyers – South Korea Region

  Ae-cha Park – Level 148 – Css : UnknownRonald Kruggs – Level 156 – Css : Martial ArtistDae Stark – Level 132 – Css : Martial God TitanEmily Frekk – Level 154 – Css : UnknownMin-Ji Chol – Level 143 – Css : Phoenix MageStaring at the numbers, Sora and Kara were stunned by what they saw."Look at the levels!" Sora excimed, eyes wide. "There are pyers at level 132 and even 143 peting with people who are level 154 and up… That's insane."Kara poio the guild rankings, her voice filled with disbelief. "It's not just that—look at the average levels for the guilds, Sora! These aren’t just a few monsters standing out. The entire guilds are stacked with high-level pyers. The average numbers are ridiculous!"Guild Rankings

  Samsung G1 – Guild Master: Ae-cha Park – Average Member Level: 120No Onion nor Tomato – Guild Master: Dae Stark – Average Member Level: 115All Random All Mid – Guild Master: Kim Dong – Average Member Level: 113Phoenix Rebirth – Guild Master: Min-Ji Chol – Average Member Level: 111Looking at the numbers, Sora stood frozen, his mouth slightly agape. “If each of these fuilds have more than 25 pyers, it means they’ve got over a hundred experts at levels high enough to turn around the war in Sweden… But what if these guilds have thousands of members each? Is this even possible?”"How are they getting s?" Kara wondered, almost overwhelmed. "Hannah was right.. There is indeed a high trations of power in higher level regions."

  Sora tinued sing the rankings, noting how they seemed to enpass almost every aspect of life. There were war tribution points, a ranking for the best cook in the region, leaderboards for famous jobs, and even arena rankings.

  His eyes stopped on the duel rankings, catg Ae-cha Park’s impressive win streak of 135 secutive victories. He also g the rapid dungeon pletion times, raising a brow. “They take this stuff seriously. It’s like everything here is a race, even beyond bat.”

  "It seems like every job category will have its own leaderboards, each showing who ranks highest within that particur field...", Kara murmured, captivated by the range of categories.As they tinued scrolling through the panels, awe filled both Sora and Kara."But how do they even pare who's the best? It's not like pyers go around advertising their stats and power levels, right?" Kara wondered aloud.

  Before Sora could respond, a passerby overheard and couldn’t resist interjeg. “Sorry to butt in, but you two must be new here,” he said with a friendly smile. “If you’re curious about the rankings, just download the New World App—or NWA, as we call it—on your [Mana Phones]. Once you ect to this region’s wo to the [petitioion, and you’ll see all the leaderboards there.”

  He gestured to his own device. “ions have rankings too, but South Korea has the most categories.”

  The stranger’s enthusiasm grew as he added, “If you’ve got some spare gold s, you even buy tickets to watch live challenges in the Gangnam Arena—most of the best duels happen there. And, judging by how I ’t read your levels, you might even think about joining one of the struilds around here. They’re always scouting for alent.”

  Sora exged a gh Kara before responding politely, “Thanks for the tip. We’ll check it out. Do you happen to know where the arena is? We’d like to explore Seoul, but we ’t resist cheg out the Arena first," Sora asked politely.

  The man smiled, clearly happy to help. "It’s my pleasure. Do you both have [Mana Phones]? I send you a link to download NWA and the address to the arena." After a brief exge, Sora and Kara had the app installed on their devices. They thahe man and followed the map dires toward the Arena dispyed on their ss.

  As they walked, Kara ented, “That guy was nearly level 60. It’s funny—ba Frahat’s sidered incredible. People would call him ae.”

  Sora nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Yeah. In Europe, most people stick to their cities, fog on job skills told. They rarely venture far enough to reach such a level.”

  It was a stark trast to Seoul, where levels above 60 seemed on. In Europe, the majority of the popution sisted of civilians who didn’t need mana for their jobs until they reached a certain level of expertise. Those who wao avoid the dangers of leveling could still thrive iies, relying on the [Au House] or trading to make a living.

  “Most pyers bae seem tent at around level 30 or 40,” Kara added. “It’s enough to travel safely between cities. The zohere cater to those levels, so long-distaravel isn’t too dangerous—just slow.”

  “Here, it’s a pletely different since being level 30 or 40 is not enough to travel.” Sora observed.

  mimou

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