"This so-called advantage will probably last only two or three days." "No way the game's that unbalanced. One state wouldn't get an extra hour of playtime alone." Some experienced players stayed calm and analyzed the situation. "That sounds plausible." "Not that extreme either." Many nodded. Years of gaming made their assessment reasonable. Still, no one could say for sure how things would play out. Even Aiden was surprised, quietly thinking it through. Was it a glitch? Or tied to unlocking property? In his previous life, the first player eligible to buy property appeared much later. That player wasn't in Grendola, so no global buff extended everyone's playtime. Right now, this was a one-off. Whatever. Overall, it's good news. Giving all Grendola players an extra hour a day will make us stronger in no time. When the eerie creatures arrive, we'll have a better chance. He didn't dwell on it. He wasn't noble enough to talk about sacrificing for the state. After what happened with Piper, he stayed cautious around everyone. At heart, he wasn't cruel. Since it didn't harm him, he let it be. ... Meanwhile, Spawnpoint 9527, on the edge of town. "Wow, that was fast! Nighthale's already Level 11 and a first-class citizen? Incredible! First place fits him perfectly!" Hearing the announcements, Martin twirled his wooden stick, envy all over his face. "He's imposing." Even Piper, usually arrogant, nodded. From the start, she and Martin had been grinding hard. They thought hitting Level 10 in a day would mean the game was easy. Once they left town, reality hit. They couldn't even beat the lowest-level slime. They ran for their lives, barely escaping.Martin's pre-game research and a few tricks saved them from dying to a Level 1 slime. Other monsters were far worse. Following Martin's advice, they joined a seasoned party, leveraging Piper's looks, and clawed their way to Level 2. After repeated setbacks, even proud Piper admitted the game was challenging. "Nighthale is the real pro! If we teamed up with him, our levels would skyrocket." Martin was excited. "I heard he also started at Spawnpoint 9527. We might run into him." "True. With a skilled player, we'd probably be Level 4 or 5 by now, not stuck like this." Piper agreed, shooting a disdainful glance at the bald soldier fighting ahead. "Killing enemies one by one is so slow. Leveling sucks." "Oh? You looking down on our team?" The female archer couldn't ignore Piper's attitude and sneered. "Then go find your Nighthale. We can't fit your oversized ego in this little temple." Martin froze, then forced a smile. "Don't get me wrong. My friend didn't mean that. Sorry.""Didn't do a thing, your level still jumped, and you're not happy?" The archer curled her lips. "You really think you're a princess, huh? Only you know what you mean by that." Martin smiled awkwardly but didn't argue. Neither he nor Piper knew the game well. They only joined the team thanks to Piper's looks. Honestly, they leveled up by just standing there. "Fine. We'll leave. You think I care?" Piper crossed her arms, glaring. "Letting us join your team is your lucky day. I get about 200,000 in a monthly allowance. If I wanted someone to power-level me, I could easily pay for it." "You!" Drizzle, the female archer, flushed red and nearly cried. "How can you be so ungrateful? We helped you level up, and this is your attitude?"