Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Sora watched as she slowly regained her youth through the regeneration of her life force. Though relieved, he couldn't stop the worry gnawing at him. 'What if someone pushes her even further? The more extreme her use of [Time-Bending], the more her body suffers—aging so quickly. And the more energy she expends in that period, the harsher the effects... How long could she keep this up?'

'I want to help her...' He thought.

Kara had long become more than just a friend to him—she was the most important person in his life. The thought of seeing her age uncontrollably after every difficult fight, unable to find a way to help her, always filled him with a feeling of powerlessness.

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts, and Sora raised his head, scanning the remaining 32 players in the waiting room. Emily stood among the qualified players, along with Clémence Berger, Morgan Casey, and Pedro Luiz.

As he observed them, Sora noticed the group heading his way. Emily, Kara, and Salim reached him first.

Emily wasted no time teasing Salim. "Wow, Salim, even you qualified? Ranked 3rd in Ralph's group? Did you ask him to forfeit for you?"

Salim frowned at her jab and replied, irritated, "Pray you don't face me in the next matches, Blood Witch. Because with your current strength, you don't stand a chance."

Emily paused, clearly not expecting such a sharp response. Sora could sense the change in her aura. Blood was gathering, and a dangerous bloodthirst began emanating from her.

Emily's grin widened, revealing sharp teeth as she turned to face Salim. "Why wait for the matches? Bring it on. The stronger my opponents, the more I enjoy tearing them apart."

The atmosphere grew tense as the always-cheerful [ARAM] Vice-Leader radiated a deadly aura, and Salim's prideful demeanor flared for the first time, unyielding in the face of her challenge. Sora, sensing the competitive spirits of the two igniting, stepped forward to intervene.

"Chill," Sora said calmly, even releasing a buff using mental power to help the players calmd down. "I know you're both still hyped from your duels, but there's no need to fight between friends."

Salim exhaled deeply, stepping back as his temper cooled. "I'm sorry...The last fight of the group stages had me on edge. The player from the spirit race played with my mind, and I'm having trouble recovering... I didn't mean to threaten you. Please accept my apology."

Emily blinked, seemingly taken aback by his unexpected restraint. The bloodthirst in her aura dissipated, and she relaxed, crossing her arms. "My bad. I've got a habit of poking at people I consider my equals. That was rude of me. Let's just move on."

Kara, tense from the earlier exchange, finally relaxed, relieved to see her new friends calming down. As she exhaled, Clémence, Morgan, and Pedro joined the group.

Clémence, clearly in a bad mood, stayed silent, her arms crossed. It was Pedro who broke the ice. "Congratulations, everyone. Seven humans among the top 32. This is a historic moment. Never before have so many humans reached the 17th floor."

Morgan, already aware of the significance, added, "And three of them are from a small Korean guild. Dae Stark, the other player from Korea, was in my group and almost made it past the group stage, but he used one more life than the fourth-place player and was eliminated."

Emily frowned, feigning annoyance. "What small guild? Are you blind? [ARAM] is one of the best guilds out there."

Morgan laughed, unfazed. "Fine, fine. After this event, you'll obviously be one of the best guilds in the kingdom." Turning to Kara, his expression brightened. "Congratulations on making it this far, Kara Spirine. You're really impressive. I didn't expect you to be so proficient in combat despite visibly specializing in life-force!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Noticing the looks of admiration and approval directed at her, Kara's face turned red, unsure how to handle the attention. She didn't enjoy being the center of discussion and quickly redirected the focus. "I barely ranked third in my group. How did everyone else do?"

The group looked up at the rankings displayed above, showing eight groups with four glowing names and four greyed-out ones.

Pedro, reading the results, said, "Morgan took first place in his group, and Ralph, of course, ranked first in his as well... Clémence here ranked second, just like I did in mine. Salim, Emily, and Kara all took third place in their groups. These are some excellent results!"

Sora, curious about Clémence's performance, glanced at her before looking up to see the rankings. His eyes fell on the name of the Spirit Race player who had taken first place in her group.

Noticing his gaze, Clémence frowned, her voice weak as she explained, "That damn Spirit countered my abilities." She paused for a moment, then added, "And don't think we're suddenly friendly just because I talked to you. I haven't forgotten the humiliation from our last fight."

Wanting to explain himself, Sora paused when he noticed Kara shaking her head at him.

Thankful for her reminder, Sora refrained from speaking and instead sent a message to Morgan, telling him to warn Clémence about Rachel. Observing the exchange of glances between Morgan and Clémence a moment later, he assumed they quickly engaged in their own silent conversation.

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With 30 minutes to rest before the final stage of the trial, the group split up, either resting or discussing various topics.

Salim and Sora used the time to refine their temporary alliance. In their conversation, Sora discovered that Salim had also hit the limit in two aspects, excluding his mental power. Hidden under a veil that ensured their privacy, Sora was surprised to hear Salim say, "I'm extremely grateful for your trust and help. You've helped me to a point I could never have hoped for.. I wanted to express my gratitude in a more tangible way."

Puzzled by Salim's words, Sora was caught off guard as he sensed an immense amount of power condensing at the tips of Salim's fingers, forming a scroll. It resembled the contracts Sora himself could create, but this one had a holier aura.

The scroll radiated a blend of energies—blood, Soul Power, Mental Power, mana, and life force—all flowing to form something unique. Sora was captivated by the phenomenon, his curiosity overtaking his initial caution. 'What is this? Is this the result of his innate ability?'

Unable to fully decipher innate and supreme abilities, Sora had often found himself frustrated when faced with something he couldn't replicate, in the past. Yet, as his mastery over mana and other energies deepened, he began getting glimpses of understanding of other players' innate abilities, despite being unable to reproduce them.

'Soul Power… how is he using it so smoothly in a skill? Isn't that kind of energy uncontrollable?' His mind raced as he watched the energy flow through the scroll, even acting submissively. 'Every time I've tried using Soul Power, it's been destructive—it always refuses to listen and destroys everything it touches.'

Noticing that Sora seemed far more engrossed in studying the mechanics of the skill than the content of the [King's Promise] floating before him, Salim let out a laugh. "I see you're more curious about how this works than what it says," he teased, before adding, "I'm sorry, but even I don't fully understand how this skill functions, I'm unable to analyse it. It's something I unlocked through… well, you know." He gave a meaningful glance.

Brought out of his reverie, Sora felt like a thief caught red-handed. "I didn't mean to probe… Sorry, it's a habit."

Salim chuckled but said nothing, letting Sora turn his attention to the floating scroll. Inspecting it closely, Sora's surprise grew as the details became clear.

Reading the description, Sora's eyes narrowed in shock. 'What the hell is this?'

When his gaze moved to the content of the promise itself, he sighed.

Sora, shocked by the content of the promise, struggled to process it. 'There's already a contract between us. Why would he go so far as to shackle himself with such a promise?'

"Why would you go this far?" Sora asked, his voice hiding his emotions. "This could lead your entire kingdom to ruin if you make a single mistake."

Salim's expression remained calm, his tone sincere. "You probably know by now that contracts are not absolute. I want you to feel at ease—perhaps even stay as a member of my kingdom for a longer period. The power boost you've given me doesn't just benefit me but my entire kingdom. The stronger I grow, the better the living conditions there become. It started as a single hut in the desert, but now it's thriving with life, spanning thousands of kilometers. And I can feel… the body… becoming stronger."

The hesitation in Salim's last words caught Sora's attention. He immediately understood the hint. 'I've neglected my Soul Palace for too long. I should develop it further, just as Salim has nurtured his kingdom. Pouring immense amounts of Soul Power into it might be the key to helping the sleepy beauty in my Soul Palace grow stronger. This might be the next step in uncovering the truth behind my 'real body.'

"Thank you, Salim. I consider you a friend as well," Sora said, his gaze full of gratitude and respect. "I don't usually make promises, but if you ever have a problem in the future, you can count on me."

Before Salim could respond, both of them were interrupted by a notification. It was time to begin the final stage of the trial on the 16th floor.