Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Netsu and Hiyoko transformed into their original bird forms before appearing in front of Sora.

Sora was surprised to see the expressions on their faces and could feel their emotions through their Soul Link.

After a brief exchange to explain his injury and current situation, Sora delivered his request. "I want you two to handle the seven competitors we'll be facing. I'll stay in the back during the fights, so it's all on you. Do your best."

Both birds stared at him, their beaks slightly open in shock.

"Just the two of us? Netsu and me?" Hiyoko whispered, fluttering her wings in surprise. Netsu, usually calm and serious, blinked rapidly, as if he hadn't heard Sora correctly.

Sora gave a faint smile. "You've been training hard. I know what you're capable of."

The shock quickly gave way to excitement. Hiyoko hopped forward, her feathers puffed with pride. "You finally realize our worth... I won't disappoint you, Ralph," she said, her voice overflowing with enthusiasm.

"Big sister, show some respect to Master and stop calling him by his name," Netsu snapped, clearly irritated by Hiyoko's casual tone.

Unimpressed, Hiyoko was about to answer when Sora interrupted their bickering.

"Focus," he said. "Get ready for the fight. I'll step in if necessary, but don't underestimate anyone here. All players are at least level 160. Especially you, Hiyoko—don't let your guard down."

As Sora read the notification summoning him to the arena and displaying his opponent's name, someone approached him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Salim got to the heart of the matter.

Sora's eyebrows shot up as he read the message, his curiosity piqued. Salim's "request" had stirred all sorts of thoughts in his mind. 'What could he want?' he wondered, his imagination running wild. 'Is he about to ask me to throw our duel? Maybe something else?'

Then the message came.

Sora's face dropped instantly.

'What the hell is this guy saying? Subordinate? How can this not be considered rude?' His irritation flaring, he thought. 'I guess someone's asking for a beating.'

But before he could respond, another message appeared.

Sora froze, his irritation giving way to curiosity once more. 'A King? Another world? Buffs? What kind of nonsense is this guy spouting? Was it a kingdom outside this world? An alternate dimension, maybe? And he called himself a king… 'but since when do kings have such a weak presence?'

His thoughts went in various directions, before curiosity got the better of him. 'My curiosity will kill me someday…'

Deciding to dig into the matter, Sora activated a veil to completely obscure their presence before replying.

"And what exactly would I gain from joining your kingdom? What would I lose? I want details," he asked.

Salim, seeing hope in Sora's response, smiled. Without hesitation, he began to elaborate, his excitement evident from his words. He explained everything he could, laying out the intricacies of his kingdom. He described the benefits players received—enhanced stats, unique skills, access to a safe haven outside the current world. He emphasized that citizens retained full autonomy, with no enforced obligations or hidden costs.

To prove his sincerity, Salim summoned a [King's Decree]—an official document listing the kingdom's rules, rights, obligations, and benefits. It outlined precisely what players gave and received upon joining.

'So the king gains a percentage of each citizen's stats, including talent and growth levels, without them losing anything... He can summon his "guards" and even permanently take part of their power if necessary. Considering he approached me to avoid resorting to plundering his guards' power, he might be a decent person,' Sora thought, weighing Salim's request.

Salim had explained that he was particularly interested in the boost Sora's talent would provide.

'He thinks my talent is near a thousand and would love to see his own talent increase by temporarily accepting me into his kingdom. Naive… to think I have a talent of a thousand, though...'

'I don't mind joining his kingdom, even temporarily, but revealing my actual talent might be a problem,' Sora mused, hesitating. 'If someone realizes my true stats, it could put my life at risk.'

Sora, whose stats had remained stagnant since reaching Omega 38, was well aware of how unusual his profile status was.

Summoning a contract, one that was now incredibly potent due to his mastery over contracts, mental power and condensed mana. He presented it to Salim.

"If you want me to temporarily join your kingdom, then sign this," Sora said.

Salim took the contract, scanning its contents carefully before nodding, seemingly satisfied. But then he tilted his head and asked, "Is there something written on the back?"

Sora blinked, caught off guard by the question. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he replied, "You really know your stuff."

He flipped the contract over, revealing the blank page. "See? Nothing there."

After carefully inspecting the contract, going through a few extra steps to check for loopholes or traps, Salim finally smiled. "Anyone in power, or who's ever been scammed, knows the tricks contract-type players have up their sleeves. It's important to have such a skill at this level, though. I see why you've mastered it."

They both signed the contract. With that, both players were now bound by their agreement, promising each other secrecy. Almost immediately, a notification appeared before Sora.

Sora blinked at the name, paused for a moment, then looked up and shook his head. "Neo Carthage? Really? Why revive a dead kingdom when you can create a brand new one?" he said.

Explore new worlds at empire

Reading a massive list of notifications, Sora ignored most of them, and quickly thought of something.

'I've been stagnating for a while. Even with all of these level ups and buffs, my power hasn't increased...' he tried to understand the reason. 'Have I hit my limit? I need to figure this out soon—I can't afford to stagnate. Is this some kind of punishment? But why wasn't there a notification about it?'

Disappointed, he looked ahead, and saw Hiyoko reaching level 150 as well, but contrary to him, she kept on growing stronger.

Moving his gaze, Sora noticed Salim on his knees, overwhelmed by the massive surge of power coursing through him. Sighing, Sora activated a non-offensive skill to buff Salim, followed by another to alleviate his pain and help him recover.

Salim looked up at him in shock, his expression one of confusion and disbelief. His words came out, incoherent. "What is—... What the hell? Who are you? Is this even..."

Sora smirked, cutting Salim off mid-babble. "Stop salivating and get a grip. You've got five seconds to adjust before we're considered to have forfeited. Our opponents are waiting for us. Move it!"

Without waiting for a response, Sora leaped into the arena, his gaze sharp and focused as his familiars materialized beside him.

"Go all out," he commanded, his voice calm. "I'll support you if it's necessary."

----------------------------

Appearing beside Master, I stepped forward, positioning myself protectively in front of him.

I could feel it—the gravity of his injury. It wasn't like anything we'd ever encountered before. 'Master is using most of his power just to keep the injury from getting worse…' I thought grimly. 'We need to win without his help, Big Sister. Don't do anything reckless, please.' I sent Hiyoko a telepathic message, knowing all too well how unpredictable she could be.

My eyes locked onto the level 163 Demon standing before us. Using an ability Master had taught me, I used mental power to gauge the level of threat he posed.

Hiyoko, who seemed to have done the same, glanced at me with her newly gained confidence. 'Leave him to me,' she said through the link, her voice brimming with excitement.

I nodded. I felt that she was more than capable of handling the enemy. Master often avoided calling anyone other than 'Rachel', an 'enemy,' but in my eyes, anyone standing in his path was just that—an enemy.

As the fight began, the Demon immediately started throwing a tantrum, clearly offended by the idea of having to fight us, familiars.

I smiled and sent her another message. 'Let him underestimate you. Strike when his guard is down.'

But as always, Hiyoko didn't listen. The moment the fight began, she was already ahead, her bright, colorful wings slicing through the air like she had something to prove.Typical.

She dove straight at the demon without hesitation, dodging his strike with irritating ease. Her chirps rang out, loud and taunting, making me cringe. 'Why do you insist on such approach? Are you showing off again? The path you chose... It's risky, big sister' I thought, exasperated by her fighting style.

Worried her skill would fail, and lead to disaster, I readied myself, prepared to jump in if needed.

Still, I held back, choosing to observe. Someone had to. Master's words echoed in my mind: 'Don't underestimate anyone here. All players are at least level 160.' I took his advice seriously.

Hiyoko, however, had a fighting style that didn't leave room for caution. It relied heavily on luck, after all.

I smiled at the thought. Luck. She truly was a lucky being.

The demon vanished, reappearing above her, his blade descending with all his might. I tensed, ready to intervene, but then I noticed something—a strange glow surrounding him.

The unfamiliar energy gave me an odd sense of assurance, convincing me that, for now, there was no need to step in.