Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

After Alius used a [Soul Contract] to seal the deal, Kara sent a message to the boys, her words dripping with sarcasm:

Sora quickly responded.

Alius chimed in:

Sora ignored Alius's jab and turned to the group. "Our levels are high enough. I think it's time we trained our combat abilities. Each of us has clear shortcomings, and we can help each other grow through combat. What do you think?"

Alius nodded thoughtfully. "It's true, but I'd prefer to focus on leveling up my troops. They need to reach a higher level of power if we're going to face stronger enemies."

Sora glanced at the countless familiars and undead Alius had summoned, an amused smile forming. "You're really preparing something incredible, aren't you? Millions of summons reaching the highest level… That'd be terrifying."

Alius smirked. "It's far from enough. I'll make Hannah regret ever targeting me."

Adapting to the situation, Sora proposed, "I see. Then let's switch areas. We'll push you to the maximum level while training our combat skills. Even with your army, you can't avoid physical training with us!"

Alius frowned, clearly reluctant. "You've become a tyrant while I wasn't looking. Scamming girls, threatening your friends, mocking your girlfriend. Wow. Truly a trash-tier human being."

Kara laughed as Sora grabbed Alius by the ear and dragged him away from the lake.

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

Sora, who had finished testing all his new skills before entering the [Time Space], was eager to resume his training. Sending a clone to deal with Sarsha, he sparred with Kara and Alius.

After the spars, frustration started to rise within him.

Speed had always been something he pursued. Even after reaching the limit in [Body Level] and [Energy Level], he had found ways to push beyond. Relying on his [Lava] form, he had managed to be eight times faster than other Omega 38 players. Yet, it was only when he evolved a certain skill that he felt an extraordinary increase in speed.

'So far, I've relied on my [Body Level] and buffs for speed. And what allowed me to break through the limit were my [Supreme Skills].'

Despite all of that, Kara was still faster.

'She's using an [Innate Skill], and she's getting results that surpass my [Supreme Skills]. This means I can do better, but I failed to find a way. Her current speed is 80 times faster than the limit.'

He thought back to the skill that had allowed his most recent improvement in speed…

'This used to be [Speed Surge]… I never thought it would evolve into this.'

Sora recalled how, upon receiving this version of the skill, his speed had tripled instantly.

[Speed Surge] had been one of the first skills he had acquired as a [Mana Amplifier]. Though it had originally been a low-potential skill, he had refused to abandon it. Years of training had elevated it beyond the [Perfect] rating, eventually evolving into [Speed].

When he first unlocked it, its vague description had left him confused. He hadn't known whether it was an active or passive skill, nor how to properly utilize it. However, one effect was clear—his body moved faster than before.

As he started training, he sensed something unusual. The skill highlighted other abilities that could increase his speed further. Following its guidance, he activated [Thought Acceleration] and [Mana Eyes].

His vision sharpened, and the world around him seemed to slow. He noticed things he had never paid attention to before—the way air dragged against his skin, the slight lag in his limbs' movements, the invisible forces resisting his speed.

'My body… the resistance of elements and energy… they're holding me back. Every movement creates friction and slows me down.'

Guided by his skill, he started looking for a solution within the [Space] elemennt.

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

Experimenting for days, Sora finally grasped what he needed to do.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

'The answer isn't using [Space] to shorten the distance between places. I can always do that, but it doesn't actually affect my speed! No! The key is moving in a space where no elements exist… That would truly impact my speed!'

Feeling that he was on the right path, he continued experimenting until he created a skill that satisfied him: [Void Tunnel].

This technique formed a space devoid of all elements, completely free from resistance. Inside the tunnel, he could accelerate without limit.

However, it didn't take long for him to encounter a major flaw.

'I can't move if I can't generate momentum. I need an external force to push me!'

To solve the problem, Sora developed another skill: [Explosive Dash].

By mixing [Crystallized Mana] with fire elements and releasing controlled explosions from his hands and feet, he created bursts to propel himself.

'I look ridiculous doing this… but my enemies won't be able to see me anyway.'

The combination of [Void Tunnel] and [Explosive Dash] allowed him to accelerate to extreme levels.

'But I still need a significant distance to reach peak speed. And I won't be flying in straight lines during combat.'

Seeking a way to increase his initial velocity, his [Speed] skill guided him once more. This time, however, it led him to an old, nearly forgotten ability: [Overlap].

At first, Sora was skeptical. [Overlap] was a skill he had "borrowed" from Asia Sanogo. He had trained with it briefly on the 10th floor but abandoned it due to a major flaw. It required casting a skill repeatedly at the exact same rhythm, stacking the ability over time until it triggered a qualitative transformation. The level of focus and mana control required made it tedious and impractical for battle.

But now, with his [Speed] pushing him toward it, he reconsidered. He had gained too many new abilities since then and perhaps he had underestimated its potential.

Starting from scratch, he managed his first success using [Thought Acceleration] and his increased mental power to cast multiple skills simultaneously at impossible speed.
Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

Where others using [Overlap] would need to repeat a skill hundreds or thousands of times to reach resonance, Sora's approach was entirely different.

By granting sentience to mana and issuing simple commands, he could activate multiple instances of a skill at once while reducing the burden on his mind. Combined with his accelerated thought process, he could repeat the process thousands of times faster than anyone else.

For example, while most people using [Overlap] with [Fire Ball] would cast one at a time and slowly build up to the resonance threshold, Sora could begin with hundreds of [Fire Balls] at once and rapidly repeat the process until the skill triggered its qualitative change.

Fascinated by how the skill synergized with his overwhelming mental power and processing speed, Sora began testing it on everything he could think of.

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

Over the next four weeks, Sarsha was free to roam the [Time Space] as she pleased. Though there were a few restricted areas, she wasn't overly curious and chose to spend most of her time in a quiet hut she built near the lake.

Eager to level up, Sarsha initially attempted to fight the monsters in the central area, only to find they were leagues above her level. Frustrated, she demanded that Sora and Kara adjust the monsters' levels to something more suitable. Wanting to respect the terms of the contract, Kara moved her [Time Space] to a lower-level region.

The change came at a cost, as Alius lost weeks of valuable leveling time in the process.

Sarsha smirked at Alius's disappointment and taunted him about it. When Alius fired back with his own remarks, she found herself confused, unable to understand his comments about how he would have the last laugh when they had spent years together.

As she began fighting appropriately leveled monsters, her progress astonished even herself.

'Did these people find a bug in the system or something? How can they summon so many monsters in this dimension?' Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought. 'Sadly, there's no such thing as a bug in the system.'

Her training extended beyond combat. She strengthened her mental defenses by sparring with Sora—unaware that she was actually fighting one of his clones. Other aspects of her training were tested against Alius's undead and familiars, pushing her far beyond her previous limits.

By the time the first month ended, Sarsha felt a mix of excitement and unease at the prospect of leaving what she had dubbed her "training paradise." Despite her initial resentment, she had grown somewhat accustomed to the trio's presence, even finding her hostility toward Sora softening.

'It's not like they chose to be our enemies,' she thought.

With a smile on her face, she headed toward the spot where the trio often met. Unable to find Kara and Sora, she noticed a space surrounded by a barrier. Curious, she approached Alius, who was standing nearby, staring intently at the sky.

"What are you looking at? And why is the dueling space empty?" she asked, her tone suspicious.

Alius turned to her, a sly smile on his face. "Who said it's empty?"

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

Inside the barrier, Sora and Kara were locked in an intense duel.

Kara pushed her limits with [Time Acceleration], allowing her to move faster. She materialized [Time Bubbles] around Sora, aiming to freeze him in place and gain the upper hand. However, each time a bubble began to form, Sora vanished, moving just before it could fully materialize.

Frustration built up as she struggled to track him. Sora constantly moved, reacting with incredible speed, matching her pace despite her significant advantage.

'How is he keeping up?' Kara wondered, her disbelief growing. She was supposed to be far faster than him, yet Sora not only matched her speed but occasionally outpaced her.

'I can accelerate time around myself to flow 5000 times faster, but my body can only move 100 times faster than normal,' Kara thought, frustrated. Although her skill allowed her to perceive everything at incredible speeds, it had revealed flaws she was unaware of: her body was unable to keep up, and her surroundings blocked all attempts to push further.

'I need to find a way to break through.'

She glanced at Sora, her admiration growing.

'He's broken so many limits already and never stops growing. Speed, strength, mental power… He surpasses me in everything. What a monster.'

Kara poured more [Time] into her acceleration.

'When I started using this skill, I could only move 80 times faster than the limit. Now it's 100. But I can go further.'

With renewed determination, she launched an attack, her movements invisible to the woman outside the arena.