Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Sora was deeply focused on testing his new skills in combat.

Locking onto Kara's position, he used [Void Tunnel] to create a web of paths for movement. These tunnels, invisible to the naked eye, had multiple uses.

He used them to hide his clones, which mimicked his actions, darting in and out to attack.

When Kara sent her own clones after him, some accidentally entered the tunnels, unable to react to the sudden shift in space. More than once, her clones ended up face-to-face with Sora's clones, who were waiting in ambush inside.

'This isn't exactly what I made the tunnels for, but since I move faster inside them, my enemies can use them too. Might as well turn it to my advantage,' Sora thought, a faint smile forming as he sensed his clones overwhelming one of Kara's, which had tried to sneak into the tunnels while disguised as his own.

"You didn't think I'd fall for that, did you?" he sent her a telepathic message, amused.

"You said your clones were independent and didn't need micromanagement! I had to test if they could be tricked," she replied.

"They are independent, but we're constantly connected through mental power. I can sense their actions and step in before they mess up," he sent back.

Their exchange happened in an instant, their accelerated thoughts making communication near-instantaneous.

Moving at lightning speed within the [Void Tunnels], Sora repeatedly used [Overlap] on [Explosive Dash] to change direction and accelerate. His movements still had flaws—sometimes, he used too much energy and accidentally exited the tunnels after sharp, uncontrolled turns.

These slip-ups were the only times Kara could track him, catching glimpses of him as he flickered in and out of view.

As his control improved, Sora went on the offensive. Directing one of his clones to leave the [Void Tunnels] behind Kara, he used the distraction to materialize in front of her.

He swung his sword, aiming to end the duel with one decisive strike.

But victory didn't come. As his sword neared Kara, an arc of light suddenly appeared, destroying his clone instantly.

'My clones can't withstand her sword intent. It didn't even slow her down. With her [Time Acceleration], feints and decoys are useless. I can't surprise her,' he thought, feeling both frustrated at his failure and proud of her skill.

Noticing her sharp focus on him, Sora realized she had no trouble tracking his movements. 'You may see everything in slow motion, but that doesn't mean you can dodge in time!' he thought, planning to use that against her.

Seeing her [Sword Intent] split into two, with half of it targeting him, he activated [Overlap] on one of his earliest skills, [Mana Shield].

Feeling the barrier form around him, he believed it could withstand the attack. Trusting in the shield, he swung his sword with all his strength, aiming to finish the duel in a single blow.

Sora's sword reached Kara as she raised her own blade to protect her neck. The remaining [Sword Intent] wrapped around her weapon, reinforcing her defense.

The confident smile on Sora's face disappeared as he looked down, realizing the effect of Kara's attack. The arc of light tore through his [Mana Shield] as if it didn't exist.

Panicking, he swung his sword at her chest, trying to end the duel before her [Sword Intent] struck him.

A sudden drain on his energy made him flinch and lose focus, his attack failing to land. 'She's draining my life force with her [Life Force Mastery] whenever she wants… and I have no way to resist it.'

As Kara's [Sword Intent] cut through his [Mana Shield], Sora braced for impact. His [Eternal Body Craft], forged to endure the unimaginable, proved its value. The [Sword Intent] pierced his skin, sending waves of pain through him, but it failed to cut deeper as it hit the dense structure of his muscles and bones.

'We've both reached the limit in body levels, but almost all my resistances are maxed out. I'm nearly immune to sword damage now,' Sora thought, recalling the countless hours spent strengthening his body.

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'It still hurts,' he admitted to himself, as the attack left a deep wound across his chest.
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Kara, meanwhile, countered his every strike with precision. Her swordsmanship, far superior to his, gave her the upper hand as she parried, dodged, and struck back.

But her [Sword Intent] started to weaken. The immense mana and life force needed to sustain her technique drained her energy. Despite her skill, keeping up with the escalating consumption became difficult.

On the other hand, Sora burned through absurd amounts of mana to maintain his fighting style. Using [Overlap] for movement, attack, and defense pushed his energy usage to the limit.

After hundreds of exchanges, Kara sighed and sent Sora a telepathic message. "At this rate, the [Time Space]'s reserves will be drained in seconds..."

Hearing her voice in his mind, Sora immediately stopped attacking. He deactivated his [Lava in My Veins] form, which powered his [Explosive Dashes], and stepped back, letting the tension of the duel fade.

"I can't win against you anymore... Your [Sword Intent] is overpowered," Sora admitted.

Kara frowned and replied, "You dare say that to my face? You held back because we're in my [Time Space], limiting the mana you could use. And you didn't even use your fused elements, mental power, or any of your other weird skills… The only things I have to overpower players who reached the limit are my speed and swordsmanship. You're a monster..."

Sora shook his head. "Don't underestimate yourself. I've browsed through those four clowns' memories, and you're leagues above most Thresholders. Most players who reached the limit can't take a single step further. You're what they call a Breaker now because you've surpassed limits in speed and attack power."

Kara paused, then asked, "So we're Breakers now… That makes three of us, including Alius over there."

Sora sighed, thinking about Alius. "In my last few spars with him, I've felt he's catching up to me at an insane speed. Honestly, I think he's the real monster here."

Kara nodded. "Soul Power. It might be the key to growth beyond the limits, or even after the next update. I'm still struggling with the basics, so I'm glad we have someone so skilled with it, especially with our plans to attack one of the strongest guilds."

Sora nodded in agreement and opened his system panel, selecting the option to forfeit the duel. Then, he turned his attention to Sarsha and Alius, who stood side by side nearby.

Noticing the joy on Sarsha's face, Sora guessed her thoughts. 'It's been a month already… Inside the [Time Space], that is.'

Sarsha greeted them with enthusiasm. "This month passed so quickly I barely noticed! Since you kept your word and helped me make up for the time I lost when I was dead, I wanted to thank you."

Facing the group, she hesitated before speaking. "I blamed you for my death in the war and thought you were fools for reviving your enemy. But you treated me in a way I never expected. There was no discrimination in your gaze, no pity, no regret for bringing someone back who could have been a threat to you and your kingdom. I don't understand you… I really don't. But I feel some admiration for the three of you."

Turning to Alius, she pulled out a few [Soul Pearls], her face slightly red. "I went too far when I asked for so many pearls. I can return some of them. I'm sorry for trying to scam you."

Finally, her gaze rested on Sora. "I've spent a month with your group. It's time for me to leave this place."

Sora, Kara, and Alius were left speechless at her words, actions, and expressions.

Two messages rang in Sora's mind at the same time.

Alius: "You deal with this. It was your plan to scam this naive girl. You wanted me to create that contract, so you better take responsibility." Alius stepped back, putting distance between himself and Sora.

Kara: "I won't hold her against her will! You better apologize and let her go." Kara's face turned red as her former enemy showered them with praise.

Sora smiled at their words and shook his head. Clearing his throat, he said, "About that… The contract mentioned you'd spend a month with us. But only a little more than twenty minutes have passed since we signed it."

Seeing the confusion on Sarsha's face, he explained, "The contract specified a month in the outside world. Time in this place flows differently… Two thousand times slower, actually."

Her confusion turned to disbelief, then to anger. Despite knowing he was stronger in every way, Sora felt a chill run through him, as if he had just unleashed something terrible.

Recalling Kara's earlier words, he quickly added, "But don't worry! We don't plan on keeping you trapped here forever. If you want, we can freeze time around you while we train, so you won't feel the time passing. The month we agreed on will pass in the blink of an eye for you."

Kara groaned, covering her face in shame. She sent Sora a message through their [Soul Link]: "That's the best you could come up with?"