Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Chapter 145 Top 16

Facing the group of players from the [GODS] guild, Alius and Hope communicated silently, their expressions tense.

Alius clenched his fists, frustration and worry twisting in his chest. His thoughts spun, searching desperately for another way out of this mess, but he felt trapped.

He asked, his gaze darting between Hope and the group of enemies.

Hope's sharp eyes softened for a moment as she glanced at him.

Alius hesitated but took the tokens Hope handed to him. Before he could even read their descriptions, he saw players from the opposing group vanish from sight. Realizing time was not on his side, he activated the tokens without a second thought.

As his generals formed a protective ring around him, Alius ordered his legions to unleash chaos. Millions of beasts and undead poured their energy into a barrage of attacks aimed at the figures in the sky. Spells and all kinds of blasts filled the air, creating a blinding spectacle of colors and light that overwhelmed most of the players.

'This might not scratch their armor, but it could buy me a few seconds,' Alius thought, hoping his ploy would create enough of a diversion.

Just as the enemies who had vanished reappeared above him, Alius canceled the summoning of all his troops except his generals. Leaping onto Magnus, his Celestial Tiger, he felt a tremendous force pushing him toward the ground.

He understood that Hope had intercepted the attack, and the residual energy released by the impact had sent him flying. 'I can't even see what's happening. Everything is moving too fast.' He thought, realizing that he would only be a burden by staying among these monsters.

Alius turned to look up and froze in shock.

Hope's figure radiated an intense, blinding light, her presence dominating the battlefield. From her, chains of golden energy erupted, twisting and flying through the air with impossible speed. They didn't aim for her enemies' weapons or limbs but struck directly at their hearts.

One by one, the chains pierced their targets. Surprised at not seeing any blood or injury, he understood that instead of dealing damage, these chains focused on holding enemies still. Every player struck by a chain froze in place, their bodies unable to move as though the chains had removed their ability to fight back.

More chains erupted from Hope's body, finding every opponent who could still move freely.

Alius, still watching from Magnus's back, felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn't pull his gaze from the sight of her overpowering so many enemies. 'She's so strong...' He thought, catching a glimpse of the power she had kept hidden until now.

"I'm not injured," one of the restrained players growled, "but I can't— I can't use any skill! What did you do to us?"

Hope didn't answer. Bothered that she could still feel Alius's lingering presence, she sent him another message.

Her message was direct, waking him up from his trance. Alius no longer hesitated, his fists clenching as he left his friend behind, holding back 15 of the strongest players he had ever seen.

He urged Magnus forward, the Celestial Tiger flying away from the chaos with his generals at his side.

As they sped away, Alius finally checked the tokens Hope had given him: [Invulnerability Token] and [Crowd Control Immunity Token]. Both were treasures he had seen in war shop, and he was afraid of checking their prices, afraid of their real value.

Flying at breakneck speed, they reached the closest city within seconds—only to find trouble awaiting them. A cluster of players surrounded the city's barrier, blocking the entrance.

Before Alius could issue a command, Nyx decided to attack. Hovering beside him, the undead Frost Fairy raised her hands, her eyes turning white as her power surged. In an instant, a wave of mental energy was released, catching the dozens of players in front of them off-guard.

Ignoring the system's warning about attacking other players, Alius watched as the figures trembled and fell from the sky, completely overwhelmed by Nyx's mental attack. While Magnus continued forward, Alius took a moment to observe the unconscious players and checked their identities.

'What the hell is that guild name? ASS? All these names sound Arabic... Is this an Arabic guild? Maybe they were hired to stop me,' he thought, dismissing the idea for now.

With the entrance clear, Alius wasted no time, quickly passing through the barrier surrounding the city of Mirny. Since his familiars hadn't killed any players, his name did not turn red, avoiding the penalty given to Player Killers.

Paying the fee to enter the city, he relaxed slightly and immediately tried to contact Hope.

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Sora stood across from his first opponent, Sephra, a level 168 player, ready for the battle ahead.

His familiars, Hiyoko and Netsu, positioned themselves in front of him, eager to prove they still had what it took to fight the final battles. Across the field, Sephra summoned his familiar, a massive wolf that exuded an intimidating aura.

Despite his own power reaching a plateau, Sora knew Hiyoko's power had increased after he had joined Salim's Kingdom, narrowing the gap between her and Netsu.

Feeling the difficulty of the fight, Sora communicated silently with his familiars, giving them a plan of action through telepathy.

'Hiyoko, this player from the Werewolf race has an extremely strong body, almost nearing the limit. Avoid getting hit, and fight from a distance. Netsu, keep him occupied while Hiyoko handles his wolf familiar. Once she's done, create an opening for her to land her skills on Sephra.'

Sora, who did not see this player fight, was only aware of how strong he was thanks to his ability to assess enemies with mental power.

'It is risky to let them fight an opponent with unknown abilities, but if Hiyoko and Netsu don't experience battles with a real purpose, they'll lose motivation...' he mused, preparing himself to intervene if needed.

As the countdown ticked closer to zero, Sora entered the [Zone], feeling his control over his surrounding reach incredible heights.

Feeling a change in his opponents' bodies, he focused his [Mana Eyes], and released his mental power, locking onto them. He watched as the Werewolf and his familiar began to grow larger.

Every movement, around and inside of them became part of Sora's calculations as he began analyzing the energy flowing and Sephra's transformation.

'This... is an innate skill or an intricate ability that doesn't rely on simple mana manipulation. Maybe a racial skill?' Sora quickly deduced, noticing he couldn't copy the technique instantly.

Because he still couldn't see through [Supreme Skills], he was certain it wasn't one.

As Sephra's body expanded, towering past a hundred meters, Sora's analysis caught details that hinted at the nature of the skill.

'His body's weight, strength and everything increased proportionally to his size... It's a gigantification technique, and it doesn't seem to be a racial skill, because I don't see any elements that are tied to his race in this skill. It seems that he's storing some strange stored energy to fuel his transformation, and it is quickly being consumed... This should be a state he can not keep for long.' Seeing through his opponents secrets, he could already see a few weaknesses he could exploit.

However, he sighed as another thought followed swiftly, 'Hiyoko and Netsu do not stand a chance now...'

Hiyoko and Netsu, momentarily startled by the transformation, didn't waste time. They launched attacks, hoping to catch Sephra and his familiar while they were still adjusting.

Netsu flew into the sky, his wings glowing with the [Holy Element] mixed with [Fire Element] as he unleashed a fully powered [Holy Fire]. The attack struck the center of Sephra's massive chest but failed to deal any damage.

Not even a scratch.

Hiyoko, determined to contribute to the battle, managed to touch the wolf's fur with one of her feathers, expending nearly all her luck in the process. However, her efforts proved futile as the transformation continued, not showing any signs of failure.

Then, in a blur of motion, Sephra's wolf familiar lashed out. A single swipe of its massive paw sent Hiyoko spiraling through the air like a broken kite. At the same time, Sephra's palm swatted Netsu away with terrifying force, sending the phoenix smashing into the arena floor.

If they hadn't been bound by their Soul links with Sora, the impact alone would have ended their lives.

Shortly after, Sora received a frantic but pathetic message from Hiyoko: 'Master, we give up! They're too strong!!'

Laughing at the image of her panicked expression as she darted away from the enemy, Sora sent a calm reply: 'Watch the rest of the fight from your space then.'

Netsu, who had his head hung low in shame, chimed in with his own message: 'We cannot die anyway. Please let us watch from here.'

The stark contrast between Hiyoko's frantic retreat and Netsu's subdued resignation made Sora sigh. 'Up to you,' he responded.

Turning his attention back to Sephra, Sora noticed the werewolf's massive figure preparing to stomp down on him. 'His physical strength is immense, but his technique is lacking. What a waste of a powerful ability.'

Without hesitation, Sora materialized his [Elemental Nexus], the fused elements enveloping his hand. Dodging the incoming stomp with ease, he ignored Sephra's wolf familiar and leaped into the air, appearing right in front of the giant's cheek.

Sephra's eyes widened in shock as he saw Sora approaching, but his body couldn't react in time.

Sora sent him a telepathic message, his tone cold: 'Do you want to surrender?'

As Sephra took the time his opponent gave him to desperately raise his hands to defend himself, Sora shook his head. With a single swing of his glowing hand, he struck the werewolf's face. The blow sent Sephra flying across the arena, his massive form crashing into the barrier. Teeth larger than Sora himself scattered across the arena floor...

Sora landed softly, watching Sephra's figure crumpled near the seating area of the Werewolves players.

Feeling an overwhelming amount of pain going through his chest, he tried his best to hide it from the audience.

'I don't know how many time I can do this before my Soul crumbles...' He thought.