Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Chapter 96 : Tempting offer

A minute later, when she returned, her rating caused a wave of shock among the onlookers.

[Rating of Kara Spirine: 98]

The number hanging above the door sent shockwaves through the participants. Even Lois, who knew more than the others, was stunned.

"We knew she was talented from her performance in the war, but this? This is unbelievable," Oliver remarked.

"Yeah, she’s leagues ahead of everyone here. There’s no way anyone can beat that, right?" Aang added, casting a curious glance at Sora. "She’s even surpassed your level, Ralph. Did you train separately?"

"We did, yes. We parted ways after the war and regrouped recently before coming here," Sora replied, carefully omitting the full truth.

Emily frowned as she saw Kara’s rating. ’What the hell is this score? Didn’t that witch say she was testing all three aspects? If she tested Kara’s mind, she’d know Kara’s still a beginner… Could she be… biased?’ Emily didn’t mind the possibility but hoped that [GODS] wouldn’t steal their promising rookie. ’If that’s what they want, we wouldn’t stand a chance.’

Pushing her thoughts aside, Emily smiled at Kara as she approached the group. "Congratulations on making it to the event!"

Sora winked at Kara, who smiled back and thanked everyone. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention but tried to stay as humble as possible.

Soon, Lois’ turn arrived, and everyone was surprised when she earned a solid rating of 59. On the other hand, Oliver had received a rating of 45, just like Edward.

Finally, it was Sora’s turn. As his official name began with an ’R’, he was called up a bit later. Those who knew him weren’t worried about his performance—they only wanted to know if he could surpass Kara’s incredible rating.

He stepped forward and entered through the door.

Sora observed the strange phenomenon as he entered the new space, but he couldn’t decipher anything. The room was a vast, empty area with a white barrier surrounding it. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed Hannah standing near.

"Finally," she said, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips. "I have high expectations for you. Stop looking around like every other idiot who walks in here. Let’s get started."

Sora focused and prepared himself.

"Show me your physical talent first," Hannah instructed. "Hit me with all your physical strength, but don’t boost yourself with mana."

Sora smiled at the simple challenge. This was perfect for him. He pushed his body to the limit, throwing a punch at Hannah’s face with as much raw physical strength as he could muster.

Hannah grinned as she absorbed the hit effortlessly. "Almost Omega 26 in terms of body strength. Impressive. Being able to kill a target at least a billion times stronger than the average player at your level gives you the maximum talent rating. No need to test your energy levels either."

Sora was stunned. Such an absurd requirement for a maximum rating? No wonder other players could barely reach a rating of 50.

Hannah continued, "I won’t need to test your skill mastery since this kind of power is clearly the result of extreme body forging. Am I right?"

Sora nodded, feeling as though she could see through all his secrets. He wasn’t particularly fond of the sensation.

"Now, let’s test your mental power," Hannah said, her tone shifting slightly. "The last time we met, you were powerless, like most people at NEU. Let’s see how far you’ve come."

A mist of pinkish mana flowed from Hannah’s body, moving toward Sora. But he wasn’t about to just stand there and wait for it.

[Peak Meditate] (Unique)

The rating of his skill had improved significantly, reaching [Unique] rarity, just short of perfection. ’I couldn’t rebuild this skill using [Mana Evolution] since it wasn’t under its control,’ Sora mused, ’so I had to train like everyone else, slowly grinding proficiency.’ Of course, he conveniently ignored the fact that he had done it inside the [Time Space], training with Kara and finding a shortcut through their [Soul Link].

He controlled his mental power to create a barrier around his mind, shielding him from mental attacks. Similar to how his [Mana Shield] worked, this ability only shielded his mind. As Hannah’s mental mist reached his barrier, it attempted to devour his defenses. However, due to the relatively low power of her attack, Sora’s barrier easily resisted the mental attack.

Hannah raised an eyebrow, stopping her assault. "You’ve already mastered countering mental attacks? What in the world did you and Kara do this past month to grow so strong? I’m genuinely curious."

Sora shrugged. "We’re hard workers."

Hannah didn’t buy it but appeared thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to grow even stronger after this event? I’d like to see someone from our region reach the top, but I feel like I’ve hit a wall lately."

Sora’s curiosity was piqued. "Who wouldn’t want that?"

Hannah hesitated briefly, weighing her words. "I can help you reach new heights. When the event is over, find me—and bring Kara with you, if you’re interested."

Tempted by her offer, Sora replied, "I’ll think about it and let you know after the event."

Hannah smiled, nodding. "Good. Now leave before people start whispering about me playing favorites."

Without another word, Sora turned and exited the space, his expression changed as his thoughts lingered on Hannah’s offer. ’I can’t accept that. I’m not getting caught in someone else’s web. No backstabs for me, not again.’

A surge of paranoia swept over him, as he considered how easily strong players could manipulate those beneath them. Remembering how he could toy with anyone below his level, a chill ran through his spine at the thought of someone doing the same to him one day.

Sora declared, ’I’ll never fully trust someone stronger than me. Not unless I’m certain they can be trusted in a way or another.’

His mind wandered to contracts. ’Hell, I’m even getting suspicious of contracts now. That prick, Rachel, probably signed contracts, but how does she keep on backstabbing people left and right? Don’t tell me there’s not a single group that made her sign a contract? I don’t believe it.’

Supreme skills, hidden powers, experimentation on humans—it all made him uneasy knowing people also had them. ’There are probably dozens of ways to track me, kill me, or worse. I need to be careful.’

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. ’Panicking won’t help. I should spend less time around people, especially in these "safe zones" full of people. They seem to be anything but safe.’

As he walked back to his group, ignoring the curious stares about his rating, a small poke at his elbow snapped him from his thoughts. A telepathic message followed, "Get hold of yourself, people are going to suspect something happened inside."

Sora snapped back to reality, realizing he’d been lost in thought again. It was a habit he struggled to break, and being caught overthinking in public left him feeling a bit embarrassed.

Rubbing the back of his head, trying to shake off the awkwardness, he quickly checked his rating.

[Rating of Ralph Eden : 99]

Sora spoke to Kara through telepathy, "Considering we spent a few years training our Mental Power, it seems we’re now ahead of most people thanks to your cheats."

She teased back, "You’re the best battery I can find, I guess it’s a win-win situation. Did Hannah do something to you? It seems that her charm is more efficient on male players."

Sora quickly explained, "I’ve built some immunity to her charms thanks to mental power, but that’s not the issue. She’s inviting us to join her after the war to help us grow."

Kara, already guessing his thoughts after their years together, responded, "And you don’t trust her... I’m with you 100%. I don’t like her. I can’t sense any honesty or kindness from her. I know my criteria are stupid in this world, but I’ll stick to them."

Sora smiled, reassured by her support. "You’re not tempted by what she can offer us?"

Kara, having built incredible confidence during her time in the [Time Space], replied, "I don’t need anyone else to grow. Hiyoko and you are more than enough to keep my sanity intact."

Sora sighed. Indeed, every time they returned from the [Time Space], they came back stronger, but the toll it took on their mental health was real.

Sora thought for a moment and asked, "Why did she only give you 98?"

Kara grimaced at the question, "It seems my body’s lack of balance is too much of a handicap to get full marks in talent. What about you?"

"Maybe she didn’t want to give a hundred. She also didn’t test my skill proficiency, except for my body forging, or she would have seen through the weakness of my other skills," Sora replied, reflecting on the test.

Hannah soon stepped out of the [Special Space].

"You probably know if you passed by now, but I’m going to announce the results anyway," Hannah said, her voice carrying over the crowd. "First place of the qualifiers: [Ralph Eden], second place: [Kara Spirine]... 14th place: [Lois Nale], 18th: [Cero Vux], 20th: [Aang Li]. Congratulations, you’ll represent our region in the event."

Asami, Oliver, and Edward, who had failed to make the cut, left the area with disappointment, anger, or helplessness.

Hannah continued, "The Ascension will start tomorrow! I’ll see you 20 here at 8 a.m. sharp, understood?"

Emily, who had been watching the qualifiers unfold for over an hour, was impressed. "You two... nailed it. You’re really diamonds in the rough. I didn’t expect you to score so high despite... You know what. It seems that you have some secrets, so I won’t pry! Congratulations, kids!"

"Emily, don’t you have your own qualifiers?" Sora asked, puzzled by his guild co-leader who seemed to have too much time to waste...

"My qualifier? Oh no, no, no, shit!! I completely forgot!" Emily panicked, looking around frantically, as if searching for something important.

Sora couldn’t help but think, ’Probably looking for her brain cells...’