Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Sora stared at the notification in surprise.

[Your teammate, Brodus, won a familiar duel. +500 Ascension Points.]

’I earn points from my teammates’ wins too? I thought only the team victory mattered... So their performance actually affects my final rating,’ he realized, piecing it together quickly. ’Maybe I should help them train their familiars?’

It dawned on him that this trial was designed to reward teamwork, pushing players to collaborate rather than ignore each other. He glanced at the Dark Elf, the Dragonborn, and Brodus, the Dwarf who had just won his duel. ’Maybe I can work with these three,’ he thought.

Sora watched the Ice Dragon take position in the field, then turned to his teammates. "If we want to maximize our points, we need to work together."

Klunor raised an eyebrow, clueless. "What more can we do? We’re already training between battles, and we can’t really interfere with each other’s fights."

The demon race player opened his eyes, his sharp gaze studying Sora. "You’re smarter than you look… Smarter than this stupid Dark Elf at least… Cooperation seems to be… the answer… indeed… Do you have… tricks… up your sleeve?"

The demon’s voice resonated deeply in the air, unpleasant in Sora’s ears, each few words drawn out with brief pauses that gave his sentences a unique feeling.

"I can help you max out the potential of your familiars and help win more duels," Sora offered, his confidence evident as he addressed the group.

The Dragonborn, her eyes still fixed on her Ice Dragon as it clashed in the arena, turned her head slightly toward Sora, her intrigue evident. "It was to be expected... To be in Tier 1 despite being level 125, there must have been a reason. What do you want in return?"

"I want to know... Why are you attacking humans?" Sora finally asked, voicing the question that had lingered in his mind since the war in Sweden.

Klunor looked down, his expression hidden, and muttered, "We can’t talk about that..."

The demon spoke next, his voice echoing deeply, drawing out his words in his signature tone. "That’s not... the question you should... ask us..." He paused, his smile widening. "You should wonder... what will happen after... you lose the war..."

The atmosphere grew tense. The others reacted strongly to his words.

The Dragonborn, her gaze unwavering from her familiar’s battle, clenched her fist so tightly that blood dripped down her fingers, tracing dark lines on the floor. Brodus, his gaze darkening, turned away as if haunted by buried memories, his expression overcome with unspoken emotions. Klunor flinched but quickly regained composure, his face hardening into an indifferent mask.

Sora observed each of them carefully, piecing together the unspoken warnings in their reactions. He locked eyes with the demon, surprised that he, of all people, would drop such a revealing hint.

Expecting to see despair or fear in Sora’s eyes, the demon found neither. Instead, he was met with a calm, and curious gaze, as if Sora was analysing his every word.

The demon’s smile disappeared, his disappointment almost tangible.

Sora’s mind raced. ’He says I should ask what will happen if we lose… But wouldn’t the system or the World just send everyone back to Earth? Or… am I being too naive? Judging by their reactions, that seems far too simple an ending. If we lose, it must mean something far worse for humanity…’ His initial question only gave rise to more doubts, but he pushed them aside to focus on the present.

Bringing his attention back to the group, he addressed them. "I can help everyone’s familiars get stronger, but we’ll need to sign a contract first."

Brodus shook his head. "You can sign contracts with us, Human, but don’t waste your time trying to sign deals with demons. They can break contracts with little consequence. And if you’re revealing any secrets here, he’ll make sure they’re leaked."

Sora was caught off guard by the revelation, feeling a surge of gratitude toward Brodus for his warning.

Resolving to move forward cautiously, he addressed his teammates, "Let’s sign one anyway."

He moved ahead with contracts for the three reasonable teammates, bypassing the grinning demon, who didn’t seem to mind being excluded.

Turning to Brodus, Sora asked, "What’s your familiar’s progress like? Growth, Intelligence, and affection?"

They began exchanging details about their familiars, and Sora applied his personalized version of the [Nurturing] skills to boost each teammate’s familiar—except for the Demon’s.

The duels between similarly ranked familiars dragged on, and every bit of progress their familiars made seemed to have an impact on the outcomes. Sora focused on providing all the support he could, making their familiars stronger and better prepared without directly using [Train] on them.

He was especially cautious not to reveal his more unique abilities, like [Mana Evolution], which could be used to teach additional skills or elements, or [Eternal Body Craft] for refining their physical forms. Both skills were secrets he intended to keep for himself.

After watching the Ice Dragon lose its fight and witnessing the Dark Elf’s victory, Sora saw the demon summon his familiar for the fourth match. If they won this duel, their team would secure the match.

An enormous demon-like creature stood tall, releasing extreme heat. Though towering at a dozen meters, it had a humanoid form, with massive horns protruding from its forehead. Its skin glowed as if it was made of earth infused with flowing lava. Bat-like wings spread on its back as it floated menacingly toward the center of the battlefield.

Looking at the fire-breathing beast, Sora’s curiosity was aroused, and he quickly identified it as a [Balrog - Level 145].

’It looks badass…’ he thought, genuinely impressed by the creature’s aura. This was a beast that seemed designed purely for destruction.

While taking care of the various familiars, nurturing them as much as they could handle, Sora watched in awe as the Balrog demolished its opponent within minutes. However, rather than finishing the fight, it chose to spare the beaten creature, allowing it to recover.

’This familiar is insanely powerful... And it’s only tier 2? There can’t be 400 beasts stronger than this!’ Sora’s mind raced, stunned by this possibility. ’This feels beyond what maximum nurturing alone could achieve. So the tier isn’t a good way to compare beasts... Because the rank was determined based on the growth and intelligence. But the training, which is just as important, was not taken into account.’

Confused, Brodus turned to the demon, curiosity etched on his face. "What are you doing? Why spare it?" he asked, clearly puzzled by the familiar’s behavior.

Seeing the Demon ignore the Dwarf’s question, Sora stepped in, "He’s giving us time—to nurture all familiars. The trial probably has more matches, and it’s unlikely to test us on a single match that could knock us out based on luck alone. There are bound to be more rounds ahead. Spending time here might be the best way to strengthen our familiars even further."

The other teammates looked at the Demon Player in realization. Perhaps the Demon was more of a team player than they’d thought, or that he just wanted to achieve the best possible ranking in this trial.

As the duel’s time limit approached, nearly an hour had passed.

[Your teammate, Sollmunn, won a familiar duel. +500 Ascension Points]

I opened my eyes the moment I heard master’s telepathic message.

The battlefield was too cold for my taste, but I’ll manage. There, waiting for me, was my opponent—a massive beast, twice my height.

’Master calls those big beasts... Dragons?’

This one hovered just above the ground, its wings beating slowly, sending lightning arcs that spread across the field. Its yellow eyes locked onto me, daring me to fight.

’Finally. A chance to test the power master granted me.’

I rose from the ground, stretching my wings as I instantly appeared on my side of the battlefield. I looked over my opponent, studying its slow, heavy movements. It looked strong, maybe even stronger than the fire-type beast that fought just before…

The dragon made the first move, snapping its tail and sending a bolt of lightning right at me. I dodged easily, feeling the energy pass beside me. With a flap of my wings, I dashed forward, appearing just behind my opponent.

I opened my beak, feeling the fire forming within me, gathering in my chest before exploding outside, hotter than anything I’d summoned before. A blazing inferno shot through my mouth and wrapped around the dragon’s thick scales, engulfing it entirely.

It roared, thrashing wildly as the fire stuck to his skin. This was my power, passed down through generations of phoenixes, a gift my master helped me train. My flames could not be extinguished by someone weaker than me.

I used my wings, to fan the flames, watching as the dragon seemed on the brink of defeat.

I could see its thick scales reddening and melting as my fire was nourished by the abundant fire and wind elements I was summoning and throwing at my opponent.

Just as I was about to finish it off, my master’s voice echoed in my mind. ’Make this last an hour, Netsu. We need time to train the others.’

I pulled back, extinguishing the flames, watching the dragon collapse to the ground. Its wings were in tatters, and its body lay severely injured. ’I guess this is it ...’