Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

The moment the fight began, it was as if we had all reached an unspoken agreement—each of us locking onto an opponent and diving into battle without hesitation.

I recalled Master’s advice about fighting smart, using strategy to gain the upper hand. But as I faced the Dark Phoenix before me, all those thoughts vanished. The only thing I cared about was proving who was superior.

Judging by my opponent’s movements, he probably felt the same.

I led him away from the other duel. He struck first, casting a [Fire Net] to ensnare me. Familiar with the skill—it was one I possessed myself—I dodged with ease. But something felt wrong. Glancing back, I saw the net flying straight toward the Ice Dragon, aimed at catching my teammate off guard.

This sneaky bastard had deliberately positioned himself to exploit my dodge, targeting Binryong in my stead. Sensing the increasing heat, Binryong hesitated, her attention leaving her opponent and turning toward the incoming attack.

I vanished from my spot, reappearing between the net and the female Ice Dragon, asking her to focus on her battle. With a powerful flap of my wings, I summoned a surge of wind, dispersing the [Fire Net] and ensuring the surrounding heat dissipated. My teammate remained untouched.

I caught a flicker of disappointment on my opponent’s face before his expression hardened once more. Moving quickly, I ascended a few hundred meters above him, positioning myself with nothing but the sky behind my back.

For a brief moment, I lost sight of him. Then he reappeared directly in front of me, talons extended. His claws gripped my belly, digging in just enough to hold me but not enough to pierce through my feathers.

Gathering his strength, he prepared to unleash a devastating breath attack, combining fire and a strange, dark energy. However, I didn’t give him the chance.

As the blast formed, I blocked it with my left wing, enduring the initial heat and energy. Using my other wing, I seized his beak and slammed it shut, cutting off the attack mid-blast. The backlash erupted inside him, scorching his own face.

His shock gave me the perfect opening. With a rapid attack, I struck him with my talons, sending him flying through the air, stunned and disoriented.

Taking a moment to shake off the dark energy on my left wing, I surged forward again, determined to end this.

As the Dark Phoenix recovered from his stunned state, he attempted to retreat, spreading his wings as dark flames flared around him in a defensive shield. But I was faster. My golden flames surged like a wave, engulfing him entirely and consuming his darkness with a blinding inferno.

I watched him flinch, struggling to withstand my strength, until his aura cracked under the relentless pressure. Blood trickled from his wounds, but I refused to relent.

Seizing the opportunity, I advanced, talons extended, tearing through his wings and leaving streaks of blood in my path. He cried out and attempted to counter with a condensed dark fire blast, but a swipe of my wing scattered it into harmless sparks.

With his strength nearly extinguished, I unleashed one final strike. The heat within me reached a new height as I released a fire breath, burning him entirely. His body was set on fire, unable to resist my [Undying Flames], until only ash scattered in the air.

Expecting congratulations from my master, I turned to meet his gaze, only to see concern in his eyes, focused elsewhere.

A pang of disappointment tightened my chest—Master wasn’t watching my victory.

’Be careful ! They’re dangerous!! Protect yourself ! Right now !’ Listening to my Master who had never sounded so urgent, I focused, followed his gaze, and froze.

Three opponents, having just finished their battles, were now advancing in my direction, their intent to corner me clear.

The massive, blue-scaled, eight-headed serpent had vanished, and in its place stood the dragon, the fox with many tails, and the majestic blue beast I had noticed earlier. The last two bore light injuries, while the dragon appeared entirely unharmed. Their eyes locked onto me with a chilling intensity.

’How did those four idiots die in half a minute?’ I thought, stunned. ’How did I miss so much while fighting?’

’After dispersing that [Fire Net], I didn’t even hear the sounds of their battles… Was that normal?’ I forced the thoughts aside, focusing on the immediate danger and preparing my defense.

As the three opponents closed in, I unleashed a furious surge of flames, creating a sphere of fire around me. Heat radiated outward, filling the area with fire as I poured every ounce of power into keeping them far.

’They ca-’ Master’s sentence was abruptly cut off, trailing into a distorted, incomprehensible echo in my mind.

My opponents were moving faster. Much faster. Faster than anything I’d ever encountered.

At first, they blurred—just flashes of movement in my field of vision. They would appear long enough to strike at my sides with claws and fangs, only to vanish before I could retaliate. I pushed my senses to the limit, but no matter how hard I tried, they slipped through like phantoms, evading every effort to track them.

’n slow’ I couldn’t make sense of master’s gibberish. It was as if his words stretched, transformed by some unseen force. Frustrated, I severed the telepathic link to focus entirely on the fight.

In the chaos, I managed to catch a glimpse of the horned creature. My flames had injured it, yet in the same breath, it had fully recovered, its wounds vanishing as if erased by magic.

But the fox and the dragon were unscathed. They moved effortlessly through my flames, striking me from all directions with astonishing speed.

Each blow landed with crushing speed, using my inability to react. I was utterly defenseless under their assault, and I couldn’t help but feel a twisted sense of gratitude toward my master’s tortu—no, training.

Master’s focus on body forging had pushed me to extreme limits, and it was that grueling training that kept me standing now.

Even so, my feathers burned as pain coursed through my body. Wounds opened faster than I could comprehend, their claws shredding my left wing before my talons snapped under the pressure. Each hit drove me closer to the brink, yet I refused to surrender.

Through the chaos, I noticed the blue-horned figure had stopped moving. It stood off to the side, breathing heavily, its chest rising and falling at an alarming rate. The rhythm was too rapid. It looked strange.

Then my gaze fell on Master.

He was pacing back and forth with inhuman speed, his movements a blur as he helplessly observed the fight.

And then it hit me—a truth so staggering that it felt like a physical blow. My opponents hadn’t sped up. I had been slowed down. Shackled. Trapped in a prison of time where every movement I made lagged behind reality.

The realization sent a surge of anger and desperation flooding through my chest. My body, battered and torn, was failing me. Yet I refused to let it end here.

With a roar that came from the depths of my soul, I unleashed every ounce of power within me, every ember of strength I had left.

It all happened in a blink. Moments ago, Netsu had been dominating, his flames easily overpowering the Dark Phoenix.

Then, as if reality itself had torn, part of the battlefield seemed to warp. A strange distortion enveloped the eight other beasts—a "time bubble" that bent everything inside it. What should have been a prolonged, brutal battle unfolded in a single heartbeat.

The [Black Tortoise] had managed to take down the [Sapphire Hydra], but everyone else on their team had fallen, killed by the powerful [Nine-Tailed Blood Fox] and the [Azure Dragon].

As the bubble dissipated, the three remaining creatures locked eyes on Netsu and charged. Sora barely had time to process the situation. He sent a frantic telepathic warning, the urgency of his thoughts impossible to miss.

’Be careful! They’re dangerous! Protect yourself! Right now!’ he urged, pausing only to see Netsu release a tremendous wave of fire. ’They can slow time!!’ he added, dread rising within him as the message barely made it through.

Sora paced back and forth, frustration written all over his face as he scanned the battlefield, desperate for a way to intervene. Even as he watched, it was clear the situation was getting worse—within seconds, Netsu was overwhelmed by thousands of attacks, each blow landing with devastating precision. Sora’s heart sank as he saw his familiar, defenseless under the onslaught, enduring a barrage of attacks.

Just as his frustration peaked, fists clenched with the urge to leap into the fray and save Netsu himself, a voice broke through his thoughts.

Klunor glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "You know he won’t actually die if we lose this, right?" he asked, clearly puzzled by Sora’s intense reaction.

Sora ignored him, his gaze never leaving the battlefield. Every split second brought more attacks, and Netsu’s flames were struggling to keep up.

His eyes narrowed in admiration as he noticed the [Azure Dragon], exhausted from hitting his familiar, struggling to catch its breath between assaults. Then his focus shifted to the female[Nine-Tailed Blood Fox] , moving in and out of the fray so quickly she was barely visible.

Staring at the fox, Sora sighed. ’Emily’s familiar really is overpowered. Its control over blood is ridiculous—it’s slicing right through Netsu’s defenses. She’s the one dealing the most damage, causing nearly all his severe injuries.’

But Sora’s frustration deepened as his eyes fell on the fragile-looking dragon hovering at the edge of the battle, providing support and occasionally attacking. ’And none of this would even be possible without that damned [Time Dragon],’ he thought, his teeth gritting. ’Kara, even your familiar has to mess with time, huh? You really got me this time. I swear… this just makes me want to master time myself.’