Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

[Brodus Clekan has sent a friend request][Melinda Targyan has sent a friend request][Klunor Sapher has sent a friend request]

Sora stared at the notifications, puzzled. ’We can add players from enemy factions to our friend lists? Can they track me if I accept? This feels like a trap. Even if it’s not, I don’t get why they’d want to add me… Inside the tower, communication is only possible within the same space, and outside, we’ll be enemies again.’

He didn’t accept or decline the requests, opting to ignore them for now as he moved his focus to the next series of notifications.

[The fourth trial is over. Teams ranked below 300 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward. Congratulations to all who remain. Please select your reward.][You are ranked 1/400: Reward x3.][Your familiar’s level increases by 1] x 10 [Reward Option 1: +3 Familiar Soul Link Creation Tokens][Reward Option 2: +3 Elemental Affinity Stones][Reward Option 3: +3 Level 150 Legendary Celestial Set (Growth Item, Familiar)][Reward Option 4: +1 Familiar Soul Link Strengthening Token, +1 Elemental Affinity Stone, +1 Level 150 Legendary Celestial Familiar Armor]

Netsu, who had been stuck at level 145, gained ten levels as part of the reward for the fourth trial.

Sora studied the options carefully, weighing their potential. ’Soul Link… That’s also the name of Kara’s ability. Maybe these [Familiar Soul Link Creation Tokens] could create something similar.’

The [Elemental Affinity Stones] likely enhanced a familiar’s elemental affinity or even granted a new one, both of which seemed valuable. And while the third option— [Level 150 Legendary Celestial Set (Growth Item, Familiar)]—was really tempting, Sora preferred not to rely on equipment too much for his familiars’ growth.

’If the first item does what I think it does, I should not need the affinity Stones... And the growth set of items seem powerful, but I have no idea what is required to allow that growth, and if they won’t be outdated sooner or later. Since I want to help Hiyoko grow, I can’t take the third option.’ After careful thought, he chose the first option, hoping to strengthen the bond with his familiars and hopefully amplify their overall abilities in the process.

’I’ve neglected Hiyoko for too long; maybe it’s time to focus on her.’ He resolved.

[You have obtained +3 Familiar Soul Link Creation Tokens]

[Familiar Soul Link Creation Token][Description: Creates a Soul Link with the familiar of your choice, establishing a permanent exchange between master and familiar. Can be strengthened through special methods.]

Sora examined the description with curiosity. ’I already have a connection with my familiars, so what does this additional link offer?’

To find out, he summoned Netsu and Hiyoko, both materializing in front of him with their usual energy. Netsu’s energy was rising, as his size was almost the same as his height before the battle, while Hiyoko chirped excitedly, flying around Sora in small loops.

"Alright, let’s see your statuses," Sora muttered, scrolling through their stats to assess their current progress.

[Familiar Profile Status][Name: Netsu][Species: Undying Phoenix (Adult)][Pedigree: Undying Phoenix (40% bloodline active)[Level: 155][Talent Level: 608]Primary Attributes:— Strength: (B --> S)— Agility: (A --> SS)— Stamina: (B --> S)— Magic: (S --> SSS)— Mental Power: (A --> A)]Affinities:— Fire: (SS --> SSS)— Holy: (A --> AA)— Arcane: (A) (New!)][Special Abilities: Holy Fire, Enhanced Rebirth, Supernova, Loved By Fire, ... ][Unique Traits: Prestige Rebirth (Hybrid, inherited)][Disposition: Unyielding, Curious][Growth Potential: 20%][(Click for more...)]

Browsing through Netsu’s profile, Sora was satisfied by the progress his familiar had made, and did not bother diving into the detailed stats on nurturing and power levels available when expanding the panel.

The panel highlighted Netsu’s evolution from his base, untrained form to his current stats across all fields. As his bloodline activity increased, he unlocked Special Abilities, and reached certain thresholds in growth, level and bloodline activity that allowed evolution.

In training Netsu, Sora had focused primarily on mana control and mastery over elements. Seeing that Netsu’s talent centered heavily around fire, he had dedicated more time to elemental training, leaving body refinement as a lower priority. Body forging was something Netsu strongly disliked, often begging Sora to focus on something else.

Sora had eventually stopped the body-refining process once all attributes reached at least S rank, redirecting their efforts toward elemental control.

Through intensive training, Netsu’s Fire Affinity had reached SSS rank, with his Magic Attribute attaining the same level. His achievements in mana control had led to the emergence of an affinity with Arcane magic, granting him a better understanding of mana and its manipulation.

Upon reaching level 50 a week earlier, Sora had been surprised to see three evolution options for his phoenix, each reflecting the training he’d provided.

The first option, [Immortal Phoenix], would have boosted Netsu’s body forging, focusing on resilience and resistance. This evolution leaned toward making him a physical powerhouse with high endurance and strength.

The second option, [Arcane Phoenix], would have amplified Netsu’s potential for mana mastery, pushing his control and understanding of mana to a new level, perfect for mana or elemental manipulation. Sora would have loved to choose such evolution for himself if there was something equivalent for humans...

The third option, however, had intrigued Sora the most. It seemed his innate skill had heavily influenced Netsu’s evolution path. This choice, named [Undying Phoenix], would elevate his familiar’s unique trait. Through their bond, Sora’s innate skill had enhanced Netsu’s Unique Trait and signature ability, transforming [Rebirth]—meant to bring him back to life—into something even more powerful.

Choosing the third evolution, Sora had seen this skill evolve with his familiar.

[Enhanced Rebirth][Description: Upon death, the [Undying Phoenix] revives with enhanced talent, increasing all attributes and strengthening affinities with mana and elements.

Remembering the description, Sora felt a bit annoyed. He had bet on this evolution, yet it seemed limited by his own talent. Still, he knew better than to take skill descriptions at face value. Feeling his familiar’s excitement after his evolution, as Netsu begged him to let him die to test his Unique trait, Sora was puzzled...

After letting him die and be reborn twice, Sora had finally forced Netsu to stop messing around, as the repeated deaths began to slow his progression in the third trial. ’Without this skill, he wouldn’t have multiplied his talent by four… and the fourth trial would have been even more difficult, he thought, satisfied with Netsu’s choice. ’His rebirth is different from mine, as a Phoenix quickly reaches his previous peak of power, as long as he absorbs enough fire.’

While the standard list of familiars players could choose from offered a variety of options, many of the beasts he’d encountered were likely the result of custom evolution paths shaped by their owners’ unique abilities. ’There was no mention of any time-related beasts in the list, for instance, yet Kara somehow evolved her dragon into an incredible Time Dragon. And that annoying seven-tailed fox… likely tied to Emily’s Supreme or Innate Skill,’ he recalled, piecing together how unique abilities influenced the strength of their familiars.

For Netsu’s second evolution, Sora had been given the opportunity to change his familiar’s evolution path again. However, he felt strongly that continuing to enhance Netsu’s Unique Trait was the best choice.

Growth Potential was a value that was high every time a familiar evolved, and would slowly decline as it unlocked more and more of its potential. ’He’ll soon stop improving through his bloodline, and will need more training to grow past his natural potential.’ He thought, seeing Netsu’s potential nearly exhausted.

Checking Hiyoko’s profile, he sighed.

[Familiar Profile Status][Name: Hiyoko][Species: Piou][Pedigree: Piou (100% bloodline active)[Level: 125][Talent Level: 1,048,576]Primary Attributes:— Strength: (F --> B)— Agility: (F --> A)— Stamina: (F --> B)— Magic: (F --> C)— Mental Power: (F --> E)Affinities:— None[Special Abilities: Intuition][Unique Traits: None][Disposition: Cowardly, Lazy][Growth Potential: 0%][(Click for more...)]

Having never benefited from the tower’s favors, Hiyoko’s level remained capped by Sora’s own. Despite her extraordinary talent level, she was only comparable to elite beasts within her tier, making it difficult for her to fight above her level in combat. Her talent simply allowed her to narrow the gap between herself and higher-ranked species rather than excel.

During their week on the third floor, Sora had started raising her intelligence, even teaching her words and how to communicate through telepathy. Though she still preferred chirping in her natural way, she now had the option to talk when needed.

Comparing both familiars, the stark difference in their bloodline qualities couldn’t be more apparent:

Hiyoko: [Bloodline Quality: F]

Netsu: [Bloodline Quality: SSS]

They were complete opposites, standing at the top and bottom of the food chain. Even then, Netsu still had a significant portion of his bloodline left to unlock, guaranteeing an even higher ceiling in his growth.

Dismissing the notifications, Sora turned his attention to his familiars, noticing the unusual glint in Hiyoko’s red eyes.

"What’s wrong, Hiyoko?" he asked, worried, sensing both sadness and determination through their link.

Hiyoko looked down, avoiding his gaze in shame. Sora turned to Netsu.

"Master," Netsu communicated telepathically, his message reaching both Hiyoko and Sora. "She watched my battle through the magic mirror in our beast space and hated every moment of it… She wants to become stronger, to… protect me." Netsu’s voice softened, emotion evident in his final words.

"You what?" Sora blurted, shocked. He knew Hiyoko’s character all too well—she’d always been reluctant to train or battle unless he ordered her to. Even attacking a low-level player had taken every ounce of her courage.

Feeling her master’s disbelief, Hiyoko’s feathers ruffled in frustration. She flew above his head, pulling on his hair with all the strength her small beak and talons could muster.

Laughing, he gently grabbed her by the beak as her wings flapped wildly. "It’s too early for you to be rebellious," he teased, before his tone softened. "But if you truly want the strength to stand up for Netsu... perhaps I can help you. Are you really ready to accelerate your training?"

Hiyoko paused, flinching under his serious gaze. She’d seen firsthand the intense training her little brother had endured. She trembled slightly but then gave a determined nod.

Sora had been holding off on using the [Evolve] skill on her, waiting for the right moment. Now, seeing her resolve, he activated the system’s evolution skill and looked over her options as they appeared.