Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

[Option 1: Fortune Piou- A piou that can instinctively select the best option when faced with a choice.]

[Option 2: Favored Piou - A piou with the ability to subtly improve the outcomes of its decisions.]

Sora noticed that both options seemed to be influenced by Hiyoko’s special ability, Intuition—an ability she hadn’t possessed initially and that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. As he examined both options, he saw that they were classified as A-Rank species, a significant upgrade from her original F-Rank race.

Yet, he hesitated. Ignoring the options for now, he reasoned that with further training and pushing her abilities, they could unlock even better paths for her.

Turning to Hiyoko, he said, "I’ll help you evolve into something incredible, but you need to trust me. We’ll train every chance we get. For now, I want you to start with your mental power. It’s your weakest area, and that’s what we’ll focus on first. Ask your little brother to attack you with low-level mental attacks to improve your efficiency."

As he laid out the three training options—[Faith], [Focus], and [Meditate]—he was surprised when Hiyoko chose [Faith] over the other two.

"Before you go back to the [Beast Space] to start training, I want to test something," Sora said, watching the little bird settle in, preparing to train her new skill.

He pulled out a [Familiar Soul Link Creation Token] and used it on Hiyoko, curious to see what might happen given the immense difference between their strengths.

After a moment, he concentrated, waiting for any sensation of change in his mana, body, or mind, but felt nothing. He glanced up, about to complain—only to be taken aback by the sight before him.

Hiyoko was hovering in the air, radiating a fierce energy, almost like a miniature sun. Her body seemed to tremble and twitch with the absurd power flowing into her. She fainted from the pain the process was putting her through.

Feeling that she was safe, Sora opened her stat panel and watched as her stats began to soar, her weaknesses fading as his power fueled her transformation. The numbers rose quickly before eventually slowing to a stop.

He could feel her body reaching its limits, refusing to accept any more power—perhaps restricted by her species or unknown shackles.

Taking a closer look, he reviewed her updated stats.

[Primary Attributes: Strength (S), Agility (S), Stamina (S), Magic (S), Mental Power (A)]

[Mana Affinities: Fire (A) (New!), Thunder (A) (New!), Water (A) (New!), Earth (A) (New!), Wind (A) (New!) (...)]

Sora gaped. "What the... I was planning to train her gradually! And now I’ve just handed her a shortcut that makes growth challenges irrelevant. This is way too much," he muttered, shaking his head. All her attributes had skyrocketed to S-rank, and her Mental Power had miraculously hit A. On top of that, she’d inherited weakened versions of his elemental affinities, the ones he had painstakingly trained in Kara’s [Time Space].

Across from her, Netsu stared at his big sister, awestruck. Moments ago, she’d been delicate and fragile. Now, even in her sleep, she radiated with newfound power, and he could feel her Mental Power nearly matching his own, which his master had always deemed exceptional.

Seeing Netsu’s pleading expression, Sora sighed. "This probably isn’t the most natural way, but... who cares. You’ve earned this."

Rewarding him for his performance, Sora activated a second [Familiar Soul Link Creation Token], this time linking with Netsu.

This time, Sora felt a change within himself, as if he was becoming closer to the fire element while the link worked its miracle. At the same time, he sensed the birth of a new affinity, the [Holy Element], as particles around him grew friendlier by the second.

On the other side, Netsu was in awe of the feedback he received from his master.

’Master really is amazing... I’m thirty levels above him, with so many more limits broken, yet he’s still stronger than me in almost everything…’

Netsu couldn’t comprehend how Sora could excel in so many areas, but instead of feeling discouraged, it only deepened his admiration.

Sora soon received a notification.

[You have 60 seconds left before the door to the fifth floor closes and your Ascension ends.]

He sighed at the rule allowing only a brief 30-minute rest between floors if no one was inside the previous trial. Without wasting another second, he sent Netsu and Hiyoko—who was just waking up—back into the beast space. Then, turning toward the next challenge, he opened the door to the fifth floor.

Choosing extreme difficulty on the fifth-floor trial pushed Sora’s speed, reaction time, and strategic planning to the limit. With the option to halt the trial whenever he chose, he was ready to give it his all. Stepping into a vast chamber with shiny markers scattered across the floor, he quickly realized that each marker provided safety from the endless mana bombardments for a short time.

At first, he had a few seconds to reach the next marker before beams of mana reappeared, forcing him to move between markers as they disappeared after use.

As the trial progressed, the challenge grew more demanding. With markers consumed, the trial required him to cross longer distances to reach safety. And sometimes when he was standing on a marker, he was targeted by projectiles launched from random directions, designed to end him if he failed to dodge.

With each round, the time allowed between markers shrank, and after choosing a few poorly placed markers, he had to activate [Lava in My Veins] to compensate for the shrinking windows of time and his terrible pathing choices.

Attempting the sixth-floor trial on normal difficulty, Sora faced a test of long-range attack skills, challenging him to destroy targets that became increasingly distant and hard. This wasn’t his strongest area, as he rarely trained in accurate or powerful attacks over such range. Relying on his elemental mastery, he launched powerful attacks but soon felt the gap grow too vast, his projectiles weakening and becoming harder to control.

To avoid miserably failing the trial, he crafted a Soul Bow in his [Prestige Forge], using his exceptional physical strength and control to enhance his range and accuracy. This allowed him to clear a few more levels, but his lack of practice in archery proved fatal. Missing the target three times in a row, his trial came to an end.

On the seventh-floor trial, Sora chose extreme difficulty. This trial focused intensely on body forging, requiring him to endure waves of physical attacks without defending himself or activating skills. At first, the trial felt so easy that he barely took it seriously. But as he advanced, the difficulty climbed steadily, testing his body’s resilience against slashes, crushing pressure, blunt force, and even torturous methods he hadn’t imagined.

By the time he reached the 18th level of the trial, his body was damaged beyond recognition, with every limb destroyed and his body barely holding together. It was a brutal test, pushing him to his absolute limits, with his regenerative abilities being the only thing keeping him alive.

Checking the rankings, he smiled, ’Only the third and fourth floors had trials that were not based on levels. I would even say that my performance has been outstanding so far.’

[Floor 1: Rank 1/4320][Floor 2: Rank 122/3456][Floor 3: Rank 6/2592][Floor 4: Rank 1/400 (Group Rank)][Floor 5: Rank 3/1500][Floor 6: Rank 52/1125][Floor 7: Rank 1/843]

Two players had managed to secure higher ranks than him, meaning they were considered faster in proportion to their levels, while he had claimed the top position in body forging and resistance. ’So many players are better at long-range attacks, though. I need to work on that,’ he thought.

Taking advantage of the limited resting time between floors, Sora relaxed, reflecting on his performance. ’For someone with 12 million in talent, it’s shocking to see others ranking higher in certain fields, especially when most trials are level-adjusted.’

With two supreme skills and his innate skill enhancing his base talent, he’d expected an easy climb to the top of the tower. But as each trial unfolded, it became clear that experts in specific disciplines still managed to keep his pride in check.

’I wonder if Kara is still in the Ascension Tower... After all, the last three trials only tested physical abilities, survival potential, and long-range damage.’ He couldn’t help but worry. Each reward in the tower made one stronger, but passing the trials was anything but easy.

’It’s been two weeks inside the tower already... I wonder what’s happening outside. Are Mom and Dad doing well? I did not see them in years...’ His thoughts turned to his parents as a wave of homesickness crept in. Curious about the outside world, he felt himself starting to miss them.

Noticing the notification urging him to enter the next trial, he took a deep breath and stepped into the 8th floor.

[Welcome to the 8th floor of the Ascension Tower.]

[Trial: [Chickens - Foxes - Vipers] – Join a group and perform to the best of your abilities in a deadly game between players!]

[Players are randomly assigned to three teams of 281 players. Each player has three "lives" before being eliminated. The trial will end when 281 players have been eliminated. Each group has an advantage or weakness against other groups]

[Mechanics :

Chickens can eliminate Vipers but are vulnerable to Foxes.Foxes can eliminate Chickens but are vulnerable to Vipers.Vipers can eliminate Foxes but are vulnerable to Chickens.Idle players will be revealed for all players to see after 5 minutes of avoiding combat.Every 10 minutes, in each group, a player will be randomly eliminated among players who did not manage to get an elimination.[You have been assigned to team [Vipers]. Beware of chickens.][You have gained the buff Venomous.][Description: When fighting Foxes, all skill effects are doubled. All stats are doubled. Energy consumption is halfed.]

Sora was in shock at the notifications ’What the hell is this?’