Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

[All Random All Mid]

This was the last guild Rachel had chosen to infiltrate. It was based in South Korea. Sora and Kora headed towards the address written on their website page.

Sora and Kara had already seen [All Random All Mid] on the guild rankings when they first arrived in Seoul. It was listed as one of the top guilds in South Korea, a detail that had caught their attention even before they realized it was connected to Rachel.

The average level of the guild’s members was 113, a clear proof of Rachel’s growth, having managed to enter such group.

After spending a hefty 20 million gold on a detailed report about the guild, Sora and Kara made their way toward its headquarters.

A mix of caution and curiosity hung in the air as they approached. This was no ordinary guild. Its headquarters was a towering skyscraper, rising hundreds of stories high, towering above most buildings in Gangnam.

"Wow, you’d have to be crazy rich to build something this big," Kara commented, her eyes wide as she looked up, trying to see the top of the building.

Sora, who had long stopped caring about gold, found himself rethinking his opinion. Spending millions on gathering information, and seeing how gold could shape a country, he understood how poor he really was and how much he could do with gold.

Shaking his head to refocus, he said, "It doesn’t matter where these people gather. What’s impressive is the height of this building. They said on their website that each player gets their own floor. With hundreds of floors, does that mean they have hundreds of level 100+ players?"

Kara, who had missed this detail, stared at Sora. "Hundreds? It took me so long just to reach my level..."

"We leveled up in Europe," Sora reminded her, his tone proud. "In lower level zones. And don’t forget—you’re not just level 100; you’re level 122. Reaching such level in Europe is something no one but you could achieve. And officially, we reached these levels in months. These people have probably been grinding for years."

"You’re right, but my leveling experience has been less than optimal to say the least. Still, I’m not worried about the future, so let’s focus on that," Kara admitted, her expression softening as her confidence returned.

"Let’s go in." Sora nodded and said, stepping inside the building, Kara following closely behind.

They soon reached the front desk, where a stunning Korean woman greeted them with a warm smile. Her long, black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her smile welcoming and professional. She wore a modern uniform that highlighted her refined appearance, giving off an air of elegance and efficiency.

"Welcome to [All Random All Mid]," she said in a soft yet confident tone. "How may I assist you today?"

Sora stepped forward. "We’re here to apply for the guild," he replied, his eyes looking around the place.

The interior was just as majestic as the outside. The pillars and the floor were covered in marble. The walls were beautifully decorated, and even the smell of the place made one feel refreshed.

The receptionist’s eyes briefly flickered with interest as she quickly inspected their levels—110 for Sora and 122 for Kara. She nodded, clearly impressed. "With levels like yours, I expect you’ve met the requirement for a guild interview. However, I’ll still need to know your Regional Combat Ranking or see the rank of your adventurer badge."

Sora was taken aback by the receptionist’s words and, curious, he checked her level.

To his surprise, she was level 83—a level high enough to have been a Team Leader in the Tier 4 war they’d experienced. That wasn’t even considering her fighting power, which he didn’t know yet. ’So they put someone here who can assess visitors... Smart. No low-level player would be assigned this job,’ he guessed.

After all, players could only probe up to 50 levels above their own, meaning this receptionist could likely assess anyone who came through. Anyone she couldn’t assess would be a big shot in the area.

Noticing that Sora was lost in thought, Kara spoke up, "We both don’t have a Regional Combat Ranking or a badge that reflects our power, but we were told guilds could assess us. So, we thought maybe you could test us while we’re here?" She blushed slightly, realizing it might be a lot to ask.

The receptionist smiled warmly at her response. "Of course, we can do that! It’s a privilege to have players like yourselves give our guild a chance! Please, give me a few minutes, and I’ll lead you to the recruitment officer. Even if you don’t meet the threshold to join, you’ll still leave with a badge that matches your Power Level!"

As she spoke, her eyes lingered on Kara, clearly assessing her gear and trying to sense her mana fluctuations but finding no ripples. ’A life-force-based class? Even if she lacks experience, recruiting someone with her talent would be a great asset. I would even get a bonus!’ the receptionist thought, happy with Kara’s presence.

They soon arrived at a large wooden door, and the receptionist knocked softly.

"Enter," came a deep voice from within.

The receptionist pushed the door open and spoke first, bowing slightly. "Good morning, Guildmaster. These are the two players I mentioned. They’re here to apply for membership and assessment."

Sora, having made sure Rachel was still out of the country before coming here, was almost certain he would not run into her. He scanned the room, immediately locking his eyes on the two figures seated at the table.

[ARAM] [Kim Dong] - Level 156

[ARAM] [Emily Frekk] - Level 154

Sora had seen these names on the report earlier. Kim Dong, the guildmaster of ARAM, was known throughout South Korea. Emily Frekk, on the other hand, ranked 4th in the South Korean Combat Ranking, was even more formidable despite her lower level. ’The number 1 and 2 of the guild are assessing us?’ Sora thought, surprised by the identity of these ’recruitment officers’.

The information broker even had files worth a 100 million gold for each of these players for detailed information about their skills.

Kim Dong, the guildmaster, was a middle-aged Korean man with an air of authority. His hair was a dark shade of gray. He wore a black combat plate armor, with a small emblem of ARAM on his chest. His body was well built and quite muscular. He carried himself with the confidence of someone who had led countless people to victory.

Seated in front of him was Emily Frekk, a foreigner who was hard to miss. With sharp blue eyes and blond hair tied into a high ponytail, there was no aura coming out of her body. The total absence of power made her even more noticeable, as it did not match with the level showing above her head. Her lean, athletic frame was mostly covered in leather armor. Her eyes never left Sora and Kara, sizing them up, evaluating their worth.

"Please, come inside and sit with us," Kim Dong gestured to the chairs near him, his voice formal yet welcoming. Kara and Sora stepped forward, ready for what was to come.

Sora and Kara greeted them politely, introduced themselves and sat on the chairs.

’I didn’t expect to meet such powerhouses on our first visit here... Maybe our levels opened some doors to us?’ Sora wondered.

"I am Kim Dong, leader of All Random All Mid, a guild that started as a joke but has since become the most famous joke in town," he said with a grin. "And this is Emily, she’s one of the co-leaders of the guild."

Sora, having done his research beforehand, knew that co-leaders held nearly the same authority as the guildmaster, except they couldn’t kick the guildmaster or disband the guild.

Kim Dong leaned back in his chair, smiling. "So, tell me, what brings you to ARAM? "

"We’ve traveled far and spent most of our time focused on training," Sora began. "We want to join a guild to access higher-level content. Lately, finding reliable members through the Adventurer’s Guild has become difficult. It’s getting harder to beat dungeons and participate in raids without a strong group around us."

"That makes sense, most people join guilds for similar reasons," Emily chimed in. "But why ours?"

"You’re in the top three," Sora explained. "Honestly, we didn’t have a particular preference since we don’t know much about the other guilds. My level is a bit below the average for the other top two guilds, so we figured our chances would be better here. There’s also someone we would like to meet in the guild, but that is secondary."

Kara, hiding her face with her hair in embarrassment, thought, ’They’re going to hate us for picking them for such a reason. He’s so bad at finding excuses.’

Kim Dong burst out laughing, slapping his knee. "This! This is why I like honest people. No bullshitting or bootlicking! I like you, kid. And what about you, girl? Are you here for the same reason? With your level, you could probably join any guild with just a bit of skill."

Kara glanced at Sora before replying, "It doesn’t matter which guild, as long as I’m with Ralph."

Emily gave a knowing smile and nodded. "That’s fine." After a brief pause, she seemed to drift off in thought before continuing. "Things are interesting, it seems... There’s no need for a test."

She stood, walked to a desk, and pulled out two badges. "You’re both awarded these Primordial Badges."

Sora blinked in shock. "What? How can you know how strong we are without testing us?"

Emily sighed, shaking her head. "You two really are clueless, aren’t you?"

"I’ve read your files, and I’m aware of your growth rate and war history. If our information is correct—and it is—you were both below level 80 just a few weeks ago. It doesn’t take a genius to figure things out. Why would I test you when I know you’re strong enough?"

Both Kara and Sora were left speechless at her words.