'This is going to be a gamble… But I can make it.'
[Sora Hashino]
As the world around him took shape, his soul slipping back into existence, Sora only had a thought in mind.
'I need to be fast.'
The familiar void dissipated, and for a brief moment, he existed as something similar to his astral form. A ghost, hovering between death and life. His mind raced as he scanned the surroundings, locking onto potential respawn points.
Plan A.
Seoul wasn't far. He selected the city as his respawn location—only to be met with a notification.
[Respawn Location Unavailable. Protected Zone.]
Sora sighed, unsurprised. He had half-expected this outcome.
Without hesitation, he moved on to Plan B.
His gaze landed on a level 100 dungeon almost a thousand kilometers away from where he died, hidden deep within the landscape. It was a new dungeon. One that high-level players couldn't enter due to system restrictions. Only parties of five were allowed inside.
But Sora was alone and only level 1.
'But I know a few tricks now...'
His time as the Mother Orb's apprentice had taught him about new rules and loopholes. He had learned at least ten ways to bypass dungeon restrictions, to slip into places alone where no one else could.
'I need to be careful. They mentioned streaming platforms. It means we're constantly monitored. I can't make it too obvious…'
'I don't want to be banned for cheating...'
Getting flagged for exploiting the system was the last thing he needed.
'But there are some ways everyone can use...'
He scanned the area, searching for something. His ghostly form drifted through the terrain, and within seconds, he spotted it.
A chest, buried beneath layers of bones, hidden a few meters underground.
'There it is.'
He selected his respawn point just above it and prepared himself.
'Spawn. Open the chest. Grab the key. Run to the dungeon entrance. Enter before anyone catches me. I need to do it fast.'
The moment his body solidified, he sent his familiars who appeared beside him back to their space and vanished from his position.
His body reappeared underground, in front of the buried chest. He didn't hesitate—his hands tore through the bones, shoving them aside until he reached the box underneath.
Without wasting a second, he opened it.
[You have obtained a Rare Item: Goblin Village Dungeon Key.]
He didn't stop to process the notification. The moment the key was in his hand, he vanished once more, moving toward the dungeon entrance at full speed.
As he flew, he unsheathed his sword from his [Soul Palace] and slashed through a few beasts roaming the area.
They were only level 60, but it was more than enough.
[Level Up!] x88
His level instantly reached 89. He ignored the loot, and the increase in experience, and kept moving.
He could see the dungeon entrance now.
'Almost there.'
Just as he reached it, a system prompt appeared.
[Would you like to use the Goblin Village Dungeon Special Key?]
But before he could confirm—
An explosion erupted behind him.
Through his [Psychic Hold], he didn't need to turn around to know what was happening.
A massive clash of energy came from the fight between the Demon King Nate and Abbott's group.
Sora turned his head, his heart pounding.
'Why is this guy so invested in helping me? Did Kro Nel send him?'
Standing between him and the two level 260 enemies was a bloodied Nate, his body torn but his stance unyielding.
And then he heard it.
Demon King Nate spoke, "You want him? You'll have to go through me first."
Sora froze.
The words echoed in his mind, striking something deep within him.
But it was impossible...
His breath caught as he turned to face Nate fully, his heart pounding in his chest.
'Those words... It has to be a coincidence.'
But before he could process the feeling tightening his chest, Nate spoke again, his voice calm despite the situation.
"Just leave while you can. I can't hold them for much longer."
Sora's body tensed. His instincts screamed at him to run, to take this opportunity and escape. But his mind was still stuck on something else.
The way he spoke. The way he stood. The way he shielded him without hesitation. His name.
'Big Brother?'
Sora's thoughts were messy, but he forced himself to act. His finger pressed Yes on the interface before doubt could paralyze him.
In an instant, the battlefield vanished. He reappeared inside the dungeon. His body trembled from everything that had just happened.
'Less than a second... I resurrected, found the key and entered the dungeon in less than a second. But that was still too slow. Without him, I would have died again...'
Sora thought of the series of events that led him to the dungeon and started recalling everything that happened after the update.
Kara was gone. Salim was gone. The fate of the millions of people Salim protected was unknown...
The battlefield replayed in his mind—the last flashes of Kara's [Sword Manifestation] flickering before vanishing completely, Salim's presence disappearing in an instant. The enemies that had surrounded them, ambushed them.
Sora's hand moved. He opened his friend list.
Kara's name had disappeared.
His fingers hovered over the interface for a second before he closed it.
'She's back on Earth.'
If she had been taken, the system wouldn't have removed her name. This was the only logical outcome.
A flicker of relief settled in his chest.
'At least she's alive.'
But it did nothing to lessen the fury rising from the depths of his heart.
His eyes darkened as memories of Abbott and Norj surfaced. The way they had spoken. The way they had looked at Kara and Salim as nothing more than numbers on a ranking to be removed.
'You thought killing Kara would make me weaker?'
Sora shook his head, and adjusted the grip on his sword.
'Norj. Abbott. The three other races who had taken part in the ambush. I remember each of your names.'
He was defeated, but he wasn't planning on giving up.
But then—his thoughts circled back to the last thing that happened before he entered the dungeon.
Demon King Nate.
The name echoed in his mind. Sora clenched his fists.
'Nate? My brother? A demon?'
Sora tried remembering everything he knew about the demon he had seen.
'They said he appeared recently and quickly took the position of a Demon King, and most experts guessed he was a demon player for less than a few years. When I saw him during the update, his Soul Link was indeed headed toward Earth... So could it really be him?'
His chest tightened. His real brother, Nathan, had been back on Earth. That much, he had always believed to be true. And yet…
'He has returned as a demon... How is that possible?'
Sora's fingers hovered over his friend list. He wanted to add Nate—to confirm what he already felt in his bones.
But then, he saw his list was empty.
'I can't add people who are outside of the dungeon…'
There was no way to confirm it now. No way to reach out. But once he got out, he'll make sure of it.
Returning his focus to the dungeon ahead of him, 'To leave the safety of the dungeon, I need to get stronger.'
Sora opened his profile status.
[Status Update]
Profile: Ralph Eden (Sora Hashino)
Status: Alive (Prestige 1804)
Talent Level: 40,681,930,227,712
Growth Factor: 40,681,930,227,712
Class: None (Level 89)Body Level: Omega 52
Energy Level: Omega 48
Mental Power : Omega 48
Soul Level: 1'510'000 Innate Skill:
• [Prestige] (Click to see effects) Supreme Skills:
• [Mana Evolution] (Click to see effects)
• [Eternal Body Craft] (Click to see effects)
• [Peerless Mind Forging] (Click to see effects) Skills: (...see more...)
Sora frowned as he analyzed his status screen, confusion across his face.
'Why are my stats so high? Shouldn't they be limited by my level?'
He was used to seeing his energy levels suppressed each time he reset, bound by the restrictions of his level. But this time, something was different. The numbers on his interface didn't match what he expected.
Focusing inward, he examined the energy flowing through his body.
'The shackles have loosened… No, they've almost completely disappeared.'
A realization dawned on him. The restraints that had always held him back—the system-imposed limits preventing him from using power far beyond his level—were now little more than a formality. And the reason was obvious.
'My Soul Level…!'
Soul Power wasn't an entirely independent path. It directly influenced the limitations imposed on him by the system. With each increase in [Soul Level], the chains binding his strength had weakened. Now, they were barely holding him back at all.
'So this is one of the effects of Soul Power…'
Sora clenched his fist, feeling the density of his energy. His previous resets had always forced him to start over from a low level with only a fraction of his past strength. He had always needed to level up to regain what he had lost. But now—
'It's almost like I didn't reset at all.'
'I was Omega 52 when I was level 191... My current Soul Level isn't enough to return all of my power at once.'
The difference was noticeable. His physical power hadn't changed, but there were still a gap between his former and current levels.
'It doesn't matter for now.'
Sora tried to focus, analyzing where he had failed in his previous battle, where the gaps in his abilities had been exposed. But something disrupted his thoughts.
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