Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

"We should do it. And you can take charge of that branch of the school," Kara said.

Sora blinked, taken aback. 'I didn't expect her to like Emily's idea.' A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered his father's advice: 'Never assume what your partner's thinking. And never speak for her.'

He let out a quiet sigh, realizing just how right his father had been.

Kara continued, "Honestly, I've been thinking about it ever since we opened the school. We should leave the teenagers free of responsibility for now and focus on helping players who actually want to fight in wars. These two sides of the school can be independent. You train the 'army,' and I handle the teenagers."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get stuck with the adults? I actually like the apprentice section."

Kara's lips curved into a smile. "We can switch from time to time if you want."

Sora smiled. "Deal."

--------------------------------------------

The next day, Kara sat before Emily and Kim. "We're in. We'll help train players of all levels to prepare them for war."

Emily and Kim froze mid-motion, mouths slightly open as they processed her words.

Emily recovered first. "Wait… really? We had so many arguments ready to convince you..."

Kim blinked, still trying to catch up. "I thought you'd shoot the idea down, honestly."

Sora shook his head. "It's nice to know you had so much faith in us, Kim." Then, glancing at Emily, he added, "We've agreed but there are some conditions."

Emily's curiosity was piqued. "Conditions?"

Kara nodded. "First, we reserve the right to expel anyone at any time. No exceptions."

"And," Sora added, "we'll scan the memories of every applicant. If there's even a hint of spying, sabotage, or anything shady—they're out."

Kim frowned slightly but nodded. "That might be too much for some, but I understand your concerns. Anything else?"

Sora continued, "All recruits have to sign a contract ensuring they'll never harm us, the academy, or anyone affiliated with it after they leave."

Emily offered a small smile. "That's actually pretty standard. We could even add clauses to stop them from becoming player killers or targeting innocent players."

Sora shook his head, raising a hand. "I'm not interested in controlling people's free will. I'm not here to play god and dictate their actions. But we can polish this and work out the exact terms later."

Emily hesitated, then nodded. "Fair enough. So—when do you want to start accepting recruits? And how many?"

Sora shrugged. "We're ready. You could send a thousand today. We wouldn't mind."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Good to know. Because they could be here this afternoon."

Sora froze, his smile disappearing. "Wait, what?"

Emily chuckled, amused and clearly pleased. "A lot of guild members have been waiting for this, you know. They're ready to start the moment you say go."

Kim added, "And it's not just the guild. We've had tons of applications from people wanting to train under Ralph Eden without joining [ARAM]. Honestly, we didn't know what to do with them. Maybe you should just create your own guild or something."

Sora frowned. "Isn't it weird to focus only on guild members? What about helping everyone else?"

Emily explained. "The guild's always prioritized helping in as many wars as possible—no matter the region. We're not interested in petty guild wars or being the strongest. But that doesn't mean we can't grow stronger."

Kim nodded. "We've spent days sorting through applications. Most of the first batch isn't even from [ARAM]—they're independent players or from smaller groups looking for guidance. You're not just helping us. You're helping everyone."

Sora leaned back, processing their words. After a moment, he sighed. "Fine. But don't expect me to give special treatment to guild members. If they're here, they'd better be ready to work."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Kim smiled. "Don't worry. The first batch is full of players with strong willpower."

Sora shot him a side-eye, but there was a faint smile on his lips. "Let's see how long they last, then."

Emily and Kim exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them.

Sora narrowed his eyes, asking Kara through telepathy, 'What's with the silent conversation? Are we missing something?'

Before she could respond, a notification popped up in his field of view.

[You have been promoted to Vice Guild Leader of All Random All Mid.]

Sora quickly opened the guild interface to confirm. Sure enough, Kara's name was right next to his, with the same position.

"Do you trust us this much?" Sora asked, curious.

Kim smiled. "Even without considering trust, your contributions in experience and gold alone put you in the top two spots for guild contribution rankings, despite the fact that you both joined years after most of us."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Top two? But we barely... Nevermind."

Sora chuckled as Kara understood the reason for their contribution reaching such level. 'We have indeed farmed quite a few monsters when we were in Africa training until level 180... And since we were giving a percentage of our earnings to the guild, it quickly reached a scary amount of experience and gold.'

Emily added. "Not just experience and gold. You two have already done more for the guild than most of its original members combined. Let's just say... this is our way of making it official. You've earned it."

Sora remained silent for a few seconds before expressing his thoughts. "Are you afraid we will leave the guild?"

Kim looked away, his voice shaking. "We'd understand, to be honest. You don't need anything from us, and we didn't do much to shape who you've become. We're just grateful you chose our guild when you could've gone anywhere."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Shut it, old man. You're gonna make them quit for real with that speech." She turned to Sora and Kara. "Don't listen to his nonsense. You joining our guild was fate. If you want to leave, do it. But if you're staying, we're giving you the authority to make decisions at our level."

Kara glanced at Sora. "What do you think?"

Sora smiled. "We're not going anywhere. But don't expect me to start attending meetings or whatever. I hate meetings.."

Emily laughed. "Deal."

---------------------------

Asami sat on a cold metal chair, her hands trembling in her lap.

A pin on her clothes displayed the number assigned to her:

137.

A young woman from Japan, she had turned twenty-seven this week, but felt far older. Worn down by countless failures and disappointments.

In her family, where competition was fierce and talent seemed to run in everyone's blood but hers, she'd been reminded daily of her shortcomings. Her four older siblings were prodigies, each one more gifted than the last. And her parents never missed a chance to remind her of that fact.

One day, while visiting for her sister's birthday with a small gift, she entered quietly, hoping to surprise her.

"We should have stopped at four," she heard her father say. Words that cut deeper than any blade.

"Father, she's here," her sister murmured.

"Let her hear it, then. Maybe she'll wake up and do something with her life," her mother replied.

Knowing she would never stand out in Japan, she flew to Europe, hoping for a fresh start. And for a time, she shone. Her level was considered extremely high and she gained some recognition. But even then, she wasn't the best.

A low-level player, someone far below her in level, had outperformed her in the final battles of the last week.

She didn't feel jealousy toward him. In fact, she deeply admired him. But admiration didn't soften the blow to her pride. It stung to confirm just how weak she truly was compared to others.

When the qualifiers for the Ascension Tower opened, she joined, desperate to prove herself.

But Hannah Stone, one of the most influential players in the world, labeled her "useless." Her performance even ranked among the worst in the group of people she knew.

And then, there were the rising stars. The two players from France who had contributed in winning the war. They dazzled everyone, earning ratings of 98 and 99.

Asami stood in their shadow, feeling like an ant beneath giants.

Her already fragile self-esteem crumbled when she failed to enter the Ascension Tower. That day, she cried more than ever before. She hated herself for being weak.

Since then, she had thrown herself into training, dedicating every moment to mastering the dagger.

Day after day, until her hands bled, she pushed forward, hoping to catch up to the giants she admired. Yet no matter how hard she tried, her progress was barely visible.

Then she heard the two prodigies had returned from the Ascension Tower. Curious, she looked into their accomplishments and was left speechless.

She applied to their guild, hoping for a chance to meet them again. To her surprise, a message came from the guild leader himself, inviting her to a training camp led by the duo.

Now, seated in silence, her trembling wasn't from fear but from frustration, self-loathing, and the bitter sense that the world would never let her forget her place.

And yet, deep inside, a flicker of hope refused to die. If she could be accepted into this camp—if she could endure it and learn—maybe, just maybe, she could become someone she wasn't ashamed to be.

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