Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level

Sarsha stood in silence, her sharp eyes scanning her surroundings. Outwardly calm, her mind raced. She opened her friend list, hoping to contact someone—anyone—but every name was grayed out.

'I'm trapped in another dimension.'

Clenching her fists, she struggled to maintain her composure as she glared at her captors. Their casual demeanor grated on her pride.

'Never before have my enemies stood so relaxed in front of me. But for now, I can't do anything against them.'

"You're not setting me free… am I right?" Her voice cut through the silence, with a hint of resignation.

Sora, lost in thought, glanced up. His mind had drifted back to Sweden. To the battlefield. To the moment he struck Sarsha down with his staff. The sadness in her eyes, the desperation, it was etched into his memory.

Shaking off the thought, he met her gaze. "Not yet," he replied. "I have some questions first."

Sarsha frowned, crossing her arms. "I have nothing to say to you," she spat.

Sora sighed, irritation creeping into his voice. "Listen," he said. "We're willing to release you, but only if you promise not to take part in any future wars against humanity."

Her response was immediate. "Impossible!" she snapped. "My loyalty lies with my kingdom. You can't ask me to abandon my people."

The air grew thick with tension as their eyes locked, neither willing to back down.

Sora took a step forward, his voice turning cold. "Then what do you expect us to do? Let you go so you can return to your army and kill more humans? Attack other kingdoms if you must—but why target humanity specifically? Don't forget, your kingdom is the one invading mine."

Sarsha's expression hardened. "Your kingdom has the largest population, and this is your home ground!" she countered. "This battle between the ten kingdoms is unbalanced in its early updates, and every invading force knows it. We have to level the playing field." Her voice softened slightly. "I don't envy your position, and I am sorry for your circumstances, but ours aren't any better. I will fight for my people, no matter the cost. Even if it means fighting you again."

Sora already had information from Hannah's allies, but he had wanted Sarsha to confirm it. Most of what she said aligned with what he knew—except for one thing.

She said 'unfair in the early phases.' He thought over her words. 'Does that mean their population will grow in later phases? If that's true, it's disastrous. We're already struggling.'

Alius, who had been silently observing, finally spoke. "She's not going to listen. This is pointless." His sharp gaze shifted to Kara. "We can't let humanity know she's alive. If word of her revival gets out, it'll bring too much attention to you, Kara."

Kara remained quiet, her face thoughtful. After a pause, she finally spoke. "What if we compromise?" she suggested. "We ensure she doesn't reveal our secrets, and in return… we release her."

Alius shook his head. "Releasing her? That's a good way to send our elites to the grave. Don't forget her assassination skill. I've seen enough skills by now to know it probably is an innate skill. A strike that guarantees a kill as long as it touches the target. Her potential is off the charts—if we let her go, she'll become a threat to humanity in no time."

Sora nodded slowly, his gaze on Sarsha. "You're not wrong. Her potential is great. But does that mean we have to keep her locked up forever? If that's the case, why revive her at all? Wouldn't that be even more cruel?"

Alius frowned. Though he silently agreed with Sora's point, he couldn't come up with a better solution.

Kara, sensing the changes in the conversation, smiled faintly. "I've made up my mind," she said.

The others turned to her, intrigued.

"What did you decide?" Sora asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kara's smile widened, but she didn't elaborate. "It's a secret," she said. "I will tell you later, but you need to let me handle it."

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Sora raised an eyebrow, curious but unwilling to press further. "Fine," he said finally.

Turning back to Sarsha, Kara spoke again. "Sarsha, we'll agree to your terms. We'll ask a few questions, and then you'll be free. However, we need you to accompany us for a period of time to handle another matter before releasing you. To ensure we can trust each other, we can sign a contract."

Sarsha watched the trio closely, her mind racing. She didn't trust humans—especially not the ones who had killed her. But as much as she hated to admit it, she was entirely at their mercy.

"How long will I stay… imprisoned?" she asked.

Kara grimaced at the word and shook her head. "This is not a prison! This is my home! Think of it as me being your host for a little while. You'll be my guest, and I'll take care of you. We can spend time together, play games, or do whatever you'd like. I want to know you better."

Sarsha froze, incredulous, and blurted, "You kill me, and now you want me to act like your friend? Are you insane? You must be insane! There's no way anyone in their right mind wants to be friends with their prisoner!"

The tension leaving his body when Kara asked him to trust her, he witnessed the strange exchange between Sarsha and Kara, and couldn't help but laugh when Kara started suggesting spending time and playing games to Sarsha.

'I thought she wanted to spend time with Sarsha in order for her to open up to Kara and to understand more things about the world. But I didn't see this coming.'

At the same time, Alius began to laugh as well.

Kara, upset that her intentions were being dismissed and mocked, snapped her head toward the duo as their laughter grew. Her expression darkened, her aura changing. The air around her grew cold, and sword intent materialized around her. "Am I a clown, here to entertain you boys?" she asked, upset.

Sora and Alius, surprised by the change in her aura, flinched, and stepped back simultaneously.

Each noticing the other's reaction, they exchanged a glance and burst into laughter again at their synchronized retreat.

Kara couldn't stay angry at them, and a thought crossed her mind: 'These two pretend they're different people now, but they're exactly the same kind of idiot.'

Sighing, she restrained her aura and turned to Sarsha, a hint of embarrassment in her expression. "Forget it then. Just do whatever you want."

Sora, finally calming down, stepped forward toward Sarsha. "Can we discuss the terms of the contract?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "Are you in a position to issue [Diplomatic Passes]? And how many can you provide?"

Sarsha raised an eyebrow at his question, surprised. "Who are they for?" she asked in return.

Sora gestured toward Alius and Kara. "For the three of us."

Sarsha frowned, hesitating before answering. "I have enough passes, yes. But what would be the purpose of your trip to the [Dark Elves Kingdom]? You do know [Diplomatic Pass] users are forbidden from killing anyone, right? And you'll need an anchor. Usually, I act as the anchor when I issue passes, so don't even think about finding some naive person to tag along with you instead."

She paused briefly, a small smile forming on her lips. "I've never issued a [Diplomatic Pass] to a human before. Consider this a privilege"

Alius and Kara exchanged confused looks before Alius asked, "What's a [Diplomatic Pass], and why would we even need one?"

Sora smiled faintly and replied, "It's the only way to travel between kingdoms without waging war. I'll explain why we need them later."

Turning back to Sarsha, Sora asked, "So, all we're asking for are a few passes and your promise to keep our secrets. In return, you'll be free to go after spending a month here. What do you say?"
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Sarsha snorted, crossing her arms. "We haven't even discussed the price for the passes. Since you seem to know about them, you should also know how expensive they can be."

Sora scratched the back of his head awkwardly, thinking, 'it was worth a try.'

He asked, "Alright, what do you want?"

Sarsha thought for a moment before replying, "If I have to waste a month in this run-down place, I might as well use it for training." Noticing Kara's angry glare, she coughed and looked away, pointing at Sora. "Since you're from an enemy kingdom, sparring with you would help me improve my skill proficiency extremely quickly. You'll be my punching bag."

She glanced at the battlefield, watching the group of undead and beasts decimate the incoming monsters. "And I want a share of the monsters you've been bringing into this place. That's my price for three [Diplomatic Passes]."

Sora glanced at Kara and Alius. Kara was quietly patting Magnus on the head, while Hiyoko, sensing the lighter mood, hopped onto Alius' head. Both nodded in agreement.

"You'd need to add 10 [Soul Pearls] to the mix," she said with a confident smile, assuming they wouldn't be able to afford such a price.

Sora froze, turning to Alius, who looked just as stunned. Meanwhile, Kara simply smiled.

Afraid she might change her mind and raise the price further, Sora quickly responded, "Deal. Let's sign the contract."