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Chapter 188 : We can't breathe
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 17:35:45 +0000 UTC« Chapter-187 | Index | Chapter-189 »
Sora stood beside Hiyoko and Netsu on the podium, his gaze sweeping across the crowd of 1,500 players seated in silence before him. Their faces were a mosaic of emotions: admiration, fear, excitement, and uncertainty.
He could see Asami sitting beside Richard, his vice-captain from his first war. In the back, Amélie, Kara’s former teammate, sat quietly, her eyes showing a mix of excitement and respect.
Among the recruits, his guildmates were scattered.
'Even if I can recognize a few faces, I've never taken the time to know any of them... But what's the pride on their faces? Are they showing off to other members of the division?'
Sora frowned at the last thought.
Among the guild members, he also recognized the receptionist who had greeted candidates earlier. She was the same receptionist who had welcomed him in the guild Headquarters.
After the last interview, she had summoned the courage to apply, and now she was one of the recruits.
Sora didn’t enjoy being the center of attention, but standing here, he knew he had to set the tone. The room was so quiet he didn’t need to ask for silence. He stepped forward, his voice steady.
"Welcome to the Alpha Division, everyone."
He let the words hang in the air for a moment.
"Let me start by stating some facts. Most of you are weak. You know it, and that’s why you’re here. You joined this division because you want to become stronger. And I can help you with that. But whether or not you succeed will depend entirely on you."
His gaze scanned the room. "I won’t care about each of you individually. If you want to grow under my lead, you’ll need to work together, push yourselves, and scrape every bit of energy you have to absorb everything I throw at you. Even if you can’t adapt, I won’t slow down. If you give up, I won’t chase after you."
The room remained silent, but some players started showing worry on their faces.
"But," he continued, his tone slightly softer, "if you show me the will to learn, the determination to fight, and the courage to endure, then I might take the time to help you a little more."
"Just know this, training here will be difficult. It will be fast-paced. The only limit to your growth will be your willpower. As long as you try hard, I’ll make sure your bodies won’t break. I will help you train your energy control and body. But you'll be responsible for keeping your sanity. Support each other, and work together, as you'll only your comrades for company for a long time."
He paused, before switching to the second topic.
Looking at the players chests, he could see pins with different colors on their chests. A thousand players had blue pins, four hundred had green pins, and the last hundred players had red pins.
"There are three groups in the Alpha Division for now. Tier 4 members, who have been given blue pins by Emily and Kim, are forbidden from reaching level 130. Tier 3 members have green pins and are forbidden from reaching level 160. Tier 2 members, with red pins, are not allowed to reach level 180."
He glanced at the sea of faces, some nodding in understanding. "You likely already know the reason for this. Each tier in the Alpha Division is being prepared for a different level of war. And every single one of you agreed to these terms when you joined."
"The focus of this division will not be on leveling. It will be on making each of you the very best in your level range. The goal is simple: to send a handful of players to any warfront and ensure a victory. A dozen of you should be enough to guarantee that most human fighters survive."
Excitement began to ripple through the room as the recruits exchanged glances. Sora let a faint smile creep onto his face as he took in their reactions.
"Good. That’s the attitude I want to see." He said.
"Now, split into three groups based on the color of your pins. Tier 2, step to the left. Tier 3, to the center. Tier 4, to the right."
The players moved quickly to form their groups, though some were clearly uneasy. Whispers of confusion rose again as they noticed an unexpected detail—some low-level players were standing in the Tier 2 group alongside much higher-level recruits.
Someone raised his hand and asked for the right to speak. Sora nodded.
The man asked, "Why aren’t the tiers based on our levels? Why is that level 70 player over there in Tier 2? I'm in tier 3 despite being level 127! Isn't it unfair?"
The crowd murmured in agreement, their confusion showing.
Sora sighed, 'Why didn't Emily and Kim explain this before?'
Sora’s gaze landed on the speaker, his expression calm but sharp. "Your starting levels are irrelevant in the Alpha Division," he said.
He explained, "Your placement is based on the results of your interviews. The person you're pointing at is from Germany. And because he wants to defend his region who'll soon be attacked by the Dark Elf Kingdom, leading to a Tier 2 war, he was placed in the Tier 2 group."
"You, on the contrary, are from the Philippines. You have been placed in Tier 3 because there are no tier 2 conflicts anywhere near your region."
"And don't worry about your placement. Everyone will receive the same training anyway, and being in a higher tier doesn't mean you'll achieve better results. In the future, when more recruits will join, you'll have the opportunity to change groups if you want to."
Seeing the looks of understanding among the recruits, Sora relaxed.
"Now that you know what’s expected of you, it’s time for your first training session. Let’s see what you’re made of."
Without waiting for applause or further reactions, Sora stepped down from the podium, motioning for the recruits to follow him to the training grounds.
Arriving in a vast open field, Sora waved his hand and hundreds of sets of equipments appeared in the air.
He watched as the players caught the equipment and started reading the descriptions.
[Level Restriction Gear - Level 80]
[Description: Forcibly reduces the player's level and stats to a specific level.]
[Restriction: Cannot be forced upon the user.]
Confusion rippled through the group, whispers spreading like wildfire.
"What kind of gear is this?"
"Why would we willingly lower our power?"
"What the hell?"
Sora remained unfazed, his face calm as he waited for their initial reactions to die down. When the murmuring didn’t stop, his sharp voice cut through the noise.
"For this training session, everyone’s power will be limited to the levels you’ll have during your wars," he said firmly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Get used to that feeling. Remove all your equipment and wear the training gear the academy is giving you."
Turning to a player who showed dissatisfaction and spoke to everyone, "You better stop complaining and chatting if you don't want an extra dose of suffering today."
The murmurs stopped. Reluctantly, players began removing their gear and equipping the restrictive training items. The players' discomfort was immediate and tangible.
A few players clenched their fists, testing their diminished strength. Others grumbled under their breath, their frustration evident, but tried to hide it from their training instructor.
Sora ignored them, standing still as he waited for everyone to finish equipping the gear.
Looking at the recruits, he spoke, "Each group forms a raid group. And apply for a training battle against me when you'll be ready." Seeing the confusion and doubt on some faces, he added, "No questions, just follow my orders."
The group of players who would train to join Tier 2 wars seemed ready first.
Sora formed a raid as well and soon saw a notification appear.
[Training Battle Request from {Tier 2 Alpha Division}]
[Accept]
[Reject]
Accepting the request, Sora watched as a massive illusory arena materialized around him and the players from the opposing raid.
“All of you are forbidden from using skills that do not involve body forging," he announced. "That means no active skills, no buffs. This is a test of your body levels and your proficiency in dealing physical damage."
He paused, letting his words sink in, before a grin crept onto his face. "And, of course, your ability to take damage."
Releasing the restraint he had always been applying on his aura, he let wisps of his body power ripple through the space. The air seemed to become heavy and oppressive, pressing down on everyone present.
Despite being one against a hundred, Sora noticed the players on the opposing side twitching uncomfortably. Many were trembling, their confidence seemingly drained.
Behind him, the light, cheerful laugh of Hiyoko rang out, in stark contrast to the tension in the air. Netsu, on the other hand, stood silently, his expression serious.
Sora frowned and clarified, "My familiars will not participate in the spar. Feel free to go all out."
Yet, even with his reassurance, there was no reaction from the opposing players. No fighting spirit. No movement. Only fear.
His annoyance flared. "Are you all so weak?" he snapped, as his gaze swept across the trembling crowd.
That’s when he noticed the first cracks. A few players collapsed, unconscious. Others coughed violently, blood flowing from their lips.
The sight startled him, his irritation quickly replaced by confusion.
'Something’s wrong…' he thought, narrowing his eyes.
Among the trembling crowd, Asami stood frozen, her body trembling like the others. But unlike the rest, she managed to muster the courage to raise her hand.
"Permission to speak, Mr. Eden," she said, her voice barely audible.
Sora nodded.
"Mr. Eden... our levels are restricted to 130... We know you have the same gear as us..." she began, struggling to catch her breath. "But your aura is overwhelming... We can’t... move... We can't breathe..."
Sora blinked, caught off guard. "Seriously?"
Sora took a look at his profile status to check if he had indeed equipped his [Level 130 Restriction Gear].
[Status Update]
Profile: Ralph Eden (Sora Hashino)
Status: Alive (Prestige 1803)
Talent Level: 40,681,930,227,712
Growth Factor: 1
Class: True Mage (Level 180 → Level 130 Restriction Gear)
Body Level: Omega 38
Energy Level: Omega 38
Mental Power : Omega 38
Soul Level: 100'000
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...)
Seeing the confirmation, Sora frowned slightly, "Well, being level 130 doesn’t really change anything about my power at this point... This gear is useless to me..."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE :
Last part can be reworked. I'm not sure I like the blunder Sora made by forgetting that even being level 130 won't change a thing to his current power. What do you think?
