Mimou
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Chapter 80 : Level 100
🕑 Added 2024-10-17 00:26:30 +0000 UTCAs soon as the duel began, Kara deactivated her [Soul Link] and summoned a duplicate of Sora using [Life Source]. The clone radiated an immense amount of life force, and Sora could feel the pressure emanating from it.
"Don't worry about the space collapsing, we can go all out here. The mana absorbed is also more than enough for our fight." Kara said, ready for the fight.
Sora nodded and focused on his opponent.
He knew that Kara preferred using her clones to fight rather than engaging directly, She wasn’t one to fight hand-to-hand, and he didn't mind her approach.
But now, with a limited amount of condensed mana, he had to prepare carefully and selectively. Several spells, like most elemental skills, were off the table due to their drain on his resources.
After buffing himself and summoning lightning to move faster, Sora decided to test his True Mage skills against a powerful opponent. He pulled out a pair of level 90 pistols he had bought in Turkey, capable of channeling his mana or using special bullets.
Ready to start, he activated [Magic Bullet], creating dozens of highly condensed bullets, which he would continuously load into the pistols. As the clone approached, he immediately flew back, avoiding close-range combat, and fired off rounds while moving at high speed. His aim was perfect , but his technique was non-existent. To his surprise, the clone dodged every shot, inching closer calmly.
The clone materialized a sword and swung as soon as it closed in. Sora, enhanced by lightning, dodged at the last moment, but the clone kept pace, following closely. Sora attempted to throw it off, yet the clone seemed to anticipate his every move. What is happening? he wondered.
Glancing at Kara, he was startled to see her eyes closed. He then heard a voice behind him. “You should focus on the imminent threat…”
Sora turned, hearing Kara’s voice emanating from the clone’s direction. “How can your clone talk?” he asked, running to keep his distance.
“I’m just using mana to simulate sound waves. But enough play—I’m getting serious now, Sora.” Kara replied through the clone, with a teasing tone.
‘She’s been toying with me?’ he thought, shocked. Sora fired again, utilizing [Blink] to teleport short distances, dodging and attempting counterattacks. The clone is too fast. My bullets are useless… I need something faster.
Thinking quickly, he activated [Reflection Mirrors], summoning hundreds of mirrors that formed a dome around himself and the clone. Channeling a large amount of condensed mana, he conjured thousands of [Arcane Beams]. Mana gathered intensely behind each mirror, charging with energy as the mirrors closed in, sealing every gap.
After absorbing the beams from the outside, the mirrors would not only reflect but amplify any damage, and the beams, traveling at extreme speed, turned the space within the dome into a deadly cascade of magic.
Sora used [Blink] just before the dome closed, stepping outside and observing with [Mana Eyes]. However, he quickly realized he could only track his own beams, unable to follow the clone’s movements as its life force blocked his sight.
Inside the dome, had anyone been watching, they would have seen the clone move at impossible speeds, dodging each beam with agility. Sora was certain the beams should have pierced it thousands of times by now.
But a moment later, the clone broke through the dome, completely unharmed. He couldn’t tell if it had been healing constantly or if it had managed to avoid all damage entirely.
‘She’s strong…’ he thought, glancing at Kara.
The clone lunged at him, cutting him diagonally before he could fully react. Sora could feel that the clone's strength and energy levels matched his own. However, each time they clashed, he was pushed back. He tried to leverage his speed to gain the upper hand, but the clone seemed to anticipate his every move, evading or countering nearly every strike.
He began to understand the gap between them. ‘I never stood a chance… Is she testing me? How far has she come in her training? This… this is incredible.’ They had both trained for a ‘week’, yet her progress was leagues beyond his.
He reflected, ‘Did I even really train? No… I was just farming. I became billions of times stronger but I haven’t gotten better.’
Steeling himself, Sora focused even harder. He refused to let her see him as weak.
As the fight went on, he noticed the clone slowing down, resorting to only basic moves to counter his increasingly desperate strikes. Its swordplay was flawless, and the simple blocks, counters, and strikes kept him entirely on the defensive.
Each sword strike left him powerless, and every counter sent him flying. ‘What is going on?’ he thought, disoriented. ‘The clone is slowing down, yet I’m still getting beaten?’
[Duel Lost]
[You have lost the duel against Player Kara Spirine. RP Deduction: -150 RP.]
Sora lay on the floor, breathing heavily. He had lost the duel. It wasn’t the difference in power that bothered him—it was the skill gap. Kara had become incredibly strong, able to defeat him with pure technique alone, even though the clone matched him in power.
Staring up at the ceiling of the [Time Space], he murmured, “Where did I go wrong?”
Kara stated the obvious, “Did you really think you could beat me when I'm about 30 levels ahead, and levels scale exponentially?”
She hesitated, scratching her forehead before continuing,her gaze dropping slightly. “Though, there’s more to it. You rely too much on skills… It makes you predictable. And without a defined fighting style, you’re vulnerable to anyone with the right skillset. Relying on perfected low-level skills alone probably leads to a dead end if there’s no qualitative change.”
She paused, her voice softening as she looked away. “You’ve trained for a week… and I’ve trained for twenty years.” Sora watched as her shoulders seemed to slump a little while she tried hiding her expression. “I don’t know if anyone else has spent that much time training since the world changed.”
He wanted to say something, but words felt inadequate. Instead, he simply nodded, his determination deepening. ‘If she’s gone through all that, I can only look up to her and try to catch up.’
Sora, who was level 93, knew his stats were close to the standard expected from the weakest level 122 players, but Kara who was level 122 was anything but a weak level 122 player.
He asked “Did you unlock many skills during these years?”
She smiled and said, then said, “This clone only used two things: swordsmanship and movement. Did you see him use anything else?”
Realization dawned on Sora. The clone had overwhelmed him with only a sword and refined movement.
Kara said, remembering her first years in her Space. “I unlocked many skills early on. I simulated countless fights between my clones, controlling them and refining my understanding of swordsmanship. I explored multiple paths, relying on all kinds of skills, but ended up discarding them, focusing solely on the sword.”
Sora could see the pride and confidence in her eyes, the product of years upon years of practice.
“But you’re a healer. You’ve never practiced swordsmanship for long,” he said, puzzled. “How did you get the idea to train such a skill to the extreme?”
Kara smiled, happy to share her thoughts with her friend “I was thinking the opposite… Why shouldn’t I master a weapon, no matter what class I have? You taught me to think that way, a long time ago. This world rewards dedication. No matter which class you start with, the system responds to effort. By devoting myself to the sword, I transcended the limitations of my original path.”
“My [Sword Mastery], which I thought was capped at level 10, broke through, again and again. Maybe that’s the beauty of this world. We’re all capable of reaching new heights if we’re willing to push past what we think we’re supposed to be.”
“Did you unlock a Supreme Skill?” Sora asked, thinking that such intense training should have led to one.
Kara shook her head. “No, I was hoping for that too, but maybe someone else beat me to it. Or maybe not all skills do not lead to a Supreme Skill. My achievements even lead me to doubt Supremacy of such skills. Maybe there’s a way to the top for everyone.”
Inspired by her progress, Sora said, “I really want to catch up again… But before we train, do you have any suggestions for what we should do over the next three weeks?”
Kara thought for a moment before responding, “I think it’s important for you to reach level 100 soon. We need to unlock all the effects of your Prestige Skill to see its full potential. After that, training together to sharpen our skills while luring in monsters for experience would be ideal. But did you have something else in mind?”
Sora nodded. “I was considering going for a more well-rounded approach—learning skills from basic, rare and other powerful classes to absorb their knowledge. I wanted to build a deeper understanding of classes, mana, and skills as a whole. If I could unlock enough skills, I’d have endless options and could fight however I want. But after today’s fight, I’m rethinking that… Versatility feels pointless in the face of overwhelming power.”
“It’s not pointless,” Kara replied with a reassuring smile. “Stop thinking you’re weaker than me, I’m sure you’d beat me up if you were anywhere close to my level, so don’t underestimate yourself. You'd probably beat me if you were also in my [Time Space] as well. Why not try both paths? Reach level 100, gather the countless skills you wanted, and then train them here with me. Once you have a wide range, you can pick the best techniques and truly master them.”
Sora felt a surge of motivation. “That sounds good. Let’s see what my Prestige Skill can offer first.”
Over the next few weeks in the [Time Space], Sora dedicated himself to leveling up, taking on waves of beasts that Kara drew into their domain. He refined his skills, pushing them to their limits. He focused on his [True Mage] class, perfecting each spell until they reached a refined state.
Surprisingly, the skills were already close to their ideal forms. This class was practically on the verge of perfection already, he realized. It’s a reminder not to underestimate legendary class users, or even those with higher classes.
Any disdain he had for players relying on class skills faded as he trained. This time spent with Kara humbled him and broadened his long-term goals.
He laughed at his own arrogance, thinking back to his decision to use pistols against her when he’d barely practiced with them before. ‘How overconfident I was,’ he thought, ‘thinking I’d mastered a weapon just by reading its description.’
He could feel his resolve solidifying. He had once thought his approach was thorough, that he was on the right path. Now, he was grateful to have uncovered a new truth without paying for it with his life.
With such thoughts, he slew the monster that entered the [Time Space] looking for the source of such tempting Life force.
[Level Up!]
Reaching level 100, Sora found himself alone as he checked the updated details on his [Prestige] skill.
Comments
mimou
I changed my mind regarding this. She's countless times stronger because of the 30 levels gap ! I forgot about that when I commented. Being 30 levels weaker is being 10 millions times weaker.
mimou
Hello, thank you very much for your comment. I was also thinking of this chapter and plan to rewrite it in the future. I overdid it here. What I wanted to convey wasn't exactly that. It's just that combining her level and years of polishing skills, she reached a whole new level
ShadeByTheSea
Kinda really didn't like this chapter, it basically destroyed the usefulness of skills. Plus with a talent of 1048576 his stats should be a minimum of 1048576 times better than someone else his level with a talent one. That's ignore his supreme skills. No amount of training should be able to overcome that advantage. Otherwise those elves should have been able to trunce the mc.
mimou
He's trying out his [True Mage] skills in real combat. They're not shown before, but he has chosen that class a few chapters ago.
GreatCabbage
When did he start with these new skills?
Sgatto
The silent sect has been here
