Chapter 158 : Wake up, girl.

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Sora spent the next few hours training, achieving basic proficiency in all the skills he had purchased within the Ascension Tower.

‘A little more than a year should have passed inside the [Time Space]. It’s a shame that monsters take so long to respawn, or they would have reached level 180 for a while now,’ he thought. ‘But knowing them, they’ve probably made good use of the breaks between battles.’

Feeling Kara’s attempt to pull him into the [Time Space], Sora waved his hand, wiping out all the remaining monsters in the area. Canceling the summoning of his clones, he watched as the are he had destroyed dozens of time began to regenerate.

Trees grew once more, and hills that had disappeared appeared again.

Satisfied with the experience he had gained, Sora accepted Kara’s call and reappeared inside the [Time Space].

The sight that greeted him was chaos. Two groups clashed in an epic battle.

On one side stood dozens of human-like figures, including familiar faces like Emily’s, Salim’s, and even his own—clones of those he had encountered inside and outside the tower. Beside this pack of sword-wielding clones were two other groups: undead and beasts.

The dozen of undead fought with strict discipline, forming two organized and deadly combat squads, while the ten familiars fought chaotically, showing little coordination as they acted independently, some even watching from the side.

Sora sighed at the scene before him. “What a mess.” The three groups didn’t act like allies but seemed to be competing against each other.

On the opposing side were thousands of monsters—creatures he had gathered and sent into this space.

Aware the battle would end soon, he ignored it and looked around, spotting two familiar figures chatting in the distance. Sora disappeared from his position and reappeared beside them.

Kara smiled warmly, sensing his arrival. Greeting him with a hug, she said, “Long time no see. You should spend more time with us too. Don’t you need to train?”

Alius frowned and crossed his arms. “You’re not the only ones here. Show some respect to the people around you!”

Sora laughed at his remark and walked over to give Alius a hug as well. “Jealous? Come here, big bro’s got a hug for you too.”

Alius felt a force trying to hold him still and immediately released a powerful wave of energy, breaking free from Sora’s hold. “It’s not so easy to bully me now!”

Sora raised an eyebrow, impressed. Only someone who had reached the limit in Energy Level could free themselves from his technique. “You’ve hit the Energy Level cap? Congratulations!”

Glancing above Alius’s head, Sora checked their status.

[Alius – Level 160]
[Kara Spirine – Level 165]

Noticing they weren’t wearing their [Liar’s Masks], Sora knew they weren’t hiding their current levels.

'It seems that Kara's gain in the tower include a good rise in her talent level, while Alius is farming experience for millions of familiars and undead...' He thought, understanding the gap in level between his friends.

Alius shrugged at the praise. “With my talent level, it’s not hard to reach the limit when I’m so close to the maximum level. I’ve also maxed out Body Level and Mental Power, but my skills are still far weaker compared to yours and Kara’s.”

He paused, reflecting. “Spending time here has made me understand the gap between elite players like me, with overwhelming talent—and monsters like you two, who’ve honed your skills to their limits or use insanely strong Supreme Skills.”

Sighing, Alius added, “I think it’s impossible for me to become an all-rounder like you without decades of training or additional Supreme Skills. Instead, I’ll focus on Soul Power—researching it, refining it, and making those kids invincible.” He gestured toward the battlefield, where his undead and familiars fought together. Warmth and pride lit up his expression.

Giving up on trying to walk in Sora’s footsteps, Alius had chosen his own path.

Sora shifted his attention to Kara as she spoke up. “Same here. I’ve reached the limits for all three stats, and I’ve accumulated an infinite amount of life force during this training period. I also harvested the time of tens of thousands of beasts.”

Sora was surprised. “That’s good news! Did it have the effect we were expecting?”

Kara nodded. “Hope was right. I can’t show you my [Time Palace], but it’s started evolving—it’s becoming a small village. ‘She’ has improved significantly in appearance, and my Soul Power increases steadily every time I absorb harvested time. Since I started absorbing [Time], I’ve gained about four thousand Soul Levels. As for the four level 180 players I harvested, they only gave me about ten Soul Levels each. It’s a pitiful amount compared to the speed at which Alius refines [Soul Pearls].”

Sora turned to Alius, a hungry look in his eyes. “Tell me you’ve made millions of [Soul Pearls] since you got here. Where’s my share?”

Alius laughed at his greed and shook his head. “My [Infinite Soul Core] hasn’t been able to form [Soul Pearls] since I entered this space. I don’t think the process can be accelerated here.”

Disappointed, Sora let it go. After catching up for a few more minutes, Kara took a deep breath and said, “Sora, I think it’s time.”

Confused, he tilted his head. “Time for what?”

She met his gaze. “I want to revive Sarsha.”

Sora’s expression shifted from confusion to realization. “Sarsha… That Dark Elf Colonel, right?”

Kara nodded. “Yes. I think we’re leagues ahead of her now, and I’m confident she can’t harm any of us.”

“You’re probably right,” Sora agreed. “This is the perfect time for it. I can even browse through her memories to see if there’s anything interesting about Dark Elves.”

Kara shot him a frosty glare, and he quickly added, “Kidding. Don’t worry.”

‘That was close. Was she about to scold me?’ he thought, sweat forming on his forehead.

Kara sighed. “If she’s unwilling to cooperate, you can check her memories, but don’t do anything weird.”

Sora raised an eyebrow at the remark but refrained from asking what she meant.

He watched as Kara activated her [Life Force Mastery] skill, focusing on the [Soul Preservation] effect. Slowly, a small orb of Life Force and dense Soul Power materialized in front of her.

The small orb in front of Kara pulsated with energy, glowing brighter with each passing moment. Sora and Alius watched intently as the orb began to shift, gradually taking on a humanoid form. Kara’s focus was high, her [Life Force Mastery] skill controlling the process with precision.

The outline of the figure became clearer, growing more defined as the orb continued to evolve. Dense layers of Life Force and Soul Power mixed, forming the details of a body. Slowly, the Dark Elf Colonel, Sarsha, began to materialize.

Her long black hair cascaded down her back, contrasting sharply with her light skin, faintly tinted with hints of purple. Her closed eyes, framed by thick lashes, gave her an air of serene beauty, even in her unconscious state.

It was only then that Sora and Alius realized something—they had never truly seen Sarsha before. The assassin gear she wore in the past had hidden most of her features, leaving only glimpses of her eyes and a portion of her hair visible.

Now, with her appearance fully revealed, it was clear she was beautiful. Her features were elegant and her frame perfectly proportioned.

Sora noticed her lack of clothing first, and before Kara could react, he quickly turned away, grabbing Alius by the shoulder and spinning him around as well.

“So… how’s the weather in the [Time Space] lately?” Sora asked, feigning interest.

Alius rolled his eyes. “Really? You couldn't find anything better to say? I was you in the past, I know that dark elf woman is your type...”

Sora who had his hand on Alius' shoulder clenched his fingers, and Alius' screamed in pain.

Behind them, Kara laughed softly at the duo's antics. Waving her hand, she materialized a set of clothes and quickly dressed the unconscious Dark Elf.

“You can turn around now,” she said, amusement still evident in her tone.

Sora and Alius cautiously turned back, their expressions neutral as if nothing had happened. Kara smirked but didn’t comment further.

Sarsha lay on the ground, her breathing steady and her body completely restored. Kara placed a hand on her chest, activating her [Life Force Mastery] skill to confirm her condition.

[Sarsha

“She’s exactly the same as she was before her death,” Kara announced. “Her level hasn’t changed, and all her power seems to have been restored.”

Sora stepped closer, his [Mana Eyes] activating as he scanned Sarsha. The flow of mana through her body was normal. Using [Peerless Mind Forging], he controlled his mental power, analyzing the state of her mind for any problems.

“She’s in perfect condition,” he confirmed. 

Alius approached next, summoning his [Soul Dominion] skill. A faint glow enveloped Sarsha as he examined her Soul Power. After a moment, he nodded. “I understand now. All remnants of her soul were perfectly captured at the time of her death. Nothing was scattered, and your Supreme Skill seemed to perfectly preserve all of it..”

"Now that I dabble in Soul Power, I feel that your Supreme Skill is incredible, Kara..." Alius praised.

Kara knelt beside Sarsha, placing a hand on her forehead. "Wake up, girl. Your life is not over."

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