Chapter 154 : Starting the hunt

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They spent nearly an hour absorbing [Soul Pearls], their [Soul Levels] soaring as the powerful energy settled within them. Meanwhile, Alius meditated in silence, while Nyx and Magnus busied themselves learning how to play cards.

After they finished, Sora stretched and glanced toward Kara. "So, tell me, what was the effect of absorbing [Soul Pearls] for you?"

Kara, who seemed engrossed in reading her notifications, looked up and replied, "I don’t have a [Soul Palace] like you, but I feel like 'she' was getting nourishment for the first time." She then turned to Alius and added, "You mentioned earlier that your friend Hope said developing Innate Skills is the key to increasing [Soul Level]? I spent what felt like an eternity refining my skill, but I only unlocked my [Soul Level] thanks to you..."

Alius paused, considering her words before replying. "She said one of the four abilities should specialize in growing both the Innate Skill and the [Soul Level]. For Sora and me, it’s clearly our second ability, [Soul Pearl]. For Hope, it was something called [Collect], which encouraged her to complete countless collections with varying rewards. The quest to catch all monsters, that I mentioned earlier, was even named "Gotta Catch 'Em All". You should have something in your skillset that lets you collect or farm a specific resource. Mind sharing your Innate Skill again? I’ve read too many skills lately and forgot the specifics of yours."

Kara nodded, opened her skill description, and checked carefully for anything she might have overlooked before sharing it with them. Pausing as her eyes lingered on the last option, she asked Alius, "Are you referring to this?"

[Innate Skill: Time-Bending] 

Description: Time-Bending grants the user the ability to manipulate time within a controlled zone, including themselves and any entities within the area. The user can slow, accelerate the flow of time inside the zone.

Skill Option 1: The affected zone can be placed away from the user, reducing mana consumption.

Skill option 2 : Time Space: Accumulate mana in the [Time Bead] created by your innate skill. Once enough mana is accumulated, you can access your Time Space]

Skill option 3 From inside the [Time Space] or when using [Time-Bending], gain access to the outside world.

Skill option 4: Gain the power to harvest time and access your [Time Palace].

Alius read through all the options and paused, and told Kara. "That should be it. Did you try harvesting time?"

Kara hesitated. After a moment, she spoke. "The fourth option lets me extract time from items and living beings. When I tested it on a [Brown Rat]... it was horrifying." She paused before continuing, her voice lower. "It started aging instantly. At first, its fur turned gray, then white, before falling out in patches. Its muscles atrophied within seconds, as if it had aged from youth to old age in moments. A few seconds later, it died, crumbling into dust as though its entire lifespan had been stolen."

She paused, visibly not fond of the memory. "I realized quickly that using it on living beings wasn’t something I wanted to do again unless absolutely necessary. Since then, I’ve focused on collecting [Time] from items I’ve looted. At least items don’t suffer... probably."

Sora's curiosity was piqued. "And what use does that harvested [Time] have?" he asked.

Kara explained. "Well, it acts as an extra reserve of energy for my time-related skills. I can use it to fuel abilities like [Time Acceleration], replacing the need for mana. In fact, when I use [Time] instead of mana, the effects are even better—the results are stronger and last longer. I’ve used it in combat when my mana reserves were lacking."

She turned her attention to Alius. "The [Time] I collect gets stored inside my [Time Palace], which is part of my [Time Space]. It integrates into the environment there, much like the mana I store in my [Time Space]."

Alius leaned forward, intrigued. "Have you ever tried channeling more of this harvested [Time] into your [Time Palace]? Maybe it could unlock new potentials or strengthen it somehow."

Kara shook her head. "I haven't focused too much on that aspect. I usually prefer selling the loot I find rather than absorbing it, because the gold I earn helps me renovate and improve my [Time Space]. Absorbing items for [Time] felt wasteful, and after the incident with the [Brown Rat], I've avoided draining living beings."

Sora rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder what would happen if you kept absorbing more and more [Time]. Could it provoke a change in your [Time Palace] or even enhance your abilities beyond what you currently know?"

She considered this, her gaze distant. "It's possible. Maybe I should try it. I've been avoiding this skill effect for too long now."

Sora grinned. "That's the spirit! Who knows what other cheats your [Time-Bending] might be hiding?"

Kara smiled and replied, "Alright then, let's see where this takes us." Changing the topic, she glanced at Sora, who seemed to be checking in his system panel. "What's wrong? Are you communicating with Sin Soo-Yun?"

Sora shook his head. "No, Kim Dong is asking where we are and if you and I want to take part in some guild activity."

Kara pouted and said, "Why isn't he contacting me as well?"

Sora smirked. "Well, he knows wherever I am, you're usually not far. There's no use in pretending in front of him. He probably knows we're together. I told him we were busy with something for now and that we’ll drop by when we have time."

Taking his [Mana Phone] out, he distanced himself from the duo. After spending a few minutes on the phone with his parents, Sora returned and asked, "I’m ready. Are you ready?"

Alius nodded but glanced at Sora's gear with a critical eye. "I am, but before that, you need to change that." Pointing at Sora's gear, he explained, "Your equipment is terrible. With your [Prestige Forge], you could fully equip yourself with T1 Soul Gear. It’s a waste to keep using outdated stuff when you’ve got something better within reach."

Sora smiled. "You're right... I can finally afford a full set. "

Kara chimed in, "Alius has a point. Maybe I should update my gear as well." Taking out her [Auction Mailbox], she started browsing through items to replace her older gear. Opting for items that were optimized for PvP, she spent most of what gold she had remaining in new items.

Sora entered his [Soul Palace], and was surprised by the changes. The house where his main body was sleeping was now a big villa, and many other smaller houses had appeared all around it. "Is this becoming a village?" He wondered, seeing the neatly aligned houses, and the empty round and the bigger constructions that seemed to have other purposes."

He headed toward the [Prestige Forge], planning on buying 6 pieces of armor, 5 accessories, and nine weapons, for a total of a thousand [Soul Pearls].

Reading all his items descriptions, he shook his head, 'Even with all the upgrades to my gear, I don't feel any change. It seems this level of items is far from enough to break through the limits."

Disappointed in his purchases, he tried to upgrade his sword, and was met with a notification.

[Consume 1000 Soul Pearls to upgrade your Rank 1 Sword to a Rank 2 Sword]

Hesitating for a second, aware that it would take a whole day of grinding prestige to accumulate so many Soul Pearls, he shook his head, remembering he had a friend who could always farm for him. 'Let's hope the next level will allow me to gain some power.' He thought, optimistic.

[Yes]

Confirming his choice, he watched as his sword evolved, and started shining. He opened the description, eager to see the changes.

[T2 Soul Sword] (Ultimate, Level 145)

Description : A blade crafted from pure soul Soul Power. The [Soul Sword] is a sharp and precise weapon, designed to amplify the wielder’s power.

[Effect 1 (Passive): Attack damage: +1000%.]
[Effect 2 (Active): Soul Damage: 1% of your damage can be applied as Soul Damage.]
[Effect 3 (Passive): Self Restoration]

Requirements:

• Soul-Bound

Sora read the description and, feeling the weapon in his hand, thought, 'I need to test this to see if it's worth upgrading all my equipment. I don't need the upgrade in damage, but there's a new option to deal damage directly to the Soul and that might be useful...'

Leaving the [Soul Palace], he was greeted by Kara and Alius, who were deep in discussion about the players waiting outside. Noticing Alius' gear shining from top to bottom, he sighed inwardly, "This rascal has full T2 gear... What a showoff."

Approaching the duo, he asked, "Is everyone ready now?" Seeing their nods, he added, "Let's get this over with as quickly as possible. I can't give Rachel time to grow. Let's leave this place."

The three of them headed toward the city entrance and exited Mirny through the main gate. They had agreed that Sora would handle all the enemies, so Alius and Kara watched silently as fifteen of Sora's clones appeared around them, vanishing just as quickly as they had materialized.

Sora, having just left the safe area, wasted no time and unleashed his full power without hesitation. Extending his [Psychic Hold], his mental energy instantly encompassed a thousand-kilometer radius even though such an extensive range seemed unnecessary. 'There might be more rats hiding, forming a second net.' He thought, focused on finding enemies.

Simultaneously, every player from the [ASS] guild and from the [GODS] guild in the vicinity lost control of their bodies, passing out before they could even attempt to resist. The two level 180 players, despite their strength, had not honed their mental defenses sufficiently to resist such a devastating attack.

As their bodies slumped to the ground, a figure appeared next to each of them, effortlessly grabbing them and transporting them to Sora's group, throwing them on the ground.

Alius stared in disbelief at the pile of unconscious players who had tormented him, now lying before them mere seconds after Sora's clones had vanished once again. His voice was showing traces of excitements as he turned to Sora. "How... did you do that?"

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