Chapter 137 : King's Promise

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[Ralph Eden: Your fights cost you too much, Kara...]

Sora watched as she slowly regained her youth through the regeneration of her life force. Though relieved, he couldn’t stop the worry gnawing at him. 'What if someone pushes her even further? The more extreme her use of [Time-Bending], the more her body suffers—aging so quickly. And the more energy she expends in that period, the harsher the effects...'

[Kara Spirine: Imagine what would have happened if I used this skill without my supreme ability keeping me alive. If not for the ability you helped me develop, I would never have been able to live long with my innate ability. You're the best thing that happened to me since the World changed, Sora...]

Since Alius’s departure, Kara had become more than just a friend to him—she was the most important person in his life. The thought of seeing her age uncontrollably after every difficult fight, unable to find a way to help her, sent a shudder through him.

[Kara Spirine: Look around you, we have quite a few qualified humans...]

Raising his head, Sora scanned the remaining 32 players and spotted familiar faces in the waiting room. Emily stood among the qualified players, along with Clémence Berger, Morgan Casey, and Pedro Luiz.

As he observed them, Sora noticed the group heading his way. Emily, Kara, and Salim reached him first.

Emily wasted no time teasing Salim. "Wow, Salim, even you qualified? Ranked 3rd in Ralph's group? Did you ask him to forfeit for you?"

Salim frowned at her jab and replied, annoyed, "Pray you don’t face me in the next matches, Blood Witch. Because with your current strength, you don’t stand a chance."

Emily paused, clearly not expecting such a sharp response. Sora could sense the change in her aura—blood was gathering, and a dangerous bloodthirst began emanating from her.

Emily grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth, turning to Salim. "Threatening me? Bring it on. The stronger my opponents, the more I enjoy tearing them apart."

The atmosphere grew tense as the cheerful [ARAM] Vice-Leader turned bloodthirsty, and Salim’s prideful demeanor showed for the first time in front of the group. Sora, sensing the competitive spirits of the two geniuses igniting, stepped forward to intervene.

"Chill," Sora said calmly. "I know you’re both still hyped from your duels, but there’s no need to fight between friends."

Salim, realizing he had taken her teasing too seriously, stepped back and and breathed heavily. "Sorry. The group stages had me on edge. I didn’t mean to threaten you."

Emily, taken aback by his unexpected magnanimity, relaxed slightly. "My bad. I have a habit of poking at people I consider my equals... That was rude of me. Let’s just move on."

Kara, tense from the earlier exchange, finally relaxed, relieved to see her new friends calming down. As she exhaled, Clémence, Morgan, and Pedro joined the group.

Clémence, clearly in a bad mood, stayed silent, her arms crossed. It was Pedro who broke the ice. "Congratulations, everyone. Seven humans among the top 32. This is a historic moment. Never before have so many humans reached the 17th floor."

Morgan, already aware of the significance, added, "And three of them are from a small Korean guild. Dae Stark, the other player from Korea, was in my group and almost made it past the group stage, but he used one more life than the fourth-place player and was eliminated."

Emily frowned, clearly annoyed. "What small guild? Are you blind? [ARAM] is one of the best guilds out there."

Morgan laughed, unfazed. "Fine, fine. After this event, you’ll obviously be one of the best guilds in the kingdom." Turning to Kara, his expression brightened. "Congratulations on making it this far, Kara Spirine. You’re really impressive. I didn't expect you to be so proficient in combat despite visibly specializing in life-force!"

Noticing the looks of admiration and approval directed at her, Kara's face turned red, unsure how to handle the attention. She didn’t enjoy being the center of discussion and quickly redirected the focus. "I barely ranked third in my group. How did everyone else do?"

The group looked up at the rankings displayed above, showing eight groups with four glowing names and four greyed-out ones.

Pedro, reading the results, said, "Morgan took first place in his group, and Ralph, of course, ranked first in his as well... Clémence here ranked second, just like I did in mine. Salim, Emily, and Kara all took third place in their groups. These are some excellent results!"

Sora, curious about Clémence’s performance, glanced at her before looking up to see the rankings. His eyes fell on the name of the Spirit Race player who had taken first place in her group.

Noticing his gaze, Clémence frowned, her voice weak as she explained, "That damn Spirit countered my abilities." She paused for a moment, then added, "And don’t think we’re suddenly friendly just because I talked to you. I haven’t forgotten the humiliation from our last fight."

Wanting to explain himself, Sora paused when he noticed Kara shaking her head at him.

[Kara Spirine: Don’t draw unnecessary attention. Let Morgan handle it.]

Thankful for her reminder, Sora refrained from speaking and instead sent a message to Morgan, asking if he had warned Clémence about Rachel. Observing the exchange of glances between Morgan and Clémence, he assumed they were already engaged in their own silent conversation.

With 30 minutes to rest before the final stage of the trial, the group split up, either resting or discussing various topics.

Salim and Sora used the time to refine their temporary alliance. In their conversation, Sora discovered that Salim had also hit the limit in two aspects, excluding his body level. Hidden under a veil that ensured their privacy, Sora was surprised to hear Salim say, "I’m extremely grateful for your trust and help and wanted to express it in a more tangible way."

Puzzled by Salim’s words, Sora was caught off guard as he sensed an immense amount of power condensing at the tips of Salim’s fingers, forming a scroll. It resembled the contracts Sora himself could create, but this one had a holier aura.

The scroll radiated a blend of energies—blood, Soul Power, Mental Power, mana, and life force—all flowing to form something unique. Sora was captivated by the phenomenon, his curiosity overtaking his initial caution. 'What is this? Is this the result of his innate ability?'

Unable to fully decipher innate and supreme abilities, Sora had often found himself frustrated when faced with something he couldn’t replicate, in the past. Yet, as his mastery over mana and other energies deepened, he began getting glimpses of understanding of other players' innate abilities, despite being unable to reproduce them.

'Soul Power… how is he using it so smoothly in a skill? Isn’t that kind of energy uncontrollable?' His mind raced as he watched the energy flow through the scroll, even acting submissively. 'Every time I’ve tried using Soul Power, it’s been destructive—it always refuses to listen and destroys everything it touches.'

Noticing that Sora seemed far more engrossed in studying the mechanics of the skill than the content of the [King’s Promise] floating before him, Salim let out a laugh. "I see you’re more curious about how this works than what it says," he teased, before adding, "I’m sorry, but even I don’t fully understand how this skill functions, I'm unable to analyse it. It’s something I unlocked through… well, you know." He gave a meaningful glance.

Brought out of his reverie, Sora felt like a thief caught red-handed. "I didn’t mean to probe… Sorry, it’s a habit."

Salim chuckled but said nothing, letting Sora turn his attention to the floating scroll. Inspecting it closely, Sora’s surprise grew as the details became clear.

[King’s Promise]

[Description: A king’s promise is sacred. Each word written on the scroll binds the King and his Kingdom, ensuring that the promise will never be broken.

Penalty: Breaking the promise will result in the death of the King. The Kingdom and its population will be cursed for three generations.]

Reading the description, Sora’s eyes narrowed in shock. What the hell is this?

When his gaze moved to the content of the promise itself, he sighed.

[King Salim's Promise]

[King's Promise]

[Promise Title: Pact of Eternal Kinship]

[Promise Details: As King of Neo Carthage, I, Salim Msakni, hereby declare a sacred promise of friendship and secrecy to Ralph Eden. I vow to never betray, harm, or reveal any knowledge of Ralph Eden’s actions, abilities, or identity without his explicit consent. This promise extends to my kingdom and its citizens, ensuring that Ralph Eden may walk among us without fear or suspicion.]

[Additional Clause: Should Ralph Eden require aid, Neo Carthage will extend its resources and strength within reason, as long as such aid does not endanger the kingdom itself.]

[Penalty: Should this promise be broken, I shall forfeit my life as King, and Neo Carthage shall bear the curse of three generations.]

Sora, shocked by the content of the promise, struggled to process it. 'There’s already a contract between us. Why would he go so far as to shackle himself with such a promise?'

"Why would you go this far?" Sora asked, his voice hiding his emotions. "This could curse your entire kingdom if you make a single mistake."

Salim’s expression remained calm, his tone sincere. "You probably know by now that contracts are not absolute. I want you to feel at ease—perhaps even stay as a member of my kingdom for a longer period. The power boost you’ve given me doesn’t just benefit me but my entire kingdom. The stronger I grow, the better the living conditions there become. It started as a single hut in the desert, but now it’s thriving with life, spanning thousands of kilometers. And I can feel… him… becoming stronger."

The hesitation in Salim’s last words caught Sora’s attention. He immediately understood the hint. 'I’ve neglected my Soul Palace for too long. I should develop it further, just as Salim has nurtured his kingdom. Pouring immense amounts of Soul Power into it might be the key to helping the sleepy beauty in my Soul Palace grow stronger. This might be the next step in uncovering the truth behind my ‘real body.’

"Thank you, Salim. I consider you a friend as well," Sora said, his gaze full of gratitude and respect. "I don’t usually make promises, but if you ever have a problem in the future, you can count on me."

Before Salim could respond, both of them were interrupted by a notification. It was time to begin the final stage of the trial on the 16th floor.

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