Chapter 127 : There’s no stopping him

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Sora scanned the area, searching for familiar faces. He spotted Clémence, Pedro, Asia, and Rachel forming a group with an unfamiliar player. Noticing Emily heading toward Rachel, he could guess her intentions.

At that moment, a message from Emily popped up:

[Emily Frekk has sent an invite to join a squad]

[Emily Frekk: Glad to see you and Kara made it to this floor. Let’s team up. I’ll figure out why that ungrateful kid Rachel is ditching her guild to cozy up with Clémence.]

Smiling at the notification, Sora responded with a thumbs-up emoji and looked around. He soon spotted Kara approaching with a grin on her face. “It’s been a while, Kara. It was strange spending so many years without seeing you,” he greeted her.

“You know how it feels to be cut off from the world for years now. And you even had your familiars with you.” Kara’s tone had hints of joy and curiosity. “I missed you too, but I missed Hiyoko even more. What did you do to her? She looks even smaller than before.”

Sora smiled but stayed silent, watching as Hiyoko hopped from his shoulder into Kara’s waiting arms.

“Master has tortured me for years!” Hiyoko chirped dramatically. “I suffered so much... But I think I finally became stronger than you, Sister Kara.”

Kara’s smile froze for a moment at the little bird’s innocent boast. “Oh my... still as bold as ever,” she replied, her fingers sparking with a trace of sword energy.

Sora watched the flow of her energy, sighing in amazement. He’d once thought raw mana was the pinnacle of power, dismissing other energy types as lacking and inferior. But seeing the refined strength of Kara’s Life Force and Sword Energy, he realized she had long taken them to a level beyond raw mana.

The last five years had taught him that any path could lead to incredible power as long as one pushed far enough. Yet even with this newfound respect for other techniques, he knew he would stay on his own path, determined to see where it would lead.

Netsu watched as Kara and Hiyoko played, while Sora continued scanning the room, looking for any players he could ‘carry’ through the next challenge.

Spotting Salim, the North African player, standing alone and eyeing the groups forming around him, Sora sent him a message.

[Ralph Eden: Hey Salim, looking for a group? Kara, Emily, and I are forming a squad.]

Noticing the notification, Salim glanced around before locating Sora. Recognition seemed to dawn on his face after a few seconds. He floated over, stopping a few inches above the floor before joining them.

“Ralph! Kara! It’s such a pleasure to see other humans this far up the Tower.” Salim grinned broadly. “Thanks for the invite. I’ll shamelessly accept since it looks like no one else is interested. I’d rather avoid teaming up with players from other races if I can help it. Don’t worry, though—I’ll protect you guys since you’re obviously weaker than me!” he said with a laugh, extending his hand for a handshake.

Sora and Kara exchanged a look of surprise before bursting into laughter at his bold words.

Sora shook Salim’s hand, grinning. “Looking forward to your protection! Welcome to the team!”

Sora felt a faint energy probing him, and he quickly blocked the intrusion, turning toward the source. Seeing Pedro’s gaze, he frowned. Pedro appeared surprised, as if he hadn’t expected Sora to notice or resist. Emily, who was chatting nearby with Rachel and Clémence, caught the exchange and grinned.

After finishing her conversation, she walked over to join Sora’s group. She noticed Salim among them and asked, “So, you’re joining our group?” Salim nodded, and Emily sent him an invite to formally join the team.

Once he was added, Emily continued, “Pedro mentioned he didn’t have time to collect all the gear he lent out, so he’s fine with us keeping it… but he’d prefer we avoid using any of it against his team or other humans. Are you okay with those terms?”

Sora, who was still wearing the [Normal Boots], was fine with such conditions, and even surprised Pedro didn't confiscate all his gear to increase the odds for his team.

“I’m fine with it,” he replied. With no objections from anyone else, they agreed to keep their borrowed equipment.

“We still need a fifth player,” Emily pointed out. “Looks like all humans have already joined their groups.”

There were six human-only teams assembled: one from Africa, one from North America, one from China, and three with a mix of players from different regions.

Kara shook her head and gestured to a man walking in their direction. Sora recognized the group he’d been talking with as the North American team, which included Maxwell Phelps from the 8th trial.

Curious, Sora read the name and level floating above the approaching man.

[Morgan Casey - Level 175]

Surprised that someone of his level didn’t already have a group, Sora glanced at the North American team and noticed that Morgan’s level was higher than any of theirs.

Emily sent a message to the squad members:

[Emily Frekk: I have a feeling he’s joining us to rack up points and trusts his original team to qualify without him.]

[Ralph Eden: I had the same thought. I haven’t seen anyone challenge him, or spotted him on the eliminated side of the [Challenge room], but he feels stronger than most people in the waiting room—probably top 10 in terms of power.]

Salim, reading the team chat, was surprised at this statement. Specialized in information gathering, he activated one of his skills to find information about Sora, and his findings left him shocked.

Noticing Sora turning his head in his direction, Salim felt a shiver run down his spine.

With a teasing grin, Sora asked, "Probing your own teammates? So, what did you find out?"

Still unsettled, Salim managed to stammer, "Nothing, I swear! How is it possible?!"

Sora smiled, not answering directly, and instead shifted his gaze toward the approaching player.

[Emily Frekk: Should we let him join? If he’s as strong as he seems, he’ll bulldoze through enemies, and we’ll rack up enough points to qualify without much effort.]

[Ralph Eden: Qualifying isn't enough. I want the top reward. And help my allies achieve a similar reward if possible. Even then, there should be no reason to refuse him in the team as long as he doesn’t cause trouble.]

The man had finally reached them, taking his time to gauge the team dynamic.

He looked directly at Emily and Salim and asked, “Who’s the squad leader?”

Salim, still a bit dazed, didn’t respond, leaving Emily to step up. "It's me. Do you need something?"

Morgan seemed momentarily puzzled by her response, thinking, 'Wasn’t it obvious I’m applying to join their squad?'

“I want to join your group,” he explained, keeping his tone confident. “I’m sure I can help everyone in the team pass if you follow my instructions.”

Emily’s eyes shone with a grin. “We wouldn’t mind you joining, but you’ll have to follow my lead. If you’ve got suggestions, I’m happy to hear them—but our squad, our rules.”

Sora felt a twinge of embarrassment at her provocative words, thinking, 'She’s so stubborn and childish'.

Morgan, however, didn’t seem offended. “I’m fine with you leading… but can you show me we’ll do better under your command?”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “I can’t prove anything now, but why don’t you see for yourself once we’re in the field?” She gave him an enigmatic smile before sneaking a glance at Sora and sending him a private message.

[Emily Frekk: I'm betting everything on you, Ralph. Pedro said he can't see through you anymore, and it can only mean one thing. Don't make me eat my words and make our guild look weak in front of this mountain of muscles.]

Sora almost lost his composure at the message and laughed out loud, seeing the difference in tones between her message and the front she was showing to Morgan. 'This Pedro's ability to assess others is incredible. I'm not sure many others can avoid his prying skills'.

With a nod, he reassured her, ready to live up to the challenge.

------------------------------------

With the team complete, the squad members exchanged information about the other teams and players.

Morgan, however, couldn’t shake his frustration over how things had turned out.

'Damn it, I had to join a team with a stubborn leader. They should understand I left my own squad because I trust they can qualify without me. Why does this blood witch insist on taking charge when I’m clearly the best chance they have?'

He’d seen Emily in action and, despite his annoyance, had to admit she was formidable. But from what he observed, she still had vulnerabilities against some of the higher-tier players present, including himself.

Clearing his head, he tried to focus on the upcoming battles. 'Soon enough, they'll understand just how strong the other squads are. When things get tough, I’ll be there to save them. I can't let them down after all.’ 

They were teleported to the battlefield: a massive, circular arena spanning a few hundred kilometers. Such distances meant nothing to the competitors at this level; any of them could cover it in an instant.

Morgan noticed that all the squads were positioned near the arena's edge, preparing for the battle. Taking advantage of the pre-fight moments, he buffed himself to the fullest and felt the effects of the young woman's support abilities washing over him. 'What power! I can feel my life force multiplied a hundredfold… This girl is a gem,' he thought, impressed. 'Then again, who isn’t extraordinary this higher in the Ascension Tower?'

Noticing the boy beside her was slacking off, not bothering to buff himself or anyone else, Morgan sneered. 'Don’t tell me this guy thinks he can just rely on everyone else’s efforts.'

Disappointed, he turned his attention back to the other teams. But then a strange sensation pulled his focus back—'This energy... [Earth Element]?'

He glanced over his shoulder and was stunned to see the same “slacker” gathering a massive amount of [Earth Element], condensing it in his fist. The density of mana was far beyond what he’d expected anyone to handle, let alone this casually. And yet, the pressure kept rising.

Morgan felt himself trembling. He stumbled back a few steps, his back hitting the barrier surrounding the team. One of his teammates, also trembling, looked equally taken aback. Morgan couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.

'What... what’s happening? Who is this guy? Such power at his level…' A cold sweat broke out on his back, but as the realization sank in, a flicker of hope appeared in him. 'With a talent like this among humans, maybe humans really do have a shot at reaching the top of the tower. Maybe… the guildmaster was wrong. There might actually be hope!'

Feeling a hint of pity for his opponents, Morgan watched as the countdown hit zero. The barriers dropped, and in an instant, his teammate vanished…

As his teammate vanished, Morgan’s expression grew solemn. "There’s no stopping him..."

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