Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level-Chapter 250 - 246: What did I just watch?
Shade frowned.
A company led by a young English captain, level 140, was struggling against a company led by a general level 180.
The dark elf had one arm raised to the sky, a scepter in hand, gathering a phenomenal amount of energy. Strangely, the amount was so great that Shade doubted what he was seeing.
'How is this possible? Does he have an effect similar to [Loved by Mana]?' he wondered.
Then, observing the phenomenon more carefully, he quickly located the source of the enemy general's power.
While his skill was drawing from a seemingly infinite source, the expressions of his soldiers showed signs of fatigue and weakness.
'It's the reserves of the dark elves that are being drained to fuel their leader's spells… And there's even an amplification effect at play. The total energy drawn is far lower than the energy accumulated by the general. Interesting technique… Sora would love to steal that.'
The humans, noticing the anomaly, took the opportunity to launch a simultaneous assault on the troops behaving strangely.
Shade shook his head, understanding that this company's fate was sealed.
Indeed, while the humans thought they were catching their opponents off guard, a gust of freezing wind slowed their charge. And before they could even understand what was happening, the entire company was turned into ice…
One by one, the hundred players were transformed into fine ice particles. Shade didn't look away and engraved the skill into his memory.
On another battlefield, Shade spotted a young elf woman, who seemed barely an adult, moving like a shadow dancing between the humans.
A sword in each hand, she cut down everyone in her path with disconcerting agility and speed. Noticing her allies hidden under a dome, Shade couldn't hold back a smile, 'They are imitating him… While the army hides under a [Earth] dome, the best player is slaughtering the enemies. It's a shame we're the victims of that play though.'
The young woman didn't have a very high level, barely over 150, but her swordsmanship combined with her staggering speed far exceeded the skills of the humans present.
'A gem…' Shade thought, 'But you chose the wrong war to try to make a name for yourself.'
Shade had a perfect understanding of the hundred battles and separated them into three categories.
'79 defeats, and 18 victories. Only 3 battles are uncertain.'
His gaze settled on one of the three uncertain battles.
'A simple squad leader at level 130 holding his ground against a level 165 colonel. That's extraordinary. Lionel… Could you be one of the rare gems we're looking for?' Shade wondered, noticing the feat of a young soldier embroiled in a battle that initially seemed impossible.
'He hasn't disclosed his exact class, but his file mentioned a specialization in close combat and very high endurance.' Shade thought.
Shade lingered on the young mixed-race man about whom he knew little more than his level and name: Lionel King. He wore armor covered in blood, and his body released a significant amount of heat.
He had braided hair and a look full of a determination that Shade had only seen in the most extraordinary individuals. His eyes were green, and big muscles were visible beneath his armor.
The vast majority of his allies had fallen in battle, but more than half of his opponents were still standing.
On one side stood about twenty humans, and on the other, about sixty. Yet, fear had chosen to take root on the side of the elves.
Lionel stood facing more than fifty players, but nothing in his gaze indicated that defeat was possible. On the contrary, the rage and determination he displayed, combined with his extraordinary skill, were the source of the growing anxiety among the dark elves.
Shade was able to follow the conversations within the arena by reading lips, combined with his ability to perceive the mechanical waves that carried sound.
The enemy colonel shouted, "PULL YOURSELVES TOGETHER!! If we don't bring him down quickly, this battle will turn into a disaster!!"
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Lionel turned toward the group of players behind him and whispered, "Stay in formation and try to buy me a few seconds. If I can take down a few more of them, we'll win this battle."
He clenched his fists, and cracking sounds echoed out. His two gloves began to glow a blood-red color, and his green eyes gradually darkened.
Revitalized and empowered by his allies, he moved. In an instant, he appeared within a cluster of enemies.
His fist aimed with monstrous force at a low-level player. Although the player couldn't react in time, several shields and barriers interposed themselves between the fist and the player's face.
Several things happened in a flash. First, the cracking of a shield. Then another.
The two high-level players who had positioned themselves with shields were sent flying.
Next, one of the preset barriers around the target player began to show signs of weakening.
'They anticipated his attack... And prepared this player's defense.' Shade was puzzled.
'But why choose this player among all the enemies? Is it because he's the lowest-level player?'
Shade didn't understand the choice and focused on his memories to recall the start of the battle, a fight he had only been watching from the corner of his eye.
After a few moments, he understood. 'He's always targeted the lowest-level player... Despite having plenty of other options each time. Could this be a restriction of his skill?'
He refocused on Lionel.
The young player didn't seem surprised by the resistance put up against him and began to hammer the barriers surrounding the player.
Some of the defenses appeared to have the particularity of reflecting a portion of the damage, but Lionel ignored the blood running from his fists.
The two players he had sent flying reappeared on either side, attacking from both flanks.
Once again, Lionel ignored them.
Before their attacks could distract him any further, a net appeared and sent one of the two players hurtling several hundred meters backward.
The second player had even less luck. Charging with all his strength, he prepared a devastating blow. But just as he was about to strike Lionel violently, he was stunned to see his sword disappear, inch by inch, into a 'rift' before him. Not only had his sword failed to cut his opponent, but it was now reappearing slowly a few centimeters from his own neck.
Unable to stop his strike in time, the player sliced his own head off...
'Oof. That was brutal... but pretty well played!' Shade admired the use of the spatial element by one of the women in the back, who had taken advantage of the enemy's carelessness to bring about his doom.
However, Shade's amusement was short-lived.
Although the two players who had intervened were out of commission, a third force — even more violent — was about to descend upon Lionel.
An arc of energy, descending straight from the sky, targeted the young man and shot toward him just as he shattered the last barrier separating him from his target.
Sensing the threat behind him, Lionel briefly turned his head, gritted his teeth, and refocused on his opponent. The Dark Elf before him would die — even if it cost him his life.
But as the Dark Elf at his mercy was obliterated by his fist, Lionel's premature death never came...
On the contrary, he seemed invigorated by the kill, and a wave of power and heat erupted from his body, blasting away several of the enemies who had been harassing him with their skills.
Turning toward his group, Lionel saw that only two of them had survived up to this point. In the back, he saw what remained of his allies corpses, and even saw the smoke coming from the body of a woman that was being obliterated by lightning.
One of his remaining allies had managed to transfer the last attack he had suffered onto one of their comrades, sacrificing herself for the victory of the group.
The pair was drenched in blood, and the dozen or so players surrounding them left no doubt about their fate unless Lionel intervened.
Lionel's eyes darkened further, turning completely black, while his irises faded to white, giving him a terrifying appearance.
Feeling his power multiply yet again during the battle, Lionel now seemed to have reached a level of strength far beyond all his enemies.
He appeared next to his allies and sent all their attackers flying, without killing them. The next instant, his gaze locked onto a level 126 soldier.
'The next target?' Shade wondered.
Terrified, the soldier then made the worst decision possible for his company — he turned tail and fled toward the edge of the battlefield.
Lionel didn't hesitate, pursuing him at extreme speed. Before the other Dark Elves could intervene, he eliminated the fleeing player.
A new wave of energy burst from his body, and the air began to tremble in response to his movements, his breathing, and the beating of his heart.
Shade analyzed the situation and frowned. 'This isn't good... These energy waves are coming from his inability to control his ever-increasing power. And the air is shaking because his body is so powerful he doesn't know how to manage it. If he keeps using this skill and doubling his strength with every kill, he's going to end up self-destructing.'
As Shade feared, Lionel stood in the center of the battlefield, his gaze fixed on his trembling hands. Shockwaves rippled beneath his shaking feet, and his skin turned red every time one of his blood vessels burst.
However, he didn't stay still forever — after what seemed like an exchange with his comrades, he moved.
The young woman who had saved him from death wore a wide grin on her lips, while the woman controlling the spatial element had tears in her eyes...
Lionel then charged forward like a cannonball toward the remaining enemies. This time, however, he didn't eliminate them from weakest to strongest.
Quite the opposite. He first targeted the Dark Elf whose specialty was lightning control. His opponent, a colonel, didn't even have time to react before Lionel turned him into a cloud of blood with a single kick.
The kick was so powerful that a shockwave erupted, slicing apart all the Dark Elves standing behind the target.
An instant later, he appeared in front of the player who had just freed himself from the net that had sent him flying and slapped him with the back of his hand. The player's headless body dropped to the ground immediately after.
While his body fell apart piece by piece, Lionel hunted down the remaining players one by one.
When the battle finally ended, his blood-soaked body was in pieces... Only two women were still standing.
'What the hell did I just watch?' Shade was in shock.
