Sora stood in front of his team, heart pounding as they faced the players who had ambushed them. At level 49, he was above average for people in his city. But now, surrounded by a pack of ruthless opponents, he felt completely overwhelmed.

His friends rallied around him, worry etched on their faces. They had come together to complete a shared quest, yet their chances of returning alive seemed slim. The opposing team moved with precision, their coordination flawless, like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey.

Outnumbered and outmatched, Sora and his allies were constantly on the defensive. He glanced at his companions, each struggling against enemies who seemed far stronger. They’d tried to escape earlier, only to be cornered. Now, fighting was their only option.

“Stay focused, Sora!” shouted Lara, noticing his brief distraction. With her bow in one hand and an arrow ready in the other, she was preparing a powerful shot. “We can’t give up now!”

Sora nodded, gripping his weapon tightly. He’d faced challenges before, but this felt different—hopeless. As spells exploded around them, he made his decision. He would give everything he had. Drawing on all his strength, he took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Come on, everyone!” he yelled, rallying his friends. “We fight together!”

The battle was chaos. Sora’s heart raced as he and his friends fought with everything they had, but the enemy was relentless. Their healer was the first target, overwhelmed by a barrage of enemy spells, his health dropping rapidly before a final strike took him out.

Next, they turned on Enzo, their wizard. His spells lit up the battlefield, but the enemy mages wore him down. A final blast struck him, and he fell, his body crumpling.

Lara and the other archer fought side by side, unleashing arrows at their foes, but they soon became targets. An enemy assassin struck with deadly precision, and one by one, they fell. Karim, their tank, held his ground, shielding the others. But even his defenses weren’t enough against the onslaught. When his skills broke, he too was struck down.

Now, only Sora and Rachel remained. She was his childhood friend, his brother’s widow, and the reason he always played it safe, striving to grow stronger steadily. But now, there was no escape. Sora opened his menu, searching for the option to delete his character. He glanced at Rachel. “We can’t let them take anything from us.”

Rachel’s eyes met his, and she stepped toward him. Without warning, she left the party and plunged her dagger into his back. Shocked, he staggered, his HP plummeting.

“Rachel… why?” he gasped, betrayal flooding his voice.

“It’s called hunting,” she replied coldly. “You and your friends were the targets all along.”

Fury surged through him as darkness began to close in. “You’ll… pay… for this…” he whispered.

She smirked. “That’s what he said.” Then everything went black.

[You have died]

A notification appeared as he died.

'What an ugly way to go…' Sora thought, surprised to find that he was still capable of conscious thought. His mind drifted back to how it all began.

Born in Japan in 2020, Sora lost his parents during their honeymoon in Paris when he was just three years old. A couple adopted him, and he grew up in France, sheltered from bullies by his older brother, Nathan.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

By the time the world began changing in 2044, transforming into something reminiscent of the old MMORPGs, Nathan was already an adult. But humans weren’t the only ones in this altered world—other races had infiltrated, seeking to conquer Earth. Sora, who had just started his career, found happiness in the changes and spent the following years enjoying the strange, new reality with his friends.

A notification pulled him out of his reverie.

[Innate skill : Prestige has been Triggered]

Sora read the message and opened his eyes, finding himself floating in darkness, disoriented. Am I… not dead? he wondered, panic creeping in.

He summoned his interface, which flickered to life.

[Profile: Sora Hashino

Status: Dead

Class: Swordsman (Level 49)

Talent: 1

Growth Factor: 1]

Skills:

* Sword Mastery (Level 10)

* Shield Block (Level 8)

* Critical Strike (Level 9)

* Dodge (Level 7)

* Mana Regeneration (Level 5)

[Innate Skill: Prestige]

Sora read the familiar words on his Status Panel. He was a swordsman, just shy of reaching level 50. It was a class that had been recommended to him, and over time, he had mastered many of its skills. His Talent and Growth factors were both set at one—a common value among the people he knew.

Seeing the word "dead" next to his name made his heart sink.

But the blinking “Prestige” skill caught his eye. It was something that he has never seen. He focused on it, and an explanation appeared:

[Innate Skill: Prestige]

Description: Reset your training upon death or by choice after Level 50. All levels and skills revert to zero. Growth factor doubles each time. Talent Level doubles each time Death Activation: Activate upon death with a 30-day cooldown.

Manual Activation: Can be activated after reaching Level 50 with no cooldown.

Click for more

Sora’s mind raced. This was a chance to start over. He could go back, maybe change the outcome.

Talent level could multiply someone's strength , making someone who had a level 10 talent always 10 times stronger than a perfect copy of himself. It was proved that talent mattered when fighting across levels.

The Growth factor multiplies experience earned, providing more experience after quests, battles, or any experience gain; Growth Factor gave the same boosts to craft, or any job that required experience to level up.

He soon clocked on "Click for more, and a small list appeared.

[Skill Option 1: Change appearance and identity. Will incur a one-month wait, during which life continues without you.] [Skill Option 2: Locked (Level 70)] [Skill Option 3: Locked (Level 90)] [Skill Option 4: Locked (Level 100)]

The option to change his identity caught his attention. He could disappear and start fresh. He clenched his fists, weighing his choices.

“If I keep my old identity, Rachel will hunt me down. I have to be careful—start fresh, disappear, and make sure she can’t touch me.”

He closed his eyes, thinking of his friends—their laughter, their victories. They were gone now, and he was alone. Could he really go back?

“New identity,” he murmured. This path meant shedding his past and coming back stronger. With a deep breath, he reached for the option.

Do you wish to select a new identity? [Yes] [No]

[Create New Identity]

Sora pressed the button, feeling the chains of his old life slip away. This was his chance to rebuild, to rise again.