In this third reset, Sora wanted to better understand the use of the [Soul Pearl] and develop his understanding of mana, hopefully creating a new supreme skill.

After Hannah revealed that it wasn’t a secret among the world’s top forces, Sora couldn’t help but feel the pressure of these unknown individuals who had wielded such power long before him and likely reached levels of strength he couldn’t yet imagine.

Sora's mind buzzed with ideas, with the hope of catching up to the powerful players Hannah described. He kept turning over possibilities, searching for the best way forward, and some ideas stood out, each with its own strengths and challenges.

One thought was to push his talent level by grinding more prestige levels. The more he used his innate skill, the higher his talent might grow, which could give him the edge he needed. Then, there was the intriguing [Soul Pearl]—if it granted him real power, he could try farming more of them, and that meant resetting his level all the way up to 70 each time instead of the usual 50.

He also wondered if the [Time Bead] could give him better opportunities, thinking that if he reached his highest possible level and charged it fully, he could train there for years with Kara. His body level would reach incredible levels.

Looking for new [Supreme Skills] or perfecting the ones he already had was another possibility. Skills taken to their limit could be worth chasing after.

And then there was his mana. His regeneration was incredible but mentally draining. He needed a way to use less mana or boost his resistance to the strain it caused.

With all these thoughts swirling, Sora felt genuinely overwhelmed. There were too many paths, each one tempting, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that any choice had its own shortcomings.

Reading his class choices, he was tempted by the [Soul King] class, wanting to discover the intricacies of such power but soon dismissed it as he was already walking on too many paths for now.

Seeing potential in the other class suggestions, he chose the [True Mage] class, hoping it might offer concepts to help him achieve his goals. The idea of making mana more efficient was appealing, but he needed to dig deeper and see what it was about.

[Class Unlocked: True Mage (Level 1)]

[Skill Unlocked: Condense]

Description: Condenses refined mana and stores it in the body.

Reading the simple description, Sora was puzzled, then face-palmed. Condense mana? Why did I never try this? This is so obvious. I always thought pure mana was the strongest form... Why am I so stupid?

He soon tried the skill. As usual, mana was first absorbed, then filtered and refined. However, while other classes would guide mana through the body to use skills, this class added an extra step: condensing the mana.

On top of that, the wasted mana from the filtering step was not as significant as when he used [Mana Amplifier] or [Martial Titan] back when he relied on their guidance.

A legendary class does waste less mana in the filtering process. It must have a more efficient refining process, using most of the mana instead of just a small portion.

'Now, what do I do with this condensed mana?' He thought.

The condensed mana was surrounded by a tiny barrier, preventing it from harming his body. He felt he could store it anywhere or use it immediately.

He condensed more mana through his class and soon used [Mana Sweep] with this new form of mana, a low-level sword in hand.

The sword sent a cut that sliced through a few hills like they were vegetables before vanishing from sight.

Hiyoko chirped, asking why he was cutting down mountains.

“I didn’t intend to do this ... It usually dissipates after a few dozen meters. This isn’t a long-range skill. This is incredible. I feel like the skill became five times stronger or something. I need to test how strong this condensed mana is.”

Seeing the mountains and hills regenerate taking their original appearance, he didn't react as the World had evolved to recover from any kind of damage.

Sora was pleased with his new class, though it only had one skill. The class was still at level one.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

He turned to Kara, who was controlling two clones of his former self to spar with each other, attempting to mimic his fighting style. Having them rely solely on punches and kicks wasn’t satisfying, so she was learning how to control them to fight with better technique.

“Kara, I need to absorb the [Soul Pearl] and experiment with it. I’ll try to fully absorb it, learn a few skills from my new class, and then reset again."

“You can train however you want. I’ll focus on mastering my innate skill and refining my use of the [Supreme Skill] I have. Hannah’s words really put pressure on me, and I feel like only in the [Time Space] can I grow fast enough to catch up with you and maybe create another [Supreme Skill]. You can keep on cheating with your innate skill while I work hard” Kara said, teasing him.

“Look who's talking.” Sora laughed out loud.

They still had a few quests to complete, but Sora was not interested in leveling up anymore after his Growth Factor level went back to 1.

Now they were in a mountain range with a towering peak before them. It was the 15 km high Mont-Blanc.

Not losing sight of his goal, he didn’t bother looking at his status and asked Kara,

“Let me test the [Soul Pearl] inside your [Time Space] for now. We'll part ways after."

“Sure, let’s go.”

She was already spending most of her time there, often leaving Sora alone whenever he fought, trained his [True Mage] skills, or experimented with creating new abilities.

This time, there was enough energy to last for a year if Sora didn’t consume more mana than usual.

In the [Time Space], the area was now vibrant with life. Trees, grass, and flowers covered the landscape, and he noticed it was larger than before.

He glanced at Kara, who was seated cross-legged with her eyes closed, then looked up to witness an interesting scene. One of his clones was fighting the five colonels and the general from their faction...

'I know I was awesome back then, but not this impressive, right?' He thought, a smug smile on his face.

Her control over the clones was astonishing, as if they had minds, reflexes, and thoughts of their own.

During the final battle, Kara absorbed so much Life Force that her growth was astounding. He sensed that she had broken through multiple barriers, likely holding a massive amount of power.

Dismissing these thoughts, he returned to his agenda. He sat down and started absorbing the [Soul Pearl].

Thanks to his increased level, and overall control over mana, the process was countless times faster, and after a few minutes, he was done absorbing all of it.

Feeling the remarkable weight of this form of energy, he chuckled at his earlier attempt to absorb it right after resetting his level when the amount of mana he could control was negligible.

As the [Soul Power] flowed toward the seed in his heart, he followed it with his mind. Absorbing it, the seed bloomed, forming a small bubble, which then absorbed the remaining [Soul Power]. Tracking it with [Mana Eyes], he heard a notification sound that nearly startled him.

[Do you want to enter your Soul Palace?] [Warning: This is a separate space that will temporarily cut the connection between your body and mind. It’s recommended to be in a safe location before entering your Soul Palace.]

[Yes] [No]

After informing Kara that he’d be back, he disappeared into his [Soul Palace].

He appeared in a new space—a vast desert, with sand stretching out in all directions. A dim light source above barely illuminated the area. Trying to fly, he realized he couldn’t use mana in this space. Even his body level seemed to have been lost.

Looking around, he spotted a small, barely-standing hut and headed towards it. Inside, he saw threads of [Soul Power] entering the walls, floor, and roof, repairing the broken parts until they looked stable enough not to collapse.

Sora approached the door, knocked, and waited. After a few seconds, he entered.

The hut was empty, save for a bed and a chair.

To his surprise, there appeared to be someone lying on the bed.

He approached, speaking softly, “Excuse me?”

The person had black hair and was lying on their right side, with their back to Sora.

Gently, Sora shook the person, but there was no response. This trip to his [Soul Palace] was getting unsettling.

'Is this another dream...? Screw it, I’ll pull off the cover.' He slowly removed the cover and nearly jumped back in shock.

It was ... himself ?! But he looked different, thinner than he was before his first reset, dressed in clothes from before the World Update.

Taking a closer look, he turned “himself” over. His other self was still sleeping soundly.

'Who is this? Is it… me?'

Confused, he tried to piece the information he had in his mind, and tried to guess what was happening. Thinking of a possibility, he shook his head, thinking 'There’s no way, right? This can't be my body'

Considering the option, he thought of the implication of such a thing. Remembering a theory, he thought 'Were they right?'

Many had speculated that this New World was a change in the world, but others believed it was either a simulation or travel to another realm.

He remembered how some had killed themselves to prove The World had become a simulation, believing they would return to reality after death. Experiments had been conducted worldwide, and there had been no return of such people. That theory however was very popular to explain their reality.

He had never truly believed these theories, feeling the world felt too real to be anything else than a true real world.

There was still a little amount of [Soul Power] remaining in his surroundings, and he saw it floating towards the sleeping figure. As soon as it reached the sleeping figure, Sora who was watching the scene immediately felt a huge tremor, as if an Earthquake was happening.