Sora stood in front of his team, heart pounding as he faced the players who had ambushed them.

At level 49, he was above average for compared to people in his city.

Yet, in this moment, surrounded by this group of hyenas, he felt overwhelmed.

His friends rallied around him, their expressions full of worry. They had come together, working on their shared quest, yet the odds of returning alive seemed quite low.

The opposing team was moving with precision, and their coordination seemed flawless..

Their overwhelming number and levels made the gap even bigger, leaving Sora and his allies constantly on the defensive.

He glanced at his companions, each of them fighting but struggling to match the strength of their enemies.

They’d tried to escape earlier but had been cornered. Now, they were trapped, and fighting was the only option left

"Stay focused, Sora!" shouted Lara, noticing Sora's momentary distraction. With her bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, she was charging 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, Sora made his choice. He would give everything he had. Drawing on all his strength, he stepped forward.

With a deep breath, Sora took a step forward, ready to confront the forces ahead.

“Come on, everyone!” he shouted, 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 stronger.

Their healer was the first target. Despite his best efforts, he was overwhelmed by a barrage of enemy spells, his health dropping fast. Before Sora could react, a brutal strike finished him.

Next, the enemy focused on Enzo, their wizard. His spells lit up the battlefield, but the enemy mages wore him down. A final blast hit him, and he fell, shattered.

Lara and the other archer fought side by side, arrows raining on their foes. But soon, they too became targets. An enemy assassin struck them, and one by one, they fell.

Karim, their tank, held his ground, shielding the others. But even his defenses couldn’t withstand the enemy’s onslaught. When his skills broke, he was struck down.

Now, Sora stood alone with Rachel, his childhood friend and his brother’s widow. She was his reason for always playing it safe, for growing stronger. They both knew 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 have anything.”

Rachel seemed to understand that he wanted to leave nothing for the enemy. She stepped toward him and, without warning, left the party. In one swift motion, she plunged her dagger into his back. Shocked, he staggered forward, his HP plummeting.

“Rachel... why?” he gasped, betrayal flooding through him.

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

Fury surged through him as darkness closed in. “You will ;.. pay... for... this,” he whispered.

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

A notification appeared as he died.

When Sora awoke, he floated in darkness, confused and disoriented. Am I dead? he thought, panic setting in.

He tried summoning his interface, and after a moment, it flickered to life.

Sora’s heart sank as he read the word “dead” next to his name.

Sora read the familiar words on his Status Panel. He was a swordsman, and he was about to hit level 50... Acquiring that class was suggested to him, and he had mastered many of its skills. His talent and growth levels had always been equal to one, And most people he knew had the same numbers. 'Maybe that is related to race or something'. he thought to himself.Checking the other skills, he had basic mastery over the sword, and had high level battle oriented skills.

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

Sora’s mind raced. This was a chance to start over. He could go back, maybe change the outcome. He read further and found an “Options” section with three greyed-out options. The first one shocked him:

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

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.

The option to change his identity gave him pause. He could disappear, start fresh. But it would mean leaving everything behind. He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of his decision.

“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.

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