"His mana pool and regeion are off the charts," one of the adventurers muttered. "It's like he's running dozens of skills at ohout even breaking a sweat. How it be possible"

  The woman increased her speed further, adaptirikes to the rhythm of his defenses.

  Sora's [Mana Shield] tio break under her relentless assault, but she noticed something incredible—every time the shield was down, he was still there, dodging with [Speed Surge], staying just out of reach. His sword strikes, amplified by [Amplify], cut through the air with terrifying precision.

  "He's not just fast," one of the onlookers whispered. "Look at his strikes. Every single one of them is buffed, and not just a little. He's using [Amplify] on every swing. He's using the [Mana Amplifier] buffs and shield!!"

  The ressed harder, her attacks being even more brutal. Her strikes began to nd during the brief intervals when Sora's shield broke, and she was quiough to injure him. Yet, with each wound, his [Titan Regeion] kicked in, healing him as fast as it could.

  Sritted his teeth, his being while his [Mana Shield] reformed around him. His Amplified sword strikes pushed her back, and his stamina showed no signs of faltering. The adventurers watg the fight were awestruck.

  "This kid… he's not just holding his own. He's excelling in every aspect—speed, strength, defense, even his mana trol. Where did he e from?" one adventurer asked, shaking his head.

  "It's like he's mastered every single part of his skill kit," another muttered. "His shield is breaking and ref nonstop, and his mana regeion is making sure he never runs out of steam."

  The woman, now fully engaged in the fight, began to push Sora to his absolute limits. She wasn't just testing him anymore—she was curious, even impressed, by his abilities. She ked her power up to the peak of a Diamond adventurer, her attacks being faster and more dangerous. Sora, despite the increasing difficulty, held his ground.

  His body was battered, covered in wounds, but he regeed as fast as he was hurt. His [Titan Regeion] worked tirelessly, healing broken bones and torn muscles. The woman's bde shattered his shield again and again, but Sora would not fall.

  "He's still standing," one of the adventurers whispered, wide-eyed. "His endurance is insane. No diamond adventurer should be able to withstand that kind of pressure from Areva."

  "Look at him," another pointed out, "he's using the most basic sword skills, but he's pushed them to such a high level, they're rivaling advanced sword teiques."

  At that moment, the woman unched a particurly vicious strike, aiming to finally break through Sora's defenses. But just before her bde could nd, one of the onlookers shouted.

  "Areva!" the man called out. "He's passed the test! Are y to kill him?"

  The woman halted mid-strike, her sword mere inches from Sora's chest. She blinked, realizing that she had lost track of the test. Looking down at Sora, who was barely standing, covered in blood and bruises, she sighed, l her on.

  Sora's vision blurred, the adrenalihat had been driving him through the fight finally fading. He swayed on his feet, his breathing ragged, but he had do. He had passed.

  With a soft sigh, he colpsed, the exhaustion and strain finally overtaking him as he lost sciousness.

  Areva sheathed her sword, staring at Sora' who was unscious . "He's something else," she murmured, then turo the group of adventurers. "Get him some help. He's earhat badge."

  --

  Sora slowly regained sciouso the sound of ughter and light teasing. His body ached, but it was the unfamiliar kind of paihat came overusing mana. The voices around him were casual, and it took a moment for his eyes to fully open.

  "Areva, you went too hard on the poor kid," one of the adveeased, their voice light with amusement.

  Anhed. "What were you thinking? He was beyond his limits, but you just kept going! Trying to break him?"

  Areva's voice cut through the chatter, slightly defe with a hint of humor. "He kept pushing, so I wao see how far he could go. You should have seen him from up close—no ohat young should have such mana trol or speed. It was like he had traihose skills for years. It was worth the extra push."

  The adventurers chuckled again, but their tone softened when they noticed Sora stirring.

  "Looks like hter is waking up," someone ented.

  Sora blinked, clearing the fog from his mind as he sat up. His body was still sore, but thanks to [Titan Regeion], he felt surprisingly intact given the beating he had taken. His mana was replenished, and his thoughts were clear. The group of adventurers was still around him, chatting casually as if the intense fight that had nearly pushed him to his limits was just another day in the guild.

  "You're alive after that?" one of the adventurers joked. "Guess you're tougher than you look."

  Sora smiled weakly. "I guess so."

  Areva, who had been sitting nearby, gave him an approving nod. "You did well. You're strohan I thought. Most wouldn't have sted against my full Diamond level strength, especially with the basic skills you showed."

  One of the other adventurers stepped forward, holding a small metallic obje their hand. "I believe this is yours." He handed Sora a badge, gleaming with the unmistakable mark of the Diamond rank. The name "Ralph Eden" was engraved on it, clear for all to see.

  You have obtained [Adventurer's Badge : Diamond Rank]Sora held the badge, the weight of it settling into his hand. He had ear—every drop of sweat and blood in that fight had been worth it. He now had access to higher-level quests, and it was a huge step forward in his journey. He couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness.

  "That's a shiny badge for someoill at level 50," one of the adventurers said, raising an eyebrow. "You've got the skills for it, sure, but why are you hanging around such a low level? You should be leveling up and fast."

  Sora nodded, uanding their point. His strength far surpassed his level, thanks to his interaining, but he still had a long way to go in terms of pure level grinding before hitting a wall.

  Areva, sitting a bit farther back, was watg Sora closely. After a moment, she spoke up. "You know, there's a quest I've been thinking about. My disciple aeam are currently on it, but…" she hesitated, then added with a slight grimace, "Let's just say I'm not fident in their ability to succeed."

  Another adventurer snorted. "Yeah, her team's hopeless. No talent, no grit, no way they'll make it through the dungeon without help."

  Areva nodded. "My disciple's capable, but her team… they're not. I don't trust them to make it on their own. I was thinking you could help them out. It's a high-level dungeon, and they need someoh real strength to improve their odds of surviving."

  Sora's curiosity iqued. "What's the quest?"

  Areva gestured to one of the lower-ranked adventurers in the room. "Go get the details for him."

  The adventurer hurried off, leaving the group to chat casually. Sora listened in as they discussed the dangers of the dungeon and the uable nature of dungeos in general. He remained quiet, mulling over the opportunity. A dungeo not only dangerous creatures but also valuable loot and experience.

  After a while, the adventurer returned with a file. Areva looked it over before handing it to Sora. "Look through it tonight. It's not something you take lightly. If you're ied, e baorrow m, and I'll fill you in ohing you o know."

  Sora took the file and nodded. "I'll think about it. Thanks for the opportunity."

  After some more chatting with the group Sora excused himself. He had more than enough to think about.

  As he left the guild, Sora's thoughts kept cirg back to the fight. His mana had been drained and refilled over and ain, thanks to his [Mana Evolution] Supreme skill. His [Mana Shield] had shattered multiple times, but he had regeed it almost instantly. Ahe fight had still been close. If Areva had truly wao, she could have killed him in those brief moments when his mana was down and his shield was broken.

  His body, though immensely strong thanks to his css, still couldn't keep up with the speed and precision of his mana usage. He needed more power. Not just in terms of mana, but in terms of physical durability, stamina, and raw strength. [Titan Regeion] had helped him recover, but it wouldn't be enough in future battles if his body couldn't keep up. He he perfect versions of these css skills. He o reset to recreate those skills and push them to new heights.

  Shaking his head, Sora pushed the thoughts aside for now. He needed rest. Tomorrow, he would decide whether to take on the quest or not. He could always decide tomorrow.

  As he headed to the closest Inhought, "I'll keep training the Martial Titan skills and hopefully perfect them in the reset. My body is too weak."

  Hiyoko, left her safe bubble and had appeared on his shoulder as he walked. She looked at the shiny badge in his hand, her eyes full of curiosity.

  "Here you go" Smiling at Hiyoko who only cared about food, good sleep and shiny objects, he threw the badge to his familiar. She would always be there to ge his mood whearted w about things.