Prestige Grinding : I Can Reset My Level-Chapter 176: À TAABLE!

Sora read the message that appeared on his [Mana Phone].

[Maman : Poussin, we'll be at the window in a second.]

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he read the unfamiliar yet affectionate nickname. Opening his mask control panel, he deactivated the face-changing feature and disabled all other options. His true appearance emerged.

The two guards stiffened immediately. One guard’s jaw dropped slightly, while the other, a female player, instinctively gripped the hilt of her weapon.

“Wait… Is that—?” the man stammered, his gaze darting between Sora and Kara, who followed suit and simply removed her mask, revealing her true face.

Sora met their stunned expressions with a calm look. “I appreciate your diligence,” he said, “but as my friend here mentioned, I’m simply visiting acquaintances.”

The female guard’s eyes widened further. “You’re… Ralph Eden? And Kara too?” She hesitated before blurting, “Level 180?! How is that possible?”

The male guard, still struggling with the situation, muttered, “How are we supposed to do our job if players can just change their information like this?”

Sora’s smile widened slightly as he spotted his mother peeking behind a curtain and waving. Without looking at the guards, he said, “Just tell whoever hired you to meet me at the Adventurer's Guild tomorrow morning. Whether we're real or fake, you can’t confirm it yourselves.”

With that, the front door creaked open, and his mother, having confirmed their identities, gestured for them to come inside.

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Marie and Henri had insisted on preparing a proper dinner for Kara and Sora. Despite the young couple’s repeated assurances that they no longer needed regular food, Marie wouldn’t hear of it.

Henri, meanwhile, grew increasingly worried as he observed his wife. The usually meticulous cook had become clumsy. In the span of minutes, she had broken three plates and slipped twice, forcing Kara to react with inhuman speed to catch her.

Marie muttered apologies under her breath, her hands trembling. Tears began falling silently as she worked the flour to prepare a few baguettes, something she hadn’t done in years but wanted to make for her son’s return.

Henri approached her cautiously, concerned. “Marie…” he started softly, but she quickly cut him off with a subtle shake of her head. Instead, she traced a message in the flour.

They can hear us. Let’s talk later.

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Sora sat on the living room sofa beside Kara, lost in thought. His mother’s anguish weighed heavily on him.

'She felt it. She knows I’ve changed… I’m not the child she raised and loved anymore…'

He had noticed her body language, and without using any skill, he could feel the heartbreak she was trying to hide. Her pain cut deeper than anything he had faced in the tower, and he wondered if staying would only hurt his parents more.

'Should I just leave? Give them the peace they deserve?'

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Sharing his worry with Kara, he soon heard her answer.

Kara’s voice entered his mind through their [Soul Link], kind and warm. 'Tell them what you feel comfortable sharing. You don’t have to say everything. But if you leave now, you’ll regret it. You didn’t do anything wrong, Sora. If you want, I can help you explain it to them.'

Her reassurance steadied him, and he exhaled slowly, nodding to himself.

'Fine… I won’t run away.'

He heard a voice from a distance. "À TAAAAABLE!"

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The family gathered around the dinner table, eating in silence. Kara and Henri tried to lighten the mood with a few casual remarks, but their efforts fell flat, met with awkward responses or quiet nods.

Henri finally set his fork down, exasperated. “Marie. Sora. What is wrong with you two tonight?” He gestured toward his wife. “You’ve been going on for months about how proud you are of him, how amazing he’s becoming, and how you couldn’t wait to see him again. You even plastered all the news about our son in the room! But now that he’s here, you barely talk to him.”

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He turned his gaze to Sora, his voice firm. “And you. Can’t you see your mother is worried? Why didn’t you even hug her when you came in? And look at you—still wearing that gear. Is this how we raised you?”

Sora blinked, startled by his father’s words. Glancing down, he realized Henri was right. He was still wearing his full combat equipment, as though he were about to enter another battle.

'I’ve spent so much time fighting and training that I don’t even know how to act like a normal person anymore,' he thought grimly.

Marie was staring at him intently, as if searching for something in his eyes. Sora felt the weight of her gaze and looked away.

He sighed and unequipped his gear. His beautiful armor and weaponry dissolved into particles, leaving him sitting in a simple shirt and jeans—the kind he hadn’t worn in decades.

“Sorry. I didn’t notice,” he murmured. His voice was barely audible as he lowered his head.

He had the courage and power to face anyone in the world, but his mother's gaze felt heavier than anything he had ever faced.

'I feel so small...' He was almost tempted to use his mental power to calm down, but refused to choose the easy way out.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

His father stood abruptly, walked over to him, and grabbed his arm. Sora let himself be pulled up without resistance, but was confused by Henri’s actions.

Marie stood as well, her apprehension clear as her husband guided their son toward her. Seeing Sora looking down, fear in his eyes, her chest tightened. She felt her own tears threatening to fall again, despite her resolve to appear strong.

Noticing her son’s reluctance to move closer, Marie stepped forward. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a gentle embrace. For a moment, Sora stood stiffly, unsure of how to react. Then, slowly, his arms rose, hesitating before returning the hug.

Her touch was warm, kind—a stark contrast to the evil and coldness he’d seen and endured. It stirred a deep ache in his chest, one he hadn’t allowed himself to feel for a long time.

Marie’s voice trembled as she spoke, barely above a whisper. “What happened to you, Sora?”

Sora’s throat tightened at the question. He could feel the weight of her concern, the fear in her voice, and it made the words harder to find. He hadn’t wanted to burden her with the truth. But standing there, held by the person who had given him so much love and care , he realized he couldn’t keep everything hidden.

“I…” He paused, struggling to articulate the storm of emotions and memories flooding his mind. “Many things happened... But I'm fine..."

Marie pulled back and led her son back to his seat and stood beside him. Her eyes, filled with worry, studied every inch of him, as if trying to piece together the story he wasn’t saying aloud.

“You don’t have to tell me everything,” she said gently. “But I can see it. You’re not fine. Who did this to you? Was it Rachel?”

Sora’s lips parted, but no words came at first. He dropped his gaze, his voice quiet as he admitted, “You’re right… I’m not okay.”

Marie’s expression softened. “It’s alright, Sora. Just tell me what you can.”

Sora began, his words hesitant at first. “It wasn’t just Rachel… It was the Tower. The System. The wars. Everything changed, and I… I changed with it.”

He paused, his voice dropping further. “I don’t know who I am anymore, Mom.”

Marie’s chest tightened as she saw the vulnerability in her son. She had not seen this side of him for a long time. “You’re still you, Sora. Whatever happened—whatever you’ve done—we’ll figure it out.”

Sora clenched his fists. “That’s just it… You don’t know what I’ve done. I’ve—” He stopped, the weight of the confession heavy. “I’ve killed people, Mom.”

Marie stayed quiet, giving him space to continue.

“At first, it was in wars,” he said. “Then it was in the Tower… I told myself it was necessary, that it was the only way to survive. When I first killed inside of the tower, I thought it was just for a trial, and thought my victims were not real. But then I had to do things increasingly evil. The things I did… became worse, and worse.”

He hesitated, forcing himself to say the next words. “And yesterday, I even killed Rachel.”

Marie’s eyes widened, her lips parting in shock. “Rachel…?” she echoed, almost disbelieving.

Henri couldn’t hold back and said, “No one’s going to blame you for that, son.”

Marie looked angrily at her husband, and signaled for her son to continue.

Sora smiled at his father's half-joke. “She betrayed me. Betrayed Nathan. She wasn’t a saint… But she still tried to resist becoming a monster at some point. When she started believing people weren't real, the horrors she did became monstrous."

"But even then, I didn’t have to do what I did. I could’ve found another way. I didn't even try saving her. I had no empathy for her. And I did not even hesitate. At this point, I'm not sure there are many things that can make me hesitate.”

"Am I becoming the monster I saw in her?" He asked.

Marie’s hands trembled slightly as she placed them on his face, forcing him to look at her. “Sora… Whatever happened, you don't take any of it lightly. You’re carrying too much weight on your shoulders. But you’re here now, and we’re going to help you.”

Sora was tempted to avoid his mother's gaze, “I don’t know if I deserve that.”

Marie shook her head firmly. “You’re our son. No matter what you’ve done, no matter how far you’ve gone, you’ll always have a safe place to return to. We’ll help you recover.”

Her unwavering support moved something in him, and for the first time in years, Sora allowed himself to lean into the comfort his home offered him. He didn’t know if he could ever truly accept himself, but in that moment, he let himself believe that perhaps he wasn’t entirely lost.

Henri couldn't help but add, his tone firm but laced with a hint of warmth. “Sora, don’t let that witch who turned our lives upside down destroy yours too.”

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À TABLE = "Dinner's ready!" in French.

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