Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

[You have summoned a "Star of Hatred".]

The instant the crimson panel appeared in his vision, Sam heard a faint, almost musical hum echo beside him.

His eyes shifted slightly, and he caught sight of a strange new object.

A small, glowing crimson star had materialized in the air, surrounded by a swirling dark aura, like a tiny ember.

It was orbiting slowly around him, moving in smooth loops as if tethered to his soul.

And as soon as he laid eyes on that star, something shifted deep inside him.

That small star was all he needed.

Fwish! BOOM!

Jevil slammed his enormous hammer down against the stone ground with brutal strength, but Sam was no longer frozen.

He dove out of the way, rolling across the floor and narrowly avoiding the devastating impact.

Dust and rubble exploded into the air behind him.

Even after taking one of Jevil's earlier attacks head-on, he was still moving, still breathing. Still fighting.

His body was aching, screaming, close to breaking apart, but something stronger was holding him together.

"All the others usually died on the first strike," Jevil remarked casually, stepping forward, dragging his hammer behind him like it weighed nothing. "And I didn't even let you recover... yet you still dodged that one."

Sam stood up, his knees slightly bent, body trembling, but his eyes steady.

"I'm not dying here," he muttered, his voice low but firm.

The [Star of Hatred] continued to spin slowly around him, glowing softly with its crimson light, as if feeding off his will.

And from the way Jevil was acting, it was clear he couldn't see it.

If he could, he wouldn't be so calm.

Even as Jevil advanced, more confident than ever, Sam's attention was still focused on the small star floating beside him.

It looked simple.

A classic five-pointed star, forged from glowing crimson aura, but tainted with something darker.

The unmistakable essence of the [Hatred] affinity.

Sam took one last look at his [Class Skill] panel.

---

[Stars of Hatred]

[Description: Your hatred for all of those who stand in your way empowers you and grants you more power.]

[In battle, the more you are hit or under pressure, the more hatred you will build up for that being, summoning the "Stars of Hatred" (up to a maximum of 5). Each star has a special use.]

---

It was the first time this skill had activated.

That alone told Sam everything he needed to know.

There could be up to five stars summoned at once.

And each one, apparently, had its own purpose.

He hadn't understood it fully at first.

But now that he had felt that surge of [Hatred] and seen the star appear with his own eyes, things were starting to make sense.

He tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to move, when suddenly, everything slowed.

Time itself seemed to falter.

A new panel opened in front of his vision.

[The "Stars of Hatred" have five abilities that each require the use of an additional star.]

"...?"

So that's how it worked.

Each star didn't just represent power, it unlocked something new.

If he had one star, he could use the first ability.

Two stars would unlock the second, and so on, all the way to five.

Right now, only one was floating beside him, which meant only one ability was available.

More panels flickered into view.

---

[Here are the "Stars of Hatred" abilities based on number of stars it takes to activate them:]

[One Star — Hatred Boost: Fuels your entire being with "Hatred", and massively boosts your strength and speed for a very short period of time.]

[Two Stars: ???]

[Three Stars: ???]

[Four Stars: ???]

[Five Stars: ???]

---

Only the first was unlocked.

Still, Sam was amazed.

He hadn't expected the affinity to take this form, and he especially hadn't expected something that felt this powerful.

But one thing still bugged him.

'I wonder what level of hatred I need to reach to summon more stars.'

Because despite how much he had already gone through...

Despite fighting a [Forsaken Lord] and nearly dying... Only one star had appeared.

That meant there was still a deeper level of hatred waiting to be tapped into.

Still, Sam had no doubt that this power would become crucial going forward.

'Alright, how do I use them—'

"DIE~!"

Jevil screamed from above, leaping high into the air.

He raised his hammer and swung downward with monstrous strength.

"AND DON'T GET UP!"

SMASH!

Sam dodged just in time, the ground behind him breaking apart as a massive tremor shook the entire [Jester Tower].

Chunks of the floor crumbled.

Jevil didn't wait.

He surged forward and attacked again, this time slashing wildly with his oversized scythe.

Sam met each strike with his sword, deflecting blow after blow.

But something inside Sam was growing louder.

And then... he stopped blocking. He focused.

He let go of everything else and put all of his attention on the star still orbiting him.

And in that moment...

HATRED BOOST!

A surge of energy exploded through his body.

His eyes, already glowing, turned a deep and violent red.

The [Star of Hatred] halted in front of him and then dissolved, seeping directly into his chest.

Crimson veins pulsed across his skin. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

His breath grew heavier, but also sharper.

And for the first time since the battle began... He knew he had already won.

Because as Jevil swung his mighty [Jester Hammer] again, aiming to crush him in one final blow—

Fwish!

Sam met it head-on, swinging his primordial sword upward.

SLASH!

The hammer was torn from Jevil's grip and sent flying into the air.

Jevil's eyes widened.

"What the— How—"

Fwish! Slash!

Sam reappeared beside him in a flash, and with one smooth motion, severed Jevil's right arm clean off.

"YOU FUCKING—"

Jevil swung the scythe with his remaining hand, but Sam deflected it effortlessly, pushing him backward.

Then Sam kicked off the ground and darted forward, circling the entire top floor in a blur of red.

He moved so fast that his afterimage left a trail of crimson aura behind him.

Jevil's expression changed. Panic. Confusion.

'This isn't just determination...' Jevil thought, eyes desperately scanning the floor. 'This... this is something else!'

SLASH!

Sam reappeared and struck.

Jevil managed to block the hit, but he was pushed back again.

He had been winning from the start. Dominating every second.

And now, in an instant, he had become the one on the defensive.

"I WON'T ALLOW IT—"

He didn't even get to finish.

Sam reappeared and slashed several times, tearing through Jevil's armor and drawing blood.

Jevil swung wildly, but it didn't matter. He couldn't even see where Sam was.

Sam was a blur of movement, attacking from every direction at once.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

'He's faster than anything I've seen!' Jevil realized.

Fwish! Slash!

Sam reappeared one last time.

He severed Jevil's second arm, then his legs, leaving him on the ground, bleeding and gasping.

The jester coughed blood, his vision blurry.

All he saw was Sam's darkened silhouette standing above him. Crimson eyes glowing like twin suns.

"Heh," Jevil coughed out a laugh. "It seems like... it truly wasn't even a contest..."

Slash!

Sam brought his sword down, but this time, it met a shining silver wall.

Jevil had deactivated all his abilities, unsummoned his summons, and pulled all ten of his cards back.

He used them to create a powerful barrier. The last one he had.

It was meant to defend him even from [Forsaken]-level enemies.

But... Sam didn't stop. He swung again. And again.

Hundreds of times in just a second.

Crack!

The barrier shattered. Sam raised his blade.

"My [Determination] and [Hatred] surpassed yours," he said, his voice cold. "That is all."

"Hahahaha!" Jevil laughed even as blood spilled from the holes in his mask. "O-Of course... but even then..."

"...?"

"Even if you kill me, the place you are about to go to after leaving the [Lower Realm]," Jevil's entire mask flared, "In that place... even Gods suffer and die... and you are no God, just... a parasite!"

"I may be a parasite but..."

Slash!

Sam ended him.

"...I have no pun, sorry," he shrugged.

Only five seconds had passed since Sam activated [Hatred Boost].

And as soon as those five seconds were up, the crimson veins on his body disappeared, and he returned to normal.

'I guess that's how long one star lasts,' Sam thought.

Then of course... after killing a [Forsaken Lord]...

Ding!

[Congratulations to "Sam Walker" for being the first human in history to complete the "Fifth Layer" and killing the Layer Boss: Jevil, The Card Jester.]