Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

As soon as Sam selected his milestone reward, he was finally ready for his fifth affinity.

And then—

Ding!

A pale white panel emerged before his eyes, floating in silence.

The light it gave off wasn't blinding, but it carried a strange pressure.

[The "Time" you have is counted, but make the most of it, for no matter what, we will surpass them all.]

[Based on the current path you are taking as a Primordial… you have been granted the "Time" affinity.]

Sam's eyes opened wide, a spark of surprise breaking through his calm expression.

But it didn't take long for that surprise to turn into a wide grin.

"Time."

Sam had no idea how many affinities there were and how they were selected.

He never had any control over which affinity would be given next, he simply moved forward and trusted in the path.

But this one sounded amazing.

'Well, maybe all of them sound amazing... who knows,' he shrugged.

Without hesitation, he opened the affinity panel to get a better look at what he had just received.

---

[Time Affinity]

[Description: Everything fades with time, everything ends, but not for you. You are what remains when the ticking stops. You will be Eternal.]

[Description: Tick, Tack.]

---

"...Hm."

As always, the description didn't give away much.

They were cryptic, poetic, and hard to interpret at face value.

But that didn't bother Sam.

In his experience, every affinity was powerful, and would have its use.

This would be no different.

The glowing white panel in front of him pulsed one final time before dissolving into his chest, fusing itself into his very soul.

A moment later, his [Primordial Sword] reacted to the new presence.

It shimmered faintly as it absorbed the energy of the [Time Affinity], growing stronger in the process.

Each affinity that Sam obtained didn't only empower him, they also strengthened his weapon.

And now that he had five?

It was becoming clearer than ever that the [Primordial Sword] was unlike anything else.

Its power had reached new heights. And so had his.

He could feel the rush of strength across every inch of his body.

Each new affinity massively boosted his stats and amplified his connection to every skill he had.

The stronger his affinities became, the stronger he grew.

And right on cue—

Ding!

[You have unlocked a new Class Skill thanks to your affinity: Dimension of Time]

Sam let out a breath and smirked.

"Here we go."

He had come to love these notifications.

[Stars of Hatred] was the very first Class Skill Sam acquired that could actually help him in battle.

Even the ones that seemed purely passive like [Void Watcher] and [Chaotic Fate] had proven to be useful with information.

So now, with this new affinity, he was eager to see what came next.

---

[Dimension of Time]

[Description: Time seems to move in your favor, allowing you to bend it to your will.]

[You are able to open up a portal to the "Dimension of Time", a place where time moves much slower than in the real world.]

[In the "Dimension of Time", a day in the real world equals a week inside.]

[In addition to that, there are no skill cooldowns in the "Dimension of Time", meaning that you will be able to train and try out new things however you like.]

---

"...Holy shit."

Sam was stunned.

This wasn't just good, it was insane.

He didn't even try to hide the excitement building up inside him.

A realm where time moved differently? Where he could train and refine his skills with no cooldowns?

That was a dream come true, especially in a place like the [Forsaken] Realm.

He was constantly being hunted.

The pressure of what came next never let up.

But now? That all changed.

With this new skill, he could take a break without falling behind.

He could experiment, refine, and evolve.

It was a passive skill in theory, but in reality, it was just as important as a combat ability.

'I guess it's a line between the two types,' Sam nodded.

He closed the skill window and finally turned to the portal.

It was time to leave the [Fifth Layer].

As he walked toward it, he opened his status panel to get a better sense of how much stronger he had become.

It had been a while since he checked.

---

[Name: Sam Walker][Class: Primordial][Guild: Primordial (Leader)][Rank: Master][Level: 1][Strength: 44 → 63][Agility: 43 → 62][Constitution: 44 → 63][Soul: 86 → 124][Affinities: Shadow, Chaos, Void, Hatred, Time][Class Skills: Spatial Inventory, Primordial Evolution, Hell-Mode Analysis, Chaotic Fate, Void Watcher, Stars of Hatred, Dimension of Time][Skills: Primordial Sword Technique (Forsaken), Abyssal Obliteration (Forsaken), Eternal Barrier (Forsaken), Tendrils of Oblivion (Forsaken), Sovereign Inferno (Forsaken), Void Rush (Forsaken), Forsaken Clone (Forsaken), Gaze of the Primordial (Forsaken), I Always Come Back (Forsaken)]

---

The difference was staggering.

His stats had risen across the board, and his soul stat in particular was becoming monstrous.

Without a doubt, he was the strongest human on Earth.

He had no idea how strong the other races were though.

The majority of them seemed to have completed all six layers of the [Forsaken] realm long before the humans even finished the fourth.

So maybe their base levels were much higher.

But Sam didn't let that bother him. He didn't need to compare himself to anyone else.

He just had to keep moving forward.

Still walking, he tapped on the [Guild] section of his status screen. Just to see.

---

[Primordial Guild][Position: Leader][Members: 1][Status: Registered][Guild Ranking: 1]

---

Sam's steps froze for a second.

"...Wait, what?"

He blinked at the screen. Then laughed.

"Holy shit," he said, a smile curling up his lips, "I mean, I should've expected this!"

Of course, he was ranked first.

He was the first human to clear the [Fifth Layer] after all.

And since he had registered a guild under his name, it only made sense that his guild would be the top-ranked one in the [North Region].

He couldn't wait to see the girls' reactions when he showed them.

They probably wouldn't even be surprised. Still, it was a good feeling.

More than that, Sam was eager to make use of his new ability.

Inside the [Dimension of Time], he could perfect every skill, experiment with combinations, and even begin creating new techniques.

The possibilities were endless.

But even then... the feeling in his chest hadn't disappeared.

That uneasiness, faint, but persistent, was still there.

It whispered to him that no matter how strong he became, no matter how far he pushed himself, something worse was still waiting.

Beings beyond this realm, capable of killing him instantly, without a word, without a thought.

He shook it off. And then, finally, he stepped into the portal.

He felt himself being pulled through the vortex.

The energy wrapped around him and blurred everything from view.

Then, with a soft thud, he landed back in the [Third Outer Ring].

Back where he had teleported inside the [Fifth Layer].

"...Phew." Sam took a deep breath, dusted himself off, and looked around, "This was... good, I guess."

He was ready to return to [Ashbourne City], even though it would take time to cross the [Outer Rings].

But just as he looked ahead, he froze.

A new panel appeared in front of him.

But it wasn't like the others. It was black.

And the aura it emitted was overwhelming.

[Did you have fun?]

Sam didn't move. Another line appeared.

[I sure did, watching you struggle.]

But he wasn't frozen because of the messages. Jevil had done something similar before, after all.

What made Sam freeze this time… was the figure standing right before him.

Tall. Motionless. Looking directly at him.

Sam felt his breath catch in his throat. He couldn't even describe it.

And then, the final message appeared.

[Yet... this journey of yours, all of it... will end now.]