Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

Sam was less tired than he had expected, and once the fight ended, he didn't slow down.

He quickly rushed through all the outer rings, his steps echoing across the desolate plains until he made it back to the train station.

From there, he boarded the train bound for [Ashbourne City], settling into a seat with the same blank look he'd worn.

'At some point,' Sam thought with a small smirk, 'I'll probably be able to get to the city faster just by running.'

But truth be told, even with his body resting, his mind couldn't relax.

His thoughts kept circling back to a specific moment, one that had nothing to do with that [Forsaken Lord]'s terrifying appearance in the real world.

No, what consumed his thoughts was the second use of [Hatred Boost].

The feeling it triggered... the voices he heard when it activated... the same muffled whispers from the first time returned again.

He still couldn't make out most of what was said.

But one word managed to slip through the fog.

"Determined," Sam murmured under his breath, eyes staring out the window.

That was it. One single word.

Still, even if it was vague, even if it was just a word, he couldn't shake the feeling that it meant something more.

Plus, who was even speaking to him? Was it his subconscious again?

But for now, he had other things to think about.

'Can he come back into the real world again?' Sam frowned, 'And if he does... will he show up right inside my hotel room next time?'

The pure chaos and destruction in the city if a monster like Jevil entered would be catastrophic, so Sam didn't even want to imagine what the sixth [Forsaken Lord] could do.

And yet, there was something Sam couldn't deny.

That encounter, as horrifying and hopeless as it had been, had revealed something important.

Now, he fully understood just how outmatched he really was.

All this time, he had been pushing his limits.

Testing the boundaries of his affinities.

Clinging to his stubborn determination to keep going no matter what.

But none of it had mattered in the face of true power.

Even with his [Hatred Boost], even with everything he'd poured into that fight, the best he could manage was stopping one single attack.

Just one. Any less, and he wouldn't be here.

He'd be sent to the [Outside] zone... a death sentence by any other name.

If there was any silver lining, it was the performance of his [Eternal Barrier].

That skill had held up. Had kept him alive through blows that would have smashed any ordinary being to pieces.

Even with his own strength, he wouldn't have lasted a second without it.

Finally, the train arrived at [Ashbourne City].

Sam stepped off the train and began making his way back to his hotel, fatigue creeping back into his limbs now that the adrenaline was fading.

Once inside his room, he checked his phone.

As expected, it was filled with messages.

Notifications poured in, lighting up the screen one after another.

They came from two sources: [David Union], and the group chat he shared with the girls.

He scrolled to David's message first.

---

[David Union:] Literally how?

---

It was sent a few hours ago.

Sam couldn't help but chuckle at the simplicity of the message.

Of course David was talking about the same thing everyone else was now.

The sudden rise of the [Primordial Guild] to the number one spot in the entire [North Region].

To the outside world, this mysterious new guild climbing to the top in such a short span must've seemed impossible.

But then again, there had even been a global announcement to go with it.

---

[The "Primordial Guild" has cleared the "Fifth Layer."]

---

Sam hadn't seen the announcement when the [Fourth Layer] was first cleared, since he was in the [Battle Realm].

But when a guild completed a layer, an announcement like that appeared in front of every single Awakener in the world.

And this time, it wasn't just the guild announcement.

Another notification had followed at the same time.

---

[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.]

---

The timing of both messages made the connection obvious.

You didn't have to be a genius to figure it out.

Sam Walker = Leader of the Primordial Guild. Or, at the very least, a key figure inside of it.

Within moments, social channels had flooded with comments.

Disbelief. Excitement. Some confusion, but mostly awe.

"How the hell did they clear the [Fifth Layer] already?"

"Holy crap, does this mean humanity won't get wiped out?"

"One more layer to go!"

Since the majority of people weren't able to step foot into the [Forsaken Realm], they saw this as good news.

To them, it meant that the hardest part might finally be over.

But for the top guilds and those who understood what had really happened, it was something else entirely.

A wake-up call. Whoever was in the [Primordial Guild]... they were monsters.

The strongest beings on the planet.

Sam smiled to himself as he tapped a reply to David's message.

---

[Sam Walker:] Determination.

[David Union:] The hell? Oh well, never mind, I knew you were crazy, kid.

---

He moved on to the group chat next.

Hundreds of unread messages.

He skipped most of them and went straight to the latest ones.

---

[Alicia Union:] So while we were out having fun, Sam was fighting these crazy monsters?

[Lily Gremoir:] Judging by his luck, I bet the monsters were all level 60 too. But wait, doesn't that mean he had to go through another sub-layer with another boss?

[Chloe Vinelord:] What are you two talking about? What do you mean, another sub-layer?

---

Chloe hadn't been there when Sam, Alicia, and Lily had cleared the first sub-layer.

She didn't know that they each had a secret boss of their own.

And judging by the fact none of them ever went back to try other sub-layers, it was obvious that no one wanted to test their luck again.

---

[Chloe Vinelord:] I guess we're all ready for the "Fourth Layer" now, though, right?

[Alicia Union:] I sure am! We trained for this!

[Lily Gremoir:] Do you think Sam would come with us if we asked?

[Sam Walker:] No.

[Alicia Union:] G-Goddamn asshole!

[Lily Gremoir:] Of course he replies just to say that...

[Chloe Vinelord:] I think he wants us to grow stronger on our own, so I'm fine with that!

---

With that settled, Sam put the phone down and exhaled deeply.

He was more exhausted than he wanted to admit.

The moment he sat on the bed, it felt like gravity had increased tenfold.

'I'll fight that thing eventually,' Sam thought, his mind drifting back to that shadowy presence, 'But I couldn't see anything. No appearance. No status window.'

That meant only one thing.

Either it was a temporary projection… or it had hidden itself on purpose.

One way or another, it didn't want him to know what it was.

But it clearly knew him.

"And that [Lower Realm]…" Sam muttered, "Both Jevil and that sixth [Forsaken Lord] mentioned it."

It would come into play later, he was sure of it.

Maybe once the [Universal Stage] began, things would finally make sense.

But for that to happen, humanity needed to finish what it started.

They had to clear the [Sixth Layer].

And for Sam, that meant he had to kill the sixth [Forsaken Lord].

He made himself a quick dinner, kept things simple, and got ready for bed.

But just as he was about to lie down—

Ding!

A new notification popped up.

[Awakener Association Announcement]

Sam sat up and checked. His eyes widened slightly.

---

[All Top 15 Guild Leaders, as well as their most trusted members ONLY, must attend a mandatory Guild Meeting.]

[We will discuss recent events in detail.]

[This includes new developments, threats, and strategies.]

[Please attend. Especially you, "Primordial Guild."]

[The meeting will take place in 2 days, conducted the same way as last time.]

---

"Hm," Sam scratched his chin, "Oh well."

This was expected.

After everything that had happened, of course the big players were going to gather again.