Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

Crack! Crack!

-1! -1! -1!

Sam's [Eternal Barrier] was quickly wearing down under the crushing grip of the sixth [Forsaken Lord].

Each second brought it closer to breaking.

And once that happened, he would be completely vulnerable. Defenseless.

Death would follow without question after that.

Sam's eyes burned with intensity, but he couldn't move.

He tried swinging his primordial sword, trying to cut through the darkness, but the [Forsaken Lord] casually snapped its fingers.

In an instant, thick [Abyss Chains] burst from the ground, coiling tightly around Sam's limbs.

They dragged him down, binding him in place, and refused to budge no matter how much strength he used.

"I can see everything," the [Forsaken Lord] said, pulling Sam closer, its voice curling with twisted delight.

The creature's body remained cloaked in shadows, hiding every detail except for the gleam of its eyes and the curl of its crimson mouth.

"All of your abilities. Every movement you make. I can see just how pathetically useless they all are."

Sam didn't respond.

He clenched his jaw, still struggling against the chains, trying to break free with whatever strength he had left.

The [Forsaken Lord] laughed, a cruel, jagged sound that echoed through the void like broken glass.

"Keep trying. I'm sure they're enjoying the show."

Sam's head snapped up.

"Who the hell is 'they'?" he shouted, his voice roaring with raw energy as crimson aura poured from his mouth, ears, and eyes.

The power pouring out of him was wild, almost blinding, but it still wasn't enough.

"You don't know, of course," the [Forsaken Lord] grinned.

Then it lifted one shadowy arm and pointed a finger toward the sky.

"But they're watching you even now. From the realm above."

Sam's heart skipped a beat.

"So when all of you mentioned the [Lower Realm]... you were talking about—"

"The one we're all in," the creature finished for him, nodding slowly.

Crack! Crack!

-1! -1! -1!

[Eternal Barrier: 18/50]

His shield was almost gone.

A little over a third remained, and it was depleting fast.

But even with that, Sam didn't stop. He didn't give up.

He understood that escaping the binds was impossible with pure strength.

Even if the chains vanished, the [Forsaken Lord] was too strong. Trying to run or resist physically would be suicide.

So instead, Sam focused on gathering every bit of information he could.

"But you don't need to worry about those higher realms," the [Forsaken Lord] sneered.

Its wicked smile spread wider as it leaned even closer to Sam, its breath brushing his face.

"Because you'll never get there."

Crack! Crack!

Sam's eyes narrowed.

He ignored everything and tried to peer into the being's status panel.

---

[??? (???)]

[Level: 70]

[Description: ???]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: We'll show him.]

---

Much like a few months ago, he still couldn't see anything.

No name. Not even a description.

The only thing that had changed... was the comment from [Hell-Mode Analysis].

And that small change made Sam's lips curl upward.

"...?"

The [Forsaken Lord] noticed the smile, and for the first time, its eyes flickered with confusion.

Then it snarled and tightened its grip around Sam's throat.

"Just stay still."

Crack! Crack!

But Sam's expression didn't waver. The smile remained.

Because half a year ago, that message had read something else.

Back then, the system had said: "We can't win."

But now? "We'll show him."

That single shift in phrasing gave Sam hope. It meant that something had changed.

That maybe, after months of training, he had reached a point where victory was no longer impossible.

The path forward was still hard, maybe even suicidal, but it wasn't a dead end.

If he wanted to "show him" anything, though... he'd have to escape first.

Crack!

His [Eternal Barrier] thinned even more.

Yet instead of fear, he felt his soul begin to burn brighter.

More aura surged from his core, igniting his body in streams of glowing power.

Even here, in the suffocating dark of the abyss. Even trapped, alone, and outmatched. He refused to give in.

Others might have lost hope already. Most would have. But Sam couldn't. He wasn't allowed to.

Even if he tried to despair—

[Your determination pushes you forward.]

He simply couldn't.

"The other worlds will rise," the [Forsaken Lord] said suddenly, laughing in a mad frenzy, "They'll advance to higher realms. They'll face new challenges. But your kind… your kind will never get that far."

It leaned in, its crimson smile twitching violently.

"You all die before the story even begins. Last Primordial... just join them!"

Then he squeezed.

Crack... CRACK!

[Your "Eternal Barrier" has broken.]

The last of Sam's shield shattered in a burst of light.

He was completely exposed now. No defense. No protection.

The creature's eyes widened as it noticed, and a manic smile twisted across its face.

Its grip loosened just slightly, savoring the moment.

"And now what?" it asked, voice dripping with mockery, "What can you possibly do now? You don't even know what I look like. You've seen nothing of my strength. You're already finished."

"..."

"Do you understand now what I meant when I said you couldn't win now?" it continued, slowly shaking its head, "You will never defeat me. Not only me, but not anyone else in the... other places."

The creature drew back, ready to end Sam's life once and for all.

"As I said before..." Its fingers tightened again, "Goodbye. And after you're gone, I'll eat your body whole."

It laughed darkly.

"Only your heart will remain. I'll keep it as a little trophy to mark this moment."

Sam could see the shadow's massive mouth stretching open, far too wide, its teeth sharp and endless.

He was about to die.

Until—

Fwish! Slash!

A second figure appeared behind the [Forsaken Lord].

The [Forsaken Clone], summoned by Sam at the last possible moment, slashed forward with a fully charged primordial blade.

'Here we go,' Sam thought, 'Time to flip the board.'

This was his shot. He had a fragment of understanding now.

No information yet on the [Primordial] or what his [Determination] truly meant, but it didn't matter.

First, he had to survive. Then, he had to kill the sixth [Forsaken Lord].

The clone's aura surged, affinities exploding around it as it charged to strike.

But just as it did—

"You thought that would work?"

The [Forsaken Lord] moved in a blur, dodging the blade with a quick turn.

Then, without hesitation, it twisted and kicked backward.

The leg, coated in overwhelming dark aura, collided with the clone in a devastating impact.

The air rippled with force as the clone was launched backward, swallowed by the abyss.

'Shit,' Sam gritted his teeth, eyes wide.

But at that moment, he found his chance. He had been charging something this whole time.

AFFINITIES SHOCKWAVE!

He unleashed the energy all at once.

A blast of condensed aura exploded from his core, shattering the [Abyss Chains] and forcing the [Forsaken Lord] to stagger back.

The grip vanished.

Sam dropped to the ground, rolling away to regain distance.

The [Forsaken Lord] let out a roar, stumbling slightly from the raw impact.

"You—!" It snarled, shaking its head, "You really... no matter. You still won't win."

Even now, it couldn't deny the power Sam had released.

For a human, his strength and aura was beyond anything it had expected.

Meanwhile, the [Forsaken Clone] used [Tendrils of Oblivion] to stop its flight through the abyss and quickly charged again.

Sam stood upright, ready. His sword gripped tight.

His soul blazing.

But then—

Snap!

The [Forsaken Lord] snapped its fingers.

And suddenly—

ROOOOARRRRRR!

Dozens of guttural screams echoed all around them.

Sam and the clone turned, and in every direction, countless eyes began to open in the darkness.

Not one. Not two. But dozens, maybe even hundreds, of abyssal beings surrounding them.

"This is my abyss," the [Forsaken Lord] said calmly, stepping forward. The ground trembled beneath its feet as its aura erupted with each step, "You really thought we were alone here?"

Sam didn't flinch.

"No. I expected that." His voice was calm, his stance firm, "But it doesn't change anything."

The [Forsaken Clone] lunged forward without hesitation, charging at the nearest monster with a wide smile on its face.

And Sam locked his gaze back on the [Forsaken Lord], knowing this was far from over.