Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

[Forgotten Shadow (Boss)]

[Level: 75]

[Description: The final form of a civilian that has been corrupted for too long, becoming a shadow long forgotten by all.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Proceed.]

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This was Sam's first boss in this new realm, and he had no intention of holding back.

With a quick snap of his wrist, he summoned the [Forsaken Clone].

The clone appeared beside him, its body shimmering as its colors flared to life.

It turned to look at the enemies ahead, and its lips curled into a wild, eager smile.

"I'll take care of the boss and defend myself," Sam said firmly, "You handle the rest."

The [Forsaken Clone] possessed Sam's intelligence, which meant it could think and adapt as long as Sam gave it direction.

And of course, nothing pleased it more than bloodshed and cutting down everything in its path.

Fwish!

Without hesitation, the clone activated [Abyssal Obliteration].

Twenty portals appeared above it, merging together in an instant to charge a [Bullet of Oblivion].

Thanks to Sam's training, the entire process took less than a second now, making the ability far more viable in real combat.

Before, the charge time had been several seconds, which was a death sentence against fast or aggressive enemies.

Even a single second could be too long, as proven when the [Flying Sentinels] interrupted his [Slash Storm] before it could fire.

But now…

Fwish! BOOM!

The clone unleashed the bullet toward one of the sentinels.

It struck dead center, the impact cracking its body before exploding in a burst of force and shadow.

'The sentinels are weaker than the others in level, but they're faster and can fly,' Sam thought, 'It's fine though. They're not as durable.'

The [Forgotten Shadow] stood ahead, its form a humanoid silhouette shrouded in darkness.

The ground beneath it seemed to be made of living shadow, rippling as though it were liquid.

Even its body moved like waves, without solid edges or defined features.

It had no eyes, no mouth, nothing but its ominous shape.

Sam didn't hesitate. He moved to close the distance.

Fwish!

SHADOW HANDS!

The shadow raised both arms.

From the ground, two massive hands of darkness erupted, each tipped with claws.

They shot forward to block his advance, forcing him to push off and retreat.

'Level seventy-five… this thing's dangerous,' Sam thought, 'I can't just overpower it. I'll have to outthink it.'

He considered his next move, eyes closing briefly as he readied [Slash Storm].

But before he could release the attack—

Shadow Beam!

An orb of pure darkness formed in front of the shadow's face, releasing a massive beam that tore forward.

[Slash Storm] required focus, and being interrupted meant it wouldn't launch.

Sam readied himself again, but noticed something unusual.

The boss didn't follow up. It stood still, watching him.

It seemed to only attack when he moved first.

'Maybe I should help the clone instead.'

He leapt toward a nearby building, aiming to flank one of the flying sentinels from above.

But before he could reach it—

SHADOW WALL!

The boss raised its hands once more, and a massive wall of darkness surged upward, stretching to the sky and separating Sam from his clone.

'Great… it's actually smart.'

In his previous realm, most monsters outside the Forsaken Lords lacked intelligence.

They only knew how to attack or flee when overwhelmed.

But here, some of them clearly thought and acted strategically.

Sam wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a problem.

Either way, he didn't need to worry about his clone right now.

The Forsaken Clone was a one-monster army, and it showed.

The flying sentinels were falling one by one, either obliterated by another bullet of oblivion or cleanly bisected by the primordial sword.

That left only three [Forgotten Statues] to deal with, and they were not easy opponents.

Their defenses were absurd, and even [Slash Storm] struggled to overwhelm them before they closed in.

'I'll handle my fight first,' Sam decided, leaping down from the rooftop toward the shadow, "I'm killing you first."

His affinities surged around him, power swirling as he descended.

But the shadow's hands lashed upward, able to attack even from above.

Sam reacted instantly.

Tendrils of Oblivion!

Dark tendrils burst from his primordial sword, wrapping around both shadow hands and the shadow's body, binding them in place.

Tendrils of Shadows!

The boss retaliated, summoning its own tendrils in return.

Then it turned its focus to the Forsaken Clone in the distance and—

Shadow Clones!

It created copies identical to Sam himself, each wielding a sword of their own.

'It's copying me… that's why it's a shadow.'

But instead of being intimidated, Sam grinned.

If it was only a reflection of his abilities, then it could never match the original.

It had no will, no determination, and none of the true force behind his affinities.

The clones and tendrils rushed toward him—

Abyssal Obliteration!

Sam summoned black holes and unleashed hundreds of bullets at once.

The tendrils were disintegrated by the overwhelming amount of bullets, and the clones that deflected the bullets were immediately cut down by his sword.

In seconds, he reached the shadow and drove his blade down through it, splitting its body from head to toe.

A strange black liquid oozed out, but instead of staining the ground, it sank back into the shadows.

Only the monster's core remained.

Boom!

With the shadow's death, the massive wall vanished.

A tendril from Sam's sword shot out, grabbing the core and pulling it in.

Then Sam turned immediately toward the statues.

Bullet of Oblivion!

The attack streaked toward one of the statues mid-battle.

Its defensive ability triggered instantly, darkening the air around the point of impact.

But—

Fwish! Fwish!

"Oh?"

BOOM!

The bullet punched straight through, overpowering its defense entirely.

Sam was briefly stunned.

Not long ago, when he fought a statue alone, he couldn't break through.

Had he grown stronger this quickly? Or was it simply because the bullet concentrated all of its force into a single point?

He didn't have the answer, but it didn't matter.

With the defense broken, the clone unleashed [Slash Storm], tearing through the remaining monsters until nothing stood.

"Phew." Sam smirked as he absorbed the cores, "I just have to keep going."

Even level seventy-five enemies weren't giving him trouble, which only made him more confident.

Still, he stayed cautious. Anything could be waiting ahead.

Turning his attention back to the battlefield, he noticed something.

Only the flying sentinels had spirits hovering over their remains.

'The first forgotten statue I fought didn't have one, and neither does the forgotten shadow.'

He didn't fully understand [Primordial Spirit] yet, but a theory was forming.

Maybe only monsters with that could feel determination could leave spirits behind.

Statues were lifeless constructs. The shadow had no emotion at all.

But the sentinels… they had some spark.

He moved toward them, and one by one, he overpowered all three spirits.

Ding!

[You have overpowered the "Forgotten Flying Sentinels" and tamed their spirits.]

With that done, Sam pressed deeper into the [Forgotten City].

He cut through every monster in his way.

Most here were between level seventy-three and seventy-five, but none posed a real threat. One by one, they fell.

And eventually...

Ding!

[You have entered the "Forgotten Graveyard".]

The final zone of the Forgotten City lay ahead.

Soon, his first mission in this realm would be complete.