Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

[Seventh Sub-Layer: "The Forgotten Realm"]

Sam's feet touched the ground of the seventh sub-layer of the [Forsaken] realm, and instantly his eyes darted around, scanning everything.

The place he found himself in was not like any of the layers before.

It was a vast void, endless and suffocating, yet not completely dark.

Faint streaks of pale white light drifted through the emptiness like slow-moving waves.

They looked eerily similar to the streaks he had seen when stepping through the portal that had brought him here, as if this space itself was woven from the same threads.

A panel appeared before him.

[Welcome... to my prison...]

The words lingered in front of him, glowing faintly.

And immediately after, the entire realm trembled.

Rumble!

The ground beneath Sam quaked violently, enough that he had to brace himself, focusing his weight to remain upright.

Even the streaks of light in the air wavered as if disturbed by the sudden convulsion.

Beside him, the [Forsaken Clone] landed as well, its blank eyes staring straight ahead.

There was no emotion in its face, no smirk curling its lips, no spark of mischief.

Sam's stomach tightened.

He hated it when the clone didn't smile.

The grin had become something of a signal to him.

When the clone smiled, it usually meant that it was slightly confident, or at least eager to fight.

But now, with its face so cold and still, it felt like the clone wasn't certain anymore.

Sam clenched his fists.

That unsettled him more than the trembling void did.

Without warning, the ground directly in front of him split open.

Fwish!

From the depths below, something began to emerge.

Stone ground against stone, heavy and deliberate.

One by one, six pedestals rose into the air, each rectangular and rough.

They looked completely out of place in this empty void, like relics.

Every pedestal had a symbol carved into its front.

A crown marked one. An eye on the second. A star on the third.

Each carried an emblem tied to a power Sam had already seen and fought against.

Dark chains stretched from the top of each pedestal, snaking upward into the endless ceiling above.

Sam followed their path with his eyes, but he couldn't see where they led.

The chains simply vanished into the void, as though anchoring something hidden in the darkness.

He didn't need long to understand. Something was bound up there.

And if these pedestals were the key, he already knew what was expected of him.

The panel returned.

[Free me... and I'll show you what true despair feels like...]

Sam narrowed his eyes.

"And if I don't?"

Another panel appeared, its glow sharper.

[Then...]

It pulsed brighter.

[You will sit here for all eternity with me...]

Sam let out a short laugh, though it held no amusement.

"Hah... of course."

He already suspected as much.

This was no ordinary layer, no place to simply wander through.

If he wanted to leave, he had to play by its rules, no matter how twisted they were.

The panels flickered again.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Do what you must.]

And then, all of them vanished.

Only the six pedestals remained, glowing faintly with ominous energy, their chains stretching upward.

Sam exhaled slowly, then looked at his clone.

"Well," he muttered, his voice steady, "looks like we're going to have to deal with this one too."

The clone stared at him for a moment before giving the slightest shrug and raising its stance.

Sam nodded back. That was all he needed.

He stepped forward.

[Each step you take feels heavier than the last.]

Sam ignored them.

He opened his [Spatial Inventory] and pulled out the six artifacts he had collected by defeating the forsaken lords of the previous sub-layers.

Each one glowed faintly, radiating the same oppressive aura it had when first obtained.

Together, they represented every battle, every victory, and every sacrifice that had brought him here.

The [Abyssal Crown]. The [Eye of Corruption]. The [Roaring Titan's Star].

[Asmodeus' Trident]. [Jevil's Mask]. And finally, the [Heart of the Abyss].

He carried all six. Each belonged to one of the pedestals before him.

The carvings left no room for doubt.

Sam approached the first pedestal, the one carved with the crown.

Without hesitation, he placed the [Abyssal Crown] atop it.

Fwish! Click!

The artifact locked perfectly into place, sinking into the stone as though it had always belonged there.

A pulse of dark aura erupted from it, and then—

Snap!

The massive chain attached to the pedestal shattered, disintegrating into dust before his eyes.

[Five...]

The panel's whisper filled his mind again.

Sam moved to the next.

He placed the [Eye of Corruption].

Fwish! Click!

The chain broke. He moved on.

The [Roaring Titan's Star]. The chain shattered.

[Asmodeus' Trident]. Another chain gone.

Each time he placed an artifact, the void trembled more, the air thickening as if something massive above was stirring awake.

By the time he set [Jevil's Mask] onto the fifth pedestal, only one chain remained.

Sam smirked faintly.

"You know," he muttered aloud, "once you're free, you're just going to fall, and then I'll kill you."

The panel flickered back in response.

[My determination... isn't stronger than yours... I am not foolish enough to believe so.]

Sam frowned at that answer but said nothing.

He stepped toward the final pedestal. The carving on its face was of a heart.

From his inventory, he pulled the last artifact, the [Heart of the Abyss].

Its surface pulsed like a living thing, beating faintly as a dark aura surrounded it.

The panels whispered again.

[But... I have long been forgotten by everything... even those that placed me here.]

Sam's crimson eyes flared as he placed the heart down.

"Then let's end this."

Fwish! Click!

The last chain broke.

Every chain leading into the darkness above was now destroyed.

Sam lifted his gaze, bracing himself.

The void shook violently.

Rumble!

The six pedestals trembled, their stone cracking as the artifacts atop them began to glow brighter.

Then, one after another, the artifacts floated upward, pulled into the blackness above until they vanished completely.

Sam clenched his fists. All six were gone.

The items he had fought so hard to obtain were swallowed into the void.

A new panel appeared.

[It looks like... you truly did it... you freed me....]

But Sam wasn't finished.

"Why should we fight?" he said, his voice sharp but calm.

He looked into the darkness, speaking to whatever presence lingered above.

"If we share a common enemy, then we should ally instead. Whoever locked you in here is probably one of the ten beings, or the one that commands them all. So why not turn against them?"

His words echoed into the silence.

He knew this being was powerful, powerful enough to rival even his own determination.

Allying could shift everything.

The clone watched him carefully, its expression sharpening as if aware of the gamble Sam was taking.

But before Sam could say more, a panel cut across his vision, silencing him.

[The ones who imprisoned me here were the Primordials.]

"Oh well."

With those words, any chance of an alliance vanished instantly.

He let out a long sigh.

"No mercy from me either, then."

Fwish! BOOM!

The void shook as a massive figure dropped from above, crashing into the ground with an explosion of force.

The impact sent a wave of raw aura rippling outward, tearing through the empty space.

Sam raised his arms to shield himself, the force buffeting against his body like a storm.

When the dust began to settle, he lowered his guard, his crimson eyes gleaming with unwavering resolve.

If this being wanted a battle, then Sam would fight to the end.

The panel flashed.

[Here I am.... Let us end this.]

Another message appeared, this time tinged with cruel amusement.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: We freed him just to instantly kill him, a fitting end for a parasite like him.]

Sam steadied his breath.

'I don't know how and why the others imprisoned him, but... well, actually, it doesn't matter.'

The haze began to clear, revealing the form that stood before him.

What emerged from the mist was no ordinary enemy.

It radiated strength greater than anything Sam had ever encountered.

In fact, its aura dwarfed that of all the forsaken lords he had fought before, as though all of them combined could not equal even a fraction of this being.

[Zareth, The Forgotten One]

And then, almost mockingly, a crimson panel appeared before Sam's eyes.

[Let's just get this over with.]