Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

"Who are you?"

Belle's voice cut through the air as she approached, her steps confident, her eyes fixed directly on Seraphine.

Seraphine blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden confrontation.

She had only come to Sam because she wanted to speak with him for a short moment, but before she even had the chance, this other girl appeared, striding up to them with an expression that seemed far too intense.

"What?" Seraphine muttered under her breath, unable to make sense of the situation.

Belle raised her hand, pointing at Sam with her sharp crimson nails, her glare only deepening.

"Who are you to him?" she demanded.

[Wow, our harem is growing!]

A crimson panel floated in front of Sam, mocking the scene with its usual dry commentary.

Sam glanced at it and gave the faintest shrug.

'Is it really?' he thought.

To him, it seemed ridiculous.

After all, neither of them were more than acquaintances.

He had no plans to team up with them permanently.

Even if they were the closest thing to friends he had, it wasn't enough to matter.

Besides, he couldn't afford to bring anyone into the kind of place he would eventually step into.

That being wouldn't allow anyone in who wasn't worthy, and Sam already knew dragging others along was pointless.

[You have a bad feeling about this.]

Seraphine straightened, her confusion giving way to irritation.

"I'm someone he knows," she said firmly, her tone sharp as she took a step closer.

Her own eyes narrowed into a glare as she stared Belle down.

"Now move. I just want to speak to him for a minute."

"About what?" Belle asked coldly, her foot tapping against the ground.

Her gaze shifted to Sam for an instant, then back to Seraphine.

"I'll make it simple. He's closer to me than you'll ever be, so back off."

"W-What?" Seraphine stammered, caught off guard.

Her lips twisted into a mocking smile a moment later.

"Hah! You wish!"

The tension thickened between the two of them, their voices sharp, their glares clashing like blades.

Sam, however, let out a yawn.

He had no patience for this nonsense.

"I think I'll go now," he interrupted, his voice flat.

"I need to level up."

He turned away, ready to leave the two behind and get back to his real priorities.

But before he could take a step forward, two hands grabbed him—one from each side.

Seraphine clutched his left shoulder, panic flashing in her eyes.

"Wait! I just want to talk for two minutes. Let's go somewhere else."

"Then I'm coming too," Belle muttered stubbornly, her grip tightening.

The two of them were clearly ready to argue again, their rivalry flaring back to life instantly.

But Sam had already figured it out.

The real reason for this hostility wasn't difficult to guess.

They both believed they were the only one who knew his greatest secret—the truth of him being the Primordial.

And of course, such a secret could never be revealed to anyone else.

Both of them were heroines from [Forsakened], both had glimpsed things others hadn't, and both had survived moments when they should have died.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: And if it gets too bad, we just kill them =)]

'Grim,' Sam admitted inwardly.

'But true.'

Still, to keep things under control, he decided to cut their fight short.

"She knows about me," he said calmly, looking between the two of them.

"Whatever you know about me, the other one knows too."

The effect was immediate.

Both Belle and Seraphine froze, their eyes widening in shock.

They looked at him, then at each other, and then back at him again.

The tension in the air wavered and began to dissolve.

Of course they couldn't afford to make a scene now.

If the other already knew, then the balance shifted.

More importantly, putting Sam in danger was the very last thing either of them wanted.

"Alright," Belle said finally, her tone softening ever so slightly.

"I guess… that's fine."

"Yeah…" Seraphine scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

"You'll just have to tell me the details later, but first, let's go somewhere else."

The three of them walked together, heading back toward the kingdom.

They slipped into a narrow alley where the noise of the crowds faded away.

The shadows gave them privacy, but Seraphine decided it wasn't enough.

"Wait," she said, raising her scepter.

The crystal glowed, and an invisible ripple spread outward.

Privacy Zone!

A translucent bubble surrounded them, shimmering faintly before vanishing from sight.

Within it, no sound could escape, no eyes could spy.

Unless someone physically destroyed the barrier, their words were safe.

"We can talk now," Seraphine said with a nod.

Her eyes went back and forth between Belle and Sam.

"So… you know each other?"

Belle smiled faintly, her crimson hair swaying as she tilted her head.

"We met in the [Tower of Fate]. They tried to kill Sam, but he killed them all instead. That's when he revealed himself to be… well, you know who."

Even inside the Privacy Zone, neither she nor Seraphine dared to say the word "Primordial."

The title felt heavy. Just speaking it out loud felt like it would carry consequences.

"It was amazing," Belle continued, her eyes sparkling, "The way he cut them down, the way he stood above everyone else, when he almost killed me too, it was beautiful."

Seraphine's expression twisted.

She stared at Belle like she was insane.

Who in their right mind would describe their near-death like that?

"Right…" Seraphine muttered, rolling her eyes, "As for me… we just met a few times, and I kind of figured it out."

Belle frowned, stepping closer to her.

"Seriously? How?"

Seraphine hesitated.

"Just… a feeling," she said, scratching her cheek.

Sam let them talk.

This time there was no panel mocking the conversation.

Instead, he simply stood there, watching the two of them.

The tension between them had eased slightly, and now that the three of them shared this impossible secret, he could see the start of something like trust forming.

Maybe, against all odds, they could get along.

But his focus wasn't on that.

"What did you want to tell me?" he asked Seraphine finally, his voice steady, "I'm busy."

Seraphine nodded quickly.

"I know. I just wanted to warn you, be careful of that [Eternal] group."

Sam's eyes sharpened instantly.

"Hm? Why?"

Of course, he already knew the entire realm was after him.

That group in particular was dangerous, they had the [Primordial Compass].

But the way Seraphine spoke made him curious.

"They're moving strangely," she explained, "From what I've heard, they're planning to set up some kind of system at the kingdom's gates. A system to register everyone who leaves and enters."

"!!!"

Sam's eyes widened.

A second later, laughter burst out of him.

"Haha!"

He laughed like a maniac, his grin stretching wide across his face.

Seraphine and Belle both stared at him, confused by his reaction.

Belle crossed her arms, thinking it through.

"They're going to use it with that [Primordial Compass], aren't they? Check every single person who passes through and compare it with the Compass's readings."

Seraphine nodded grimly.

"It makes the most sense."

Her expression darkened even further.

"And… there's something else. Please be careful about the other item."

Sam tilted his head.

"The other item?"

"The one they got for completing the missions first," Seraphine said, "I don't know what it is… but I have a very bad feeling about it."

[What a coincidence, so do we =)]

"Hm."

Sam stood silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Thanks for the warning."

But even as he said that, he knew the truth. It didn't really matter.

To him, this just meant he would have to wait longer for his [Fast Travel] cooldown to reset whenever he went outside.

As long as he used teleportation to move in and out, he would never have to pass through their "gate system."

It was nothing but a minor inconvenience.

And as he realized that, a cruel, malicious smile spread across his face.

The aura around him flared crimson, dark and suffocating.

Seraphine unconsciously stepped back, her heart pounding at the sight.

Belle, on the other hand, stepped forward, her eyes shining.

To both of them, in that moment, Sam wasn't just Sam anymore.

He was the Primordial.

The aura, the confidence, the sheer dominance, he was the very embodiment of the title.

The bubble around them dissolved as Seraphine lowered her scepter, the [Privacy Zone] vanishing.

They said their goodbyes shortly after, each of them leaving with heavy thoughts.

Sam departed first, his expression calm once more.

Belle and Seraphine remained in the alley a moment longer.

"So," Seraphine asked suddenly, turning to Belle, "Do you like him?"

Belle smirked.

"Yeah. He's strong. And you know exactly what I mean. What about you?"

"I don't know," Seraphine admitted with a shrug, then she gave a small smile, "Wanna go to a restaurant? I can pay."

"Sure," Belle replied without hesitation.

And with that, the two of them left the alley together, deciding to take a brief break from the endless grind of battle.

Sam, meanwhile, walked back to the square before the gate of the [Forsaken] kingdom.

He stopped only for a moment, his gaze locked on the gate ahead.

Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward.