Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

Ding!

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[Hatred Wings (Forsaken) → Wings of Hatred (Forsaken+) → Wings of Affinities (Forsaken++) → Wings of Destiny (Determination) → Primordial Wings (Primordial)]

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And then, finally, the last skill.

The one he had been anticipating the most, [I Always Come Back].

This was the skill that had defined him from the beginning.

It allowed Sam to revive himself once every single day, no matter how brutal the death had been.

Back then, that had already been an absurd advantage.

But as he looked back on it now, he realized that a single revival every day was not enough.

One chance could easily be wasted. One chance could vanish in a battle where enemies were far stronger, and death came too quickly.

Still, the truth was that Sam almost never had to use it.

His strength carried him far.

He only ever died in the harshest of battles, the kinds where even survival felt impossible.

And now, this skill had evolved.

It was [Tier 2]. It had even reached its maximum rank.

What could that possibly mean for its effect?

Would it grant him multiple revivals per day? Three? Five?

Or would the cooldown vanish, letting him rise again and again without delay?

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[I Always Come Back (Forsaken) → I... Always Come Back (Forsaken+) → Can't Give Up (Forsaken++) → Stay Determined (Determination) → Determination is Fuel (Primordial)]

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"Huh."

Sam stared at the names, tilting his head slightly.

All of them were strange.

They carried a tone that was different from his other skills.

But he realized he should have expected this from the very beginning.

After all, the original name of the skill had always been unusual.

Still, one name stood out above the rest.

"Determination is Fuel," Sam murmured, his eyes narrowing.

That name alone carried weight. It sounded powerful, and more than that, it sounded dangerous.

He didn't hesitate. He immediately opened the skill details.

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[Primordial Wings]

[Tier: 2]

[Rank: Primordial]

[Description: Two wings fueled by your aura and affinities will erupt from the user's back, allowing them to fly in the air at a much faster speed than if they walked.]

[The Primordials have honed these wings to such a level that they can be used as weapons almost as sharp as the "Primordial Sword."]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The strongest wings in existence… in their full form this time.]

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"Hm."

Sam leaned back, thinking.

The description was almost identical to the old version.

The difference was clear, though.

They were no longer fueled by his [Hatred]. They were fueled by his aura and his affinities.

That was significant. It meant they could draw upon all of him, not just one aspect of his power.

And beyond that… They could also be used as weapons.

The wings themselves were honed so sharply that they rivaled the [Primordial Sword].

Sam tapped his fingers on his leg, thoughtful.

He didn't want to summon the wings now.

But he couldn't help but wonder just what it meant to fight with them.

Wings as blades? That was something he would have to test soon.

'No rush,' he thought. 'I'll have plenty of time to experiment.'

With that, he shifted to the final skill.

The one that truly mattered.

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[Determination is Fuel]

[Tier: 2]

[Rank: Primordial]

[Description: Upon death, as long as the Primordial is fully determined to keep going, they will revive, but if they have even a single shred of hesitation, it's over.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: All the Primordials had this skill by the way.]

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Sam's eyes widened.

He stared at the panel for a long time.

Minutes passed as he thought. No cooldown. No limits.

'That means… I can revive infinitely?' he thought.

It sounded unbelievable. It sounded like the kind of power that no one should possess.

But even as the thought formed...

[You have a bad feeling about this.]

Sam exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple.

This was supposed to make him unstoppable. Impossible to kill.

And yet, even with all that, he couldn't shake the unease curling in his chest.

The [Hell-Mode Analysis] description only deepened it.

Every Primordial had this skill. Not one or two. All of them.

And yet, every one of them had died.

That could only mean one thing.

Their determination wavered when they fought before. And the instant it did, their revival ended.

'I need to understand exactly how much hesitation counts as failure,' Sam thought, scratching his chin.

Was a fleeting doubt enough? Would a single moment of despair be enough to end him forever?

His gut told him yes.

If he faced an overwhelming enemy who killed him again and again, the instant he thought "I can't win," it would be over.

[The more a Primordial dies, the more their soul distorts, and the more their determination falters. Don't put yourself in that situation =)]

"Hm."

Sam's expression hardened.

The skill was overpowered, there was no denying that. But its danger was clear.

He would need to hold onto his determination more fiercely than anyone else had before.

The others had failed. They had wavered. But he couldn't.

Overall, though, he was satisfied.

The six skills had all evolved into something greater.

It had taken him more than twenty days to do it all, but every moment had been worth it.

'With this, I'm confident I can conquer the [Maze of the Damned],' Sam thought with a grin.

But confidence alone wasn't enough.

He still didn't fully understand how his skills worked.

There were too many. Too many variables, too many abilities that needed practice.

He had to learn them thoroughly.

If he could master them, he might overwhelm every monster in the [Fourth Mission].

Maybe even those in the fifth or the sixth.

And if he did that, then everything would become easier.

Or maybe… maybe none of it mattered.

But Sam forced those thoughts away.

Even entertaining the idea that it was "meaningless" was dangerous.

If such a thought weakened his determination, then his new skill might fail him at the worst possible moment.

He couldn't allow that. He had to be better than the other Primordials.

Better than those whose resolve crumbled in the end.

"Alright," Sam muttered, slapping his cheeks lightly. "Gotta train now."

He hadn't been completely isolated during the past weeks.

He had spoken to Belle and Seraphine a few times.

They invited him to hangout, but he refused for now, though as he focused on grinding.

Of course though, it wasn't that he didn't want to, his mind was just elsewhere.

They hadn't said much in return, but there was a change. They seemed closer now.

Every time he saw them, they were together. Training, grinding, moving as a team.1

They were preparing for the next missions, that much was clear. It didn't bother Sam.

He hadn't heard anything about the "gate" system lately, and his focus was elsewhere.

He still had the [Dimension of Time].

That gave him more months of training, even if only weeks passed outside.

'They're preparing for the [Maze of the Damned],' Sam thought. 'But they're not ready yet.'

The other awakeners were still occupied with grinding monsters in the [Fourth Zone].

They wouldn't even think about attempting the [Fourth Mission] until they reached level 10 of the Immortal rank.

That was when they would receive their advancement tasks. Trying it any earlier was suicide.

That gave Sam a window. A few weeks, at least.

Any longer and he might risk losing the [Mystery Box], and that was something he couldn't allow.

Dimension of Time!

The portal shimmered into existence before him.

Sam stepped inside without hesitation.

He had already used it before, when evolving his [True Primordial Sword Technique], [Primordial Barrier], and [Primordial Clone].

But this time was different. This time he had far more skills to train.

And each of them was more technical than the last. He would need time to come up with ways to fight with them.

Time to develop abilities and applications. It would not be quick.

But even then…

[Knowing that your strength will rise fuels you with… DETERMINATION!]

Sam entered the [Dimension of Time].

The portal closed behind him. The vast white void spread out endlessly around him.

The silence pressed down, familiar and isolating.

He immediately summoned his [Primordial Clone].

Fwish!

It appeared at his side, its gaze wandering across the void.

Sam wouldn't need it for a while. For now, he planned to test his skills alone.

But it was good to have it nearby. Even if it was only a clone, it was still someone else in this emptiness.

Sam turned his eyes to it. And then froze.

The air around the clone shimmered strangely.

Even more than before.

"What the…" he whispered, narrowing his eyes.

It had always carried a distorted presence. But now its body seemed to shake the very air.

The distortion spread further, like the void itself bent around it.

And its smile… The grin stretched wider, sharper, more malicious.

[The stronger we get, the closer we are to being the True Primordial. Do not forget that.]

Sam exhaled, forcing himself to look away.

That explained enough. But he couldn't dwell on it. He had work to do.

'Alright,' he thought. 'Six skills to check. Well, four without [Determination is Fuel] and [True Primordial Spirit]. Still, that's more than enough.'

And with that, his training began.

JUST FRIENDS!