Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

After leveling up to level 10 of the Ascendant Rank, Sam obviously now had to face his advancement task to hopefully step into the Forsaken Rank.

'I'm actually starting to relatively catch up to others,' he thought with a grin.

Many of the strongest awakeners were already at level 10 of the Immortal Rank, right on the edge of advancing to their next stage.

But if Sam kept going at this pace, it wouldn't be surprising if he not only caught up but even surpassed them, reaching Immortal Rank and beyond before they did.

It would demand an absurd amount of experience, that much was clear, and that could be the only wall slowing him down.

Regardless, Sam wasn't the type to give up.

And he sure as hell wasn't going to step into something as important as this unprepared.

Ding!

[You have reached the maximum level of the Ascendant Rank! You may now go through an advancement task to reach Forsaken Rank.]

Right after that...

Ding!

[Chosen Difficulty: Hell]

[Giving appropriate advancement task...]

'Oh, right... hell difficulty,' Sam sighed.

So much had been happening that he'd nearly forgotten the obvious: this was all his own fault.

Before transmigrating into [Forsakened], he had selected [Hell] difficulty without hesitation.

And now everything he was dealing with was the result of that one choice.

Still... even with all the danger, Sam had this gut feeling that it had been the right decision.

Somewhere deep down, he believed that if he had chosen anything less than [Hell], he would already be dead by now.

'Oh well.'

Ding!

[You will be given the hardest advancement task possible. Surpass their determination.]

'Of course.'

Ding!

[SSS-Ranked Advancement Task: Defeat the "Pale Monarch" or be consumed by the void.]

[You have 60 minutes.]

"Seriously?"

It was the first time his advancement task ever slapped a timer on him, and what made it worse was that he had no clue who or what the [Pale Monarch] even was.

Was it the boss of the [Maze of the Damned]?

If so, then maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

But the more Sam thought about it, the more he felt like this would be anything but simple.

His advancement tasks were growing sharper, harsher, and more merciless with each step forward.

And as the Primordial, he couldn't exactly be surprised.

[59 minutes 47 seconds left.]

"Oh shit."

Sam tightened his grip on his sword.

There was no time to waste.

If the timer hit zero, two possibilities came to mind.

Either he would fail the task entirely and lose his chance to advance forever... or the second, far worse option—he'd actually be consumed by the void itself.

Neither sounded good.

Fortunately, Sam had managed to fill every single slot in his [True Primordial Spirits].

[True Primordial Spirits: 100/100]

Now he stood with a full army of spirits around him, their eerie presences burning bright in the void-filled maze.

Two bosses marched at the front of this army, towering figures whose sheer aura made them terrifying to behold.

"Alright," Sam ordered, "We need to actually get there fast."

He was faster and stronger than his army, that much was clear.

But having them by his side was still better than walking forward alone.

The spirits didn't think, didn't strategize, didn't question.

They obeyed only one order—attack.

Mindless, yes, but effective enough to carve a bloody path forward.

Sam didn't have the luxury of dwelling on their flaws.

Time was running.

Primordial Wings!

With a surge of power, the massive black wings spread from his back, tearing through the thick air of the maze.

One powerful flap and he shot upward, landing on a higher platform.

The void above loomed dangerously close, pressing in from both ends, but Sam didn't slow down.

His spirits trailed after him, slower but relentless.

Sam set his jaw and pushed onward, rushing across platforms, bridges, and stairs without hesitation.

The silence of the [Maze of the Damned] was broken only by the occasional screech of monsters.

But every time they appeared, Sam's spirits tore them apart, clearing the way.

Sam didn't gain any more experience—he was already maxed out.

Still, leaving enemies behind was pointless.

Better to slaughter everything and make sure no one could backstab him.

Minutes bled away.

Twenty minutes passed in a blur of rushing footsteps, wings beating, and spirits cutting down anything that dared cross his path.

And then Sam noticed something unsettling.

The void had changed.

When he first entered the maze, the void had been just beneath the lowest edges of the platforms and stairs.

Now, it had risen.

It clung to the edges, licking against the stone as if ready to devour it.

'It's closing in on me,' Sam thought, his eyes narrowing, 'Hah.'

He didn't let it distract him. Instead, he kept moving.

And eventually, after forcing his way through the twisted maze, Sam reached something strange.

"Huh."

It was another massive structure, resembling the ones he had passed through countless times before.

But here, some differences stood out immediately.

There were no monsters. No stairs. No platforms leading anywhere else.

The only thing before him was a massive gate.

Sam didn't need a hint to understand. This was it. The final door.

The gate loomed shut, ancient and heavy, with carvings etched deep into its surface.

The void circled tightly around the structure, pressing closer than ever before, almost breathing down his neck.

Sam stretched his wings and soared forward until he landed directly before the gate.

Up close, the carvings were clearer.

Symbols twisted along the stone, ghastly figures writhing across the surface.

And in the very center was an image of a crowned figure, its face hidden, its body shrouded in shadow.

'I should be fine if the [Pale Monarch] is beyond the gate,' Sam thought.

'I just need... to open it.'

He scanned the gate, looking for any way to force it open.

But before he could act—

Creak!

"...?"

The symbols lit up, each one igniting with a ghastly silver glow.

The gate shuddered, groaning under its own weight as it slowly, painfully began to open.

Why it opened now and not earlier was beyond him.

But Sam didn't waste time questioning.

He stood in silence, waiting.

Half a minute later, the gates finally parted, revealing what lay beyond.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

[Proceed.]

"Hm."

It could easily be a trap.

But even [Hell-Mode Analysis] was nudging him forward, and that was enough.

Sam stepped forward without hesitation.

The darkness swallowed him whole, pulling him inside.

As he crossed the threshold, he glanced back once.

The gate slammed shut, sealing him in.

'Maybe it closes every time someone enters,' Sam thought.

There was no way he was the first to reach this place.

But if the gate had reopened before, that would mean someone else had entered... and failed.

Because if they had succeeded, surely there would have been a panel announcing it.

Sam clenched his jaw as a powerful pull seized him, dragging him deeper into the darkness.

And then—

Ding!

[The Monarchs have sensed your presence in the "Upper" realm.]

[They know of your existence, and are ready to face you, as well as kill you.]

[You do not stand a chance, Primordial. You truly have no idea what awaits =)]

The panels flashed before his eyes, mocking, taunting. Sam ignored them all.

But one word stood out.

"Monarchs."

Plural.

It tied directly to the [Pale Monarch], the enemy he was tasked to defeat. They were connected.

And that meant things were about to get far more complicated. The pull intensified.

And then, suddenly, Sam was spat out of the darkness, landing hard on solid stone.

He rose quickly, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

He was standing on a massive stone platform, carved with intricate designs that seemed to pulse faintly underfoot.

But the designs weren't the horrifying part. Blood was.

The entire platform was soaked with it.

No corpses remained, no bodies to explain it, but the stone was painted red, as if an army had been butchered here not long ago.

Sam's eyes narrowed. And then he saw it.

Far ahead, at the other end of the platform, a lone figure stood with its back turned to him.

Sam's stance shifted instantly, his sword sliding into position.

This had to be the boss of the [Maze of the Damned].

At the same time, his gaze flicked to the surroundings.

Darkness stretched endlessly, but it wasn't still.

It rippled like black waves, alive and aware.

And just as Sam took his first step forward—

Fwish!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

A soul-shaking wail ripped through the void, tearing into his ears and rattling his bones.

The ground quaked, the platform shuddered, and the figure ahead finally turned.

In its hands, it held the body of a freshly slain awakener.

Sam didn't flinch, though unease stirred in his chest.

The figure's eyes snapped to him.

Its small pupils widened in shock, as if it had just recognized something.

And then it tossed the body it was holding into the void without hesitation.

The void swallowed the corpse whole.

A guttural rumble echoed in response, the sound of something vast and monstrous... pleased.

Ding!

[Here we go, Primordial]

[You're not ready =)]

"Whatever."