ROOOOARRRR!
The spirit of the [Rune Dragon] erged with the exact sa appearance as the original.
Its body, size, eyes, even the shape of its horns—everything mirrored the true beast.
That was why the monsters recognized it imdiately and began trembling in fear.
The only difference... was that this dragon was not made of flesh and blood.
It was forged from Sam’s aura. From his very soul and the affinities tied to it.
Its body shimred in a dark, molten crimson, burning with the pure essence of [Hatred] Affinity.
Black swirls trailed across its scales, tracing sharp patterns that pulsed with his [Shadow] Affinity.
Blazing orange veins ran across its wings, revealing the [Chaos] boiling within.
And its glowing eyes, outlined with streaks of silver light, radiated the overwhelming [Void].
Just as the skill had described, those very affinities were not just decorations. They were its power source.
Each affinity poured into the dragon, fueling it endlessly, amplifying its strength far beyond what any ordinary monster on this floor could handle.
The mont the surrounding monsters charged toward Sam, thinking they could overwhelm him with numbers—
Fwish! BOOM!
ROOOOARRRRRR!
The [Rune Dragon] didn’t waste ti.
With a burst of violet fire, it activated its embedded rune, unleashing a breath of pure destruction—its deadly [Rune Flas].
The torrent of magical flas surged out like a tidal wave, crashing through everything in its path.
Screeches rang out as the monsters on the floor were engulfed.
Most were instantly vaporized. Their bodies didn’t even get a chance to fall.
Those that sohow survived were left wounded, twitching, so crawling... paralyzed by the intensity of the attack.
The dragon didn’t wait.
Its wings flared open, and in a single movent, it summoned the [Runic Blades], dozens of them.
The blades hovered in the air for a second before locking onto the surviving monsters like guided missiles.
Then, like a storm of silver streaks, they shot forward.
SHIK! SHIK! SHIK!
And just like that... silence.
The entire second floor had been cleared.
Not a single monster remained. Sam lowered his arm.
"Good job," he said calmly, nodding once.
The [Rune Dragon] turned its massive head and looked at him.
A mont of stillness passed between them.
Then the spirit gave a slow nod in return before dissolving into particles of crimson, black, orange, and silver, seeping back into Sam’s body.
Unlike [Forsaken Clone], the [Primordial Spirits] didn’t co with a cooldown.
As long as they didn’t die in battle, Sam could summon them as often as he wanted.
And since this [Rune Dragon] was a boss spirit, it wasn’t just any monster.
It had natural strength that outclassed most creatures.
But now, with Sam as its master, the boost it received from his affinities made it even more powerful.
In fact, this summoned spirit might’ve been even stronger than the original version of the Rune Dragon itself.
Sam expected so kind of snarky comnt from Jevil, maybe a laugh or a dramatic clap like before.
But nothing ca. Sam just shrugged.
"Oh well."
He raised his sword.
Dozens of dark tendrils extended from the blade, slithering across the blood-soaked floor.
They darted toward the monster corpses, pierced their chests, and extracted the cores one by one.
Each core was dragged back to Sam’s sword, absorbed instantly upon contact.
Power surged into him.
Then—
Ding!
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 10 of the Expert Rank!]
Followed by another notification:
Ding!
[You have reached the maximum level of the Expert Rank!]
[You may now go through an advancent task to reach Master Rank.]
Finally.
After everything he’d been through, Sam had reached the threshold.
He didn’t waste ti.
He imdiately looked around, and just like on the first floor, a white portal had appeared, hovering at the center of the room, pulsing with soft light.
It was the signal. The gateway forward.
Another step deeper into the [Rune Tower].
"Just how deep does this tower even go..." Sam thought, eyes narrowing.
Every layer had its own chanic.
Its own challenge. Its own madness.
The [First Layer] was essentially a tutorial.
Its gimmick was that everyone had to go in blind.
The [Second Layer]’s was the [Black Sun], which corrupted awakeners if they stayed under its rays for too long.
The [Third Layer] was defined by the echo of the [Roaring Bell].
The [Fourth Layer] had the flas of Asmodeus and the deadly [Doom] effect of Cerberus.
As for the [Fifth Layer]... that one belonged to Jevil.
And that ant it would be the worst one so far.
Still, Sam was determined. The deeper he went, the closer he got to Jevil.
And the more ground he covered, the stronger the [Forsaken Lords] beca.
But it didn’t matter. Jevil was no different from the rest. Just another wall to break through.
Even if Sam didn’t know what Jevil looked like, he could feel it.
The aura he’d sensed earlier... that overwhelming pressure...
It was strong enough to destroy the entire northern region of the continent.
And frankly, Sam wasn’t even sure he could beat him. But he had to try.
He stepped forward.
Ding!
[Chosen Difficulty: Hell]
[Generating appropriate advancent task...]
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Just silence.
Then, finally:
[You will be given the hardest advancent task possible. Surpass their determination.]
Another chi followed instantly.
Ding!
[SSS-Ranked Advancent Task: Kill Jevil, The Card Jester.]
Sam stared at the panel and exhaled slowly.
"Of course," he muttered with a smirk. "I expected that anyway."
Clearing the Fifth Layer wasn’t the issue. It was Jevil that made it hell.
And according to what he had seen before, Sam probably couldn’t reach the [Sixth Layer] unless he killed the Forsaken Lord guarding this one.
Which ant he had no choice. He had to face Jevil head-on.
Still, the faster Sam dealt with it, the faster he’d grow. That was all that mattered.
He reminded himself of the bigger goal, the six-month limit given by the ten beings after their appearance.
Ti was moving, and Sam needed to stay ahead.
He was confident he’d be able to reach and clear the [Sixth Layer] within the given ti.
The real question was... How strong could he beco before those six months were up?
Because once the six layers were completed, that would mark the end of the "First Part" of the [Forsaken] realm.
And the start of sothing much bigger. The [Universal Stage].
The climax that all seven worlds had been preparing for decades.
It was then that Sam suspected the "Primordial" inside him would matter more than ever before.
But that wasn’t now. Right now, Sam had to focus on climbing this tower.
Clearing his advancent task ant entering the [Master Rank] and unlocking a new milestone reward.
Not only that, it would give him a brand-new affinity. He couldn’t waste this chance.
So, with calm steps, Sam walked toward the glowing white portal and jumped in without hesitation.
The world around him shifted. When he landed, he found himself in a new area.
[You have entered the "Third Floor" of the "Rune Tower."]
The room looked familiar, sa walls, sa ceiling, sa formation.
Which ant... he wasn’t at the top yet. There were more floors to go.
That alone confird it, this tower probably went for at least five floors. Maybe even ten.
For Sam, that was fine. He could handle it.
But for other awakeners? This was hell.
Even worse than Cerberus. Worse than his [Doom] status effect.
This layer wasn’t only about strength. It was a test of endurance.
Keeping your [Stamina] up, watching your [Soul] capacity, and pushing through battles while conserving enough energy for the next room...
This would destroy most people.
As for the [Sixth Layer]... Sam didn’t even want to think about it.
Just the idea of what waited there sent a chill through his spine.
He didn’t know what that creature was. He had never seen it. Never t it.
But deep in his soul, he could feel it watching. Always watching. Waiting.
But even then... Sam would climb. He would win. No matter what stood in his way.
Ding!
[Third Floor: Defeat the horde.]
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