Fwish!
After only a few seconds of being pulled through a twisting vortex that felt both weightless and crushing at the sa ti, Sam landed in another location and stumbled forward as the ground stabilized under his feet.
The air around him was heavier than anything he had ever breathed in the [Lower Realm] or the [Upper Realm], a thick atmosphere that pressed against his skin and seeped into his lungs with every slow inhale.
And...
Ding!
[You have entered the "Soul Realm"]
Sam had actually arrived at his destination, and now that he was here, he knew he could not leave this place again no matter what happened.
He took a calm breath and looked around, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness until shapes slowly ca into focus.
He realized he was standing at the very back of a cave, in the farthest and deepest point from the entrance, surrounded by jagged stone walls that pulsed faintly with an eerie glow.
"...?"
Sam straightened himself and scanned the space more carefully.
There was nothing behind him except solid rock.
The only path available was the one leading forward, deeper toward the faint trace of light far ahead.
’I guess this cave is the spawn location of the [Soul Realm],’ Sam thought while taking a slow step forward. ’But I really wonder what this realm has to offer.’
He was eager to leave the cave and explore whatever waited beyond these walls, but right as he began to walk...
Ding!
A series of panels began materializing around him, appearing one by one in a silent formation that floated in the air.
Much like the [Upper Realm], this place apparently needed to explain its rules to him before allowing him to take another step.
Because no matter how much the entire realm wanted him dead, every layer of [Forsakened] still followed rules, and he knew these rules would decide his fate.
And so, while continuing forward, Sam began to read the panels that ford steadily around him like a cold welcoming committee.
[You cannot leave the "Soul Realm" until the "King" is dead.]
’Makes sense.’
Unlike the [Upper Realm], which had thrown missions at him nonstop, the [Soul Realm] seed to have only one final purpose.
This place was the last battlefield, a direct showdown between the [King] and the [True Primordial].
If either one killed the other, they would be free.
Sam still wondered why the [King], who was apparently the strongest being across every realm, never broke the rules to act however he wanted, but maybe even the [King] was bound by the system more tightly than anyone knew.
[The "Soul Realm" is a large open-world with many opportunities (and mostly dangers), you can explore it and do pretty much whatever you want.]
[That is all.]
"Huh."
[You can do whatever you want.]
[You won’t survive long enough for us to care anyway.]
Sam let out a tired exhale as all the panels blinked out of existence at once, leaving him alone again in the dim passage.
It really seed like there were no rules here beyond survival and death, which ant that now he simply had to discover how this new "world" worked.
After about ten minutes of walking forward, he spotted a faint slope leading upward, and the soft glow of actual daylight spilled down from above.
It was finally the exit.
There were no other awakeners anywhere in the area, which made Sam realize how empty this place truly was.
Unless there were creatures or natives living within the [Soul Realm] already, he would be completely alone the mont he stepped outside this cave.
It didn’t bother him all that much, but after spending so much ti in the [Forsaken Kingdom] surrounded by thousands of awakeners, the idea of complete solitude felt strange.
[Wait.]
Sam stopped right as he reached the edge of the cave exit and saw a familiar crimson panel floating before him.
[We might get killed the mont we step out.]
Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It was a valid warning, and he knew the [Hell-Mode Analysis] never exaggerated.
The [Colossals] and the [King] had watched his every move up to this point, and this entire realm was under their full control.
If they found him, they would destroy him instantly, and Sam knew that with his current strength, he was nowhere near ready to face them head-on.
But still...
’I can’t stay in this cave forever,’ Sam thought with a tightening expression. ’I have to get stronger no matter what it takes.’
Maybe he would regret stepping outside, perhaps within seconds.
But he had chosen this path willingly, and once he made the choice, there was no turning back.
Still, seeing the warning reminded him to check one more thing.
His [Advancent Task]. And imdiately, new panels ford in front of him.
Ding!
[You have completed your Forsaken Rank advancent task: Reach the "Soul Realm"]
[Performance Rating: You shouldn’t have completed it / SSS]
"Hm."
Ding!
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for advancing to Immortal Rank!]
"Finally."
It had taken a long ti, but Sam had finally reached [Immortal] rank.
After this rank would co the [Eternal] rank, and after completing that, he would be at the very top of all existence.
But more importantly, with a new rank ca one of the most important things: a new milestone reward and a new affinity.
And right on cue...
Ding!
[Make your choice, Primordial.]
---
[Choose between 3 skills (Shadow Affinity)]
[Gain 10 stats to your Strength, Agility, and Constitution, and 20 to your Soul (Void Affinity)]
[Gain no skill now, but instead you must fill the "Hatred Bar" before reaching Level 5 to gain an extrely powerful skill (Hatred Bar)]
[You take a massive gamble and imdiately receive an "ability" right now. It could be a god-like ability that makes you invincible, or sothing that cripples you. It is all up to luck (Oblivion Affinity)]
[Face the "Scales of Judgnt" and receive a skill/ability based on your results (Judgnt Affinity)]
---
Just like always, he could not select his [Chaos] or [Ti] affinities because they required him to receive the ability after the advancent task was completed.
So his options for this milestone were the remaining five.
Sam took his ti and stood in silence, thinking deeply.
’If everything goes perfectly,’ he thought, ’then from my current rank all the way to the very top, I’ll only get five more milestone rewards including this one.’
Five rewards was not much at all.
And while every affinity option he had unlocked so far was powerful in its own way, he needed to choose carefully.
He imdiately ruled out the [Void], [Oblivion], and [Judgnt] affinities.
[Void] was simple.
He did not actually need basic stat boosts anymore.
His [Primordial Sword] had reached a point where pure technique and aura mattered far more than raw stats.
[Plus, it can pretty much one-shot anybody if you get a good hit on them =)]
When he last used [Oblivion], he received [Aura Radar], and his [Judgnt] affinity had given him [Determination Intuition].
Both abilities were extrely useful, but only in specific narrow situations.
Sam needed raw power now.
He needed sothing overwhelming.
If he picked niche abilities, he would not survive in the [Soul Realm].
Which left only two options: [Shadow] or [Hatred].
But Sam already knew the answer.
"Hatred Affinity."
While in this deadly realm, there was a much higher chance that his [Hatred Bar] would fill quickly, giving him access to a powerful affinity skill.
And the abilities granted by the [Hatred] affinity would be much stronger than what he could receive from the [Shadow] affinity.
Fwish!
The mont he selected it, all other panels vanished into thin air.
[We’re beyond the halfway point, yet the hatred hasn’t reached its full potential... keep going.]
A crimson aura rose from beneath his feet, swirling around his body before sinking into his skin in a slow pulse.
[Hatred Bar: 0%]
Now he simply needed to fill it to the maximum before reaching level five, and then he would unlock an extrely powerful ability.
But once that was done, Sam felt the anticipation rise within him again.
Because now ca the part he had waited for the most.
His affinity reveal.
The [Hell-Mode Analysis] had once explained that every primordial had ten affinities total, and the last three they received were the strongest among them all.
And as the [True Primordial], Sam’s final three affinities would be the strongest out of every primordial in existence.
Which made him more eager than ever.
And right as that thought crossed his mind... another panel ford.
It was darker than the others, with streaks of crimson like dried blood running across its surface, and a skull with glowing eyes resting at the top.
’Alright,’ Sam grinned faintly, ’Here we go.’
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