Undyne guided Sam through the corridors of the castle and toward a massive chamber carved deep within its structure, where several soldiers were already training.
The space was enormous, with high ceilings and wide floors reinforced by layers of magic that Sam could feel even without actively focusing on them.
Energy lingered in the air, thick and steady, shaped by countless training sessions that had taken place there over the years.
"You can enter one of the rooms dedicated for that," Undyne said as she gestured toward a series of smaller gates built into the chamber’s walls.
"Nobody will be able to see you inside. Not even the [King]. We made sure of it."
Sam tilted his head slightly, curiosity flashing across his face.
"How?" he asked, "Can’t he see everywhere?"
"No," Undyne replied as she shook her head, "Unlike what you believe, he isn’t omnipotent."
"Huh."
Sam let that sink in for a mont, clearly surprised by the answer.
"It doesn’t matter," Undyne sighed after a second, "Anyway, this is what we use to train all of our soldiers."
Sam glanced around at the figures practicing inside the chamber, watching them clash, dodge, and strike with disciplined precision.
"Why do you even train them," he asked, "if the [Colossals] and the [King] are too strong anyway?"
"Because monsters sotis try to invade our kingdom," Undyne replied calmly, "And when that happens, we still need to defend ourselves."
"...Makes sense," Sam admitted.
Undyne then guided him toward one of the rooms along the chamber’s side.
It was sealed by a small gate, its surface smooth and tallic, with a glowing screen embedded into it.
"You can change all the settings once you’re inside," Undyne explained, "We’ll be watching once in a while."
"M- too," Vyxen added quickly, her eyes sparkling with interest, "You seem strong, and I—I want to see what you can do."
Sam grinned as he heard that.
"Sure," he replied easily.
The gate slid open with a soft chanical sound, and Sam stepped inside.
The mont he crossed the threshold, the gate shut behind him, and the locks sealed with a heavy click.
[This might be the greatest trap in history.]
"Damn," Sam muttered under his breath.
The thought was not entirely a joke.
For a brief mont, Sam genuinely considered the possibility that this room could be designed to kill him over and over again without giving him any chance to fight back.
After all, his greatest weakness had always been clear.
If he were killed repeatedly in a situation where he could do absolutely nothing, then it would be over.
The [Pale Monarch] had already proven that once by trapping him in the [Void].
Sam had only survived that encounter because the monarch eventually allowed him to breathe.
The [Colossal of Light] had done sothing similar, trapping him inside a barrier so absolute that Sam had nearly been erased.
That ti, he had survived only by overcharging the barrier itself.
Both of those enemies had made mistakes.
Their traps had flaws, and Sam had exploited them.
But what if one day he encountered an opponent who combined both cruelty and caution?
Soone with the rciless nature of the [Colossal of Light], who would never allow him even a single mont of respite.
And a trap as absolute as the [Pale Monarch]’s, where Sam would be completely unable to act.
That would be an instant ga over. Worse than that, it would be endless suffering.
He would revive again and again, thousands of tis, until he finally realized that there was nothing he could do to escape.
’I need to be careful,’ Sam thought, ’Or maybe I need a skill that can help deal with situations like that.’
His gaze shifted instinctively toward his [Hatred Bar].
[Hatred Bar: 97%]
"Oh wow," Sam murmured.
"It’s close."
One more real battle would likely fill it completely, allowing him to gain a new ability.
Bang!
The room itself was completely white, smooth from floor to ceiling, with no visible seams or cracks.
At its center stood a single training dummy.
It had no facial features, no expression, and no aura that suggested hostility.
’She said that thing could tank any ability and regenerate forever,’ Sam thought, ’I guess that’s how they train.’
Sam summoned his [Primordial Sword] into his hand, the familiar weight settling into his grip.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward.
Slash!
The blade cut cleanly through the dummy in a single motion, splitting it perfectly in half.
Both halves fell to the ground with a dull thud.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
Fwish!
White fire enveloped the broken pieces, and they slowly fused back together.
Within monts, the dummy stood whole once more, exactly as it had been before.
"Damn," Sam said quietly, "That’s good."
Since he couldn’t use the [Dinsion of Ti] openly anymore, this really was his second-best option for improving himself.
But just as he was about to attack again, Sam suddenly froze.
"Wait a damn minute," he muttered, "Undyne said the [King] can’t see inside this room, right?"
[=)]
Sam’s eyes widened as realization hit him.
A wide grin spread across his face as an idea ford almost instantly.
And at that exact mont—
Dinsion of Ti.
The silver portal of his [Class Skill] appeared in front of him, shimring softly in the empty space.
"Alright," Sam whispered.
"Let’s see."
He stepped forward and cautiously extended his arm toward the portal.
It phased straight through. His eyes lit up. He could enter it.
"AMAZING!"
Sam couldn’t help but laugh in excitent.
The reason he had been unable to use the [Dinsion of Ti] before suddenly made sense.
Its condition required that no one be watching him when he activated it.
He had always assud that the [King] and the [Colossals] were watching him at all tis.
[Your condition with them at the ti was minimal, since you were in other realms.]
[But now that you are in the sa realm as them, you could not use it openly anymore.]
’Makes sense,’ Sam thought.
But this room changed everything. Here, hidden from their sight, he could finally use it again.
One day outside equaled one full week inside the [Dinsion of Ti].
With roughly twenty-two hours left before he would be forced to challenge another [Colossal Beam], that ant sothing incredible.
Sam could train for almost six full days.
Without hesitation—
Fwish.
Sam stepped into the portal.
It vanished a split second later, leaving the room completely empty.
Several minutes passed.
"I forgot to tell you sothing, Sam," Undyne said as she opened the door.
"You can customize the—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
The room was empty.
Only the training dummy stood there, perfectly still.
"...Sam?" Undyne asked cautiously.
"Are you using so kind of invisible skill?"
There was no response.
Sam couldn’t hear her from within the [Dinsion of Ti].
"Queen, is everything okay?" one of the soldiers asked.
"THE ROOM’S EMPTY?!" another shouted, "I KNEW IT WAS A TRAP, RING THE ALARM!"
Panic spread quickly through the chamber.
Leaving the last Primordial unattended felt like a disaster waiting to happen.
But Undyne raised her arm, signaling for silence.
"I trust that being a little more," she said firmly, "I think he’s still here. Just in a way we can’t perceive."
Many of them looked confused, but they trusted Undyne’s judgnt. Slowly, they nodded.
"We’ll return once the ti is over," Undyne announced, "If Sam isn’t here by then, we’ll start looking for him."
"He’s our last hope, after all."
Reviews
All reviews (0)