[I Always Co Back]
[Rank: Forsaken]
[Description: Upon death, the Primordial’s soul is fueled by the their aura and affinities, allowing them to resurrect. Cooldown: 1 day.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Kind of reminds you of sothing...]
---
Sam read the description once. Then again. And again.
The more he looked at it, the wider his grin stretched across his face.
This wasn’t just so ordinary life-saving skill.
It was a full resurrection, tailored to him as the Primordial. A true second chance, no tricks or gimmicks.
Even if he were to die, even if his body were torn apart, he would return.
Back from the dead, with his soul restored through the power of his aura and affinities.
He thought back to his fight against the [Roaring Titan]. That battle had nearly ended him.
Of course, that didn’t an he planned to use it.
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that his [Eternal Barrier] was still his ultimate defense, aning that he would try to finish all his fights before it broke.
But in the rare case that soone actually did manage to kill him? He’d just co back.
Sam leaned back slightly, still grinning, satisfied with what the scroll had given him.
He had a feeling this skill would co in handy later.
With that thought, he opened his status window, realizing it had been a while since he last checked it.
---
[Na: Sam Walker]
[Class: Primordial]
[Guild: Primordial (Leader)]
[Rank: Expert]
[Level: 2]
[Strength: 42 → 44]
[Agility: 41 → 43]
[Constitution: 42 → 44]
[Soul: 82 → 86]
[Affinities: Shadow, Chaos, Void, Hatred][Class Skills: Spatial Inventory, Primordial Evolution, Hell-Mode Analysis, Chaotic Fate, Void Watcher, Stars of Hatred]
[Skills: Primordial Sword Technique (Forsaken), Abyssal Obliteration (Forsaken), Eternal Barrier (Forsaken), Tendrils of Oblivion (Forsaken), Sovereign Inferno (Forsaken), Void Rush (Forsaken), Forsaken Clone (Forsaken), Gaze of the Primordial (Forsaken), I Always Co Back (Forsaken)]
---
His stats had gone up nicely.
His Soul stat especially, now at 86, was far ahead of most awakeners at his level.
Not surprising, considering the nature of his class and the depth of his affinities.
Still, one thing caught his eye: [Stars of Hatred]
It was the most recent class skill he’d unlocked, connected directly to his [Hatred] affinity.
But so far... nothing. It hadn’t activated even once.
He scratched his chin.
"Guess it’s a passive skill... probably only activates under certain conditions," he muttered.
He thought about it for a few seconds, trying to recall a ti when he’d genuinely felt hatred.
But nothing ca to mind. He didn’t hate anything Not yet, anyway. And maybe that was the problem.
"I guess I have to actually feel it," Sam said aloud, before closing the status screen.
Even if he hadn’t triggered it yet, he had a feeling the ti would co.
There were too many enemies out there, too many threats lurking behind layers of the [Forsaken] realm, for him to go through this entire journey without ever being pushed to that edge.
He let the thought go.
And just in ti—
Ding!
[The "Battle Realm" is now over. All participants who won all seven of their battles and survived the "Manhunt" will now be returned to their worlds, retaining their mories.]
Sam crossed his arms as he read the ssage.
He knew the number of humans who’d actually succeeded in clearing the Battle Realm was extrely small.
That explained why there was so little solid information about it, most who entered never ca back.
The few who did? They were imdiately recruited by powerful guilds or the [Awakener Association].
Sam didn’t care about that, though.
The knowledge he’d gained from fighting the elves was more valuable than anything a recruiter could offer.
’If these aren’t even the strongest of the elves, and the other races are much stronger,’ he thought to himself, ’I wonder how much this will go on for.’
He still rembered the way Seraphine had looked at him.
Ding!
[Participants with remaining Battle Tokens will be teleported back to the Battle Castle to finish any final purchases. All others will be returned to their world.]
[Good luck.]
Light engulfed Sam’s body.
Since he’d spent all 500 of his tokens on the scroll, there was nothing left for him to do here.
And just like that, the [Battle Realm] faded away.
...
In the blink of an eye, Sam was standing on solid ground again.
He looked around.
Sa place as before, the cliff he had been on with the girls in the city, overlooking the skyline of buildings and glowing lights.
It had been exactly one week since he’d first entered the [Battle Realm].
His eyes scanned the horizon. The city was alive. Bright.
But even in the face of all that normalcy, Sam felt different.
Stronger, yes, but also more aware of how far they still had to go.
’I beat an [Ascendant] rank awakener,’ he thought. ’That’s good. But it also proved one thing...’
The [Forsaken Lords] were sothing else entirely.
Even now, Sam couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his gut.
Sothing about this whole system, about the way the [Forsaken] realm worked and how the seven races competed, none of it felt right.
And the [Universal Stage]...
He didn’t know why, but every ti he thought of it, the unease in his chest deepened.
Still, worrying wouldn’t get him anywhere right now.
Sam turned away from the cliff and began walking ho.
But instead of taking the long route, he just jumped.
His legs launched him from the cliff’s edge, and he landed on the street below with a heavy thud before dashing forward.
He expected to go ho, get so rest, and prepare for the next step.
But as he approached the area near the [Awakener Association] building, he noticed sothing strange. Celebration.
People were gathered around, cheering, laughing, talking excitedly.
"What’s going on?" Sam muttered.
He caught snippets of conversation as he passed through the crowd.
"LET’S GO! WE’RE ADVANCING!"
"This is so big, I’m so excited to push forward!"
"Don’t get cocky. You’re only on the second layer. Focus on clearing it first."
"Yeah, but with the [Black Sun] gone, clearing it’s a lot easier now!"
"And the third layer too. Ever since the [Roaring Bell] disappeared, more people have been clearing it faster."
Sam frowned.
He looked up at the large screen attached to the side of the [Awakener Association] building.
A massive display with scrolling updates and announcents. And there it was:
[The Fourth Layer has been conquered by several guilds! Humanity advances!]
His eyes narrowed.
"...They actually did it?" he muttered.
It didn’t seem possible.
Just a week ago, humanity was struggling to get through the fourth layer, it seed completely out of reach.
But sohow, during the ti he was inside the [Battle Realm]... they’d managed to push through.
The screen continued playing footage of a press conference.
At the center of the feed stood David Union, one of the major guild leaders. He looked ecstatic.
"We’re not going to lie, this was extrely difficult," David said. "But thanks to the increased number of awakeners taking on the fourth layer, we were finally able to overco it!"
Sam watched as David explained that the turning point ca after the [Third Expedition], when more awakeners started challenging the fourth layer in waves.
On top of that, Sam’s defeat of the [Roaring Titan] had removed the [Roaring Bell] chanic from the third layer, making it far easier for others to progress.
"With the new montum," David continued, "we managed to find a thod to counter the fourth layer boss’s passive ability. And now, we’re pushing forward."
He bowed toward the cara.
"We’re working with several guilds to enter the fifth layer. With enough effort, we believe it’s possible."
Sam crossed his arms, watching as the footage ended.
The fifth layer was no joke. Its recomnded minimum was [Ascendant] rank.
But since so many awakeners had been stuck grinding the fourth, a decent number had finally hit that level.
If they really did clear it, that would leave only one more: the [Sixth Layer].
The final challenge of the [Forsaken] realm, or perhaps... only the end of the initial stage.]
Sam chuckled to himself.
"So the elves were wrong after all," he said. "Humanity’s not as weak as they think."
They’d dismissed humanity as inferior. A race that didn’t deserve access to the [Universal Stage].
But things were changing now. Humanity was advancing. Quickly.
Still...
[The bad feeling you had intensified.]
Sam sighed. Of course. Even with progress, there was danger.
The Forsaken Lords still existed. The sub-layers remained unsolved.
And no matter how well humanity did... it was clear that sothing far greater was coming.
Still, Sam pushed that weight off his shoulders for now.
He turned toward ho, his thoughts already shifting to what lay ahead.
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