Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely
Chapter 98: Reaching the end of the Underworld, Cerberus

Chapter 98: Reaching the end of the Underworld, Cerberus

[3 days left.]

Sam dismissed the timer floating in front of him, its cold glow fading into the haze.

He didn’t need a reminder of the ticking clock that loomed over his every move.

The encounter with Asmodeus still echoed within him, and no matter how composed he remained on the outside, there was no denying it, something felt off.

’If you don’t come down there by then, I’ll come to your world myself.’

Those words hadn’t just been a threat. They were a promise.

And that was the problem. It wasn’t as though Asmodeus was restricted.

There was no binding force stopping him from tearing through the barrier between this realm and Earth.

If he wanted to descend upon the cities of humanity and leave only ruin in his path, he could do it.

He just... didn’t.

That silence, that patience, was intentional.

Which meant only one thing. They didn’t want Earth right now. They wanted Sam.

And that realization only made the unease worse.

’Or maybe there are rules that I don’t know about.’

It also meant that what the [Roaring Titan] said was true.

That the Forsaken Realm wasn’t some simple trial to be survived, there was more to it.

"Who said we couldn’t leave?" Sam muttered, recalling the Titan’s words again.

If these Lords could come and go as they pleased... then everything humanity had assumed about the Forsaken Layers was a lie.

But even more than that, more than the danger, the death, the chaos swirling around him, there was something else.

Asmodeus had said something near the end.

That even if Sam managed to clear the "initial" six layers...

Initial. That one word kept repeating in his mind.

Because if those were only the beginning, then the Forsaken Realm wasn’t just a one-time event. It was a gateway.

Sam didn’t know what came after the sixth layer beside the [Universal Stage].

But now, he understood that clearing them wouldn’t be the end.

It would only be the start. And that made everything worse.

Still, Asmodeus had said other things, too. Things about the Primordials.

Sam already knew he was the last of them, that much had been made clear a long time ago.

But the way Asmodeus had spoken... it was almost with familiarity.

Like he’d fought them before. Killed them.

How? How did beings like that die? What wiped them out?

That, more than anything else, was what Sam needed to know.

Because if he didn’t find out... he’d end up the same way.

But that could wait. For now, he had a job to do.

Sam kept moving, his shoes pressing down against the dark earth of the Fourth Layer.

He’d lost the [Forsaken Clone], sure, but it didn’t matter.

His expression didn’t shift. His steps didn’t slow.

If anything, his presence burned hotter than before.

Fwish! Slash!

Three [Abyssal Obliteration] portals floated overhead, each of them merged from three others.

They pulsed with power, constantly firing bullets toward the enemies around him.

Dozens of [Underworld Demons] emerged from the terrain, crawling, snarling, screeching.

None got close. Sam’s movements were automatic, calculated.

Every step forward was a death sentence for the things surrounding him.

Eventually, though, even he ran out of [Soul].

He didn’t have an infinite supply, not yet, and the portals faded.

So Sam simply drew his primordial sword instead. And kept going.

"Grahhh!"

"Grr...?!"

They were speaking to each other, or trying to.

Sam didn’t understand their words. But he didn’t need to.

[Void Watcher: They are getting more nervous as you advance forward.]

Sam’s eyes didn’t shift. His grip didn’t falter.

He just kept killing. Over and over.

Eventually, he reached a second platform, a new zone within the layer.

The terrain changed slightly, and with it, the monsters.

Ding!

[You have reached the "Second Underworld Island."]

---

[Hell Wolves (Boosted)]

[Level: 50]

[Description: Wolves made of dark flames. Will do anything to devour you.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Doesn’t matter.]

---

Fwish! Slash!

Gone.

---

[Fire Snake (Boosted)]

[Level: 50]

[Description: Snakes made of black flames. They exist to kill.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: They know they’re going to die. Keep pushing forward.]

---

Slash!

Gone too.

Sam advanced steadily, unshaken. The gate leading to the next layer was getting closer.

And these enemies, even at level fifty, weren’t the reason this place was feared.

Everyone knew why it took years to clear this layer. The boss.

And now, Sam was about to see the version boosted by Asmodeus.

Eventually...

Ding!

[You have entered the "Gate Island."]

He arrived at the final zone. The gate towered before him, silent and still.

A monolithic door of dark obsidian, its surface marked with ancient runes.

It was the only way forward. And standing between him and it...

ROOOARRRR!

A thunderous roar shook the air. Sam instantly took his stance, eyes locking forward.

A wall of black flames erupted, forming a massive circle.

And from below...

BOOM!

A beast rose from the depths, landing before the gate like a sentinel from hell.

Sam saw it clearly now.

"...Oh," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "I should’ve expected that."

---

[Cerberus, The Gate Guardian (Black Flames Form)]

[Level: 50]

[Description: The boss of this layer. Its roars can shake any awakener. Its strength rivals even those in the peak of Master Rank. Currently in its strongest form.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The normal one’s bad. This one’s worse. Be careful.]

---

Cerberus stood like a nightmare made real.

Its entire body pulsed with violet-black flame. It wasn’t just covered in it, it was made of it.

Its fur burned like a moving inferno, and its three monstrous heads growled in unison, each one with crimson eyes that locked onto Sam.

Its fangs were like spears, dripping molten saliva, and its size was no joke either.

At least ten meters tall, maybe more. Sam stared, unflinching.

Why did the guilds took so long to beat this thing? The answer came immediately.

ROOOOARRRRRRRRR!

All three heads opened wide and let out a roar so powerful that the entire zone shook.

Sam shielded his face instinctively.

Ding!

[You have been inflicted with "Doom"...]

"Oh," he muttered, understanding instantly. "I get it now."

[...But nothing happened. Kill those dogs.]

Sam lowered his hand slowly. Now it made sense. The boss itself wasn’t unbeatable.

A well-coordinated team might’ve worn it down.

Even in its weaker form, it was a challenge, but not impossible.

But the moment "Doom" entered the fight? It became a massacre.

One roar, and all the awakeners were paralyzed.

Sam had never felt fear since entering this realm.

But he’d seen what "Doom" could do, back when he fought Leon the Berserker.

Cerberus took a step forward, its three heads snarling, each one burning with hatred.

But Sam didn’t move. Because if he struggled to this trash-tier gatekeeper, he’d never survive what came next.

He’d never kill Asmodeus. He’d never learn the truth.

[Knowing that this is only the beginning fills you with determination.]

’Determination,’ Sam thought, a faint smirk forming. ’That word...’

And then—

GAZE OF THE PRIMORDIAL!

His eyes snapped open, and crimson spirals appeared in them, infinite, abyssal, terrifying.

Cerberus met his gaze. And froze.

[You have inflicted "Doom" on Cerberus.]

Sam’s smirk widened, slow and deliberate.

"So you weren’t immune, huh..." He raised his sword, letting it glow with his power, "You’re in my way."