Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely
Chapter 99: Conquering the Fourth Layer, New Milestone

Chapter 99: Conquering the Fourth Layer, New Milestone

[You have inflicted "Doom" on Cerberus.]

The massive three-headed beast froze.

Each head, once snarling with fury, had suddenly locked its gaze on Sam, and didn’t move. Not a twitch. Not a breath.

Even in this empowered form, even with the black flames of Lord Asmodeus coursing through its monstrous body, it still felt fear.

A fear... that surpassed even the one it felt against Asmodeus.

Cerberus tried to move. It screamed at its limbs to strike, to leap, to attack. To do something.

But nothing happened. Its body didn’t respond.

It truly couldn’t do anything, for right in front of it, was a being worse than any demon.

Sam’s crimson gaze burned, the spirals within his irises glowing with ancient, buried fury.

His sword began to glow, and without hesitation, he started to charge his next attack.

Charged Crescent Slash!

’Good,’ Sam thought as his energy flared, ’I can charge a little faster now.’

Just a little over two seconds, that’s all it took.

Before, it would’ve taken three, maybe even four, to gather the required power.

But with enemies like Cerberus and Lords like Asmodeus waiting ahead, even that was too long.

He needed more speed. More control. More raw force. And he was getting there.

The moment the final sliver of power surged into the blade, Sam launched the attack.

A crescent of burning energy tore through the air, aimed directly at Cerberus’ center head.

Fwish!

But just as the attack was about to land—

[The "Doom" effect has been removed.]

Cerberus moved. Fast. Too fast for a creature that large.

BOOM!

It jerked one of its heads to the side at lightning speed, dodging the attack partially.

SLASH!

But the crescent blade still connected, tearing through the rightmost head, slicing it clean off.

The head hit the ground, charred and smoking.

ROOOARRRRRRRR! ROOOOARRRRR!

Cerberus screamed, pain erupting from the open neck of its missing head.

It didn’t matter if it had two left, the damage was done.

Sam stood firm, unfazed.

’One down. Two to go.’

Cerberus roared again, louder this time. A shockwave followed.

Ding!

[You have been inflicted with "Doom"... But nothing happened.]

ROOOARRRR!

[You have been inflicted with "Doom"... But nothing happened.]

Again and again it tried.

But Sam didn’t even blink. The status meant nothing to him now.

And he was done waiting.

FWOOSH!

He surged forward.

His movements blurred as he closed the distance, slashing away at the incoming claws and ducking under waves of fire that scorched the air.

He lifted his free hand and activated [Sovereign Inferno], sending his own flames crashing forward, meeting Cerberus’ fire head-on.

BOOM!

The collision of fire and will shook the entire island.

But Cerberus wasn’t just any beast now, the power from Asmodeus had changed it. Boosted it. Corrupted it.

Its two remaining heads opened wide and poured out black fire even stronger than before.

’Tch,’ Sam narrowed his eyes. ’So Asmodeus gave them a big buff... should’ve expected that.’

He hadn’t been gone more than an hour since meeting the Forsaken Lord.

But it already felt like Asmodeus had been preparing for this battle for years.

That wasn’t just raw power being added. That was calculated rage. A hate that had grown over time.

But Sam didn’t care.

After all, he wasn’t the villain here, was he?

He was just the last of a dead kind. Fighting to survive.

[Keep going.]

He didn’t need to hear more.

Fwish! Slash!

He dodged a claw aimed for his head and vaulted into the air.

His sword gleamed under the sky as he spun, and then, without hesitation—

SLASH!

The left head of Cerberus was sliced off in a clean, violent arc.

ROOOOARRR!

The final head howled.

Though, Sam could sense a deep fear in it: it was starting to be scared of whatever its opponent was.

Asmodeus probably told it, and all the other monsters, just how terrifying a Primordial could be, but... he hadn’t told them what the final Primordial would be like.

Even they didn’t know the truth. Even they didn’t know what Sam Walker had become.

Cerberus, bleeding from two stumps and reeling from its clash with the flames, tried one last time to push back.

But it was over.

Fwish! SLASH!

Sam didn’t hesitate.

With a final, brutal strike, the last head was cleaved from the monster’s body.

BOOM!

The beast collapsed, its body slamming into the scorched ground as black smoke poured from its wounds.

Dead. Completely.

Sam exhaled once through his nose.

"Weak," he muttered, eyes still glowing faintly.

There wasn’t anger in his tone. No pride. Just cold truth.

He lowered his sword... and then paused as the tendrils rushed toward the body.

Three cores came out from Cerberus’ body, one from each head, still glowing with residual heat.

’So each head was linked to a core,’ Sam thought, ’That’s why they could move even after one of their heads was cut off.’

The mouth on the hilt of his sword opened wide, almost instinctively.

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

All three cores were absorbed.

Sam wasn’t even surprised anymore. The sword had devoured countless things by now, and each time it grew more powerful. Each time, he did too.

He could’ve stopped to think about it. He wanted to ask what the hell this sword really was.

But there were too many mysteries already.

He didn’t have time to solve them all.

His only focus, the only thing that mattered, was moving forward. And getting stronger.

The power surged through him. He felt it instantly.

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 5 of the Expert Rank!]

Sam grinned.

Creeeaaakkkk...

A groaning sound echoed through the island.

He turned his head, and there it was. The gate Cerberus had been guarding... it was opening.

Ding!

[Sam Walker has defeated the boss of the "Fourth Layer". The gate to the "Fifth Layer" is now open!]

The message appeared, even though no one else was here to see it. Just him.

Sam glanced beyond the opening gate. A blinding light poured from within, the path to the Fifth Layer.

But he didn’t walk through it just yet.

Instead, he brought his attention back to his system.

Level 5 meant he had reached a new milestone in his rank.

Ding!

[Your Shadow, Chaos, Void and Hatred affinities clash with each other.]

[You have a choice once more:]

Sam’s eyes narrowed.

’Here we go.’

[1. Receive a normal skill right now, and then another after your advancement task, like usual (Shadow Affinity)]

[2. Receive a powerful ability at level 10 right after your advancement task (Chaos Affinity)]

[3. Receive no skill, but instead gain 10 permanent attributes points on your Strength, Agility, and Constitutions, and 20 points for Soul (Void Affinity)]

The first three options were familiar. They were always there.

He’d seen them and even chosen them before.

But his focus wasn’t on those.

It was the fourth one he cared about. The one tied to [Hatred].

Even now, Sam couldn’t deny it, [Hatred] was probably his strongest affinity.

And yet... it had done almost nothing so far. Not once had his [Stars of Hatred] class skill triggered.

It was like the affinity itself was holding back.

But still... Sam was curious.

He wanted to see what the milestone reward for [Hatred] would be.

So he opened the fourth option.