Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 228

Chapter 228: The Third Guilty Trial, Determination
As soon as Sam moved toward the third tower’s gate and stepped through it, the world around him shifted once more.

In an instant, he was transported for the third and final time to another location.

His eyes opened, sharp and focused, and he quickly scanned the space around him.

‘Same chamber as expected but… different trial.’

The room was almost identical to the previous two, a vast circular chamber made of black stone and faintly glowing lines carved across the floor.

A low hum vibrated through the air, steady and cold.

Sam took a step forward.

Ding!

Panels appeared in front of his eyes with a sudden flash of light.

[Judgment Trial #3: Will…]

“Oh?”

Finally, something he could recognize by name.

But of course the panels weren’t done.

Beep!

[Primordial has already been found guilty, trial will change for the worse.]

Ding!

[Trial has been changed.]

[Guilty Trial #3: Determination]

Sam scratched his chin as he read the words.

“Doesn’t that mean the same thing, though?”

Another panel answered almost immediately.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Hell no, never compare the two!]

“Hm.”

[Description: The determination of the guilty is much stronger than any others’. That is why the primordials hold that power the most among all.]

Sam stared at the glowing text and let the words sink in.

The judges were clearly saying that primordials carried a will far stronger than any other race.

That their guilt fed their strength.

That their determination came from violence and chaos.

Sam didn’t know the full history of the primordials, but he could guess.

They were probably a race that spread destruction wherever they went.

A race that brought ruin as easily as breathing.

But he didn’t care.

Their past meant nothing to him.

Even his [Primordial Clone], if left alone, would probably choose to kill and destroy everything.

The only being it listened to was Sam.

Everyone else was irrelevant.

A new panel appeared.

[To pass this trial, you simply need… to kill yourself.]

“…”

[And by that, we mean a version of yourself.]

“Oh.”

Sam read the words and tilted his head slightly.

He was actually ready to kill himself if that was truly what the trial required.

If it meant clearing this tower quickly, he would do it without hesitation.

But of course it couldn’t be that simple.

Fwish!

The chamber trembled as dark energy gathered at its center.

This tower contained only this single room.

No corridors.

No hidden doors.

Everything would happen here.

Sam’s eyes narrowed as the energy condensed and began to form a figure.

An entity was being summoned.

‘Ah, shit. Here we go again.’

But this time it wasn’t a demon.

The shape solidified into a figure Sam immediately recognized.

It was himself.

A perfect clone of Sam stood in the middle of the chamber, its crimson eyes burning with the same cold fire as his own.

He instantly understood what the panel had meant.

This was the “version of yourself” he needed to kill.

Another panel flickered to life.

[If you want to have even an ounce of redemption in your soul, then you’ll allow this being to kill you.]

“…”

[Start!]

So that was the real meaning.

The trial gave him two choices.

He could kill this copy, which was literally a version of himself.

Or he could do nothing and let it kill him, which would also mean killing himself in a twisted way.

The judges wanted to see which path he would take.

But to Sam, this was probably the easiest trial of them all.

After all, he possessed [Determination is Fuel].

Dying here wouldn’t end anything for him.

No matter what, he would return.

The clone began to walk forward.

Its eyes glowed brighter as it raised a sword identical to Sam’s own.

The real Sam stood calmly, watching.

His [Primordial Clone] remained silent at his side, making no move to attack.

It was leaving the choice entirely to him.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The choice should be obvious, though… right? =)]

“Agreed,” Sam said quietly, his voice flat.

He stood unmoving, expression blank.

[Haha, I see you decided to die!]

[Looks like you still have a bit of redemption in your soul.]

[Surprising, but… it won’t matter.]

The fake Sam closed the distance, lifting its sword high above its head.

The crimson glow in its eyes burned like fire.

Slash!

“…I’m not falling for that.”

In the instant before the blade came down, Sam moved.

He struck first, his primordial clone moving with him.

Their combined attack cut through the fake Sam in a single fluid motion.

The blade sliced the clone cleanly in half.

Dark energy erupted and shattered into sparks before fading into nothing.

Sam lowered his weapon, his face calm and cold.

He didn’t know why, but something deep inside told him that letting the clone kill him was the wrong choice.

More than that, he simply refused to allow it.

Dying in such a way would make him feel weak.

Helpless.

That was unacceptable.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Good =)]

The primordial clone’s grin widened, crimson eyes glinting with satisfaction as if pleased with Sam’s decision.

The chamber trembled.

The atmosphere shifted, heavy and strange, as though the world itself was reacting to his choice.

Ding!

A sharp sound echoed through the slowing air.

But it wasn’t the normal chime of trial completion. Not yet.

The world around Sam began to slow even further, every sound stretching into a deep silence.

An overwhelming pressure filled his chest.

New panels appeared in front of him, glowing with a power that felt far heavier than any he had seen before.

[The second step to the “Forsaken” path has been completed.]

[Only one more =).]

“Huh?”

Sam blinked, eyes narrowing as he read the message.

This was something entirely new.

This wasn’t part of the trial.

The weight of the words pressed against his mind, sharp and undeniable.

It was the most powerful panel he had ever seen.

‘But wait… I never even saw the first step panel.’

The thought cut through his confusion like a blade.

If this was the second step, then the first must have already happened without his knowledge.

That meant only one more remained.

One more move, and he would fully enter the [Forsaken] path.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Good. This is the true call of every primordial. This is the only right path.]

“Hm…”

Sam exhaled slowly, steadying himself.

The glowing panels faded one by one, leaving only silence.

Time began to flow normally again.

The chamber returned to its dark stillness.

‘I guess we should have expected that.’

Another panel flickered briefly.

[You just won’t let yourself go down.]

[Not unexpected.]

The judges didn’t sound surprised.

Perhaps they had hoped he would surrender, but they knew better.

Ding!

[You have completed the final guilty trial!]

[Verdict: Death.]

Sam let a faint smirk curl across his face.

“Heh.”

The sound echoed through the silent chamber, cold and sharp, carrying his quiet defiance into the dark.