Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Thunder Strike Skill, Special Seventh Mission
Sam poured his mana into the mystery box, eyes flaring with focus.

Click!

[Reward owner detected.]

Ding!

The mystery box began to flare with light.

[Primordial has been detected.]

[Giving a reward befitting of Determination…]

Fwish! Fwish!

The small cube lifted off the ground, spinning faster and faster as light pulsed from its surface.

Its glow intensified with every turn, the air vibrating around it.

The cube’s edges began to twist, its perfect shape bending as if reality itself couldn’t contain what was inside.

The light grew so bright that Sam had to narrow his eyes.

And then—

[What do you wish for, more than anything?]

“Huh?”

The mystery box froze in midair.

It had been seconds away from exploding into its final reward, but everything suddenly stopped.

This was new. It was the first time something like this had ever happened.

Usually, the box would read his intentions directly, choosing a reward that matched his deepest desires.

But now… it was asking him directly what he wanted?

“Hm.”

Sam’s mind raced. If it was asking, then his answer would probably decide the outcome.

The reward would likely change depending on what he said.

That meant he needed to be careful, very careful.

But in the end…

“Power,” he said without hesitation. “Enough to destroy everything in my way.”

There was no doubt in his voice. No pause.

That was the only thing that mattered to him.

If he had enough power, everything would have already been over long ago.

He wouldn’t need to struggle.

He wouldn’t need to fight.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the mystery box burst apart.

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have received an incredible skill from the “Mystery Box”!]

A small grin touched Sam’s lips.

‘Heh.’

Power could only mean one thing: skills.

And if the box had reacted that strongly, it meant he’d chosen right.

A golden panel appeared before him with a radiant glow.

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for receiving the special skill “Thunder Strike” from the “Mystery Box”!]

Sam immediately opened the skill panel.

If this skill had even a fraction of the destructive force that [Supernova] had when fully evolved, it could change everything.

He had never used [Supernova] since he hadn’t found the right chance, but its raw potential had always lingered in his mind.

If “Thunder Strike” could approach that level… it would definitely improve his odds of survival.

—

[Thunder Strike]

[Tier: 2]

[Rank: Forsaken]

[Description: Summon a massive thunder strike from the heavens to strike your opponent, with a massive chance to affect them with “Confusion” and “Suppression”.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: =)]

—

“Oh?”

Sam raised an eyebrow as he read the description carefully.

The raw power of the attack was impressive enough, but what caught his attention most were the added effects.

[Confusion] and [Suppression].

Two status effects in one strike. That was rare. Very rare.

‘But if it evolves… maybe it can reach the final forms of those effects,’ he thought, a small grin forming.

He recalled the list of known status evolutions.

He knew most of them by now, except a few.

—

[Fear → Terror → Doom]

[Confusion → ??? → ???]

[Suppression → ??? → Nullification]

—

He didn’t know what came after [Confusion], but if this skill could one day evolve to inflict the strongest forms of both those effects, it would become a terrifying weapon.

Something that could cripple even the Monarchs.

Overall, Sam was pleased. He had gained something truly powerful.

Still, he needed to stay cautious.

Every new skill came with unknowns, and this one was no exception.

He dismissed the glowing panel and looked up.

The wall of green flames before him burned steadily, the [Sixth Barrier].

Beyond it lay the [Seventh Zone], the final one.

Just as he stepped closer, another notification appeared.

‘Here it is.’

Ding!

[Mission #7: Beat the—]

But before it could fully finish, the text froze.

Sam blinked.

‘What?’

The panel flickered once, then twice, and suddenly the green hue drained away.

In its place spread a dark crimson color, pulsing faintly.

Sam frowned. He had never seen this happen before.

Not once during the previous six missions.

This wasn’t part of the system’s normal process.

It looked… like something was being overwritten.

A few seconds later, new text appeared.

[Special Mission #7: Slaughter the other last two =)]

“…”

Sam didn’t need to think long.

The “last two” could only mean one thing, the remaining Monarchs.

He had already killed three out of five. Only two remained.

And now he was being ordered to finish the job. But this wasn’t just a normal mission.

It was labeled “special.” That alone made his instincts flare.

Something about this felt wrong.

Like something, or someone, was forcing the system to obey a different will.

“Did it actually overwrite the mission…? But what did?”

He wanted to ask [Hell-Mode Analysis], but—

[Proceed =)]

That was all it said. No explanation or reaction.

It almost felt… amused. As if it had expected this outcome from the start.

Sam clenched his fists.

He didn’t understand what was going on, but it didn’t matter.

The mission was there, and he had no choice but to complete it.

‘I guess I should go back now.’

By “back,” he meant to the corpse of the [Darkness Monarch].

He always collected something from each Monarch he defeated—an artifact, essence, or remnant.

Something of value.

This time, he hadn’t seen anything yet, but he wanted to be sure before moving on.

He took a step forward, preparing to head toward the Monarch’s fallen body—

Fwish!

A sudden crimson tendril burst out from his primordial sword.

It stabbed into the ground like a living thing, rippling as it sank deeper.

“Huh?”

Sam’s brows furrowed.

He hadn’t commanded it to do anything.

He waited, wary, as seconds ticked by.

Ten seconds. Fifteen. Then, he felt a pull.

The tendril retracted from the ground, sliding back toward him. But it wasn’t alone.

Something was clutched in its coiled form, a dark object radiating a corrupted energy.

It hovered before him for a moment before dropping gently into his hand.

A dark tendril, pulsing faintly with shadow.

Sam inspected it immediately.

—

[Tendril of Darkness]

[Rank: Primordial]

[Description: The “Tendril of Darkness” allows its wielder to control the darkness. It is proof that someone has defeated the “Darkness Monarch.”]

—

“Oh well,” Sam muttered, “I guess I didn’t need to look.”

He slipped the [Tendril of Darkness] into his spatial inventory, but his gaze lingered on the sword.

It had acted on its own.

And not just that, it had somehow located and retrieved the Monarch’s artifact.

That was new. He hadn’t known it could do that.

First the mission change. Now this.

Too many strange things were happening in too short a time.

Sam sighed quietly and turned his attention back to the green barrier. Enough for now.

He needed to regroup and prepare before heading into the final zone.

The [Forsaken Kingdom] would be the best place for that.

He was still at Level 9 of the Forsaken rank, just one level away from breaking through.

He needed that last level before tackling the [Seventh Zone].

Unfortunately, every monster in the [Sixth Zone] was dead. They had all been wiped out earlier.

That meant he’d have to wait for them to respawn before grinding experience again.

For now, returning made more sense.

He opened his [Realm Map], the panel appearing and showing the map of the entire [Upper] realm.

His destination was already marked.

‘And I’ll use that [Skill Evolution Scroll] on my new skill too,’ he thought.