Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Quit While You’re Ahead, But That Would Be Boring
Sam looked around at the remains of the celestials he had defeated.

The battlefield was silent now, nothing left but ashes, smoke, and the faint shimmer of fading energy where divine bodies had fallen.

Two of them had been burned to nothing by the [Hatred Beam].

The others had been cut down by the [Hatred Sword].

Either way, they were gone, and it was his victory.

Even though he no longer had access to any of his skills or abilities, even though every advantage he had was stripped away, he had still managed to win.

[Disappointing. We should have been able to kill them with our bare fists.]

Sam rolled his eyes at the demon’s voice in his mind.

It was easy for that thing to talk.

Without his [Class Skills] or the strange durability of the [Primordial Clone] that refused to die, this would have been over long ago.

He knew that better than anyone.

“Anyway,” Sam muttered.

Even after killing every last one of them, even after clearing the entire zone, he still hadn’t regained his skills, his abilities, or even the [Primordial Sword].

He clenched his fist slightly, irritation flickering in his eyes.

‘No way it’s permanent, right?’ he thought, trying to reassure himself.

He remembered the message that appeared when he was struck by [Primordial Blocker].

[The high majority of your abilities and skills will now be fully nullified.]

That was all it said.

Nothing about a time limit.

Nothing about recovery.

Nothing about anything coming back.

The thought made his chest tighten a little.

If his skills never returned, if his sword stayed gone, then everything he had worked for would crumble right here.

He wouldn’t be able to move forward.

He wouldn’t be able to complete the [Seventh Mission].

And he wouldn’t even make it to the [Soul Realm].

His journey would end on this battlefield, unfinished, incomplete.

Still, despite it all, Sam smiled faintly.

Because if what the [King] had said was true, then the entire [Upper Realm] had seen this battle.

They had witnessed him fight with nothing, no powers, no sword, and still emerge victorious.

Seraphine and Belle would have seen it too. Everyone would.

All those who thought they had a chance against him would probably reconsider now.

They would think twice before even trying. And that was enough.

He raised his voice, his words echoing through the empty air.

“If anybody thinks they can beat me,” Sam shouted, “then go ahead. We’ll see how long you can last.”

He wasn’t saying it for himself. He already knew where he stood.

He said it for the two girls, because the more afraid the others were of him, the safer they would be.

Now that the world had seen what he could do without power, no one would dare to touch them.

But just as he took a single step forward—

BOOM!

A massive explosion shook the realm.

The shockwave rippled through the plains, and Sam instantly looked up.

What he saw made him narrow his eyes.

Ten colossal figures hovered high above the realm, their eyes glowing like suns as they looked down at him.

[Very good, Primordial.]

[Indeed.]

[Truly entertaining.]

The voices thundered across the sky, shaking the entire realm with each word.

Every awakener froze. They knew those figures.

They had seen them before. The ten colossals, the King’s closest allies.

Their presence alone was enough to make the strongest tremble.

But they didn’t attack. They just stared.

Sam understood immediately.

They weren’t here to fight. They were here to witness.

To observe the outcome of what the King had ordered them to watch.

[Well…]

[We are impressed by how far your determination goes, small one.]

[And indeed, the King was astonished by your victory. He was very pleased.]

[But unfortunately, your journey ends here.]

[Going any further would be death, so complete this realm’s challenges and return to your normal life.]

[You will be able to switch between the two realms once you complete this one.]

[We will not seek you any further.]

Their combined voices reverberated like divine judgment, echoing across the realm for all to hear.

Then, all at once, their eyes flared in unison.

[We hope that this is a farewell.]

And just like that, they were gone.

The sky cleared, the air stilled, and silence fell over the [First Zone].

Sam stood there for a long moment, staring up at the empty sky.

‘They’re actually… letting me go?’

No, not exactly.

They weren’t letting him go: they were warning him to stop.

It was their way of saying he’d done enough, that their little game was over.

They’d had their entertainment, their “show,” and now they were telling him to quit while he was ahead.

The implication was clear.

Sam was the strongest being across both realms. No one could match him.

‘And they also said I’ll be able to go to the [Lower Realm] if I complete this one…’

That was the first time anyone had ever said such a thing.

Once someone entered the [Upper Realm], leaving it was supposed to be impossible.

But now they were telling him that completion meant freedom, free passage between the [Lower] and [Upper] realms.

That changed everything.

[We could travel all seven worlds and enjoy ourselves.]

A new panel appeared before his eyes, and his expression darkened instantly.

[We’re the strongest in the first two realms, meaning nobody will defy us: money, luxury, women, all of it will be ours.]

[And though we’ll be the strongest, we’ll also be able to improve our reputation with all races by simply being “nice.”]

[Isn’t that… so…]

“Nice?” Sam said aloud, finishing the sentence with a grin.

But the grin didn’t reach his eyes.

Deep down, he already knew what word came next.

[…Boring? =)]

“Of course,” Sam sighed.

He could do it. He could live like that if he wanted.

He could take his power, his fame, his status, and use them to rule over everything, living in comfort, pretending everything was fine.

But that wasn’t who he was.

He’d be nothing but the last Primordial hiding from his own purpose, ignoring the truth out of fear.

And that, he couldn’t allow.

Not now. Not ever.

[Do you know what a Primordial’s lifespan is?]

The panel’s question caught him off guard.

He froze. It was something he had never once thought about.

He had always assumed his life would be like any human’s.

But now…

[Every race has a different lifespan.]

That was the last message he received before the panels vanished completely, leaving him alone again in the quiet plains.

Sam looked down at his hands.

They were glowing faintly, flaring with the same primordial light that pulsed within him since the beginning.

‘I guess I just need to move forward,’ he thought. ‘Can’t back away now.’

[Proceed.]

The word appeared once more, simple yet heavy.

They had warned him.

They had told him to stop. But it didn’t matter.

Because deep down, Sam already knew they were lying.

They said they would not seek him further, but that wasn’t the truth.

[They will never let us go. The prophecy says one of us has to die. The King knows it.]

‘Right,’ Sam thought grimly.

It was all a test, a trick meant to see how far he’d go.

The King knew exactly what he was doing.

He knew Sam wouldn’t stop.

This was just another way to measure how determined he truly was.

And in that, Sam would not falter.

‘But first…’ he thought, turning his gaze toward the scattered remains of the celestials, ‘I need my abilities back.’

Without them, he wouldn’t survive whatever came next.

And there was only one possible way to get them back that he thought about: devour the cores of the celestials.

The [Primordial Sword] usually did that for him, but without it, there was no other choice.

He’d have to do it himself.

[Devour them yourself =)]

‘Right,’ he muttered quietly.

He let out a slow breath and stepped forward, eyes focused on the glowing remnants of divine energy scattered around the field.

He didn’t hesitate.

The moment his foot touched the ground, the light of the celestial cores flickered.

And Sam, without looking back, began walking toward them.