Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 298

Chapter 298: Using Death Cross, Death Spikes
I changed the way [Death Cross] works: it’s now 5, 20 then 50 crosses, it won’t change much but just to inform (you can see the change in chapter 296).

—

Clash! Clang!

Sam clashed with the [Soul Wyvern] while in the air, his primordial sword repeatedly meeting its massive claws with violent, echoing force.

Each strike shook the air around them.

Each collision made sparks ripple across the sky like brief flashes of collapsing stars.

Thankfully, even though the wyvern was level 130 and a boss monster, Sam realized he was actually on equal footing with it.

That alone kept him going.

That alone told him he could still rise even higher.

‘Maybe I should summon the [Primordial Clone],’ Sam thought, his eyes narrowing as he avoided another claw strike.

‘Or perhaps… no.’

There were other choices. There were far more dangerous choices.

[Primordial Lightning] and [Supernova] were spells so incredibly powerful that he couldn’t afford to use them recklessly, especially the latter.

[Primordial Lightning] was enough to incapacitate two [Monarchs] instantly after all.

And as for the [Supernova], it was definitely Sam’s strongest spell, and one he wanted to keep hidden at all costs.

Not even the [Colossals] or the [King] had seen what it could do after all.

And if he could keep it until the situation became truly catastrophic, then he felt it could save him far more than once.

He tightened his grip on his sword.

For now, though, he forced his focus back on the [Soul Wyvern] flying in front of him.

Slash!

The wyvern slashed at Sam’s barrier with brutal force.

The blow sent vibrations across his entire body, but he immediately answered by swinging straight at its side, cutting into its scales.

Ding!

Just like when he hit its neck earlier, another [Death Cross] appeared, and this time it was a [II] made out of bony lines.

‘Only one more,’ Sam thought, steadying his breathing as he floated in the sky, ‘Perhaps I should have activated [Blood Verdict] too.’

He couldn’t deny the appeal of both [Death Cross] and [Blood Verdict] now that he understood how tanky the beings in this realm were.

Their bodies were monstrous. Their durability was unreal.

Even with his spells, even with his sword, their defenses made each battle drag on more than he liked.

Though based on the amount of blood he’d seen so far, he doubted he’d be able to fill the [Verdict bar] anyway.

Slash! Slash!

The wyvern’s claws swept at him again, forcing Sam to move backward in the air while his barrier flickered faintly.

Soul Fire!

The [Soul Wyvern] charged its mouth with burning, eerie fire and unleashed it toward him in a massive torrent.

But Sam wouldn’t allow himself to be burned this time.

Primordial Hellscape!

His own flames surged up from his hand, forming a massive blazing torrent that clashed with the beast’s attack in the sky.

The two infernos crashed into each other, twisting, burning, and pushing with explosive force.

The sky rippled and cracked under their clash.

As always, the only thing that kept Sam determined enough to continue this fight was the feeling that he and this boss were matched evenly.

Meaning that if he adapted even slightly, then he could still grow even faster.

He could still become much, much stronger.

‘I’ll have to spend as much time as possible in the [Dimension of Time],’ he thought, dodging another blazing strike from the wyvern’s wing.

‘Gotta adapt.’

And after a while…

SLASH!

Sam swung his sword three times in quick succession, each movement sharp enough to blur with speed.

He hit the wyvern’s wings first. Then its side again. Then its leg.

Ding!

A [III], [IV], and [V] made out of bones appeared where the small wounds formed.

And the moment Sam saw that, he knew exactly what time it was.

[Death Cross] had three punishments.

One when he placed 5 crosses. Another at 20. And the most brutal one at 50.

Trying to reach 50 now would be a waste. So would going for 20 as it would take too long.

He wanted to test this new ability.

He wanted to see EVERYTHING it could do.

And so…

“Here we go,” Sam grinned, his eyes brightening with energy.

With a flick of his hand, he aligned his sword perfectly in front of him.

He activated the ability’s first punishment, the tamest one, but still powerful enough to change everything.

The moment he did, the skull engraved on the hilt of his primordial sword began to tremble and shake.

Its empty eye sockets ignited with bright, burning light.

And…

Ding!

—

[5 Crosses: Death Spikes]

[Sharp spikes will emerge from the place where the “Crosses” have been set, impaling the target.]

—

“Damn!”

Sam almost laughed.

Much like [Stars of Hatred], he could only see what the next milestone would do by unlocking it.

And this first punishment already seemed insanely powerful.

After all, if the spikes emerged from the places Sam had marked…

Didn’t that mean the attack was impossible to dodge?

Didn’t that mean the moment he set the crosses, the target was doomed?

Sam immediately decided to test it out.

Death Cross: Death Spikes!

BOOM!

Instantly, every cross carved onto the [Soul Wyvern]’s body began to flare with bright bone-colored light.

The wyvern tried to rush forward. It opened its jaw, ready to swallow Sam whole.

But right before its teeth reached him…

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Five bony spikes erupted violently from the locations of the crosses.

Each spike impaled the wyvern directly through its flesh.

Grah?!

The wyvern’s roar shook the sky as it stared down at its own body, confused and horrified.

Its neck, side, wing and leg were pierced. The spikes immobilized it instantly.

Unable to keep flying, the wyvern’s wings collapsed.

Its body spiraled downward.

And then—

BAM!

It crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact that shook the earth.

Sam descended right next to it, a wide grin on his face as he watched the boss struggle.

“I see why it said the last three affinities are the strongest,” Sam thought, almost laughing.

“This is incredible.”

The [Class Skill] he acquired from this was an absolute game changer in every possible way.

And what made it even better was that there were still two more punishments after this.

One at 20 crosses. And one at 50.

Who knew how powerful those would be?

Regardless, he saw the [Soul Wyvern] still moving in front of him, trying to lift its crushed body.

Sam stepped forward immediately.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

He slashed into its neck repeatedly until the final cut severed the wyvern’s head completely.

‘Phew.’

He exhaled slowly.

This was the first fight of the [Soul Realm], yet it had already been incredibly complicated.

More complicated than he wanted to admit.

Sam lifted his sword as a tendril extended from it, piercing the wyvern’s corpse and pulling out its core.

Nom!

The sword absorbed it greedily, and Sam felt the surge of power rush through him in an instant.

And surprisingly…

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 2 of the Immortal Rank!]

“Holy shit,” Sam muttered, genuinely shocked, “Already?”

It was rare for him to level up so easily.

But maybe the high level of the monsters here made it easier.

After all, the [Soul Wyvern] wasn’t just a boss. It was a boss dozens of levels above him.

The kind of opponent nobody at his level should realistically be able to defeat.

‘I guess having over-leveled opponents has its advantages too,’ Sam thought, a grin forming, ‘Good enough.’

He looked at the wyvern’s remains and noticed a [Soul Wyvern Robe] had dropped beside it.

And…

‘Maybe I should actually wear it,’ Sam thought as he looked down at his clothes, ‘I never wore any piece of equipment I got before, after all.’