First Sub-Layer, Abyssal Ruins
The [Abyssal Ruins] felt like a twisted mirror of the [Novice Ruins] they had already explored before, same architecture, same winding hallways of aged stone and crumbling archways, but the mood was entirely different.
It was colder here. Darker.
And the silence that hung over the Sub-Layer was pressing down on them from every direction.
Sam adjusted quickly to the darkness.
His senses had already been sharpened over the course of his time in this world, and now, his crimson eyes let him see just enough to navigate the ruined maze without stumbling.
Alicia and Lily, on the other hand, kept close together.
Lily held a glowing [Fire Arrow] high in the air to serve as their guiding light, the faint flame flickering against the blackened stone as they moved forward.
"So..." Alicia eventually asked, her voice cutting through the silence, "...what exactly is the goal of a Sub-Layer? Are we supposed to find a way out, or is there some boss we have to beat?"
Sam didn't respond immediately.
His eyes glowed slightly as he looked forward, the subtle red gleam scanning the darkness ahead.
He could feel something. A pressure far away, but unmistakably there. He didn't need [Hell-Mode Analysis] to know what it meant.
There was something deeper in the ruins. Something powerful. Something watching.
It was the strongest presence he had felt from a monster since arriving in this world.
Eventually, he spoke, his tone quiet but absolute.
"We need to kill whatever governs this place."
That was all he said. And yet, that one sentence made both girls go still.
"Alright," Lily replied with a serious nod, adjusting her grip on her bow. "Then we'll be ready."
The two girls couldn't sense the overwhelming pressure like Sam could, but they trusted his judgment. His confidence alone was enough to push them forward.
Sam led the way, his [Primordial Sword] gripped in one hand as they walked deeper into the cold black corridors of the ruins.
As they walked, he silently opened his status window to confirm his current condition.
---
[Name: Sam Walker]
[Class: Primordial]
[Rank: Novice]
[Level: 4 → 10]
[Strength: 8 → 14]
[Agility: 7 → 13]
[Constitution: 8 → 14]
[Soul: 14 → 26]
[Affinities: Shadow]
[Class Skills: Spatial Inventory, Primordial Evolution, Hell-Mode Analysis]
[Skills: Primordial Sword Technique (Forsaken), Abyssal Obliteration (Forsaken), Eternal Barrier (Forsaken), Tendrils of Oblivion (Forsaken)]
---
His stats had risen significantly after hitting level 10, especially his [Soul] stat, which now sat at 26, a massive jump that gave him a considerable power boost.
Not to mention, all four of his skills had already reached [Forsaken] rank.
Right now, Sam was in perfect condition to tackle anything this Sub-Layer threw at him.
He glanced at Alicia and Lily.
"Listen," he said calmly. "If something happens, don't try anything reckless. I'll handle it."
His voice carried no doubt.
When they looked at him, they didn't see hesitation.
Lily and Alicia nodded, mentally preparing themselves as they pushed onward through the ruinous halls.
Ten minutes passed with nothing out of the ordinary. The ruins twisted on with their usual endless stone, until they finally stepped into a narrow hallway.
That's when it happened.
Sam suddenly stopped. His body tensed. Something wasn't right.
And then—
Fwish! SLASH!
Out of a darkened corner of the hallway, a pair of glowing purple eyes appeared without warning.
A long black blade swung out from the shadows, aiming straight for Alicia.
But Sam was faster.
CLANG!
He blocked the attack with his sword, sparks flying off the impact.
Then, in one clean motion, he struck back.
Fwish! SLASH!
His sword flashed through the air, and the creature's head flew off its body.
A moment later, it hit the floor with a heavy thud.
"It's starting," Sam muttered, already turning to face the rest of the corridor.
---
[Abyssal Knight]
[Level: 10]
[Description: A knight born of the darkness within these ruins. They are powerful, patient hunters.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: It's dead. But there are many others like it.]
---
Sam absorbed the creature's core with a quick gesture.
He had already reached the max level for the Novice Rank, so experience didn't matter, but he still felt a small rush of energy return to his body.
That attack alone would have ended most Novice-ranked Awakeners.
"Thank you," Alicia breathed out in relief, but her eyes narrowed again. "But... we're not done."
As soon as the first Abyssal Knight fell, the air began to tremble.
The sound of steel scraping against stone echoed all around them.
From the shadows of the hallway and every corner of the surrounding ruins, more knights emerged, each of them clad in pitch-black armor, purple eyes glowing, long swords raised.
Alicia's hand tightened around her blade. "There's so many…"
Sam's skill activated once more.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Knights of the "Abyssal King". You feel his gaze on you.]
'That must be the boss,' Sam thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. 'Doesn't matter.'
He raised one hand into the air, and without a word, activated [Abyssal Obliteration].
Two shadowy portals appeared behind him, each one crackling with dark energy.
Thanks to his increased [Soul] stat, he could now maintain two portals at once, and he positioned them to face opposite directions.
The moment the knights charged, the portals responded.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Dozens of shadow bullets blasted from the portals, each one moving with incredible speed and precision.
The first wave of Abyssal Knights was torn to pieces before they even reached him.
Those that slipped through were met by Alicia and Lily.
Alicia charged forward, her blade glowing with the effects of [Blooming Buff], slashing cleanly through an armored knight's chest.
Lily stood behind, drawing her bow and channeling [Elemental Charge] into her next arrow.
She let it loose, and the shot pierced through the eye of a charging knight, sending it collapsing in one clean hit.
Sam nodded as he watched them fight.
'As expected of heroines,' he thought, eyes calm. 'They can hold their own... but I'm doing the heavy lifting.'
And it was true.
He moved like a storm, cutting through any knight that got too close.
His portals never stopped firing, and any enemy foolish enough to try sneaking up on them was reduced to nothing but ash.
Two minutes later, the last of the Abyssal Knights dropped to its knees and collapsed, its purple glow fading away into darkness.
Silence returned.
Sam exhaled slowly and muttered under his breath, "Don't worry. I'll kill your king too."
There was no hesitation in his voice. Only willpower.
The kind of mindset only someone like Sam could have as a Primordial.
And he would clear this Sub-Layer no matter what stood in his path.
Without a word, he crouched and absorbed the cores left behind by the knights, feeling the lingering energy pulse through his being.
"I don't think the Sub-Layer is too large," he finally said, rising. "But there are more monsters ahead. I can still sense them."
Alicia and Lily looked at each other.
Despite the pressure, despite the danger, they smiled.
They were scared, sure.
But Sam wasn't just powerful. He was relentless. And they were glad to be by his side.
Sam grabbed most of the items and tossed them inside of his [Spatial Inventory]... until he found something actually useful.
---
[Ring of Darkness]
[Rank: Common]
[Description: Wearing this right allows you to see in the dark using purple flames.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: It's a guaranteed drop from killing the abyssal knights.]
---
Exactly three of these rings had dropped, and Sam simply wore one while giving the two others to Lily and Alicia.
Then together, the three of them pressed forward into the darkness once more, toward the heart of the [Abyssal Ruins], and the king that waited for them there.