Ten days passed, and during that time Sam did nothing more than explore the [Forsaken] kingdom while he waited.
He had decided that he would not train with his abilities until every single one of his tier two skills evolved to their maximum form.
That meant he had not even checked their descriptions yet, no matter how curious he was about what they had become.
It was only once all three had finished evolving that he finally gave in and looked.
The last one to evolve was [Forsaken Clone], which climbed through its stages until it reached its final tier.
At that moment, Sam sat down and opened his panel, ready to see the truth of what he had gained.
[Better Primordial Sword Technique (Forsaken+) → Last Primordial Sword Technique (Forsaken++) → King of Primordial Sword Technique (Determination) → True Primordial Sword Technique (Primordial)]
The sequence of names appeared before him, and with it came a realization.
Now he could see the full structure of skill rankings, the ladder of power laid bare.
When he pieced them together, it looked :
[Common → Uncommon → Rare → Epic → Legendary → Forsaken → Forsaken+ → Forsaken++ → Determination → Primordial]
He stared at the panel for a long moment, repeating the order in his mind.
The flow made sense at first, rising naturally from weak to strong, but the last two ranks stood out.
They felt strange compared to the others.
"Determination-rank and then Primordial-rank..." Sam muttered under his breath. "I guess that’s fine..."
Still, the final rank made his stomach tighten with unease.
The word [Primordial] carried a weight that was hard to ignore.
It was not a word chosen by accident.
Yet even so, he pushed aside the feeling.
At the very least, he now understood the system in full and would not be caught off guard when future skills evolved.
The only mystery left were the awakeners ranks themselves.
Three ranks of power existed beyond [Forsaken], but he had no idea what they were called or how they worked.
"I wonder if somebody already reached the next one," Sam thought aloud. "Even at my current level, if someone is too far ahead... things might get difficult."
The thought did not trouble him much.
He was not the type to dwell on what-ifs.
Instead, he moved on to check the other two skills that had reached their maximum tier.
Then came [Forsaken Clone].
[Forsaken Clone (Forsaken) → Forsaken+ Clone (Forsaken+) → Forsaken++ Clone (Forsaken++) → Determination Clone (Determination) → Primordial Clone (Primordial)]
Sam whistled under his breath.
"Damn," he said, shaking his head. "I expected more clones by the end, but looks like I was wrong. I’m still limited to just one..."
It was a little disappointing, but he had one more skill to check.
[Eternal Barrier (Forsaken) → Immortal Barrier (Forsaken+) → Soul Barrier (Forsaken++) → Determination’s Barrier (Determination) → Primordial Barrier (Primordial)]
Sam narrowed his eyes as he studied the name.
"It’s strange," he thought. "Both this and the clone skill had Determination in their name before Primordial."
The similarity could not be a coincidence.
And the fact that both now carried the [Primordial] title left him with the impression they were stronger than he could yet understand.
He leaned back, feeling the raw power flowing through him.
The upgrades were not just words on a screen.
Energy pulsed in his veins, sharp and heavy, demanding to be tested.
He took a slow breath and steadied himself.
Now came the part he had been waiting for.
It was finally time to check the detailed descriptions of his fully evolved abilities.
Sitting on the bed, he opened each skill panel in turn.
[True Primordial Sword Technique]
[Description: One hit is all it takes for you to win, push through their defenses and show them that you are the true primordial.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Remember the first few words... =)]
[Description: Nothing will stand in its way, and it will carve through any being who stands in the way of the Primordial, the clone is on the "Forsaken" path, though it seems to be at the very bottom of it, with no way of recovery, 10-minute cooldown.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: All it wants is bloodshed, and it won’t falter, no matter what.]
[Description: A barrier will constantly surround you, and no attack, no matter how strong, can pierce through it, though it will break after 100 hits, 15-minutes cooldown.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: No comment.]
Sam’s lips curled into a grin as he read through them.
He could feel it now, clear as day.
These abilities were far beyond anything he had possessed before.
Every one of them had reached the very peak, and their presence alone filled him with confidence.
The descriptions, however, left him with questions.
He lingered on the [True Primordial Sword Technique].
"Remember the first few words..." he repeated, frowning.
His gaze dropped to the opening line of the description.
"One hit is all it takes."
The words echoed inside his mind.
Something about them felt heavier than they should.
The clone was no less strange.
Though it had always mirrored his strength, this new version felt like it was even stronger than before.
And its cooldown... Sam’s grin widened.
Ten minutes. That was all it took now.
Even if the clone was destroyed, another would return in such a short time.
But his grin faded the moment he saw the line about the "Forsaken" path.
The mention of it being at the very bottom sent a sharp chill racing down his spine.
He rubbed his arm, uneasy.
He had no idea why such a line would appear in the description.
He considered it for a few seconds before shaking his head.
There was no answer now, and worrying about it would change nothing.
Finally, he looked at [Primordial Barrier].
A hundred hits before breaking. Fifteen minutes of cooldown.
And with [Cooldown Breaker], the numbers doubled.
Two hundred hits required before anyone could even reach him.
That thought alone brought a deep, satisfied smile to his face.
His strength had multiplied many times over, and for the first time in a while, he felt secure.
Training could finally begin.
The last ten days had been nothing more than exploration.
He had wandered the streets of the [Forsaken] kingdom, learning the layout and the small details of the place where he now lived.
Lily, Alicia, and Chloe had yet to appear.
They were either unprepared or still stuck clearing the sixth layer in the [Lower] realm.
Sam often wondered how they managed to survive these overwhelming trials in the game.
"Well, if they were playing on [Normal] difficulty, I suppose it would have been easier," he muttered with a small laugh.
Seraphine, however, he had seen.
Their paths crossed a handful of times during his exploration.
Each time, she looked at him with sparkling eyes, her beauty shining even in silence.
He avoided speaking to her, cautious of what such an interaction might lead to.
She was a heroine after all, and he could not tell how much she truly knew.
But since nothing had happened yet, he chose to ignore it.
There had been no announcement of anyone clearing the second mission either.
That meant most awakeners were either resting on their earnings or preparing for what came next.
Some had already settled into new lives.
A few used their coins to purchase homes and seemed determined to enjoy their time in comfort.
"This is amazing, I even have my own house after clearing the first mission!"
"Haha, if we clear the second, won’t we get even more?"
"Right! At this rate, we’ll end up with a mansion, living like kings."
The air of excitement was contagious, but Sam paid it no mind.
He was not here to build a home or dream of luxury.
All he wanted was to rid himself of the parasites who chased after him.
And to do that, there was only one path forward.
A portal opened before him inside his room.
Sam stepped forward without hesitation.
No matter how long it took, whether days or months passed inside that strange dimension, he would endure.
He would master every skill. He would grow stronger without end.