Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely

After waiting in silence for what felt like an eternity, the time finally came.

Without warning, Sam's body was surrounded by a ripple of light, and in the blink of an eye, he was teleported into the arena for the final battle of the [Battle Realm].

[Proceed.]

He nodded once, steadying his breathing as he stepped forward into the wide stone arena.

There was no crowd this time, no ambient noise, no applause.

There would be no witnesses for what was about to unfold. Except one.

Across the arena, standing tall and menacing, was a massive figure clad in full armor.

A great battle axe rested on his shoulder, and his crimson eyes burned beneath his heavy helmet.

Sam immediately recognized him.

"Oh," he muttered to himself, eyes narrowing. "It's you."

"HAHA! FINALLY!" the berserker laughed, voice echoing like thunder across the empty arena.

There was no mistaking this elf.

He was the one Sam had seen several times before.

Massive. Dangerous. Seething with violence.

And now, he was his opponent.

---

[Name: Leon the Berserker]

[Rank: Ascendant]

[Level: 1]

[Class: ???]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Proceed.]

---

This would be the first time Sam fought someone from the [Ascendant] rank.

Even he wasn't sure what would happen.

All he knew was that the margin for error was now razor-thin.

But none of that fear showed on his face.

With a calm expression, Sam drew his Primordial Sword from his [Spatial Inventory] and took his stance.

The elf grinned, lowering his axe slowly until the tip scraped the arena floor.

"Human," Leon began, pointing the blade of his axe toward Sam. "You have no chance. Give up while you still can."

Sam said nothing.

"There's a hierarchy you humans haven't figured out yet," Leon continued, eyes glowing with intensity. "Once you clear all six layers, you'll understand. You'll see the truth."

He stepped forward slowly.

"The angels. The demons. The dragons. And... those last ones. The ones whose name I refuse to speak." His voice grew darker. "They'll crush you. On the [Universal Stage], your kind won't even survive the opening act."

Then, suddenly, his rage exploded.

"AND THE FACT YOU STAND BEFORE ME LIKE THIS, THINKING YOU HAVE A CHANCE, PISSES ME OFF!!"

With a roar, Leon surged forward like a boulder, swinging his axe with full force toward Sam's neck.

Sam met the attack calmly, countering with his own blade.

CLASH! BOOM!

The impact cracked the ground beneath them and sent shockwaves outward.

Even though the berserker had more raw power, Sam was far faster.

He moved like wind.

CLANG!

Sam followed up with a second strike aimed at Leon's ribs, but his blade bounced harmlessly off the thick enchanted armor.

Leon laughed.

"You talk to the Saintess. You act like you belong here. You think you can fight me?"

Then, in a blur of motion, he grabbed Sam by the neck with his free hand.

"How foolish."

FWISH! BAM!

Leon slammed his axe down, but it struck nothing, the attack harmlessly dispersed against Sam's [Eternal Barrier].

Still holding him, Leon hurled Sam across the arena and into a stone wall.

Dust exploded outward from the impact.

Sam rose slowly, brushing debris from his shoulder. Not a single scratch was on him.

[Eternal Barrier: 48/50]

He snapped his fingers.

FWISH!

A figure emerged beside him.

His [Forsaken Clone], cloaked in a faint crimson aura, its glowing red eyes locked onto Leon with deadly focus.

Leon's smile faltered slightly.

'How is he still alive? And... that clone... why do its eyes feel so wrong?'

Still, he wouldn't retreat. He was the berserker. The strongest of his guild.

He had conquered the fifth layer already. Soon, he would take the sixth and enter the [Universal Stage] like the others.

And this human would not stop him.

BERSERK SMASH!

Leon leapt into the air and brought his axe crashing down with earth-shattering force, cracking the entire arena floor.

In response, Sam raised his hand and summoned ten swirling [Abyssal Obliteration] black holes above his head, condensing them together into one pulsing sphere of devastation.

At the same time, the clone charged forward.

Tendrils of Oblivion!

Dozens of void-like tendrils erupted from the clone's sword, snaking toward Leon.

With a roar, the berserker cleaved them apart with sheer force.

"Futile!" he shouted, stomping forward. "You truly don't know who you're fighting."

The clone met him head-on, their weapons clashing in a flurry of blinding movement.

Despite the berserker's strength, the clone was faster, relentlessly striking again and again.

From behind them, Sam's eyes glowed faintly.

Bullet of Oblivion!

A dark, compressed bullet of energy shot through the air like lightning, straight toward Leon's chest.

He barely noticed in time.

"Wha—?!"

BOOM!

It struck him clean in the chest, piercing straight through the armor and staggering him backward.

He stumbled, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You... you fucking shit...!" Leon growled, holding his side. "You DARE?!"

The pain pushed him over the edge.

He couldn't understand how someone level 1 of the Expert rank could actually harm him.

But it didn't matter, for now that he knew that this human was a threat, he wouldn't hold back.

With a terrifying roar, Leon's aura burst outward in waves of crimson fury.

[Berserk Form Activated.]

Sam immediately looked to his left as a panel appeared.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: His strength is boosted by 1000% and speed by 200%, though I guess it doesn't matter much.]

Leon's body ignited with energy.

His aura crackled, distorting the very air around him. Then he struck.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

He grabbed the clone and slammed it into the ground, beating it with earth-shattering blows.

He then gave it dozens upon dozens of hits, and after only around ten seconds, the [Eternal Barrier] shattered, and Leon struck the clone with his axe, making it disappear.

[Your "Forsaken Clone" was killed.]

The moment it vanished, Leon turned toward Sam.

"You're not invincible," he snarled. "You'll fall just the same."

Sam felt the pressure, and he recognized how serious the situation was now.

Leon wasn't bluffing, this was power on a whole different level.

Sam didn't show it on his face, but he knew this wasn't someone he could afford to underestimate anymore.

Even if Leon wasn't on the same tier as the [Roaring Titan], he was getting close.

So, Sam made his decision.

He would use it, his newest skill. The one he hadn't needed until now.

His eyes flicked toward the panel.

---

[Gaze of the Primordial]

[Rank: Forsaken]

[Description: Let them see who they are truly facing. If anyone looks at you while this skill is active, they will immediately be inflicted with the "Doom" status effect for 3 seconds, 1-hour cooldown.]

---

Sam exhaled slowly.

And just as Leon lunged forward to finish him off, Sam opened his eyes wide.

GAZE OF THE PRIMORDIAL!

His eyes shifted instantly. The crimson glow exploded outward, deeper and more intense than ever before.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: When activating this skill, the effect only lasts for a single second, so choose the timing wisely.]

It was ancient, overwhelming, as if something from beyond reality itself was staring through them.

His pupils turned into abyssal spirals, glowing with an unnatural energy that warped the light around them.

Leon paused. Just for a second. Just a glance.

But that was enough. That was his biggest mistake.

He locked eyes with Sam, and the moment he did, everything stopped.

A chill unlike anything he had ever known stabbed through his entire soul.

His limbs trembled. His breath caught in his throat.

And then—

[You have been inflicted with "Doom".]

The arena turned silent. Everything around Leon slowed, dulled, faded.

A crushing weight descended upon his mind, as if all the air had vanished from existence.

A second panel appeared before his wide, trembling eyes.

[There is no hope.]