CHAPTER 144: MASTER RANK ADVANCEMENT TASK

Ding!

[You have reached the maximum level of the Master Rank!]

[You may now go through an advancement task to reach Ascendant Rank.]

"Here we go," Sam muttered with a grin.

Ding!

[Chosen Difficulty: Hell]

[Giving appropriate advancement task...]

There was a brief silence, just a few seconds, before the panel returned.

[You will be given the hardest advancement task possible. Surpass their determination.]

"Of course..." Sam said with a sigh.

Despite the warning, Sam felt a strange kind of anticipation bubbling inside him.

He couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of task could be considered the absolute hardest after the six layers are already completed.

That kind of challenge didn’t scare him anymore.

In fact, it made him curious. He’d come too far to back down now.

Ding!

[This advancement task is divided into two parts. Only upon clearing the first one will you unlock the second.]

[Upon completing the second part, the advancement task will be considered complete.]

"...?"

Sam narrowed his eyes at the panel hovering in front of him.

This was the first time he’d ever seen a task split like this. Still, after a moment, he gave a small nod.

Made sense. This was the hardest version possible, after all.

[SSS-Ranked Advancement Task 1/2: Reach the Upper Realm.]

"Huh."

That caught his attention.

Sam immediately remembered Asmodeus, Jevil, and even Varkhaz talking about something called the [Lower Realm].

Varkhaz had outright confirmed to him that all of the worlds currently existed within that realm.

So if this task was asking him to reach the [Upper Realm], that meant he was going somewhere no one had been before.

A place beyond everything he had known so far.

And something deep in Sam’s gut told him it wouldn’t be anything like what he’d faced before.

Even the names themselves, [Lower Realm] and [Upper Realm], hinted at a dramatic shift.

A climb into something greater. And likely, something far more dangerous.

He recalled the milestone reward from the [Time] affinity.

There had been an option to evolve a skill beyond the [Forsaken] rank.

That meant the system’s power ceiling hadn’t even been reached yet.

There was more. A lot more.

But for now, Sam had no idea how to even begin reaching the [Upper Realm].

[You have a bad feeling about this.]

"Hm."

He really did. All seven worlds had completed the six layers of the [Forsaken] realm by this point.

And if that was true, then something massive had to be coming. Something that would change everything again.

Still, Sam let out a breath and pushed forward.

He didn’t know exactly what was coming, but he could feel that it was close.

Nearby, a dark portal had formed, it was his exit.

’I guess I completed the sub-layer before the actual layer,’ Sam said to himself with a grin. ’Oh well, that still counts.’

He noticed that several spirits appeared above the [Forsaken] rank monsters he had killed, meaning he could use [Primordial Spirits].

But stranger than anything... Varkhaz actually had a spirit as well. Sam’s eyes widened as he saw that, not expecting it.

After all, even when he killed Jevil, no spirit had appeared, so why did a spirit appear now.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: His will has shattered after being killed, overpower him =)]

’Is that why Jevil’s spirit didn’t appear? Because his [Determination] was so strong?’

Sam didn’t mind much, but he approached Varkhaz’s spirit.

The spirit resembled the forsaken lord perfectly, even down to his appearance in his ultimate form.

Sam could also see that his expression was the one of someoen who had given up.

After all, Varkhaz thought his victory was guaranteed, but died, and at the very end of his life, said something about them "forsaking" him.

Sam still didn’t understand any of that, but he didn’t care.

His eyes flared with power as he extended his arm toward the spirit, ready to tame it.

If he could use the power of Varkhaz, who was already a peak [Forsaken] rank monster, and make it even stronger with his affinities, then he would be unstoppable.

Yet, though Sam believed that, the very instant he touched Varkhaz’s spirit...

BOOM!

There was a sudden explosion, and Sam was immediately pushed back.

’What the?!’

He looked ahead, and saw that the forsaken lord’s spirit was looking directly at him while slowly disappearing.

"Even if I died and been forsaken," Varkhaz spoke, "I will NEVER join your kind’s side."

And just like that, he was gone.

[You have failed at overpowering "Varkhaz’s" will and hatred, his spirit is gone for good.]

’God damn it,’ Sam groaned as he got up, ’I guess I really can fail to tame a spirit, I got too confident.’

And...

Fwish! Fwish!

At that moment, all the spirits of the other monsters he had killed disappeared one by one.

It was as if watching their "master" overpower the Primordial’s will gave them enough [Determination] to not let themselves be taken too.

Sam truly didn’t know how [Primordial Spirits] worked in detail for something like this to happen. But he would find out eventually.

’I guess I’ll stay alone for a bit more, I still have the [Forsaken Clone] anyway.’

Without hesitation, he approached the exit portal and stepped inside.

The familiar sensation of being pulled through the void overtook him.

But something was different this time. While he was still mid-teleport, panels began to appear.

[You have exceeded our expectations, Primordial.]

[Incredible. To think that you would actually beat... our weakest lords!]

"Huh?"

[Don’t flatter yourself too much. We will see how far you can truly push it.]

[Just like all the others, you’ll fall eventually. We only need one victory after all, while you need to win every time.]

[And you do not know what awaits you in the "Upper Realm" either, nor what awaits you in the final realm.]

[Have fun, and entertain us =)]

The panels vanished just as suddenly as they had appeared.

Then—

Thump!

Sam landed hard on the grassy plains of the third [Outer Ring].

He didn’t waste time. His first thought was to head straight to [Ashbourne City].

He needed to figure out what to do about the [Upper Realm] and what came next at the [Universal Stage].

But before he could take even a single step—

Fwish! BOOOOOM!

An enormous explosion lit up the sky above him. A massive tear ripped through the atmosphere, twisting into a spinning vortex.

Sam froze, recognizing it instantly.

It was the same kind of vortex that had appeared around six months ago.

Back then, ten figures had descended, each a towering presence, each one of them revealing that only humanity remained to clear the layers.

But this time, only a single figure emerged.

It was colossal. All that could be seen clearly were its eyes as its body was made out of aura.

Glowing. Ancient. All-knowing.

They peered down at the worlds like a god surveying its creation.

And a new panel appeared for everyone to see.

[It seems like everything has been set for now.]

[All seven worlds and races have managed to complete the initial layers of the "Forsaken" realm.]

"Holy shit?"

"So the humans did it, huh? Took them long enough."

"I guess they’re gonna be so weak that getting rid of them is gonna be a piece of cake, heh?"

Voices echoed from all across the other worlds.

They had all seen the figure. All of them knew what this meant.

The massive being spread its arms wide.

[I have come alone, since the other nine are... busy setting things up.]

[But do not fret. This is only the beginning of your journey.]

[And you may become MUCH stronger.]

[For now, you are all still in the "Lower" realm.]

[That means you are at the very bottom of where you’ll eventually end up.]

[But soon, you shall climb to the "Upper" realm. And eventually, reach the final layer.]

Sam narrowed his eyes, repeating the words to himself.

’So there are three layers. Good to know.’

[Ways of getting stronger will increase from now on, but at the same time, so will the odds of death.]

[If you thought what you’ve seen so far was bad, then I have terrible news for you.]

[But as I said before, with great risks come great rewards.]

The being grinned wide, a terrible smile that radiated power.

A heavy pressure descended across all of the worlds. Everyone could feel it. A divine weight.

But Sam stood firm. Unmoving. Expression blank.

[Just to clarify, only those who clear the "Sixth Layer" can reach the "Upper" realm.]

[Of course, you are allowed to stay behind if you so choose. Though... I have a feeling many of you will regret that.]

The being laughed, and the sound echoed through the skies. It pointed downward, toward the various worlds.

[All those qualified to enter the "Upper" realm will be able to do so in exactly 2 weeks.]

[And from there, your actual journey will begin.]

Sam looked down at his hands. They were glowing faintly, energy pulsing through them.

[Knowing that your journey will begin fills you with determination.]

"..."

Sam didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.

He knew what was coming would be worse than anything he’d faced so far.

All the Primordials had been wiped out there after all.

He didn’t know whether they had died in the [Upper Realm], or in the mysterious final realm that still hadn’t been named.

It didn’t really matter. Danger was danger. And danger meant death.

Especially now, with the other races preparing to climb alongside him.

But just as Sam began to steel himself for what lay ahead, something shifted.

The being’s massive pupils lowered. And Sam felt it instantly.

A presence. It was looking directly at him. He knew it.

And then—

[Oh,] the being let out, [The Primordial is still alive, how weird.]

...

A/N

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