CHAPTER 147: ENTERING THE UPPER REALM, THE OTHER RACES ARE HERE (1/2)

[It’s time to enter the "Upper" realm~]

[Right now, you will be given the choice whether you wish to proceed further, or stay back.]

[As my "companion" said before, the moment you agree and step through the portal, you won’t be able to go back to the "Lower" realm.]

[Please make your choice, do not regret it.]

’Companion...’ Sam took note of the word, his thoughts immediately focusing on it, ’I guess it’s another one of those beings...’

He had noticed something else too.

Just like the very first time these entities had announced the existence of the [Upper Realm], they were giving everyone a choice.

It wasn’t a forced push, it was an invitation, yet one wrapped with constant reminders that the danger ahead would be permanent, with no return possible.

Still, despite the ominous tone, the decision for him wasn’t a difficult one.

A few seconds later, another panel appeared.

Ding!

[You have met the conditions required to ascend to the "Upper" realm.]

[Do you wish to enter right now? Do note that there is no going back.]

[Since you have already met the conditions, you are allowed to "ascend" at any time, so take your time =)]

Every awakener who had cleared the [Sixth Layer] saw the same prompt.

The majority didn’t hesitate for even a moment.

"Yes!"

"I’m in, why wouldn’t I be?"

"Let’s kick those asses...!"

"We need to catch the Primordial, so of course I’m going!"

Sam smiled faintly. A dark, focused energy rose inside him, and his eyes glinted.

"I need to keep going," he murmured to himself, voice quiet but filled with conviction, "And... I need to get rid of everyone standing in my way. So yes."

Ding!

[You have made your choice, a portal will appear, step through it.]

Fwish! BOOM!

A blast of golden light erupted in front of him.

The air in the room grew heavy, the pressure almost suffocating, as a golden portal formed in front of him.

It radiated a power unlike anything he had felt before, and its mere presence made the room feel smaller.

The atmosphere carried an unshakable truth, once he stepped inside, there would be no return.

The [Lower Realm] would be behind him for a long time, perhaps forever, if death or failure claimed him.

But for Sam, the decision was already made.

[Proceed, it’s finally time to show them all =)]

Whatever lay ahead, no matter how overwhelming, no matter how vastly stronger his opponents might be, none of it would stop him...

[...Because in the end, we’re the only ones that will remain standing.]

"I wouldn’t go that far," Sam muttered under his breath, "Well... doesn’t matter."

Without another word, he stepped forward and leapt into the golden portal.

The instant he crossed its threshold, the familiar energy of the [Lower Realm] vanished.

It felt as though reality itself was pulling him apart and stitching him back together.

His body spun in a vortex of light and shadow, moving far beyond the speed of thought.

Panels appeared in front of him, floating weightlessly in the shifting void.

[The rules of this new realm will be explained shortly after your arrival, so please take your time to explore it.]

[Though it’s your new reality, so you don’t have much of a choice anyway, haha.]

[Also, please be ready to have a much harder time than in the "Lower" realm, for the six layers that you went through were basically only the tutorial.]

[Please entertain us, Primordial, or we might just have to end your existence!]

The last message sent a cold shiver up Sam’s spine, but he exhaled slowly and pushed the unease away.

A few more moments of falling, spinning, and feeling that alien shift in the air... and then—

Fwish! Ding!

[You have arrived.]

[Welcome to the "Upper" realm.]

Sam’s feet touched down on soft green grass.

The ground felt different here, the life beneath it humming with energy.

The sky stretched above him, vast and impossibly vibrant, with clouds drifting lazily yet casting strange shadows.

All around him, awakeners were falling from their own portals.

Tens of thousands. Maybe even more.

The sound of their arrivals filled the open space with a constant rush of air and thudding footsteps.

"So that’s the [Upper] realm, huh," one voice murmured in awe.

"All elves, gather together! We need to unite!" another shouted.

"Hah, these elves are already annoying. Can’t wait until the announcement tells us we need to kill each other," someone else scoffed.

Noise surrounded him, but Sam paid no attention to the chatter.

His focus was on observation. He had always known there were seven worlds. Seven races. He knew about six of them.

Only one remained a mystery to him, a race whispered to be the strongest of them all.

They had cleared the six layers of the [Forsaken] realm so quickly that their strength was likely unimaginable.

Sam mentally reviewed what he knew.

---

[1. Humans.]

[2. Elves.]

[3. Beastkin.]

[4. Angels.]

[5. Dragons.]

[6. Demons.]

[7. ???]

---

His eyes swept across the gathering.

Humans, unsurprisingly, were the smallest group here.

Their numbers were laughably small compared to the others, a visible reminder of why they were considered the weakest race.

The beastkin were the next smallest group.

They had also only cleared the six layers recently, and the uncertainty on their faces showed it.

"Are we going to be fine...?" one whispered nervously.

"Are you stupid? Of course we won’t. This is an entirely new realm filled with the other races!" another snapped.

Sam studied them quietly.

Animal ears of every kind, cat, dog, fox, and more.

Tails swayed behind them, and their faces carried faint traces of their animal traits.

When he had seen enough, he turned his attention to the elves.

"Mmph, the humans made it here after all..." one said with a smirk.

"We crushed them in the [Battle Realm], remember? Not like there’s many of them left to bother us."

They looked almost identical to humans, aside from the long, elegant ears.

Sam had met elves before, so there was nothing new to observe.

The only one among them he might have sought out was Seraphine Lunaris, the fourth heroine of [Forsakened], but she was nowhere in sight.

Once he had finished with them, he moved on to the "strong races."

The elves were powerful in their own right, especially compared to humans and beastkin.

But the other four... they existed on an entirely different level.

Sam could feel it in their presence alone, the crushing weight of their aura, the sheer scale of their gathered numbers.

Tens of thousands stood together, every one of them radiating battle experience and strength.

"RAHHHHHH~"

"THE DEMONS WILL CONQUER THIS REALM!"

The demons’ voices shook the air.

Their forms were humanoid, but their skin ranged from deep crimson to black to ashen gray.

Horns jutted from their heads in countless variations, some curling like a ram’s, others sharp like spears.

Long, muscular tails swayed behind them.

Every single one of them looked dangerous, the product of decades spent training and perfecting their abilities.

Sam’s lips curved slightly.

"Though still..." his eyes narrowed with confidence, "I’m still stronger."

But the demons were only one part of the threat.

Beyond them stood the "big three", the three strongest races in the entire realm.

The ones feared not only for their power and levels, but for their mastery of strategy and the overwhelming size of their forces.

The air around them seemed to pulse with dominance.

They were the reason this place felt like a storm was about to break.