CHAPTER 171: PRIMORDIAL BARRIER AND PRIMORDIAL CLONE

Sam arrived in the [Dimension of Time] for the first time since he had stepped into its seventh sub-layer.

Last time, he had trained here for a week.

That had been enough to gain a basic grasp of his previous sword technique.

But now he was ready to stay much longer.

If mastering his abilities required months of effort, then so be it.

The stakes of what was coming left him no choice.

[Primordial Barrier] didn’t demand much from him.

It was a passive defense, always active, always reliable, a shield that wrapped around him like an invisible wall.

He didn’t need to practice that.

It was the [True Primordial Sword Technique] that demanded his focus.

The technique held countless depths, and each strike felt like it carried the weight of everything.

And then there was [Primordial Clone].

He still wasn’t sure what to expect from it.

He would need to summon it himself, and see just how it reacted in battle.

The moment his feet touched the ground of the [Dimension of Time], Sam didn’t waste a breath.

He pulled his primordial sword from the [Spatial Inventory], the weapon flashing into existence in his hand.

The instant he gripped it, the power spilling from its blade surged into the air like a storm breaking free.

It was several times stronger than the last time he had wielded it.

The edges hummed with lethal potential, and even the faintest swing distorted the space around it.

For some strange reason, his instincts screamed louder than ever.

It felt as though the sword could cut through anything in existence with a single strike.

Sam’s aura flared brighter as he laughed under his breath.

"Haha... even Zareth doesn’t feel that strong now."

But the thought had barely formed before a panel appeared before his eyes.

[You have a bad feeling about what is to come.]

Sam raised his eyebrow.

"Oh come on. Even with all of this?"

The answer was immediate.

[There are some terrifying entities all around this realm and the next.]

He scoffed.

"Sure. Always something worse waiting, huh."

Shaking his head, he decided there was no point in arguing any further.

It was time to test his other ability.

Without hesitation, Sam spoke the words.

Primordial Clone!

The ground trembled.

His aura and affinities exploded outward, then coiled back in a violent whirl around him.

The swirling storm thickened until it took shape.

Slowly, a body began to form in front of him. And then it stood there, his clone.

Sam froze for a moment.

"...Holy shit."

The clone’s body was built entirely out of his aura and affinities.

It was pure power given form, pulsing with the same six affinities that defined him.

This had always been the case even before the skill evolved to [Tier 2].

But now, the difference was undeniable.

Standing before him, the clone radiated a pressure equal to his own...

The system chimed in, almost like it wanted to confirm his unease.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Unlike you, the clone is too deep in the "Forsaken" path, meaning that it might actually be as strong if not stronger than you are.]

Sam tilted his head.

"Seriously? So that’s what it means... I guess the [Forsaken] path is the real deal."

The reminder hit him.

That path was tied to the class skill he had received from his [Chaos] affinity: [Chaotic Fate].

He had almost forgotten about it, but the truth was that his clone had always been on the "Forsaken" path.

It hadn’t strayed from it.

The skill description simply said that it was now at the very "bottom" of that path.

But even so, the difference was already obvious. Sam clenched his fist.

’I wonder what would happen if I went down that path myself... but how would I even begin?’

[Forsaken Path: The worst path of them all. You care only about power and killing, abandoning all morality. This path grants terrifying strength.]

Sam exhaled slowly.

Still, curiosity burned inside him.

He activated [Chaotic Fate] for the first time in months.

Ding.

[You are currently on the "Neutral" path.]

"As expected."

Even so, when his gaze returned to the [Primordial Clone], the difference between their two choices felt stark.

The clone looked like him, but at the same time it didn’t.

It resembled his old clone, except now it bore the mark of the [Oblivion] affinity, twisting its presence further.

The air itself warped around it.

Its head trembled like it was caught between two realities, yet its crimson smile never faded.

It was unstable. Dangerous. Alive with a hunger that didn’t exist in him.

"Is this... how the other primordials look like?"

Sam tightened his grip on his sword.

"Alright then. We train until we can kill anyone who stands in our way."

The clone said nothing.

But it nodded, lifted its own blade, and took a stance identical to his.

The battle began.

Steel clashed against steel, and aura tore the dimension apart with every strike.

It didn’t take long for Sam to realize just how serious this fight was.

Minutes into their spar, his barrier shattered first.

The [Primordial Barrier] fell to zero under the relentless strikes of his clone.

Meanwhile, the clone’s own barrier still had three hits left.

It wasn’t much, but in a real battle, those three hits could be the deciding factor.

And it did prove the clone was stronger.

Sam lowered his sword, sweat dripping from his brow.

"I see now." His grin widened as his aura surged higher, excitement replacing frustration, "That [Forsaken] path really does make the difference."

Losing didn’t anger him. It fueled him.

He could feel it. Every strike brought him closer to mastery.

Every failure carved lessons into his movements.

He pointed his blade at the clone again.

"Here we go then. Until I beat you, we’re not stopping."

The clone’s body flared with unstable energy as it prepared to attack again.

And so they continued.

...

Two weeks passed in the real world before Sam finally felt satisfied with his progress in the [Dimension of Time].

That meant around one hundred days inside this place, a hundred days of constant sparring with his clone.

He pushed himself to the brink again and again.

Every swing, every ability, every ounce of aura had been pushed beyond his previous limits.

Skills like [Charged Crescent Slash], [Affinities Shockwave], and [Slash Storm] demanded far more from him now.

The stronger he grew, the more precise his control had to become.

’I guess the stronger the skill is, the more power and focus it requires,’ Sam thought as he sat, catching his breath.

By the end of his time there, he was satisfied.

The synergy between him and his clone had grown tremendously.

They could fight in a small rhythm now, almost like two parts of a single whole.

His mastery over the [True Primordial Sword Technique] had solidified.

He could wield it with confidence, every slash cutting with devastating clarity.

He looked down at his hand, where aura and affinity flared together in perfect harmony.

"With this..." Sam grinned, "...I should be able to handle what’s next."

The second mission awaited him: the conquest of the [Tower of Fate].

That tower was located in the second zone, which meant it was time to move forward.

Sam left the [Dimension of Time] and closed the portal behind him.

He returned to his hotel room, the air stagnant and familiar compared to the world he had just left.

But the peace didn’t last long.

Ding!

[Global Announcement: The "Second Mission" has been completed by the "Eternal" group.]

Sam scratched his chin while shaking his head.

"Hah. Those guys are still at it."

The [Eternal] were a group of celestials he had seen before, and from the start, he had known they were the strongest contenders.

His grin widened.

’Could I beat them now with my new skills?’

His eyes flared as determination burned through him.

’No matter. I’ll find out soon enough.’

One detail stood out to him. The announcement referred to them as a "Group."

It had been the same when they cleared the first mission.

That was the exact same term the system used when referring to his [Primordial] guild, replaced by "group" in his status window.

That meant the celestials had once belonged to a guild called [Eternal], but now it had transformed into a group, just like his had.

It made sense.

Sam’s expression hardened.

’I can’t slack off. I don’t know when they cleared it, so they might already be moving on to the third mission.’

He knew these celestials, along with a handful of elites from other races, would be the ones who pushed forward to the very end.

And if he wanted to survive, he would need to keep pace.

"I gotta go."

He fixed himself a quick meal, ate without wasting time, and left the rented room behind.

With forsaken coins covering his stay, he had no attachments here.

Only the second zone mattered now.

And only the [Tower of Fate] stood between him and the path ahead.