CHAPTER 180: THE FIFTH HEROINE OF FORSAKENED, BELLE DRACONIAN

"Haha..."

Belle laughed as Sam’s gaze fell on her after he cut down the last awakener still alive in the Tower of Fate.

Her lips curled into a knowing smile.

"I knew something was wrong with you."

Sam didn’t reply.

He only kept his eyes on her, silent and steady, as though the world around them had gone completely still.

[10 seconds.]

The system’s countdown ticked in his mind, but he gave it no acknowledgment.

Instead, he stepped forward.

His grip on the blade tightened, and his boots echoed against the ground, closing the distance between them one careful stride at a time.

"Oh well."

Belle sighed and brushed a strand of her dark hair back behind her ear.

"Let’s just get this over with."

She knew what came next.

There was no way she could be left alive after this.

And after watching him effortlessly crush every opponent in their path, she also knew resistance would mean nothing.

Ten seconds?

Even one second would have been too long for her to survive.

But as Sam walked toward her, his focus wasn’t on her face or the sharp determination in her eyes.

He was reading the glowing blue window hovering in front of him.

---

[Name: Belle Draconian]

[Rank: Immortal]

[Level: 2]

[Class: ???]

[Skills: Bloodline Cultivation, Dragon Form, Draconian Breath...]

[Bloodline Cultivation: As part of one of the strongest dragon bloodlines, the multi-elemental dragons, this skill allows you to spend time cultivating and enhancing those powers.]

[Dragon Form: Allows the user to transform into their draconic or humanoid forms.]

[Draconian Breath: Focus the power of your elements into your breath and release a powerful flame.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The fifth heroine of the game, this meeting must be fate, am I right?]

---

Sam’s expression darkened the moment he read the last line.

Another heroine.

There was Chloe, Alicia, Lily and Seraphine.

And now, Belle.

He hadn’t expected this. Not here, not now.

Before he knew she was tied to the [Forsaken] path, one part of him wanted to kill her and erase the risk.

Another part of him wanted to spare her, since she was the only one who didn’t want to kill him.

But with that single note from the system, everything changed.

She was a heroine.

And that meant his choice was no longer simple.

’If I let her live, would that expose me as the Primordial?’

He rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing.

’Most likely. Hard to deny that.’

His gaze shifted back to Belle.

She was still staring straight at him, her expression calm, not a single trace of fear to be seen.

Her beauty struck him in spite of the situation.

Her long black hair shimmered faintly with streaks of blue and red, colors that matched the scales peeking faintly beneath her skin.

He didn’t know which dragon bloodline she hailed from, but her skills confirmed she was tied to the multi-elemental dragons, one of the strongest lineages in existence.

That made her important.

And if she was also a heroine, then she would inevitably probably become important to the plot.

[Why does plot even matter? Just end it already!]

Sam kept his eyes on her. The seconds slipped away.

[5 seconds.]

Time was almost gone.

He needed to decide now.

Belle clenched her fists and let out a strange laugh.

"Just do it."

A wide smile spread across her face, full of reckless energy.

"I didn’t expect things to turn out like this, but... maybe this is the best feeling I’ve ever had."

[3 seconds.]

Sam raised his primordial sword.

"What feeling?" he asked quietly.

Belle’s grin widened into something wild, almost feral.

"The feeling of freedom," she said, "The feeling of watching every last one of those who kept you down burn and fall. Oh, how I wish I’d been born like you."

[2 seconds.]

Sam’s eyes chilled.

He studied her for a moment, then shook his head.

"You really wouldn’t wish that."

Of course, many envied the primordials.

Their unmatched strength. Their ability to break every chain. Their freedom to act without restraint.

The world once whispered their name with awe and fear, but now they were gone, erased from history and scorned as parasites.

But here, standing face to face with him, Belle saw the truth for herself.

The raw determination. The power that refused to bow.

She thought it was beautiful. And for just a moment, she envied it.

Belle spread her arms wide, eyes gleaming.

[1 second.]

"Come at me," she roared, her voice echoing through the chamber, "Primordial!"

Sam exhaled a quiet sigh. It almost sounded amused.

Then—

Fwish! SLASH!

The strike came from the side.

Sam’s blade swung instantly, intercepting it with a burst of sparks.

His clone had leapt at Belle, its blade already poised to end her life.

But Sam’s strike pushed it back.

"No," he said coldly.

His eyes locked on the clone, and the creature froze, its burning gaze dimming under his command.

"There’s no need."

The clone’s mouth curled into a trembling grin, its body quivering with the urge to finish the kill.

It wanted to tear her apart, its entire being screaming to follow the [Forsaken] path.

Even though it carried his thoughts and instincts, it didn’t care that she was a heroine.

All it wanted was blood. And if Sam hadn’t stopped it, it would have struck the final blow without hesitation.

But it couldn’t disobey Sam.

"Don’t do anything reckless," Sam muttered as he turned away, "Or else..."

His eyes flared, the edges burning with dangerous light.

"...who knows."

He lifted his primordial sword, and from its blade erupted five shadowy tendrils.

They shot forward like spears, piercing into the corpses of the five awakeners who had fallen.

Fwish!

One by one, their hearts were torn free and dragged into the weapon’s hungry maw.

The sword devoured them, pulsing brighter with each beat as Sam’s strength surged.

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 2 of the Ascendant Rank!]

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 3 of the Ascendant Rank!]

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 4 of the Ascendant Rank!]

Sam’s eyes widened.

’Three levels, just like that?!’

He wanted to stop and examine the changes, but there was no time.

Another notification rang out, and light began to gather around his body.

Ding!

[2 out of 7 alive.]

[You have completed the third stage of the "Tower of Fate."]

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have fully completed the "Tower of Fate." You will be teleported out immediately.]

The glow consumed him, wrapping his form in radiance.

Belle’s body was also flashing, her figure already beginning to blur.

Just before the world dissolved around them, her voice reached him.

"See you later, Primordial."

Sam let out a faint breath and muttered back.

"I hope I don’t see you."

His eyes narrowed, the words sharp but quiet.

"At least... not until it’s all done."

He knew the risk of letting her go.

Revealing himself as the Primordial only to spare someone who had witnessed it was the definition of recklessness.

It was practically suicide.

But something deep in his soul told him not to end her here.

It wasn’t logic. It was instinct. And he chose to follow it.

The vortex swallowed him whole, pulling him away from the tower.

For the second time, he heard the familiar chime after completing a mission.

Ding!

[You have completed the second mission: "Clear the Tower of Fate."]

[You are now allowed to pass through the "Second Barrier" and head to the "Third Zone," where your third mission will take place.]

Sam grinned faintly as the world reformed around him.

’Two down,’ he thought, his hand tightening on the sword’s hilt, ’Five more to go.’

And soon, he would discover what awaited him in the third mission.