CHAPTER 182: BELLE THE STALKER IS HERE, HEADING TOWARD THE THIRD ZONE

Sam didn’t enjoy doing nothing. It wasn’t just boredom.

It was the knowledge of what he was, what could happen in the future, and how dangerous idleness could become if he wasted too much time.

But even with that thought lingering in the back of his mind, the rest of the day passed in relative stillness.

He ate food. He rested.

And, for the first time since he had come here, he noticed something strange.

The television that had once been blank now displayed something.

At first, it surprised him.

The screen flickered with activity, but there were no actual shows or channels, only a gray corrupted feed that kept flashing in and out.

Distorted lines, flickering shapes, and static.

It felt less like entertainment and more like interference bleeding in from somewhere else.

Sam stared at it for a few moments, but in the end he decided it wasn’t worth his attention.

Whatever purpose it served, it wasn’t for him.

’I wonder if that [Eternal] group has already started hunting the [Astrals],’ Sam thought.

That was, after all, the main objective of the third mission of the [Upper] realm.

The missions here were structured differently, and though he had limited information, Sam could feel the weight of this one pressing on him now that he had accepted it.

Every mission had its own unique mechanic.

The first mission had been straightforward.

Clear the layer, adapt, and get used to the new rules.

The second had been twisted.

Instead of survival alone, the awakeners had been forced to prove their strength against one another and then sacrifice one among them to move forward.

It had been brutal in its design, leaving no room for weakness or sentiment.

And now the third mission...

This one was collective.

Everyone needed to band together and hunt the [Astrals].

Only then would they advance to the fourth stage.

Sam frowned, trying to piece together the intent behind this design.

Why force cooperation after such cutthroat rules before?

What was the connection?

Nothing came to him.

But in truth, it didn’t bother him enough to dwell on it.

He wasn’t someone who wasted energy on puzzles without answers.

Instead, he pushed those thoughts aside and simply spent the rest of the day resting.

Eventually, night passed.

And then, a new day arrived.

Panels floated before his eyes the moment he stirred.

[Primordial Evolution — Next Use: 00:02]

[Primordial Evolution — Next Use: 00:01]

Ding!

[You are able to use "Primordial Evolution" again.]

Sam didn’t hesitate.

The moment the cooldown was over, he summoned the ability.

Primordial Evolution!

Energy rippled through his soul, and the familiar panels of [I Always Comeback] and [Abyssal Obliteration] appeared.

Only two choices.

He had considered it yesterday, weighed the pros and cons, and already knew the answer.

"I should focus on strength," Sam muttered.

"As long as I am strong... reviving won’t matter."

With that conviction, he focused on his offensive skill.

A surge of power pulsed outward from his soul and washed over the glowing panel.

Ding!

[Abyssal Obliteration (Forsaken) has evolved into Cataclysmic Barrage (Forsaken+)]

[Primordial Evolution — Next Use: 23:59:59]

Sam’s lips curled into a grin.

Without wasting a moment, he opened the new panel to examine the changes.

[Cataclysmic Barrage][Rank: Forsaken+][Description: Summon a giant turret made out of your aura and affinities that will launch powerful bullets.][Hell-Mode Analysis: This is only one of the three "modes" this skill has, we’ll get the others soon =)]

"Oh?"

His eyes widened slightly as he read.

The entire structure of the ability had changed.

No more small dark portals spitting out bullets.

Instead, he could manifest a massive turret formed from his aura and affinities.

The function was completely different.

The shift made him pause, but it didn’t dampen his excitement.

If anything, it amplified it.

Still, one question pressed at him.

Would this make his [Bullet of Oblivion] redundant?

Or would he now need to train even harder to keep the synergy between them?

He didn’t know yet.

And while the temptation to experiment immediately clawed at him, Sam knew patience would be more rewarding.

He would need to max out the skill and unlock the other modes mentioned in the Hell-Mode analysis before he could fully grasp its potential.

For now, he had to set that anticipation aside.

Closing the panel, he stepped outside.

The moment the door swung open, a cheerful voice reached him.

"Hey!"

Belle stood right there, smiling brightly as if she had been waiting all this time.

[...I knew we should have killed her.]

"..." Sam’s expression was flat, his crimson eyes narrowing.

"What do you want."

"Nothing much," Belle said, her grin widening.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing."

Sam studied her in silence.

She was one of the heroines of the game.

If she took a liking to him, that meant she was, at the very least, relatively trustworthy.

But trust wasn’t what he needed right now.

He preferred solitude, time to gather himself, and space to focus.

"Wait," Sam muttered, scratching his chin.

"How did you even find my room? And since when have you been here?"

"Since yesterday!" Belle answered with no shame whatsoever.

"I followed you when you came here."

She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

[Void Watcher: She has taken a giant liking to you, but you don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.]

Sam stared.

Belle was the daughter of the [King of Dragons].

Her bloodline was among the strongest.

Her power was remarkable.

And yet... she had few, if any, friends.

Her life was a cycle of training and combat.

Sam could understand why she had latched onto him.

To her, he must have been someone interesting, someone worth watching.

Of course, she wasn’t naive.

She knew the Primordial wouldn’t have much free time for her.

But it didn’t stop her from wanting to peek into his life.

[Typical stalker. I think killing her is still an option.]

Sam exhaled slowly, brushing past her.

He wasn’t going to waste time here.

His focus was the [Third Zone].

"Are you going to complete the [Third Mission]?" Belle asked.

Her tone shifted to something far more serious.

"You should be careful."

"Why?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes.

Any fragment of information was valuable.

"These [Astrals]... they might seem easier than other missions," she explained.

"But they’ve already wiped out entire teams on their own."

Sam absorbed that quietly.

It was useful to know.

But it didn’t shake his resolve.

Slowly, his lips curled into a grin.

His crimson eyes flared with an aura that burned like fire.

"I think I’ll manage," he said.

"Just focus on yourself. I won’t help you."

"O-Of course!" Belle stammered, her face lighting up with joy at his words.

"I hope you succeed. I won’t say a thing!"

"Hm."

Sam didn’t linger.

He descended the stairs and left his apartment behind.

Most players who had completed even the first mission had already upgraded their lives, buying homes or at least renting out condos.

But Sam didn’t care for luxuries.

As long as he could eat, sleep, and fight, he was satisfied.

As soon as he stepped out of the hotel, a panel materialized in front of him.

[She seems like a masochist.]

"What the fuck."

...

He left the forsaken kingdom behind.

Belle, thankfully, didn’t follow.

Relief washed over him.

In his past life, he might have jumped at the chance to spend time with someone like her.

But that was then.

[We are a Primordial. We don’t care about this.]

[Just keep going.]

Sam nodded to himself. He already knew that.

An hour later, he arrived once more at the [Second Barrier].

The area around the [Tower of Fate] was more crowded than ever.

Tens of thousands of awakeners gathered, forming groups and alliances.

Word had clearly spread about the missions.

Information was out there, and those who could exploit it were already doing so.

But none of that mattered to Sam.

He bypassed the chaos without hesitation, walking around the tower and toward the immense barrier of white flames that marked the next stage.

He stepped through.

Ding!

[You have arrived at the "Third Zone"]