CHAPTER 193: OPENING THE MYSTERY BOX, THE REALM MAP

"Oh wait."

Sam had only taken a few steps forward into the strange beauty of the [Fourth Zone] before he stopped in his tracks.

His eyes flickered, his expression shifting as realization struck him.

"I mean, I’m going to be staying here for a while," he muttered, "so I might as well use the items."

It wasn’t just any items he was talking about.

He still had three [Skill Tier Advancement Scrolls] tucked away safely in his inventory.

Even if he couldn’t immediately evolve the skills afterward, letting them sit unused felt wasteful.

And then, of course, there was the other treasure—something even more mysterious and tempting.

The [Mystery Box].

The reward he had earned for being the very first awakener to complete the third mission.

He clenched his fists at the thought of it, his crimson eyes flashing.

Ding!

[You currently have three "Skill Tier Advancement Scrolls"]

Sam snapped his fingers, summoning the scrolls into existence.

The three golden scrolls shimmered in the air, each one radiating an energy that seemed to pull at his core.

Without hesitation, Sam poured his mana into them, and three translucent panels sprang to life before his eyes.

[Which skill do you wish to evolve to Tier 2?]

Sam’s gaze sharpened as he opened his skill list.

The familiar names appeared one after another:

[Tendrils of Oblivion (Forsaken), Sovereign Inferno (Forsaken), Void Rush (Forsaken), Gaze of the Primordial (Forsaken), Primordial Spirits (Forsaken)]

These were the only skills left stuck at [Tier 1].

All the others—including his newly acquired [Hatred Wings]—had already reached Tier 2.

Once he evolved these, there was a strong chance he’d never receive another Tier 1 skill.

His class had been adjusting as he advanced, after all, refining itself.

But that didn’t matter.

"I already know what I want, as always," Sam said, lips curling into a grin.

Ding!

[You have evolved "Tendrils of Oblivion" to Tier 2!]

Ding!

[You have evolved "Sovereign Inferno" to Tier 2!]

Ding!

[You have evolved "Primordial Spirits" to Tier 2!]

The choice of [Primordial Spirits] was risky—Sam knew it.

That skill had barely proven itself so far, almost like it was a burden more than a blessing.

But deep inside, he felt it.

A pull.

A whisper telling him that it was worth investing into, that one day it would reveal its true worth.

He couldn’t explain why he trusted it, but he did.

As for the other two—[Tendrils of Oblivion] and [Sovereign Inferno]—those were obvious picks.

He didn’t even have to think twice.

Now, only two of his skills remained at Tier 1: [Gaze of the Primordial] and [Void Rush].

[Void Rush] was devastating when it landed, but it relied heavily on the target being vulnerable to its soul strike.

And by now, fewer and fewer enemies fell under that category.

Unless, of course, he mastered it enough to strike directly at their souls no matter what.

That thought made him pause.

It had been a while since he used it.

Soon, though. He would evolve it soon enough.

For now, it could wait.

He closed the panels, his crimson eyes flickering as he stretched his hands out in front of him.

That was one task done.

Sam’s status was clear.

He was already at level 5 of the [Ascendant] rank.

And with his [Hatred Bar] filling much faster than he’d expected, all that stood between him and his advancement to [Forsaken] rank was grinding out a few more levels and completing his advancement task.

There were three ranks beyond that, but reaching Forsaken would at least be a step in the right direction.

A step closer to strength.

A step further away from being crushed like an insect by the beings watching him.

He knew the truth.

They enjoyed watching him struggle.

It amused them.

And if he grew too powerful too quickly, they might simply erase him the instant they felt threatened.

Would they kill him without hesitation once he touched even a fraction of their power?

Possibly.

But Sam’s eyes burned with resolve as he clenched his fist.

Did he care?

[Proceed.]

He opened his [Spatial Inventory] and pulled out the second treasure. The [Mystery Box].

It gleamed ominously in his hand—a small crimson cube with a shimmering "?" inscribed on every side.

Just holding it made his aura stir, as though the box itself was alive.

[Mystery Box]

[Rank: Primordial]

[Description: Pour your mana into it, and a random item will come out. It could be a heaven-defying weapon, an armor that can tank all attacks, a necklace that makes you invincible, or a skill book that multiplies your damage a hundredfold.]

[The only thing that matters is your luck, and what you get inside your box, for only the most determined will rise.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Determination =)?]

Sam’s breath caught slightly.

Primordial rank.

The highest rank an item could reach across all realms.

Back in the Forsaken Kingdom, everyone believed [Forsaken] rank was the end.

The peak.

But the moment he stepped into this realm, that illusion shattered.

Primordial rank was real.

And if there was something beyond even that...

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Still, the existence of these Mystery Boxes changed everything.

If one could give something as powerful as the description claimed, then letting anyone else get their hands on them was out of the question.

’If I keep completing missions first,’ Sam thought with a sharp grin, ’I should end up with at least five of these.’

The idea of hoarding that many Primordial treasures filled him with fire.

But first, he needed to test this one.

To see if it truly lived up to the hype.

Sam held the [Mystery Box] firmly in both hands.

He took a slow breath, let his aura flare, and poured his mana into the cube.

The moment his energy touched it—

Click!

[Reward owner detected.]

"Hm?"

The cube began to float out of his hands, spinning in midair as its surface pulsed with light.

Sam watched, his expression unreadable, as new panels appeared before him.

[Primordial has been detected.]

[Giving a reward befitting of Determination...]

"...?"

Fwish! Fwish!

The box spun faster, glowing brighter and brighter, its shape beginning to distort.

Then it grew.

The small cube expanded, light bursting from every edge, until—

BOOM!

The box exploded in a flash of brilliance, showering the zone in crimson light.

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have received something incredible from the "Mystery Box"]

A golden panel blinked in front of him.

Sam blinked.

He looked around.

Nothing.

There was no weapon.

No armor.

No skill book or necklace.

"Huh?"

His brow furrowed as he scanned the ground.

Did that mean the reward wasn’t an item at all?

’Then... what could it even be—’

Ding!

A massive crimson panel appeared before him, dominating his vision.

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for receiving the special perk "Realm Map" from the "Mystery Box"!]

"...What?"

Sam froze.

Not an item.

Not even a skill.

A perk.

He didn’t hesitate.

He tapped the panel instantly to open its details.

The screen rippled—

Fwish!

A massive map appeared before him, glowing faintly with crimson light.

Sam’s eyes widened.

The entire [Upper Realm] was laid out before him in staggering detail.

On the far left was a massive zone filled with structures, labeled [Forsaken Kingdom].

Past that, the map stretched into the [First Zone], [Second Zone], [Third Zone], and finally the [Fourth Zone], where he currently stood.

Even the barriers between them were clearly marked, dividing the zones with glowing lines.

’This map... it shows me the entire realm.’

Sam’s hand twitched.

He reached forward and tried to pinch the map.

And to his surprise—it worked.

The image zoomed in seamlessly, letting him inspect areas more closely.

Each zone had its major landmarks marked.

Before the [First Barrier], a swirling vortex was labeled [Seventh Layer Portal].

In the [Second Zone], a towering spire appeared on the map—[Tower of Fate].

The [Third Zone] was blank, but Sam realized it might’ve shown the location of the [Astrals] before he’d wiped them out.

His lips curled into a grin.

This was beyond valuable.

This was power.

Information was power.

And he had just gained the ultimate tool for navigating this cursed realm.

But as he studied the map further, he noticed something strange.

The Forsaken Kingdom and the first three zones were crystal clear, detailed to perfection.

But everything beyond the [Fourth Zone] was shrouded in fog.

A gray mist covered the land, preventing him from seeing anything past his current position.

It wasn’t hard to guess why.

Either the areas were still corrupted, or he simply hadn’t explored them yet.

Which meant the map updated as he advanced.

His gaze flicked to the blinking dot labeled [You].

That was him.

His exact position in the realm.

No one else had this.

No one else even knew such a perk existed.

Countless awakeners would kill to have it.

And Sam knew...

This wasn’t all.

There had to be more.

Because this was a perk, not just an item.

A simple map, no matter how useful, wasn’t enough to justify something of this magnitude.

And then—

Ding!

[You have unlocked the "Fast Travel" perk with your "Realm Map"!]