Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely
Chapter 38: Second Layer Mechanic, The Black Sun

Chapter 38: Second Layer Mechanic, The Black Sun

Ding!

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

It took another dozen monsters or so, but eventually, Sam reached the next level.

Just like in the first layer, none of the monsters even came close to threatening him.

They charged at him in groups, some with weapons, others with claws and corrupted magic, but it didn’t matter.

They fell just the same.

A single swing from his [Primordial Sword] would cleave through them.

If he didn’t want to get close, his [Sovereign Inferno] would reduce entire squads to ash, and [Abyssal Obliteration] would erase whatever was left standing.

They were stronger than the enemies from the first layer, sure. They were faster, more coordinated, and all level 20 thanks to the corruption.

But they still didn’t stand a chance.

Sam kept moving, calm and unbothered.

’Am I too strong for this?’ he wondered, though there wasn’t any real concern in the thought. ’Maybe... but that’s probably a good thing.’

He knew better than to get cocky, though.

The memory of the Abyssal King still lingered in the back of his mind.

Even with all his power, he’d nearly died inside the first sub-layer. That was a harsh reminder.

It didn’t matter how strong he was, some enemies would always be capable of killing him if he wasn’t careful. Especially bosses. Especially Layer Bosses.

And he was sure this layer had one too.

He wasn’t going to let his guard down.

As he walked down another cracked, empty street, he muttered to himself, "Lily and Alicia mentioned each layer has its own mechanic. So what’s this one?"

He hadn’t noticed anything unusual so far.

The environment was different, yes, larger, more spread out, filled with different monster types, but nothing that screamed "mechanic" just yet.

The first layer didn’t really have one either.

Some people considered the "tutorial-like" nature of the first layer as its defining feature, helping new awakeners adjust to their classes and powers.

But this layer felt different. Too quiet.

[Look up.]

A system message appeared in front of him. Sam blinked and followed the instruction.

He tilted his head back, and his eyes widened.

The sky was bright, sure. But it wasn’t the normal blue or even gray tone he expected. No. It was crimson.

Deep red clouds drifted slowly above him, casting an eerie hue over the ruined city. And in the center of it all was the sun.

But it wasn’t golden. It wasn’t even orange. It was black.

A massive, pitch-black sphere hovered in the sky, pulsing with waves of strange energy.

It looked closer than any sun had any right to be, and somehow, it radiated darkness instead of light.

---

[Black Sun (Corrupted)]

[Description: It corrupts all life touched by its rays. Remaining exposed for too long will lead to irreversible transformation.]

f[Hell-Mode Analysis: This is the mechanic of the second floor. Its effects begin in the next area.]

---

Sam exhaled slowly. "Well, that answers that."

So the mechanic was there after all. He just hadn’t walked far enough to trigger it.

He probably could’ve learned all of this ahead of time if he’d done some research or spoiled himself about the second layer... or the third and fourth, maybe even beyond.

But he didn’t really care.

Fwish! SLASH!

Another group of corrupted sentinels leapt out at him from a side street, but Sam cut through them with ease.

He didn’t slow down.

He met no humans while passing through the outskirts. Only monsters. All of them tried to kill him. All of them failed.

Eventually, a thick curtain of dark mist appeared ahead of him, stretching across the road.

Sam recognized it instantly.

’A boss fight.’

A system message greeted him again.

[Be careful.]

He nodded once and stepped through the mist.

The world on the other side opened up into a wide, open square.

Cracked tiles lined the ground. Buildings towered on every side, hollow and broken. And in the center stood the boss.

---

[Sentinel General (Corrupted)]

[Level: 20]

[Description: The leader of the Cracked Sentinels, and the strongest among them.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The rays of the Black Sun empower its body.]

---

The general’s armor was brighter than the others, more polished, and its black energy was stronger.

Its helmet had a crown-like crest, and its sword was easily twice the size of its soldiers’.

It raised the weapon and pointed it at Sam.

"You... shall... perish..."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"That’s the second monster I’ve heard talk," he said with amusement. "Will there be more of them later? Or maybe from the other races connected to the realm?"

He wasn’t really expecting an answer.

The Forsaken Realm was more than just Earth. Other worlds had connections to it. And only after reaching the [Universal Stage] would everything be fully revealed.

Earth wasn’t there yet. Not even close.

Even the top guilds couldn’t get past the fourth layer.

Sam made a mental note to ask David later why that was the case. But for now, he had a boss to kill.

"You... cannot... defeat... the sun..." the Sentinel General growled as it stepped forward.

Sam didn’t respond. Instead, he raised his sword and activated [Tendrils of Oblivion].

Dark tendrils surged from his blade, whipping through the air and racing toward the boss.

The general swung its sword in defiance, trying to slice through them, but it wasn’t enough.

The tendrils wrapped tightly around its body, locking it in place.

And then, one clean slash.

Sam stepped forward and cut through the boss with a single strike.

The Sentinel General didn’t even scream. It collapsed in a heap of black armor and shattered energy. Dead in seconds.

A corrupted level 20 boss that would normally require an entire team had been defeated by one man, in less than five seconds.

Sam didn’t even look surprised.

He reached down, grabbed the loot, tossed it into his [Spatial Inventory], and absorbed the boss’s core into the primordial sword.

The mist behind him vanished, and he stepped forward.

The next area looked different, a more urban district.

Rows of collapsed apartment buildings, cars rusted and flipped on their sides, debris scattered across the streets.

It looked like people had once lived here. But now it was silent.

Just as he entered the zone, a new notification appeared, and a dark panel pulsed in front of him.

[You feel the power of the "Black Sun" on your back.]

Sam looked up again.

The black sun’s rays were brighter now, casting long shadows down the ruined streets.

He took a step forward. And the moment he did—

[The "Black Sun" despises your presence and unleashes its corruption...]

Fwish! BOOM!

A thick beam of black light rained down on Sam’s body.

Most awakeners wouldn’t been corrupted and turned into twisted beasts. But Sam didn’t even flinch.

[...But nothing happened.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: It cannot affect us, Primordial. Keep going.]

He grinned. The sun’s power couldn’t touch him.

Maybe it was his class. Or maybe his existence as a Primordial placed him outside the system’s normal influence.

Whatever the reason, he was immune.

Most people would slowly lose themselves the longer they were exposed to those rays.

Their minds would warp, their thoughts would twist, and eventually they’d become monsters themselves.

But Sam stood tall. Untouched. Unmoved.

He kept walking forward, his crimson eyes glowing brighter with each step.

If even the layer’s main mechanic couldn’t do anything to him, then his confidence only grew.