Sam stepped out of the [Dimension of Time], his body reappearing in the center of his quiet apartment room.
The stillness almost felt strange after so many days spent locked in endless battle against his own clone.
He straightened, letting his eyes adjust to the normal world again, and then braced himself.
If someone had already cleared the [Maze of the Damned] while he was training, then the notification would hit him as soon as he returned.
That had happened before.
He remembered vividly when he left the dimension last time, and the announcement of the completed mission had slammed into him instantly.
This time, though, nothing came.
Sam waited. Still nothing.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Looks like they’re still stuck training. Though I’d bet a lot of them hit level ten by now."
The grin turned sharper as he thought it over.
This was the [Fourth Mission]. The exact halfway point of the [Upper] realm.
From here on out, the missions weren’t designed for the weak.
Only the strongest could actually manage to move forward.
Everyone else would be forced to grind and scrape for months before they even came close to catching up.
That meant, in reality, it was him and a few of the best competing now.
And Sam didn’t for a second believe he would lose against any other awakener. Not one.
The only thing that gave him the smallest edge of worry weren’t his competitors but the missions themselves.
What would those beings put in his path this time?
What kind of traps, what kind of twisted games, what kind of horrors would they unleash just to test him?
No one knew. And that was the point. Still, he knew what had to be done.
He couldn’t stop until he reached the final rank.
He wasn’t even at the forsaken-rank yet, and once he reached that, there were still three more ranks waiting above it.
So he had no time to hesitate.
He clenched his fist, aura swirling faintly.
"Time to deal with that [Fourth Mission]."
With that thought burning in his head, Sam left the apartment and stepped into the bustling streets of the [Forsaken] kingdom.
As expected, more people had filled the roads than before.
Every time he returned, it seemed like another flood of awakeners from other worlds had arrived.
The sheer number of them made the streets look like rivers of bodies, though none of them mattered much yet.
The newcomers were strong, yes, but most hovered only at the peak of the [Forsaken] rank.
They still had a long climb ahead before they could even attempt what he was about to face.
And the [Forsaken] kingdom could hold millions, maybe even tens of millions.
Even then, Sam doubted they would ever fill it to the brim.
The system probably didn’t plan for that anyway.
He pushed through the crowd and finally reached the central square, standing before the towering gate of the kingdom.
He slowed, scanning carefully. Nothing.
There weren’t groups standing guard, watching for people entering or leaving the city.
No hidden scouts ready to track down those using the gates.
He had [Void Watcher] that could detect any anomaly trying to hide after all.
"Meaning they either gave up on it... or they couldn’t keep it up at all."
A flicker of green light shimmered into existence before his eyes.
[Or... maybe it’s already set up, and nobody knows it except them.]
Sam turned slightly and caught sight of Seraphine, smiling knowingly as she stepped closer.
Her telepathic message brushed through his mind again.
[I can’t be sure, but my gut tells me that’s the case.]
Sam hummed, not disagreeing but not confirming either.
He couldn’t be certain. Not yet.
[Anyway, I’m heading off now. I just got my advancement task. I think I’m ready for it!]
Sam gave a silent nod.
He couldn’t answer her words since she was the one with [Telepathy], but that didn’t matter.
What did matter was the information itself.
If Seraphine had already reached the point of her [Immortal] advancement task, then plenty of others probably had too.
[Don’t you feel like you should start speeding things up too? =)]
Sam smirked faintly.
"Yeah."
It could have been coincidence, her timing.
But in his gut, Sam doubted it.
If she was on her way to the [Fourth Zone], then he had no doubt other groups were already rushing there as well, or worse, they were already inside the [Maze of the Damned] right now.
That decided it. Sam didn’t linger.
He turned on his heel and strode quickly into the side alleys of the kingdom until he found a quiet, empty stretch.
No witnesses. Good.
He opened his [Realm Map], scanning the glowing structure with sharp eyes.
When he was sure the coast was clear, he selected the [Fourth Zone].
Ding!
[Do you wish to teleport to the "Fourth Zone" of the "Upper" realm?]
He wasn’t going to gamble on the gate system.
Not after what he had seen.
And the [Primordial Compass] was powerful, but this was faster.
"Confirm."
The moment the word left his mouth, another panel appeared.
Ding!
[You are going to be teleported.]
Golden light erupted around him instantly.
Fwish! Fwish!
The glow wrapped around his body, swallowing him whole.
The [Realm Map] dissolved into motes of light and sank into his chest, fusing with him as his vision warped and bent.
The pull of teleportation seized him.
And then—
BOOM!
An earth-shaking explosion rippled through the kingdom.
"What the fuck was that?!"
"Did you hear that?!"
"Holy shit, is someone under attack?!"
Teleporting left behind a sound like that, but Sam didn’t actually hear it.
It was loud enough to be heard all the way from the gates. But by then, he was gone.
Ding!
[You have arrived.]
The glow peeled back from his body, and the warped distortion of space faded away.
Sam blinked once, his sight clearing.
The [Fourth Zone] stretched around him once more.
His first instinct was to look around, checking every angle.
If anyone had seen him teleport in, that would be a problem.
[We’ll have to get rid of them =)]
Sam didn’t even flinch at the voice in his head.
Instead, his sharp gaze swept the surroundings.
And relief passed through him when he saw no one nearby.
The closest awakeners were still busy hunting monsters farther away, focused on grinding.
He exhaled once, then considered his next move.
"Grinding would work... but at this rate, it would take weeks to get a single level."
He was already level eight in the [Ascendant] rank.
That meant he needed two more levels.
And killing monsters wasn’t going to give him that in any reasonable time.
The best path forward was obvious—completing the mission.
That was where the real gains waited.
So without hesitation, Sam darted forward.
He didn’t bother opening his [Primordial Wings].
Even though they would double his speed, they were far too noticeable. Too unique.
Among all the angel wings, dragon wings, celestial wings, and every other type... Sam’s wings stood apart.
The strongest in existence. [Hell-Mode Analysis] had confirmed it, and he didn’t need to test it twice.
So he kept them hidden for now. His own speed was already enough.
It didn’t take long before the landscape shifted, and Sam finally reached the place he remembered, the altar.
Behind it loomed the [Fourth Barrier], a massive silver wall of flames stretching upward without end.
Its surface rippled faintly, impossible to cross.
Not without completing the [Maze of the Damned]. That was the rule.
Sam stepped inside the small monument where the altar was housed.
Several groups of awakeners were already there, waiting, whispering among themselves.
Sam’s eyes flicked toward them.
Level ten Immortal-rank.
Every one of them. Strong, capable, dangerous.
But not his concern. Not now.
His focus stayed fixed on the altar itself.
At its center floated the small silver orb, spinning slowly with faint light.
The moment he looked at it, a panel appeared before him.
Ding.
[Touch the "Orb of the Damned" to enter the "Maze of the Damned," and prove your worth.]
[It is the only way forward... We’ll make sure you enjoy it =)]
That last mocking line hadn’t been there before.
Sam’s jaw tightened. He already knew who was behind it.
He dismissed the thought immediately and stepped forward.
"Is this guy insane? He’s going alone?"
"Looks pretty primordial to me, not gonna lie."
"Quick, look at his face!"
Their whispers echoed faintly behind him. But Sam didn’t care.
Without slowing, he extended his hand and pressed it to the orb.
Silver light flared instantly, swallowing his body from head to toe.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
"Damn it, he went in already."
"Oh well. He’ll probably die. Most who entered never came back."
The voices faded away. Sam was already gone.
Fwish! Fwish!
The silver vortex of transportation carried him through, dragging his body down a spiraling tunnel of light.
Panels appeared in front of his eyes, words burning bright across them.
[As said before, we have prepared a very special challenge JUST for you!]
[We enjoyed watching your training. You truly are shaping into a perfect primordial.] For more chapters visit novel✶fire.net
[But unfortunately... that simply isn’t enough.]
Sam’s teeth clenched as a guttural laugh filled the air.
Not one laugh. Many.
Dozens of overlapping voices shrieking with malice and amusement, clawing at his ears.
[You have an intensely bad feeling about this.]
Sam rolled his eyes.
"Really?"
The light twisted violently, and then his feet slammed against solid ground.
The panels flared again.
Ding.
[You have entered the "Maze of the Damned."]