CHAPTER 151: ULTIMATE MISSION, KILL THE PRIMORDIAL

[Ultimate Mission: Kill the Primordial.]

"Ah..." Sam let out a slow sigh.

"Fuck..."

[As you may all know, the last Primordial—the only surviving member of this forsaken race—is still alive.]

[He currently resides in the "Forsaken" kingdom, blending in as one of you. But his hatred and determination have not faded. In fact, they are stronger than anyone else’s.]

[We will not reveal his race or identity. But know this—he is near you.]

"Hm."

Sam stared at the panels with a blank, almost bored expression.

It was information, sure, but not enough to make him feel genuinely concerned.

At least they had the sense to hide his race.

If they had announced that he was human, every awakener from every race would have turned on all humans, slaughtering them indiscriminately just to be safe.

But Sam wasn’t worried about that.

His attention shifted as the mission’s true goal was displayed.

[Whoever kills the "Primordial", regardless of their strength or origin, will complete the "Ultimate Mission."]

[The victor will be rewarded with ten peak-rank skills, evolved to the maximum level of the ten awakener ranks, and will be instantly sent to the final realm, skipping the "Upper" realm entirely.]

[In other words... they will become a god, free to do as they please.]

[Those who enter the final realm will be able to travel freely between all three realms.]

"...Heh."

Sam’s lips curled into a wide grin as a faint aura poured from his eyes.

"Just let them try."

But before the thought could settle, a new chime echoed in his mind.

Ding!

[The last Primordial has just told you: "Go ahead and try to kill me. You won’t be able to."]

"God damn it," Sam muttered, though the grin remained on his face.

It seemed the ones controlling this world truly wanted him dead.

Yet if their hatred burned so fiercely, why didn’t they just reveal his name outright?

Or better yet, why didn’t they kill him themselves?

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that his theory was right: there was someone, or something, above them.

Something that commanded them. Something that controlled all three realms.

[Whatever that being is... we’ll find it one day. And we’ll make it regret ever being alive.]

"Sure."

The rewards for the [Ultimate Mission] were absurd.

They were tempting enough that every awakener in the [Upper] realm would now be focused on hunting him.

The chase for the last Primordial would be relentless.

Sam would have to be more careful than ever.

But that didn’t mean he would change how he acted.

[Proceed.]

"All those in our way," Sam thought with a grin.

Then he lay back down, closing his eyes, eager to see what came next.

The night passed quietly.

In his dreams, Sam found himself standing in darkness.

Around him were hundreds, no, thousands, of eyes.

Silhouettes loomed in the shadows, their shapes oddly similar to the ones he had seen the first time he activated [I Always Come Back].

No voices spoke. No panels appeared.

They simply stared at him, and he stared back.

This silent standoff lasted for hours.

Eight hours, if time could be trusted in dreams.

Eventually, the void around him began to warp and twist.

The dream shattered, and Sam opened his eyes in bed.

He stretched lazily, though his stomach reminded him he was hungry.

As he glanced forward, something unusual caught his attention.

The television in the corner was turned on.

A single message glowed on the screen.

[Good luck, Primordial.]

[Show me just how far our kind can go, even in such a desperate situation.]

’Our kind?’ Sam thought, his eyebrows raising.

[See you in the last realm.]

The screen flickered, and the words vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

Sam sat there for a moment, his eyes narrowing, aura faintly flaring around him.

Something about this felt wrong.

But he pushed the thought aside.

’I have to complete the first mission if I want to get stronger and advance.’

He left his room and wandered through the streets, soon finding a supermarket not far from his hotel.

Inside, the shelves were stocked, though the place was eerily quiet.

A few awakeners from other races browsed the aisles, but there were no clerks, no staff—only the self-service panels beside each product.

Sam approached the food section.

---

[Water Bottle (6-Pack)]

[Price: 3 Forsaken Coins]

---

’So even food costs this currency...’ he thought.

It seemed he would have to get used to this system.

The [Forsaken] kingdom was vast, populated by awakeners of every race.

Trade was inevitable, and these coins would be the main currency.

That raised a question, how would people earn them?

As far as Sam knew, everyone had only started with 10,000.

He gathered what he needed and paid for it.

[Balance: 9,864 Forsaken Coins]

Once he was sure no one was watching, he stored everything in his [Spatial Inventory].

The [Forsaken] kingdom was described as the only safe zone in this realm.

Beyond its walls lay danger.

The goal of the [Upper] realm was to expand that safe zone until it reached the end.

Those who succeeded would move on to the third and final realm.

Details were scarce, but Sam figured the first mission would make things clear.

With nothing else to do, he decided to see it for himself.

’I’m guessing you have to leave the kingdom to start the first mission... meaning they’re forcing you into danger right away.’

It was the only theory that made sense, so he followed it.

As he moved through the streets toward the outer gates, he saw thousands of awakeners.

Some gave him cold, suspicious looks.

Others didn’t care.

It seemed that in just one day, most had adapted to their new reality.

Groups kept to themselves, sticking with their own race for safety.

No one trusted strangers yet.

"Should we head out to see what the mission is about?"

"Yeah. It’s the [Seventh Layer]. We need to know what’s waiting for us."

Sam overheard similar conversations everywhere.

Many shared his plan.

He also noticed how many of these awakeners were already at the peak of [Forsaken] rank.

Powerful, dangerous individuals, each one a potential threat.

"We should look for the Primordial while we’re at it. Slaughter him if we find him."

"Only one person gets the reward, but if it’s someone from our race, we’ll dominate the others."

"I doubt finding him will be that easy."

The talk was constant, but Sam ignored it.

Finally, he reached the outer gates of the [Forsaken] kingdom.

They were wide open. Beyond them stretched a barren landscape.

The sky outside was gray, oppressive, and the grass was brittle and lifeless.

It was jarring, inside the kingdom, the skies were blue and the fields vibrant.

Out here, it felt like the world itself was hostile.

Sam stepped forward without hesitation.

Ding!

[You are about to leave the "Forsaken" kingdom. Be wary of the dangers that await you outside.]