CHAPTER 45: SPEEDRUNNING THE SECOND LAYER

Ding!

[You have entered the "Second Layer."]

Sam had gone to the first [Outer Ring] once more and summoned the portal.

He had already cleared the layer once before, but now, he was back for a new reason. Speed.

A challenge for himself, and maybe for the world too.

As soon as he opened the gate to the second layer, a familiar, corrupted energy spilled out from the rift.

Once again, the layer had become corrupted.

[Okay, it’s actually starting to feel like this world really is changing around you.]

Sam raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes.

"Really? Who could’ve guessed?" he muttered.

Two runs into the layer so far, and both times it had been corrupted.

That kind of luck wasn’t luck anymore. And Sam was already convinced it wasn’t just coincidence.

Still, it didn’t slow him down.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the vortex. He knew the rules now.

[The timer starts the moment you drop into the layer, and ends when you defeat the final boss.]

Sam gave a small nod, stretching his arms and rolling his neck as he prepared.

Then, thud, his feet hit the ground.

He was back on the outskirts of the [Second Layer].

Almost instantly, he felt it.

[The "Black Sun" has sensed your presence.]

Sam didn’t even look up.

He could feel the entity watching. Observing. Probably wondering if this time, Sam would take the path into the sub-layer.

’Not today,’ he thought with a grin.

Fwish! Boom!

He took off in a blur, pulling his [Primordial Sword] from his [Spatial Inventory] as he sprinted full-speed ahead.

He slashed through any monster that crossed his path, but ignored anything that wasn’t in his direct way.

No detours. No distractions. Only forward.

Just over three minutes in, he reached the first wall of mist that marked the boundary to the boss of the [Outskirts].

He didn’t slow down for even a second.

Phasing through the mist, he entered the open plaza, where the [Sentinel General (Corrupted)] was already standing.

"You... shall... per—"

Fwish! Slash!

Sam didn’t let it finish.

The corrupted sentinel’s head was already flying before the sentence could be completed.

Sam never even broke his stride.

Tendrils extended from the [Primordial Sword] and absorbed the monster’s core on the move.

Ding!

[You have entered the "Main Area."]

Sam kept going. His feet struck the broken pavement of the ruined streets, his speed never faltering.

He was more familiar with the layout now, even though he’d only been here once before.

Something about this place had embedded itself into his mind.

And just like what had happened in the ruins of the [First Layer], many of the monsters didn’t even try to engage him this time.

[They’re scared of you.]

Good. Sam kept running, glancing down alleys, cutting corners, and leaping over broken terrain.

It took him eight minutes to reach the next wall of silver mist that led to the second boss, the [Fallen Architect (Corrupted)].

Phasing through, he entered the arena without pause.

Fwish! Slash!

Just like before, the architect was dead before it even registered Sam’s presence.

Again, the sword devoured its core.

’I should easily beat the record,’ Sam grinned to himself.

Ding!

[You have entered the "Luxury District."]

The final area.

Sam tore through the polished, ruined streets of the district, ignoring the lavish buildings and mutated monsters that now stood as remnants of what this place once was.

Less than two minutes later, he reached the final plaza.

The [City Mayor (Corrupted)] stood at the center, barely raising its cane before—

Fwoosh!

A single swing. One attack.

The mayor didn’t even get the chance to summon reinforcements this time. It crumbled, and Sam’s sword pulled in its energy like always.

It was over. And at that exact moment—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Global Announcement: A new clear record has been set for the "Second Layer" by the "Primordial" Guild.]

[Clear Time: 14 minutes, 36 seconds.]

Sam blinked.

’Oh, right.’

The first time when he cleared the first sub-layer, the announcement had displayed his name.

But now that he was officially part of a guild, all of his accomplishments were automatically attributed to the guild itself.

’Good,’ he thought. ’Makes it easier to stay anonymous.’

But even as he took it in, Sam knew what was happening on the outside.

The world was already reacting.

"What the hell do you mean, new clear time?"

"Wasn’t the Union Guild’s record unbeatable?"

"Primordial Guild? They cut the time in half!"

Forums. Group chats. Alliance discussions.

Everywhere people were talking about it.

The [Union Guild] had held the record with over 20 specialized awakeners trained for months to shave off every second.

Now, this new guild, "Primordial", had seemingly come out of nowhere and demolished their time.

"Probably a full team of experts who studied the layer perfectly."

"I just saw them in the top 100 rankings. Brand new guild!"

"They must be amazing. Wonder what their composition is..."

Not one of them knew that the "guild" was a single person.

Sam didn’t care enough to boast about it, either.

Instead, he raised his eyes to the sky.

The [Black Sun] was still up there, but the eye was gone.

It wasn’t watching. Not actively, at least. Still, he knew it was listening.

Sam narrowed his eyes and spoke quietly.

"The next time I come," he said, his voice cold, "I’ll be there to kill you."

A pulse of energy swept across the entire layer in response. The world itself trembled for a second, as if the entity had acknowledged the challenge.

But nothing attacked.

So Sam turned, stepped through the gate, and left.

Even with the achievement, his guild rank didn’t budge. Sam understood why.

Clearing the layer faster didn’t change the fact that other guilds were still deeper into the game, attempting higher-level realms.

They had full teams and experience on their side.

Still, this put the name of his guild on the reader. That was a start.

Back in his apartment, Sam leaned back on the couch. He felt good about it... but something still gnawed at him.

He wanted more.

’I really want to reach Adept rank already.’

But that would take time. For now, he had something else to focus on.

The guild meeting.

Ding!

A new message arrived.

---

[Lily Gremoir]: Did you guys see that new record on the second layer? That was insane!

[Alicia Union]: Yeah! My dad and the generals from the Union Guild are freaking out. They said "Primordial" is a brand-new guild but already tearing through the ranks!

[Sam Walker]: It’s my guild.

---

There was a brief silence.

---

[Lily Gremoir]: ...Of course.

[Alicia Union]: ...Should’ve expected that.

[Lily Gremoir]: Haha, only Sam would be crazy enough to solo speedrun a layer and set a global record right after forming a guild.

---

The chat continued for a while.

They asked a few questions, but Sam didn’t reveal much. He answered vaguely, keeping things short.

Eventually, the conversation shifted.

---

[Alicia Union]: So, you gonna be at the Guild Meeting in two days, Sam? I’m going with my dad and the co-leader.

[Lily Gremoir]: I’ll be there too. My dad’s one of the senior leaders in the "Arcane Society", and they wanted me to assist!

[Sam Walker]: Yeah. I’ll be there :)

---

After that, there wasn’t much left to do.

All that was left now was to wait.

The meeting would tell him what was coming.

Sam stood up, glancing toward the city skyline beyond his apartment window.

He didn’t know what the guild meeting would reveal, but something inside him whispered that this was just the beginning.