CHAPTER 61: THE FEAR DUNGEON, HARDEST ADEPT RANK RIFT

In comparison to the first clone Sam had summoned, this one, brought forth by the upgraded [Forsaken Clone] skill, looked noticeably different.

Back then, the clone’s aura was mostly orange, drawn solely from the [Chaos] affinity.

But now, its body was wrapped in three distinct colors: deep black from [Void], searing orange from [Chaos], and a pale silver from [Shadow].

The hues swirled around the clone’s body, clashing and twisting, each one seemingly trying to rise above the others.

And its eyes... Once dull and blank, they were now glowing crimson.

It still wielded the [Primordial Sword] like before, but despite its familiar shape, Sam could feel a difference.

This clone was him, his power, his instincts, his aura, but distorted.

Sam remained stronger overall, yet this copy gave off something far more intense than raw power: it exuded a constant, suffocating killing intent.

That sensation never faded. It lingered in the air like a storm waiting to strike.

"Alright," Sam said simply, "Let’s go."

The clone nodded once, stepping ahead of him.

Sam wanted to let it do all the work, this run was about testing its limits.

"Use all of our abilities," he instructed. "I want to see how well you can handle everything."

Without a word, the clone acknowledged the order and pressed forward.

The [Fear Dungeon] resembled what you’d expect from a typical dungeon, winding corridors, closed-off chambers, flickering torches on the walls.

But this place was darker. Heavier. Even the air felt thick, like something was watching.

Still, Sam had been in pitch-black environments before. He moved easily, the shadows barely slowing him down.

And then—

Fwish! SLASH!

The clone sensed something up ahead and immediately dashed forward, sword slicing through the darkness.

Sam remained where he was, arms crossed, observing silently from a distance.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

He could hear the sounds of battle. Dozens of them. Rapid, relentless.

Thirty seconds later, the clone returned, the sword still slick with fresh blood.

Sam walked forward to inspect the scene, and saw a floor painted red.

Dozens of corpses littered the hallway, each belonging to a different monster.

Most had been cut clean in half, while others had barely recognizable features left.

"...Holy," Sam muttered, eyes wide with surprise. "That’s... incredible."

The clone really did carry all of his stats. Its damage output wasn’t some cheap illusion, it was the real deal.

"Good," Sam nodded. "Now for the next group, I want you to use skills."

The clone didn’t reply with words. It just turned its head and, in the faint darkness, Sam caught a gleam in its crimson eyes.

They shimmered with hunger.

’That’s the [Forsaken] path, huh,’ Sam thought. ’All it wants is to kill.’

And it did kill.

For the rest of the dungeon, Sam didn’t need to lift a finger.

The clone handled every fight.

Whether it was casting [Abyssal Obliteration] to rain down bullets, unleashing flames from [Sovereign Inferno], or wrapping monsters in [Tendrils of Oblivion], it used everything.

The only skill it didn’t have was the one that summoned it: [Forsaken Clone].

And then—

Fwish! Slash!

A sudden ambush.

The clone found itself surrounded by a swarm of monsters known as [Dungeon Dwellers], and one of them slashed at its side with a jagged claw.

Sam’s body moved instinctively, ready to intervene, until something else happened.

The monster’s attack struck a shimmering wall just before it touched the clone’s body.

It bounced off harmlessly.

"...Oh," Sam blinked. "It has [Eternal Barrier] too?!"

The clone shared not only his offensive abilities but also his defensive ones.

Just like Sam, it now had a protective barrier that could absorb up to fifty hits before breaking.

That changed everything.

While the clone couldn’t absorb monster cores, only Sam’s sword could do that, everything else about it functioned at full capacity.

Ding!

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

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 3 of the Adept Rank!]

Without the "Terror" status hindering him, Sam was clearing the [Fear Dungeon] faster than expected.

In fact, it was probably the shortest rift he had ever entered.

’I guess difficulty isn’t always about size or numbers,’ he thought. ’Sometimes it’s just one thing. One mechanic.’

And that was true.

Rifts could contain special conditions, but they weren’t quite as complex as layer mechanics.

Eventually, the two of them reached the end of the dungeon.

They entered a wide, circular room dimly lit by small, flickering torches along the walls.

And at the center of it... Stood the boss.

---

[Lower Fear Demon (Corrupted)]

[Level: 30]

[Description: One of the Demon Clan’s members.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: One strike is all it takes.]

---

Just as the comment warned, the moment the demon saw the clone, it instinctively recoiled.

The clone wasted no time. It shot forward like lightning, [Primordial Sword] ready.

"!!" The demon’s reaction was delayed, it hadn’t expected such speed.

Even worse, as a demon of fear, it was supposed to emit the "Terror" status the moment any opponent came near.

It bypassed most gear and enchantments that blocked regular fear.

But when it gazed into the clone’s eyes, those crimson pits filled with pure malice, it froze.

It couldn’t move. It couldn’t breathe. It felt fear.

’That aura,’ Sam narrowed his eyes, ’That’s... real killing intent.’

Even he, from a distance, could feel the pressure the clone gave off.

’If that’s what walking the [Forsaken] path feels like... will I end up like this too?’

He didn’t get an answer. Just silence.

But deep down, he had a feeling that his own killing intent, if unleashed fully, would be far worse.

Fwish! SLASH!

The demon tried to block with [Claw Counter], but the clone’s sword cut through its defense like paper.

In one swift motion, it severed the arms, and then its head.

A final, choked roar echoed through the room.

The boss fell. Dead.

Sam walked up, absorbing the monster core from its body.

Fwish! Ding!

[You have completed the Adept Rank rift: "Fear Dungeon"]

"Nice," Sam whispered.

But the clone didn’t move.

It remained still, standing over the demon’s body, eyes locked on the corpse.

Its crimson aura flared slightly, slowly, but it didn’t fade.

Sam approached carefully, eyes narrowed.

As he got closer, the clone suddenly turned its head toward him.

And in that one motion, Sam felt something crawl down his spine.

’Hah...’ he exhaled, tense. ’I really don’t want to go down the [Forsaken] path if this is what happens.’

There was no mistaking it. The clone had been made from his own energy, his own affinities, so Sam could feel it clearly.

This thing existed to kill. Not just monsters.

[It will kill both monsters and humans.]

That was what his subconscious told him, and Sam didn’t doubt it.

The clone had no mercy. No empathy. No goal besides bloodshed.

Still, Sam took whatever items had dropped and tossed them into his [Spatial Inventory], preparing to leave.

Just before stepping into the exit portal, he snapped his fingers.

The clone dissolved in a swirl of smoke and energy.

[The clone has been unsummoned. You must wait one hour before summoning it again.]

"That’s fine," Sam nodded to himself, storing that information for later.

He’d just cleared one of the hardest Adept-rank rifts available, even though he was still new to the rank.

And all of it, from beginning to end, had made Sam realize one thing: status effects could change everything.

They could kill you in one breath, or they could leave you completely untouched.

After all, the only reason all these people failed was because of the "Terror" effect.

With that, Sam stepped into the exit portal and disappeared, returning to the second [Outer Ring].