CHAPTER 63: THE THIRD LAYER, THE ROARING CLIFFS

The moment Sam entered the [Third Layer], voices greeted him.

Unlike his previous entries into the first and second layers, this time the difference was obvious, he wasn’t alone.

In fact, there were people everywhere.

He turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the massive number of awakeners scattered across the cracked stone plateau.

’Looks like most of them already arrived,’ Sam thought, his gaze drifting across the crowd.

There had to be over a thousand awakeners here, all waiting for the expedition to begin.

Most seemed to be at the peak of the [Adept] rank, while others had already stepped into the [Expert] rank.

It was a lot more than he expected, but it was an [Expedition], so it was normal that so many people were present.

Sam’s eyes scanned the area and quickly landed on some familiar guild insignias.

The first group he noticed was from the [Viper] guild.

Chloe stood confidently at the front of her team, giving out instructions like a proper leader.

Her team listened intently.

Then his eyes shifted to a different group, the [Arcane Society].

Every single member wore long robes that shimmered with faint magical energy.

Each held a staff, radiating magical power.

The [Arcane Society] only accepted mages, and the uniformity of their ranks made that clear.

Another group nearby caught his attention.

All of them seemed to be surrounded by flickering flames, their aura burning red-hot: [Inferno Guild].

And at the front of that group stood Oscar Windshield, the same man who had once tried to kill Sam.

He looked as proud and arrogant as ever, now leading a full team under his command.

’Level 10... Expert rank,’ Sam noted, eyes briefly flickering over Oscar’s stats.

He looked further and spotted Lily, standing stiffly in the front row of the [Arcane Society].

She didn’t appear to be leading the team, but she was definitely someone important within it.

Then came the largest group by far, the [Union] guild.

Easily over two hundred awakeners stood together in formation.

Sam glanced through them but didn’t spot Alicia.

Still, he figured she had to be among them somewhere.

Each guild’s leader stepped up and addressed their team. Motivational words. Tactical advice. Hopeful encouragement.

Sam could feel the atmosphere shift.

There was energy in the air, a rare unity between so many people with a single goal: conquer the third layer together.

’Makes sense,’ Sam thought. ’With this many people, morale matters.’

But still, he knew the real question would come to some people’s minds:

Why not do this for every layer? Wouldn’t they conquer them faster that way?

But the truth was more complicated than that.

The first reason? Reputation.

Some guilds liked holding onto their prestige, and quickly finishing layers might mean sharing the spotlight with others.

The [Union] guild, for example, became famous partly because of its long-standing involvement in the fourth layer.

More success meant more members, more funding, and more influence.

The second reason? Logistics.

Finding over a thousand awakeners to coordinate such a massive push wasn’t easy.

This third expedition only came together because of one major reason.

[22 Days until the opening of the "Battle Realm".]

That’s what had pushed everyone to act.

And so, here they were, ready and waiting.

[The air is filled with a sense of hope...]

Sam could feel it too.

A strange collective optimism buzzing through the layer.

But then...

[...Yet the aura of death still clings to you.]

He looked away from the people and scanned his surroundings instead.

This was the [Roaring Cliffs].

The starting area was a large, fractured stone plateau hanging above an enormous canyon.

Towering cliff walls surrounded them from all sides, and the faint sound of wind echoed across the stone floor like a whisper.

This layer was bound to have its own mechanic, just like the others.

And more than anything else, Sam needed to find the third sub-layer.

The [Abyssal King] had been shocked to see him. The [Black Sun] hadn’t been. In fact, that one had spoken to him.

Which meant something important: the [Forsaken Lords] knew of his existence from the very beginning.

Both had mentioned a prophecy. One Sam had yet to understand.

He wanted answers, but deep down, he knew he wouldn’t get them so easily.

[Proceed.]

Sam nodded silently and began walking.

But as soon as he did—

"Hey, wait up, kiddo."

He turned around.

A tall man had stepped out from the [Union] guild’s main group.

He was dressed in light armor, a broad sword across his back. His presence was calm but strong.

"We’re waiting for the others before heading out," the man said politely.

Sam’s crimson gaze narrowed, a faint aura flickering in his eyes.

The man tensed as he felt it.

[Void Watcher: He looks for the safety of his guild members above all.]

So he meant no harm.

Still, Sam wasn’t used to being asked to wait.

"It’ll just be five minutes," the man added, bowing slightly. "We already agreed on a set time for departure."

"Hm," Sam exhaled, leaning against a nearby cliff wall. "Fine."

All eyes turned toward them. Whispers followed.

"Who the hell is that guy talking like that to Alex?"

"Is he even in a guild? Never seen him before."

"Does he think he’s some kind of prodigy or something?"

But then someone else added quietly—

"Wait... did Alex just bow to him?"

"Yeah... I’ve never seen Alex do that before. Not unless it’s to one of his guild superiors."

Sam ignored them all. They didn’t matter.

Only one person here could see what he really was. And that was Alex.

The man who had spoken to him earlier now returned to his team, his expression serious.

’That kid’s not normal,’ Alex thought to himself. ’No wonder David spoke highly of him.’

More awakeners arrived as the last portals opened.

Then, five minutes later, no more came.

Alex stepped forward again, commanding everyone’s attention.

"All right," he shouted, "I know we’re all from different guilds, but our goal today is the same. We conquer this layer, and keep as many people alive as possible!"

He raised his sword to the sky, and a roar echoed as over a thousand voices cried out in response.

...

[Name: Alex Valenward]

[Rank: Expert]

[Level: 10]

[Class: ???]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Something feels wrong.]

...

Sam just watched them, neutral as ever.

He didn’t cheer. He didn’t clap.

He simply stood in place.

The only thing that caught his attention was the [Inferno Guild].

They were watching him. Oscar, especially.

Sam stared directly at him, eyes steady.

Oscar’s jaw tightened, his expression twisted with hate.

[Void Watcher: He has killing intent toward you.]

’Then so be it.’

Without waiting for anyone else, Sam turned and began walking forward.

He was the first to move toward the path ahead.

Silence fell for a second as everyone watched him.

And then,the rest of the teams followed, their weapons ready.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: There are currently 1,279 Awakeners alive.]

"...Why are you telling me that now?" Sam muttered quietly.

[...]

No response.

But even without words, he could still feel the heavy air pressing down around him.

That same sense of death. Lingering. Clinging. Waiting.

And then, finally...

Ding!

[The Third Expedition is starting now.]