Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely-Chapter 68: The Giant Hand, Invitation from the Roaring Titan

"Were they your girlfriends?" Chloe asked with a teasing grin as she stepped toward Sam, her voice light and playful.

Sam didn’t answer. He just shrugged, though he did smile.

Chloe chuckled at his silence, then exhaled.

"Anyway... the [Third Expedition] was technically a success," she said, voice more serious now. "But let’s not pretend. If it wasn’t for you, we would’ve all been running for our lives."

Sam responded with a quiet "Hm," not denying it, but not saying anything more either.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she added, bowing her head slightly. "You saved me. Twice now, I think? I’m in your debt."

"No need," Sam replied. "I only did it to get stronger."

"Everyone wants to get stronger," Chloe said, walking slowly toward the gate. "That’s why we’re all out here pushing ourselves. But... maybe you don’t need to push yourself so hard."

[Void Watcher: She is looking out for you. How useless.]

Sam raised an eyebrow at the voice.

’Useless?’ he echoed in his mind, but didn’t bother responding.

He tuned it out quickly and turned his attention back to Chloe.

"Thanks," he told her. "But I need to prepare for the [Battle Realm]."

"Yeah, I figured," she smiled. "It usually takes months for an Adept to reach the Expert Rank, so it’s tough... but I think you can pull it off."

She paused for a second, then added with a wink, "And so can I."

Sam gave her a small nod.

Chloe stepped closer to the gate, then turned back for just a second to glance at him.

Her eyes lingered, then she disappeared into the portal, vanishing from the Third Layer.

Sam watched her leave.

And despite everything he had gone through, and all the monsters he had faced, he realized something strange, some people in this world, especially the heroines, were actually kind.

Still, kindness alone wouldn’t be enough. Not here.

This was only the beginning of the game. Sam could feel it in his bones, darker things were coming.

Stronger enemies. More trials. More death.

With that thought, he moved forward, heading toward the portal himself, ready to leave the Third Layer behind.

’I wonder how much my guild jumped in the rankings after that,’ he thought, smirking to himself.

But just as he was about to step into the gate—

RROOOOOOAAARRRR!

A deafening roar ripped through the sky. The entire layer trembled.

Sam paused, narrowing his eyes.

He was about to ignore it and keep moving, until he heard a voice.

A voice that echoed across the plateau, deep, sharp, and filled with venom.

"So you run, like a coward."

Sam turned around slowly, scanning the area. The voice had no clear source, it seemed to come from everywhere.

"To think you were the one who killed the [Abyssal King]... and the [Black Sun]... and yet you look so weak."

Sam’s eyes widened slightly. "You’re the [Forsaken Lord], aren’t you?"

There was a low chuckle, distorted and bitter.

"Forsaken Lord," the voice repeated. "Is that what you call us? Hah... Amazing."

FWOOSH! BOOM!

Suddenly, a powerful explosion erupted from above.

And from the massive hole at the center of the plateau, the same one the dragon had emerged from, a gigantic hand pushed its way up.

It was massive. Towering. The fingers alone could crush cars. The flesh was pitch-black, with dark purple veins pulsing across it like rivers of power.

The hand reached out, casting a huge shadow over Sam.

"Come and meet me, Primordial," the voice growled, now lower, darker. "If you’re as powerful as you think... then don’t keep me waiting. Jump."

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The "Roaring Titan" challenges you. How... idiotic.]

"Face me in the [Roaring Trials]," the voice continued, rising in volume until the sky itself seemed to tremble. "Only if you defeat me will you stop what’s coming. If you don’t... we’ll destroy this world. And all the others with it."

Sam stood still, his gaze fixed on the enormous hand rising from the crater.

Even without a direct explanation, he understood immediately, this was a challenge. The clearest invitation into a sub-layer he had ever received.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Your call.]

Sam didn’t move.

Even with all the power he had gained, all the strength he’d gathered... something felt off.

His instincts screamed at him.

This wasn’t just some overpowered enemy. It was something else.

The titan was too confident. Too relaxed. And if he wanted Sam to jump so badly... there had to be a reason.

’Those [Roaring Trials]...’ Sam thought. ’I can’t just walk away... but even then...’

He stood in silence for several seconds, thinking.

And then he slowly shook his head.

"No," he said clearly, turning his back to the hole. "I’m not falling for that."

But the moment the words left his mouth—

RROOAARR! RROOAARR! RROOAARR!

A barrage of furious roars echoed through the entire plateau, louder than anything before.

The ground cracked. The cliffs trembled.

Before Sam could react, the giant hand shot out and grabbed him.

"Damn it—" he cursed as his body was yanked upward.

He looked down into the crater, where darkness swirled like a sea, and deep within it... a glowing violet aura stared back at him. Like an eye. Watching.

"You’re lucky I can’t pull you in myself, Primordial," the voice spat. "But the moment you enter this pit, and I know you will, I will erase your pathetic existence from this world."

Sam’s eyes narrowed.

’So he can’t force me into the sub-layer... he can only taunt me from inside it.’

That was good to know.

But the titan wasn’t done.

FWOOSH! BAM!

The hand suddenly threw him against the side of a cliff.

Sam’s [Eternal Barrier] absorbed the impact, only taking a single hit, but the sheer force of it made it clear: this enemy was not bluffing.

"You think what you’re doing matters," the titan growled, its voice beginning to fade. "But you’re leading yourself to your doom. There are things you don’t know. Things you aren’t ready for."

Sam didn’t reply.

"Not that it matters," the titan added with a cruel laugh. "You don’t have the guts to jump in anyway."

The hand receded slowly back into the crater.

And silence returned to the Third Layer.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Was he trying to rage bait us into jumping in the hole?]

"Probably," Sam muttered, brushing dust from his clothes as he stood. "But I guess this one’s not gonna be easy."

Still, without hesitation, he turned back toward the gate, and stepped through it. Leaving the Third Layer behind.

As the [Roaring Titan] himself said, he himself knew Sam would come back.

Ding!

[You have conquered the "Third Layer" and are now allowed to enter the "Fourth Layer."]

Ding!

[Your performance was astonishing. Your guild "Primordial" has climbed to the Top 25 in the "Guild Ranking."]

"Nice." Sam grinned.

The teleportation vortex carried him through, and the moment he landed, he recognized his surroundings.

He was back in the Second Outer Ring.

Hundreds of awakeners were scattered all around, most of them celebrating.

The global announcement had already gone out, everyone now knew that the Third Expedition was a success.

"LET’S GOOOOO!"

"[Union Guild] probably crushed it!"

"Nah, gotta be [Viper] or [Arcane Society]. They’ve got monsters in their ranks!"

They argued and speculated, but only a handful of them knew the truth.

Only the ones who had been with Sam in the Third Layer.

Those few looked at him with wide eyes, understanding what he’d really done.

And in response, Sam just brought a finger to his lips, smiling.

"Wait!"

He turned at the voice and saw Chloe jogging up to him.

"Here," she said, holding out an item.

---

[Teleportation Crystal]

[Rank: Common]

[Description: Using this will teleport you to ’Ashbourne’ City.]

---

Sam blinked. He had planned to take the long way back, which was to simply rush through the second Outer Ring. This would save him a lot of time.

"In exchange..." Chloe said, suddenly flustered, "Can I... have your contact?"

"...Sure."

They exchanged contact info, and the moment it was done, Sam noticed her expression brighten.

[Void Watcher: She seems to admire you a lot. How lucky of you.]

’Heh.’

And just like that, the [Third Expedition] officially came to an end.

Sam had earned rare items, conquered another layer, gained deeper insight into the darkness ahead... and more importantly, he knew one thing for sure:

This was only the beginning.

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