Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely-Chapter 67: The Roaring Dragon, New Third Layer Record

Dragons were not common.

In fact, they were so rare that only one had ever been confirmed in all of the [Forsaken] realm, deep in the Fourth Layer, and even then, only once.

That alone was enough to make them legends.

And because of that rarity, everyone assumed they had to be overwhelmingly powerful, beings beyond reason, creatures no one was meant to fight.

Yet now... one stood right in front of them.

A real dragon. A monster that wasn’t supposed to exist here.

Its massive form loomed over the arena-like plateau, dark and ancient, with purple eyes glowing like twin voids.

It looked across the cliff-ringed battlefield... then narrowed its gaze on two figures standing directly before it:

Sam. And his clone.

The dragon’s stare deepened. It had found its targets.

"ROOOOOAARRRRR~!"

Dark and violet flames began swirling inside its throat, building fast, more intense than anything they had felt before.

And then, without warning, it let loose a devastating breath.

A massive stream of corrupted fire exploded forward, blanketing the entire plateau in its violent glow.

The flames weren’t just hot, they were unnatural. They tore through the ground, burned the cliffs, and turned the air itself to ash.

There was no dodging this.

And yet... Sam and his clone stood still.

They didn’t move. They didn’t flinch. They just stared.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"WE’RE DEAD, WE’RE SO DEAD!"

"RUN! RUN, WE CAN’T FIGHT THAT THING!"

Most of the awakeners behind Sam turned and bolted.

Even the [Inferno Guild], known for their fire affinity, knew better than to test themselves against the dragon’s corrupted flames.

It wasn’t a matter of pride anymore. It was survival.

Only three people remained close to the battlefield: Lily, Chloe, and Alicia.

Even Alex had stepped back several meters, face pale.

The raw force of the dragon’s attack sent a clear message.

That there were beings in this world far, far stronger than anything humanity had prepared for.

’And yet,’ Alex thought, his heart heavy, ’the prophecy says the real war begins once we reach the [Universal Stage]... If this is what we’re up against now, how badly are we outclassed?’

The firestorm faded.

Smoke billowed across the plateau, but as it cleared... Sam stood still.

The clone stood beside him, cloaked in faint crimson energy trailing from its eyes.

His barrier had held.

[Eternal Barrier: 40/50]

The attack had only lasted ten seconds. Powerful, yes, but not enough to break through.

The dragon growled, lowering its stance, and then flapped its wings to reposition.

But—

Fwish! Swash!

Before it could move, the [Forsaken Clone] vanished from its spot and reappeared behind the dragon.

In a single motion, it sliced through one of the dragon’s wings, clean off.

"...?"

The beast froze.

It turned slightly to glance at its severed wing on the ground, its mind catching up to what just happened.

"ROOOOOAARRRRRRRR~!"

The pain hit late. It screamed in fury.

And in that moment, Sam noticed something strange: the clone was smiling. A wide, cruel grin stretched across its face.

’It only seeks destruction,’ Sam thought calmly. ’So be it.’

He took his stance. Raising one hand, he summoned five dark portals into the air.

Abyssal Obliteration!

Each portal spun wildly with energy, trembling from the sheer pressure of what they held inside.

Then, with a wave, Sam merged them into one massive portal and fired five charged shots, one at a time.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each shot was more like a cannon blast than a bullet, and even Sam struggled to control them. These weren’t skills just anyone could use.

The [Roaring Dragon] recognized the danger instantly. It swung its tail with terrifying speed, crashing into the clone and slamming it against the cliffs.

The clone tanked the impact easily, its barrier still holding, but the dragon wasn’t done.

It roared again.

Roaring Defense!

The air distorted.

A shockwave of pressure surged from the dragon’s mouth, stopping four of the bullets mid-air—right before they reached its body.

But the fifth? The fifth tore through the shockwave.

And hit it directly in the head.

BOOM!

"Grhhaahh..." the dragon groaned.

Its head jerked to the side, scales torn open, blood leaking from its skull.

Its balance faltered. It stumbled back toward the cliffs, confused and dazed.

And then...

Fwish! Slash!

The clone reappeared behind it once again.

With one clean stroke, it decapitated the dragon.

The head fell. The body slumped, crashing into the ground with a thud that echoed across the plateau.

And for some reason... Sam felt nothing. No joy. No thrill.

He had just killed a dragon, something that most awakeners would consider the greatest accomplishment of their lives.

But he didn’t feel proud. He didn’t feel triumphant. He just stared at the corpse.

’Why does it feel like this wasn’t even the real danger?’

The tendrils from his [Primordial Sword] slithered forward, piercing the fallen dragon’s chest and absorbing the core.

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for reaching Level 8 of the Adept Rank!]

But right afterward, the announcement that followed shocked even more.

Ding!

[Global Announcement:]

[A new clear record has been set for the "Third layer" during the "Third Expedition": 1 hour, 12 minutes and 49 seconds.]

"Holy shit!"

"New record? But... that kid did it by himself!"

"Who cares, it says the [Third Expedition]"

Sam didn’t care much, and his guild name nor name wasn’t given, so he stepped toward the corpse of the dragon, noticing several drops glittering in the scorched earth.

---

[Dragon Wings (2)]

[Rank: Legendary]

[Description: Wings extracted from a dragon. Exceptional material for high-grade armor.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The Primordial Sword really is different.]

---

[Draconic Teeth]

[Rank: Legendary]

[Description: Can be used to craft powerful weapons.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Useless.]

---

And finally...

---

[Skill Book: Draconic Flames]

[Rank: Epic]

[Description: Grants the ability to summon dark-violet dragonfire capable of burning nearly anything.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Draconic fire is one of the most powerful fire-types. Still nothing compared to "Sovereign Inferno."]

---

Sam smiled. Genuinely.

That was a good haul.

He stored everything into his [Spatial Inventory] and then snapped his fingers. His clone began to fade, its body dissolving back into mist.

Before vanishing, it gave him one last grin, cold and malicious. And then it was gone.

Suddenly, the gate at the end of the plateau flared to life, opening and revealing a path forward.

’That’s the exit.’

The moment it did, the rest of the awakeners who had stood back rushed toward it.

They didn’t stop. They didn’t thank him. They just bolted straight through, desperate to leave the layer behind.

Sam watched them go. His expression didn’t change.

"...Thanks," Lily said quietly, stepping closer. "We... wouldn’t have survived this without you."

Alicia followed her, nodding. "Yeah. Appreciate it."

"No problem," Sam replied simply. "I did it for myself more than anything."

It was the truth. And they both knew it.

Alex approached next and extended a hand. "You’re strong, kid," he said. "Maybe you really are humanity’s savior when—" He paused, then shook his head. "Anyway. Keep growing."

Then he turned and left with the [Union Guild].

Oscar walked toward the portal in silence, his eyes locked on Sam the entire time. His jaw was tight, his fists clenched.

’How?’ he thought. ’He was powerless before. But now... that gap closed in a blink. No. I won’t accept this. I’ll stay ahead. I have to.’

"Looks like we’re heading out too," Lily said, glancing at the [Arcane Society] group beginning to move. "Don’t forget to call me, okay? I wouldn’t mind going out sometime."

"What about me?" Alicia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," Lily laughed. "You’re coming too~"

Sam just smiled. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

And then he noticed something.

"Go ahead," Chloe Vinelord told her team. "I’ll follow."

Her guild obeyed without hesitation, stepping through the gate and vanishing into the next zone.

And now... Only two people remained in the Third Layer.

Sam. And Chloe.

And for some reason—Sam felt a chill run down his spine.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om