Sam’s [Primordial Sword] let out a low hum as its black surface shimmered slightly.
Just like before, a single dark tentacle emerged from the mouth. It slithered through the air for a moment before darting toward Morgan’s corpse.
Without hesitation, the tentacle pierced through Morgan’s chest like a hot knife through butter.
Then, with a slow and almost reverent motion, it extracted something: Morgan’s heart.
The moment the heart was pulled free, the tentacle recoiled and returned to the sword’s mouth, which opened wider in anticipation.
With a sickening crunch and squelch, the mouth bit down and devoured the heart in one smooth motion.
He hadn’t expected to feel anything. And yet, he did.
A subtle but undeniable wave of power coursed through his body.
His limbs felt just a little lighter, his senses slightly sharper.
It was the same faint surge of strength he usually experienced after absorbing a monster’s core.
Except this time... it wasn’t a monster. It was a human.
Sam’s eyes widened slightly at the realization. And then, just as quickly, his lips curled upward into a wide grin.
"...Hahaha... HAHAHAHA!"
The rough laugh that erupted from his throat made the entire room fall silent.
It was the kind of laugh that made people instinctively step back.
The kind that didn’t just say he’s amused, but he’s dangerous.
"AMAZING!" he roared.
He could absorb humans.
He didn’t know exactly how it worked, maybe it only triggered if the target was a higher level, or only under specific circumstances.
But either way, it had worked. He’d grown stronger.
Even if it was just a small amount, it meant one very clear thing: Sam had options.
Still, even with the kills, his level hadn’t gone up.
Killing two level 3 enemies, one of them mutated, still wasn’t enough.
That just went to show how much experience it took to grow at the start when your class was on a completely different scale.
He shook the thought off and looked around.
The gathered crowd was still there, dozens of eyes glued to him.
Some looked horrified. Others were clearly trying to make sense of what they’d just witnessed. But none of them dared approach him.
Sam’s grin never left his face.
"I’m going now," he said simply, brushing off the dust from his sleeves. "Good luck."
With that, he turned around and made his way toward the back of the boss room.
At the far end stood a massive, ancient door carved with runes, almost like a relic from another era. This was the true path forward.
The [Slimoblin] had been guarding it, meaning only upon beating the boss would anybody be able to go through.
Without hesitation, Sam placed his hand on the door.
A moment later, his entire body was engulfed in a flash of soft, silver particles.
"...Here we go," he murmured.
When the light faded, Sam found himself standing somewhere completely different.
A dense forest stretched around him in every direction.
The air was fresh and cool, thick with the scent of soil and leaves.
Bird calls echoed faintly through the treetops, and the ground was uneven with roots and moss-covered stone.
Sam slowly got up, holding the [Primordial Sword] at his side like always.
This was it. The real first layer. He had officially left the tutorial instance.
The structure of the [Forsaken] realm was simple: linear progression.
You could only reach the next layer after completing the one before it. In every case, this meant defeating that layer’s boss.
There were no shortcuts.
If someone managed to kill the boss, anyone else who found the exit afterward could follow through to the next stage, provided they hadn’t died in the meantime.
That was why parties were so common.
Guilds, groups, anything that allowed Awakeners to move safely and work together. It was safer, faster, and more reliable than wandering alone. Especially as the layers got harder.
Of course, Sam wasn’t part of any of that.
He was alone, and he preferred it that way.
From what he remembered on his first appearance in this world, humanity had managed to push its way up to the fourth layer—but no further.
Something about the fourth layer had made it practically impossible. Either the boss was too strong or the layer itself too complex.
Regardless, progress had stopped there.
Which meant everyone was stuck unless someone new came along and changed things.
Right now, Sam was still at the bottom of the ladder. But that would change soon.
He glanced around the forest. This was where the real grind began.
He was now in the full version of the first layer, not the instanced [Novice Ruins].
Those ruins were like training zones, places to get your bearings.
Think of it as [Novice Ruins #90] or #15, #64... dozens of instances existed, each with different people, all with the same purpose: prepare, survive, and beat the boss.
But this forest? This was where all those instances converged.
Everyone who cleared their [Novice Ruins] ended up here, in one unified space.
The playing field was no longer split. Everyone shared the same world now.
’I’m probably the first one here,’ Sam thought to himself. ’Might as well make the most of it.’
The faster he completed this layer, the sooner he could do what really mattered: register officially as an Awakener, maybe even evolve some of his skills.
Sam had been here before.
He didn’t know everything, but he knew enough. And that was already a huge advantage.
’Hell’ difficulty had definitely made things harder, but even so... he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
Would he have gotten some garbage F-rank class if he picked Easy? Maybe.
But now, he had something unique. And it was only just beginning.
With those thoughts in mind, Sam stepped forward into the forest.
Leaves rustled beneath his boots as he pushed through the underbrush.
Every part of him stayed alert, [Primordial Sword] in hand, eyes scanning the shadows between the trees.
The forest might’ve looked peaceful, but he knew better.
He wasn’t alone here.
A deep, bestial roar echoed from the left. Sam spun around.
A large creature barreled through the trees toward him: a black bear, its fur thick and matted, saliva dripping from its fangs as it charged.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: It’s... a black bear, what else?]
No additional information.
That usually meant it was just a basic monster. Still, it was fast, and powerful. Anyone else here would’ve struggled.
But Sam just raised his hand.
Darkness surged in his palm as five shadow bullets formed instantly.
All five bullets fired at once, slamming into the bear’s body in perfect precision.
With a heavy thud, the creature collapsed mid-charge, its weight shaking the forest floor.
Sam didn’t even flinch.
"At least the monsters won’t be a problem here," he muttered.
He walked over to the corpse and absorbed its core.
Another small pulse of energy ran through him, barely noticeable but real.
Most would be terrified right now, level 3 monsters meant there was a good chance level 4s and even level 5s were lurking nearby.
That would be a nightmare for almost any new awakener.
If the boss of this layer ended up being level 5, it could be game over for most groups before they even tried.
But for Sam? It was just another step.
He turned away from the bear and continued deeper into the forest.