The system announcement echoed across the [First Layer], heard by every single awakener still exploring its lands.
It was rare for announcements like this to appear, only a handful of triggers could cause one, and one of them was the defeat of the layer boss.
The moment it happened, the system made it known to all other awakeners that the path forward had been cleared.
Anyone still grinding could now continue doing so freely, but they'd also have the option to leave the layer if they wished.
In essence, it was an open invitation: stay and farm, or move on.
Sam's name had been included in the announcement too.
'Good,' Sam thought to himself with a grin. 'That should boost my reputation quite a bit.'
That kind of attention came with perks, and Sam intended to use all of them.
Of course, he didn't plan to reveal his class anytime soon, keeping it a secret was the smartest move.
The power of his class was far too rare, too dangerous. If word got out, he'd have far more than attention to deal with.
He'd have suspicion, envy, maybe even enemies.
That's why he had to walk a fine line: strong enough to gain influence, but not so strong that others would start asking questions he didn't want to answer.
And now that he had officially cleared the [Tutorial Layer], Sam was entering uncharted territory.
Even in Hell-Mode, the first layer was manageable. But beyond this point…? He had no idea what awaited him. Not really.
Still, there was no turning back now.
With slow, careful steps, Sam walked toward the spot where the Guardian Swordmaster had been absorbed.
In its place, several item drops glittered faintly.
Sam crouched and picked them up one by one, inspecting each carefully.
'Nice,' he thought, eyes scanning the item info panels as they popped up before him.
---
[Swordmaster's Armor]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Don't wear it. It'll just slow you down.]
---
[Swordmaster's Sword]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Doesn't even compare to the "Primordial Sword." Useless.]
---
[Fearsome Ring]
[Rank: Rare]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Grants immunity to "Fear" status. No use to you.]
---
Sam's brow raised slightly at the last item.
The [Fearsome Ring] wasn't much use to him, his Primordial status made him immune to fear altogether, but others? They'd probably pay a lot for this.
He thought back to Lily and Alicia, remembering how badly they had been affected by the boss's Eye Curse. If he hadn't intervened, they would've been as good as dead.
'I might be poor now, but not for long,' Sam grinned as he tossed all the loot into his [Spatial Inventory], as well as his [Primordial Sword].
The items disappeared instantly, absorbed into the endless space of his inventory.
He looked back and noticed Lily and Alicia walking toward him, their expressions still filled with awe.
Lily was the first to speak, her voice practically bursting with excitement. "You actually did it! Alone, too!"
Alicia followed with a more reserved, sincere tone. "And… thank you. If you hadn't stepped in when you did, we wouldn't have survived the [Sword Crescent]."
Both of them remembered the feeling clearly, the moment the boss charged that attack, they knew they wouldn't live through it.
But Sam had done the unthinkable. Instead of dodging, like anyone else would have, he had stepped into the attack.
That wasn't just brave. That was reckless… unless he knew he could win.
And somehow, they both got the feeling that he did. That he had planned it all, that nothing about that battle had caught him off guard.
Whether that was true or not didn't really matter.
What mattered was that he saved their lives.
"I saw you toss the loot into that weird hole," Lily said suddenly, her curiosity coming back in full force. "Is that… some kind of inventory?"
Sam nodded and pulled up the [Spatial Inventory] window, letting them see as he reached inside and pulled out a familiar-looking black backpack, the same one he had grabbed when he first woke up in that old apartment room.
"Yeah," he said simply. "Pretty much an endless inventory. I can store anything in here."
The girls looked impressed, but Sam didn't linger on it. His gaze shifted toward the far wall, where the massive gate leading to the next layer stood silent and closed. Or at least, it had been.
Because as the announcement rang out across the layer, the ancient runes engraved into the gate began to pulse with light. Slowly, the gate groaned open, revealing not another landscape, but a swirling void of pure darkness.
"So that's the entrance to the second layer, huh," Sam murmured.
Lily stepped forward, folding her arms. "It's going to be a lot tougher than this one. Each layer has a mechanic, and this one was just the beginning. A tutorial. The next one... that's where it really starts."
Sam nodded. He had heard that too, each layer had its number, but also a nickname, a name that captured the experience it offered.
The [First Layer] was the [Tutorial Layer].
But the [Second Layer]?
"It's called the [Ruined Layer]," Alicia said, her tone much more cautious now. "But we'll probably return to the real world before diving into it."
That was true. They would automatically be pulled out once they passed through the gate, sending them to reality.
And Sam? He didn't mind. He needed the downtime.
He still had the [Primordial Evolution] skill on cooldown, and he wanted to make sure all of his skills were properly leveled before diving deeper.
With one last glance behind him, Sam walked toward the gate. He could have stayed behind to farm one last level, reach Level 5, and grab an extra skill... but something told him it wasn't worth it.
There were more important things waiting for him now.
Lily and Alicia stepped beside him.
Together, the three of them passed through the darkness beyond the gate.
Ding!
[You have conquered the "First Layer" and will now be transported back to reality.]
[Your connection to the "Forsaken" Realm is now fully established. You will be able to enter the "Second Layer" soon.]
[You may also return to the "First Layer" at any time by thinking about it. A temporary rift will open, allowing you reentry.]
Sam nodded, and almost instantly, a strange sensation took hold of him. His body was pulled forward, as if he was being dragged by invisible chains through a void of space and time.
The feeling lasted only a few seconds.
Fwish! Ding!
In a flash, he reappeared, his feet landing on the crumbled stone floor of the ruins. The same place where he had first entered the gate.
Lily and Alicia landed beside him.
They were alone.
The others were still inside the layer, still grinding or wandering.
And now, they were the first to leave.
"Wait," Sam muttered, a sudden realization creeping in. "How do we get back if there's no one—"
But before he could finish, the air in front of them trembled. A massive ripple spread out, and then...
BOOM!
A portal opened. From it stepped a man, his hair white as snow and his golden eyes glowing with power.
A second boom followed. A purple beam of light surged downward, and from within it came another figure, silent but smiling widely.
Sam's gaze locked onto both of them. He recognized them immediately.
"Oh," he whispered under his breath.
The first man stepped forward, scanning the group with a grin.
"Looks like we've got our first batch," he said casually. "Good."
The second didn't say anything, but the smile on his face was hard to miss.
Sam tensed slightly, his instincts on edge, but he didn't move. He didn't flinch. And he didn't look away.
Standing before him were two of the most powerful awakeners in the north region.
Oliver Gremoire and David Union.