Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely-Chapter 83: Seraphine, The Elf Saintess

"Saintess, you shouldn’t waste your time with this lowly human," the armored elf beside her muttered, his voice deep and dismissive.

He gripped a massive greataxe, the metal gleaming under the light.

"They’re beneath you. We should focus on what actually matters."

Sam raised a brow at the insult, but his expression didn’t change.

He wasn’t new to being looked down on. It was almost expected now.

Still, what stood out to him wasn’t the man’s words, it was the distance.

Even though the blonde elf woman, the so-called saintess, was surrounded by others of her kind, men and women alike, not a single one dared to stand close to her.

It was subtle, but Sam noticed.

Even the bold, arrogant warriors who laughed at humanity’s weakness kept a respectful space around her, as if approaching her too closely was forbidden.

The woman herself only smiled, undisturbed by the tension in the air.

"Didn’t you want to compare your world’s progress with the others?" she asked gently.

"I did," Sam replied plainly.

Without hesitation, he used his eyes to get a better look at who she really was.

---

[Name: Seraphine Lunaris]

[Rank: Master]

[Level: 10]

[Class: ???]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: The fourth heroine, saintess of the elf race, destined for greatness or something. I don’t know, they’re weird.]

---

Sam blinked.

’The fourth heroine...? So not all heroines are human.’

It made sense now. This woman wasn’t just important, she was vital.

And that explained why none of the elves dared to touch her.

The title "Saintess" wasn’t just for show.

It likely came with lineage, divine recognition, or both.

She probably belonged to a royal bloodline from her world, which meant that they were big shots.

Sam put those thoughts aside and focused on what she had to say.

"Out of the seven worlds tied to the [Forsaken Realm], only yours and the Beastkin’s have yet to conquer it," Seraphine explained, her smile still calm.

Sam’s eyes narrowed.

’Conquered the Forsaken Realm...’

That meant the elves, and the others she implied, had completed all six layers.

Reaching the end. Unlocking whatever came next. The [Universal Stage], perhaps.

It suddenly made sense why the elves mocked humanity for dragging everyone else down.

Maybe the [Universal Stage] didn’t begin until every world completed their trial.

If so, then Earth was the last piece holding the puzzle back.

"The Beastkin are on their sixth layer," she continued. "They’re very close to finishing. Which leaves... just you."

Her voice dipped slightly, her smile softening with an awkward laugh.

"But that’s fine. Everyone grows at their own pace, right?"

Sam scratched his chin, unsure how to respond.

He’d only recently awakened.

Earth had plenty of [Ascendant] rank awakeners, sure, but none at the final tier.

Evans from the [Awakener Association] once said that clearing the Fourth Layer was easy until the boss.

In fact, with strong [Ascendant] teams, even the fifth could be tackled.

So then... why hadn’t anyone done it? What was truly stopping them in the fourth layer.

While he pondered that, Seraphine and her group began to turn to leave.

"Goodbye, human," she said, her voice warm. "I hope I see you again. You seem like someone who might make it."

[Void Watcher: She is genuine, but doesn’t believe you will survive.]

Sam didn’t flinch. He didn’t need her belief.

Still, even with all the insight he had just gained, there was one more question burning in his mind, one more thing he needed to ask.

"Wait," he called out.

The elves paused and turned to face him again.

"What about the sub-layers?" he asked.

That one question brought silence. The entire group froze.

Seraphine’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What sub-layers...?" she asked slowly.

Sam studied their faces. Confusion. Blank stares.

Even the smug elves looked genuinely lost.

That was all he needed to know. They had no idea what sub-layers were.

Not the elves, and probably not the other worlds either.

Which meant two possibilities:

Either sub-layers were unique to Earth... Or no one else had ever found them.

And anyone who had stumbled upon them probably hadn’t survived to tell the tale.

[Knowing you’re the only person across all worlds to challenge the sub-layers fills you with determination.]

Sam grinned as a wave of crimson aura flared around his eyes.

’So I’m the only one...’

He started going over the info in his head.

Between everything the elves had let slip, and what he’d already learned himself, he now had confirmation of five out of the seven races:

---

[1. Humans.]

[2. Elves.]

[3. Beastkin.]

[4. Angels.]

[5. Dragons.]

[6. ???]

[7. ???]

---

That left two more unknown.

The Forsaken Realm had descended across them at once, and yet Earth lagged far behind.

Which also meant, every other world had warriors at [Forsaken] rank or beyond if it existed.

They were seasoned. Deadly.

Sam still didn’t know what the [Universal Stage] was, but if the elves didn’t either... maybe it hadn’t truly started yet.

While he was deep in thought, the elves whispered behind Seraphine.

"What’s wrong with that kid?"

"I told you, I don’t like his aura."

"He’s got something off about him."

The glow around Sam only intensified.

His faint smile and calm stare were enough to unsettle even the boldest among them for some reason.

Seraphine’s expression shifted slightly.

Her eyes, for the first time, showed a trace of wariness.

And then—

Ding!

[The first round of the "Battle Realm" will now begin.]

[One awakener from each world will face another in a one-on-one duel.]

[Matchups for Round One will be based on rank and level.]

[Future rounds will shift to being rank-only, and eventually... without restriction.]

This meant that Sam, who was currently Level 1 of [Expert] rank, would only face someone at that same Rank and Level right now.

But as the days went, he could potentially face a peak [Expert] rank awakener, and eventually, maybe even a [Master] or [Ascendant] rank elf.

Sam was more excited to see what these elves could do though.

In fact, he really wanted to see what all of the other races and worlds could do.

"Good luck, human, once more," Seraphine genuinely smiled at him. "But looking at you, I think you’ll be just fine."

"You too," Sam replied, returning the smile.

Lily gave a respectful bow. "It was nice to meet you."

Despite the earlier insults, none of the girls seemed offended.

They understood that pride and prejudice were probably common among different races, and Seraphine was the only one who didn’t judge anyway.

Seraphine returned the gesture with a graceful bow.

And then, just like that—

Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!

Blue particles surrounded every awakener in the area, lifting them into the air as they vanished.

Sam felt his body shift.

The ground fell away as he was pulled through space itself.

He landed somewhere else seconds later.

Thump!

Stone beneath his feet. He looked up.

A massive coliseum stretched around him. Wide stands. Glowing sigils. Towering walls.

This was the arena of the [Battle Realm].

On the opposite end, another figure appeared. His opponent.

[Let the first round of the "Battle Realm" begin.] novelbuddy-cσ๓

[3...]

[2...]

[1...]

[BEGIN.]

Without a word, Sam reached into his [Spatial Inventory] and drew the [Primordial Sword].

Crimson aura burst from his body like flames, his eyes glowing fiercely.

He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t waver. There was only one thought burning through his mind now.

[Win. No matter what.]

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om