On their way deeper into the sub-layer, Sam, Lily, and Alicia had to deal with wave after wave of [Abyssal Knights].
Each hallway they crossed, each room they cleared, more of those shadow-armored monsters appeared.
There didn't seem to be an end.
"I think I see why no one ever cleared this," Alicia finally muttered, panting slightly. Even her stamina was starting to run low.
They'd been pushing forward without rest, and the deeper they got, the stronger the enemies seemed to become.
Once someone reached Apprentice rank, they weren't allowed to enter the first layer anymore.
That meant this entire sub-layer had to be completed while still being a level 10 novice.
"I don't think anyone other than Sam could even hope to clear it," Lily added, wiping her forehead. "This place is too dangerous. The difficulty is insane."
If it wasn't for the [Rings of Darkness] they wore, they wouldn't have even seen most of the enemies coming.
The pitch black of the [Abyssal Ruins] was complete, no torches, no light. Only darkness, and the purple glint of hostile eyes in the shadows.
Eventually, they entered a massive room.
Unlike the rest of the ruins, this one had a strange blue glow at its center, illuminating everything in a cold, ghostly light.
At the far end of the room stood a giant gate.
Sam stepped forward first. The presence he had been feeling, the one that had been sitting at the back of his mind ever since they entered this place, suddenly grew stronger.
"We're close," he said, his voice steady and low.
The gate pulsed slightly, and Sam could tell that the being behind it was something powerful.
More powerful than anything they'd faced in here so far.
As he walked toward it, a thought crossed his mind.
'What even is the plot of Forsakened?'
Every game had a goal, some sort of purpose.
Was it to save the world? To reach the [Universal Stage] by conquering every layer? Or was there something else that hadn't been revealed yet?
Sam shook his head. It didn't matter now. He had made it this far, and he would keep going. Whatever was behind that gate, he would deal with it.
But just as he approached the large door—
Fwish! SLASH!
A sharp sound echoed through the room, and his instincts kicked in.
He looked up, and that's when he saw them.
Two large figures perched on the top pillars near the gate, looking down at him.
"Be carefu—"
BOOM!
Before Sam could even finish his sentence, one of them fired an arrow that slammed into him at terrifying speed.
His [Eternal Barrier] flickered as it tanked the attack. Without that, the arrow would've killed him on the spot.
Sam gritted his teeth and analyzed his opponents right away.
---
[The Abyssal Guardians (Boss)]
[Level: 10]
[Description: Guardians that protect the gate to the "Abyssal King." They are his final line of defense.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: They're a duo. One uses a bow. The other, a spear.]
---
The two guardians were towering figures, at least two meters tall.
Their bodies were packed with muscle, and their armor was as dark as the ruins themselves.
Purple energy leaked from their eyes, just like the knights they'd fought earlier.
The one with the spear lunged at Sam, and he quickly raised his [Primordial Sword] to block the strike.
Fwish! BAM!
The clash sent a shockwave through the floor, and Sam slid back a few feet.
'How the hell is that thing still considered a novice-rank monster?'
He pushed forward again, trying to force the spear guardian back with sheer strength, but the monster's physical power was no joke.
Meanwhile, the other guardian had its bow ready and aimed directly at Lily.
"Shit!" Lily shouted as she summoned her power, activating [Elemental Charge]. Energy from all five elements gathered into her next arrow.
Fwish! BOOM!
Her arrow clashed with the guardian's shot mid-air, resulting in an explosion that lit up the room with light and shadows.
"Take the archer down!" Sam shouted as he ducked under another spear swing.
The spear guardian pressed hard. Its strikes were brutal and calculated.
Sam took a few hits, barely blocked in time by his sword.
Even though his strength was immense, this monster was still holding its own.
But eventually, Sam's patience ran out.
TENDRILS OF OBLIVION!
From the [Primordial Sword], dozens of tendrils burst out in every direction, swirling with a dark and star-speckled aura.
They wrapped around the guardian's spear, twisting and tearing until it broke with a sharp snap.
The guardian tried to pull back, but the tendrils didn't give it a chance.
They wrapped around its arms, legs, torso, everything.
Sam smiled and checked the skill panel again.
---
[Tendrils of Oblivion]
[Rank: Forsaken]
[Description: Tendrils emerge from the Primordial Sword to bind, restrain, and kill enemies.]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Even more... kinky?]
---
The spear guardian struggled for a moment before Sam leaped forward and slashed down hard.
Fwish! CRACK!
The tendrils pulled, and the guardian's head snapped clean off.
Meanwhile, Alicia and Lily were doing their best to keep the archer busy.
Lily kept firing, and Alicia used her skills to close the distance, dodging arrows as they flew past her.
Still, Sam could tell they were starting to get overwhelmed.
Another arrow whistled through the air, nearly hitting Alicia.
He reacted fast.
The tendrils from his sword whipped across the room, wrapped around the bow guardian's leg, and pulled it down.
As it hit the ground, Sam appeared above it and drove his sword into its chest.
Silence returned to the room. Both guardians were dead.
Sam exhaled slowly and walked over to the bodies.
---
[Abyssal Spear]
[Rank: Epic]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: No use for us.]
---
[Abyssal Bow]
[Rank: Epic]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: No use for us.]
---
He picked up the spear and stored it in his [Spatial Inventory], then handed the bow over to Lily.
"O-Oh, thanks," Lily said as she took the bow. She scanned its stats. "Wow… It's actually better than my current one."
They also found two dark spheres lying near the corpses of the guardians.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: Use these to open the gate.]
Sam nodded and picked them up. As he approached the gate, he noticed two orb-shaped slots carved into the stone doors.
After absorbing the two guardian cores, he slid both orbs into the openings.
Fwish! BOOM!
[You have opened the "Abyssal Gate."]
[The end of the Sub-Layer is near. Be prepared to meet with the king.]
As the gate began to open slowly, an overwhelming pressure burst out from the other side.
Sam shielded his face with his arm. Even without seeing it yet, he knew that whatever was on the other side was dangerous.
Still, he didn't flinch. There was no turning back now.
Sam stepped through the gate, and Lily and Alicia followed close behind.