The world swirled.
A kaleidoscope of colors assaulted River's vision—blinding, dazzling, overwhelming. He felt his body lifted from the ground, suspended in a disorienting weightlessness before he was slammed back onto something solid.
The shifting lights, both familiar and utterly alien, continued to twist and dance before his eyes, searing his retinas until tears of blood welled and streaked down his cheeks.
When the pain became too much, he shut his eyes tight. And when he finally opened them, the world around him had transformed completely.
He staggered, turning just in time to see the portal shrinking behind him, spiraling inward until it winked out of existence—leaving him stranded in a place that felt like the heart of a nightmare.
River exhaled shakily, wiping away the thin trails of blood-tinged tears that streaked down his cheeks. He forced himself to take in his surroundings, every breath echoing in the unnatural silence.
A shallow sheet of water blanketed a vast expanse of polished obsidian stone, the mirror-like surface disturbed only by the ripples that spread outward with each hesitant step he took. The water was cold, biting against his legs, and seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction—a lake without shores, a void made liquid.
Above, a single, monstrous moon dominated the sky. Its pale, silver light fell over the obsidian lake, casting eerie reflections that shimmered with ghostly beauty. The moon's glow felt heavy, almost sentient, as though an ancient eye gazed down on him, judging his every breath.
Then River saw them.
Three titanic tomes rose from the black waters like monuments to forgotten gods. Each tome stood at least ten meters tall, four meters wide, spaced evenly in a triangle around him. Their immense covers faced him directly, dark and silent, exuding an aura of ancient authority.
Alien symbols, etched deep into the tomes' surfaces, pulsed intermittently with a cold, white luminescence—like veins of living energy carrying an unknowable power. But it was the eyes—three enormous eyes embedded in the center of each tome—that stole his breath.
The eyes were impossibly dark, pupils deeper than the void, swallowing the moonlight and everything around them. As he moved, they tracked him unerringly, their gaze ancient, unfathomable, and oppressive. River felt stripped bare under that unblinking stare, as if they were reading the very marrow of his soul.
He swallowed hard.
River stared into the three unblinking eyes, a shiver running down his spine. How in the world had the first person ever discovered this Quest? That mysterious figure from the future must have wandered deep into the uncharted corners of this F-rank Awakening Ceremony Dungeon just to stumble upon the portal.
The more River thought about it, the stranger that person became. There was no way they simply got lost—reaching the Quest required a deliberate step into the suffocating fog that swallowed everything in its path. No one in their right mind would cross into that cursed mist unless they had a death wish. Beyond the territory of the Smokey Wolves, which marked the dungeon's final boundary, only madness and oblivion awaited. No fool would stray there by accident.
Was he just unbelievably lucky… or a complete fool? River shook his head, pushing the doubt aside.
He exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the three colossal tomes looming over him. There were no guides now. The one person who'd found this Quest had kept its secrets, refusing to share what lay beyond the portal. Hoarding that information made sense—power was everything—but the unknown gnawed at River's nerves.
He'd completed dozens of Quests before, and had dabbled in enough games back before he was a Hunter to know one thing: Three objects arranged like this were never just for decoration.
These tomes were meant to be activated. But before he approached, there was something else he needed to do.
"I guess it's time to end my Awakening," River muttered, a spark of expectation and anticipation burning in his eyes. He'd dreamed of this moment ever since he'd returned to the past. Without his bubbles, he felt incomplete—and knowing he could finally reclaim them made his heart thunder in his chest.
Ending the Awakening Ceremony outside the portal hadn't been an option; only by remaining an ordinary human could he qualify for this unique Quest. Fortunately, a careless slip during that future interview had revealed this requirement—and River had memorized every word.
This was the only Quest River knew of that demanded one to still be human to enter, a detail that had stuck with him precisely because of its peculiarity.
A unique Quest, one unlike any other.
He didn't know what awaited him next, but facing what lay ahead without his bubbles was a risk he wasn't willing to take. Better to restore his power before challenging these ominous monuments.
With determination hardening his gaze, River drew a deep breath and spoke to the system: "Let's end the Awakening Ceremony."
His voice rang through the grey, mist-shrouded world. A soft chime echoed in his mind as a translucent, light-blue interface materialized before him:
The Awakening Ceremony has reached its end. Congratulations, River Faelan!
You are now granted access to your Stat Points, Skills, Inventory, and Skill Tree.
May these gifts guide you on the path to greatness.
May fortune favor your journey to become the strongest of all.
Fireworks burst around the notification panel, vibrant colors dancing in the monochrome world—visible only to him, the lone soul in this strange dimension.
At the same time, ethereal light bathed his battered body, soothing every wound and trauma. Deep gashes from the Smokey Wolves sealed shut, leaving behind unblemished skin. Pain and exhaustion ebbed away, replaced by a lightness that lifted the weight crushing him since his return.
A sigh of relief escaped River's lips as he closed his eyes, a smile forming. This was his second time experiencing this sublime sensation, and it thrilled him as much as the first. It felt like countless soft hands massaging him, easing the burdens placed on him by the future—if only for a fleeting moment.
But all too soon, the warmth receded, fading like a gentle dream.
Opening his eyes, River let out a satisfied breath. "I could get addicted to this," he whispered, a wistful note in his voice.
Ending the Awakening Ceremony lacked the grand spectacle of his entrance to the Skill World, but it surpassed it in pure, soul-deep bliss. If he ever had the chance to feel it again, he wouldn't hesitate.
River examined himself, flexing his fingers, rolling his shoulders. Every trace of injury was gone—even the faded scar from his childhood had vanished, leaving his body pristine.
More importantly, he felt a shift inside him—like a gate unlocking, a reservoir waiting to be filled.
He summoned his Status Screen. It appeared instantly, the familiar translucent blue interface displaying his Stats. Where once the Stat Points were white and inert, they now gleamed green, active. Each base stat had a [+] and a [-] bracket beside it—though only the plus sign was usable, as base stats couldn't be decreased.
River's gaze fixed on his INT and WIS, unchanged from before. He tapped his chin, thoughtful. "Hmm… It's not quite aligned with my exceptional Mana Control, but if I pour Stat Points into these… I should see another breakthrough."
He knew he'd reached heights of Mana Control none of the Last Hunters had ever touched. It had earned him the title of Ultimate Mana Controller, the one even the Last Hunters called Master.
Every Last Hunter was a genius in their own right, yet they had all looked up to him. And it had always come down to his unparalleled Mana Control.
He had believed he'd already reached his talent's peak. But now… perhaps he'd only been scratching the surface.
"There's only one way to find out," River whispered, eyes gleaming with excitement as he prepared to allocate his hard-earned Stat Points.