The appearance of the System coincided with the ergence of the first Portals—later called Dungeons. Yet the world only beca aware of its existence after the rise of the First Hunter.
This strange phenonon is even more mysterious than the Dungeons themselves. To beco a Hunter, one must be recognized by the System—usually triggered upon gaining enough Experience Points through killing monsters. Even slaying a single creature, if it yields enough EXP, can activate the System for the first ti.
However, not everyone qualifies. A person must possess the talent to be acknowledged. No matter how many monsters they slay, if the System doesn’t recognize them... they remain a normal human.
When activated, the System manifests as a personal holographic screen, invisible to others unless deliberately shared. It becos the Hunter’s guide—displaying stats, levels, abilities, and even a storage space.
Despite years of research into Dungeons and Mana, the System remains an enigma. Unlike dungeon biology or portal energy fields, the System cannot be traced, studied, or replicated. It doesn’t follow natural laws. It doesn’t respond to human tools.
Eventually, humanity stopped trying to understand it—and accepted it. They began treating the System as just another part of the new world. A force, like gravity or fire, that simply exists alongside Mana and monsters.
Research into the System stalled.
But only for now.
...
River opened his eyes and was greeted by endless darkness.
He looked down and began to walk. As he moved, sparkling ripples followed each step, as if he were standing on shallow water—yet he felt no wetness. It was a purely visual effect, one that made River sigh in nostalgia.
If he counted the ti from when he first Awakened to the day the world ended, it must have been at least a hundred years. That also included the period he trained in a Ti Dilation Realm created by the Chosen One—a place where one year inside was only an hour in the real world.
"It feels like I’m Awakening for the first ti," River muttered with a chuckle. Shaking his head, his expression turned serious."System."
His voice echoed through the darkness—and in response, a holographic screen materialized in front of him.
Welco to the Skill World.
Here, countless Skills have awakened—each one born not from the System, but from within.
So can level mountains. So defy death. So reshape reality itself.
Skills are innate. They are fragnts of your very essence—shaped by will, honed by instinct, and forged through potential.
Do you wish to proceed with Skill Awakening?
"Yes," River said, and as his word fell, the interface vanished into particles of light. The next second, the darkness around him shook—like an earthquake—though it lasted only a mont.
River didn’t blink, his eyes glinting with anticipation. It had been a long ti since he experienced this, and the thrill—though dimd—was still there. He already knew what Skill he would receive, so there was no surprise, but the act of awakening it again still stirred sothing inside him.
As he waited, lights began to appear around him. Red, blue, yellow, orange, green—all kinds of glowing lights like fireflies materialized, spinning around him in a clockwise motion.
Then sothing shifted.
The lights flickered. Their shapes distorted. At first, they churned with no form... until they began transforming—so thick, so thin—into rectangles.
"The Skill Books," River whispered, eyes wide as countless books floated around him.
They drifted through the air for a mont... then suddenly halted, as if soone had slamd the brakes.
River smiled.
He knew what ca next.
And just as he expected, one of the floating books broke formation and flew straight toward him.
The book was light blue in color. There was no design on the cover, but the glowing aura it gave off was enough for River to recognize it—it was his Bubble Skill.
"Welco back," River said, reaching out to touch the book.
Although his Skill couldn’t even kill a Sli, River was far from weak. With the experience he had gained as one of the Last Hunters—and with his exceptional Mana Control, to the point that even the other Last Hunters called him their Master—he was confident that his Bubble Skill was no longer the weak joke other Hunters used to mock.
This past week, he’d missed his Bubbles. He wasn’t used to being without his Skill. And now, it was right in front of him.
But just as his hand was about to make contact, a flicker of light caught his eye. He looked up—and his eyes widened in shock.
"T-this..." River stamred, frozen by the sight in front of him. "Another Skill?"
Hovering before him was another Skill Book—this one radiating a brilliant white light that washed over the entire Skill World. It was like a white sun had descended, illuminating the void with the very first light of the universe.
River stared wide-eyed as the Skill Book floated next to his Bubble Skill. The light blue book looked dull in comparison, almost fading into the background beside the brilliance.
As he looked between the two, it felt as though he were watching his wife being outshined by another woman. His Bubble Skill seed so insignificant now that he felt a strange pang of guilt.
"D*mnit, why am I feeling this way? I should be happy instead," River muttered with a bitter smile. Shaking his head, the smile returned—this ti wider. "Let’s see what you are first!"
He reached past the Bubble Skill and placed his hand on the brilliant book.
But the mont his finger touched the light, a red holographic interface flared up in front of him, and a surge of pain made him jerk his hand back.
With a frown, he read the glowing ssage on the screen:
Error! Host must reach Level 51 in order to use this Skill Book!
"Level 51?" River’s face darkened. "That’s beyond my Max Level. There must be sothing wrong."
He waited for the interface to vanish before reaching out again. But just like before, the mont he touched the book, the red interface appeared and forced his hand back.
Error! Host must reach Level 51 in order to use this Skill Book!
"What the f*ck... what’s the point then? That’s beyond my Max Level!" River said in frustration, shaking his head. Still, the fact that another Skill Book had appeared in front of him couldn’t be a coincidence.
There had to be a reason.
"Is it because this is my second ti entering the Skill World?" River whispered, eyes locked on the brilliant book.
He stood there, thinking. But no matter how much he ransacked his brain, no answer ca.
It was rare enough for a Hunter to awaken with two Skills—though River did know a few who would appear in the future. But a second Skill with a level requirent? That was unheard of.
"Sigh... I’ll think about it later," River muttered, rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache coming on.
Without wasting any more ti, he turned back to the light blue book and touched it.
The mont his finger brushed the cover, the entire book burst into particles of light and rushed into his chest. The Skill World imdiately began to shake, and River felt his body being pulled down—swallowed by an intense, crushing gravity.
Reviews
All reviews (0)