A Hunter must possess a Skill to even be considered one.
A Skill is the foundation of every Hunter’s existence. The stronger the Skill, the more monsters they could kill. And the more monsters slain, the more Experience Points they would gain.
Experience Points increase a Hunter’s Level. The higher the Level, the stronger the Hunter.
That’s why those who awaken non-combat Skills often give up imdiately. The rest—those who refuse to quit—try to carve another path, usually one that still revolves around their Skill.
It’s a gamble every ti. A hit or miss. Not everyone walks out of the Awakening Ceremony with their head held high. So don’t Awaken at all. Others unlock nothing more than a party trick—just like what River got.
Bubblecrafter.
And even that, he couldn’t use yet.
The System had locked his Skill, restricting its activation until the Awakening Ceremony officially ended.
River, of course, had no intention of ending it just yet.
No sane Hunter would. Not unless they hit a wall and couldn’t Level up anymore. Because while the ceremony is active, every monster killed grants two to four tis the normal Experience Points.
It was random—but the bonus was guaranteed to be at least double. A fair incentive for those willing to fight as an unenhanced human and earn the right to rise faster later.
If that bonus didn’t exist, River would have to kill twenty Slis just to hit Level 1.
Now, as he stared at the translucent screen hovering before him, he finally had a clear view of his growth. The System had conjured his most important tool:
STATUS SCREEN
Na: River Faelan
Skill: Bubblecrafter [Tap to see details]
Class: Mage
Level: 3
Experience Points: 50 / 450
Status Points: 3
Title(s): None
BASE STATS
HP (Health Points): 100
MP (Mana Points): 100
STR (Strength): 8
AGI (Agility): 7
INT (Intelligence): 15
WIS (Wisdom): 14
VIT (Vitality): 10
DEX (Dexterity): 7
River exhaled, eyes scanning over the screen. Everything looked the sa. Just as expected.
Still, he tilted his head slightly, confused.
Shouldn’t my Intelligence and Wisdom be higher?
Technically, his INT and WIS were high for a new Hunter. But it didn’t sit right. He frowned.
"I ca from the future," he muttered, scratching his chin. "My knowledge, my Mana control... they’re leagues above average. But these numbers don’t reflect that."
Before the Portals appeared on Earth, humanity had imrsed itself in countless gas—first-person shooters, real-ti strategies, MOBAs, battle royales, sports sims... and of course, the ever-popular MMORPGs.
Among them, MMOs stood out—not just for their gaplay, but because of how eerily the System resembled them.
It had levels. Skills. Status screens. Classes. Experience. Even inventories and quests. It felt like stepping inside a ga world.
Naturally, people tried to understand it. Theories popped up. But one stood above the rest:
The System was intelligent—and in order to better interface with humanity, it had chosen to mimic the chanics of MMORPGs. A bizarre decision, perhaps, but one that made transition smoother.
Earth adapted quickly.
Even in the future, most Hunters still believed in this theory. River included.
The Status Screen was the definitive guide to a Hunter’s body, mind, and growth. Aside from their Skill, a Hunter’s core power ca from their Status Points—gained with each Level Up and used to enhance their base stats.
Strength. Agility. Intelligence. Wisdom. Vitality. Dexterity.
River understood why his physical stats were low—he hadn’t exactly been a musclehead in his past life.
But his ntal stats? INT and WIS?
They were supposed to be his strengths.
Those two determined how well a Hunter could control Mana and master their Skill. In both areas, River excelled—even now. But the numbers didn’t match up.
Why?
There were only four known ways to raise a stat:
Leveling up and allocating Status Points.
Using Artifacts or Potions.
Receiving buffs from other Hunters—temporarily or, in rare cases, permanently.
And the slowest, hardest path: training the body and mind.
River had done the fourth. Extensively.
And yet, here he was.
Looking at numbers that didn’t match the man he had beco.
River had co back from the future. His body may have regressed, but his mind and soul remained untouched. He still possessed the experience and Mana Control that had once surpassed even the Last Hunters.
That’s why he believed his INT and WIS should still be high—perhaps even close to what they were back then.
The System hadn’t granted him access to Mana or Skills yet, but River could feel it—his control, his finesse, his instincts—they were all still there.
And for him, that was enough proof. Proof that made his current base stats feel even stranger.
"Hmm... am I just being naive?" River muttered. "Maybe... my proficiency regressed too? But that can’t be it."
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The mont he did, his senses sharpened, and every hair on his body stood on end.
He could hear the wind brushing gently through the grass, quiet as a whisper—like it was singing a lullaby using the knee-high blades as instrunts.
He felt the subtle thrum of the earth beneath him, steady like a drum keeping pace with his heartbeat.
The trees that surrounded the clearing swayed ever so slightly, their movents shy, as if dancing secretly to the rhythm of nature. Leaves fell, drifting down slowly—as if ti itself had begun to slow.
River inhaled, and the scent of life’s quiet ’music’ filled his lungs. A soft smile touched his lips. The sensation of reaching out to sothing unseen, of resonating with the world despite being just a "normal human," reminded him of who he truly was.
But then the acrid sll of jelly—the gooey remnants of Slis scattered around the clearing—snapped him back to reality.
He opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.
What he had just done was a simple form of Mana Gathering—a technique that only Hunters could perform once they reached a certain level of Mana Control proficiency.With it, Hunters could accelerate their Mana recovery, though the effects varied depending on each individual’s talent.
But that was the thing: this only applied to Hunters. No ordinary human could ever achieve it.
Yet River had done it.
Because he wasn’t ordinary.
His Mana Control was still far beyond the limits of this world.
Even though he couldn’t actively sense Mana yet—due to the ongoing Awakening Ceremony—he was still able to perform a technique that required delicate control and mastery. That alone was proof enough that his Mana proficiency hadn’t diminished.
"I could expand it further... but that’d just be a waste of ntal energy," River muttered, shaking his head.
Still, the core issue remained—his Base Stats didn’t match his actual abilities.
He stared at his Status Screen, eyes scanning every detail, hoping for so hidden clue.
Nothing.
Eventually, he sighed and gave up, shaking his head.
"First the White Book, and now this?" he said with a bitter smile. "Any more confusing surprises, System?"
With a flick of his hand, the Status Screen dissolved into shimring particles.
"I should get moving. Level up more before I head to that place."
He glanced up at the blazing sun, then swept his gaze across the clearing. His eyes landed on the piles of jelly scattered around, and a smirk ford on his lips.
"They’d probably laugh if they saw this ss."
Shaking his head, he sheathed his knife, adjusted his bag, and set off toward another area—one step closer to his future.
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