The portal within the endless fog stood still, its blue edges moving in a slow, deliberate clockwise motion. A faint hum pulsed from its core, a soft, resonating sound that blended with the silence of the fog-covered expanse. The surrounding mist shifted gently, pushed by small gusts of wind that stirred the air like ripples across water.
The five won who made up Nolan’s harem stood around it, visibly growing impatient.
"It’s been thirty minutes and he still hasn’t co out," Rachel said with a long, bored yawn, arms crossed under her chest. Her eyes narrowed at the swirling portal. "Is he dead or what?"
"Let check," one of the others muttered, stepping forward and placing her hand on the edge of the vortex.
A red error interface imdiately blinked into existence, floating in the air before them.
Rachel rolled her eyes and turned toward Nolan, who had remained silent all this ti, standing a few steps away with his arms folded and eyes closed.
"Babe, what do you think?" she asked with a sweet but tired voice.
Nolan’s eyes slowly opened. Their golden hue shimred faintly, reflecting the swirling light of the portal.
"We wait," he said calmly, though there was a tension in his voice—one that wasn’t there before.
The won sighed collectively but said nothing. They knew better than to challenge him.
Minutes stretched on. The fog shifted again, casting long shadows in the distance. The swirling portal continued to hum, constant and unwavering. Occasionally, it would flicker—barely noticeable, but enough to keep Nolan’s attention.
"Co out already," he muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes.
Ten more minutes passed.
Just as the air was growing heavier with impatience, the mana around the portal began to shift—violently.
The ambient mana, once calm like a sleeping lake, began to churn like a storm awakening beneath the surface. Gusts of wind kicked up around the group, causing hair and cloaks to flutter. The fog trembled. Tiny sparks of energy crackled from the portal’s edge.
Nolan’s eyes widened.
He recognized this.
The return of a candidate.
Without a word, he stepped forward, boots splashing into the shallow fog-covered ground as he approached the portal. The closer he got, the more intense the mana waves beca.
His harem followed quickly, forming a loose circle around the portal, their expressions tense, excited, and wary all at once.
The portal flared—its once calm surface now glowing brightly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"He’s coming out," one of the won whispered, her voice barely audible over the growing hum.
Nolan didn’t reply.
He simply waited—gaze sharp, breath held—as the portal roared to life.
Then he appeared—the person they had been waiting for. The one Nolan was itching to punish for daring to slip through his fingers like smoke.
"You finally ca out, you piece of sh*t," Nolan growled, eyes narrowing as River erged from the Quest Portal, calm and unbothered.
River’s gaze swept the group, unsurprised. In fact, he would’ve been disappointed if Nolan hadn’t co chasing after him like a rabid dog.
Typical.
This guy’s legendary ability to make enemies in every country clearly wasn’t by accident. It was a talent in itself.
"Wow," River said, feigning awe as he glanced at Nolan’s group. "You guys waited all this ti... just for ? I didn’t know I was that special."
"You ruined our fun!" one of the girls snapped. "You should’ve stayed and been a good punching bag!"
"Yeah! And now, you’ll pay for it!" another added with a sneer.
River sighed, dragging a hand down his face. He had just survived a nightmare of a Quest—three soul-wrenching, mind-breaking trials that could’ve driven anyone insane. Anyone less experienced would’ve cracked.
And now this?
"I just ca out of a literal hell. Can you guys maybe not be this stupid for five minutes?" he muttered under his breath.
But of course, they didn’t hear—or didn’t care.
Nolan took a step forward, his expression icy and wide-eyed, lips curling into sothing halfway between a smirk and a snarl. "I’ll give you one last chance," he said coldly. "Be a good dog. Let them beat you, and I’ll leave you half-dead. Or resist—"
His hand twitched.
"—and I’ll kill you."
Ah. There it was. The classic line of a narcissistic lunatic. Kill, for sothing as petty as escaping from being bullied.
But this wasn’t like before.
River was no longer the weakling from earlier. He’d reached Level 15.
He wasn’t strong enough to win against Nolan—not yet. But landing a blow? Surviving a few seconds? That was possible now.
Still... a fight here would be foolish.
The odds were stacked, and he didn’t plan on dying over bruised egos.
"Cowardice?" he whispered to himself. "No... it’s called a strategic retreat."
He felt the mana surging within him—faster, denser, and far more responsive than before. With his upgraded stats, escape was within reach.
All he needed now was—
A distraction, River thought.
He glanced around. The area near the portal was relatively clear, but the swirling fog behind it hadn’t dissipated completely. Pockets of energy from the trials still clung to the edges of the space—unsteady, volatile.
If he played this right...
His lips curled into a smirk. "Alright then, Sun God Mage," he whispered, eyes locked with Nolan’s. "Let’s see how much fun you have when the prey runs wild again."
And with that, River made his move.
Using his exceptional Mana Control, River guided the chaotic energy swirling around the portal that was beginning to collapse. Most would hesitate to touch such unstable force—it was volatile, dangerous—but to River, it was like breathing. He had done this thousands of tis in his past life.
With swift precision, he wove the storm into a compact form and ford a Bubble Bomb right in the center of the group—its spherical shell pulsing with flickers of scarlet and indigo, a barely-contained tempest within.
Nolan’s eyes widened. "This guy!" he hissed. "Be careful—he’s already finished his Awakening! And he probably gained sothing insane from the Quest!"
In the sa breath, golden light erupted from Nolan like a living fla. It spread outwards, curling protectively around his harem. The divine fire shimred like liquid sunlight, crackling with holy power. "So, you’ve chosen to fight?" he shouted. "Then don’t bla for burning you alive!"
Six golden fireballs materialized overhead, humming with power.
But River rely tilted his head, an amused smirk spreading across his lips. "Fight?" he said. "Who said anything about fighting?"
The casual tone unsettled Nolan.
"I guess I’ll see you again... another ti," River added.
It clicked a second too late.
Nolan’s eyes snapped open. "Stop him—!"
But the Bubble Bomb detonated.
A deafening boom tore through the air as waves of dust and dense fog burst outward. Chaotic wind and flying debris turned the area into a maelstrom. Vision beca aningless.
Nolan’s golden barrier held strong. The explosion couldn’t break through the divine protection. The fireballs he’d summoned were swallowed whole by the shockwave, vanishing in the surge of turbulence.
"Where is he?" Rachel shouted, scanning through the fog.
Nolan extended his senses like a net, searching for River’s Mana signature. Then he heard it.
Bounce... bounce...
A soft sound. Subtle, rhythmic.
He snapped his gaze toward the source and spotted it—a bubble pressed flat against the ground, rippling like a disturbed puddle. The surface still vibrated on one side, as if sothing—or soone—had just jumped on it.
"Damn it," Nolan growled.
He whirled around and looked to the sky.
There—so distance away—River was falling from above, his shirt flapping behind him, a faint laugh leaving his lips as he descended toward a distant forest away from the fog. "No way... he used the explosion as a diversion," soone muttered.
Extre rage boiled in Nolan’s gut. "That bastard," he spat. "He slipped through my fingers—again!"
He clenched his fists, golden flas flickering dangerously around him. The others stood in stunned silence.
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