This F-Rank Bubble Mage Is Too OP!

River sat alone in the quiet lobby, fingers tapping a steady rhythm against his leg. The lights overhead buzzed faintly, the only other sound besides the soft hum of the air conditioner. Despite the sterile calm of the place, his heart wouldn't slow down.

His eyes darted to the clock mounted above the door. Five minutes had passed since he stepped out of the White Room, but to River, it felt like a lifetime. Every second stretched like taffy, thick with tension.

He leaned forward slightly, gripping the edge of his chair. The longer he stayed here, the greater the risk.

The Sun God Mage… Nolan's about to come out.

He knew what that meant. If he didn't move now, he'd be caught in the wake of a storm.

Fortunately, before his nerves could push him to bolt, a staff member finally approached. The man looked exhausted, holding a plain white envelope in both hands like it was just another file in a never-ending routine.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your Hunter Card, along with information you'll need as a Hunter. Congratulations on passing the Awakening Ceremony, and may fate bless your journey," the staffer said with the practiced tone of someone who had delivered the same line a thousand times before. He gave a shallow bow, handed the envelope over, then turned and walked off briskly, already heading toward the next name on his list.

River didn't even bother opening it.

The moment the envelope was in his hands, he stood up, spun on his heel, and made for the exit with long, purposeful strides. A strange warmth touched the back of his neck—a tingling, oppressive heat that wasn't just in his imagination. His instincts flared like warning sirens.

Something was coming.

"Nope. Not today," River muttered under his breath, tightening his grip on the envelope. Once outside, he didn't waste a second.

He sprinted across the pavement, weaving between startled newcomers and family members waiting outside the Awakening Center. His eyes locked on the parking lot ahead, where his old, beat-up bike stood chained to a rack. In one smooth motion, he unlocked it, mounted the seat, and slammed his foot on the pedal.

The moment his tires hit the road, a deafening explosion ripped through the air behind him.

He instinctively turned to look over his shoulder—and immediately wished he hadn't.

The front entrance of the Awakening Center was engulfed in radiant flames, not red or orange, but gold—divine and searing. A second explosion burst upward, blowing out a section of the wall. Hunters scrambled out in chaos, shouts and orders echoing as figures clad in armor and robes rushed toward the source of the destruction.

Golden light pulsed from the center of it all, followed by another shockwave that shattered nearby windows. River felt the heat brush against his back despite the distance, like standing too close to a bonfire.

He didn't need to guess.

Nolan is making a scene.

And clearly, he was not taking River's absence well.

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, River focused on the road again and leaned into the pedals. The wind whipped against his face as he sped away from the chaos, leaving behind golden destruction and a rival he had no intention of facing—at least not now.

"There's no way I'm letting him catch me this early," he muttered, shaking his head.

He turned a corner, heading toward the highway that would take him to his next destination. He already had a plan. A place to go.

The Awakening Ceremony was just the beginning. Now, the real journey could start.

…

Night arrived, the moon casting a silver glow over the buzzing heart of Voulton City. The streets shimmered beneath the neon lights, each sign flickering like stars trapped on Earth. The Hunter's District pulsed with energy—restaurants packed with loud laughter, bars overflowing with stories of near-death escapes, and vendors hawking dungeon loot with exaggerated claims.

Hunters in their casual clothes or modified battle gear roamed freely, celebrating successful hunts or drowning the sorrows of failure. Some compared rare drops, others showed off their latest Abilities under their Skills or Artifacts they found in a Dungeon. A few flirted openly, using their Rank as charm, while rookies looked on in awe or envy.

Not far from this chaos, another kind of nightlife thrived.

The Red Light District glowed with a deeper hue—crimson lanterns swaying above narrow alleys, provocative holograms advertising services both legal and questionable. Music thumped in slow, heavy beats, mixing with sultry laughter and footsteps on damp pavement. Men and women of all kinds lingered beneath dim lights, beckoning potential clients with lazy smiles and knowing eyes.

But past the glitter and flesh, just a block away where the lights faded and the roads cracked, stood a rundown hotel with peeling paint and a flickering sign that read: "Mooncrest Inn." The walls were thin, the air smelled faintly of smoke and damp linen, and the receptionist never looked up from her tablet.

This was where River ended up.

The hiss of shower water echoed within the tiled bathroom. A small trickle splashed onto the cracked porcelain floor before the high-pitched squeak of the valve filled the silence. Steam still lingered, clinging to the mirror and curling against the low ceiling.

River stepped out, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist, his black hair dripping as droplets trailed down his neck and chest. The small, dimly lit room barely had enough space for the bed, a chair with a bent leg, and the rickety table where his folded clothes and the sealed envelope from the Awakening Center sat untouched.

He stared at it for a second before walking past it with a sigh.

Fatigue pressed against his bones like wet cement. His body ached, but it was the weight in his mind that wore him down. Everything from this morning played again behind his eyes—the first trial, the disorienting vortex, the third trial and that centaur-like construct. Then Nolan's pursuit and that ridiculous harem. The explosion at the entrance. His rushed escape.

It felt like the day had lasted a year.

"A movie recap," he muttered, shaking his head as he let his body fall onto the creaky bed. "All that in one damn day."

The mattress groaned under his weight. River closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep yet. His senses remained alert, faintly tracking every sound from the other rooms—muffled moans, footsteps in the hallway, the distant sound of someone vomiting in the alley.

He wasn't safe. Not yet.

But for now, at least, he was alive.

And away from that flaming lunatic and his obsessive fan club.

River chuckled softly at the thought.

"I should've asked for a reward after surviving all that…"

Then, finally, he let the exhaustion take him.