This F-Rank Bubble Mage Is Too OP!

Time slowed—not because River moved faster, but because his sharpened senses and trained mind entered a state of absolute focus.

Two Physical-Class Hunters lunged at his sides like twin shadows, their weapons gleaming in the dying moonlight. From the front, a fireball blazed toward him, hissing through the night air with enough heat to warp iron. And from behind that, a storm of bullets howled toward him, spit out from the roaring mouths of twin Gatling Guns.

To an average Hunter, death would've already been assured.

But River was no average Hunter.

Inside that slowed moment, River's thoughts moved like lightning. No panic, no hesitation—only calculation.

Bubble Creation—his first ability under the Bubblecrafter Skill—activated with just a flicker of will.

Bubbles manifested around his body, thin yet luminous, layering rapidly with each heartbeat. Not one, not ten, but hundreds—nearly a thousand—encased him. They didn't float around him loosely like a child's plaything; instead, they condensed, hugging his form, compressing and layering over one another until they resembled a seamless translucent armor.

Individually, they were fragile. Collectively, they were a fortress.

For any other Mage-Class Hunter, this would have been suicide. Their mana pool would be drained dry before they could even cast a hundred layers, let alone a thousand.

But River was different.

His Mana Control was monstrous—unnatural even. Where a normal Hunter might require ten MP to cast a defensive skill, River could do the same with a mere 0.1 MP. His efficiency bordered on the divine.

Was it unfair? Overpowered? Certainly.

But it wasn't the result of fate or some system exploit. It was the culmination of sleepless nights, endless repetition, and a stubbornness that bordered on madness. His mastery over Mana didn't come from talent—it came from tenacity.

Then—reality snapped back.

BOOM!!!

The moment time resumed, chaos erupted.

The fireball collided with the layered bubbles and ignited a rolling explosion. Heat surged, waves of flame blossomed outward, devouring the forest floor and licking at the dying trees. The bullets struck next, tearing into the blast zone like metallic hailstorms, their combined force enough to dig a crater into the earth.

Debris flew.

The ground trembled.

Flames danced along the trees, igniting dry bark and brittle leaves. Smoke spiraled into the air, mixing with ash and dust to form a suffocating gray haze. The shockwave from the triple impact sent fallen branches and loose rocks flying in every direction, pelting the surrounding forest like shrapnel.

Kayl grinned beneath his visor as he stared at the epicenter.

"Nothing could survive that," he muttered confidently. His teammates seemed to agree. The two Physical-Class Hunters lowered their weapons, their muscles loosening. The Mage wiped sweat from his brow, chest heaving from the energy exerted.

Even Kayl's Gatling Guns began to hiss from overheating.

But then—the smoke parted.

A breeze pushed through the ruined clearing, and the haze dissipated just enough to reveal a silhouette.

Standing in the center of the devastation… was the masked man.

Unburnt.

Untouched.

Alive.

The only sign of damage? A few bubbles floating away from his armour like bubbles.

River stood with his arms still crossed, head tilted, as if disappointed.

"You call that an attack?" he said.

And for the first time, Kayl's grin faded.

"You… this can't be! Our combined attack is enough to destroy the defense of a D-Rank Hunter…" Kayl's voice trailed off, his eyes widening as realization slammed into him like a truck. "Motherf*cker! This guy is smurfing in an E-Rank Dungeon!"

The term hit the rest of the group like a shockwave. Even the mage stopped mid-chant, mouth half-open in disbelief.

They all took an instinctive step back, weapons raised slightly higher. Their confidence from earlier was gone—now replaced by unease.

"He took that blast straight on," the mage muttered, voice cracking. "What do we do now? Boss?"

Kayl didn't answer immediately. His gaze locked onto River like a hawk sizing up a predator disguised as prey. Then he shouted, voice brimming with indignation, "Don't you have any shame? This is bullying!"

River blinked. "Wait… you think I'm D-Rank?" he said, tilting his head and raising a brow.

Internally, River wasn't nearly as composed as he looked. His outer shell had taken the brunt of the damage, but the residual shockwaves still ravaged his body. Even now, his ribs ached from the impact, and his lungs strained slightly with each breath. His health had dropped from a full 100 to 85 in one go, and his MP had drained to below 50. The truth was, he couldn't afford to take another hit like that again as it might lower his MP further. He couldn't afford a fight with barely enough Mana Points. Although his conversion rate is much lower compared to them, it's to make up what we lacked, firepower and cool Skill- not unless he unlocked his other abilities.

"Don't feign ignorance, you piece of sh*t!" Kayl snapped, his voice rising. "Why else would you be able to tank all our attacks like that?! You're clearly not an E-Rank! You're one of those busted high-rank Hunters playing pretend in low-level dungeons, aren't you?!"

River stared at him, deadpan. "So… let me get this straight," he began slowly, voice calm, "I survive your attack, and instead of admitting you underestimated me, you think I'm here to bully you?"

"You are bullying us!" another of Kayl's teammates blurted out.

"You just stood there and tanked a bombardment!"

"Yeah! You made us look bad!"

River sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's four of you. With guns, spells, and swords. And I'm the bully?"

"Exactly!" Kayl growled. "This is an E-Rank Dungeon! You're not supposed to be this strong! You're breaking the unwritten rules!"

"What rules?" River asked, genuinely confused. "Is there a manual I missed? A guidebook titled How Not to Upset Incompetent Thugs in a Dungeon?"

"Don't get smart with me!" Kayl barked. "Just admit it! You're smurfing and you know it!"

River opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again. He stared at them as though they had grown second heads.

"I don't even know how to respond to that level of stupidity," he muttered under his breath.

He took a step forward, preparing to end the farce and take them out before they recovered their nerve.

Immediately, Kayl and his teammates took another step back, weapons shaking in their hands. The mage even tripped slightly, nearly falling as he scrambled away.

"Oh? What happened to all that confidence?" River said, voice low now, laced with quiet menace.

"Boss, what do we do?" the swordsman whispered, beads of sweat rolling down his temple.

Kayl's lips curled in frustration, but his instincts screamed retreat. This wasn't just another strong Hunter—this was a monster wearing a toy mask.

Retreating after acting so tough… Just thinking about it made Kayl's skin crawl. Embarrassment simmered beneath his frustration like a boil about to pop. He wanted to dig a hole in the forest floor, crawl into it, and never come out.

But humiliation was better than death.

If his gut was right, that strange bastard in the white mask wasn't some regular E-Rank nobody. That kind of defense… That resilience… No. Kayl was almost certain now. This masked freak had to be at least D-Rank, if not higher. And if that were true, then retreat wasn't cowardice—it was survival.

Still, the shame burned.

'When I get stronger,' Kayl vowed bitterly, 'I'll find this asshole. If I can't do it myself, I'll make sure the Limo Guild does it for me. We'll turn him into a warning sign.'

His eyes flicked to the side.

Near the headless corpse of the Alpha Rotling, lay the treasures. Glowing yellow vial, what looked like a jagged piece of bone covered in ancient runes, and a faintly pulsing black crystal that radiated dark energy. Greed flared in Kayl's eyes. If they were going to flee, at least they wouldn't go home empty-handed.

Without wasting another second, Kayl spun his dual Gatling Guns into position and pulled the triggers.

The barrels roared to life.

Bullets ripped through the air, sparking against River's half-formed armor.

"Cover me!" Kayl shouted, already lunging toward the loot. "I'll grab the treasure!"

His teammates hesitated only for a split second before reacting. Bursts of chaotic mana erupted around River as the mage flung a chain of fireballs and the physical class Hunters unleashed a flurry of blade arcs. Spells and strikes rained down on the masked Hunter with brutal precision, forcing him back a step.

River's eyes narrowed behind the mask.

'This bastard—he's using his own team as a distraction to grab the treasure and run.'

He gritted his teeth. The impact from the previous attacks still echoed inside his body. His organs throbbed painfully with every breath, his MP dangerously low—but not empty.

Activating Mana Gathering, he pulled from the surrounding air with practiced discipline. Mana surged into his limbs, and thanks to his new title—Unyielding Soul—his MP regeneration soared by 20%, allowing him to conjure a second Bubble Armor just in time.

It wrapped around him like liquid crystal, humming softly before solidifying into a sleek, translucent barrier.

An explosion rang out to his left, sending debris flying and shaking his footing. Dust and smoke filled the area again. River clenched his jaw, planting his stance even as his vision blurred.

Through the haze, he could still hear the frantic sputter of Kayl's Gatling Guns… then silence.

As the dust cloud finally dispersed, River scanned the field—only to find the Limo Group already gone. Vanished. Their tracks led deeper into the dead forest, weaving through gnarled trees and decay.

He exhaled sharply. His chest rose and fell in quiet, irritated exhaustion.

So they ran. With the loot.

But they wouldn't get far.

He lowered his stance slightly, breath steadying. His muscles coiled like springs. With a burst of strength and mana, River launched himself into a sprint, cutting through the skeletal trees like a phantom.

"I won't let you go away," River muttered, eyes flashing in determination.