Riven walked slowly toward the fallen Aurex beast.
Even from a distance he could tell it was barely holding on, its massive body trembling while dark blood pooled beneath it. Harkel's attack had done far more damage than any of them expected.
The creature's breathing was shallow now, its chest rising and falling weakly.
Riven lifted his hand. Lightning gathered around his palm, thin arcs snapping between his fingers.
All he had to do was strike the open wound.
It would be quick.
Merciful.
Yet his arm froze.
Fear crawled through his chest.
Riven had fought monsters before today, but this… this was different. The beast was helpless now. Killing it wouldn't be a fight.
It would be an execution.
The boy swallowed hard.
He had never taken a life before.
He never thought he could.
And now he stood here, ready to do it for the sake of a reward.
"This isn't a game," Riven whispered to himself.
At the start he had wanted to rush the beast, even without a plan, just so he could claim the reward for killing it. But now that the moment was here, he was glad they hadn't done that.
They would have died for nothing.
The realization hit him harder than the fight itself.
This was real life.
There were no extra lives. No respawns. No second chances.
If he died, he died.
And if this beast died… it was gone forever.
Did he really have the right to take its life?
"Kill it."
A soft female voice echoed inside his mind.
Riven's head snapped up.
He looked around quickly, searching the trees and shadows.
No one was there.
"Kill it."
The voice came again, gentle but firm.
Then Riven felt something strange.
It was like someone was wrapping their arms around him from behind.
Warm.
Comforting.
He had been hugged plenty of times before. His brother's friends loved to tease him with hugs when he was younger, and he'd even had a few crushes because of it.
But none of those hugs felt like this.
This warmth was different.
Deeper.
It felt like something he had been missing his entire life.
Soft hands seemed to guide his arm.
Without even realizing it, Riven moved with the rhythm of that invisible presence.
His lightning-covered hand drove forward.
Wet.
Hot.
Hard.
Gushy.
His hand plunged deep into the Aurex's open wound.
Riven's eyes widened.
The warmth vanished instantly.
He looked down.
His hand was buried inside the beast's chest.
The Aurex's breathing had stopped.
When Riven first approached it after Harkel's attack, he could only tell it was alive because its chest still rose and fell weakly.
Now it didn't move at all.
Its body was already turning cold.
Riven yanked his arm back in horror, stumbling a step away from the corpse.
"That… that wasn't me."
His voice trembled.
"That wasn't me…"
He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to feel that same warmth again.
But it was gone.
Completely gone.
Something had controlled him.
Something wanted him to finish the quest.
Ding.
A gray screen appeared in front of his eyes.
⸻
[System: Quest Completed. Would you like to receive your reward?]
[Y / N]
⸻
Riven stared at the screen for a moment before pressing Yes.
⸻
[System: 5000 EXP Gained]
⸻
Riven opened his status automatically, even though he knew the stats themselves probably hadn't changed much.
⸻
Riven Harlow – Level 6
EXP: 2600 / 2800
Strength: 11
Speed: 11
Defense: 11
Health: 21 / 21
Energy: 21 / 21
Mana:12/12
Stat Points: 3
⸻
Riven considered the stat points for a moment before deciding to save them.
He could use them later when he needed them more.
Just as he was about to close the screen, more notifications appeared.
⸻
[System: You have fought within the creature's natural habitat.]
[New Skill Acquired: Absorption]
Allows the user to absorb surrounding natural energy and convert it into mana.
Note: This skill can only recover mana that has been lost. It cannot exceed the user's current mana limit.
⸻
"Habitat…?" Riven muttered.
He looked around at the dense forest surrounding him.
"I guess humans really did originate from forests like this," he thought. "Long before cities and buildings."
Another notification appeared.
⸻
[System: User has completed a ??? Quest.]
These types of quests are placed by the system and are far beyond the user's current abilities. If the user manages to complete such a quest, they will be granted a great reward.
⸻
A final notification appeared.
⸻
[System: New Item Acquired — Evolution Berry]
⸻
A small light-green fruit suddenly appeared in Riven's hand.
He stared at it carefully.
The name alone made its purpose pretty obvious.
But using it now… that felt risky.
Before he could think about it further, the bushes nearby rustled.
Riven immediately turned, lightning forming again around his hand.
A boy stepped out of the trees.
Black hair.
A bright red streak near his temple.
"Riven!" Luka shouted as he ran over. "Come on, we're waiting for you!"
Without hesitation Luka grabbed his arm and started pulling him along.
Then Luka noticed the fruit in Riven's other hand.
"Oh! Were you getting food for us?" Luka asked casually.
Before Riven could react, Luka grabbed the berry.
"Wait!" Riven shouted.
Too late.
Luka had already eaten it.
He blinked.
"What?" Luka asked, confused.
Riven stared at him nervously, waiting for something to happen.
Anything.
But nothing happened.
That somehow made things even worse.
"Is all of this in my head?" Riven wondered.
Maybe the female voice was just his imagination.
Maybe the system itself was just his mind coping with stress.
Maybe he had killed the beast because deep down he wanted to… and now he was creating excuses.
"Am I really that sadistic…?" he thought.
"C'mon," Luka said, pulling him along again.
They soon reached the others.
Leo and Harkel were standing nearby, and right beside them—
"Joey!"
Riven sprinted forward and wrapped Joey in a tight hug.
"You're okay!"
"Yeah, I'm okay," Joey laughed, hugging him back. "Good to see you too."
Then Joey looked around.
"Wait… where's Jordan?"
Riven and Luka froze.
"Jordan's here?" Riven asked quickly.
"Yeah," Joey nodded. "Me, him, and Nico ran into that creature together. Nico disappeared first, then right before I passed out an ice wall appeared. I'm pretty sure Jordan escaped."
Riven's eyes lit up with relief.
"Either way," Harkel interrupted, "we don't have time to stand around talking. Almost none of us are at full strength. We need to leave the forest first."
Everyone nodded.
Riven didn't worry too much about Jordan. Something in his gut told him his brother was safe.
So the group began moving toward the forest exit.
⸻
Inside the monitoring room…
"Oh—move!"
Ms. Fallow jolted awake and rushed to the computer, quickly typing commands.
The monitors flickered back to life.
"Next time try adjusting the drones to the mana signature instead of boosting the signal," she muttered.
Then she stopped.
Everyone in the room froze.
On one of the screens…
The Aurex lay dead.
On another screen, the group of future students walked calmly toward the forest exit.
Darius stood silently.
The smug smile he always wore had disappeared.
Suddenly—
Laughter erupted through the room.
Ms. Fallow laughed louder than anyone.
"I guess your time limit was a little off, don't you think?" she said between laughs.
Darius didn't respond.
He simply turned and walked away.
Everyone watched in shock.
Normally, anyone who mocked Darius like that would be dead within seconds.
But he said nothing.
He simply slammed the door behind him.
⸻
Back in the forest, Riven guided the group toward the exit using the glowing system arrow only he could see.
Which made him wonder again…
What if this really was all in his head?
He glanced back at Luka.
Still nothing.
No reaction.
No change.
Riven clenched his jaw in frustration.
That meant one of two things.
Either the system really was only in his mind…
Or the Evolution Berry only worked on him.
Which meant Luka had just wasted a chance at early evolution.
And Riven really wanted to know what that fruit could have done.
Pushing a few leaves aside, Riven finally saw it.
A massive metal gate stood ahead of them, tall and imposing. At the top, carved into a large steel plate, were the words:
EXIT
For a moment Riven just stared at it.
Then relief exploded out of him.
"Yes!" Riven shouted as he broke into a run.
The others followed right behind him, exhausted but just as eager to leave the forest behind.
They rushed through the gate together.
The moment they crossed the threshold, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of them.
Before any of them could react, he grabbed them.
The world twisted.
In an instant, everything vanished.
The forest disappeared.
When their vision cleared, they were standing inside a large room filled with glowing monitors. Dozens of students were gathered around, watching the screens closely.
Some of them glanced over at Riven and his group.
Unlike when Jordan and Jude had arrived earlier, the students only gave them a brief look before turning their attention back to the monitors.
Riven quickly scanned the crowd.
"Jordan!" he shouted.
For a moment there was no response.
Then a hand rose above the crowd.
Riven immediately ran toward it and grabbed the hand, pulling the person forward.
A boy with brown hair stumbled out from the crowd.
He looked almost identical to Riven.
Jordan.
The two brothers grinned the moment they saw each other and immediately pulled each other into a tight hug.
Jordan laughed softly before pulling back.
He noticed Luka standing nearby and walked over, shaking his hand before pulling him into a quick hug as well.
Then he turned to Joey, reaching out to ruffle his hair.
Finally, Jordan faced Harkel and Leo.
To their surprise, he bowed.
"Thank you," Jordan said sincerely. "My friends and my brother wouldn't have survived without you."
"Likewise," Harkel admitted.
He crossed his arms thoughtfully before giving a small nod.
"Look at what we accomplished. We make a good team. And since you two already know each other…" Harkel bowed slightly.
"Would you join me in my cause?"
Jordan raised an eyebrow.
"Join you in what?"
Before Harkel could answer, a loud thud echoed across the room.
Everyone turned.
Luka had collapsed onto the floor.
"Luka!" Riven shouted.
He rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside him and reaching out to check his pulse.
Before he could touch him, a man suddenly appeared beside Luka's body.
Without saying a word, the man grabbed Luka and disappeared instantly.
Just like that.
He was gone.
"What just happened?" Jordan asked, confused.
No one answered.
But Riven had a theory.
A horrible one.
Don't tell me…
If someone else eats something from the system… they die?
Why the hell didn't the system tell me that?!
Riven screamed inside his head, panic twisting in his chest.
Before anyone could say anything else, a wave of light washed across the room.
The students all turned toward the front.
A woman with tired eyes stood there.
Ms. Fallow.
She looked like she had barely slept, but her voice carried clearly through the room.
"Alright," she announced calmly.
"The entrance exam is now over."
She glanced across the crowd of exhausted students.
"From this moment forward, you are officially enrolled in Sigil Gate Academy."