This F-Rank Bubble Mage Is Too OP!-Chapter 42: The Last Trial (Part-4)

The dark red sky cracked with streaks of lightning, each flash slicing across the heavens like divine fury.

Thunderous booms echoed across the obsidian plains, shaking the fractured terrain. Dust clouds billowed upward, hiding the chaos below beneath a thick veil of gray and red. The air was dense with mana and ash, vibrating with the fading echoes of destruction.

And then... silence.

The storm’s tantrum faded, its fury expended.

The crimson streaks that once marred the sky dimmed into harmless veins of gray, and the cracks slowly knitted themselves shut—as if the dimension itself was healing.

The clouds parted.

From behind their retreating edges, a silver moon emerged, its light cascading down with gentle authority. Its glow was cool, serene, untouched by the madness that had consumed the world below. Where once chaos reigned, now calm began to settle.

The battlefield responded.

The jagged obsidian pillars, once shattered and scorched, now slowly receded back into the ground. The black stone healed, smoothing out as shallow water flowed back into place, rippling with moonlight.

The echoes of battle faded further.

Monster constructs—hulking giants of mana and armor, of blades and brutality—stopped moving. Their eyes, once glowing embers of violence, dimmed to black. Some twitched once, as if resisting their fate. But resistance was futile.

One by one, they turned to dust.

From the smallest humanoid figure to the towering centaurian titan that had nearly crushed River to death—none were spared. Their dissolution was not violent, but inevitable. As though their purpose had ended, and now they were being released from existence.

The red haze lifted from the air.

The cracked, scorched battlefield shimmered—and returned to what it had been before the trial began: an obsidian platform veiled in a thin layer of water, endless and silent.

Then... stillness.

The three towering monuments once again stood tall in their ancient positions, their eyes shut, their presence dormant. Like guardians who had gone back to sleep after testing yet another soul.

And in the very center of it all—lay River Faelan.

His body was curled slightly, lying on his side in the shallow water, unmoving save for the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

He was breathing. Slowly. Steadily.

The wounds that once covered his arms and legs, his torn flesh and bloodied face, were still present—but less angry. The worst of the damage had begun to heal on its own, as if the dimension had acknowledged his effort and offered mercy in return.

His dagger lay beside him, untouched by the carnage, its chipped edge glinting in the moonlight.

The moon cast a glow over his sleeping form. Not triumphant, not loud—just quiet. A still, sacred moment of peace after a trial that had nearly broken him.

And above him, faintly—like a whisper written into the air—an interface flickered into view.

Congratulations. You have cleared the Third Trial.

Trial Type: Endurance – Conviction of the Soul

Evaluation: Passed

You have earned a Title: [Unyielding Soul]

Title Effect:

• When HP drops below 15%, gain temporary resistance to mental and soul-related effects.

• Increases natural Mana regeneration rate by 20%.

• Grants +10% effectiveness to all Endurance-related actions.

Title Description:

Given only to those who continue fighting even when all hope is lost. This title is not bestowed lightly—it is earned through pain, persistence, and the refusal to yield. The bearer of this title carries with them the weight of countless battles survived by will alone.

The interface in the air lingered for a few minutes, its gentle glow flickering like a dying candle before it dissolved into tiny particles of light that scattered across the darkened sky.

Silence returned.

River remained lying in the shallow water, his chest rising and falling slowly, lips parted slightly as he slept. For the first time since entering the Third Trial, his expression was calm. No pain. No tension.

Peace.

But such peace was fleeting.

Without warning, a low hum vibrated through the space. The air shifted, as if reality itself was exhaling. A distortion rippled through the dimension—subtle at first, but quickly growing in intensity. The water surrounding River trembled, concentric circles spreading across the obsidian floor.

Then, a surge.

A pulse of energy rippled outward from the far end of the space, disturbing the surface of the water. The ripple struck River’s face like a cold slap, and his eyelids twitched—once, twice—before he abruptly gasped awake.

His eyes snapped open, sharp and wild.

Instinct took over.

River’s hand immediately reached for the D+ Grade Steel Dagger lying beside him. In a blink, he conjured a perimeter of Bubble Bombs around himself, their surfaces reflecting the cloudy sky above. His breathing was shallow, his eyes darting across the surroundings.

"What now—?" he hissed under his breath, preparing for another wave of enemies.

But there were none.

No constructs. No red lightning. No crumbling pillars. The obsidian floor was smooth once more, the fog thin and quiet. The sky above had reverted to a somber gray, the clouds parting just enough for the soft silver moon to shine through.

His brows furrowed.

And that’s when he realized—the trial had ended.

The trial... was over.

"I... succeeded?" River muttered, disbelief in his tone as he slowly lowered his dagger, placing it back into his inventory. The tension in his shoulders finally eased, if only slightly.

A moment passed before he looked down at his hands—expecting blood, torn skin, maybe fractured bones. But instead, what he saw was clean. Whole. The wounds that had torn across his body, the bruises from being thrown like a ragdoll, the burns from Bubble Bomb detonations—they were all gone.

He was completely healed.

Back to full strength.

Still sitting on the shallow floor, River tilted his head back, letting the moonlight soak his face.

Everything that just happened... it was real. The pain. The deprivation. The fire in his chest when he thought it was over. He had danced on the edge of death, and somehow, he had made it back.

He opened his interface.

Reward Acquired: Title – [Unyielding Soul]

(See Title Panel for effect description.)

His eyes scanned the reward panel again, and his lips tightened into a small smirk. "Unyielding Soul..." he muttered aloud. "Not bad."

The effects were more than just impressive—they were a reflection of everything he endured.

A 20% boost to mana regeneration. Resistance to soul and mental damage. A permanent increase in endurance effectiveness.

A reward not just for surviving—but for persisting when everything told him to give up.

River clenched his fists, water dripping from his knuckles. The ache in his soul hadn’t vanished, but in its place, something else took root.

Conviction.

He stood up slowly, his boots making a soft splash as he rose from the shallow water. A few feet ahead, a distortion shimmered in the air—another portal, swirling gently, its surface rippling like moonlit glass.

The way out.

River stared at it, unmoving.

He thought about the clone he had to face in the first trial. The maddening gauntlet rocks of the second. The chaos and torment of the third.

He had been tested not just as a Hunter... but as a person.

And he hadn’t broken.

His eyes narrowed as he exhaled.

"I hate Quests like this," River muttered, his voice low with exhaustion and bitterness. His boots sloshed softly through the water as he made his way toward the portal.

His brows furrowed as he remembered what that man said—the one from the future, the one who claimed this Quest could be cleared by anyone.

"Anyone, huh?" River scoffed, the corner of his mouth twitching in irritation. "What a load of bullsh*t."

Nothing about this trial—no, this torment—felt like something a regular F-Rank Hunter could endure. If he hadn’t gone through years of hellish training, honed his instincts in life-or-death battles, and clung to his willpower with everything he had, he would have died. A hundred times over.

River made a mental note right then and there—this Quest, this hidden Trial buried within an Awakening Dungeon, wasn’t normal. It was hiding secrets—layers beneath layers. And the fact that someone in the future knew about it? That someone even dared to recommend it?

"I’m going to dig into this," River said aloud, his tone sharp with resolve.

He raised his gaze and stared at the three monuments one last time.

Their eyes were closed, no longer watching. Silent and ancient, they stood unmoving in the shallow water, like judges returning to slumber.

Were they satisfied with his answer? With the pain, the screams, the madness he endured?

He didn’t care.

Let them sleep.

Turning away, River exhaled slowly and stepped forward. The portal shimmered before him, swirling with moonlight and residual mana. The surface rippled gently, inviting him out of the nightmare he had survived.

No, not just survived.

Overcome.

He paused at the edge, the swirling mana reflecting his weary but unbroken face.

Then, without looking back, he stepped into the light.

And the trial of Eye to Eye, Mind to Mind came to an end.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m