Riven didn't know how much XP to expect. This was his first time ever doing something like this, but he knew one thing for certain—whatever he gained needed to be good.
He was already close to leveling up.
514 / 750 XP.
If he gained at least 300, he would reach Level 7 without issue.
⸻
[System: User has absorbed a Level 4 Voidfang gemstone.]
[System: +1500 EXP gained.]
⸻
Riven sucked in a sharp breath, coughing as the air caught in his throat. His eyes widened as he stared at the numbers.
This was the most experience he had ever gained at once.
He could feel it—his body responding, adapting, strengthening.
Riven had a decent grasp of how the system worked by now. Every five levels, all of his stats would increase by one automatically. But this time… this felt different.
Then the answer appeared.
⸻
[System Status Update]
Name: Riven Harlow
Race: Human
Awakening Stage: One
Level: 8
EXP: 414 / 950
Strength: 11
Speed: 15
Durability: 16
Health: 23 / 23
Energy: 22 / 22
Unassigned Stat Points: 2
⸻
Riven didn't hesitate. He allocated both stat points into Strength, noting once again that it was still his weakest attribute.
But just as he finished, another notification appeared.
Then another.
And another.
⸻
[System: User has gained a 2% trait from Voidfang.]
[System: +40 Fire Resistance acquired.]
[System: User has gained a 1% trait from Voidfang.]
[System: User's senses have increased.]
⸻
Riven froze.
He hadn't expected this.
Fire resistance? Enhanced senses?
"…System, what is this?" Riven asked aloud.
⸻
[System: When absorbing beast gemstones, the user has a percentage chance to acquire traits or skills.]
[System: Skills are significantly rarer than traits.]
[System: Lower-level gemstones have a higher chance of granting skills.]
⸻
Riven understood immediately.
He had gotten lucky… but not that lucky.
Still, traits were nothing to scoff at.
"Hm…" Riven muttered, turning his attention to the remaining gemstones Jude had given him.
Activating Lock-On, he focused on the next one.
⸻
[System: Level 2 Ironmaw Gemstone detected.]
[Would you like to absorb it?]
[Yes / No]
⸻
Riven selected Yes.
⸻
[System: +400 EXP gained.]
⸻
The difference was staggering.
Only two levels apart, yet the experience gained wasn't even close. It made one thing painfully clear—the gap between gemstone levels was far greater than he'd assumed.
Just as expected, more notifications followed.
⸻
[System: User has gained a 2% trait.]
[System: +10 Illness Resistance acquired.]
"So I gain less resistance as well…" Riven noted quietly.
⸻
[System: User has gained a 1% trait.]
[System: Durability increased by +7.]
⸻
[System Update]
Durability: 23
⸻
Riven stared at the number.
This was the first stat he had ever pushed into the twenties.
He knew exactly what that meant.
Every ten points marked a major threshold.
"How durable am I now…?" he wondered.
Then—
⸻
[System: User has acquired a 0.1% Skill.]
⸻
Riven's breath caught.
This.
This was what he had been hoping for.
⸻
[System: New Skill Acquired — Final Stand]
Effect:
When the user's HP reaches 0, their HP will remain at 0 for 200 seconds instead of resulting in unconsciousness.
During this duration:
• Potions cannot be used
• Passive healing is disabled
After the 200 seconds expire:
• Potions may be used
• Passive healing will resume
⸻
Riven's eyes shone.
This skill could save his life—more than once—if used correctly.
"A last line of defense…" he murmured.
Finally, he glanced at the final gemstone.
Instead of absorbing it immediately, he placed it carefully into his inventory.
"If I absorb this one, I'll evolve… I don't know what evolving might do to me. I should go back to the dorm with the others and see what happens there."
With that decision made, Riven turned and headed back.
By the time he reached the dorm, the boys were already gathered together, talking among themselves—laughing, arguing lightly, and slowly getting to know one another better. The six of them all knew one thing for certain: they would be spending a lot of time together from now on.
So why not start bonding now?
Riven stepped in and told them everything—about the gemstones, the absorption, the experience gains… and finally, the evolution quest. It was the first time he'd mentioned it aloud. He had assumed Jordan would've received something similar.
But he hadn't.
"And you didn't tell us?" Jordan said, staring at him.
"I didn't think I had to," Riven replied honestly.
Jordan clenched his jaw. "Of course you did. We're supposed to be a team—a party. Anything that happens to you affects us. We could've split the gemstones between us, let both of us grow stronger."
Jordan didn't know why, but it stung.
It felt like his brother had gone behind his back. Instead of sharing a method to grow stronger together, Riven had chosen to shoulder it alone.
"I just wanted to become stronger," Riven said quietly. "We're only as strong as our weakest member, right? I could feel that I was weak… so I didn't think I needed to tell anyone."
He meant it.
Riven was probably the second weakest in the group, with Luka being the first. But unlike Luka, Riven had multiple ways to grow—leveling, absorbing cores, and now beast gemstones. Methods Luka didn't have yet.
"That's enough."
Harkel stepped forward.
"This is good news," he said calmly. "Jordan, with this, Riven can grow stronger—and now we know another way for all of us to grow if we ever hit a wall. But Riven…" He glanced at him seriously. "Next time you get a high-level gemstone—like a Level 4—you should tell us. You might need a lot of gemstones later in the game."
Riven paused.
Later in the game?
He didn't fully understand what Harkel meant, but he had a feeling the boy would explain it when the time came.
"So," Riven said, looking around the room, "does anyone object to me absorbing the gemstone? If you do, I'll give it to you and you can try instead. But I really think this evolution thing could help us."
Jordan sighed.
He understood now.
He had always known Riven felt left behind—he just didn't want to admit it. Riven wasn't trying to be selfish. He was scared of being weak.
Still… something kept nagging at the back of Jordan's mind.
Why haven't I gotten a quest like this?
Riven had told him the system gave the evolution quest at Level 6.
Jordan was already past that.
Yet he had nothing.
"Yeah, you can absorb it," Jordan said after a moment. "But one question. You said you asked the system about gemstones, right? And it answered you?"
Riven nodded.
Jordan inhaled. "Okay… System. Why don't I have the same quest as Riven? And why doesn't Joey either?"
He said it out loud, his voice echoing slightly in the room.
Everyone stared at him.
It felt… strange—yelling a question into the air.
⸻
[System: The answer to your first question is simple.]
[You possess a counteractive core.]
⸻
"A counteractive core…?" Jordan repeated, confused.
⸻
[System: Yes. A counteractive core.]
[You possess both a Dark Core and a Nature Core.]
[The Nature Core carries your lineage—it is what makes you a fairy.]
[The Dark Core originates from your human side. It represents humanity's darkness.]
[Nature represents life. Darkness represents death.]
[These cores are counteractive within your body.]
[It is a miracle that you are alive.]
[The two cores constantly seek balance.]
[There is a path for you to evolve—one that allows harmony between them.]
⸻
[System: New Exclusive Quest Received.]
[Reach Level 20 to Evolve.]
⸻
Jordan stared at the system window.
He hadn't expected a direct answer. He'd thought it would speak in riddles—or avoid the question entirely.
"…My fairy bloodline?" he muttered.
Everyone in the room could see the system message. As party members, Riven had given them permission.
They were all confused.
All of them—
Except Riven.
Riven had always known something was different between him and Jordan. At first, he blamed the system. That was why Jordan could absorb cores, heal, and wield nature energy.
But after Joey joined the system…
Riven noticed the difference.
Joey couldn't heal like they could.
And they didn't even know if Joey could absorb a core at all.
Riven had never seen Joey confront another Light user—but now, he doubted things he once took for granted.
And those system messages?
They confirmed every suspicion Riven had.
Riven suddenly grabbed his head and dropped to his knees.
"Hey—man, are you alright?" Leo asked, rushing to his side.
Everyone moved at once. The look on Riven's face was one of pure distress, something none of them had seen before. He was shaking, breathing unevenly, one hand pressed hard against his skull.
Then Jordan stepped forward—and froze.
He recognized it immediately.
The way Riven covered part of his face. The way his eyes stared at the ground, unfocused—white. That expression.
It was the face of someone who had realized something they never wanted to believe.
"Riven… what's going on?" Jordan asked, his voice tight with fear.
"Eryndor," Riven whispered.
They were standing close enough that every single one of them heard it.
"What?" Harkel said quickly. "The NPC who called himself the Fairy God? Did the system… change your DNA or something?"
Even as he said it, he knew he was wrong.
Riven slowly shook his head.
"Before I ever got the system," Riven said, his voice strained, "whenever I talked to him… he kept calling me his son."
Silence.
"At first, I thought he was just messing with me. Playing some kind of role," Riven continued. "But now… I'm starting to connect things. Things I already knew deep down—but didn't want to believe."
His eyes burned as tears formed.
This didn't change who he was.
But it changed everything he thought he knew about his life.
"…What do you mean?" Joey asked, stepping closer, meeting Riven's eyes.
Before Riven could answer, Luka spoke.
"Guys…" Luka said slowly. "What makes a god?"
Everyone turned to him.
"What?" Leo asked, confused.
Luka didn't look at Leo.
He was looking at Riven.
"A god," he said slowly, "is someone who holds strength over others… but doesn't use it to rule them."
The others turned toward him.
"Someone who sees the people beneath them not as tools or subjects," Riven continued, his voice steady, "but as their own children."
He clenched his fist slightly.
His hands trembled as they pressed against the ground.
"The system was just a game—through and through. Levels, stats, quests… all of it." He swallowed hard. "It wasn't Eryndor's power or his blood that made it work like this."
Jordan looked up, eyes wide with realization.
"It was us."