This F-Rank Bubble Mage Is Too OP!
Chapter 19: Agitating

Chapter 19: Agitating

Running when things didn’t go his way—was it cowardice?

No.

It was instinct. A basic survival response.

Unless one was cornered with no escape, running was often the smartest move. It was about priorities. So long as there were still pieces to play in the future, there was still a chance to win. And for River, all of his pieces were in the future—waiting for him to claim them, one by one, until he was strong enough to stand against anyone. Against anything. Against fate itself.

He didn’t want to die.

Not yet.

Not when his purpose had only just begun. Definitely not as some chew toy for five unstable women with new powers and no restraint. His gut screamed it loud and clear—those women weren’t chasing him for fun. They wanted blood. They wanted to break him, humiliate him, turn him into their prey.

A pack of lions eager to tear apart the gazelle.

River glanced behind him.

The dense forest made it hard to see clearly, but he caught glimpses—blurs of movement between massive trunks and low-hanging branches.

Their footwork screamed inexperience. Some leapt too high, others skidded, laughing like children with new toys. They didn’t know how to control their strength yet... but they were learning. Fast. Already, their footing grew more stable. The terrain stopped slowing them down. They adapted with frightening ease, weaving through the forest like it was their playground.

Bad sign.

"They dumped their points into Strength and Agility..." River muttered, eyes narrowing. "Low Level... maybe 4 or 5... but already beyond the reach of normal humans."

He couldn’t pin down their exact Levels, but they had the aura of people hungry for status. He knew their type—eager climbers. Even if they were fresh Awakened, they now had power to dominate any unawakened human, even a trained soldier or champion athlete.

It was only a matter of time before they caught up.

River glanced again. Among the trees, he spotted the golden-haired bastard trailing behind the women—Nolan, moving with a slow, easy stride. Relaxed. Watching.

He’s not even trying...

Running into the future Sun God Mage before his rise to infamy was already bad.

Being hunted by him? Even worse.

River’s thoughts raced. He needed a plan. Something to stall them—slow them down—anything. As he vaulted over a massive tree root, his bag thumped and jostled. His food was probably a mess now. He grimaced.

Then he heard it.

A sharp whistle—shrill and fast.

His instincts screamed.

River twisted mid-air and dove forward, rolling over the ground just as a golden fireball roared past where his head had been. Heat grazed his back. A second later, the forest behind him erupted.

BOOM!

The explosion shattered trees, burned soil, and sent leaves spiraling like black snow.

"Get him!"

The women shrieked behind him, their bloodlust rising like a wave.

Their voices carried excitement, glee, hunger.

They wanted this.

River scowled.

Where the hell did Nolan find these maniacs?

Each one looked like she belonged on a magazine cover—but acted like she belonged in a padded cell. Beautiful, yes. But wild. Reckless. Starving for violence.

Then again... with a lunatic like Nolan—Helio—as their leader, it made perfect sense. Wild girls for a wild god.

Overflowing estrogen and bloodlust. A harem straight out of a nightmare.

And they were closing in.

They didn’t come here to train. They came here to elevate—to rise above the masses. To become something more than ordinary humans. And even if their Levels were still low, River had no interest in testing his luck.

If the future Last Hunters could see him now—being chased by the infamous Sun God Mage and his psycho girlfriends—they’d be speechless.

Not in awe.

In laughter.

This wasn’t some glorious underdog story—it was shaping up to be a comedy. A very painful one.

River’s eyes swept over the scorched ground, still steaming from the golden fireball’s impact. The heat clung to his skin like invisible flames. He didn’t need a second fireball to know how it would end for him—extra crispy, or worse, left drooling and broken from getting pounded into mulch by Nolan’s harem.

He took off again.

That’s when he saw them.

"Silverback Antelope," River muttered, eyes lighting up.

A herd was sprinting through the trees, their muscular silver-lined bodies gliding like shadows. Probably spooked by the explosion.

Perfect.

River snatched up a loose stone and sprinted toward them. With a sharp grunt, he hurled it—and nailed one square in the jaw. Not enough to injure, but more than enough to piss it off.

A deep, guttural growl echoed through the woods. Red eyes turned toward him, glowing with fury.

"Yeah, that’s it. Come here!" River shouted, grinning. "Come on, bring your friends!"

The antelopes charged.

And so did River—straight at them.

Meanwhile, Nolan and his harem skidded to a stop atop a hill of roots and moss.

"Hold it," Nolan said calmly, and the five women froze like statues.

He tilted his head, watching the scene unfold.

"He just pissed off those antelopes. This is going to be fun." His smirk curled like smoke. "Let’s see if he can still run with a horn through his chest."

"But what about our sparring partner?" a short-haired blonde asked, pouting. "I’ve been dying to try my Bronze Spikes..."

"If he dies, we’ll grab another stray mutt off the road," Nolan replied, voice bored—as if human lives were just trash he could collect and toss at will.

The others giggled.

"He’s kind of interesting though," one of them said, her arms crossed. "Getting this far alone? Not bad."

"Oh, he’s interesting," Nolan agreed. "But he made one mistake..."

He pointed toward the charging antelopes.

"They’re fast. And strong. If he thinks he can just slip through them like a ghost? Then he’s dumber than he looks. You don’t half-ass a gamble like that."

He already saw how it would go—River miscalculating the angle, stumbling a step too slow, and getting skewered or trampled. Blood. Screams. Bones cracking like twigs. It was all coming together in his head like a beautiful painting.

A shame though—Nolan had wanted to watch him scream under one of his women’s fists.

They had only just Awakened, each reaching Level 4 or 5 after killing a few weaklings nearby. Sure, they could test their new Skills on beasts. But Nolan? He preferred to use people. He enjoyed seeing pain twist a human face. His heartbeat always picked up when he watched someone beg.

His women loved it too. He made sure of it.

That thrill—of having power over another living being? Addictive.

But then—just as he was picturing River being crushed into paste—

Something changed.

Something impossible.

Nolan’s eyes widened.

"What the...?"

He leaned forward, watching in disbelief.

"This... this is impossible..."

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