River appeared back in the Awakening Center, and as his figure slowly materialized in a swirl of mana particles, several gazes immediately snapped toward him.
He noticed the students and their instructor looking in his direction, curiosity gleaming in their eyes like embers waiting to ignite.
Murmurs started rippling through the crowd like a low tide.
"Who is he? He looks weak. Did he even level up in there?"
"That's the guy who went in alone."
"He probably just hid the whole time and waited for the Dungeon to end. Must be doing it just to get his record cleared."
River ignored them. He didn't even spare them a glance as he walked toward the side hallway, entering a different section of the facility.
"Oh, he's going straight for the Hunter Card?"
"What's the rush?"
He heard all of them. They didn't even try to whisper. Maybe they thought he couldn't hear—or maybe they wanted him to.
He didn't care. Not really.
But they were right about one thing.
He was in a hurry.
