Riley's bedroom was quiet except for the soft chime of system menus shimmering in front of Riley's eyes.
Riley was using the AR system
Everyone else had already logged off to rest, shop, or decompress from the brutal dungeon run, but Riley sat cross-legged on the end of the bed, Shimmerstring resting across his lap.
Lumi floated beside him, glowing with smug satisfaction.
Luna lay curled on the pillow, asleep, tiny breaths causing faint motes of starlight to drift upward.
Riley exhaled.
"Alright… let's see what changed."
The system pulsed.
RILEY GRANT LEVEL 10 REACHED
Class: Starbound Channeler
Equipment: Shimmerstring (Tier 2)
Two new skills glowed:
Lv 8 — Radiant Line
> A beam-type Light attack. Hits everything in a straight line. Mild stun chance on weak enemies.
Riley grinned.
"A line attack… finally an AoE."
This meant crowd control. This meant faster training. This meant—
Lumi bumped his head proudly against Riley's cheek.
Lv 9 — Momentum Mark (Passive)
> Hitting the same target three times in a row increases crit chance against that target by +5%.
Riley almost laughed aloud.
"Nasty. Really nasty."
Focused firepower. Perfect synergy for bosses. And with his Pierce Shot, he could build the mark faster than most players could react.
But the one that mattered most…
The bow icon pulsed softly.
STARBOUND BOW — EVOLUTION MILESTONE
> Both bonded Light spirits must reach Level 10.
Once Lumi and Luna both hit Lv 10, the bow may evolve into Dawnstring Tier 3.
Riley felt his heartbeat quicken.
One more level for Luna.
Just one.
And Shimmerstring would become something far stronger—faster draw, higher damage, armour penetration… everything he needed for the next arc of the game.
He glanced at Luna sleeping under the blanket, tail curled around her nose.
"…We're almost there," he whispered.
Luna squeaked in her sleep.
A small chime sounded again.
Lumi puffed out his tiny chest as the menu shifted to show his progression.
LUMI — LEVEL 10
Light Whelp the Alpha Spirit
New Skill: Glimmer Shield
> A radiant pulse that gives all nearby allies a small temporary barrier.
Riley's eyebrows shot up.
"That… is bigger than I expected."
Lumi swirled in midair, clearly knowing he was impressive.
And earlier, Lumi's old abilities had begun scaling:
Flash grew brighter
Lumina Pulse hit harder
Guiding Glow now granted a tiny extra drop-rate bonus (still secret, still broken, still amazing)
Riley scratched Lumi behind his glowing ears.
"You're a monster in disguise, aren't you?"
Lumi chirped proudly.
The screen shifted again.
And Riley's chest softened at what he saw next.
LUNA — LEVEL 9
Faelight Kirin Dragon-Cub
Mythical dragon
New Skill: Prism Kick
> A sparkling flip-kick that deals Light damage in a tiny AoE. More damage the closer she is to the target.
She was almost there.
One more level.
And then Dawnstring would awaken.
But more than power… Riley felt something warmer.
Something emotional.
He brushed Luna's soft mane.
"…You're incredible, you know that?"
Her tail flicked once in her sleep.
He sat back, absorbing the enormity of everything:
They'd beaten a dungeon meant to crush new parties.
They'd gained wealth.
They'd become famous—or infamous—in less than a week.
And now his spirits were accelerating faster than any early-game build should.
It felt like he was steering fate with every choice.
But he'd earned this moment of quiet.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Sofia's voice drifted through the door:
"Riley? Are you awake?"
"Yeah," he called back. "Come in."
Sofia slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. Her expression was soft, thoughtful.
Luna perked her head up sleepily.
Sofia smiled.
"She's looking stronger already…"
"She'll hit level ten tomorrow," Riley said. "I'm sure of it."
Sofia sat beside him.
"You looked really… focused, in the fight. Like you were seeing things before they happened."
Riley tapped his bow.
"Lightweave Sight. Weak points glow. And the new passives help keep momentum going."
Sofia's eyes warmed.
"You're becoming… kind of scary, Riley."
He blinked.
"S-scary?"
"Strong scary," she corrected. "The good kind."
Her tone softened.
"And Lumi hitting level 10… that's huge. We're getting ahead faster than anyone else."
Riley nodded slowly.
"That's why we have to be careful."
"Because of the video?" Sofia asked.
"Because of everything," Riley murmured. "We're a few days ahead of the whole server. People are going to look at us differently after today."
She didn't argue.
She didn't deny it.
She just reached over and gently stroked Luna's mane.
"We'll handle it together. Like always."
Riley smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
The door opened again—Aria this time, hair messy, eyes blazing.
"BRO. WE. ARE. GOING. VIRAL."
Riley's stomach dropped.
"What?"
"The dungeon video," Aria grinned. "People are losing their MINDS. Half say we cheated, half say we're gods, and the 'Andy Fan Club' is crying in twelve languages, we have also had multiple offers to join guilds "
Dot climbed onto her head like a triumphant crown.
Sofia groaned. "Aria… you could've warned us."
Aria puffed her chest.
"You're welcome."
Riley rubbed his temples.
"It doesn't matter. We just train, get ready, and keep moving forward."
Aria nodded firmly.
"And you—Miss Luna—need to hit level ten tomorrow."
She pointed sternly at the baby dragon.
Luna puffed her cheeks in defiance.
Lumi chimed in—a dignified, authoritative tone.
Alpha approving Beta's mission.
Riley laughed.
"Let's get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be busy. We have some grinding to do. I think it's also time to increase our rosters"
He glanced through his stats one last time:
New AoE attack - Radiant Line
New passive - Momentum Mark
Pierce shot active
Dual-Light synergy
Bow evolution pending
Two Light spirits nearly level 10
Full party rising fast
Everything was aligning.
And for the first time since reincarnating…
He felt exactly where he needed to be.
He climbed into bed, Luna curled against his chest, Lumi settling on his shoulder like a warm lantern.
"Tomorrow," he whispered.
"Tomorrow the real climb begins."
The room dimmed—the soft pulse of Light magic filling the quiet as the Starbound Channeler drifted into sleep.