Is this really a Game?!



Reign continued to stroke the majestic Tier VI horse's head, his fingers running through its silky mane. The horse seemed to appreciate the gesture, its eyes half-lidded in contentment. The others in the group gradually regained their composure, realizing that this creature, which could have easily annihilated them, was now friendly to them.

Liara approached Reign and the horse cautiously, her hand outstretched to touch its flank. The horse turned its massive head toward her, and she felt a deep connection as their souls briefly intertwined. It was as if the horse recognized her as its master. Liara's touch was gentle, and the horse allowed her to pat its side.

"I can't believe it," Laura whispered, her voice filled with awe. "A Tier VI creature... We're in the presence of such a powerful creature."

Alistair, still trembling slightly, nodded in agreement. "We should count ourselves lucky that it stopped the attack on time."

Basred, his usual stoic demeanor slightly shaken, chimed in, "Reign, Liara, do you think there are more such beings below?"

Reign explained, "Probably, there are still a couple of layers below that we need to pass before reaching the artifact, there are probably more Tier VI creatures present there.

The horse, having apparently decided that the group posed no threat, lowered its massive body to the ground, inviting them to mount. Reign and Liara glanced at each other before they stepped forward and got on top of the horse which slowly started moving to the exit of the cave while the others followed after them.

It only took them a couple of minutes before they reached the exit, upon which they did the same as always, Reign and Liara stood at the entrance to the tunnel and were petting the horse while the others all went forward and entered the tunnel.

They all left and made their way further below.

One thing they noticed was that the deeper they went, the longer it took for them to get out of a tunnel as the underground caves became wider and higher. 

As they stepped outside, another monster was present in the middle of the cave, this one having an aura that was even above the horse, which was expected.

The monster in front of Reign and the others was unlike anything that any of them had faced before. If Reign had to describe it, he would have to admit it was something similar to Lovecraftian monsters.

An awe-inspiring and enigmatic creature was present in the cave, standing tall at an imposing height of 9 meters. A glance of this majestic and powerful being was enough to invoke both fear and reverence in all who behold it.

Its body was robust and well-muscled, exuding a quiet strength that hints at its formidable nature. Every movement it makes is deliberate, further emphasizing its regal presence. Unlike the previous monsters, this one wasn't sleeping when Reign and the others entered, but merely standing in place.

The monster's features were otherworldly and ethereal. Its skin was adorned with intricate, luminescent patterns that seemed to shift and dance as though they were constellations in the night sky. Its eyes, deep pools of cosmic energy, shimmered with profound wisdom that transcended mortal comprehension.

Its head was adorned with an ornate, golden crown-like crest, which is adorned with radiant, translucent feathers that cascade down its neck and shoulders. This regal headdress added to the creature's majestic aura and gave it an almost divine appearance.

Draped in flowing, silken robes that seem to be woven from the very fabric of the universe, the monster exuded an air of holiness. The robes were adorned with symbols and seemingly ancient runes that moved along the fabric.

"What in the world is this?" Basred asked with his eyes wide open.

No such creature had ever been seen on the planet before.

It wasn't only him, even Aethion, a former Transcendent, a being of immense power and status, had no idea what the creature in front of them was.

Suddenly, the monster disappeared. Its presence was seemingly gone, nothing could be seen or felt.

Reign and Liara's souls were on full display, they had decided to not wait and use them right before they came out of the tunnel in case the monster that they came across was too powerful and fast. Perhaps it would be able to sense the souls from further away and stop any attack, which seemed to work this time as the monster suddenly appeared right behind Reign and Liara.

It wasn't speed, the monster definitely didn't move with speed that made it impossible to be seen as that would have meant that all of them would have died immediately, the monster took a couple of seconds to arrive behind Reign and Liara, which meant its speed was not that crazy.

"It moved through the layers!" Aethion suddenly said, his voice filled with nervousness.

"How the hell did the artifact create a monster that can move through the layers of the world, that is a completely different power, one that even those in the realm of Gods can't say they fully understand!"

'Are the layers really that complicated, I mean, the queen was able to move through them and even moved me to one.' Reign said as he glanced at the large humanoid monster that was staring at him and Liara.

"She was a Puppeteer, a being of the abyss, you shouldn't try to understand such beings with logic and normal thinking, not to mention that most beings of the abyss have a connection to layers, they can move through some without even trying to do it."

"The same goes for you, after all, you are merely a Tier IV being, in the larger scope of things, you are not even an ant, you are merely a speck of dust to those truly powerful, and yet you can control light, darkness, and souls at once without any of those 3 abilities clashing, especially light and darkness."

"Even the powerful in the universe can't say for certain they could manage to do something like that, even if they practiced for millions of years."

"That is why innate abilities are so important and powerful."

Reign nodded his head as he glanced at the monster.

He tried using his [ Inspect ] skill, but he got nothing.

The monster suddenly glanced at Reign as he did so before something changed.

Name: Elyndor, the Divine Dread

Level: ??? ( Tier VII )

Race: Divine Abyssal Angel ( variant )

'What kind of a race is that?' Reign asked as Aethion simply stayed quiet.

"I have no idea, it seems to be a completely unique one, it might have been first created by the artifact, then it was somehow corrupted by the abyss, and changed into what it is now, which would explain how it can move through the layers."

Reign merely nodded at Aethion before looking at the monster which was named Elyndor. He could sense some familiarity with him, perhaps it was because of the soul fragments, or perhaps because of the fact he was an angel of sorts.

After all, all Nephilims were known in the universe as the angels of death, the ones that keep the balance and have incredible powers, so it might be possible that the two were somehow connected.

Elyndor merely kneeled in front of Reign and Liara before disappearing again and appearing in the center of the cave once more.

They glanced at each other before they moved forward with the rest of the group who were very apprehensive about the incredibly powerful monster in the middle of the cave. 

It showed no reaction to them moving forward and even when they passed him, Elyndor simply stayed silent and kept standing until they all left. 

When they did so, Elyndor glanced at the tunnel before sighing and muttering something. Its voice was akin to nails being scrapped on a blackboard, making it incredibly eerie to listen to.

As they moved down and reached the next cave, everybody was apprehensive as they realized the danger of the dungeon was many times higher than they anticipated.

They never thought they would come across a Tier VI being, and from what Reign had told them, the previous one was even a Tier VII.

'If Reign and Liara could somehow control them, that would mean that we could defeat all the demons present in the world, the incredible power these monsters have which was given to them by the artifact is simply mindblowing, I never expected the artifact to have such power.' Basred thought as he stared ahead.

He was happy.

Happy that they had actually come here and found something so powerful, something that would finally give them a chance to take their world back from the demons.

As they all reached the next cave, they all stopped in front of the entrance as the aura emanating from the cave made them all shudder and go pale.

Even Reign was shaking as the aura from ahead was much more dangerous than what he sensed from even Elyndor.

He gulped as he stared ahead while thinking, 'Don't tell me that the monster ahead is actually a Tier VIII?!'