Is this really a Game?!

As the giant body of the monstrous creature fell to the ground, a wave of relief washed over the group. Their battle had been long and arduous, but they had emerged victorious. The once formidable foe now lay defeated before them, its grotesque form twitching and convulsing in its final moments.

Reign, his body covered in sweat and his muscles aching from the exertion, took a moment to catch his breath. He looked around at his comrades, a sense of pride swelling within him. They had faced one of their toughest challenges yet, but they had overcome it together.

"Well done, everyone," Reign said, his voice filled with pride and admiration. "This bastard was definitely one of the hardest enemies we have fought till now, and we managed to take it down."

His companions nodded in agreement, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. Tank and Greenie let out hearty laughs, clapping each other on the back in celebration. Laura and Aelrinder shared a smile, their eyes shining with relief. Beast and Wolf exchanged a silent nod of acknowledgment, the bonds they all had strengthening once again after this battle.

Shadow flashed a grin, his daggers gleaming in the dim light as he sheathed them.

Mia, meanwhile, let out a soft sigh of relief, her icy barriers dissipating as the threat had finally been neutralized. She looked at Reign with a grateful smile, knowing that his leadership, as well as his decision to stand in front of the monster and suffer its wrath had been very important to their victory.

Reign returned her smile, his eyes reflecting the camaraderie and determination of the group that was now celebrating and talking to one another, even though the giant body of the monster was near them. They had faced many trials together, but with each challenge, they had grown stronger and more resilient.

Their bond as a team was unbreakable, forged through countless battles and shared experiences.

With the monster defeated, the group took a moment to collect themselves and tend to their wounds. They bandaged their injuries and replenished their energy, knowing that their trip was still not over.

Laura could heal them, but the bandages and potions they had would suffice for the light wounds, there was no need for her to use her demonic energy to heal those. The bandages were not normal, they were enchanted and possessed healing properties, making them very good at stopping bleeding and speeding up the recovery of the skin and flesh.

They had only been in the Verdant Jungle for a couple of hours, and they had already come across two powerful monsters.

Unfortunately, perhaps because they were a big team filled with powerful individuals, they didn't receive any items from the monsters they had defeated.

The skin, bones, tendons, and other body parts would be useful for creating weapons, armor pieces, and even accessories, but that was all they gained from killing the monsters so far, even the two that gave them the most trouble, the wood spirit and the monster they had just taken down.

As they regrouped and tended to their wounds, Reign couldn't shake the feeling that there was something up with the jungle, after all, they had not come across any corrupted area so far. The encounters they had faced so far were just the beginning, and he couldn't help but wonder just why there were no corrupted areas.

In the outer parts of the jungle, which was where they had hunted before when they were Tier V combatants, they had come across many corrupted areas and were certain that there were many deeper inside the jungle, but now, it seemed to be the opposite.

The corrupted areas were present in larger numbers in the outer areas of the jungle compared to where they were now, in fact, they had yet to come across a single one, and Reign had to ask himself why that was so, and if there were any corrupted areas here at all.

"We need to stay vigilant," Reign said, his voice low but determined. "This jungle is quite different from what we expected, it is different from the dungeon we had gone into before, and so far, the corrupted areas we were expecting have yet to show up."

His companions nodded in agreement, their expressions serious as they scanned their surroundings. They knew that they couldn't afford to let their guard down, not when they were in such unfamiliar territory.

"We should keep moving," Tank suggested, his voice booming with concern, but also with determination. "We need to explore more of the jungle, find out what is happening and just how different it is compared to the dungeon."

Reign nodded in agreement, knowing that Tank was right. They needed to keep moving forward if they wanted to learn more about the jungle and what was going on in it.

"Let's go," Reign said, his voice firm. "But stay alert, we don't know what else the jungle has in store for us."

With that, the group set off once again, their senses heightened and their weapons at the ready. They moved through the jungle with caution, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger.

As they journeyed deeper into the jungle, they encountered a variety of strange and wondrous sights. They passed by ancient trees with gnarled branches that seemed to reach out towards them, their leaves whispering secrets in the wind. They stumbled upon hidden glades filled with vibrant flowers and sparkling streams, their beauty a stark contrast to the dangers that lurked nearby.

But despite the beauty of their surroundings, the group remained on edge. They knew that danger could strike at any moment, and they were prepared to face it head-on.

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the jungle, causing the group to freeze in their tracks. They exchanged wary glances, their weapons at the ready as they tried to pinpoint the source of the sound.

"It sounds like it's coming from over there," Laura said, pointing towards a dense thicket of trees to their left.

Reign nodded, his senses on high alert as he scanned the area for any signs of movement. He could feel the tension in the air, a sense of foreboding that made him wary.

"Be ready for anything," Reign said, his voice low but commanding. "We don't know what's waiting for us in there."

With their weapons drawn and their senses sharpened, the group cautiously made their way toward the source of the roar. As they entered the thicket, they were greeted by a scene of utter chaos.

A massive creature, resembling a cross between a bear and a wolf, stood amidst the trees, its fur bristling with rage as it roared at them. Its eyes gleamed with malice, its sharp claws glinting in the dappled sunlight.

"We've got company," Reign said, his voice grim as he prepared to face the creature head-on.

The beast charged at them with a ferocity that sent chills down their spines. Tank and Greenie moved to intercept it, their massive forms blocking its path as they braced themselves for the impact.

But the creature was not alone. From the shadows emerged a pack of smaller creatures, their eyes glinting with hunger as they bared their sharp teeth.

"We've got more incoming!" Beast shouted, his bow drawn as he took aim at the approaching pack.

About 7 minutes later, Reign and the others could be seen standing or sitting around the dead monsters.

They were quite proficient at taking down monsters that resembled wolves, in fact, those were the monsters they were most familiar with, having battled against them time and time again for some weird reason.

The monster they had faced now was powerful, but not as powerful as the two they fought against before.

The main reason why this particular monster was almost as tough as those two was because it was an alpha that led a pack. The group didn't need to fight just one monster, but multiple.

Alas, numbers meant little to them at this stage.

They were powerhouses that had reached Tier VI, their strength was incredible and they all had many attacks that could target large groups of enemies, trying to drown them in numbers was simply not a viable tactic.

If one wanted to do such a thing, they would need to use over a hundred weak low-grade Tier VI monsters, or over a thousand, perhaps several thousand Tier V combatants.

With the weird boar wolves defeated, the party only took a brief rest before venturing deeper inside the jungle. They would only do so for about an hour before finally leaving the jungle.

They had not come across any corrupted areas, but the jungle was massive, the depths of the jungle stretching quite far and wide. Even though they had spent hours inside of it and were able to clear much more land than a regular person would be able to, they had only explored a small portion of the jungle.

They would return tomorrow, entering from a different side and exploring more of it.

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