Is this really a Game?!

As they followed the figures deeper into the rocky terrain, Wolf couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him. Every shadow seemed to hold a lurking threat, every sound echoed with hidden danger. But he pressed on, determined to uncover more about the mysterious figures and their activities.

He had to find out more, this was the best opportunity they had when it came to locating the enemy and finding out who they were, he couldn't stop now.

After what felt like an eternity of silent pursuit, the figures finally came to a stop in a small clearing. They gathered around a large, ancient-looking tree, its gnarled branches reaching up to the sky like twisted fingers. The tree looked like it was dead, there were no leaves that grew on it, the branches were dry and most would feel an eerie atmosphere when around it.

Without a word, the figures began to chant in a low, melodic tone, their voices blending together in an eerie harmony. The chant was … weird, not in any language any of them knew, and even the system's translation, which always worked, was not really working this time.

It might have been because the chant has some meaning that can't really be translated, or perhaps because such chants simply are not viable for translation at all.

Wolf, Shadow, and Laura watched from their hiding spot, their hearts pounding in their chests. They couldn't understand the words of the chant, but the dark energy that pulsed around the tree made them feel very apprehensive, after all, the dark energy was corruption.

"What are they doing?" Laura whispered, her voice barely audible over the chanting.

"I'm not sure," Wolf replied, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "But whatever it is, it can't be good, the aura that is forming around the tree, its bad news."

As the chanting continued, the air around the tree began to shimmer and warp, forming a swirling vortex of corrupted energy.

The tree started slightly twisting and moving around, the branches seemingly dancing above the four figures, and then, the middle of the tree suddenly started opening.

It was opening slowly, but what Wolf and the others could see inside was nothing, only darkness.

Suddenly, they were able to see something.

Something started shining, very dimly and very ominously, but after channeling mana to their eyes, they were able to see that runes were slowly being created inside the tree, and that there were already some runes and symbols inside of it.

"They're creating a spawn!" Shadow said, slightly loudly, enough to make Wolf and Laura stare at him in shock and anger before they all stared back at the four figures, who were still chanting and had not heard him luckily.

The darkness didn't only hide their bodies, it also hid their presence, and it dampened any sound that came from inside the darkness as well, making it incredibly good for stealth.

Laura glared at Shadow who shrunk back and mouthed an 'I'm sorry' before they all started thinking.

The figures were creating a spawn, but how, the energy that was being drawn over, there was no way that Gabriel wouldn't have noticed it, even if the corrupted core back there was one that was good at hiding its presence, this much energy shouldn't have been able to be masked.

If people were needed for a spawn to be born, then how come he didn't notice anyone back then?

Was it because of the phantoms, were they all being shielded by them, or was it perhaps because this was different?

This place barely had any vitality, the tree that they were using was so dry and cracked in so many places that it could already be thought of as a dead tree.

Was the area around the tree like this because of the spawn, because everything was being drawn over to the darkness, the corruption inside the tree?

"It's different, it feels different from how the area where the spawn was born felt, the corruption could still be seen over there, it had destroyed everything, taken the vitality of all things that were present in the area, this is different, the vitality, the life force of the plants and even the land is very low, but there is no sign of corruption anywhere," Wolf stated as he stared at the sight in front of them.

"And those runes, how come they are being created like that, by themselves, but at intervals, after all, there were already some runes and symbols inside the tree before the new ones started appearing."

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"So what, they are not making a spawn?" Shadow asked as Wolf sighed.

"I don't know, this definitely looks like how the creation of the spawn would be like, but we weren't there back then, so we can't be certain that this is it or not."

The three of them continued to observe, trying to make sense of the strange ritual unfolding before them. The chanting grew louder and more intense, and the swirling vortex of energy around the tree began to pulse with the power of corruption.

As they watched, Wolf and the others suddenly glanced to the side, and a couple of seconds later, a figure stepped out from the shadows and approached the tree. It was a man, dressed in similar dark robes as the others, but with a commanding presence that set him apart. He raised his hands and began to chant in a deep, resonant voice, adding his power to the ritual.

Suddenly, the runes inside the tree began to glow with a sickly green light. The tree itself seemed to come alive, its branches twisting and contorting as if in agony.

It was … very different from before.

The tree was suddenly regaining vitality, which was not what any of them expected to see.

The dead tree that barely had any life in it was now regaining some, the cracks on its surface were starting to heal, the color of the tree became a bit darker and a bit nicer, and leaves started sprouting on the branches.

The surrounding area didn't change at all, however, it was only the tree that changed and regained its vitality.

The sight left Wolf, Shadow, and Laura puzzled. They had never seen anything like it before. It seemed as though the corrupted energy was somehow revitalizing the tree, infusing it with a twisted form of life.

"What's happening?" Laura whispered, her voice filled with confusion.

"I'm not sure," Wolf replied, his brow furrowed in concentration. "But it looks like the corrupted energy is somehow … rejuvenating the tree."

"That doesn't make any sense," Shadow interjected, his voice tinged with frustration. "How can corruption bring life?"

"I don't know," Wolf admitted, his gaze fixed on the strange scene unfolding before them. "But we need to find out."

As they watched, the figure continued to chant, his voice growing louder and more powerful with each passing moment. The runes inside the tree glowed brighter, casting an eerie green light over the clearing.

And then, the figure suddenly brought his hands down, slamming them against the ground, causing the green light that had appeared to suddenly disappear and the tree to close, the corruption that was inside being hidden.

The figure then glanced at the four figures that had been in charge of the ritual before suddenly waving his hand from left to right, causing them to stop moving.

"Go to the fourth base and wait patiently for your orders, do not do anything until an order has been given." The person said as the four figures simply turned around and started walking while the figure sighed before turning around and slowly walking away as well.

Just as he did so, he suddenly stopped before jumping away as a greatsword stabbed deep into the ground.

"Sorry, but I can't allow you to just get away like that," Wolf said as he suddenly appeared next to his sword, pulling it out of the ground and smiling at the figure that was standing in front of him.

"You should have stayed hidden." The figure said as he straightened himself and stared at Wolf, his dark red eyes piercing into his own as he smirked.

"And miss a good fight?" Wolf asked with a wide smile, "Never."

Wolf moved, slashing forward with his sword while the figure moved back before taking out a small battle axe and throwing it at Wolf whose eyes slightly widened as he quickly moved to the side to evade the axe, only for his eyes to constrict as the axe passed next to his face, and he was able to see a threat that could be seen connecting the axe to the man who quickly pulled his hand back.

The axe was jerked back right away and the man smirked while Wolf clicked his tongue in annoyance as he ducked before evading the attack.

"Interesting choice of a weapon," Wolf commented as he quickly stood up and stared at the figure who was chuckling.

"You will soon find out just how interesting it truly is, do not worry."