Is this really a Game?!

Hemmel's smile was warm and full of finality as they all stared at him with a mixture of exhaustion, curiosity, as well as contemplation.

They were all processing what he had told them, and the great contrast from battling for their lives against the body he was inhabiting, and now, engaging in a peaceful conversation about soul power made them confused, the transition making their minds spin a bit.

"Thank you, Hemmel." Reign said, his voice steady. "Both for the lesson, as well as for pushing us the way you did during the trial."

"I expect nothing but great things from a group like yours, just don't get comfortable with your progress, not now, in this arena, nor ever, until you reach the pinnacle of power, which only a rare few in the entirety of the universe have reached, there is no room for comfort and content."

And with those words, Hemmel's figure began to fade away, his body turning into dust, particles flowing away until a gentle breeze, made him vanish completely.

For a moment, no one spoke. The weight of what they had just experienced and learned hung heavily in the air, each of them processing in their own way.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Well," Wolf finally broke the silence, his voice still carrying a touch of disbelief. "That was... unexpected. I was ready for another fight."

Mia, who had been quietly contemplating everything Hemmel had said, let out a small sigh of relief. "I'm just glad we didn't have to go another round with that monster. I don't know if we could have handled it."

"We would've survived," Jin said confidently, though his sharp gaze was already analyzing the situation. "But not without casualties. The Warden's strength was on a different level, and even if we wounded it, Hemmel was right—it was holding back."

"I wonder how the next trials will test us," Shadow mused, his voice low and thoughtful. "He said soul power will probably not be needed, but since Hemmel spoke so much about it, even going as far as to change the trial just in order to tell us all of that, we definitely need to start taking soul power more seriously."

"When we evolve, I think we need to start training with Aethion, that old bastard has trained us for a bit, it's time for him to earn his rent," Shadow said as he glanced at Reign.

Reign, his expression still serious, nodded. "Hemmel gave us some important hints, but it's clear that soul power is something we'll have to figure out on our own. We can't rely on outside guidance. It's going to take time and effort, just like learning how to control mana."

"At least we've already started," Mia pointed out, looking at Reign. "You've been using it unconsciously, and we've felt its effects in battle, even if we didn't realize what it was at the time."

Reign crossed his arms, considering this. "Yeah, I've sensed something when I'm in my Nephilim form, but Hemmel's right—I haven't been in control of it. It's instinctual, but now that we know what we're dealing with, we can train with purpose."

Wolf rolled his shoulders, still feeling the lingering effects of the fight. "Training is good, but we're still in the middle of these trials. We don't have time to dive into soul power right now, not fully. We need to stay sharp and focus on what's coming next."

"Agreed," Jin said. "We'll keep soul power in mind, but we can't get distracted, we have no idea what the next trials will be like, not to mention that we don't have the luxury to just start training in this arena right now, we need to complete the trials and evolve, get back home, because who knows what could happen while we are gone.

The group nodded in agreement, the sense of urgency returning now that Hemmel was gone.

Ding!

[ The second Hell Trial has been completed, returning the players back to the arena.]

[ Congratulations on passing the trial, 'Heaven's Hooligans' ]

In the arena, at the very top of the giant cube-like building that flowed through space, Hemmel leaned back on a sofa and stared at the window, observing a star that was shining brightly.

"I've done it, are you satisfied?" Hemmel asked, even though there was nobody present in his office.

"Yes, you have done well, as promised, the reward." A voice said as a small package appeared on the table in front of Hemmel who nodded his head.

"Not going to check it?" The voice asked as Hemmel chuckled.

"I know that the likes of you will not fool me, you are known to uphold any deals you make, to never backstab, and that any and all cooperations with you end amicably as long as both parties do what they promised to do."

"So no, I don't need to check it, I know that what I asked is there."

"It has been a pleasure Mr. Hemmel." The voice said as Hemmel seemingly contemplated something.

"Why such interest in that group, I understand the Nephilim, after all, he is a Nephilim, but the others, they are quite talented, but it isn't as if you cannot find such people elsewhere, not to mention that the price you had to pay for me to do what I did was quite high."

"Hahahahah … do you wish to know?"

"No, I was just wondering, I don't really care for it, as long as your intentions are not hostile." Hemmel suddenly said as the voice chuckled.

"The group is … more special than one would think, that is why we wish to help them, to speed up the process of them leveling up and evolving, but without causing them long-term side effects as we are interested in what they could achieve in the long term after all."

"Yeah right, we both know that the only reason you would dare do this is because you have orders from high above, otherwise you would never dare do anything to a team that is led by a Nephilim, no matter how good your intentions might be." Hemmel said as the voice went quiet before Hemmel felt coldness at the back of his neck.

"You should be careful when speaking, dear manager, some might not be as lenient as me."

"Some might be smarter than you, to dare place your hand on my neck … quite dumb," Hemmel said as a blue glow appeared around his eyes, and in an instant, an invisible hand that had been placed on his neck froze before breaking.

"As expected from you, your frost is truly something else, to be able to freeze even me."

"I was wondering who you are, but it seems you're nobody but a new member of the Alliance, and from your powers, you're probably the Wondering Ghost, I heard you offended the Dark Ones recently, no wonder you joined the Alliance." Hemmel suddenly said with a smile as he stared at a spot in his office.

"The only reason I have helped you was because your intentions were not hostile, because what you asked of me was helpful to that group, and because I really wanted that object." Hemmel suddenly said before the temperature of the office dropped, even the brightness of the star seemed to dissipate.

"But do not test me, do not dare underestimate the might of the arena, and please, never dare place your hands on me again, otherwise the Alliance will lose a newly acquired helper of the Low-God realm, alright?" Hemmel asked with a warm smile, but the figure who was inside the office felt nothing but coldness, and thus, he disappeared, leaving Hemmel alone.

The man sighed, got up, and suddenly, a huge mirror fell from the ceiling, levitating in front of him.

"I have done what they asked, nothing was out of place, it seems the Alliance truly is interested in that team, they didn't ask me to do anything to the Nephilim, the Army can be at ease, they have not become dumb."

"Good, then the army shall not involve ourselves with this, thank you." A person on the other side of the mirror said, nodding his head at Hemmel who nodded back, at him, glancing at the pair of wings which were unfurled behind the man's back, the right ones white, the left ones black.

The party spent the next 5 days resting, as well as training. Even though they said they didn't wish to fully focus on training soul power, the battle against the Warden was still fresh on their minds, and Aethion had finally spoken to them.

The system had not allowed Aethion to speak to them at all, even outside of the trials, but now, for some reason, that was lifted and they could converse.

The reason they spent 5 days resting and training was because Aethion had told them to do so. He said that after going through such a battle, with the memory of it still present, and the feeling of the Warden's aura there, they should use it to their advantage and train, and they did just that.