Is this really a Game?!

As Reign and the others set their plan into motion, dividing their group into 3 smaller groups that were each about 200 meters away from one another, they moved deeper into the forest, the oppressive darkness that clung in it thickening, making it even more difficult to discern movement, while sound itself was weird.

Sometimes, the unnatural silence of the forest would amplify sound, making things that were further away sound as if they were closer than they actually were, and at other times, it would do the opposite, making it very difficult to hear a thing.

Beast's traps were created and ready to be placed. Wolf and Mia had were ready to create fire and ice barriers in strategic locations in order to choke the wolves' escape routes. Tank and Greenie stood at the front, weapons raised and ready to engage the wolves head-on, while Shadow and Reign lurked in the shadows, prepared to strike from unexpected angles.

Reign's soul power allowed him to keep a mental link with everyone, relaying information quickly and ensuring they stayed coordinated. Every movement was calculated, every action designed to bait the wolves into falling apart.

But the forest had a way of turning plans on their heads.

As minutes ticked by, they expected to hear the familiar growls of the wolves stalking their prey. But instead, there was only silence. The wolves had been too quiet for too long.

Suddenly, Reign felt a jarring sensation ripple through the forest, a faint feeling of something being off. He called the others, talking to them via the telepathic link, and found it more difficult than usual, before using his mana sensing to its fullest, attempting to sense them, as well as if there was anything close to them.

He could feel their presence but sensed something unfamiliar close as well, unfortunately, the mana fluctuations he could sense were very faint, thus he didn't know what exactly he was sensing, but one thing was clear, something was wrong.

Before he could warn the others, a strange sound echoed through the forest—metal clinking against metal, the unmistakable sound of weapons being drawn.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Reign froze, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't the wolves…" he muttered, gripping his swords tighter. "Everyone, stay alert. We're not alone."

Without knowing of it, figures moved through the forest around them, shadows twisting as the figures emerged from darkness, moving with great precision and stealth, similarly to how the wolves did, only that they were not wolves.

Clad in dark cloaks that blended into the forest, the newly emerging figures moved with military precision, their faces hidden behind masks while their hands clenched swords, spears, and bows. One glance at them and Reign and the others would immediately be able to notice that they were not ordinary humans either.

Their movements were fluid, and deliberate, and each of them had a distinct aura around them, indicating that they were capable fighters.

"Reign, can you sense them?" Shadow asked as they all quickly started moving closer to one another, fully aware that the plan would no longer be able to work.

"Yes, I can sense at least a dozen of them, and they're definitely not wolves, their mana signature is different."

"Yeah, I noticed, I'm using my darkness to observe the surroundings, and even though I cannot see whoever they are, I can notice some figures, they seem to be human."

"They could still be monsters, maybe some kobolds or something, but I doubt it."

'Everyone, change of plans. We're dealing with something else now. Quickly band together, and don't engage unless necessary.' Reign spoke via the telepathic link, but unfortunately, it was too late.

Before they could regroup, the attackers struck.

A volley of arrows flew through the air, whistling toward them. Mia reacted quickly, conjuring an icy barrier to block the projectiles, but the arrows were reinforced with mana, shattering her barrier upon impact. Some of the arrows made it through, grazing Tank's armor and forcing him to raise his shield just in time to block the rest.

"They're skilled," Jin muttered, his yellow aura present around his fists as he deflected an incoming arrow. "Definitely not your average Tier VI combatants."

As the arrows rained down, Reign and the others quickly realized that they were facing an enemy that was definitely well-trained and dangerous. The attack was precise, and the mana-infused arrows were powerful enough to shatter Mia's ice barrier after a couple of strikes, confirming that their foes were nothing but ordinary.

'Quickly regroup!' Reign shouted inwardly as he swung his sword, deflecting two arrows as his lightning crackled with power around him. He sped forward, with Laura and Beast quickly following him.

Wolf's flames roared to life as he went on the offensive, sending a massive wave of fire toward the place the arrows came from, illuminating the figures who hid in the shadows. Cloaked in dark, flowing robes and moving quickly, the attackers scattered, avoiding the flames and quickly relocating in order to continue their attacks.

Beast pulled his bowstring and launched his arrows, hitting two attackers, but his arrows were launched quickly in order to strike as fast as possible, they had not been infused with a lot of mana, making them too weak to inflict serious injuries to their opponents.

"They're coordinated," Jin muttered, dodging an arrow and then rushing toward one of the figures. His fists glowed with yellow energy, and with a powerful punch, he sent a shockwave through the ground, knocking one of the cloaked figures off their feet. "These aren't random enemies—they're a unit."

Reign cursed under his breath as he realized the severity of the situation. They had been prepared to face wolves, not a disciplined group of warriors. The wolves had been a dangerous enough threat, but now they were caught between two forces—the wolves lurking in the shadows and this new group of attackers who seemed just as deadly.

Mia formed another icy barrier, this time thick enough to block the incoming arrows. "Who the hell are these people?" she growled as she reinforced the barrier with additional layers of frost.

"I don't know, but they aren't playing around," Beast said, pulling back his bow and releasing another arrow. His shot struck true, hitting one of the cloaked figures in the shoulder and pinning them to a nearby tree. The figure let out a hiss of pain but quickly reached for a dagger, cutting themselves free.

"They're tougher than they look," Beast added, frustration creeping into his voice.

Reign's mind raced as he tried to assess the situation. His group had already been at a disadvantage, thanks to the wolves ambush and the oppressive atmosphere of the forest. Now, with these new attackers joining the fray, they were in real danger of being overwhelmed.

The wolves had retreated for now, but he could still feel their presence lurking nearby, watching, waiting for the right moment to strike again.

"Stay sharp," Reign called out. "We're fighting on two fronts now. Don't let them push us into a corner."

Shadow, moving like a wraith through the darkness, had already engaged one of the attackers. His twin daggers gleamed in the dim light as he danced around his opponent, slashing at vital points and dodging their counterattacks with ease.

Despite his speed and precision, however, the cloaked figure was holding their ground, their movements eerily similar to Shadow's own, as if they, too, were accustomed to fighting in the shadows.

"These guys fight like us," Shadow muttered, his voice laced with irritation. "Whoever trained them knew what they were doing."

He blocked an attack of the enemy, allowing the dagger the enemy wielded to slide against the side of his dagger, only being stopped by the handguard before Shadow suddenly flicked his wrist, quickly deflecting the dagger, pushing it aside before stabbing forward, aiming at the enemy's throat.

His dagger didn't find its mark as the enemy moved its upper body to the side, narrowly dodging the dagger, only for Shadow to turn the dagger to the side and slash to the side, now aiming to sever the opponent's head.

His dagger was blocked by the opponent's left hand, which didn't hold a dagger. The enemy managed to grab his wrist, stopping him from cutting his neck, and then quickly moved the previously deflected dagger, trying to stab Shadow from the side.

Shadow responded by moving his left hand as well, blocking the stab with his dagger, hitting the hand guard of the opponent's dagger and holding it in place. The two struggled for a bit as a thought passed through Shadow's mind.

'Soft hands.'

He then quickly used his darkness manipulation, willing the shadow of the opponent to shift before rising, stabbing the opponent through the leg.

The reinforced shadow easily pierced through the leg from behind, and immediately, the leg gave way and the opponent fell down on one knee, which allowed Shadow to move the dagger away and stab the enemy's hand, causing the dagger to fall down before grabbing the mask and taking it off.

"As I thought, a girl."