Is this really a Game?!

Gabriel shook his head. “I am not certain.”

“The corruption that plagues the jungle is not something that can be spread by humans, at least I don’t think it can be, but who knows, there might be a chance of that happening, or it is the work of some monsters or demons.”

“The corruption is a force of darkness, a malevolent entity that seeks to consume and destroy, the humans who dwell beneath the jungle should not be capable of wielding such power.”

Reign frowned, trying to make sense of the situation. If it wasn’t the Enclave, then who could be behind the corruption? And why would they target the jungle?

“We need more information,” Reign said, his voice determined. “Gabriel, is there anything else you can tell us about the corruption?”

“Any clues that might lead us to its source?”

Gabriel nodded, his expression thoughtful. “There is one thing that might help you, the corruption seems to be emanating from not just one location, but multiple.”

“I can sense when the corruption enters the jungle, even though not in the exact instant.”

“Because it comes from outside the jungle, the perpetrators might have enough time to start the process and then flee, but at least with that, you will have a chance to find some clues that might lead us to those spreading the corruption.”

“That could very well help us, how soon after the corruption starts spreading are you able to sense it?” Laura asked, her eyes shining with determination.

“I would say about a minute.”

“You can pinpoint the exact location from where it came from?” Reign asked Gabriel with a slight frown, thinking that it was too easy.

Gabriel shook his head. “I’m afraid not, the corruption has clouded my senses, preventing me from pinpointing its exact location.”

“Not to mention the fact that we cannot be certain the corruption spreads in a straight line, there is a chance that it arrives at one location in the jungle, but came a bit from the east of that location.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Reign said with a sigh as he sat down.

“It would be too easy if we can pinpoint the corruption like that.”

Reign’s mind raced with possibilities. The corruption spreading from multiple locations made it difficult to track, but it also provided them with more opportunities to gather clues. They would need to act swiftly and decisively to uncover the source of the corruption before it could spread further.

“We’ll have to split up,” Reign said, looking at his companions. “We need to cover as much ground as possible once Gabriel senses the corruption being spread from the outside.”

“The main problem, however, is that I don’t know how we can keep in touch with you while we are out of the jungle, after all, we have our own faction that we need to lead, people that rely on us, that sometimes need us, we can’t just stay here for a couple of days and not go back.”

“That won’t be an issue,” Gabriel said with a smile on his face.

“The system is fair after all, with us formally cooperating right now, we will be able to communicate even while you are outside of the jungle.”

“I have been given this by the system, I can only give it to those that are cooperating with me, like you,” Gabriel said with a smile as one of his branches moved toward Reign, a communication crystal on it.

“With this, we can keep in contact even when you are far away from me.”

“I know that it will be difficult for you to uncover the source of the corruption, after all, you might be far away when I contact you about the corruption being spread, which will lead to you not being able to come here on time, but it is still better than nothing,” Gabriel said as Reign took the communication crystal and nodded at him.

Reign felt a sense of gratitude towards Gabriel. With the communication crystal, they would be able to stay in touch even when they were far from the jungle. It was a valuable tool that would greatly aid them in their quest to uncover the source of the corruption.

“Thank you, Gabriel,” Reign said, his voice filled with sincerity. “We won’t let you down, we’ll do everything in our power to cleanse the jungle of this corruption and to find out what is causing it.”

Gabriel nodded, his expression filled with trust. “I believe in you, my allies.”

“You are now going to continue hunting down monsters, right?” Gabriel asked Reign and the others who nodded in confirmation.

“Well, I would suggest going east of here, I can sense that there are more monsters there, and none are as dangerous as the one that has attacked you previously.”

“That one … has run quite far away, it seems your quick reaction and strength made it realize that you are not easy prey at all, I do not know if it will target you again, but I will notify you if it does.”

“Wait, you can sense where the monsters are?” Shadow asked with his eyes open wide while Gabriel smiled and nodded at him.

“I am the spirit of the jungle, you could say I am the manifestation of the jungle itself, it holds no secrets to me, including the location of the monsters, the location of all living beings present in it, in fact, are clear to me.”

“You can think of this as an added bonus of our cooperation, not all monsters living in the jungle are nice to it after all, eliminating some of them will be of great help to it, in fact, which is why I will aid you in your ‘hunt’.”

“I will make sure to notify you when a monster that might be too problematic for you to go up against appears, as well as when there is a large concentration of monsters present for you to hunt.”

“Thank you, Gabriel, we appreciate it, we truly do.” Reign said as he stared at the child who smiled at him again.

“I know, now go, we don’t know when the corruption will start spreading again, usually it happens in intervals of two to three days, the Behemoth does its best to find the corrupted areas quickly and destroy them, but there are some that are hidden well, enough to even trick me into thinking they’re not present.”

“If it had not been for you and the humans living below, there would definitely be more corrupted areas in the jungle, but thankfully, you have done a good job clearing out those that I and the Behemoth missed,” Gabriel said before looking to the side.

“I would go now if I were you, I don’t know for how long the monsters will be present in those numbers in the east, they are fighting amongst themselves, they shouldn’t be an issue for you guys.”

Reign and the others nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation. With a final glance at Gabriel and the Verdant Behemoth, they turned and headed east, ready to continue their hunt for monsters while keeping a vigilant eye out for any signs of the corruption spreading.

As they ventured deeper into the jungle, the sounds of battle grew louder. Just as Gabriel had said, the monsters in the east were indeed engaged in fierce combat, providing them with an opportunity to eliminate them while they were distracted.

The group moved with precision and efficiency, taking down the monsters with ease. They worked together seamlessly, their skills complementing each other as they fought as one cohesive unit.

There were multiple monster groups present, all of them locked in combat, and because of that, they failed to notice that a new group, one much more dangerous than any of the monster groups present, had arrived.

It didn’t take Reign and the others too much effort to hunt the monsters down, after all, even those who noticed them ahead of them were unable to defend against them properly.

They were not only incredibly powerful, more than any of the monsters, but the monsters themselves were fighting and it was difficult to just stop in the midst of combat to prepare to fight a new enemy, which led to them being slaughtered.

Hours passed, and the group continued their hunt, moving deeper into the jungle. They encountered more monsters, some of them formidable foes that took them a bit of time and effort to take down, but they faced no life-threatening battles.

When they noticed how much time they had spent in the jungle, Reign and the others decided to go back to Doncaster to rest.

With Gabriel giving them directions, it was quite easy to leave the jungle without facing too many enemies. It was not only easier but also much faster for them. Without having to fight monsters, or worry which way they were going, they managed to get out of the jungle relatively quickly and then reach Doncaster.

They went to rest, all of them going to their rooms to sleep, only for Reign to wake up in the middle of the night as the communication crystal got activated.