Is this really a Game?!

Reign watched as Ivan and the other mercenary leaders gathered their men, preparing for their journey back to their region. They had already gotten the reward that was promised to them as the system had kept the reward for safekeeping.

Had they failed, the system would have returned the reward to the person who had hired them, but since they were successful, the rewards were given to them. Together with the rewards that they gained after defeating the tree and removing the corruption completely, this was a huge payday for them.

Reign felt a sense of camaraderie with them, forged in the crucible of battle. With a final wave, he turned to his own team.

"Alright, everyone let's head back to Doncaster and get some rest, we've earned it."

The team nodded, and they began their trek back across the desert. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the dunes and painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. It was a beautiful sight, a stark contrast to the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the underground tunnels they had just left behind.

As they walked, Mia fell in step beside Reign. "Do you think we'll ever have a moment to just relax?" she asked, a small smile on her lips.

Reign chuckled. "Knowing us? Probably not."

"But we wouldn't have it any other way, right?"

Mia nodded, her smile widening. "You're right, even though it does get tiresome a bit, I guess we thrive on the chaos."

The journey back to the city was uneventful, a welcome change from the constant danger they had faced underground. When they finally arrived, they were greeted as heroes, as they always did. The people of the city still didn't know exactly what Reign and the others were doing while they were gone, but they knew it was definitely something only they could deal with.

Word of how Reign and the others had warned people not to go to the jungle and had stayed there for long periods of time made the people realize something was up, and their disappearance afterward made it even more obvious that something was up.

Some even learned that the top teams were a bit on the edge and were sometimes seen patrolling the areas near Doncaster, Wilkashere, as well as the bases they and their allies had. The people were a bit on the edge because of all of that, but they had faith in Reign and the rest, knowing full well that whatever was happening, they were already on top of it.

They felt secure knowing that Reign and the others were out and doing something about whatever it was that they were facing.

The bustling streets of Doncaster welcomed Reign and his team back with open arms. The city's inhabitants cheered and clapped as they passed, a wave of gratitude and admiration rolling through the crowd. Children ran up to them, eyes wide with awe, while the adults offered words of thanks and respect.

Greenie, always the gentle giant, bent down to ruffle the hair of an eager young boy who had rushed to greet him. The boy's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he proudly showed Greenie a small wooden sword, pretending to be a warrior. Greenie chuckled, his deep voice rumbling with amusement.

"You'll be a great warrior one day," he said, patting the boy's shoulder. The boy beamed, his chest puffing out with pride.

As they made their way through the city, the team couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. This was the sight that greeted them every time they returned after a big battle and one of the reasons why they always fought with everything they had and didn't falter in the face of adversity.

They were the leaders of the faction, the ones who had the responsibility to keep the people safe. Without them, even though the top teams were now strong and capable, their faction would definitely have a much more difficult time, especially if they came across factions like the Enclave and similar ones that also had very powerful combatants.

"Somebody is evolving." Reign said as he sensed a powerful aura flaring up nearby.

"Oh, seems like more than just one person." Reign added as he sensed 2 more auras flaring up.

"Boss, Elijah, Neil, and Boggart have managed to fulfill the conditions and complete their challenges, they are evolving now." A member of Elijah's team suddenly ran over and told Reign who nodded his head.

"They weren't transported someplace else for their challenges?"

"They were sir, but they managed to complete them quickly, they returned after only a week, they were sent to the same place, and from what they said, they spent more than a week in that place, but somehow, only a week had passed here."

Reign nodded, understanding the anomaly. Time was relative after all, and even though time had seemingly always passed the same when they were doing their challenges, it wasn't anything weird for something like what Elijah and the others experienced to happen.

He watched the bright auras in the distance, knowing that the evolution process was crucial for their faction's strength. They would be the first and only Tier VI combatants other than them.

It was incredibly important for the faction to get more and more Tier VI combatants as that was one of the big separation points. Reaching Tier V was not easy reaching Tier VI was much more difficult and most people on Earth would barely be able to reach it, but when it came to the higher realms, that was much more difficult.

Reaching Tier VII and entering the Power Realm was a huge evolution, and only after reaching it would Reign and the others be able to go nearly everywhere on Earth without a single worry.

"Good to see them progressing," Reign said, turning to his team. "Let's check in with them and then we can head for some well-deserved rest."

The team moved through the city towards the source of the auras. As they approached, the energy intensifying, they reached a training ground where three figures stood, their bodies radiating with a powerful glow. Elijah, Neil, and Boggart were in the final stages of their evolution, surrounded by teammates and curious onlookers.

Elijah, a lean and agile warrior, was engulfed in a swirling vortex of poison. His teammates watched with a mix of awe and anticipation, knowing their leader was about to become even stronger.

If one could see Elijah inside the vortex, one would see that his body turned green and was constantly expelling poison from it before taking it back in himself.

Neil was covered in what looked like a huge ball of nearly invisible energy that constantly pushed things away from him.

Boggart, a cunning rogue known for his agility and mist magic, was enveloped in a dark, misty aura, his form barely visible as the mist was constantly shifting around him.

"Looks like they've just started," Wolf remarked, watching the display with a satisfied grin. They expected Neil and Elijah to evolve quickly, alongside some other people, but Boggart was a member of a newer team and wasn't that well-known in the faction.

They had to admit that they were all surprised that he was evolving as well. Shadow had given him and other assassins some tips in the past together with Wolf, so they were familiar with him and his strength.

His mist was able to shroud large areas and make it very difficult to notice his presence, as well as his mana signature and body.

He could also create illusions in the mist, and even make real creatures in it, helping him fight his opponents.

As the energies peaked, a blinding light filled the area. The crowd shielded their eyes, feeling the immense power radiating from the trio. Many Tier V combatants were present as they were planning on shielding the others from the powerful energy that would come from the evolution, but with Reign and the others present, they didn't need to do such a thing. Read the latest on m_v-l'e|-NovelBin.net

"Don't worry, the reason we have told everyone to freely evolve in Doncaster is because we have done something to make it much more practical." Reign said with a smile as the golden tree suddenly shook and shone.

A golden barrier suddenly appeared around the three men, making their powerful auras almost disappear for those outside the barrier.

"There's no longer a need for anybody to do anything when people are evolving, you can all be at ease when evolving here from now on."

Everybody that was present smiled widely upon hearing Reign's words as what he said was true.

"I'm just surprised the system sent them back here to evolve instead of letting them evolve wherever they were sent, that is how it has always been for us," Beast added from the side as Reign nodded his head.

"There's definitely a reason for that, after they evolve, we can ask them."

"I am quite interested in where they were sent, it's almost always us being sent to a different planet to evolve, it's quite interesting to hear from others how it went."