Is this really a Game?!

Elijah, his grief transforming into a fierce determination, unleashed his ability, and a thick cloud of poison was launched at the fog, attacking the shadowy monsters. Shrieks could be heard from the fog, but no monster had died yet, which showed how powerful they were.

Reign glanced at the fog before taking a deep breath and then raising his two swords while pouring mana into them, suddenly, the two swords turned milky white as they transformed into a beacon of light that allowed them to glance a bit deeper into the fog and see the monsters.

The monsters resembled ethereal wraiths, their bodies composed of shadowy mist. Despite their intangible appearance, their attacks were lethal, draining the life force of those they touched. If Reign and the others had to compare the monsters to some that they knew, it would have been the Shades that they had fought a long time ago in the Black Forest.

Reign, with his two swords, cut through the monsters with precision. The radiant light of his blades countered the darkness of the fog, providing a glimpse of clarity in the chaotic battle. The team's synergy was crucial as they adapted to the unique challenges posed by these elusive foes.

As the skirmish continued, Elijah's eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity. He tapped into the depths of his magical abilities, suddenly creating a yellow barrier around the team, one created out of his poison. It was a display of newfound strength, driven by the desire for retribution.

The battle intensified as more shadowy entities emerged from the fog. The team fought valiantly, their weapons and abilities harmonizing to counter the ethereal threat. The air vibrated with energy as Mia summoned her frost in order to strike down the shadowy assailants, their figures slowing down as the frost had an effect.

As they were beings that didn't truly have a physical body, only being able to turn parts of it physical, the wraiths around them were highly resistant to physical attacks and the easiest way to defeat them was to use elemental attacks, if one didn't have such attacks, then coating their weapon with a lot of mana would be helpful.

Greenie swung his mighty Warhammer, creating shockwaves that disrupted the monsters' cohesion. Each strike was fueled by mana and his Gravity Strike, which had become much more powerful than in the past. In fact, all the [ Inferno Eruption ] skills that Greenie had gained had improved immensely compared to before.

The [ Hundred Strikes of Judgement ] were no longer just pure physical attacks, instead, the fists would be coated in a kind of energy and Greenie could attack anyone that was 70 meters around him with them. The demonic spear skill had also improved, but stayed as a short-range skill, only that it was now incredibly fast, reaching the speed of Mach 5, and the gravity strike was now able to stay on weapons much longer, and the pull was immense, easily able to pull things 20 meters away from it.

Tank, suddenly holding his Titan's Roar and the Forsaken Reaver, cleaved through the shadows with powerful sweeps of his colossal battleaxes. The Reaver could be used as both a one-handed or a two-handed axe as the powers inside of it allowed it to change size and shape, but the Titan's Roar was only a two-handed axe.

With another skill the Reaver, which was close to unlocking another seal and becoming a Rank SSS weapon, Tank was actually able to use two two-handed weapons, and he was able to get benefits from both, albeit not the full benefits.

Nothing stopped people from using two weapons like he was, even Wolf, with his immense strength, could do so, but he would only be able to get the bonus from one weapon, or he could accept 50% of the bonus from each.

Tank, one the other hand, was able to get 70%, and right now, he was using the two axes and attacking wildly, causing the fog to slightly dissipate and for the wraiths to shriek in pain

The monsters, despite their elusive nature, couldn't withstand the sheer force unleashed by the Tier V team.

Beast, positioned strategically, continued to provide support with his bow. His arrows, infused with wind and precision, found their marks amidst the shifting shadows. The Golden Golem encounter had honed his archery skills, and he seamlessly adapted to the challenges presented by the fog-covered territory.

The battle was not without its difficulties. The monsters' evasive maneuvers and draining attacks tested the team's endurance. Laura, utilizing her Dark Cascade staff, unleashed waves of demonic energy that countered the shadowy creatures. However, the fog's interference made it challenging to maintain a clear line of sight.

As the Tier V team pushed forward, the fog seemed to react, intensifying its density. The whispers around them grew louder, and the shadows became more menacing. It was as if the very atmosphere of the territory was resisting their intrusion.

Reign, sensing the escalating danger, called for a temporary retreat. The team regrouped at a relatively clearer area within the fog, taking a moment to assess their situation. The monsters, though repelled for now, continued to lurk in the shadows, their presence an ever-present threat.

Elijah, fueled by a mix of grief and determination, spoke up, "We can't let them control the battlefield. We need to find a way to disperse this fog or neutralize its effects."

Reign nodded in agreement. "Agreed. We can't afford to be blind in this territory. Beast, any ideas with your wind control, after all, we have already established that we can move the fog around and disrupt it, just like I had done with my light."

Beast pondered for a moment before nodding. "I can try to manipulate the wind currents to thin out the fog temporarily. It won't be a permanent solution, but it should give us windows of clearer visibility."

"And with my light shining, the fog's powers should be weaker, it's worth a shot." Reign nodded his head before glancing at the others.

The team prepared for the next phase of the expedition. Beast, with his control over the wind, manipulated the currents to disperse the fog in their immediate vicinity. The effect was temporary, but it allowed the team to move forward with increased awareness.

Reign was holding one sword above him which shone as a beacon of light. The two abilities working together made the fog around them much thinner, as well as less powerful as they could now utilize mana to sense things about 15 meters around them.

As they progressed deeper into the territory, the silence became eerie. The wraiths didn't attack them again. Whether it was because of the light and wind manipulation that Reign and Beast were using, the previous battle during which they had been able to kill several of the wraiths, or because of something else, they didn't know.

Thanks to killing some of the wraiths, they learned the names of the monsters.

[ Shadow Wraiths ]

That was all they learned as even with his [ Inspect ] skill, Reign was unable to learn much more because of the fog that blocked his attempts. It was quite annoying, as it wasn't just that skill that was not working, sensing anything in the fog was difficult, even Beast's hearing was starting to be suppressed by the fog.

That all showed that there truly was something wrong with it, but the only question was what?

All the wraiths were Tier V monsters, which showed the immense power this territory possessed. Without a doubt, this was the most dangerous monster territory in their immediate area and they definitely had to get rid of it.

The one question they had was whether or not the fog could go out of the territory, in a fashion similar to the one back at the mountain range.

It shouldn't be possible as the fog back in the mountain range was something made by a god, but honestly, they had no idea what this was, so it could very well be possible.

'I don't think so, even with all the power it has, this is most probably the way the inhabitants of this territory are defending it, as well as the way they prefer to live, after all, they are wraiths, sunlight is not good for them, and this fog blocks it quite well.' Aethion told Reign who nodded his head before moving forward with the others.

But a nagging feeling remained in them all.

Where the hell did the wraiths go to?

It had been over 6 minutes since they last fought them, and none had been seen during that time. They hadn't been attacked at all, and it was starting to get on their nerves a bit. They would prefer to just fight them and then move forward, but constantly being forced to think of what the wraiths could be up to was really starting to annoy them. 

They expected them to appear and attack at any moment, but they simply didn't.