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A monster that had entered the middle of the Power Realm, one that had interacted with world energy and was preparing to transcend.

A Tier VI being was at the peak of the Warrior Realm, and at their peak, they could destroy an entire town with their immense power.

A being at the Power Realm was much more compared to that.

At their peak, which was Tier IX, they could move an entire mountain or shatter it to pieces if they wished. Of course, a Tier VIII was unable to do that, but it was still, at the very least, double as powerful compared to a Tier VII, which was a horrifying thought.

Reign and Liara glanced at each other before nodding.

They might be able to leave the dungeon if they wished thanks to the soul fragments, but that was only a possibility, one that needed them to go all the way back up before attempting to do so.

Without being certain of it, and without being 100% sure that they needed to leave as the mission was simply too dangerous, they wouldn't do that.

A Tier VIII monster was way above their paygrade and was something none of them could hope to even injure, no matter how hard they tried, but it was still something created by the artifact, so their soul fragments should be enough to make it calm down and be tame.

At least they hoped that it would.

The world energy on this planet was, from what Reign knew, very scarce, making it almost impossible for the monster to have somehow sensed it and started interacting with it, which might be the one thing that could perhaps allow it to leave the control of the artifact.

Reign and Liara took deep breaths before walking forward. Siggurd and the others waited in the tunnel, even if they were with them, they knew they wouldn't be able to help them at all.

As Reign and Liara stepped inside the cave with their souls shining brightly, doing the most they could to allow the monster to sense them, they managed to see the monster for the first time, which made them freeze in terror.

What was in front of them wasn't a monster, it was a nightmarish embodiment of terror, an eight-meter-tall behemoth from the darkest corners of a nightmare. Its sheer presence would be enough to send shivers down the spine of even the bravest souls, and a mere glance from it would be enough to freeze the soul of a person. 

In Reign's opinion, this monstrous entity was a harbinger of destruction, capable of reducing entire towns to ruins without breaking a sweat. It wasn't something people like them could hope to go up against right now.

It stood at a menacing eight meters tall, with a hulking, muscular physique that radiates raw power. Its sheer size and look alone were enough to inspire terror in the hearts of people.

Its skin was a grotesque tapestry of mottled, ashen gray and midnight black, covered in jagged, obsidian-like scales that glistened ominously in the light coming from the crystal above. Sinister, blood-red veins pulsate beneath the surface, making it look as if the creature is infused with the very essence of darkness.

Its eyes were the stuff of nightmares, piercing orbs that gleamed with malevolence. They were an eerie, otherworldly shade of crimson, with vertical, slit-shaped pupils that seemed to see straight through the souls of those unfortunate enough to meet its gaze.

Its limbs were massive and muscular, ending in razor-sharp, ebony claws that could rend stone and steel with ease. The monster stared at Liara and Reign before it walked toward them, each step shaking the ground, sending tremors of dread through anyone who witnessed its approach.

The monster opened its mouth, showing a gaping chasm filled with rows upon rows of serrated, obsidian teeth that jut out at odd angles. Its breath was like a noxious, poisonous fog that choked the air and left a trail of death in its wake.

Reign gulped at the sight as his mind spun, 'If that thing comes close, even if it proves to be friendly, the breath alone might end up killing both of us.'

As the monstrous Tier VIII creature approached, its looming shadow cast a pall of terror over Reign and Liara. They could feel the oppressive weight of its presence bearing down on them, threatening to crush their very souls. The ground trembled beneath its colossal footsteps, and the air grew thick with its malevolence.

In that harrowing moment, Reign and Liara clung to their determination, reminding themselves of what they were here to do, and how important this mission was. Reign continued reminding himself that the foul fragments would definitely help as this mission was given by the system, so it had to be passable by him.

With their souls shining brightly, they continued standing and staring at the monster, attempting to make a connection with the creature. It was a gamble, a bet on the power of the soul fragments within them to calm this nightmarish behemoth. They hoped against hope that the artifact's influence was strong enough to subdue the creature's innate hostility.

As they approached, they noticed subtle changes in the monster's demeanor. Its blood-red eyes, though still filled with malevolence, seemed to flicker with curiosity. The fog-like breath it exhaled began to thin, no longer choking the air. It took cautious steps forward, its massive claws still dangerously close but not yet in an attacking posture.

As the monster came close, Reign took a step forward and he and Liara continued to project their intent through their glowing soul fragments, trying to make the monster sense the fragments and not attack them. Slowly, the creature's posture began to change. Its claws retracted, and its hulking form seemed to shrink ever so slightly.

Reign and Liara were about to smile in happiness as the monster suddenly moved, its mouth opening as it stared at them. For an instant, they thought it was about to attack them, that the monster was about to kill both of them, but it did not.

The monster's reaction was unexpected. It let out a growl, but it wasn't a sound of aggression. Instead, it was as if the creature was attempting to communicate, though in a way that was far from human comprehension.

Its growling was akin to an engine roaring. It was a loud noise that was impossible to decipher, making it impossible for Reign and Liara to communicate with it.

The monster continued to stare at them before its eye changed again, it seemingly shook its head before it returned to the center of the cave and sat down, bringing its legs to its chest and hugging them with its colossal arms.

It was like a child was disappointed at something and was simply making a fit.

Reign and Liara didn't know what to think of that, but they called the others over and started walking over to the exit of the cave.

The moment Siggurd and the others laid their eyes on the monster in the middle of the cave, they were paralyzed in fear. The suppression coming from the monster was not gone, even though it was doing nothing and wasn't even trying to scare them.

If the previous monster they had come across was akin to a being straight out of a sci-fi horror movie, one that demanded both fear and respect for how it looked like and what it was, this one demanded respect simply out of the immense power it possessed.

It was more demonic than a demon in their eyes, a creature that seemed to only have one purpose in its life, to destroy.

They all gulped in fear and took some time to calm down, to collect their nerves, and to make sure they could pass next to the monster without needing to stop and collect their bearings again.

Minutes passed by and the party finally made it to the tunnel. Reign and Liara stood at the entrance, and the others passed by them, entering the tunnel.

During all that time, the monster did nothing.

Its back was turned to them, and it was merely sitting and staring in front of it, not showing any signs of emotions.

Reign was intrigued by the monster and was tempted to get more information about it by using his [ Inspect ] skill, but he decided against it at the very end. He knew that he couldn't get any information out of the monster without the latter being kind enough to let him know a bit, just like Elyndor, the powerful Tier VII monster above had done.

This one proved to be much more dangerous, as well as more difficult to tame, so Reign didn't want to risk playing with fire and somehow getting it angry or upset with them.

And just like that, Reign and Liara stepped inside the tunnel.

The monster continued sitting and staring ahead for a couple of more seconds before it looked back and growled again, this time with slight sadness present in its voice.