Is this really a Game?!

"So, the underground of the desert?"

"It's not good, we can only go below it later, once we get stronger, just like we did for the desert," Wolf said after drinking some water before returning to his breakfast.

"Yeah, going down there right now isn't good, it's almost suicide for us, after all, we barely saw a bit of how it is, and that much was already enough to let us know that the situation below the desert is the same as it is in the desert."

Beast grabbed a piece of meat as he finished speaking before cutting it, first cutting the steak into strips, before cutting it into cubes to eat.

"So that means we either go to New York, where we might get attacked by a lot of Tier VI monsters if we are not careful, maybe even stronger bastards, or we go back to the forest, which, to be honest, gives me the creeps, not to mention the guys from the Enclave, I still don't trust them."

Tanks said before he bit into the large drumstick in his hand, ripping the meat from the bone and chewing it with a smile on his face.

"The Enclave is still a faction we do not know much of, their craftsmen are good, but the machines they have, I can't find in the system shop that is available for the territory, I think they either found them somewhere or perhaps got like a blueprint of it or something." Reign said with a sigh before piercing a piece of chicken with his fork and cutting a piece that he brought to his mouth.

"Could it, after all, we do have a building that is not something anybody can construct, I honestly don't know if there is anybody on the planet that can build it," Shadow added from the side as he gulped his food down.

"So, they might have received the favor of some Transcendent in order to get the machines?" Mia asked with interest as she sat straight, her hands holding the cutlery elegantly as she softly cut into her food.

"We definitely can't rule that possibility out, maybe a Transcendent, maybe even a Saint, or perhaps something else," Beast said before he stood up and grabbed his plate as he was done with his breakfast.

He placed the plate on the counter nearby, and the plate, as well as the cutlery, moved by itself, making their way to a small compartment on the counter that cleaned them by itself.

"The forest still holds many secrets though, after all, we never explored deep inside of it, nor have any of the people from the Enclave," Laura said as she leaned back in her chair, a piece of a vegetable stuck on her fork as it stood near her face.

"Yes, that means that we will be going in dark, well, if the dungeon we were previously in was one that copied how the forest looked like, as well as the monsters that are deeper inside of it, then we would already have an inkling of what to expect." Reign stated before standing up as well.

"It's dangerous, it doesn't matter where we go, it is dangerous," Greenie said with a calm expression before taking a steak and putting the entire thing in his mouth, chewing only four times before swallowing it.

"Well, that's just how things are, how things have been since the system arrived here, danger is everywhere, and in order to progress, in order to move forward and become more powerful, we need to take the risk."

"So, the forest first?" Wolf asked Reign who nodded his head.

Soon, they had all finished eating, and the plates and cutlery they had used were all cleaned by the magic counter they had installed.

Reign and Mia didn't really speak, in fact, the two acted as they always did, which was what they had discussed last night.

After Reign had entered Mia's room, the two had … done little.

They kissed, they hugged each other while doing so, they even lied down on Mia's bed, but did nothing else.

They talked, however.

They talked about what happened, about what was happening at that moment, and about what would happen in the future.

In order to not cause any confusion or disrupt the harmony of the group, they decided to keep silent about what was going on between the two of them.

It was Mia's idea, which did surprise Reign a bit, but he did agree, it did make the most sense.

He slept in Mia's room, in her bed, right next to her, but they both wore some clothes, and neither one did anything else during that night.

The main reason for that was Mia herself, who had slightly shocked Reign by telling him that she had never really been romantically involved with anybody before.

The way she had acted the night they got drunk had given him a different impression of her, but that was one that was gained after the two had drank quite a bit of alcohol, which did make them act differently from normal.

He didn't push, he didn't try anything, he just stayed over, with Mia sleeping right next to him.

He snuck out early in the morning before lying down on his bed and sleeping for a bit longer before going out in order to join the others for breakfast.

"Hey, can we talk?" Wolf suddenly came next to Reign and asked him as the latter nodded his head before they went to the balcony.

"So, you and Mia, huh?"

Reign's eyes widened slightly, he almost staggered, and his hand flinched before he glanced over to Wolf.

"Huh?"

"Oh come on, don't play dumb with me, I knew something had happened that night when we were all drinking, and from how the two of you acted ever since that moment, I knew it didn't go well."

"But this morning, well, you two certainly did talk about it, made a decision to keep it a secret from the rest of us, to make sure nothing changes in the group dynamic, right?"

Reign simply continued staring into Wolf's eyes, acting oblivious to what he was speaking.

"I know how to read people well, Reign, so I know that something did happen between the two of you, even though you did quite a good job at hiding it, the rare glances didn't escape me, nor did the fact I heard a door open and close this morning before another one opened and closed right after."

"I have almost memorized how each door sounds, after all, we have spent months here, so I know it was Mia's door that opened first, before yours."

"Sneaking out after a nice night, huh?"

"Gotta say, I'm surprised, didn't think you would go for it, go for any person that is a member of the group, after all, you do like to keep your distance and to keep secrets so that you won't somehow hurt anybody."

Wolf smiled at Reign who was scratching the back of his neck.

"I gotta say, Wolf, that's quite the story, but I really have no idea what you are talking about."

"Me and Mia, really, her?"

"I don't think she likes anybody like that."

"There's nothing happening between the two of us man, nothing."

"Mhm." Wolf simply smiled at Reign and nodded before patting him on the shoulder.

"Well, congratulations, I guess."

"No worries, I won't tell anybody."

Wolf entered the building while Reign stayed on the balcony and sighed before placing his head on his forehead and rubbing it.

'Dammit, that guy, he's way too observant.'

"Doesn't he come from a family of assassins?" Aethion asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I would say being that observant is to be expected of him."

'Yeah, I guess.' Reign said before walking back to the building as well, where the rest had started doing their own thing, and Mia was sitting on the couch, seemingly looking at something.

Reign simply walked past her and the others before going into his room.

As Reign closed the door behind him, he leaned against it, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions. Taking a deep breath, Reign tried to push aside his unease and focus on the task at hand.

He needed to prepare for their next move, whether it was venturing into the forest or heading to New York. There were dangers waiting for them either way, and he couldn't afford to let his personal feelings cloud his judgment.

Meanwhile, Mia sat alone on the couch, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and uncertainty. She replayed what had happened recently in her mind, trying to make sense of her feelings, but it was for naught. It was a complicated situation, one she never expected to find herself in.

Lost in her thoughts, Mia didn't notice when Laura approached her, a concerned expression on her face.

"Hey, Mia. Are you okay?" Laura asked, placing a gentle hand on Mia's shoulder.

Mia looked up, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about our next move."

Laura nodded, but she could tell that something was bothering Mia. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

"We all are."

Mia nodded, grateful for Laura's offer of support. "Thanks, Laura. I appreciate it."

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