Is this really a Game?!

The demon's roar came to an end as Reign absorbed his soul, causing his body to stop moving completely before collapsing on the ground.

As Reign and the others stood victorious over the defeated demon, a message from the system appeared before them, detailing their rewards for their victory:

[ The players have managed to defeat a raid boss, you have all done an incredible thing! ]

[ Achievement Unlocked: Demon Slayer - You have successfully defeated a Tier VI raid boss, marking you as one of the most formidable adventurers in the realm. (+2 lvl ups, + 10% more damage to demons below the Transcendent realm) ]

[ Achievement Unlocked: Third Time's the Charm - You are the third group to defeat a raid boss on this planet, showcasing your exceptional skill and teamwork. ( +1 lvl up ) ]

[ Additional Info, you are the fourth to take down a raid boss, but the one taken down previously was tamed, thus it was not included. ]

[ Achievement Unlocked: Highest Difficulty Cleared – You are the first group to defeat a Tier VI raid boss on this planet, showing just how far above others you are in terms of strength. ( + 1 lvl up ) ]

The group exchanged looks of excitement and pride, knowing that they had achieved something truly remarkable. To be the first who had defeated a Tier VI raid boss was not a light achievement at all.

But their achievements did not end there. The system continued to list the rewards they had earned for their victory.

[ As a reward for your incredible feat, you will each receive a unique weapon forged from the essence of the defeated raid boss. These weapons are imbued with immense power and will serve you well in your future battles. ]

The group's eyes lit up with anticipation as they eagerly awaited their rewards. Even if the weapons they gained were not good for them, they could always give them to the others in the territory, after all, high-ranked weapons were highly coveted treasures, capable of turning the tide of any battle in their favor.

But the rewards did not stop there. The system had more in store for them.

[ In addition to one weapon each, you will also receive a cache of rare and valuable crafting materials, as well as items, including potions, gadgets, and magical artifacts. ]

The group sighed and sat down, cheering and celebrating their hard-earned victory, knowing that they had not only defeated a formidable foe but also gained valuable rewards that would aid them in their future battles. They stared at the two boxes they gained as rewards but decided not to open them before getting back to Doncaster.

Still, their victory was not without its consequences. As they rested and recovered from the battle, they couldn't help but wonder about the nature of the demon they had defeated. It was powerful, and it mentioned that the system had just called it to be a raid boss, which means that the system was able to summon as many raid bosses as it wanted to summon on the planet, right?

[ The system will always uphold fairness, it will never do such a thing, the current situation was a unique one, with multiple factors being present to make it what it ended up being. ]

Reign and the others nodded at the system, fully aware that if it truly wanted to do such a thing, it would have done so at the very start and destroyed the planet easily.

Still, they each had their own thoughts over what had happened, and how powerful the demon was.

Reign, in particular, was curious about the demon's claim of immunity. He knew that the system was powerful, but he had never heard of the system giving immunity to certain effects. It was a mystery to him.

Could the system truly make people immune to his soul manipulation?

If so, why did it allow him to take the demon's soul for himself, wasn't that the system breaking its own promise?

"Kid, I told you already, the system might seem to be neutral, but it's not really neutral." Aethion suddenly said as he stared at the soul of the demon they had just captured.

"Demons only exist to destroy, to bring chaos to the universe and bring everything to ruins, so why would the system, something that exists everywhere in the universe, wish for them to grow more powerful and to help them?"

"Well, one thing is actually true, the system does wish for demons to continue existing as they are some of the best enemies one can fight against in the universe, they are hated by all, reproduce quite quickly back on their home planets, and are almost endless."

"It loves using the demons, but that is all, it just loves to use them."

"This demon was called here by the system mostly because it knew you would try to take its soul, I am almost certain of that."

"It wanted you to take the soul, after all, the soul of such a powerful being is nothing to scoff at, even without the bonus stats that the system gave him."

"You can keep him for longer than others here, your control over soul power is getting better and better, it won't be long until you can start doing some more complex things with soul power."

'So, the system just ignored the demon, and broke its oath, because it likes me more than the demon?'

"It doesn't just like you more, it probably hates the demon, hahahahaha!"

"By my records and calculations, that is most likely true, the system does not like demons at all, master," Jared added from the side, to which Lyle nodded.

Reign pondered Aethion's words, realizing the implications of the system's actions. If the system was willing to manipulate events to ensure the defeat of a demon, it raised questions about the true nature of the system and how it actually even functioned. However, he also understood that dwelling on such matters wouldn't change their current situation.

After all, Reign could be said to know more than most did about the system. He was sure that there were few people in the entirety of the universe that knew that the organization that created Jared and the base inside of him was also the one that created the system itself.

He knew that much from Jared, as well as from Raziel, who didn't shy away from telling him that information.

"We should focus on the task at hand," Reign said, standing up and looking at his companions. "We need to return to Doncaster, the news has already been broadcast by a world announcement, god knows just how many messages we will be receiving in the social hub, and how many people are waiting for us back in the city, ready to welcome us back."

The group nodded in agreement, gathering their belongings and preparing to leave. Before they departed, however, they decided to open the boxes containing their rewards. They wanted to wait until they reached Doncaster, but in the end, they couldn't control themselves.

The temptation of seeing what they have been rewarded by was simply far too strong for them.

Inside, they found a variety of items, including the unique weapons forged from the demon's essence.

They all received a weapon each, but unfortunately, only one was fine, and that was a dagger for Shadow, the other weapons were either not suited for them, or they were simply weapons that were slightly weaker than the ones they already had.

They would be left in Doncaster, first offered to the strongest groups of the town, or to be more exact, the two cities, as both Doncaster and Wilkashere were now under their command, and they couldn't just favor Doncaster.

The items would be placed for a private auction, and the strongest groups would be able to buy them, and the best part was the fact that it was a secret, private auction, which meant that no other organization or territory would find out just what kinds of items they had.

After that, it would be time to check in with Ishmail and the Enclave, and to finally welcome Aelrinder back.

The elf had gotten an evolution challenge as well, and his challenge also sent him to a different planet.

Reign and the others had at first wanted to wait for him to come back before doing anything, but Aelrinder had sent them a message, telling them not to do such a thing as he had no idea just when he would be finished.

They received word from him earlier today that he would be done in a day or two, but of course, that was his own judgment, so the challenge might even last longer, or perhaps a bit shorter.

And of course, the most important thing of all.

Once Beast and the flood dragon were completely healed, it was time for them to finally go to New York City.

If they weren't able to go on the flood dragon, then no problem, they'll just use the wyvern and go that way.