Reigns stared at Nyxara with disbelief written all over his face.

"Did I use hand movements for summoning?"

Nyxara crossed her arms beneath her chest and nodded confidently.

"Of course you did, darling. You always used to summon them with a whip of your hand."

"A whip of my hand?" Reigns pointed at himself with an offended expression. "What kind of edgy nonsense is that supposed to be?"

Nyxara tilted her head slightly while trying to imitate him. She raised her hand dramatically and swung it through the air.

"Like this."

Reigns immediately covered his face.

"Oh hell no..."

"What?" Nyxara blinked innocently.

"I looked stupid, didn’t I?"

"No...You looked very cool."

"That’s even worse."

Nyxara puffed her cheeks slightly and moved closer to him.

"Darling, you are insulting your own style."

"I am insulting my past self because he clearly had problems."

"Hmm..." Nyxara narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Perhaps a little."

"See!"

Reigns rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply before trying again.

He stretched his hand out and flicked it sharply through the air while trying to speak but for some reason as soon as it reached bloo,he failed to speak out the last words.

"..."

"..."

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

Nyxara looked away awkwardly while Reigns slowly lowered his hand.

"Maybe your summons don’t respect you anymore," Nyxara whispered softly.

"...’’

’Know,I can clearly remember the code word but for some reason I am not able to speak here as if something is preventing it.’

’Is there an entity who is watching me throughout and now did some weird witch craft level shit.’

Before Reigns could reply, the entire place suddenly shook violently.

BOOOOOOM!

The ground trembled beneath their feet and cracks spread across the dry earth. Dust and broken stones rolled across the labyrinth walls.

Both of them instantly turned around.

A huge figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

Reigns’ pupils shrank.

It had the upper body of a massive bear, but the lower half was nothing but mingled flesh and exposed muscles twisted together unnaturally. Several pieces of flesh moved on their own like living worms, and dark blood dripped continuously from its body.

Its breathing sounded heavy and wet.

Now what the hell was this?

And to make matters worse...

Lv12.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Reigns jumped back immediately, unable to contain the sheer absurdity of what he was seeing.

The Mingled Bear suddenly roared and jumped onto its hind limbs before charging straight toward Nyxara.

The ground cracked beneath its massive weight.

Nyxara calmly stepped forward to meet the attack.

Her long purple hair fluttered lightly as she pulled out her greatsword.

CLANG!

The giant blade flashed with a cold light.

Before Reigns could even react, Nyxara swung her sword down.

The monster’s body split apart instantly.

Blood and flesh exploded everywhere as the Mingled Bear was hacked into pieces and collapsed onto the ground with a loud crash.

Reigns swallowed his saliva slowly while staring at the scattered remains.

’Yeah... I keep forgetting she is terrifying.’

Nyxara flicked the blood off her sword and looked toward him.

"Darling, stay close. I am not getting a good feeling from this place."

Reigns nodded seriously.

The two continued traversing the place carefully.The deeper they went, the stranger the surroundings became.

It looked like a giant labyrinth with huge portions missing from the walls and pathways. Through those broken openings, they could see something far away in the distance.

A huge scorched barren tree.

Even though it looked decayed and dead, its massive branches stretched across the sky like giant claws. The tree carried a deep sense of horror that made the surroundings feel suffocating.

The air itself felt heavier.

As they traversed the labyrinth, another monster suddenly flared out from the darkness and rushed toward them with a loud growl.

But before it could even approach...

A cold light flashed through the sky.

SHIIIIK!

A spear pierced straight through the monster’s neck and nailed it to the wall.

The creature twitched for a moment before dying instantly.

Reigns’ eyes narrowed immediately.

Footsteps echoed nearby.

A man slowly stepped out from the shadows.

He had long messy hair and a thick beard. His clothes were made from animal hide that barely covered his groin, and his body was filled with scars old and new.

The moment his eyes landed on Reigns and Nyxara, they lit up brightly.

"Hahaha... Human..."

His body trembled slightly as if overwhelmed with excitement.

"We finally have new entrants.....Hahahahaahahahha!"

A loud hearty laughter echoed throughout the labyrinth.

Reigns felt a chill run down his spine and immediately crouched behind Nyxara.

And the laughter wasn’t the only reason.

Lv 15.

That damned devil incarnated was Level 15.

Like how the hell was that even possible?

His scalp turned numb as he stared at the man’s status.

The man suddenly turned toward the couple and jumped toward them in a single motion.

"Nyx, be careful. That guy is Lv 15."

Nyx’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She immediately raised her hand and summoned her greatsword. The massive blade appeared with a cold metallic sound as she aimed it directly at the man.

The man instantly stopped and took a step back while raising both hands.

"Heyyy... Buddy, calm down. I am not a threat."

From behind Nyx, Reigns slowly peeked out with a deep scowl on his face.

"That’s a very insane thing to say when we are supposed to hunt a boss monster out here only to find some group weirdo and a half naked human laughing wildly... Or who knows if you are even human."

The man blinked once before grinning widely.

"I am very human. You can examine me if you want."

He spoke while casting an eerie smile that revealed his broken teeth.

Reigns immediately flared up.

"Shut up..."

The atmosphere turned tense.

Nyxara didn’t lower her sword even slightly. Her cold eyes remained fixed on the strange man as if she would attack the moment he made a suspicious move.

The man sighed dramatically before scratching his messy beard.

"Nyx, let’s just kill him!"

"Hohohohooo!"

"Hey kid, stop commanding your wife."

"WIFFE!"

"WIFFEE!"

Both screams erupted at the same time.

Reigns nearly bit his own tongue while Nyxara’s face instantly turned red.

"She isn..."

Reigns suddenly swallowed back his words.

Nyxara’s purple hair had started floating slightly, and a terrifying pressure spread from her body like a demoness awakening.

Reigns felt one word away from the edge of death.

Cold sweat rolled down his neck.

"...She isn’t for now, but she will be..."

Nyxara’s cold expression melted instantly.

The dangerous aura around her disappeared as the corners of her lips curled upward slightly.

Meanwhile, the man’s expression distorted badly as if he had stepped on a pile of dog shit.

He facepalmed heavily and shook his head. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Guys, listen to me... We wasted enough time."

His tone finally became serious.

"I am sure you came here to hunt the boss monster and go out, right?"

Both Nyx and Reigns nodded cautiously.

"Great..."

The man clapped his hands slowly while casting a jovial yet eerie smile, exposing his broken teeth once again.

"Then congratulations!"

"You are now doomed."

Reigns frowned immediately.

"Why?"

The man’s smile slowly faded.

"Because there is no boss monster... Not that I know."

"WHAAATT?"