Is this really a Game?!

The group was frozen, staring at the large body of water that had suddenly appeared, with none of them realizing it before. The shimmering surface of the lake reflected the dimming light, giving it an eerie, unnatural aura.

Beast, who had previously used the water from the lake without hesitation, summoning his flood dragon, which was now floating above him and staring at the lake as well, was now questioning himself, why did he just naturally use the water of the lake and act like it was always there?

It was unsettling, for them to have only now realized that something as massive as this had appeared, not catching on previously at all.

"How the hell did none of us catch this?" Wolf muttered, his voice tinged with frustration as his eyes focused on the large lake and the serene scene that it provided. "It's like we were too focused on the bison to even realize what was happening."

Reign's brow furrowed as he stepped closer to the edge of the lake, inspecting the water. "It must be the system. The lake wasn't here before, but it appeared exactly when we needed it. It's part of the trial—probably meant to give us what we need to control the bison."

"That makes sense," Jin added, still scanning the horizon, his sharp gaze never relaxing. "But if the system is giving us help, we should expect it to come with a cost. Nothing is free in this place."

Beast nodded in agreement, a look of concern crossing his face. "Yeah, the system doesn't give without taking. We have to stay on our guard. If this lake is here to help us, what else could it have set up?"

Tank shrugged, still recovering from his earlier clash with the bison. "Well, at least we know it's not just going to drop monsters on us... probably."

"Don't jinx it," Shadow warned, his eyes narrowing as he continued circling the lake, staying in the shadows, wary of any sudden movements. "The system has a way of throwing curveballs when we least expect it."

Reign's gaze shifted from the lake back to the ranch, where the rest of the animals were slowly calming down after the chaos caused by the Lava Bison. With the bison subdued and secured, and the rest of the animals under control for now, it seemed like they'd finally earned a moment of peace. But there was a nagging feeling at the back of Reign's mind, a sense that something more was coming.

And of course, that feeling proved to be true.

They all suddenly froze and turned around as the water of the lake started moving. At first, it was very subtle, the water startled rippling slightly, but then, it became stronger and stronger, and waves formed on the surface.

"It's big," Jin said as he stared at the center of the lake while Reign and the others nodded in agreement, all of them sensing a powerful and large presence coming from the depths of the lake, getting closer and closer to the surface.

And then, water rose from the center. It was like a pillar of water suddenly shot up from the very center, rising up to about 15 meters before the water fell down, allowing them to see what the creature was.

A massive creature emerged from the depths of the lake, its body towering over the water's surface. The beast was unlike anything they had seen before—an enormous serpent-like creature, with a long, sinuous body covered in dark blue scales that shimmered with an unnatural, otherworldly light. Its head was crowned with jagged, fin-like protrusions, and its eyes glowed a brilliant white.

The creature's maw opened wide, revealing rows of sharp, glistening teeth as it let out a deep, echoing roar that shook the air around them.

Waves from its emergence surged outward, crashing against the shores of the lake and sending ripples through the ground. Reign and the others braced themselves as they felt the energy emanating from the creature—an intense, almost ancient power that rivaled anything they had faced thus far.

"Well, you jinxed it," Shadow muttered, his daggers already drawn and ready.

Beast's dragon growled low, circling above them protectively, but even the Flood Dragon seemed wary of this new arrival. Beast, still somewhat shaken by the sudden appearance of the lake, took a deep breath and focused. "What the hell is that thing?"

Ding!

[ The Serpent of the Abyss has been awakened. Please defeat or cause the monster to retreat without causing damage to the ranch or animals that are present. ]
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A collective groan went through the group. The ranch was still intact after the chaos with the Lava Bison, but now this massive serpent threatened everything. And worse, they had to handle it carefully without destroying anything.

"Are you kidding me?" Wolf growled, his fists clenched, chaos flames flickering dangerously around him. "That thing looks like it could destroy the entire ranch with ease, not to mention that it can definitely manipulate water, and it has an almost unlimited amount of it here!"

"Focus," Reign snapped, his gaze fixed on the serpent as it slithered closer to the shore. "We need to keep it away from the ranch and take it down, at least we don't have to be careful not to wound this thing, we are allowed to do as we wish."

Jin narrowed his eyes at the serpent, which was now almost fully out of the water. "It's not like the Lava Bison. This thing is far more intelligent. Look at its eyes."

Reign followed Jin's gaze and noticed the sharp, calculating gleam in the serpent's glowing white eyes. It wasn't mindlessly rampaging like the bison. It was observing them, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"It's testing us," Mia said, stepping forward, her ice magic already swirling around her hands. "We can't afford to let it get close to the ranch. I'll try to slow it down with ice, but this thing is much stronger than the other animals, even though I can use my frost more easily when water is present, this thing can definitely weaken that by controlling the water as well."

Beast glanced at his dragon, which was hovering anxiously above. "My dragon can control the water, but it's weaker than before thanks to the fact it had used quite some energy previously, not to mention the fact that this thing is definitely not weak and can contend against the power."

"Let's not forget that we still have the bison here, we can't let it get hurt during the battle, one of us should escort it away from this place, perhaps to the ranch."

"Alright, let's move quickly before this serpent causes any damage," Reign ordered, his mind racing through the options. "Shadow, you and Beast will take the Lava Bison to a safe spot near the ranch. We'll need your speed and Beast's dragon to ensure nothing happens to it. The rest of us will keep this serpent occupied."

Shadow nodded, already moving toward the exhausted Lava Bison. Beast quickly followed, his dragon hovering close to the ground, ready to help if needed. The two worked efficiently, calming the still-weakened bison and guiding it carefully toward the ranch.

As they distanced themselves from the immediate battle zone, the serpent began to slither closer to them, its body undulating as it coiled and uncoiled with a grace that belied its immense size. The water rippled and moved as though obeying its will, flowing up around the serpent's body and forming protective shields of liquid.

The creature's glowing white eyes locked onto Reign and the others, calculating and menacing.

Reign tightened his grip on his swords, his eyes never leaving the serpent. "We need to split its attention. Keep it focused on multiple threats."

"On it," Wolf growled, stepping forward. His chaos flames flickered to life, but this time he kept them tightly controlled, wary of how the serpent might manipulate water to counter them. He moved in a wide arc, keeping his distance but ensuring the serpent noticed him. "Come on, big guy. Let's see what you've got."

Mia, standing beside Reign, summoned her ice magic, forming jagged spikes that shot toward the serpent. "I'll try to keep it pinned in one spot. You focus on its head—if we can disorient it, maybe we can force it back into the lake."

The ice spikes shot forward, and the serpent reacted instantly, the water around it rising like a shield. The spikes shattered against the water barrier, creating a rain of icy shards, but it was enough to force the serpent's attention onto Mia.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Reign dashed forward, using his swords to strike at the serpent's coiled body. His movements were a blur as he ran on the water as if it were ground, aiming for its joints, hoping to destabilize its balance. The serpent hissed, its massive form shifting as it reacted to Reign's swift strikes, though the damage seemed minimal.

The serpent's scales were far tougher than they had anticipated.

As Reign's attacks landed, the serpent's tail whipped out with blinding speed, aiming for him with lethal force. Reign barely managed to evade, leaping to the side as the tail smashed down, causing a large pillar of water to shoot up.