Is this really a Game?!

Reign merely glanced at the rankings and said nothing. He didn't feel pride or arrogance because he was ranked first, he had just done what needed to be done, what only he could have done amongst his team, and that was it.

Without his Nephilim transformation, he wouldn't have been able to do it, without the power of his race, something he had not learned, earned, or ever thought about, he definitely would be much weaker than he was right now.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

That was why he didn't feel any pride, after all, the rankings the others had gotten all came from the hard-earned abilities and skills they had learned and practiced.

That was why he didn't feel that much pride, why he didn't believe himself to be better than others. If he could do the same without using his transformation, as, for example, Radagan could have done, using his mark and ability, that man could have slaughtered the entire horde that attacked them without any issue.

That was power, true power that a person can wield and call his own. Even Radagan's mark, something that was given to him, a gift of sorts, merely borrowed power, actually relied on his own strength and understanding of the sword, something quite different compared to the marks Reign and the others had.

"I, as well as all of you, barely scrapped by at the end, so even though we managed to pass the trial, we need to be careful, and vigilant, otherwise, who knows what can happen in the next trial." Reign said as the others nodded before glancing at the rewards that the system was about to bestow upon them.

[ The system has calculated and decided that the best reward for what the players have managed to accomplish is 5 days inside the premium training room of the arena. ]

[ The players can enter the training room whenever they wish, but they will need to spend 5 days inside once present. ]

[ The system advises the players to do so before going to the next trial in order to gain the most benefits, time inside the training room is frozen, thus, only an instant will pass outside while you train. ]

[ Inside the training room, the players can choose different kinds of simulations to appear, the room can become any kind of location possible, it can create any enemy the players wish to fight against, and it can create any kind of atmosphere that is needed. ]

[ Mana is abundant, and the room itself will constantly pour mana into the players whenever they wish so that they never run out of it. The special powers of the room also include healing, as well as fatigue removal, which means that for the 5 days the players spend inside, they will never become tired or sleepy, even their minds will be sharp, allowing for maximum efficiency. ]

"That's … quite something," Shadow said as Reign nodded.

As Shadow marveled at the system's reward, Reign's thoughts raced. The premium training room was beyond what they could have imagined—a space designed to push them to their absolute limits, with endless mana, customizable environments, and the ability to fight any type of enemy they wanted. It was the perfect tool to hone their skills and prepare for the next, undoubtedly harder, trial.

"That's not just something, it's exactly what we need," Reign said, his gaze sweeping across the group. "We barely scraped through this trial. Next time, we might not be so lucky. If we don't use this training room to its fullest, we could be walking into our own deaths."

The seriousness of his words weighed heavily on everyone. Despite their victory, the bitter truth was that they had come dangerously close to losing. The trial revealed their strengths, but it also exposed their weaknesses. They needed to close those gaps—and fast.

"We've all gotten stronger, but it's not enough," Wolf added, his tone measured but firm. "We need to improve our teamwork and find ways to synchronize our abilities better. Our individual power won't always be enough. We nearly died because we ended up fighting opponents that countered us perfectly."

Mia nodded, brushing a hand through her hair, which was still damp with sweat. "We also need to work on strategy. Reign's right. If we had approached this trial more tactically—paired our strengths with the right enemies—we could have saved ourselves a lot of pain."

Beast chimed in, "We can run simulations in the training room. We should practice different combinations of teams and scenarios. That way, no matter who faces what, we'll be prepared."

Reign's eyes narrowed in thought. "Yes, and we can simulate enemies even stronger than the ones we faced in the trial. That way, we'll be ready for anything."

The entire group was nodding now, the fatigue of their last battle momentarily forgotten as they considered the possibilities the training room offered. The key to surviving future trials wouldn't just be brute force—it would be preparation, adaptability, and strategy.

"Well, if the system's giving us a chance to get stronger, I say we take it," Shadow said with a grin. "Five days of non-stop training, no fatigue, no mana limits… it's like heaven for people like us."

Aelrinder smirked. "Or hell, depending on how hard we push ourselves."

Reign chuckled, feeling the tension ease just a little. "Either way, it's what we need."

The system's voice interrupted their conversation once more:

[ Would you like to enter the premium training room now? You may delay entry and plan accordingly, but the room is available for immediate use. ]

They all glanced at one another, eager to go right away, only for a calm voice to echo around them.

"We will go tomorrow, we need to rest first, this trial has pushed us to our limits, we cannot go right now, we will waste time getting to our peak states if we do so," Jin said, his calm eyes glancing over them all.

"And don't forget that we need to train individually as well." He continued, no hesitation in his voice at all.

"Practicing our teamwork, making sure our minds are in the right place and strategizing, that is all fine and we can definitely do that, but making sure we are all stronger is perhaps even more important."

"You have seen what happened to us when we faced off against one person who had overwhelming strength, no strategy or teamwork would have been enough to save us from Radagan's power, and this training room gives us a perfect opportunity to improve just that."

"My martial arts, Reign's swordsmanship that has just evolved, Wolf's own swordsmanship, Shadow's skill with the daggers, the control we have over our powers, those things need to be our priorities, not spending 5 days wasting time working together, you can do that whenever you want, outside of the arena."

"The most important thing for now is to become stronger, to learn how to use our powers better."

Jin's voice was like cold water splashing on their heads, waking them up from their stupor. He was right, even though what they planned was good and would have helped them, their own strength was still the most important.

Hadn't Reign thought of how Radagan would have been able to decimate the entire horde by himself?

Jin was right, and what Mia previously said, working on their strategy, and thinking calmly, once again showed itself, as they had nearly wasted such a good opportunity by being hot-headed.

Thus, they all went to rest, soaking in the hot spring in order to rest their minds, and although their bodies were at their peak, they felt as if they were now even better.

They all did nothing but rest and meditate the entire day before sleeping, and upon waking up, they gathered together, ate, and then went to the training room.

The system immediately teleported them to the training room, and they were all shocked to find themselves in a bright white room, the same one they had been in after finishing the first Hell Trial, and the same one they would be in after every instance dungeon they completed.

[ Welcome to the Premium Training Room. ]

[ Here, the players can train whatever they want, the players merely need to think of what they want to do, and the room will provide it for them. ]

[ Furthermore, if the players cannot think of what exactly they wish to do, what kind of opponent or training they want to undergo, they merely need to think about what they wish to train and improve, and the training room will provide the best possible course of training for them. ]

"So we just think of it, and the room provides, handy," Tank said before a large iron puppet suddenly appeared in front of him.

"It really works," Tank said before punching the puppet with full force, and it merely moved an inch.

"Just like I wanted it to be, incredible."

"Really, you can think of anything, and you thought of the room creating that?" Shadow asked before shadowy figures suddenly appeared a couple of meters around them, and the white of the room turned gray as trees rose, water appeared, and an entire swamp manifested itself.

"Now this is impressive," Shadow said as he glanced at Tank and moved toward the swamp, ready to start training.