Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 808 Exploring the Jungle: Unveiling Ancient Civilizations

Reign finished explaining the concept of true names, the Old Tongue, and how their true names had influenced their behaviors. His friends remained in stunned silence, trying to process the information.

Shadow was the first to speak, breaking the silence. "So, our names are like seeds that grow into our true selves, but they don't change us, they merely help us become what we always were, what we were destined to be?"

Reign nodded, relieved that his friends were taking it relatively well. "Yes, it's as if our true names guide us on our path. They don't force us, but they influence our choices and actions."

"What if one gets a true name like Wrath, Killer, or something similar, would it make that person become crazy, even if he was a meek person that used to be good?" Laura asked Reign who shrugged his shoulders.

"From what was told to me, true names are merely reflections of our true selves, so if a person gets such a name, they definitely had a lot of stuff piled up inside of them, sooner or later, they would have become the same person, the name just influences them and allows them to become that person earlier."

Beast scratched his head, his brows furrowed in thought. "It makes sense, now that I think about it. I've become more fearless and willing to embrace my connection with animals. I always thought it was just the game that had that effect, causing us to become less afraid of battles and forcing us to adapt, to change, but this ..."

Wolf, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up. "But what about the true name you read, you mentioned it appeared on the wall, what was it?"

Reign hesitated for a moment, knowing he couldn't reveal the true name he had seen. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. It's written in the Old Tongue, and even reading it nearly destroyed me. It's too dangerous."

Greenie was the most composed of the group. "It seems like we've stumbled into something much bigger than just this game, that temple, the name you read, I mean, who left it there, and why were you the only one that was able to see it?"

"Well, the Will told me that the temple, as well as that name, was made and written a long time ago, so it doesn't necessarily mean that it was placed there for me to see, it seems that it truly was a coincidence, somebody wrote the true name of a god there just in case something happened, so that the god would be remembered."

"As for why only I was able to see and read it, well that was because the Will noticed it the moment I saw it, so it quickly removed it in order for you guys to not see it and potentially endanger yourselves, as for me, well, as you know I was teleported somewhere for a bit, a place that healed me from the consequences of reading the true name of a god."

Tank nodded in agreement. "We need to be careful with this knowledge. You said it doesn't change us, and I really don't feel as if anything has changed about me, I mean, I was always willing to put myself in front of you to protect you, that's why I was given this large body of mine and my ability."

"But others might not feel the same." 

Reign and the others nodded to Tank before Mia suddenly opened her mouth.

"Only pioneers like us were given true names at the start from what I know, the rest of the world would need to spend quite some time fighting and earning their 'true' names, so they might even be more at ease as they had already changed before getting them, for them, their true names might seem as a representation of what they had become during the game."

Reign and the others stared at Mia who glanced at them with confusion.

"What?"

"That … that actually makes perfect sense, we didn't think of that at all." Reign suddenly said before placing his hand on his chin.

"Those that got true names later will definitely take the news we just got easier than we have, after all, they would have mostly become the person that they were always destined to be, which is actually just another proof that true names don't forcibly change us, they merely show us what we are."

The group agreed with a sense of unity, strengthened by the knowledge they had gained. Their journey had become more profound and complex, but they were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

As they continued their exploration of the jungle, they came across more ruins, evidence of an ancient and advanced civilization that had once thrived in this mysterious place. The ruins were covered in intricate carvings, some depicting scenes of prosperity and joy, while others showed battles and conflicts.

None of the ruins had anything like the temple had. None of them showed Raziel or Cyrus and seemed to just show some conflicts between kingdoms in the past, as well as some notable characters that had arisen from those conflicts.

Reign had expected as much, after all, Raziel had told him that Cyrus was going to remove similar structures and things so that they wouldn't face anything as dangerous as the true name of a god again in this jungle.

Still, the architecture, the carvings of the buildings, the materials used, they were all so different, unique compared to what Reign and the others knew of.

Their curiosity led them to examine the carvings closely, and they couldn't help but marvel at the artistic and architectural achievements of this ancient civilization. Each carving told a story, and as they moved from one to the next, they began to piece together a narrative of the world that had once existed here.

Beast, being naturally inclined toward animals, noticed intricate depictions of creatures that seemed fantastical. He pointed to one carving showing a creature with the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. "Look at these creatures. They're unlike anything I've ever seen. It's as if they had a deep connection with nature and the unknown."

Reign nodded in agreement. "These carvings reveal a society that revered the natural world and its mysteries. Perhaps they drew inspiration from the jungle and its ancient traditions."

"These seem different, they had … machines of sorts," Mia said as she glanced at another mural, one showing the civilization fighting another civilization.

"And these, don't seem a bit similar to medieval knights and the like?" Tank asked as he pointed at another one.

"Multiple civilizations on the planet, each one developing very differently, where did they come from, I mean, if they were on Earth, historians and archeologists should have found some of this, are these from a different planet?"

"No, from what I know, something happened to Earth a long time ago, it seems every civilization was wiped and life started anew, the change Earth is going through right now, becoming larger and denser with mana, is actually more akin to Earth turning into what it once was, a larger planet full of mana." Reign said as he looked at the murals.

"The reason why we had never known about these civilizations was because of what happened, I don't know what happened, however, nor do I know why everything was gone and why Earth became smaller."

Wolf and the others glanced at Reign before shrugging their shoulders.

They didn't know about this in the past, but they felt that such things were not truly important to them. After all, they were merely trying to survive in this new world, becoming more powerful so that they could reach the realm of Transcendent and save Earth from being destroyed, such matter could be left for later when they were powerful enough to actually do something about it.

Upon finishing their exploration of the ruins, Reign and the others continued with what they had done before, hunting down powerful monsters inside the jungle, increasing their levels, as well as making sure to get rid of any of the corrupted areas that were deep in the ground.

Aelrinder was with them, and compared to the rest, he took the knowledge of true names much easier, after all, he came from a planet that had Transcendents in it and was more involved with the universe compared to Earth.

Many things that Reign and the others were learning now were something most inhabitants of his world were already aware of, but according to the rules of the 'game', he and the other elves were not to tell the natives of Earth what they knew.

Knowing too much is not always a good thing, and the people of Earth were to learn more slowly by increasing their levels and becoming more powerful.

Right now, Aelrinder has become a true powerhouse thanks to his ability. He no longer needed to wait a long time to recharge his ability, it lasted much longer, and he could use it in more ways than before.