Michael led the Rebornian army down towards the depths of the Chasm. The staircase was very steep and very thin, with some parts only allowing two people to cross at the same time.

However, at the main entrance of the underground Chasm itself, the entire thing was as giant as an entire island itself. There was a reason why Theresa and Levi described this thing as a maze.

The underground Chasm was so big and so expansive that only about 20% of it had been thoroughly explored by humanity.

Many of the adventurers who ventured forth to try and strike it rich would find themselves lost in the darkness, unable to get out. And that wasn’t considering the dangers laying in wait inside here.

The demi-humans could strike anywhere they pleased. They had mastered the underground Chasm as if it was their own kingdom. So, they were able to take advantage of the small passageways and tunnels that connected through different parts of the chasm.

And if you happened to chase after them, they could easily navigate through the maze and cause their pursuers to get lost underground.

If that wasn’t enough, Michael knew that the demi-humans had another card up their sleeve.

The magical monsters. The demi-humans knew where those creatures laid in wait. And they seemed to know exactly what made them tick.

So, a little prod here, a little scream there, they could lead those magical monsters to deal with the pursuing adventurers trying to conquer the chasm.

That was what Michael was fighting against in this place.

"Magical monsters... at the same level as a Nascent Spirit cultivator," Seberus said to himself. Right beside him was Michael as they made their way underground. "That’s a bit concerning."

Of course, Michael told Seberus everything he found out during the meeting. And ever the good guy he was, Seberus offered to go with Reborn to help them.

Having a Mystic Master was definitely a tremendous help.

"If I didn’t know that you were a Nascent Spirit cultivator yourself, I would have immediately stopped you from going," Seberus commented. "But if those magical monsters, I want you to leave them to me."

Michael shook his head. "Sorry, but this is going to be a good training opportunity for my army. But if things happen to go wrong, I will request you to help."

This time, Seberus was quite confused. He looked back at the marching army behind them. These Rebornians looked well-armored and dressed, but they weren’t as powerful as either of the Conglomerate armies. And they had barely survived the last time they went here.

"I don’t remember there being an army the last time I was in your nation."

"We just recently formed them. With some help."

Seberus nodded. "Well, at least whoever helped you is quite competent. There’s real coordination with your army’s movement. And they looked ready to fight at any moment, which is good. Who’s leading them?"

Michael pointed at the man at the very back of the formation, lagging behind, with his steps dragging through the soil as if he didn’t want to be here.

"That’s our general right there," Michael said.

"A new recruit?"

"Nah. You know him. Jaku."

Hearing this, Seberus had a double-take. "What. you mean, that’s the Dragonborn... don’t tell me... you’ve evolved them again?!"

Michael signaled for Seberus to keep his voice low. "Yeah. I actually don’t know what kind of species they are now. They look human, but their insides are completely different."

"Yeah, I can tell. They’re absolute monsters in terms of pure power. I don’t think they’re lacking when compared to a Draconian."

Michael nodded. That compliment would have definitely been true if Jaku just locked in and stopped lazing around.

"He’s actually—"

And just as he was about to say something, they both stopped in their tracks as something entered into their perception.

The ground underneath them shook as steps of a giant creature came crashing down on them. It was running at full speed.

The Rebornian army immediately tensed. They raised their swords, ready to cut down anything that came their way. Jaku, their general, remained behind them, seemingly not noticing the danger coming their way.

A humongous monkey, the size of two elephants, came running towards them, jumping through the stalactites and stalagmites on the ground as if they were part of a jungle.

Michael’s eyes widened. This creature had the same aura of power as those monsters back in New Sparta.

[Positive. This creature can be classified as a Magical Monster,] ChatJK6 confirmed.

She also saw the corpse yesterday. And using Michael’s perception, she was able to easily take its physiology and make her own assessments.

[This creature seemed to be a juvenile. Not yet at the same level as a Nascent Spirit cultivator.]

And it was injured too. It was holding its bleeding left shoulder, leaving trails of blood on the Chasm floor.

Michael didn’t think they would be seeing a Magical Monster this soon.

"I’ll take care of this," Seberus said.

But before he could even move, Michael put his hands forward to stop him. Then, he gestured with his mouth to look at Jaku.

Blue lightning crashed streaked through the darkened cavern of the underground chasm.

The Magical Monkey seemed to have sensed Jaku’s arrival as its eyes immediately turned red as it summoned some kind of green, poisonous mist around its body.

It coughed this poison onto the blue lightning, before swatting its uninjured hand onto the cloud of poison, intending to crush Jaku underneath.

But Jaku was nowhere to be seen.

The hairs on the back of the monkey raised up as Jaku appeared behind it, his sword already out of its scabbard.

Metal flashed in multiple lines. Then, it was over. Blood spurted on the monkey’s back, before it fell face-first onto the floor.

Jaku landed back on the floor. "Damn those two! They’ve actually conditioned my body to react instinctively to a threat! Damn it!"

Seberus took in a deep exhale. Every now and again, he’s reminded that Michael wasn’t the only talented person in his company.