MMORPG: REBORN MARK ADVENTURE IN ONLINE GAME

Raven's Thoughts – The Trickster's Play

Raven's breaths were uneven, his body screaming at him to move, to act. But his mind was elsewhere—fixated on the man standing before him.

Mist Low.

A nightmare to super guilds. A ghost no one could catch.

And now, the only reason Raven and Daniel were still alive.

Raven's grip on his dagger tightened as he studied the Trickster's movements—fluid, almost effortless, like he was merely playing a game while the rest of them fought for their lives.

That smile. That cocky, theatrical bow.

None of it was real.

Mist Low wasn't reckless. Every move, every word was a calculated act. He had let Ana and Liz escape, leaving Raven and Daniel to die. But now, at the very last second, he had swooped in like some dramatic hero, taking control of the situation.

Why?

Raven wasn't naive. There was no way Mist Low saved them out of kindness. He never did anything without a reason.

He could have left them. He could have watched from a safe distance, waiting for the Slumbering One to finish its meal.

But he didn't.

Instead, he made a show of rescuing them. A spectacle. A statement.

Raven exhaled sharply.

He's playing a different game.

This wasn't about saving them—it was about power.

Mist Low had always been unpredictable, but there was one thing Raven knew for certain: he thrived on making people dance to his tune.

And right now?

Raven was on his stage.

The Trickster's Stage – The Hidden Lair

The cavern shifted.

Raven had noticed it earlier—the unnatural mist, the way the air felt heavy with something more than just poison. But now, as the Slumbering One thrashed in pain, the very walls around them reacted.

What should have been solid rock rippled.

For a fraction of a second, Raven saw something beyond the cave—a glimpse of ancient symbols glowing faintly along the jagged walls. The cracks in the stone weren't just cracks. They were markings, buried beneath centuries of decay.

This wasn't just a cave.

It was a sealed lair.

And they had just broken the seal.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

Mist Low must have seen it too because his smirk widened, his fingers twitching as if barely restraining his excitement. "Oh? Now this is interesting."

The Slumbering One recoiled, its injured eye leaking golden ichor, but it didn't retreat. Instead, the mist thickened, curling around its massive frame like a protective shroud. The entire chamber began to breathe, the stone pulsing as though something even deeper was waiting beneath them.

Raven's stomach twisted. This wasn't just one monster.

There was something else buried here.

Daniel groaned behind him, barely conscious. He needed to get them out—now.

But Mist Low? He simply laughed.

"You feel it too, don't you?" His voice was light, amused, but his eyes gleamed with something else. Something dangerous.

Raven's heart pounded. They had woken something far worse than a single beast.

And Mist Low?

He was enjoying every second of it.

The Unsealed Depths

The air shifted.

It wasn't just the Slumbering One's presence pressing down on them anymore—something deeper had awakened. The cavern walls, once jagged and lifeless, now pulsed with a faint, eerie glow. Veins of crimson energy slithered across the stone, their patterns strangely deliberate, as if they had been etched into the rock long before this place had been forgotten.

Raven took a slow step back, his instincts screaming.

This wasn't a natural lair.

This was a prison.

And the Slumbering One wasn't the true threat—it was the guardian.

The beast let out a guttural growl, its massive form still partially obscured by the swirling mist. But even through the haze, Raven could see the change. Its massive claws, once rough and stone-like, now gleamed with a polished, obsidian sheen. Its body, which had seemed almost sluggish before, began to reshape, the ancient seals that had once suppressed it now completely shattered.

Raven cursed under his breath.

It wasn't just waking up. It was evolving.

"Daniel, move!" Raven barked, but his friend barely stirred. The poison—or whatever the hell was affecting him—still held him down.

A shadow flickered in the mist.

Mist Low.

He was standing at the edge of the chamber, one hand lazily resting on his hip, the other flipping his dagger between his fingers.

His smirk had widened.

"Oh, Raven," he mused, tilting his head slightly, "I think you've really stepped into something special this time."

Raven gritted his teeth. Mist Low wasn't worried. In fact, he looked positively delighted.

Which meant one thing.

He knew about this place.

Raven's grip on his dagger tightened. "You planned this."

Mist Low chuckled. "Planned? No, no, dear rival—I suspected." His gaze flickered toward the pulsating walls, the shifting mist, the now fully awakened guardian. "And it turns out, I was right."

Raven felt his pulse quicken.

He baited us here.

This wasn't just about him or Daniel—Mist Low wanted the lair unsealed.

The ground trembled violently, cutting off any further thought. The Slumbering One let out an earth-shaking roar, its golden eyes flaring like miniature suns. But it wasn't just roaring—it was calling.

Something below them answered.

A deep, ancient vibration pulsed through the stone, sending cracks spiraling out from the cavern floor. The once-solid ground began to split apart, revealing a gaping abyss beneath them—an entrance to something deeper.

Something buried.

For the first time, Mist Low's smirk faltered.

Raven's stomach dropped.

Even he didn't expect this.

The Trickster's Mask Slips

The ground shook violently, deep cracks spreading like veins across the cavern floor. The fissure yawned wider, revealing a shadowy abyss below, an unnatural void swallowing the dim glow of the poisoned cave.

The Slumbering One had fully awakened. Its molten eyes burned, its obsidian claws glinting with deadly sharpness. Poisonous mist curled around its massive frame, thick and suffocating.

And then, from above—

"Look out!"

A bolt of crackling blue lightning slammed into the Slumbering One's side, sending ripples of energy across its thick, armored hide.

From the rocky ledge near the entrance, Ana and Liz stood together, their weapons ready. Ana's staff still crackled with residual electricity, her expression fierce.

Liz, crouched beside her with a crossbow, smirked. "Took you idiots long enough to get in trouble."

Raven barely had time to feel relief before the Slumbering One roared, its massive tail lashing out.

Ana and Liz jumped, barely avoiding the impact as the tail shattered the ledge behind them. They landed near Raven and Daniel, dust and debris settling around them.

Ana glanced at Daniel, her usual enthusiasm flickering into concern. "He doesn't look good."

"He's still affected by the mist," Raven muttered, gripping his dagger tighter. "We need to—"

"No time."

Mist Low's voice cut through the conversation.

Unlike before, he wasn't smiling. The usual playful arrogance was gone. His golden eyes burned with a cold, dangerous focus.

For the first time since they had met, he looked like a real magician.

Mist Low raised his hands, arcane symbols swirling into existence around his fingertips. The air shimmered as multiple mirrors of himself flickered into the mist, each moving in different directions.

"Raven," he said sharply, no teasing in his voice now. "You take the blind side."

He pointed at Ana and Liz. "You two, cover me."

Ana snorted. "Bossing us around now? Fine. But you better not screw up, trickster."

Liz simply reloaded her crossbow. "Just don't die. I'm not carrying you out."

Mist Low ignored them.

He flicked his fingers. The illusions blurred, twisting into the shadows.

Then he inhaled—and cast.

The cavern exploded with movement.

The battle had begun.