MMORPG: REBORN MARK ADVENTURE IN ONLINE GAME

Ana's hands trembled slightly as she channeled mana, golden light flickering at her fingertips. The cavern's oppressive atmosphere made every spell feel sluggish, as if the very air resisted her will. The poison mist wasn't just a visual obstruction—it was alive in a way, seeping into spells, warping their intent, and twisting their structure.

She gritted her teeth.

Normal magic wouldn't hold here. She needed something stronger. More precise.

Ana dropped to one knee and pressed her palm to the cold stone floor, tracing intricate runes with her fingertips. Each glowing symbol flickered before stabilizing, forming a layered construct beneath her.

The mist immediately reacted, swirling unnaturally as if trying to resist.

Her grip tightened on the dagger at her belt. There was no choice.

With a sharp inhale, she dragged the blade across her palm, letting crimson droplets fall onto the golden runes. The moment blood met magic, a pulse of raw energy exploded outward, pushing back the poison mist in a ten-foot radius.

For the first time since the fight started, Ana could breathe properly.

But she wasn't done yet.

Layering the Barrier

Ana didn't just want to push back the poison—she needed to neutralize it. The problem was that the mist wasn't a simple toxin; it was infused with the golem's corrupted energy, an extension of its existence. If she wanted to counter it, she needed to break its influence.

She slammed both hands onto the glowing formation beneath her, pouring in more mana. The runes shifted, expanding outward in spirals. Instead of repelling the poison outright, they began rewriting the space around them.

A second pulse rippled through the battlefield.

The mist that had previously recoiled now dissipated entirely within her zone, leaving behind clear air. This wasn't just a temporary clearing—it was a localized purification field.

"Barrier up!" Ana called out, feeling sweat bead on her forehead. Maintaining this was going to drain her fast.

But the effect was immediate.

Raven, Daniel, and Liz instinctively shifted closer to the clear zone, their movements becoming sharper as they no longer had to contend with the poison hindering their reflexes.

Even Mist Low gave an approving whistle. "Nice trick, golden girl."

Ana ignored him, focusing on stabilizing the spell.

Fighting Back Against the Corruption

The momentary advantage was clear, but Ana knew this wasn't enough. If she didn't reinforce the barrier, the poison mist would inevitably creep back in.

Closing her eyes, she altered her approach. Instead of simply repelling the mist, she shaped the golden runes into a continuous loop, feeding energy into the air itself—creating an adaptive defense rather than a static shield.

A warning flashed in her mind. Mana reserves dropping.

Damn it.

She reached into her pouch, fingers finding the cool surface of a Lesser Mana Crystal. Without hesitation, she crushed it in her grip, absorbing the raw energy. It was crude and inefficient, but it bought her time.

The barrier pulsed again, growing stronger.

And then—

The golem moved.

As if sensing the disruption to its poison field, it turned toward Ana.

The air around her darkened instantly, the poison mist pushing back with more force than before, trying to smother her magic.

Ana gasped as the weight of the corruption pressed down on her.

The golem wasn't just leaking poison—it was actively countering her spell.

Her eyes darted to the third rune still flickering on the golem's body. Its pulse had changed. It wasn't just a containment seal. It was a conduit, feeding energy directly into the environment.

Ana cursed. "This mist isn't just a defense mechanism. It's a battlefield-wide spell!"

Raven's gaze snapped to her. "You're saying it's casting magic?"

"Yes! And if we don't break that last rune soon, we're all fighting under its domain."

A deep, guttural rumble shook the cavern as if the golem had heard her.

And then—

The third rune cracked.

A wave of poison flooded the battlefield, devouring Ana's barrier like it was never there.

Mist Low chuckled darkly. "Well. That's unfortunate."

Ana, panting, wiped blood from her hand. "That's not the word I'd use."

Because now, the real fight was beginning.

Raven's breath slowed as he pushed off the ground, his body a blur of motion. The battle was moving fast—too fast—but that was exactly how he liked it. His instincts sharpened, honed by years of combat. The moment Ana's barrier flared to life, he had already chosen his next move.

The shoulder wound.

Liz's poison-coated dagger had left a faint burn on the golem's armor, a spot where the corruption clashed violently against the stone's natural defenses. That was his entry point.

Stealth activated.

His form blurred into the mist, his presence vanishing. Even the poison struggled to grasp him, his steps featherlight as he slipped past the battlefield's chaos like a phantom.

The golem's hulking form loomed ahead, its runes flickering as if sensing something—but not quite pinpointing it.

Good.

That meant it couldn't track him properly.

He closed in.

The Execution

A heartbeat before impact, Raven's dagger flashed in his grip.

—Backstab Activated—

His movement accelerated unnaturally, muscles surging with raw precision. He twisted his wrist, angling his blade at a precise 37-degree angle—just enough to slip between the fractured layers of stone without bouncing off.

And then—

Contact.

The dagger plunged into the wound, sinking deep. The corrupted stone shuddered violently, as if rejecting the intrusion.

A pulse of black energy exploded outward.

Raven gritted his teeth, forcing the blade deeper. His hand trembled against the sheer force of the golem's resistance, but he wasn't letting go.

The corruption within the wound reacted aggressively, surging up the blade, trying to infect him—

But he was ready.

—Poison Resistance Check: Passed—

His body shivered as the status effect attempted to latch on, but it failed to take hold.

Instead, the golem's energy backfired on itself, feeding into the already damaged area.

The crack spread.

A fracture ripped through the golem's shoulder, splitting the stone from the inside out.

Raven's instincts screamed at him—MOVE.

He wrenched his dagger free, twisting his body into a backflip just as the golem's remaining intact arm swung toward him with terrifying force.

The air howled as the massive stone fist tore through the space he had occupied a second ago.

Too close.

The shockwave sent him flying, his back slamming into a jagged boulder. Pain lanced through his ribs, but he barely registered it.

Because—

The golem roared.

Its corrupted core, now partially exposed, pulsed violently. The dark energy within it seethed, unstable.

Daniel didn't waste the opportunity.

From above, another Wind Shot arrow screamed toward the fresh wound—

Boom!

The impact struck true, shattering more of the outer armor.

And then—

Liz's rune bomb detonated.

A blast of arcane force ripped through the weakened area, stone and corruption alike crumbling away.

Raven exhaled sharply, pushing himself off the ground.

His strike had worked.

But the golem wasn't done.

Because as the dust settled—

The third rune shattered completely.

And the golem's power surged.