MMORPG: REBORN MARK ADVENTURE IN ONLINE GAME

As Raven logged back into Mortal Online, the familiar sights of Viles Town came into focus. Unlike before, the town square was no longer empty—now, it was packed with players. Every street, every alley, and every corner buzzed with activity. The air was thick with noise, a mixture of frustrated shouts, heated discussions, and general complaints.

He barely had time to take a step before catching snippets of conversations all around him.

> "I swear, the devs are sadists! Why the hell is the first boss this difficult?"

> "That poison attack is straight-up bullshit! Who thought it was a good idea to give a starting boss damage over time and evasion boosts?!"

> "We wiped again! And it's not even close! The moment we reach its second phase, it's like the difficulty triples!"

The name Sprent Dungeon was being thrown around repeatedly. It didn't take long for Raven to piece things together—this was the dungeon everyone was currently stuck on.

The Sprent Dungeon Struggle

From what he gathered, Sprent Dungeon was the first real challenge in Mortal Online, meant to introduce players to mechanics beyond simple hack-and-slash. But instead of being a fair tutorial, it had turned into an early roadblock.

The primary issue? The First Boss.

It wasn't just strong—it was annoying.

Unpredictable Movement – The boss didn't follow a set pattern. It jumped, rolled, and dashed unpredictably, making it hard to land consistent hits.

Poison Mist Attack – Every few seconds, it released a lingering poison mist, forcing players to constantly move or take damage over time.

High Evasion – Unlike most beginner bosses, this one wasn't slow. Dodging and weaving between attacks, it punished any player who relied solely on brute force.

And the worst part?

A Second Phase That Turned the Fight into a Nightmare.

Apparently, after reaching half health, the boss became faster, its poison mist covered a wider area, and it even started using a dive attack that one-shot weaker players.

Simply put, it wasn't a typical early-game dungeon boss.

It was a skill check.

A check that most players were failing.

Frustration Boils Over

The crowd around Raven wasn't just complaining—they were angry.

> "No one's even beaten it yet?! What kind of game balance is this?!"

> "I've tried four different parties, and we all wiped before getting it below 40%!"

> "Screw this. I'm grinding levels before I try again."

As if to confirm their words, a system notification suddenly appeared in the air.

---

[World Announcement: The First Clear of Sprent Dungeon has yet to be achieved! Who will rise above the challenge?]

---

A wave of groans and curses erupted from the players.

"Still?! Damn it, we're all stuck!"

"This is embarrassing. Other games have first dungeon clears in the first hour!"

"Those damn devs probably designed this just to slow us down. They're laughing at us right now!"

Some players started blaming each other.

"You're the one who didn't dodge properly!"

"Oh yeah? At least I wasn't the one who stood in the poison mist like an idiot!"

Amidst the chaos, Raven simply stood there, arms crossed.

Opportunity in Chaos

Unlike the others, he wasn't frustrated—he was intrigued.

He knew Mortal Online wouldn't be an easy game. If everyone was stuck at the first dungeon, then the game's difficulty curve was going to be brutal.

And that meant two things:

1. Most players would be forced to level up first.

2. The few who figured out the dungeon mechanics would gain an early advantage.

His lips curled into a small smirk.

If there was one thing he knew from his past life, it was that in chaos, there was opportunity.

Raven's eyes narrowed as he listened to the complaints around him. The players here had no idea—no idea what this dungeon truly represented.

To them, it was just an early-game challenge, an annoying boss fight. But to Raven, it was something much bigger.

Sprent Dungeon wasn't just a roadblock. It was the gateway to the real game.

> This is where it truly begins.

He knew the truth.

The moment Hell Mode of this dungeon was cleared, Mortal Online would evolve—not update, not patch, but evolve.

A World That Fights Back

Once that happened, every monster in the game would change.

They would become intelligent.

They would no longer be simple AI enemies.

They would learn. Adapt. Mock players like humans.

Raven remembered it all too well from his past life.

The first time a Hell Mode clear triggered the game's evolution, players didn't even realize what had happened—until it was too late.

At first, the changes seemed small. Monsters started dodging more. They stopped blindly charging into attacks. Some even pretended to be weak to lure players into traps.

But then, it got worse.

They started talking.

And not just scripted lines—actual taunts.

> "Oh? You think you can dodge that? Try again, fool."

> "Pathetic. Did you think that attack would hit me?"

> "I've seen slimes with better reflexes than you."

For the first time in gaming history, NPC enemies developed a level of intelligence that had never been seen before.

It wasn't just an AI update—it was as if the game itself had come alive.

The Nightmare That Followed

Players quickly realized something horrifying.

The monsters didn't just taunt—they remembered how you fought.

If you used the same attack patterns too often, they would counter you.

If you relied too much on one strategy, they would break it apart.

Some monsters even started setting up ambushes, learning where players liked to hunt and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Entire dungeons that were once considered farmable became death traps overnight.

And the worst part?

Bosses that were once predictable became impossible to read.

Some laughed mid-fight, insulting players for their pathetic attempts.

Others played dirty, faking injuries, acting scared, even pretending to run away—only to strike when players lowered their guard.

The game stopped feeling like a game.

It became real.

Raven's Cold Realization

Raven exhaled slowly, gripping his cloak.

> I need to prepare.

In his past life, no one had expected the evolution. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late. Guilds crumbled. Casual players quit. The difficulty skyrocketed beyond anything the player base had experienced before.

This time, he wouldn't be caught off guard.

He had a choice.

Stay back, level up, and let someone else trigger the evolution first.

Or dive in, beat Hell Mode himself, and control how the game changed.

Either way, it was coming.

And when it did…

The world of Mortal Online would never be the same again.