MMORPG: REBORN MARK ADVENTURE IN ONLINE GAME

The cavern stretched into darkness, its massive stone pillars coated in thick moss, long untouched by the outside world. The scent of damp earth mixed with something acrid—the faintest trace of poison lingering in the air. Even before the fight had begun, the atmosphere itself was against them.

Raven took a slow step forward, his boots pressing against the smooth stone floor. The only sound was the soft hum of magic vibrating through the ancient seals that covered the Poison Golem's massive form.

The golem, a hulking, monstrous construct of jagged stone and crystalline poison veins, sat unmoving at the heart of the chamber. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a ruined statue, frozen mid-motion—its arms wrapped in the remnants of an old binding spell, its core hidden beneath layers of corrosion.

But the seals were weakening.

Faint runes, glowing with a pale blue light, wrapped around the creature's body like chains. There were five in total, each positioned in precise locations: across its shoulders, chest, legs, and forehead. These were the only things keeping it from waking up.

A deep, vibrating crack sliced through the silence.

Raven's eyes snapped toward the nearest rune. The glowing inscription flickered, struggling to hold its form. Thin fractures ran through the magical sigils, like cracks in glass right before it shatters.

Then, with a sharp pop, the rune snapped.

A wave of corrupted magic surged outward from the broken seal.

The cavern trembled.

Dust rained from the ceiling, and hairline fractures raced across the cavern walls. The entire chamber seemed to breathe—as if something ancient had just stirred from a deep slumber.

Raven took an instinctive step back. "The seal's breaking."

Liz's daggers were already in her hands before Raven finished speaking. "So… do we run, or do we fight?"

The moment the rune shattered, a thick, sickly green mist began to seep from the golem's body. It moved unnaturally, slithering across the ground like a living entity. The scent of rotting vegetation and sulfur filled the cavern.

A system notification flashed in front of them:

> [Warning: You have entered a High-Tier Poison Field.]

[Extended exposure will permanently lower poison resistance.]

Ana coughed, pressing a hand against her mouth as the mist spread. "This is bad. We need a barrier—"

She raised her staff, casting a protective dome of golden light around the team. The spell flared brilliantly—then flickered.

A second later, the barrier cracked.

"What—?" Ana's eyes widened. "It's already breaking?"

Mist Low had been silent until now, but his golden eyes flickered with interest as he studied the runes. His usual lazy smirk was gone, replaced by something more calculating.

"This… isn't normal," he murmured. He crouched, running a gloved hand across the remnants of the shattered rune. A faint static charge ran along his fingertips, the last traces of the binding spell still lingering.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, keeping his bow half-raised.

Mist Low narrowed his eyes. "This isn't standard sealing magic. It's something older. More like…" His fingers tapped against the stone. "A countdown."

Silence.

Ana's expression darkened. "Wait. You're saying this wasn't meant to keep the golem locked away forever?"

Mist Low smiled faintly, but there was no humor in it. "Exactly."

Daniel adjusted his stance, fingers tightening around the grip of his bow as he studied the battlefield. Even with his keen eyesight, the swirling poison mist made it difficult to gauge distances properly. The air itself seemed to shift and distort, creating a visual haze that was more than just a trick of the light.

He inhaled slowly. Test shot first.

Lifting his bow, he pulled the string taut. The runes along the wooden frame flickered to life, glowing a soft green as he activated one of his basic wind-arrow techniques. The projectile shimmered, wrapped in a faint vortex of compressed air, designed to pierce through defenses.

Daniel aimed for the golem's left knee, where the crystalized poison veins were slightly thinner. He released.

The arrow shot forward—swift, precise. But just as it crossed into the densest part of the poison mist, something happened.

A hissing sound erupted as the arrow began to dissolve mid-flight.

The poisonous energy in the air corroded the projectile like acid, breaking it down into fragments before it could even get close to the golem.

Daniel's sharp gaze locked onto the point where it vanished. Eight meters away. That was the minimum range before the mist completely disintegrated projectiles.

"Tch." His jaw clenched. "Ranged attacks are going to be useless unless they're heavily enchanted."

Liz, standing nearby, tilted her head. "Good to know."

Without hesitation, she flicked her wrist, launching a throwing dagger in the same direction. The blackened steel spun in the air, sleek and sharp—

And just like the arrow, it melted.

Liz clicked her tongue in irritation. "Oh, come on."

The dagger had been coated in anti-corrosion enchantments—not the best, but good enough to withstand most poisons for a limited time. Yet it hadn't even lasted a second in that toxic haze.

"Confirmed," Liz muttered, pulling out another blade. "The field isn't just weakening attacks. It's eating them."

Ana's hands were already glowing as she whispered an incantation under her breath. A faint golden ripple spread outward, forming a thin barrier of light around the group.

"The poison isn't natural," she murmured. "It's reacting to our presence, almost like… a living thing."

Mist Low, crouching near the shattered rune, let out a soft chuckle. "Because it is."

The group turned toward him.

Mist Low straightened up, brushing nonexistent dust from his coat. His golden eyes glinted in the dim light as he gestured toward the cavern walls.

"Ever notice how the mist doesn't spread beyond a certain point?"

Raven's eyes followed his motion.

It was subtle—but he was right. The poison mist only extended within a specific radius around the golem. It didn't seep into the rest of the cavern like normal gas would. It stayed concentrated, synchronized with the runes.

Ana's expression darkened. "You mean… it's part of the seal?"

Mist Low's smirk widened. "Bingo."

Raven's grip on his dagger tightened as realization clicked into place.

The poison field wasn't just a defensive mechanism. It was part of the golem itself.

Another sharp crack echoed through the chamber.

The second rune—positioned along the golem's right shoulder—began to flicker wildly. The ancient inscription pulsed, struggling to maintain its form.

Then, with a low, ominous hum, the rune's glow shifted from a bright blue to a sickly black.

Raven's instincts screamed at him.

"Move!"

They barely had time to react before the rune shattered.

A wave of corrupted energy surged outward. It wasn't a normal explosion—it was silent, almost eerily so. The air itself rippled, distorting as if reality had momentarily twisted under the force of the spell breaking.

Then—the golem moved.

A single, faint twitch.

It wasn't much. Just the slightest shift in its massive stone fingers—but it was enough to send a spike of tension through the entire group.

Mist Low exhaled sharply. "Well. That's not good."

A deep vibration rumbled through the chamber. The ground trembled, fine cracks spider-webbing across the stone beneath their feet.

Then came the sound of grinding rock.

The golem's fingers flexed, its jagged, poison-coated form beginning to come alive.

Liz took a cautious step back. "Yeah, okay. Definitely not a statue anymore."

The green crystal veins running across the golem's body pulsed, almost like blood being pumped through arteries. Faint flashes of sickly light flickered beneath its stone skin.

Daniel lifted his bow, but he didn't fire. "It's still slow. Maybe it needs time to fully wake up."

Mist Low's smirk returned, but it was sharper now. "Sure. You wanna wait and test that theory?"

A heavy silence fell over them.

Then—

The golem's eyes opened.

Two deep, glowing green voids snapped to life, burning with an unnatural intensity.

The cavern groaned as the ancient construct shifted its weight.

The third rune began flickering erratically. A final warning.

Then—

A deep, echoing roar shook the chamber. The sound wasn't purely physical—it was magical, vibrating in their bones, shaking the very air itself.

The Poison Field expanded.

And then—

The golem moved.

It wasn't sluggish. It wasn't slow.

It was fast.

Its massive, jagged arm swept forward, aiming directly at Raven and Mist Low.

"Scatter!" Raven barked.

They barely leapt out of the way as the golem's fist smashed into the cavern floor.

Boom!

The impact sent a shockwave blasting outward, stone debris flying in all directions. A cloud of toxic dust rose from the shattered ground, further thickening the poison mist.

Raven rolled to his feet, cursing under his breath. That was too fast. The moment the second rune broke, the golem had already begun adjusting its movements.

It wasn't waking up anymore. It was awake.

And now, it was looking right at them.