MMORPG: REBORN MARK ADVENTURE IN ONLINE GAME

Raven moved through the filth-stained streets, his crimson eyes scanning the decaying town with quiet calculation.Unaware—or simply uninterested—in the chaos unraveling behind him, he walked with purpose.The forums were in flames.New players cursed his name.Guilds fought like starving dogs over scraps.Thieves prowled unchecked, robbing anyone too weak to fight back.None of it mattered.While others struggled to survive, Raven was already ahead.Somewhere in this wretched place, a hidden door to power lay open—if you knew where to look.---Vile Town – A City of Filth and RotVile Town was exactly what its name promised—vile.The air reeked of unwashed bodies, rotting garbage, and the thick, metallic scent of dried blood. The cobbled streets were cracked and uneven, littered with refuse and something too dark and sticky to be just mud. Faint wisps of smoke curled from distant fires, and the distant wail of a dying man echoed through the alleys.This was no welcoming beginner zone.This was a cesspool where the weak were devoured and only the cunning survived.Raven moved through the squalor, unbothered.A blacksmith stood outside his forge, hammering away at rusted iron. His weapons were crude, barely a step above scrap metal, but desperate players still swarmed him, bartering frantically for anything that might keep them alive.A potion vendor waved grimy bottles at passing adventurers, his voice oily. "Healing potions, cheap! Mayyybe expired, but better than nothing, eh?" The liquid inside was a sickly brown, but desperate players bought them anyway.A gang of thugs leaned against a crumbling wall, watching the crowd with hungry eyes. A weak player passed too close, and within seconds, he was dragged into the shadows. His screams didn't last long.Vile Town thrived on suffering.But Raven?He was already above it.Without hesitation, he turned away from the main streets, heading for a place most players never even noticed.---The Hidden OpportunityThe deeper he went, the quieter it became.This part of Vile Town was different. The buildings were more than just run-down—they were skeletal remains of places long abandoned, their windows shattered, their doors barely clinging to rusted hinges. No merchants. No beggars. Just silence.But Raven's memory was flawless.In his past life, a player had stumbled across something valuable here—a hidden NPC lurking in the filth.Most ignored him.No quest marker. No glowing text. Nothing to suggest he was anything more than background scenery.But in reality?He was the first step toward something far greater.Raven's pace slowed as he turned a corner, his eyes locking onto a familiar sight.A ragged old man sat slumped against a moss-covered wall, his tattered cloak draped over his skeletal frame. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his fingers twitched slightly—aware, not idle.Most players would have walked right past him.But Raven knew better.This was no ordinary beggar.This was a hidden mentor.And Raven knew exactly what he would offer.His smirk returned as he approached. Without hesitation, he pulled a flask of cheap ale from his inventory—something he had grabbed earlier, knowing he would need it.He crouched slightly, holding it out."Need a drink, old man?"For a moment, there was no response.Then, a low chuckle rasped from beneath the hood—dry, hoarse, yet laced with something sharp."…You're an interesting one.

"[ Hidden Quest Discovered: ??? ]

Raven's smirk widened.Right on schedule.

The ragged old man leaned against the damp, crumbling stone wall, his frail hands gripping the cheap flask Raven had handed him. The air in this part of Vile Town was thick—stagnant with the scent of rot, unwashed bodies, and old blood.Yet, despite the filth and ruin, Raven remained calm, his crimson eyes locked onto the beggar with quiet intensity.This was not just some worthless NPC.This was the beginning of something far greater.---A Drink for a ConversationThe beggar let out a slow, wheezing chuckle as he uncorked the bottle, tilting it to his lips. The murky liquid inside sloshed as he took a long, deliberate sip.His throat bobbed, and for a moment, he seemed to savor the taste—though whether out of desperation or nostalgia, Raven couldn't tell.When he pulled the bottle away, a smirk tugged at the corners of his cracked lips."…Didn't think I'd see the day some young fool would notice me."His voice was hoarse, roughened by years of hardship. There was amusement in his tone, but beneath it lay something sharper—something watchful.Raven didn't react. He simply waited.The beggar studied him, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp beneath the shadow of his hood."Most folk walk by without so much as a glance. And the ones that do? They just see another drunk rotting away in the streets." His fingers tapped against the flask. "But not you, huh?"Raven's smirk didn't waver. "I notice everything."The beggar let out another chuckle, low and knowing. "That so?" He shifted slightly, setting the flask down beside him. "Then tell me… what is it you want?"---The First TestA system notification flickered into view.

[Hidden Quest Updated: ???]

State your purpose to the old man. Choose wisely.Raven's expression didn't change.This was a test.Not of strength. Not of skill. Not even of intelligence.No—this was a test of perception.A single wrong answer, and the beggar would shake his head, muttering some nonsense about fools and wasted time. Then, he would vanish from the game's progression—forever.In Raven's past life, this hidden event had remained undiscovered for years. Even when someone had stumbled upon it by accident, they had failed to unlock its full potential.But this time?This time, Raven was in control.---The Right AnswerHe didn't hesitate."I want knowledge," he said smoothly. His tone was even, deliberate—like he already knew the answer. "Not coin. Not power. Just the truth hidden beneath the surface."The beggar went still.For a long, tense moment, he simply stared at Raven.Then, slowly, a grin stretched across his face—revealing crooked, yellowed teeth."…Now that's an answer I wasn't expecting."A soft ding echoed in Raven's mind.[Quest Objective Completed: Answer Correctly][Hidden Quest Progression Unlocked]The beggar tapped the ground beside him, motioning for Raven to sit."Well then, sharp eyes… Let's see if you're worthy."Raven took a seat without hesitation.The real game was about to begin.

The flickering torchlight barely reached this corner of Vile Town, casting long, jagged shadows that danced like specters on the damp, crumbling walls. The air was thick with the stench of decay—rotting wood, stagnant water, and the acrid tang of unwashed bodies. It was a place where the desperate and the damned congregated, where the light of hope was snuffed out as quickly as it flickered to life. Yet, in this forsaken corner, Raven stood, his sharp eyes scanning the beggar before him with a calculating gaze.The beggar was an enigma, a puzzle wrapped in tattered cloth and filth. His cloak, frayed and patched, hung loosely over his gaunt frame, but there was an unnatural stillness to him, a poise that belied his ragged appearance. His sunken cheeks and hollow eyes spoke of hardship, but the glint in his gaze was sharp, almost predatory. He sat cross-legged on the cold, wet cobblestones, a flask clutched in his bony fingers. The rhythmic tapping of his nails against the metal surface—*tap, tap, tap*—was deliberate, almost hypnotic, as if it were a code or a signal meant for Raven alone.Raven didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply observed, his instincts screaming that this was no ordinary encounter. The beggar's presence was too calculated, his words too measured. This was no random NPC; this was something else entirely."You remind me of someone," the beggar muttered, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that seemed to echo unnaturally in the narrow alley. "A long time ago, another fool sat where you are now."Raven's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent. The beggar's words were bait, and Raven wasn't one to bite easily. He had learned long ago that in places like Vile Town, words were weapons, and silence was a shield.The beggar chuckled, a dry, wheezing sound that sent a shiver down Raven's spine. "But you're different," he continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You see through the rot. Through the filth. Through *me*."Raven tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "You talk too much for a beggar."The old man's lips curled into a grin, revealing cracked, yellowed teeth. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes, a smile that felt more like a threat than an expression of amusement. "And you listen too well for a fool."A sudden gust of wind swept through the alley, carrying with it the faintest whisper of voices—voices that shouldn't have been there. The torchlight flickered violently, its flame shrinking as though the darkness itself was pressing in, suffocating the light. The shadows on the walls seemed to writhe and twist, elongating into grotesque shapes that clawed at the edges of Raven's vision.The beggar leaned forward, his hood slipping slightly to reveal more of his face. His eyes, once dull and sunken, now glowed with an unnatural light, piercing through the gloom like twin embers. "So tell me, sharp eyes… If you seek knowledge, are you ready to pay the price?"---### A Dangerous BargainA system prompt flickered into view, its glowing text cutting through the oppressive darkness.**[Hidden Quest Updated: ???]** – Accept the Beggar's Bargain? **[Yes] / [No]**Raven didn't hesitate. He smirked, a flicker of amusement crossing his features as he selected **[Yes]**. He had always been drawn to danger, to the unknown. It was in his nature to seek out the edges of the world, to push boundaries and unravel secrets. And this—this was a secret worth unraveling.The beggar's grin widened, stretching far beyond what should have been possible. His lips curled back to reveal not just teeth, but something darker, something *wrong*. The air around him seemed to warp, the shadows clinging to his form like a second skin. Then, without warning, reality twisted.---### The World ShiftsThe sounds of Vile Town vanished as though they had been swallowed by the void. The distant shouts of merchants, the clanging of steel from the blacksmith's forge, the occasional scream of a drunkard or a thief—all of it was gone, replaced by an eerie, oppressive silence. Even the torchlight seemed to dim, its flame shrinking until it was little more than a faint glow, barely illuminating the alley.The air grew heavy, thick with an unseen presence that pressed down on Raven's chest, making it hard to breathe. The shadows on the walls began to move on their own, writhing and twisting like living things, their shapes shifting into grotesque, unrecognizable forms. The cobblestones beneath Raven's feet grew damp, but it wasn't water that seeped through the cracks. It was something darker, something that clung to his boots with a sticky, almost sentient persistence.And the beggar—he was changing.His cloak, once a simple, tattered garment, now writhed and twisted around him as though it had a life of its own. The fabric seemed to melt and reform, shifting into something darker, more sinister. His bony fingers twitched, the skin rippling as though something beneath the surface was struggling to break free. His face contorted, his features shifting and warping until they were no longer human.When he spoke again, his voice was layered—a chorus of whispers and growls that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "…Good," the beggar rasped, his many voices overlapping in a discordant symphony. "Then let's begin."A sharp *ding* echoed in Raven's mind, the sound cutting through the oppressive silence like a knife.**[Hidden Quest Updated: The Forgotten Trial]** – Survive the First Test.The ground beneath Raven's feet trembled, the cobblestones shifting and cracking as though something massive was stirring beneath the surface. The air grew colder, the shadows deeper, and the torchlight flickered one last time before being snuffed out entirely, plunging the alley into complete darkness.Something was awakening. Something ancient. Something *hungry*.Raven's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his dagger, his senses on high alert. He couldn't see, but he could feel it—the presence in the darkness, the weight of its gaze pressing down on him. The Forgotten Trial had begun, and Raven knew one thing for certain: there was no turning back now.