chapter 43 mark plan

As Mark, Daniel, Ana, and Liz stepped out of the restaurant, the cool night air hit them, but their minds were still replaying the encounter with Sophie.

Daniel stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets, his lips curling into a smirk. "Man, Sophie didn't even bother to play mind games with us. She took one look and decided we weren't worth it."

Ana scoffed. "Yeah, she thought we were just a bunch of noobs who wouldn't understand what's going on. Like, seriously? That was just insulting."

Liz, scrolling through her phone as they walked, smirked. "Honestly, it worked in our favor. If she actually saw us as a threat, she probably would've tried something sneaky. Instead, she just ignored us."

Mark, who had been silent, finally let out a sigh. "And that's exactly why I want to take her down." His voice was calm but firm.

Daniel blinked at him before grinning. "Oh? So you've got a little revenge streak in you, huh?"

Mark's expression was unreadable. "It's not about revenge. It's about showing people like her that they're not as untouchable as they think. She looked at us like we weren't worth her time—like we didn't matter. I want her to realize how wrong she was."

Ana smirked. "So, we're proving her wrong with violence?"

Mark shrugged. "With whatever it takes."

Daniel whistled. "Damn, I like this new Mark."

The group turned the corner, approaching Celeste's mansion. The tall gates stood before them, the warm glow of interior lights spilling from the windows. The place felt like a fortress, a safe haven before the chaos of Mortal Online truly began.

Without hesitation, they stepped inside. The living room welcomed them with its massive sectional couch, and they all collapsed onto it, stretching out like they owned the place.

At the far end of the room, Celeste sat in her usual gaming chair, fingers drumming lightly against the armrest. She barely spared them a glance before raising an eyebrow. "Well?"

Daniel smirked, kicking his feet up. "Oh, don't worry, Celeste. The world is on fire, and we're about to make it worse."

Celeste let out a small, amused exhale. "Good. That means it's almost time."

The countdown to Mortal Online's chaos was ticking down. Soon, Sophie would realize just how wrong she was about them.

As they settled into the mansion, Mark suddenly sat up, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced with something more serious.

"Come to my room," he said firmly.

Daniel, sprawled across the couch, raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, secret meeting? Are we finally forming a cult?"

Ana smirked. "If there's no blood ritual, I'm not interested."

Liz sighed, stretching her arms. "This better not be about grinding."

Mark didn't answer, just motioned for them to follow. His tone was serious enough that they exchanged glances before reluctantly pushing themselves off the couch.

The mansion's dim lighting cast long shadows as they climbed the stairs, the faint hum of Celeste's gaming rig echoing from her room downstairs. Mark led them to his room, which was noticeably different from the rest of the house. Unlike the modern, stylish aesthetic of Celeste's mansion, Mark's space was neat but packed with gaming gear—multiple monitors displaying various game forums, a high-end PC humming softly in the corner, and shelves lined with collectible figurines from different franchises. Posters of old MMORPGs covered the walls, remnants of past gaming obsessions.

He shut the door behind them and turned, his expression unreadable.

"You guys need to hit level 3 as soon as possible," Mark said bluntly.

Daniel flopped onto Mark's bed, arms behind his head. "Ugh, I knew it was about grinding."

Ana tilted her head, leaning against the desk. "Why? The game just started. Most players will still be figuring things out."

Mark sat at his chair, spinning it slightly as he pulled up a game menu on his monitor. The soft blue glow from the screen illuminated his face.

"I've been level 3 since yesterday."

A brief silence filled the room.

Daniel immediately sat up. "Wait. What?"

Ana blinked. "No way. The game launched, like, a day ago."

Liz crossed her arms. "How the hell did you level up so fast?"

Mark smirked. "Efficiency."

Daniel groaned. "Dude, do you even sleep?"

"Not when there's a race to win," Mark replied. "The point is, I'm ready. But I'm not going in alone. Once you guys hit level 3, we're heading straight for Poison Cave."

The room fell into stunned silence.

Daniel finally spoke. "Wait. Hold on. Did you just say Poison Cave?"

Ana frowned. "You mean the one with the venomous mobs and poison traps everywhere?"

Liz shook her head. "That's not a dungeon; that's a damn graveyard."

Mark leaned back, arms crossed. "Exactly. No one else will touch it this early. But if we go in first and clear it out, we'll get all the loot and XP before the rest of the server even considers it."

Daniel let out a low whistle, his grin returning. "Risky play, dude. I like it."

Ana sighed, then smirked. "Alright, screw it. Let's do it."

Liz ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "You guys are insane. But fine, I'm in."

Mark's smirk widened. "Good. Then let's get to grinding."

The countdown to Mortal Online's chaos was ticking down, and soon, they'd be the first to conquer what everyone else feared.

Mark's Plan

Mark leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as the others reacted to his proposal.

Daniel looked intrigued but skeptical. "Alright, I get the whole 'rushing ahead' thing, but why Poison Cave? Isn't that place just full of annoying status effects and death?"

Ana nodded. "Yeah, I don't see why we'd bother when there are easier grinding spots."

Liz, ever the cautious one, raised an eyebrow. "Unless you know something we don't."

Mark smirked but didn't respond immediately. Instead, he pulled up another map on his monitor, zooming in on a large, ominous-looking dungeon.

The Serpent's Hollow.

While most players were still stumbling through the early-game areas, Mark had already researched the high-level dungeons scattered across Mortal Online.

And Serpent's Hollow was a death trap.

Most players wouldn't be able to clear it—because they didn't know the real mechanics.

Mark's fingers tapped against the desk. The final boss of the dungeon—the Venomfang Matriarch—was practically unkillable without poison immunity. The entire room was filled with a deadly toxin, and anyone without the right resistance would be dead in seconds.

And where did you get the only known Poison Resistance Potion blueprint in the game?

Poison Cave.

It didn't just drop a potion—it dropped the alchemy recipe to craft it. That meant even if someone else looted the cave, they'd only get a one-time-use potion, while Mark's team would have unlimited access if they secured the blueprint.

Most players wouldn't figure this out until they reached the dungeon, died repeatedly, and started looking for solutions. But by then, the first clear rewards would already be gone.

Mark wasn't about to let that happen.

He turned back to his friends, eyes sharp. "Poison Cave isn't just a random grinding spot. It drops the Poison Resistance Potion blueprint. With that, we can craft as many as we need."

Daniel's eyes widened slightly. "Wait… so the dungeon is basically impossible without it?"

Mark nodded. "Unless you want to suffer. Most players won't realize this until it's too late."

Ana grinned. "So, if we get the blueprint first…"

Liz smirked. "We'll be the only ones with a steady supply of resistance potions."

Mark leaned forward. "Exactly."

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, Daniel let out a low whistle. "Okay, yeah. That's actually a damn good plan."

Ana stretched her arms. "Welp, guess we're grinding, then."

Liz sighed but had a small smile. "You do realize we're going to suffer in that cave, right?"

Mark grinned. "Only if we do it wrong."

Daniel laughed. "Alright, you nerd. Let's do this."

The plan was set. Now, all that was left was execution.

Mark's Thoughts

As the others left his room, chatting excitedly about their plan, Mark remained seated, staring at his monitor. The faint glow of the screen reflected in his eyes, but his mind was elsewhere.

Now that he was alone, he let out a slow breath, leaning back in his chair.

In his past life, he had been just like everyone else—clueless, struggling through Mortal Online without any real direction. He had gone in blind, exploring aimlessly, dying to things he didn't understand, wasting time on inefficient grinding spots. By the time he had realized how the game truly worked, the top players had already pulled ahead, hoarding rare resources and controlling key locations.

He remembered the frustration. The helplessness of watching other players clear content effortlessly while he was stuck repeating the same mistakes. The feeling of being left behind, of knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he was always a step too late.

Not this time.

This time, he knew the secrets before anyone else.

He tapped his fingers against the desk, thinking about their next move.

Poison Cave is just the first step.

In his past life, most players ignored it. The enemies inside weren't just strong—they were relentless. The status effects, the venomous creatures, the constant resource drain—it had been a nightmare. By the time people realized its importance, it was too late. The strongest guilds had already monopolized it, controlling access to the Poison Resistance Potion.

Mark had been one of those players who found out too late. He had struggled through Serpent's Hollow, dying repeatedly because he didn't have the resistance potion. He had blamed himself for being under-leveled, for not dodging properly, for not playing better—when in reality, he had never stood a chance. The dungeon was designed to be impossible without poison immunity.

Now, with his knowledge, things were different.

If we clear Poison Cave first, we'll have the blueprint before anyone else… but what if other players notice?

The moment word got out, competition would skyrocket. And the last thing Mark wanted was to deal with opportunistic guilds swarming the area, trying to take the blueprint for themselves.

He exhaled sharply, glancing at the clock.

They had a limited window before the game's first wave of competitive players caught up.

We need to do this fast.

Mark cracked his knuckles and stood up. The others were already logging in, preparing for the grind.

He closed his eyes for a moment, pushing aside the lingering exhaustion. Then, with a final glance at his screen, he smirked.

This time, I'm ahead of the game.

With that, he turned off the light and headed downstairs to join the others.