Chapter 9

The fallout from Emberlight's second wipe spread across the forums like wildfire. Within hours, the community was ablaze with speculation, mockery, and outright disbelief. The once-small guild had managed to stir controversy, but not in the way they had hoped.

[Forum Thread: Emberlight Wipes Twice in Hollowfang Den – Hidden Boss or Just Bad?]

User1: "Didn't they say something about a chain entity last time? And now they're claiming the boss AI is different? They should play gardening game instead XDDD"

User2: "Dude, I ran Hollowfang Den this morning and cleared it just fine. What are they on about?"

User3: "Maybe there's some kind of hidden mechanic? A world event boss that only appears for certain groups?"

User4: "What they are on about? Where's the footage? At least images or screenshots? is your source is 'trust me bro'? lolol"

Raven leaned back in his chair, fingers already typing on his alt account, stirring the flames in the forums. Amused, he watched the chaos unfold with each carefully placed comment. The forums were tearing Emberlight apart. 

He switched tabs to his marketplace alt account, one of many he used to manipulate in-game economies—a nameless, low-profile trader lurking in forum discussions. Tonight, he planned to add fuel to the fire.

DarkMerchant: "LMAO, y'all wiped again? Maybe the 'chain entity' just doesn't like bad players."

User5: "Wait, weren't they the ones screaming about a ghost boss last time? Now it's just an AI buff? Lmfao make up your mind."

DarkMerchant: "Next time, they'll claim an actual GM is targeting them. Or maybe 'Hollowfang Den' is just cursed. Quick, someone bring a priest IRL."

User6: "Nah, it's gotta be skill issue."

Raven laughed. Oh, this is too easy.

Meanwhile, behind his own screen, Ronan gritted his teeth as he scrolled through the comments. He had expected some backlash, but not like this. Every attempt to explain what had happened was drowned in a sea of insults and skepticism.

Emberlight's members fell into complete silence. No one else was posting, no one was defending the guild. He switched over to the guild chat, watching as one by one, his members logged off.

Desperation clawed at Ronan's chest. He opened his private messages, reaching out to the few who remained.

Ronan: "We just need to regroup. We can prove this."

Elias: "I can't, man. I logged in today, and people were just laughing at me in world chat. This isn't fun anymore."

Darren: "No one's going to take us seriously after this. I don't want to be known as 'that guy from Emberlight.'"

Kalen: "Sorry, Ronan. I just want to enjoy the game without being a joke."

Ronan stared at the empty guild roster as the last member removed themselves.

Emberlight was gone.

All that remained was his name and the memory of what once was.

While the chaos unfolded on the forums, Raven was busy with something else.

Sitting in his usual spot, he flicked through the in-game Marketplace tab, monitoring item prices. Thanks to his passive dungeon economy, materials from Goblin Lair and Bone Yard were increasing in demand. Low-tier crafters needed them for potion-making and basic gear, while mid-tier artisans relied on Bone Yard's basic minerals for furniture crafting and Goblin Lair's ore for weapon forging.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he checked the furniture market. Housing customization was the most blatant money squeeze from the game's developers, with even simple furniture requiring absurd amounts of materials to craft. 

Players obsessed over player housing, and Raven saw an opportunity to control that supply. If he monopolized Bone Yard's mineral economy, he could indirectly influence one of the game's biggest profit engines.

Raven casually listed a stack of materials under different alt accounts, keeping the prices slightly below market rate to manipulate demand.

"Let's make some gold while they fight over nothing."

Satisfied, he moved on to his dungeon analytics. The fall of Emberlight was just another step toward his real goal—complete control. Every piece of the economy, every dungeon, every high-tier resource would funnel back to him. 

This was just the beginning. Raven accessed the Dungeon Sovereign Interface, bringing up reports from his controlled dungeons.

Goblin Lair: Normal farming activity, no unusual deaths. Good for passive income.

Bone Yard: Slightly higher player deaths—some groups struggled with the AI behavior he had tweaked. A few complaints had appeared in small guild channels, but nothing serious.

He debated adjusting Bone Yard's AI aggression slightly back to default to avoid future scrutiny. A few more successful runs would keep suspicion at bay.

"Can't have too many failures. Let them win just enough."

With a few minor tweaks, he made sure both dungeons looked normal to the average player while still funneling resources into his control.

With his economy stable, Raven turned his attention to his next objective.

He pulled up the Dungeon Map, scanning potential new conquests. He needed a low-mid level dungeon—something slightly harder than his previous territories but still manageable now that he had Duskrunner Alpha.

That's when he found it:

[Veilshade Catacombs – Level 11-20] 

Boss: Phantom Seer (Spectral Mage with illusion-based mechanics) 

Location: A dungeon frequently visited by players, known for its frustrating mind-affecting debuffs and illusions.

Raven leaned forward, intrigued.

Unlike his previous targets, this dungeon was popular, meaning he couldn't just take it over quietly. However, Phantom Seer's abilities were perfect for his needs.

His gameplay was stealth, Duskrunner was agile, but now he needed control—something that could disrupt enemy perception, delay their reactions, and create the perfect kill window.

Phantom Seer's abilities focused on mental disruption and battlefield control, including reaction delay debuffs, phasing movement, and sight manipulation—all of which could be used to complement his current strategy. With these skills, he could manipulate enemy perception, ensuring they hesitated at critical moments while he struck from the shadows.

The fight wouldn't be easy. Phantom Seer was notorious for throwing players into sensory overload, forcing them to react to false information mid-combat. Raven would have to outthink an enemy that specialized in deception.

But the payoff? Worth it.

He cracked his fingers, eyes gleaming with anticipation. A slow smile spread across his lips as he whispered, "Let's see how they handle nightmares."

If Emberlight thought chains were bad, wait until they start seeing ghosts.