The roof above shattered as debris fell and meteors of liquid molten gold fell from the sky rained down exploding on contact with the ground.
I darted left dragging Balmung cutting through fallen debris of the collapsing chamber.
"Chat,Pay Attention",I muttered into the mic as slided beneath a falling black stone slab of the chamber."This is what happens when the boss lose their cool.It's Moves get sloppy and attention shifts. Which means…"
I leaped off a nearby pile of gold using the bounce of the gold coins as footing and jumped upwards.
"... an opening arrives."
[STREAM CHAT]
[LilyOfTheLake]:He's straight-up parkouring on piles of coins.
[PocketMonke]:Bro's out here using Sonic jump pad techniques, LMAO.
[SystemCrash]: Forget skill, man's out here styling for pure disrespect.
[DONATION: $100 from InfernoLad]:Bet you can't no-hit. Do it and I'll drop another 500, EZ.
The Dragon's tail whipped towards,it was to fast to dodge.So,I gritted my teeth as my eyes were glowing with excitement.
[Skill:{Phantom Step}(Lvl- 3)has been activated]
[Sub-skill:{Mirage Walk}has been activated]
My body glitched and split into multiple copies.Fafnir's tail slammed through Three of my copies but before he could realise that I was not there.
I appeared above him in the sky.
[Sub-skill:{Blink}has been activated]
I brought Balmung as the black flames burned higher and Balmung glowed more red.I landed the Second Swing with my full power.
CRAAACK!!
The Swing cut cleanly through Fafnir's Shoulder and severed his right wing.From Fafnir's scales molten lava-like blood spilled out hissing against the fallen black stone debris.
[Damage Inflicted:42.8% HP]
[Fafnir's HP:47.5%]
I had dropped Fafnir's 10 Billion HP to Half with just two swings.
[STREAM CHAT]
[MikuMilk]:Bro speedrunning Fafnir's health bar fr.
[DeathByCurry]:Nahhh no way it only took 2 hits.
[GoldenHand]:Yeah okay, if this clown three-shots the boss, I'm deleting my account. Goodbye, CHIZZK.
[DONATION: $200 from Admin]: SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: THIS STREAM IS NOW WORLDWIDE FRONT PAGE.PLEASE TRY TO MAINTAIN SOMR MANNERS.
Fafnir let out a scream due the pain of losing its wing and shoulder.
[Skill:{Telepathy}has been activated]
His voice soon crawled into my skull through his {Telepathy} Skill.
"Impossible…! Wretched mortal! That blade… it dares to defy fate itself!"
I lips curved into a smirk as I spoke,"Looks like fate missed the update."
Soon,A window popped up before me.
[You have unlocked a hidden Quest]
---
[Hidden Quest]
Mission:Slay Fafnir in Less than 3 Hits.
Reward:1000 Ascendent Credits,???
Penalty:+500% Aggro from all Dragon Types.
---
I blinked with Surprise,"Less than 3 Hits!You're Kidding,right? Well, it's certainly possible."But Hidden Quests are usually rare and with tons of rewards but hidden quests with penalties are rarer.
[STREAM CHAT]
[ClownFiesta]:No way… a hidden quest? LET'S GO!
[SoulEater99]:Bro about to piss off every dragon on the server.
[LilyOfTheLake]:Less than three?! YUJE0, what the hell did you just trigger?!
Fafnir opened his mouth and lunged forward releasing another fire breath.
[Skill:{Dragon's Breath}has been activated]
I hit the ground running as my heart pounded against my ribs.Every Nerve screamed at me to dodge but the quest window pulsed in my vision.
[Artifact:
[Your resistant to Pyro and Pyro related things]
The Flames passed through me.Greed took over me if I land the third hit and kill it.
If I Swing Balmung again,I'd Win the Fight.But,if I held back the quest would fail.Here now,One mistake meant death.
"Chat...",I whispered into my mic with a razor sharp smile." Have you ever gamble everything on one shot? 'Cause I'm about to."
Balmung's red glow intensified and the black flames burned like they understood the stakes.
Fafnir launched his claw's towards every copy carving deep trenches into the ground where my copies had once stood.
I steadied my breath as I used my Skill:{Phantom Step} ,vanishing infront of Fafnir.
[Skill:{Phantom Step}has been activated]
[Sub-skill:{Blink}has been activated]
I appeared above Fafnir.Then–
[Skill:{Limit Break}has been activated]
[User's stamina and Mana draining at 500%]
Every single muscle of my body burnt but,I didn't let my grip over Balmung waver.I could now feel it.I can now the ending.
[STREAM CHAT]
[xXEdgeLordXx]:This guy is risking EVERYTHING.
[PixiePlays]:I'm dead. 100th Floor is cursed now.
[DeathByCurry]:If this isn't a one-hit KO, I'm losing it.
[DONATION: $500 from InfernoLad]: Emperor… end him now. I mean it, $500 says so.
Fafnir looked at me above as he opened his mouth.
[Skill:{Dragon's Breath}has been activated]
I launched myself forward as I landed the the Third and Final Swing.
Both of our gazes locked on to each other—his endless rage and my unspeakable certainty.
[Fafnir's HP:0%]
[You have slain Fafnir,The Dragon of Greed (S++)]
[You are the First Player to defeat Fafnir]
[You have completed the Hidden Quest]
I let out a long sigh before falling to the ground. My entire body ached from the side effects of using {Limit Break}. Every breath burned, and my arms felt like they would snap at any moment.
The chat window in my computer interface was exploding with messages.
[STREAM CHAT]
[AbyssWatcher]: Holy crap, you actually pulled it off.
[DragonLover]: CHAT WE JUST WITNESSED HISTORY.
[CasualGamer]: brooo wtf, that was the sickest limit break ever.
[SilentViewer]: bro? hello?? you alive??
[GreedIsDead]: And that's how greed got humbled.
"...Infinite Abyss," I breathed, eyes locked on the dragon's fading remains.
[STREAM CHAT]
[ClipThat]: LMAOOOO "Infinite Abyss".
[GreedIsDead]: bro thought he was in an anime.
[PotatoAim]: CRINGE MONOLOGUE LET'S GOOO.
[DragonLover]: chat spam "edgy emperor" rn.
[CasualGamer]: mans really whispered it like a cutscene.
[AbyssWatcher]: DRAMATIC EMPEROR ARC INCOMING.
[SilentViewer]: not the villain voice pls.
[MikuMilk]: Infinite Abyss?? more like Infinite Cringe.
[GoldenHand]: nah nah nah clip that IMMEDIATELY.
[DeathByCurry]: he practiced that line in the mirror 100%.
[LilyOfTheLake]: I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING HELP .
"Infinite Abyss… oh my god, that sounded badass, didn't it?? No, wait—don't laugh, I meant it! Chat, stop spamming cringe, I literally just solo'd the Dragon of Greed. Respect the Emperor, alright?!"I said trying to lighten the mood for what was coming next.
This Game was not just a MMORPG Game.It was the legendary game that caused all the servers in the world to crash at the same time due to its unexpected release.On the very First Day of release,5.2 Million Players download this game.The Devs had given the public many teasers and trailers that explored and gave hints about the story,Combat System and the mechanics.The most interesting part was it's graphics.This game was made for the players.
But made it truly stand out was the System. The ability to exchange Ascendent Credits which could be gotten through bosses into real white money.This was what made it truly unique.
"…Everyone, including me—and yeah, even some of you in chat—were drawn in by the Money System. I won't lie. It's what dragged me here. It's what made me hit 'Go Live' for the first time…" My tone dripped with bitterness.
"But after the Tutorial ended…" I started, my voice carrying. Then it faltered, dropping lower. "The game's difficulty… and its brutal respawn penalty… drove over two million players away."
[STREAM CHAT]
[OldVeteran]: Yeah… I left at Floor 20. Respawn penalties were brutal.
[CasualGamer]: SAME bro. I ragequit after losing all my loot.
[SpeedRunAndy]: lol skill issue tbh.
[SilentViewer]: nah fr tho, that death tax was evil…
[GreedIsDead]: imagine grinding 3 hours just to lose it ALL.
[LilyOfTheLake]: Floor 20 was the real boss fight ngl.
[GameOverMan]: same, lost 2 months' worth of progress in one death lol.
[SaltyQuitter]: shoulda balanced it better smh.
[FaithfulSix]: but YOU stayed. That's why we kept watching.
"Only three million stayed after that," I went on, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. "But even they couldn't endure. The difficulty… the punishments… it crushed them, one after another. In the end—" my voice dropped, heavy with finality— "only six of us remained."
I closed my eyes as memories of empty lobies, battles with other players and the other five's face flashed through my mind trying to drown me into loneliness and truth of reality.Something that I ran from after my parents death during a car accident.
"And yesterday," I said quietly, "the other five left."
[STREAM CHAT]
[NoLife]: Wait… they ALL quit?
[ObserverX]: Damn… so you were the last one.
[TearsInChat]: Respect to the last six… they were true legends.
[CheerUpBro]: At least you went down in history.
I lowered my gaze to my trembling hands, then lifted it back toward the silent, desolate battlefield. My throat tightened, but I forced the words out anyway.
"And today…" my voice cracked into a whisper, "…I'm leaving this game too."
The words felt too heavy to fully bear. I forced a small, bitter laugh as I spoke.
"With that… I'm also quitting my job as a streamer."
[To be Continued...]
[End of Chapter 2:The Last Swing]