Marcus took a deep breath.
"We have to do it this time…" he muttered, his fingers hovering over the keyboard.
His eyes were locked on the glowing game screen, the rest of his setup casting a faint blue hue over his room.
He had poured too much money into this rig to quit now, that was what it meant to be a gamer.
Not a gamer for the fame but a true gamer… one that stuck to a game for the plot.
On his second monitor, the stream chat flowed endlessly, he guessed it was thanks to the fact that he was one of the only players that was playing this game.
Although his streams peaked at 10k views, he knew this one would be no different.
To The End — the infamous apocalypse RPG from Eredole Inc. was the only game on his channel these days.
Not because it was popular now, but because Marcus was the only idiot still playing it.
The game was infamous for a reason.
No hidden overpowered builds.
No secret weapons.
No clever skip glitches.
Players had scoured every map pixel by pixel, fought every mini-boss, tested every loadout — and still failed.
The final boss was designed to break you.
People had begged the devs to nerf it.
Eredole never responded, and instead they made new games.
Most players had given up.
But he hadn't because he actually liked the game.
He focused on his main monitor.
The screen before him showed the final battlefield.
The Endmaker stood tall — a formless shadow in black robes, crimson turban coiled around nothingness where a head should be.
Opposite him: Lucas Drakenhoff, golden-haired and bare-chested, white tattoos snaking across his body.
Humanity's strongest warrior and this was the player.
[@PixelPirate92: Just quit already man 💀]
[@LoopyLucy: Don't you dare. You're literally the last hope]
[@MrBeanz: $5 says he dies in 2 minutes]
[@ShinyBits: This is content, keep going]
Marcus ignored them all.
This wasn't for them.
This was for him.
"Alright… let's finish this."
The fight began.
His fingers blurred across the keys, weaving Lucas through a deadly storm of one-shot spells, that's how the devs had created him...
To be the perfect boss designed to make you stress the fuck out thinking about ways to defeat him.
The Endmaker's shadowy limbs lashed out like whips, but Marcus danced around them, countering with precise, punishing strikes.
The boss's HP ticked down to 70% after a while.
[@CriticalCarl: HOLY, HE HIT 70%! FIRST TIME ON STREAM!]
[@DeadByTuesday: Bro actually made progress??]
[@DonatorKing: $50 if you get him to 50%]
Marcus barely blinked, lost in the rhythm.
Every dodge, every slash, every perfectly timed block pulled him deeper into that razor-edge zone where nothing else existed.
He couldn't even see the chat, he just knew he needed to win…
50% HP.
[Stream Tag Updated:]
[@AnonDonor has donated $2,000 to you]
[@AnonDonor: $10,000 if you get him below 30% 👀]
[@LoopyLucy: THE HAND SPEED]
|_ @MrBeanz: Bro is actually the Flash rn]
Marcus' eyes flicked to his ultimate bar — full. Perfect.
Crescent Stars.
Lucas lunged forward, fist blazing with starfire.
The impact lit up the screen in a swirling galaxy of light and flame.
[CRITICAL HIT]
The Endmaker's HP plummeted to 40%.
[Your Stream Has Reached 5 Million Viewers]
[@ClutchOrDie: WHAT IS THAT DAMAGE??]
[@AnonDonor: 50k IF YOU WIN RIGHT NOW]
[@PixelPirate92: LOCK IN. DON'T BREATHE. JUST WIN.]
Marcus sucked in a breath as the boss staggered back.
Usually, Phase 2 began here — the nightmare stage.
But instead, a text box appeared.
[At the end of this forked road you walk, there are no more second chances.
All that waits ahead… is your death.]
The words oozed across the screen like dripping ink.
[@PoeticDoom: okay but why is the boss lowkey a poet]
[@AnonDonor has donated $50,000 to you]
[@AnonDonor: SENT THE 50K. FINISH HIM.]
|_ @MrIncredible: WTF Is this man a millionaire?]
|_ @MrBeanz: Bro is rich]
|_ @EndmakerNo1Dickrider: 👀Should I start streaming as well?]
[@ModBot: 🚨 HYPE TRAIN LVL 5 🚨]
The Endmaker's form shifted, condensing into the shape of a striking young man in those same dark robes.
His voice was smooth, but infused with currently that rolled from the speakers.
"Die by my hands."
Marcus gritted his teeth, dodging the flurry of new spells.
The fight was faster, sharper.
Lucas' HP dipped dangerously, but Marcus pushed forward, striking again and again.
10% HP.
The chat was in meltdown.
Ultimate bar — full again.
"Alright… let's end this."
Crescent Stars flared for the second time.
The screen transitioned into a cinematic: Lucas on one side, Endmaker on the other, starfire clashing against a seething orb of shadow.
[@GamerGale: THIS IS LITERALLY DRAGON BALL]
[@LoopyLucy: BEAM CLASH LET'S GO]
The clash peaked — and Lucas' starfire burned through, slamming into the Endmaker's chest.
A gaping hole opened.
The Lord Of Shadows collapsed to his knees.
[You Have Defeated Endmaker, The Final Boss]
[You Have Gained Four Unique Skills]
[Congratulations for being the First to Finish the Game]
Marcus stared. "What the hell am I supposed to do with skills now?"
Before he could process, the cutscene continued.
Lucas looked down at the dying Endmaker, smirking.
"Didn't you call yourself the End? What have you ended? I have won and you have lost."
Marcus rolled his eyes.
'Barely won, you smug idiot.'
The Endmaker coughed, his voice still dripping with malice.
"Since you have already won… allow me to perform one last spell. After all, a strong man like you will not be affected."
Lucas laughed.
"You can try whatever tricks you like, End. I won't even defend myself."
Marcus' hands froze. "What the hell are you doing?!"
[@LoopyLucy: IS HE SERIOUS RIGHT NOW??]
[@PixelPirate92: This is why humanity loses]
[@AnonDonor: Lucas got that anime villain pride arc 💀]
[@Elise11: What the hell is he doing? Finish him off!]
[@Cream-pie: 💀💀💀]
The Endmaker raised a hand.
"Farewell… old friend."
A snap of fingers.
Flames erupted, devouring himself and then spreading to Lucas instantly.
His screams tore through the speakers, growing weaker until only a charred skeleton remained.
[You Have Completed the Game]
[Humanity's strongest warrior died due to his pride, and the rest of humanity followed. The walls holding the Abyss shattered. The monsters overwhelmed mankind.]
Marcus sat back, stunned. "Is this… really the end?"
Even the chat had gone quiet.
Then, a new tab appeared.
[Would you like to change the ending?]
It pulsed in ominous red.
[@PixelPirate92: YO WHAT]
[@LoopyLucy: CLICK IT]
[@AnonDonor: CHANGE IT NOW]
Marcus hesitated, then sighed. "…Fine."
Click.
The world tilted.
His vision swam, the edges of the room warping like melting glass.
Something unseen gripped him, lifting him out of his chair.
He tried to scream — and blacked out.
That night, Marcus Henderson vanished without a trace.
The police found his apartment locked from the inside, his PC still streaming a frozen frame of the game's final screen.
He was declared dead within the week.