I shuffle forward on my chair, leaning closer to the desk, controller in hand. The only thing that could be heard in the dark room in the dead of the night was my controller, buttons clicking and the thumbstick clacking.
I'm on the verge of beating the final boss of the game, 'The Abyss'. For the past few years, I have been streaming this day in and day out, grinding through levels for multiple hours. Repeating scenarios again and again to get perfect completions.
To this day, no one has finished this game. Given the title 'the unbeatable game', a few people now shared and explored different ways to do so.
Still, the game remained unbeaten until today. I start my stream, declaring that my preparations have been finished and that I will show everyone the first-ever completion of the game. The door for the final floor, 666, was now open. A server-wide message is sent out, as it has all the time when the floor was opened for the first time.
Live.
The viewers came rolling in as the screen displayed the start screen of the game.
I enter the game and proceed with the tactics that I have meticulously planned for the past year.
A few hours in, and the final boss is there. This is the first time anyone has ever seen it.
The stream is already 6 hours long just to get to the final boss, and now it's the final battle.
One hour passes, then another, and another.
A crushing blow.
I did it...
I look at the screen, unsure if this was the end or not.
The boss's corpse lies on the floor, unmoving. Slowly, it starts to disintegrate, providing me with a legendary item, title, and congratulatory note.
[Congratulations, Player Kairos. You are the first to beat this game, and for this, we will be awarding you a special reward for completion. Please be patient as it will be delivered to you soon. May the Abyss favour your soul.]
The chat was going wild. Everyone was amazed to see this. The views racked up higher and higher as instant posts about my build spread far and wide throughout the internet.
The frenzy to complete the game rose more and more as I instantly started to trend.
The chat was all talking about the prize too, which was going to be given out privately, hoping to know what it was.
I look at the items I received from the boss.
[Floor 666 Key - Opens something on the 666th floor. What could it be?]
[Weapon Shard - Find the components to make your sword weapon.]
[Abyssal coin - Throw it in the Abyssal well.]
[Title: Abyss's Unbroken, You will receive reduced damage of 1% per ∂ ▲>< †0# (Not unlocked yet)]
Confused, I look at the items I received. The coded message for the title confused me more.
I thought the game was over. What is this? These seem like items you normally get when you are supposed to keep continuing the game. Do they expect me to just wander around at the past levels of the game now or something?
I sigh, seeing this. The anticlimactic rewards from the boss made me feel gutted. The chat agreed with it too, then I saw a message.
[Maybe the real reward is whatever they said they will send later, right?]
The thought calmed me down.
With the long stream now over, I bid farewell to the viewers, ending the stream. I lean back on the chair, bored now with nothing to do.
I clap my hands to turn the lights on as I stand up and walk to the kitchen.
Taking out a bottle of water and drinking it, I hear the doorbell ring, but it was not the sound of my doorbell.
I pause, frowning at this. Living alone in a big house in the middle of nowhere, there should be no guests in the middle of the night.
No friends and no colleagues who would come at this time.
Ding-Dong!
I look towards the direction of the door that leads to the reception.
That can't be right... that is not my doorbell? Did I get hacked?
Just to be sure, I make my way to the front door and turn on my door camera. It is empty, but in front of the door lies a big black box.
I look at it on the screen.
Who could have left that? Did my location get found out? I am a faceless streamer, and my security is foolproof, which can't be.
Frustrated from the irritation of not knowing what it was, I open the door and grab the box. I stood up and looked around; there was no one to be seen.
The house I live in has a massive front yard that takes at least 5 minutes of walking to reach the front gate, which needs my access code to even open.
My curiosity piqued, but I was unable to figure it out. Even my genius could not figure it out, so I decided to take the box and open it to find clues.
I did not like mysteries; not knowing things eats at my brain, and I am unable to keep myself still.
I turn around to stop into my house and I feel the gush of wish on my neck with a whisper, or so I thought that sounded like, 'May the Abyss favour your soul'.
The hairs all over my body stood straight; something was chilling as the temperature dropped around me.
I must have played that game for too long, and I am starting to hear things. Thankfully, I am done and can have a break.
With a reasonable explanation that it was just an auditory pareidolia. The cold winter night and the wind were howling; the most logical explanation was that my mind was filling it out with something familiar and recognisable.
Stepping back to my PC chair, I place the box on my desk and look at it. The whole thing was black.
I turn it around and see the familiar logo on one side.
It was the same logo as the game 'The Abyss'.
"What the hell. How did they do that?"
I ponder it and decide that it was a problem I could solve after opening this box.
I touch the logo on the box, unsure how to open it, but it starts to glow as the mechanical gears start to whirl.
Thunk-thunk-thunk.
Something about the sound seemed eerie.
It got my blood pumping, and I was more excited than anything else.
This level of immersion is great, I have never experienced anything like this before! They probably saw my stream and knew I would beat it, so they prepped beforehand!
The box slowly opens up, and it is filled with three items.
A key, a crystal shard contained in a glass case inlaid with gold and a coin.
"What?"
I looked at it, one brow arched, eye twitching.
This is the same thing I got from the game, right? The boss's rewards? Are they playing with me?
I looked at the box longer and noticed there was a discreet button. I roll my eyes and press it.
A tray shoots out with a letter in a black envelope. The envelope was branded with the words, Player 1.
I open it.
[ABY-0X-666Z]
Tapping the edge of the envelope, I scrunch my face, trying to figure out this problem. It was then that I noticed the UI of my game, which was still open, had changed.
The location where it would normally have the letters, Continue or New game had now been replaced with Respawn.
I grinned.
"No way?"
I click on it.
[Please enter your code.]
I frantically typed it in, grinning from ear to ear. My heart was rushing for the new adventure I was about to dive into.
It must be! A new game, right?
Clack!
I stabbed the enter key with my finger.
[Congratulations, Player Kairos. You have now been given the option to respawn into the game. With multiple new additions to levels and hidden scenarios, you will be able to experience the game like never before! Would you like to start the hidden difficulty: Abyss and start he game? ]
I can feel my heart racing.
The past few years of this game had been escalating, and the end was something I had dreaded.
A new experience? It doesn't hurt to try, right? I have seen their work so far and trust them to not fail me!
Without a thought, I press 'Yes'.
[May the Abyss favour your soul.]
The lights suddenly go out as I turn around. The wind starts to blow, and the howling increases. A shiver down my spine as I look towards the windows that are shut tight.
Every single electrical item shuts down, and at last, my PC. The room is eerily black.
Too black.
Even on dark nights, the moonlight should be visible, but I could not even see anything in front of me.
It was not just that it had become dark, but it felt like I was in the presence of darkness, as if I was facing darkness itself.
Soon, my eyes close.
I do not know if it was the exhaustion or the shock, but whether my eyes were open or shut, it was the same darkness I was met with.