The ending announcement sounded, and I found myself in the sky.
A magnificent divine temple loomed above, with a staircase leading upward that seemed to have no end.
A few figures stood there, deep in thought. They looked like people who had once held a ticket before.
They had all once tried to come up with ways to destroy the world: great floods, volcanic eruptions, intelligence crises…
Meteors, earthquakes, aliens…
Zombies, viruses, abyssal monsters…
Without hesitation, I started up the stairs.
Without Morgan Turner and Alex Parker by my side, I felt a little scared. But since I was here, I had to muster all my courage.
I took out the solid gold book I’d brought with me. The first page bore the signature of the Fairy Tale Dungeon Boss.
The second page was still blank.
As I climbed the endless stairs, I tried to think of what I should say in a moment. Without Alex Parker’s healing, I quickly grew tired.
The clouds and the space around me barely changed, which only made my exhaustion worse.
This BOSS is so annoying—even after coming all this way, I still have to walk forever just to meet him.
Even so, I didn’t dare say it out loud. After all, he used to be a top henchman of the former boss.
Lately, the former boss had been stirring, and if he was hiding here, I’d be doomed.
Buddha, Jesus, the Three Pure Ones… I thought of every deity I could.
Hopefully, I’d get a little luck.
Success or failure, it all comes down to this.
I had no idea how long I’d been walking, or how far I’d gone.
At last, I saw a man sitting high above.
At his feet was a tall platform piled with Time Coins, and beside him were 89 servers.
Each server had its own regional flair:
Tinh Tung was a riot of colorful coral.
Cyber Kowloon was all mechanical grit.
Van Phat Quat was covered in Buddha statues.
…
The BOSS, calling himself God, opened his eyes: “Tell me your plan to destroy the world.”
13
I said, “I propose implementing the 007 work schedule. The world will collapse in no time.”
He looked at me and nodded. “Not bad. Old, but still refreshingly new.”
I silently scoffed. What kind of contradictory ending is this?
He’d accept such a half-baked suggestion?
I was honestly impressed.
He asked, “Any other ideas?” I said, "Let them indulge in debauchery, wear down their willpower; or give each person a wish and let them do as they please."
I started spouting nonsense.
This time, he didn't praise me: "Just like before. Feels like you didn't prepare at all."
Of course not—I wasn't here to clear the level.
I said, "Actually, I'm here on the boss's orders."
I took out the solid gold book: "The boss says, if you discover the former boss, you must report it immediately."
His eyes narrowed, staring at the book. "Anything else?"
I tensed up. "I need you to sign here."
Boom! The sky exploded, the clouds darkened like his face. His fist clenched, bones cracking. Outside the divine temple, the wind howled.
"Back when I followed him, it wasn't like this."
I remembered a saying: The past is the past, now is now. If you can't handle losing, don't play.
But right now, I didn't dare joke around.
I forced a smile. "Things are different now. The boss probably doesn't mean anything by it. It's just to deal with the former boss."
His face stayed cold, but the pressure kept mounting.
This time, I was probably done for.
He said, "When the former boss was in charge, I lived like a dog. For freedom, I betrayed him, and now you want to chain me up again!"
My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe.
He stood up. "I won't be a coward anymore!"
"Today I kill you, tomorrow I kill him!"
The whole world went black. I smelled something foul. No, it was the stench of death. All I could say was, he was going all out to kill me.
Someone as insignificant as me—he could crush me with a snap, no need for all this wind and thunder.
I had expected this.
After dodging death a few times, today I finally had to walk with the reaper.
I wondered if the boss owed me any money?
No.
He really was a good boss.
Even the 100,000 he said he wouldn't pay, he transferred to me the next day.
I'm truly grateful to him.
Not just for the money.
Having this job at all—it's all thanks to the boss giving me a chance. Morgan Turner and Alex Parker are probably still in the dungeon. I wonder if they got caught up in this too.
Morgan’s undefeated, but even he might be helpless against a BOSS of this level.
I hope they leave quickly, don’t wait for me. Memories flicker by. Turns out, I don’t have many regrets.
Thanks to them, I’ve been happier and happier.
If there’s a next life, let me be Alex Parker.
Always shining bright.
…
A familiar voice rang out: “Hey kid, you sure can sleep.”
I opened my eyes, dazed.
It was… a head.
The boss grinned. “Awake now?”
I asked weakly, “Boss, why are you here?”
He chuckled. “I was worried, so I came to check on you. Our game’s star employee can’t have anything happen.”
I forced a smile. “Heh heh.”
Just then, a bolt of lightning struck down, setting the boss’s wig on fire.
The boss said, “Your perm skills are terrible—one star.”
The BOSS roared, “Enough with the nonsense!”
A giant cloud hand came crashing down, the boss’s eyes ticking like a clock.
“Beep beep beep… you’ve got a call!”
The cloud hand suddenly froze, miming picking up a phone.
The BOSS asked, “Hello, who is this?”
The boss replied, “It’s me.”
The BOSS said, “If it’s nothing, I’m hanging up.”
The boss laughed, “Actually, I do have something to discuss.”
What kind of scene is this?
I lay there in the great hall, listening to the two of them have a face-to-face phone conversation all morning.
The BOSS ground his teeth. “Can I hang up now?”
The boss nodded in midair. “Go ahead.”
The cloud hand lunged again.
The boss’s head spun like a top. Then I felt the whole world spinning.
Gradually, the boss stood still while the rest of us spun with the world.
So dizzy!
“Oh, right, better control you too.”
The boss spun the other way, and the world snapped back to normal. I staggered, collapsed, and threw up everywhere.
The BOSS summoned wind, fire, thunder, lightning—every force of nature—but nothing worked.
The boss was like a comic relief character barging into a shonen manga, driving the dungeon BOSS to the end of his patience. I watched the BOSS, deep in thought, looking just like one of those shadows under the stairs.
He said, "What if I blow up the server to fight you?"
The boss frowned. "Going all out, huh?"
The BOSS narrowed his eyes. "Better than being your lapdog."
The boss clicked his tongue. "Dogs are cute, you know. I never meant to make you my dog. Take your time to think it over, don’t rush."
As soon as he finished, the world spun, and I was out of the dungeon, back in the backstage of the horror game.
Morgan Turner and Alex Parker were there too.
Morgan said, "You were gone a while, so I went to look for the boss."
I smiled. "Thanks."
The boss’s head returned to its place. "We can’t drag this out any longer. If the former boss shows up and I’m missing a head, my odds of winning drop."
So the boss had to make a run for it.
But honestly, did we accomplish anything this time?
The boss seemed to read my mind. "When is life ever perfect? Trying hard doesn’t guarantee results. If he’s desperate enough to blow up the server to fight me, maybe the former boss really is inside. We need to keep watching."
I said, "But his behavior doesn’t match."
The boss replied, "Don’t trust them too much. Who here hasn’t put on a show for the players? Not just the SSS-Rank Dungeons—even the C-Rank Dungeons are full of people who defy me."
"Being the boss isn’t easy."
I looked at him. "You’re a good boss."
He shook his head. "That’s just your opinion. I’ve never thought of myself as good. As long as I have no morals, morals can’t bind me."
"You’ve worked hard this time. I’ve transferred 100,000 to your account. Go get some rest."
I said, "I can’t accept the 100,000."
He shot me a look. "That’s not like you. Don’t start playing the back-and-forth game. Stay away from the other SSS-Rank Dungeons for now. I’ll think of something else."
Huh?
Is the Fairy Tale Dungeon Boss the only one who gets hurt in this world?
I left the backstage and went home.
Lay down…
And waited for the next act.
—END—