I wake up to the sound of deep, guttural chanting.
The air is thick with the scent of burning incense, mixed with something sharp like blood.
I shift in my seat, and the sound of metal grinding against stone echoes through the enormous chamber.
My vision is blurry, my head feels like it's been stuffed with wool, and for some reason, my arms are… heavy?
I try to lift one, only to hear the clinking of armor.
Huh? Armor?
My brain is still catching up.
I remember… drinking.
There was a party.
Loud music.
My friends hyping me up.
And then—ah, shit, that's right—I was supposed to lose my virginity last night.
Did I?
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to force the memory to surface.
There was a girl. I think.
Or was that just wishful thinking? Did I fumble the bag?
Did I pass out?
I don't get time to process that existential crisis because my vision finally clears—and I realize I'm sitting on a massive obsidian throne, towering over a sea of kneeling figures.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of monsters, demons, and undead warriors bow before me, their voices raised in a low, reverent chant.
The walls are lined with torches casting eerie, flickering light on the grotesque architecture—twisted spires, jagged pillars, and blood-red banners embroidered with my face.
A deep DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN plays from nowhere, and a massive golden notification box slams into my vision.
> [FINAL BOSS MODE ACTIVATED.]
[WARNING: HEROES HAVE ALREADY CLEARED FLOOR 98. ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL: 2 HOURS.]
…Huh?
A shadow moves to my left, and I turn my head way too fast, nearly throwing myself off the throne.
A sinister-looking demon general, clad in dark armor, kneels beside me.
His long, silver horns gleam under the torchlight, and his piercing red eyes burn with unwavering loyalty.
"My Lord," he says, his deep voice filled with reverence, "the Chosen One and his party approach.
As dictated by fate, you shall fall today."
The fuck I will.