The heavy stone doors slammed shut behind them, sealing the party inside the boss chamber. Torches flared to life along the walls, their ghostly blue flames casting eerie shadows across the ancient ruin. At the far end of the room, a massive stone throne sat atop a raised platform. A figure loomed above it—a towering, armored wraith with piercing red eyes glowing from beneath a horned helmet. Its skeletal fingers tightened around a colossal greatsword, the blade cracked and pulsing with dark energy.

  [The Forgotten Tyrant – ???]

  James adjusted his stance, shifting his weight as he studied the enemy before them. The boss’s health bar appeared, but something was off—there was no level indicator. Just a long, red bar stretching ominously across the top of the screen.

  “That’s not comforting,” Lyra muttered, her daggers already in hand.

  “Either it’s really weak,” Riona said, rolling her shoulders, “or we’re about to have a bad time.”

  “I’d bet on the latter,” Garrick rumbled, shifting into a defensive stance with his shield raised.

  “Alright, stick to the plan,” James said, glancing at Lillian. “Range pressure while we test its attack patterns. Don’t overcommit.”

  Lillian gave a thumbs-up and knocked an arrow. “Let’s see what this thing’s got.”

  As if responding to her words, the Forgotten Tyrant suddenly moved. But it didn’t charge. It didn’t roar. It didn’t do any of the usual boss theatrics.

  It simply blinked out of existence.

  James barely had time to react before a red warning flash appeared on his screen.

  [Danger Sense Activated – Incoming Lethal Attack]

  “What—?!”

  The next second, an explosion of force sent James flying across the chamber. He smashed into the far wall, his health instantly plummeting to critical.

  The others weren’t any luckier.

  Garrick had tried to block, but his shield shattered on impact, sending him crumpling to the ground. Riona was impaled mid-dash, lifted off her feet by the boss’s greatsword before being slammed into the ground, her body flickering into particles.

  [Riona has died.]

  Lillian loosed an arrow, but before it could hit, the Tyrant reappeared behind her. A single swipe of its blade sent her head flying.

  [Lillian has died.]

  “What the hell is this?!” Lyra shouted, rolling frantically to dodge as the boss blurred out of view again.

  James groaned, forcing himself to his feet. He had barely registered what had happened, and already half the team was gone. No wind-up, no warnings, just instant death.

  Garrick let out a furious yell, raising his axe. “COME ON, YOU PIECE OF—”

  The boss teleported again, appearing right in front of him.

  James watched in horror as Garrick was lifted off the ground by an invisible force, his body locked in place.

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  Then, without warning—

  He exploded.

  Just—gone. No attack animation, no visible strike. One second he was there, the next he was a fine red mist.

  [Garrick has died.]

  James’ blood turned to ice. “Lyra, RUN!”

  She didn’t need to be told twice. She was already moving, sprinting toward him as the boss turned its glowing red eyes in her direction.

  Then, it teleported again.

  James lunged forward, summoning a shadow construct in a last-ditch effort to intercept—

  Too slow.

  The boss materialized inside Lyra.

  For a brief moment, she simply froze, as if her character model had glitched.

  Then she disintegrated.

  [Lyra has died.]

  James barely had time to curse before the boss turned toward him. His cursed sword pulsed in his hand, reacting to the overwhelming presence of death. But it didn’t matter.

  The last thing James saw was the greatsword descending toward him—

  Then everything went black.

  James gasped as he found himself standing in the dungeon’s entrance hall.

  The others were already there, looking just as disoriented.

  “The hell just happened?” Riona muttered.

  “We got wiped,” Garrick grunted.

  “No shit,” Lillian groaned. “But how?”

  Lyra clenched her fists. “That boss broke every rule we’ve seen so far.”

  James turned toward the dungeon ahead, but his stomach dropped.

  The entrance was no longer the same.

  The halls had shifted. The paths they’d taken before were gone, replaced by an entirely new layout.

  “…Guys,” he said slowly. “I think the dungeon just reset.”

  A long silence followed. Then Riona sighed and plopped down onto the stone floor.

  "Yeah, screw going back in tonight."

  Garrick grunted in agreement and sat beside her, stretching out his legs. "Same. I need a drink, a fire, and about an hour to process how badly we just got our asses handed to us."

  Lillian was already rummaging through her inventory. "I’ve got firewood and some basic rations. Anyone got actual food?"

  James shook his head. "I had food. Then I died."

  "Same," Lyra muttered.

  Riona smirked. "Guess we’re on the 'charred meat and mystery bread' diet tonight."

  Lillian lit the fire with a quick flick of her flint, the flames crackling as the group settled around it. The oppressive weight of their brutal defeat still lingered, but for now, they pushed it aside.

  James leaned back, staring at the flickering light. “So, while we’re sitting here licking our wounds, anyone wanna share how they got into this mess of a game?”

  The question hung in the air for a moment before Riona chuckled. "You mean this deathtrap of a world? Well, I was already a sucker for hardcore MMOs. You tell me ‘no hand-holding, you can actually die, and the world doesn’t care’—I’m all in."

  "Figures," Lyra said. "You have the energy of someone who enjoys getting stabbed recreationally."

  Riona grinned. "Only on weekends."

  Lillian rolled her eyes. "She’s downplaying it. Riona used to be in some high-ranked PvP guild. Cutthroat, no-nonsense, only recruited the best of the best."

  James raised an eyebrow. "And you left?"

  Riona shrugged. "Got bored. Also, turns out I prefer a team that doesn’t make me wanna stab my own teammates."

  "Understandable," James said.

  Lillian propped her chin on her hand. "I was a solo player before this. More of an explorer type. Get in, map stuff out, see how far I can go before dying horribly."

  Garrick grunted. "And how far did you get?"

  Lillian laughed. "Not very. But hey, it made me good at dodging."

  Garrick shook his head. "I joined because my buddies convinced me. Then they all logged out." He gestured vaguely at the dungeon. "Now I just keep going. Ain’t much else to do."

  James studied him for a moment. "And you don’t wanna find a way out?"

  Garrick smirked. "Don’t get me wrong, if an exit pops up, I’ll take it. But until then? Might as well get stronger."

  The conversation lulled as the fire crackled between them.

  Lyra poked the flames with a stick. "So. We’re trying again in the morning, right?"

  James exhaled. "Yeah. But we’re gonna need a new plan."

  Lillian nodded. "And maybe some actual sleep."

  "Sleep’s for people who didn’t just get obliterated by a teleporting skeleton king," Riona muttered, lying back with her arms behind her head.

  Garrick let out a deep chuckle. "Then I guess we should all be asleep already."

  The group fell into a comfortable silence, watching the fire flicker as the weight of the day settled in. Tomorrow, they’d go back. Tomorrow, they’d face that boss again.

  But tonight?

  Tonight was for licking their wounds, talking shit, and pretending—for just a little while—that they weren’t stuck in a death game.