The Boss Killer - Stubbed

It had been ten years since the tutorial had begun.

As the final boss of the tutorial, Demon Lord Magi’ster had encountered countless humans who had reached the top of the tower to battle him. Many had failed and perished by his hands, while others had succeeded in slaying him. But each time he died, he was brought back for the next challenger.

It was a duty that had been imposed upon him against his will. Even though he was brought back to life each time, dying was a painful experience. And being forced to die again and again and again was the height of misery. But such was the fate of those like him who rebelled against the Overlords.

Demon Lord Magi’ster let out a heavy sigh as he waited upon his throne, waiting for his emancipation that would be the end of the tutorial.

He knew for certain that soon it would be over— that he would be freed from this living hell— but that only came when the last human left alive in the tower either defeated him or perished.

The rest of humanity had already passed through the tutorial, or died a long time ago. In fact, most of the challengers Demon Lord Magi’ster faced came within the first three years. And the first challenger came within six months, six months faster than the second or the third who came closely after one another.

Since the first three years elapsed, the number of challengers came in like a trickle. And most of them had been incredibly weak, probably doing whatever they could to avoid fighting to get to the top. Unfortunately for them, they had no choice but to face him, and they were usually dispatched off with ease.

So it had been over two years since Demon Lord Magi’ster last died. Soon, it would be the final time he ever died. Regardless of whether he would emerge victorious against the last human or not.

And after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the heavy double doors leading to this ruined throne room swung open. Rising to his feet, Demon Lord Magi’ster hefted his massive broadsword over his back and took a rumbling step forward.

The human came to a halt when he saw the final boss of the tutorial. Even from across the room, the size difference between the both of them was starkly clear. With his back hunched, Demon Lord Magi’ster still stood at over ten feet tall. His pale body was garbed in rags, and a crown of thorns sat upon his head.

To the human’s credit, he did not look like a weakling who avoided all confrontation. He stood at just over six feet tall, wearing nothing but a trouser. His body was chiseled— tanned, muscular, and covered in scars. He had long messy hair, and all he carried with him was a satchel slung around his shoulder.

A [Fistfighter] of sorts, Magi’ster observed as he slowly lumbered forward. There are very few of those who make it this far.

“Greetings, challenger,” the Demon Lord rumbled, his booming voice shaking the room. These were not words he wished to utter, but he was compelled to do so regardless. “You have finally come upon the final boss of the tutorial. I am Magi’ster, a Level 100 Demon Lord, and you shall not be leaving this room.”

“Level 100, huh? Wow, that’s…” the human muttered, eyeing the Demon Lord up and down. A familiar expression— that of shock and awe.

After all, most humans who made it to the top were barely even Level 50. They would usually be severely underprepared, and would have to team up in a large expedition to bring him down.

Being used to this reaction, Magi’ster paid it no mind, instead speaking in a wispy voice, “Foul human, you know not the nightmares which await you once you leave this tutorial.”

The human just tilted his head curiously when he heard that. Magi’ster came to a halt and dropped his massive broadsword to the side.

“I see how my sheer strength has stricken you into petrified fear. But I assure you, Level 100 is only a presage to what exists beyond this tower. And I  shall show you the mercy of death by my hands.”

With a roar, the Demon Lord raised his massive broadsword and swung down at the human. The ground shook as a plume of dust shot into the air. It was a direct hit— one that would’ve crushed the human as much as it ripped him in half.

Magi’ster closed his eyes as he felt a sense of relief wash over him. His decade of servitude was over. Now, the tower would crumble, and his life would finally come to an end.

“Sorry, I think you misunderstood my reaction,” the human’s voice cut out, interrupting the Demon Lord’s thoughts.

“...what?” Magi’ster’s eyes grew wide as he watched the dust settle.

And standing there was the human, with a single hand raised, catching the massive broadsword almost effortlessly.

“I wasn’t surprised by your level because I thought Level 100 is strong.” The human shook his head as he just stepped forward. “Level 100 is really weak.”

And with that said, the human threw a casual punch that sent Demon Lord Magi’ster flying back into his throne. The throne exploded into thousands of pieces— chunks of debris flying in the air in all directions.

The Demon Lord tried to get back to his feet, but struggled to move. His stone-like skin was cracked all over, and a large divot had formed on his chest at the point of impact.

“W-what is this…?” Magi’ster mustered out as his vision blurred.

“Honestly, I think I overprepared for you,” the human said as he strode forward, shaking his head. He paused as he tilted his head back. “Oh, where are my manners? My name’s Damien, by the way.”

The Demon Lord could only stare at the human in shock. Gritting his teeth, he spoke in a whisper. “Never once have I fought a human who has been able to overwhelm me with such ease. Even Adam the First Explorer had only been able to defeat me after a full day’s battle, using his wit and all of his equipment. How have you achieved this power?”

“Adam the who?” Damien blinked, before shrugging. “All I did was kill all the hidden bosses. Nothing special, you know?”

“...the hidden bosses?” Magi’ster repeated after the human.

The Demon Lord was vaguely aware of the layout of the tower. There were exactly a hundred floors, with a boss stationed at exactly every ten levels of the tower. That meant there were ten true bosses in total, with Magi’ster himself being the tenth and final boss.

But he also knew that each floor of the tower was massive— with the first floor being nearly ten thousand miles wide, and the last floor being nearly a hundred miles wide. So there was a lot to explore in each floor, with some hidden bosses scattered throughout.

The exact details eluded Demon Lord Magi’ster. But it appeared that Damien had the numbers at hand.

“That’s right.” He nodded with a grin. “Took me a while, since there were exactly two hundred and thirty eight of them. Which is— a lot more than I thought there would be. But I finally gained the Title of The Boss Killer, which is something you only get for killing all the hidden bosses. And now, I am Level 617.”

Damien flexed an arm as he raised his chin proudly. The Demon Lord processed this information, staring uncomprehendingly at the human.

Level 617… that is almost as strong as I was before I led my rebellion against the Overlords… Magi’ster could not believe what he was hearing. And this mere human achieved this in only ten years?

“I seriously thought you’d be a bit stronger than this,” Damien sighed as he lowered his head. “Guess that’s what happens when you complete all the side quests before the main storyline, huh? Still, you're quite the disappointment…”

And when Magi’ster heard that, he forgot about his enslavement under the Overlords for just a moment. Instead, a sense of anger washed over him. Why?

The Demon Lord should have just accepted his death here, instead of fighting back for the sake of the Overlords. But what Damien said had struck deep.

Me? A disappointment? Magi’ster’s pride was hurt, and a boiling anger rose from within his heartless chest. A flame was reignited in his desiccated soul. Because he knew just how strong he truly was— before he was enslaved and forced to die again and again for the Overlords.

Once, he had been strong enough to even cause the heavens to tremble. The only reason he was so weak now was because he was a husk of his former self. But the once proud Demon Lord knew he was stronger than this. So he reached for the flame within his soul, and he began to surge with a crimson aura.

“How cute,” Magi’ster said as he rose to his feet.

“Hm?” Damien raised a brow, watching as the Demon Lord’s wounds sealed shut. This actually surprised him.

Demon Lord Magi’ster’s back cracked as he stood tall. Now, towering over the human at fifteen feet in height. His frail body began to shift, rippling now with muscles. He picked up his sword with ease as he cackled.

“I commend you for what you have achieved, human! But you cannot call yourself a boss killer when you have yet to slay the final boss of the tutorial!”

And this time, when the Demon Lord swung down, Damien actually leapt back, avoiding the attack.

“Whoa, you’re getting stronger? That’s the first time I've seen this happen…” Damien stared at Magi’ster in shock.

A hurricane of a crimson aura washed over the Demon Lord, sweeping over the rest of the room. The hundredth floor of the tower began to tremble. The ground beneath their feet cracked.

Damien’s eyes went round. “In only a few seconds, you’re already Level 251— now 317. At this rate, you’re going to become even stronger than me in no time. That means I have to end this battle now.”

The realization seemed to settle in the human’s mind as he clenched his fists. A golden aura overcame him as he took a wide stance.

Magi’ster could sense the overwhelming power pooling into Damien’s right hand, and the Demon Lord smiled savagely, spreading his arms wide.

“I am Demon Lord Magi’ster, the Defier of the Overlords, and the last of my people!” Magi’ster bellowed as his sword shone with a crimson light. He eyed the human who stepped forward, shining like the sun. “Come, human, and witness a fraction of my former glory!””

Damien didn’t falter from this sight. Instead, he blazed brighter, overcome by the golden flames that whipped his hair back. And with a shout, he leapt forward.

“[Supernova Strike]!” the human yelled.

“[Execution Of The Dead]!” Magi’ster roared, swinging down with his crimson blade.

Damien punched out right as the Demon Lord swung down. The two clashed with a flash of brilliant light. A powerful shockwave rocked the entirety of the tutorial tower, shaking it to the very first floor.

When the light vanished… Demon Lord Magi’ster dropped to his knees, the crimson aura wreathing his body fading, his sword broken and lying at his side. A rumbling shook the tower as it began to collapse very slowly.

The Demon Lord brought a hand up to his chest, but found only a gaping hole there. Something tugged at the edge of his lips, before he craned his neck back to face the human.

Damien stood atop the pile of rubble that was once the throne, completely unscathed. The golden aura that covered his body still coated him.

Magi’ster could only smile. “Thank you, human… for allowing me this final act of defiance against the Overlords…”

Of course, the human didn’t understand what the Demon Lord was talking about. All Damien did was wrinkle his brows in confusion. But Magi’ster cared not. He simply closed his eyes.

And the Demon Lord accepted his final death.

***

Ten years ago, a blue screen flashed before the entire population of the Earth.

[Initializing System], it had said. [Planet T81, also known as Earth, of Lesser Universe A9, you have crossed the threshold to enter the Greater Multiverse of Lautum. Do not be afraid. You will be transported to the tutorial shortly.]

And just like that, Damien’s life had been flipped upside down, from working a monotonous nine to five with absolutely nothing to look forward to except going back home on the weekend to play some video games, to exploring this mysterious tower full of dangerous monsters where death lurked around every corner. It was a stark contrast— a juxtaposition that was difficult to adapt to.

But Damien didn’t find himself struggling like everybody else did. Instead, he found himself thriving.

It was like a piece of him had been missing his whole life. And now, he welcomed the challenge. He didn’t just rush his way to the top of the tower like everybody else who was trying to escape this death trap did. Instead, he took his time exploring the entirety of each and every single one of the floors, mapping them out and methodically clearing them out, until he eventually found the first hidden boss in an isolated area of the first floor.

And that was when Damien made it his goal to find each and every hidden boss in the first ten floors before he even faced the first true boss. It took a while, due to the massive size of each floor. Not only that, but overcoming the hidden bosses was difficult.

Unlike the true bosses, which all had a static level that didn’t change, the level of the hidden bosses actually scaled to his very own level. So the first hidden boss Damien faced was relatively weak, being only 5 levels above him.

But as Damien faced more and more of the hidden bosses, they would become more and more difficult. The gap in levels between him and the hidden boss would increase. Until the differential almost seemed to be insurmountable.

It was difficult. Especially since Damien had to face them alone. Because unlike the true bosses, which allowed multiple people to enter, the hidden boss rooms only allowed a single person in at a time.

Fortunately, unlike the true bosses which blocked out the exit once the battle started, Damien was able to leave the hidden boss rooms at any point in time. So he observed what they were capable of, and he tried to find a counter to them to come out victorious. By exploiting their weaknesses, he was able to deal with every single one of them.

And since they would respawn after a day, farming these hidden bosses daily proved to be the easiest way to level up for him. Although… defeating them did not become easier since they would always scale with his level.

Up until Level 500, at the very least. From what Damien found, that was the cap in which the hidden bosses scaled against him. So once he crossed Level 500, killing the hidden bosses became easy.

Almost too easy. It became a daily routine for him. He would wake up, clear out all the hidden boss rooms, then continue exploring the tower for more hidden bosses. Which seemed like it would be quite laborious, but with Damien’s speed, it was hardly a hassle compared to what he had to do before when he was lower-leveled.

And after finally clearing out all the hidden bosses and the true bosses apart from the final boss, Damien found himself growing bored. There was no longer any challenge left in the tutorial for him, except for facing the final boss.

Damien had hoped the final boss would be a real challenge. He wanted to face a strong opponent again. So he convinced himself that the final boss would scale in level against him, just like the hidden bosses did.

But when he saw Demon Lord Magi’ster’s level, he couldn’t help but be disappointed. Because the final boss was so weak.

Or so I thought… Damien frowned as he eyed the corpse of the Demon Lord. It was fading away, turning to dust.

Somehow, Demon Lord Magi’ster had rapidly grown in strength and proved to be a real challenge for Damien. He was forced to use his greatest Skill to defeat the final boss.

Before Demon Lord Magi’ster could grow even stronger.

A small part of Damien wished he allowed the Demon Lord to show off its true strength. But that was too risky, even for Damien. Because at the point in which Damien had slain the final boss, it had already reached Level 550.

And that was after only half a minute had passed.

It was truly like nothing Damien had ever seen before. So he was impressed. And he couldn’t help but bring himself to bow his head in respect of his deceased opponent.

But his moment of respect was interrupted as a screen flashed before his eyes.

*ding!*

You have slain [Demon - Level 550]!

You have gained less experience for defeating an enemy at least 50 levels below you!

*ding!*

For defeating Demon Lord Magi’ster, the Final Boss Of The Tutorial, you have earned the Title [Explorer Of The New World]!

+10 [Strength]

+10 [Magic]

+10 [Speed]

+10 [Vitality]

*ding!*

For completing the tutorial, you may now step through the portal at the throne to enter the Greater Multiverse of Lautum!

Behind Damien, there was a flash of light. A rift opened up right above the collapsed debris that was the throne Demon Lord Magi’ster had sat on.

“Well, it took a while to get here. But I can finally enter Lautum, huh?” Damien muttered as he raised his head.

All around him, the tower continued to tremble. The shockwave from the clash with the Demon Lord still reverberated throughout this tutorial world.

“Now, I wonder what new challenges await me on the other side of the—” And Damien paused as he narrowed his eyes.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something rolling across the decrepit throne room. It was an oval object— obsidian-black in color, about half the size of his body. It seemed to have been left behind where Demon Lord Magi’ster had died.

Damien blinked a few times as he watched it roll to a halt before some debris. “That’s… an egg?”

Taking a step forward, Damien eyed the oval object.

“I had no idea male demons laid eggs when they died. Unless… the Demon Lord was actually a Demon Lady?”

The very thought of that made Damien shudder. He couldn’t imagine just how ugly male demons were if Magi’ster had been a female demon. Shaking his head, he tried to cast aside those thoughts.

“Well, loot is loot, I guess.” Damien marched over to the egg to pick it up. “If it’s not useful, maybe I can make some scrambled eggs with it—”

And Damien was interrupted as the ground beneath his feet collapsed. Leaping back, he swept his gaze around the throne room as it shuddered violently. The shaking hadn’t stopped the entire time, but now, the walls began to crumble.

The floor cracked and began to cascade all around Damien. The tower was falling apart.

“Is the tower supposed to collapse at the end of the tutorial? Or did I cause this?” Damien asked himself as he glanced around. “Ah, fuck it. I’ll just get out of here.”

He was about to spin around and escape through the portal when he saw the ground beneath the black egg crumble. The oval object began to fall alongside the debris of the collapsing tower, and Damien pursed his lips.

After a moment’s deliberation, he leapt down after the black egg, catching it mid-air as he sighed.

“I better not have wasted my time grabbing you. Because if you’re useless, I’m going to be cooking you.”

Damien murmured to himself as he leapt off some falling debris, swiftly ascending back up to the portal. And there, he finally stepped through to the other side, leaving the tutorial behind once and for all.

Status:

Name: Damien Thorne

Class: [Legendary Brawler - Level 617]

Titles: [The Boss Killer], [Explorer of the New World], [Death Defier], [Monster Hunter], [Master of Martial Arts], [Sage Mage], [Aura Champion], [Coward]

Stats:

[Strength: 1252 (+100) (+10) (+30) (+25) (+25)]

[Magic: 733 (+100) (+10) (+20) (+50) (+30)]

[Speed: 1086 (+100) (+10) (+50) (+25) (+50)]

[Vitality: 669 (+100) (+10) (+50) (+25) (+25)]

Skills: [Supernova Strike], [Nebular Punch], [Soulcrusher], [Berserk Mode], [Aura Creation], [Greater Haste], [Instant Strike], [A Hundred Blows], [Basic Slash], [Disengage], [Jump Over Mountains], [Wind Leap], [Object Appraisal], [Eagle Eye]

Passive Skills: [Super Instinct], [Unbreakable Skin], [Heavenly Bones], [Soul Mastery], [Aura Unleashed], [Greater Durability], [Greater Speed], [Greater Strength], [Indomitable Spirit], [Second Life], [Heightened Senses]