"After we kill this fucker, we'll be home free, boys!" Zachary shouted, his mouth curving upwards in what could be seen as a smile, his armor covered in demon blood and guts. He stared up at the menacing-looking doors, made of bronze, iron, and alvien. Spikes sharp enough to kill protruded out of the doors which led to the final boss.

"Damn right! I'm ready to get out of this hellhole. Now then, everyone's completely ready, right?" the commander, Marissa asked. The dried blood on her face faded after gulping down a health potion, while the gore on her shining armor disappeared from a single spell.

"I could use a stamina potion, but I'm more or less ready," said Markus. Being the tank of the team, he had the most stamina and health and always had to keep those bars full to protect the team efficiently. He cleaned off his armor while walking, and he sharpened his sword while he rested.

"Markus, here's a potion. And Zac, clean yourself, you idiot! You smell like garbage and it'll slow you down in the long run." Byron said. As one of the supporters, he kept everyone in tip-top shape right before battle.

"Oh, come on! Wouldn't it look great to go back to earth covered in blood? I'd look like a real warrior!" Zac argued.

"You'd get arrested right away, dumbass." Byron shot back.

"They wouldn't be able to do anything, 'cause they can't take the ZacAttack!" Zac retorted.

"Would you retards shut up?! I'm trying to heal Karen here and I can't concentrate because of you two idiots!" Xavier yelled. Xavier was another buffer who was currently trying to fix Karen's leg, which had gotten sprained in the battle before.

Zac and Byron calmed down, and just 5 minutes later they opened the doors to the final boss fight.

Behind the doors lay sleeping demon in a chair. Clothed completely in black, it was hard to see any facial or body features characteristic of a demon.

Suddenly, the monster's eyes opened wide, showcasing the familiar red eyes that all demons had. Horns and claws grew, tearing the clothes apart. The demon had several offshoots on it, like spikes protruding out of a porcupine, and was a combination of grey, red, and black.

A growl resounded from the demon's throat, which quickly turned into a Paralyzing Roar that briefly stunned the party.

In that one second, the demon charged at Zac, frozen in a battle stance. Markus willed his body to move and blocked the attack, getting pushed back a few feet, but staying on the ground.

Ice and fire spears formed around the demon, who was now covered with a crackling, lightning shield.

---Sacrificial Barrier!

Markus activated one of his skills, protecting his teammates while his HP bar took the blast. Using another one of his skills he was able to deflect some of the damage onto the walls as well as to his SP and MP bars, but it still took off a quarter of his health.

Xavier quickly healed Markus, while Byron buffed the rest of the team, chanting loudly. Marissa launched both fireballs and lightning balls, herding the king over to an area where she had set up a trap. Zac and Karen helped her out by charging at the demon, herding it closer and closer until it fell in the pit.

Marissa leaned over the side and launched a barrage of projectiles, taking off almost half of the demon's health. Karen helped her out, throwing bombs and sticks of frenite into the hole, creating a large explosion.

The demon roared, restoring its health. Markus quickly threw his shield at it, stunning it, letting Marissa and Karen continue.

Beaten down to the last of its health, the demon launched one final attack. It grew leathery wings and flew out of the hole, blinking red.

"OH SHIT IT'S GONNA EXPLODE!" yelled Zac, who ran away, along with everyone else. Markus tried to run, but felt a slight pain, looked down, and saw his feet were coated in ice.

Markus quickly activated Sacrificial Barrier, taking the brunt of the damage and bringing him to the brink of death.

After the smoke cleared, the demon's blood and guts could be seen everywhere, from on the walls to the party members. Markus could be seen, bleeding from almost everywhere in his body, but healing slowly. His armor had large holes in it, a few shards of metal stuck into his chest and ribs. A part of his skull was gone, his brain visible. He tried speaking but coughed up blood instead, trying again. His legs and arms were covered in wide gashes, with one of each blown off.

Zac walked up to Markus, stabbing him in the chest.

"Check his health bar. Make sure he doesn't regenerate," said Marissa.

"Even up to the end, you were such a fucking dumbass. You thought I'd be teammates with someone like you? I saw the way you looked at my girl, you piece of shit."

"The only thing you were ever good for was being a meatshield, fatass," Xavier said.

"Come on, hurry up you idiots. Take his items already!"

"I call dibs on his core!"

"Y-You---" Zac stabbed Markus in the eyes, causing him to cough up blood. He couldn't feel the pain, but he knew he was close to death. Zac reached down and pulled out the still twitching eyeball, coating his hand in grey matter.

As his vision went to black, he heard sounds coming from around him. Judging from the noises, it sounded like those fuckers were going at it. He didn't think that those dudes were pedophiles, but the wet moans and grunts made him realize that this hadn't been their first time.

Hahaha... I fucking knew it. People can be such pieces of shit. Just like when no one showed up to my birthday cuz I was fat. Or when I got blamed for crushing that sculpture when it was those little shits that did it. Or when people wouldn't team up with me cuz I was ugly or when- Christ, why am I thinking about this shit before I die? We're the last fucking players left and this is what happens. Fuck them. Fuck everyone. Humanity can go burn in hell for all I give a damn for. Take this you little shits.

With what little energy he had in his body, he mouthed out the words.

---Self-Destruct.

His body turned red, then exploded. The whole room was stained red. His former teammates were too busy with each other to notice.

Zac and Xavier were on top of their partners, so they took the brunt of the damage. Pieces of Markus's armor flew into them, paralyzing them and eventually causing them to bleed out. A piece of bone from one of Markus's legs sunk into Karen's skull, killing her.

Byron and Marissa got off a little easier, with shards of bone only flying into their arms and legs. But Markus wasn't done with them yet. A series of magical enchantments activated, setting the room on fire. The two burned to death, screaming as they inhaled the smoke from their flesh.

Just before he died, a blue screen appeared in front of him but he was unable to read it.

Unlocked Unique Skill: 1-Up!

1-Up has activated!

Bzzt-Bzzt-Bzzt!

Markus awoke with a start, his alarm clock ringing on the table next to his bed.

He could hear his brother turning on his side on the bed above him. The smell of eggs and bacon was in the air and he could hear his mother screaming downstairs for them to get ready for school.

What the fuck? I died, am I hallucinating or something? Markus thought, pinching himself to see if it hurt.

He pulled his fingers away from his face after he felt the pain.

No...Maybe it had something to do with that blue screen at the end. This is reality. Wait, what's the date?

He got out of bed, massaging his temples. He checked the calendar, finding it to be November 15, 20XX.

"Holy shit," he muttered under his breath.

Is this calendar wrong? No, that can't be right. He shook his head. Mom would have thrown it out if it was. It's a fricking month before all that shit went down...

I need to prepare. Get a stronger body. The pain I will feel will be nothing to what those fuckers are going to be getting.

Markus stretched his body, wincing a little in pain. His body was flabbier than it had been in the game and so he had to get used to it again. He put on pants and a proper shirt before going to the bathroom and looking in the mirror.

A pudgy, Asian face with acne everywhere stared back at him. He sighed as he washed his face. He would have to work hard to achieve his results, but for his revenge, it would all be worth it.

He then got his phone and set up a strict training regime. He really needed to get in shape, or else the same thing would start all over again.

But first, he would have to survive school.