NPC and Final Boss

When the horror game descended upon our world, my boyfriend awakened as the ultimate Boss.

But me? I was stuck as the lowest-tier NPC.

It happened again while I was complaining and demanding he spend his hard-earned points on expensive fresh fruit.

That was when I saw the chat feed.

He is so dramatic and annoying. Literally does nothing all day but stuff his face.

The Boss is fighting for his life out there against those psycho players. He is exhausted, and yet every single point he makes goes straight into this useless NPC's mouth. Have some shame.

Exactly. The top healer on the leaderboard is coming to this instance soon. He and the Boss are the ones meant to end this world together. Useless NPC, just drop dead.

I stared at the ridiculously priced fruit on the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Beside me, Ross turned to look at me while washing blood off his hands.

"What's wrong? Pick whatever you want, babe. We have plenty of points."

Terrified, I slapped the interface shut, my voice trembling.

"I don't... I don't want to eat anything anymore."

Ross straightened up, shaking the bloody water from his hands.

It had been three years since the apocalypse, three years since the horror game descended upon our reality.

He had become the ultimate Boss of this sector. In the entire Northern Sector, there wasn't a single player who didn't fear him.

Yet, right now, he tilted his head at me, his dark eyes filled with nothing but confusion.

"What's wrong, babe? Weren't you begging for strawberries last night?"

He walked over, pressing the back of his hand to my forehead.

"You don't have a fever."

I instinctively flinched away.

The cuts on his hands were still seeping blood. I had slowly grown accustomed to him returning from every instance covered in wounds.

But now, the chat feed told me the truth. Those points were bought with his life, and I was using them to buy fresh fruit. How shameless of me.

"I really don't want to eat anything," I murmured, keeping my head down.

Ross narrowed his eyes, his crimson-tinted gaze locking onto me for several tense seconds.

"Fine. If you don't want it, you don't want it."

He didn't press further, turning his attention back to wrapping his wounds.

"So, what do you want to do instead? Want to go for a walk? I'll go with you."

I shook my head.

"I want to be alone for a bit."

Ross's movements faltered. Then, he sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space beside him.

"Come here. Sit."

I didn't move.

He just watched me, patient, never rushing.

After a long silence, I dragged my feet and slowly shuffled over. He reached out, pulling my shoulder into his chest.

"What's the fun in sitting alone? I'm here. But Jesse, you're acting weird today."

I buried my face in his chest, staying quiet.

Ross let the matter drop. He just held me close, resting his chin on my head, one hand gently tracing slow, rhythmic circles on my back, like he was soothing a frightened child.

The chat feed drifted past again.

Why did the little NPC stop whining? Did he suddenly find a conscience?

Please, him? Conscience? Pigs will fly first.

But seriously, Ross is so good to him. It actually hurts to watch.

What's the point of being good to him? He's not the main character. He's bound to get written out sooner or later.

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at the words.

Three years ago, the horror game merged with our reality.

Back then, Ross and I were eating popsicles on Main Street. It was November in Duluth, twenty below zero. The two of us were freezing like idiots, yet we stubbornly insisted on eating them.

Ross took a bite, shivering and hissing through his teeth.

"Why do we even like this? I'm freezing to death."

I laughed, calling him a wimp. He glared at me playfully, shoving his popsicle toward my mouth.

"Fine, tough guy. You eat it. Let's see if you can swallow it in one bite!"

Just as I opened my mouth, the sky went black.

Everyone looked up. A colossal screen materialized in the heavens, towering crimson letters rolling down line by line.

Game loading...

Instance generating...

Players logging in...

I stood frozen, completely numb.

Ross's first instinct was to drop his popsicle and grab my hand.

"What the hell is that? We need to run!"

But the anomaly seemed to shroud the entire planet. The whole street erupted into chaos. People screamed, while others wailed.

Once the text finished rolling, the screen began broadcasting the rules. The gist of it was simple: the real world had been retrofitted into a horror game. Everyone was automatically designated as either a player or an in-game character.

Completing quests and slaying monsters yielded points, which could be exchanged for survival resources. Instances would refresh continuously, each one harder than the last.

And the monsters inside those instances were once human. Those who failed to awaken as players in the first wave turned into beasts.

The weaker ones became NPCs.

And I was one of the weaker ones. I wasn't even a high-tier NPC. I was a background prop, a scenario NPC.

I was the kind of background character that merely triggers a single line of dialogue when a player walks past: "Lovely weather today, isn't it?"

My entire existence was meant to stand there, spout a useless line, and then be ignored by players or devoured by monsters.

But Ross was different. He awakened as the ultimate Boss of this sector. In the Northern Sector, he was the apex predator.

The day he carved his way through a sea of monsters to find me, he was drenched in blood. His crimson eyes had stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I had thought my lover, now turned into a monstrous Boss, had forgotten me entirely.

Instead, he pulled me violently into his arms, weeping like a child.

"I was so scared... Thank God you're okay!"

He brought me back to his safehouse. He used his hard-earned points to buy me the finest food, the warmest clothes. Whenever I pouted and said I wanted fresh fruit, he didn't hesitate to spend half a month's savings to get it.

Under his protection, I lived a life more comfortable than before the world ended.

But now that I thought about it, the chat feed was right. Over these past three years, Ross's spoiling had turned me into a useless, demanding parasite.

I truly didn't deserve him.

From the day I saw the chat feed, I stopped throwing tantrums.

Before Ross left to clear instances, I proactively organized his gear. When he returned, I made sure hot water was ready for him.

Before, when he tried to teach me how to cook, I had stubbornly refused. Now, I began studying the system recipes. Though the meals I prepared tasted awful, Ross finished every single bite.

He would hold his bowl, his expression a mix of bewilderment and amusement.

"Babe... did you have some sort of epiphany?"

I ladled some soup for him without answering.

"Or did you mess up and break something?" he teased.

"No."

"Then why the sudden change of heart?"

I pushed the bowl in front of him.

"Just drink your soup."

He chuckled, taking a sip. His brow furrowed. He took another sip, his grimace deepening.

"...It's incredibly salty."

I snatched the bowl back and tasted it myself. I nearly gagged. But Ross snatched it right back.

"Salty is good. Goes well with rice."

He tipped the bowl back, gulping it down in seconds, then showed me the empty bottom.

"See? All gone."

My nose stung with unshed tears. But the chat feed flared up again.

Why are you crying? The Boss is about to meet his real partner.

Our precious healer entered the instance today! Get ready, girls!

Oh my god, really? The top-tier support on the leaderboard is coming to the Northern Sector?

Yeah, heard his previous team's DPS was trash, so he wanted a change of scenery to farm some points.

He's here! The true canon ship is finally sailing!

My hand holding the bowl trembled. Ross noticed immediately.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

I placed the bowl in the sink. He didn't suspect anything. He simply walked over, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Jesse, if there's something on your mind, talk to me. Don't carry it alone."

"There really isn't."

"Then why have you been staring into space so much lately?"

I turned around, looking into his crimson eyes.

"Ross."

"Yeah?"

"What if..." I paused, carefully choosing my words. "What if one day you meet someone, and together, you two can end this horror game? What if you could bring everyone back to their normal lives?"

Before I could finish, he cut me off.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"How does it not? You're the Boss. Ending the game would mean..."

"It would mean they have to kill me."

I fell silent. He squeezed my arm gently.

"Listen to me, Jesse. I don't give a damn about who ends this game. I don't care about world peace or the fate of humanity. I only care about you."

"But..."

"No buts. You're mine. I don't care who comes knocking; no one is taking you away."

The chat feed erupted.

Ahhhh, he's so smooth!

No, I can't be swayed! I am a die-hard canon shipper!

Ugh, but he's so good to the little NPC. It's making me soft.

So what? An NPC is just an NPC. He's destined to die anyway.

Our healer is almost here. The canon ship is supreme!

I closed my eyes, burying my face in his chest. I memorized every word Ross said, but I also remembered every word of the chat feed.

The healer was coming. My time was running out.

The next day, Ross went out to clear an instance.

I was alone in the safehouse, tidying up, when I heard a commotion outside. Instinctively, I shrank behind the window and peered out.

Someone was limping toward our perimeter from the direction of the instance portal. He wore a blood-soaked white mage robe. He moved slowly, dragging one leg, carrying another person on his back.

As he drew closer, I saw that it was an injured teammate. He carefully laid the teammate down at the edge of the safe zone, then collapsed against a nearby wall, panting heavily.

His face was deathly pale. His robe was shredded at the waist, blood seeping through the fabric. Yet, ignoring his own wounds, he immediately began channeling a healing spell on his teammate.

A soft white light emanated from his palms, washing over the injured player. The wounds healed at a visible rate. Meanwhile, the gash on his own side kept bleeding.

The chat went wild.

He's here, he's here! Henry! The number one healer on the leaderboard!

Why is he so hurt? Who did this to him? I'll kill them!

Apparently, he had a falling out with his trash team, so he came to the Northern Sector alone.

Oh, it hurts to see him like this. Our poor baby traveled so far alone.

It's fine. Once the Boss takes him under his wing, no one will dare touch him.

I stood frozen. So this was Henry, the legendary support.

He finished healing his teammate, but his own strength gave out. His body swayed, and he slid down the wall onto the cold ground.

From behind the glass, I watched his blood drip onto the dirt, stain by stain. A dark voice whispered in my mind: Leave him. If he dies, no one will take Ross from you.

But a louder, more desperate voice countered: He's the key to ending this godforsaken game! If he dies, this world will never go back to normal!

Gnashing my teeth, I pushed the door open and stepped outside.

Hearing the noise, Henry snapped his head up. His palms flared with a defensive white light, ready to strike. But when his eyes fell on me, he blinked in confusion.

"An NPC?"

I nodded slowly. He kept his guard up, eyes tracking my every movement.

"What do you want?"

I pointed at his bleeding waist.

"Do you need help?"

He looked down at his wound, then back up at me.

"Wait here."

I dashed back inside, grabbed the medical kit Ross had left behind, and ran back out to offer it to him.

Henry stared at the kit, making no move to take it. His eyes remained highly suspicious.

"You're an NPC. Why are you helping me?"

I thought about it.

"I don't know."

And that was the truth. I had no idea why I was doing this. Players and NPCs were natural enemies, yet, watching him bleed out alone, I couldn't bring myself to walk away.

Henry studied me for several seconds before finally taking the kit.

"Thank you."

He bowed his head and began treating his wounds. His movements were practiced and efficient, the mark of someone intimately familiar with pain.

I squatted beside him, watching. After a moment of hesitation, I reached out.

"Let me."

Without waiting for his permission, I took the gauze and began wrapping his side. I wasn't a professional. My hands were clumsy, and the bandage ended up a messy, tangled lump. But Henry didn't complain. He sat there quietly, letting me fuss over him.

The chat feed went quiet for a few seconds before shifting.

Wait... this little NPC... isn't actually that annoying?

He's bandaging Henry.

It looks terrible, but why is this kind of sweet?

No, stay strong! He's just cannon fodder, don't go soft on him!

I ignored the floating words. I kept my head down, wrapping the gauze round and round.

Suddenly, Henry spoke.

"What's your name?"

"Jesse."

"Jesse. I'm Henry."

"I know."

He paused, startled.

"How do you know?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"The number one healer on the leaderboard. Your reputation precedes you."

Henry didn't press further.

By the time Ross returned, I had already settled Henry and his teammate into an empty room.

His first words upon stepping through the door were, "Someone was here."

I was heating up dinner, and my hand froze over the stove.

"Yes. Two players."

"Players?" Ross's brow furrowed.

"They were hurt. One of them was in really bad shape."

Ross said nothing. He shed his blood-stained coat, walked over to the window, and peered outside. Then he turned to look at me.

"Guys or girls?"

"Guys."

"Both of them?"

"Yes."

Ross's frown deepened. He walked over, towering over me.

"Jesse, did you forget what I am?"

"No."

"I'm a Boss. They are players. Between players and Bosses, it's kill or be killed."

"But they were dying," I whispered.

"And what does that have to do with us?"

"I..."

I wanted to say, He's your destined partner. But the words died in my throat. He couldn't see the chat feed. He would think I was losing my mind.

Seeing my silence, Ross sighed. He reached out, ruffling my hair.

"Fine. They can stay. But on one condition."

"What?"

"You are not allowed to be alone with them. Understood?"

I nodded. But as I turned away, the chat feed drifted past again.

The little NPC has been acting so strange lately. He's gotten so quiet.

The official lore says the Boss and the Healer have to be together to end the game. It's better if he steps aside willingly.

Exactly. Only the combination of the top healer's power and the ultimate Boss's strength can break the system.

Hurry up and write the NPC out. Stop delaying the plot.

My mind became a chaotic storm.