For as long as I can remember, boredom has been my constant companion.
It's easy to see why.
I grew up alone, always just... there, so excitement was rare. I was left at the orphanage the day I was born—my parents deciding they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, keep me. Life there felt like an endless loop. Nobody was eager to adopt me, and the few friends I made eventually got picked by families, leaving me behind every year.
Even school couldn’t offer an escape since it was right there in the orphanage. My school friends were the same ones who’d leave me when they found new families. In the end, I was the only one left in my age group.
So, to kill time, I turned to video games.
“Move already! Oh, come on! How can someone be that clueless? Why would you chase him all the way back to his base?”
But, like with anything, too much repetition wears out the fun.
I started jumping from RPGs to FPS games, even MOBAs. Didn’t matter if it was multiplayer or single-player—they all started feeling the same, boring and repetitive. None of them had that spark to keep me hooked.
Then, finally, something different happened.
On my 18th birthday, the day I was supposed to leave the orphanage and start living on my own—basically like life there, except now I’d be footing the bill.
Before I could leave, I had to stop by the retrieval area. Every orphan picks up any items left for them when they leave. I wasn’t expecting anything, though; it wasn’t like anyone left things for me.
But there it was, waiting: an item from my parents. The caretaker handed it over with a soft, almost pitiful smile.
“A…disk?”
“Yes, dear. Just this old video game disk. Maybe they thought you’d like it.” She sighed. “Well…what can you expect from people who leave their kids behind?”
The case had that old-school look—vintage, the kind you don’t see anymore. It was simple, but something about that minimalism pulled me in. The title, “Dungeon End” glowed softly in big, pixelated letters against a dark, dungeon-like background. Flipping it over, I found a block of text—a classic game description.
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Welcome to [Dungeon End], where the depths of the unknown beckon. In this realm, courage and strategy are your greatest assets. Navigate through mazes of deceit and combat creatures of darkness to discover treasures untold. But beware—each choice leads you closer to your fate, be it glory or demise.
Features include:
* Strategic gameplay to test your intellect and reflexes.
* A vast, cryptic dungeon with endless paths to explore.
* Battles that demand careful planning.
* A journey that evolves with your choices.
* Endless customization for your characters.
* Hardcore mode only! Die once, restart with a new untold path.
'Dungeon End' invites you to embark on an epic journey. Will you uncover the secrets lying in wait, or will the dungeon's depths claim another soul?
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Honestly, the description felt so...predictable. Dungeon crawling, permadeath, and the whole roguelike experience—I’d seen it all. Played it all. And I could probably guess exactly how it’d go.
“Doesn’t look all that fun, but…whatever. It’s the only thing they left for me, after all.”
After saying my goodbyes, I finally left the orphanage. Soon, I moved into my new place: a rundown apartment, barely lit, with walls that felt thin as paper. It was nothing special, but it worked. Just enough to get by while I tried juggling school and a dead-end job.
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In my room, lying on the floor mat, I looked around. All I had was my old PC, a wooden chair, and my fridge.
“Damn, I’m broke.”
With nothing to do—no friends, no plans, and no cash for a new game—I just sat there. Bored.
“Ah, whatever. Let’s just give it a shot. It’s free anyway.”
Too bored to come up with any other distraction, I took the disk out of its case—the one thing left to me by the parents I never met.
[Loading…]
[Welcome to ‘Dungeon End.’ Press any key to start.]
The screen loaded a shadowy dungeon background, dimly lit to show enough detail without brightening the darkness. In the center was a statue, a figure riding a serpentine creature. It looked old, like it had seen better days, but you could tell it was important, setting the whole “adventure” vibe.
So I got into Dungeon End.
At first, I thought it’d be a one-day thing. But before I knew it, I was hooked. Minutes blurred into hours, hours into days. Nearly all my free time—outside eating and bathroom breaks—went into this game. I’d never played anything like it. Sure, I’d been through tons of fantasy RPGs, but none had this addictive cycle or the same depth of character customization.
It wasn’t just a dungeon crawl. Each character had unique abilities, no two the same, so putting a team together took serious thought. The mix of skills, matching gear, and creating the right balance felt like solving a new puzzle every time.
And then the rage moments came.
“Argh! NOT AGAIN! Stupid trap got me!”
The game was brutal. One wrong move, and it was over. Characters I’d leveled up for days, even weeks, gone in an instant.
Days turned into months, and I started neglecting school and work just to make progress in this game. I figured I’d find some guides online since the game seemed old. But there was nothing—not a single mention anywhere. It was like Dungeon End didn’t exist outside my computer.
Odd? Sure. But I shrugged it off.
I decided to take it as an extra challenge: beat the game blind, no help. My life was still quiet and empty, but this game made it...a little less so. It wasn’t a life others might envy, but it was mine, and I felt content.
Years slipped by. I left the orphanage, went through college, and eventually found a job in my field. Through it all, Dungeon End stayed with me. Day after day, defeat after defeat, but I never quit. And then, finally, after a decade…
“Is… Is this it? Am I really about to finish this?”
There it was: the final challenge, the boss room on the 100th dungeon floor. Ten years I’d dreamed of this moment, and I was finally here. For all I knew, I’d die and have to start over. But even getting this far felt like an achievement.
[The end awaits…]
[Are you ready to enter? (YES/NO)]
“Yes!”
Loading…
“I’m not sure what’s waiting for me, but this is my best shot. I’ve put together something special—my Bloodzerker.”
The Bloodzerker wasn’t an official class. It was a name I came up with. The main skill, Blood Rage, boosted my damage based on how much health I lost in battle. At first, it felt risky, but then I found the perfect synergy.
Every class had a trait, which brought out the game’s real depth. A berserker’s trait increased attack speed with lower health, but that combo didn’t work for me. I needed something sustainable, and that’s when an unexpected class caught my eye: the Blood Mage.
Yes, a mage.
While Blood Rage seemed fit for a warrior, the Blood Mage trait transformed mana into health points, with the additional effect of leeching 2% of damage dealt as life. Together, they created a cycle: lose health to grow stronger, then heal mid-battle, keeping the damage buff.
“Lose health, heal up, keep the boost. Start over in the next fight. This cycle is what got me here, to the end.”
Ding!
“Is it finally over?”
[Congratulations, you’ve reached the end of the prologue.]
“…”
“…PROLOGUE?!”
“YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! TEN YEARS JUST TO FINISH A PROLOGUE?!”
Just as I was about to lose it trying to make sense of what i was reading, a blinding light burst from the screen, forcing my eyes shut.
“Argh! What now?”
The brightness overwhelmed me, confusion clouding my mind, until everything went dark.
[You’ve proven your worth as a champion. Passage granted to challenge the dungeon’s true depths.]
“…H-”
‘Ugh…my head…’
“…”
"HEY!”
“Huh?”
“Are you deaf? Move! Stop holding up the line!”
“What? Who…where am I?”
“What are you talking about? It’s almost your turn. Hurry up, or we’re all in trouble.”
“My turn?”
“Yes, the ceremonial acquisition day, before our first delve into the dungeon. Time to pull our weight, pay our dues like everyone else.”
I stood there, stunned, in a scene that was somehow familiar yet surreal. The words “ceremonial acquisition,” “delve into the dungeon,” and “paying dues” all pointed to one thing.
Am I…inside Dungeon End?