After the Undefeated Boss Was Banned, the Whole Server Mourned Him as the Black Moonlight

[Reader comments are now open. For the best experience, read alongside the comments on the official version. The main story is complete.] The Demon King Achien, with his high-damage area attacks, mastery of both physical and magical combat, and a mechanic that boosts spell power and casting speed without limit as his HP drops, became a nightmare no beta tester could defeat. As a key member of one of the top progression teams, Lu Yi led the group in a one-sided battle against him for months. He revived outside the boss room countless times and even dreamed about memorizing the patterns and dodging his skills. Again and again, he watched the Demon King rise, his handsome, aloof features framed by glimpses of silver armor beneath his tattered black robes, his dazzling, deadly spells on display... and his own HP bar emptying in the blink of an eye. Lu Yi complained that the boss was ridiculously overpowered and needed a nerf, all while falling in love with him out of hatred. Defeating this overpowered monster became his obsession. But what he eventually got wasn't a balance patch. Instead, an announcement declared the Demon King Achien scrapped, his model and skill mechanics abandoned entirely. From then on, even though few had ever seen the Demon King Achien with their own eyes, players passed his name around as an undefeated legend, a black moonlight they regretted losing. Later, the official launch began. Everyone knew that the ancient, overpowered boss wouldn't be appearing, but no one noticed the player with an unusually detached expression sitting in the corner of the newbie tavern. ID: Achien Player Achien kept his ability to gain spell power and casting speed as his HP fell, making it his starting talent. But he no longer had the boss's enormous HP bar, so there was nothing left to lose. The ability that had once made him feared across the land was now practically useless. Fortunately, he did get a passive skill that increased his maximum HP whenever he sparred with another player, but he had to keep winning. One loss would reset it all. As an undefeated Demon King, Achien thought this skill suited him perfectly. His only headache was the silver-haired swordsman who kept following him around and asking to be added as a friend. He said he could take Achien on hunts, into dungeons, and to fight bosses. His reason? Achien's character appearance and talent skills were exactly like the Demon King's. Achien: “I'll say it again. I am the Demon King himself.” Lu Yi wasn't so confused that he'd mistake a player for a boss who had already been banned. “All right, all right, I know it's roleplay. I used to hate people imitating Achien, because nobody could capture his spirit. But, man, I have to admit you're the most convincing one I've ever seen. From now on, I'll make an exception and treat you as Achien.” Achien's thoughts: What is he babbling about? I don't understand a word. Who cares whether he's making an exception? A red glow, the sign of critical HP, shimmered around Achien's mage robes. Yet beside his nearly empty HP bar was a value hundreds of times greater than the full health of a normal mage. Magic circles appeared one after another, cast so quickly it was as if he had skipped the incantations. In an instant, they covered every inch of the visible ground, each one a lethal attack. “I remember now,” Achien said. “You're the only swordsman who ever cut my HP in half, then got killed by a single second-phase skill I cast without even moving...” Only then did Lu Yi realize that the uncanny resemblance hadn't been deliberate roleplay. It was just the real deal's every gesture and movement. “Why not compliment me on my memory?” Achien said smugly. “So many teams came to challenge me back then, they were like ants.” They were about as strong, too. “But you killed me hundreds of times, and you only remember that one!” “...Then forget I said anything.” Achien × Lu Yi A combat-crazed, slightly forgetful, slow-on-the-uptake beauty seme who never meant to hide his identity, but nobody believed him when he came clean, so he was forced to “play himself.” A loud, lovestruck, handsome shou and devoted fanboy who was beaten hundreds of times in beta, but respawned every time thinking, “He's so handsome, I'm in love.” The shou's affection is off the charts. The seme returns it too, like he's rewarding his most loyal follower. * Powerful seme. Don't worry about whether the shou is powerful. In front of the seme, everyone's weak. * The shou pursues the seme, and the seme spoils his good boy. (The former means the shou puts more emotional investment into the relationship; the latter means the seme takes the lead in the relationship.) * Seme-focused. The plot and characterization prioritize the seme in every respect. The story only guarantees the seme an absolutely powerful, free, and self-determined character arc. Everything else gives way to that. No specific content warnings are provided, so proceed with caution if this matters to you. * My take on RPGs, with a mountain of original worldbuilding. * Some sections will be told from the shou's perspective, but they'll all be about the seme. Thesis: What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger.