After Beating the Game, I Became the Villain BOSS

"What is an ending?"

The producer of the "Dawn" game looked at Su Mo with a smile and posed a question.

It was an indescribable dark space, devoid of any light sources, with endless darkness extending in all directions; yet, Su Mo could clearly see himself and the producer. They seemed to be the only entities here.

"What is an ending?"

The producer asked again, as if urging Su Mo to answer.

Su Mo felt somewhat confused; he didn’t know where this place was or why he was here.

"What is an ending?"

It wasn’t until the producer asked for the third time that Su Mo looked over somewhat blankly.

"Ending..." Su Mo murmured these two words, subconsciously responding, "The ending is when you clear the level, defeat the final boss, finish the last main quest, everything comes to an end; the end is the finish line."

The producer, smiling, asked: "What comes after the ending?"

Su Mo: "Um... nothing comes after the ending, right... the credits?"

Producer: "So, what is your ending?"

Su Mo: "I’ve achieved all the achievements, completed every ending."

Producer: "No, that’s not what I’m asking. I want to know—what is your ending? Or rather, what kind of ending do you want?"

Su Mo asked suspiciously: "Does this question have any significance? Are you planning to commend me, as a player who achieved all the achievements, by creating a special ending for me?"

Producer: "It’s not that I want to create an ending for you, but on this journey in the Dawn Realm, what kind of ending do you want for yourself?"

Su Mo grew even more puzzled: "Your question is strange. Isn’t everyone’s ending death? Either dying unexpectedly in the middle or dying of old age and illness in later years; in the end, everyone will die."

Producer: "Death is the ending of life, not the ending of a game."

Su Mo: "So? What’s that got to do with me? In the Dawn Realm, I have a new life. It’s not a game, so there’s no need for me to consider any so-called ending."

The producer’s face still held a mysterious, profound smile, and he simply asked two words: "Is it?"

Su Mo remained silent for a long time, his lips pressed tightly together, occasionally trembling slightly, and finally he asked back: "Isn’t it?"

The producer didn’t answer Su Mo’s question. His eyes were so deep they seemed bottomless, and he slowly said: "Think carefully about a question. What kind of ending do you want?"

Su Mo, feeling somewhat exasperated by this roundabout questioning, shouted: "The ending I want is to be able to live happily together with everyone, until old age. Is this answer satisfactory to you?!"

The producer still didn’t respond, only smiling, his figure beginning to dim, as if blending into the darkness, leaving only a faint whisper echoing:

"Su Mo, think carefully about your ending."

"As you said, an ending is a finish line."

"Everything is over; that is the ending."

"There’s nothing after an ending."

...

"Hiss..." Su Mo suddenly opened his eyes, awakening from the dream.

It was late at night, and he lay in the bedroom of Edge Mansion. The spacious double bed was covered with thick down quilts and soft blankets, with a fireplace emitting warmth, dispelling the harshness of the late winter cold.

He looked at the electronic calendar on the wall, its faint glow outlining the date numbers; today was the last day of year 155 in the Dawn. Tomorrow would be a new year.

Since April three years ago, when Luo concluded that grand scheme beneath New Moon City, nearly three years had passed.

During these three years, Su Mo repeatedly had one dream, the same dream.

In it, he dreamed of the producer of the "Dawn" game, continuously asking what kind of ending he wanted.

To Su Mo, this question seemed to have no real significance.

Because of the butterfly effect post-travel, he had caused a dramatic impact on this world. The storyline was completely chaotic, not aligning with any original game plotline.

Ending?

What did a game ending have to do with him?

Even if he pursued a specific game ending to meet its trigger conditions, what would that change?

Once you complete a game’s ending, the credits roll; no matter how wonderful the game was, players eventually return from the virtual world to reality, and everything ends.

But reality is different.

Even if he achieved an "ending" in reality, wouldn’t life still go on? Either dying unexpectedly one day or growing older and eventually dying of illness or old age after decades, centuries later.

Ending... how does it concern him?

Su Mo glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling window. Snow was falling heavily in the late winter season, rendering New Moon City’s nightscape especially mysterious. The distant skyscrapers appeared as dim silhouettes against the night, the neon lights on their facades casting elegant shadows amidst the curtain of snow.

Some snowflakes landed on the window, slowly melting into droplets and sliding down the glass, weaving together to blur the scene, seemingly transforming the bedroom into a separate little world. The city outside felt so close, yet so far away.

As Su Mo gazed at the night in a daze, a soft, delicate body snuggled against him in bed.

Qi Ling wasn’t wearing pajamas, her skin touching his brought a mesmerizing sensation, her slender neck still showing the blush left from their pre-sleep intimacy.

She curled up like a kitten in Su Mo’s embrace, whispering: "Did you dream again?"

Su Mo nodded gently: "It’s still the same dream."

All along, he hadn’t shared the actual content of the dream with Qi Ling; he conveyed the core idea in a more gentle manner.

Qi Ling raised her small hand, gently caressing Su Mo’s cheek, her gaze somewhat mysterious: "It’s the end of the year again... Do you remember the end of the year when we first met?"

"You asked me if this world was fake and there was another real world waiting for me, what would I choose."

Su Mo smiled knowingly, leaving a kiss on her forehead and gently said: "You told me that wherever I am, that’s where you would choose."

"I gave you the same answer."

Like a satisfied kitten, Qi Ling held Su Mo tighter and closed her eyes in his embrace: "Goodnight, my love."

Su Mo embraced his beloved, immersed in the warmth of the night.

Held by the soft down quilt, where their skin met sent tender sensations, their noses filled with the lingering scent of the young woman’s body... Su Mo’s heartbeat gradually slowed, his breathing quickly became steady, and he sank into slumber.

Once again, he dreamed the same recurring dream of the past two years.

In his hazy consciousness, he couldn’t even distinguish whether the voice was from the dream or truly by his ear.

"Su Mo, think carefully about your ending."

"An ending is a finish line."

"Everything is over; that is the ending."

"There’s nothing after an ending."

An ending is a finish line.

There’s nothing after an ending...

Before he knew it, Su Mo opened his eyes vacantly.

The deep winter night was exceedingly quiet, only the gentle patter of snow against the windows could be heard, rustling softly. The heating surrounded every inch of space but could not chase away the chill deep within his heart.

It was the chill brought by seeing the truth.

Qi Ling had already fallen asleep by this time. She didn’t hear Su Mo’s voice that trembled uncontrollably.

"Ling... I’m sorry..."