The Ashen Regalia discussion server exploded before dawn.
Threads titled "Who is LazyDeity?" and "This isn't possible on NG1!" dominated the forum's front page. On the main subreddit, a video captioned "This guy predicted three attacks the AI shouldn't even be using yet" had already hit 47,000 upvotes. The clip showed Haruki dodging, with near-effortless grace, a triple ambush in a narrow corridor. Not a single hit landed.
The comment section was a storm:
[MoonBreakers]: This has to be a mod. The AI doesn't behave like this, not even against S-rank speedrunners.
[RadialVoid]: The weirdest part is that HE'S not running any build either. No passives, no upgrades. Literally base stats.
[QuantumSlice]: This isn't gameplay… it's a philosophical duel between creator and creation.
[FeatheredSalt]: Either he's the dev himself, or there's some secret foresight build no one's found yet.
Content channels were already posting compilations. The biggest one, RustBladeTV, released a video titled "The Player Who Turned Ashen Regalia Into Hell". In the video, the narrator analyzed frames of the stream, pointing out how enemies changed behavior in real time against LazyDeity and only against him.
"Look at this spin attack here," the narrator said, freezing the frame. "This animation only triggers at the end of the campaign. He's at the beginning. This doesn't exist in a normal run."
The conclusion was unanimous: this guy made the game adapt.
Some insisted it was an ultra-secret difficulty mod. Others believed he was a developer testing an unreleased patch.
But no one knew where he came from.
The LazyDeity account was new. No social media, no donation links, no typical streamer chatter. He simply appeared… played… and vanished.
No camera. No monetization.
And still, last night's stream had already passed 2.1 million views.
"He's playing like he wants to be defeated… but never is."
"It's like he's teaching the AI to become better, just to beat it later."
"Has anyone tried making a full mind-reading build?"
The name LazyDeity became a synonym for silent legend.
And the entire community?
Obsessed.
The sound of the break bell filled the school with chatter, laughter, and rushed footsteps. I sat in the cafeteria, at the most isolated corner, the cheese bread on my tray already cold, my attention fully on my phone.
Around me, the murmurs about LazyDeity grew like a collective whisper.
"That streamer is a monster."
"LazyDeity must be part of the dev team."
"If he has that exclusive mod, why doesn't anyone else?"
Despite the buzz, no one dared approach me. My Dominant Presence created an invisible barrier — an aura of something far too powerful to be approached with casual conversation.
I was like a silent king among commoners: watched, but untouched.
But not even that aura stopped Yuta, a persistent classmate, from breaking the silence.
"Haruki?"
I looked up, meeting his eyes briefly. He sat beside me, curious and a bit nervous.
"You know LazyDeity, right? I'm not saying it's you, but… the way he plays, that mod he uses… it seems like something you'd make."
I gave a small smile, trying to sound casual.
"I know him. He's a friend."
His eyes lit up.
"For real? You made the mod?"
"I did. For him. A challenge that can't be beaten by numbers alone."
Yuta shook his head, impressed.
"And he's never died, huh?"
"Not yet."
All around, the conversations carried on. The name LazyDeity still echoed. But no one else approached.
My Dominant Presence kept the space around me untouched.
I remained there. The imposing creator.
Watching the world react to the player facing the impossible.
The livestream had already hit 500k viewers by the time my character entered the Spectral Warden's arena. A towering colossus, its blades made of pure corrupted energy, its eyes burning with hatred and power.
My character was in the most basic form possible: no points spent, no upgrades, no armor beyond the light starter cloth, just the standard short sword. Any hit from the boss could be fatal. One mistake, and it was game over.
The boss struck with a devastating horizontal sweep, slicing across nearly half the arena. I rolled aside with a hair's breadth, feeling the wind of the strike graze past me. The chat was already a frenzy:
[ShadowStrike]: He's going to die if he messes up once!
[PixelKnight]: No way he survives this long!
[SilentEcho]: This boss is a nightmare at this level!
The fight began like a deadly ballet. Every step from the boss shook the ground. Its speed and power were overwhelming for my low-level character. I had to be precise and patient.
The first twenty minutes were a series of tight dodges and fast strikes that barely scratched the Warden. Every attack I made was a test: it blocked, dodged, and rarely flinched.
I used the environment creatively luring the boss near columns, forcing it to destroy parts of the scenery, and using the chaos to find openings. When it smashed a pillar with a heavy blow, the collapsing stone stunned it briefly.
But it recovered fast, unleashed a deafening roar, and launched into a brutal combo that nearly ended me.
At one point, I stepped into a disguised trap a gap hidden among loose stones. My character got stuck, and the Warden took the opportunity for a crushing vertical blow.
At the last second, I jumped back, the danger brushing past. The chat exploded:
[NightHawk]: SO CLOSE!
[DragonSlayer]: He dodged death by a hair!
[SleepyCrow]: Unreal reflexes, this guy is insane.
The battle dragged on, exhausting. Every move was calculated, every step demanded a deep read of the boss's patterns which, in turn, kept evolving, adapting, trying to predict and punish my behavior.
The Warden knew I was vulnerable. It relied on rapid combos, constant pressure, relentless aggression.
Minutes passed. I couldn't deal real damage, but I refused to get hit.
When I finally landed a strike on the Warden's arm, it barely reacted a small crack, hardly visible, but it gave me hope.
The chat erupted at each little success:
[SilentEcho]: He's barely scratching the boss!
[PixelKnight]: It's like fighting a wall.
[SleepyCrow]: The tension is unreal.
Time ticked on. Almost an hour in.
My character's stamina was low. Every dodge drained me. But my will didn't falter.
This was more than a fight. It was a test of patience, strategy, and complete control.
The battlefield was a shattered hall filled with cracked pillars, burned tapestries, and flickering embers. Pale moonlight seeped through shattered windows the perfect stage for what had become a desperate duel.
My character breathed heavily. The stamina indicator flickered amber. One mistake one and I'd be dust.
The boss approached with cold, ritualistic calm. No rushing, no screaming. The black armor with golden trim creaked as if time itself hesitated before it. Its tattered cape dragged over the cracked marble, and the massive sword looked heavier than a body.
I rolled left, expecting the usual side arc. But it spun.
"Shit."
I rolled again. The blade slashed where my skull had been. Heat sizzled in my headphones. A second later, the floor behind me erupted in spectral flames.
If I had hesitated…
"Chat," I muttered, voice low and tense, "he adapted again. No more predictable spins. He's baiting now. Feints…"
[KnightBreak45]: This is insane. How are you still alive??
[ObsidianQueen]: You can't even scratch his HP. Why keep going?!
[CrimsonEagle]: You're dancing with a clairvoyant machine.
Only one faint mark shone on the boss's chest a leftover from when I baited the AI to chase me onto a fallen beam and leapt down to land a hit. It worked, but the damage… pathetic.
No level-ups. No strength points. No magic. Just reflex, creativity, and absolute control.
I hid behind a cracked pillar. The third-person camera gave me a good angle. He was walking… slowly. He knew where I was. That was part of the act.
And I was part of the performance.
I picked up a short spear from the ground decorative, not even meant to be usable. But the game had physics. And if it had physics…
I waited. He passed close. I threw the spear at his feet. As expected, the AI reacted not from damage, but from interference.
I dashed in. Rolled under the blade. Aimed at his leg joint. Struck.
Tink!
The dry metallic sound. But the AI… recoiled.
"Oh… that was a defensive reaction."
[GlassWarden]: Did he just make the BOSS flinch???
[Sword0fAshes]: He's not winning. He's learning how to win.
[LazyDeityFan23]: This is better than watching real sports.
I kept circling around the boss. The pattern had changed. Now he opened with a downward strike an attack that required dodging backward, but if I did that, I'd fall into a timing trap the AI was clearly setting up.
So I improvised. I ran straight at him.
WHAM! The sword came down, but I had already slid between the Warden's legs, his cloak brushing across the screen. A second later, I stabbed with my dagger into his back. No real damage, but another opening created.
The broken stairs in the background gave me an idea.
"You ready to make history?" I murmured.
I ran toward the staircase. The boss followed, impassive.
Halfway up, I stopped. And jumped. To the chandelier hanging from rusty chains.
The chains swung. The chandelier trembled.
The boss raised his sword. And then... I released the button.
The chandelier fell. The screen shook. Dust rose.
The Warden staggered back. The first sign of real impact. Of being stunned.
I ran. Not to attack, but to reposition. It wasn't time yet.
Not yet.
But it was coming.
The live stream was now at 1 hour and 34 minutes. The audience? Over 650,000 people. Each holding their breath.
Because now it was more than a fight.
It was a battle of endurance.
The chandelier's impact raised a cloud of dust and sparks. The entire hall seemed to hold its breath. I didn't hesitate.
I ran between the columns with the same precision as before, but my heart was racing. The audience, now over 700,000 strong, was exploding in chat, names flooding in at a speed that was hard to follow.
[Ghost_Slash]: THAT WAS INSANE!
[EmeraldPawn]: DID HE JUST USE THE ENVIRONMENT TO STAGGER A BOSS TEN LEVELS ABOVE?!
[FrostedRook]: He's gotta finish this. Please, don't mess it up…
My vision cleared.
The Warden was kneeling on one knee, one hand resting on his sword, bent over. It wasn't just a stun. It was a unique animation. I had triggered a transition phase.
The character's voice echoed in distorted Latin.
His body's blue flames reignited. The torn cloak began to float with energy. The cracks on the armor sealed themselves.
"Phase two…"
I stepped back, breathing short. He rose, and now his eyes burned with golden light.
The floor beneath him turned into molten glass.
He moved.
Not walking. Advancing with short blinks, like he was tearing through space. A diagonal strike.
I rolled.
A spike of light erupted from the ground.
I jumped. The second strike came from above, but I was already spinning in midair, hitting a wall and using the momentum to push away.
[VoidFeather]: What the hell is that movement???
[IronMonk]: His reaction time is INHUMAN.
[ShadowKitten]: He hasn't leveled. One mistake = instant death. This is art.
Each boss attack left scars on the environment. Columns cracked. The floor melted beneath his feet. It was a dance now but one where I was the mouse, and he the blade.
The advantage?
I knew he couldn't improvise as much as I could.
I slid under one of the burning curtains. I sliced the fabric with my dagger and tossed it in the air. When he advanced, the curtain flew right into his helm, obscuring his vision for a second.
And that was all I needed.
A sprint.
A climb up his back.
Dagger stabbed in the crease between helmet and cuirass.
The damage? Almost nothing.
But the psychological impact? Huge.
The AI paused for a second.
And in that second... I rolled away, using his own attack against a column, which partially collapsed onto the boss.
[GlassWarden]: That was genius-level baiting.
[BurntSun]: This isn't gameplay. This is choreography.
[AshenLore]: No deaths. No stats. No items. Just instinct and adaptation.
But I was exhausted. So was the character. Stamina was always on the edge. One delayed reaction and it would be over.
He stood up, his body now releasing golden steam. The sword spinning.
Last phase.
It was now or never.
The Solarcain Warden raised his colossal blazing sword, the blade wrapped in embers that hissed with every strike. My character had no room left for mistakes. The health bar It is still intact, one touch and it would be over. Still, he smiled.
"Now!" I whispered, making my character roll under the arch of a horizontal attack, barely dodging the scorching blade.
The chat exploded:
[DoomWolf]: "HOW DID HE NOT GET HIT??"
[Nayumi]: "My God, he's dancing with death!"
[AiorosK]: "This can't be normal..."
[RafaelX]: "And the guy still hasn't used ANY attribute points... madness."
I commanded the fight with supernatural precision. I had already mapped every pattern, every hesitation and transition of the boss. I started just dodging instinctively; now I anticipated. His movements felt like silent conversations with the game's AI itself.
"He learned," I whispered, barely noticing, eyes gleaming. The boss adapted. Interrupted combos. Feinted. And Haruki responded with the same level of adaptation. It was an exchange. A true duel.
He used a broken pillar as makeshift cover. When the Warden fired a solar wave in the shape of a cross, I rolled behind the pillar, emerged on the other side, and threw a vial of flammable oil part of my scarce inventory at the exposed joint of the enemy's armor.
A small explosion, enough to stagger him.
[Black coffee]: "What attack was that?! IT'S TAKING HP!"
[VinnyVR]: "He used the environment! GENIUS!"
[comet moon]: "This guy's a monster... but like, in a good way!"
Without celebrating, Haruki pressed on. The attacks followed a raw dance: feints, quick thrusts, a defensive spin, a sidestep. All perfectly timed. He left no room for error. But the boss didn't give in either.
After nearly a whole hour, a new animation began. The Warden slammed his sword into the ground and released a deep roar. His entire body burst into sacred flames.
"Final phase…" Haruki whispered.
[Karasu]: "HE HADN'T REACHED THE FINAL PHASE YET???"
[MrPão]: "I'M GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK!"
The surroundings changed. The virtual sky darkened, and a solar storm began to form. Flaming particles circled the boss, creating rings of destruction.
Haruki positioned himself. He held only a basic sword no upgrades, no buffs. His resources were at their limit. But his eyes shone with determination.
He knew.
This was the decisive moment.
The tension in the chat grew. With every move of the Warden, time seemed to slow, and the audience felt every risk alongside Haruki.
The boss charged, launching a spiraling burst of flames. I rolled aside, feeling the heat almost burn my character's virtual skin. The ground cracked where the flames touched, creating dangerous obstacles.
No time to think, I grabbed a piece of debris and threw it at the enemy's face. It was enough to interrupt the attack, but he barely flinched, locking eyes on me with burning intensity.
"I can't afford to mess up, one hit and it's over," I thought, heart racing.
I used the environment to my advantage: running between broken columns, leaping between them to confuse the boss, trying to anticipate his attack patterns. Each dodge was a deadly dance. Danger was constant.
The Warden attempted a quick strike, but I ducked just in time. Then counterattacked with a flurry of thrusts that barely scratched him, his shield blocking easily.
The chat was frantic:
[LaraGamer]: "He's going to die any second!"
[TrollMaster]: "This fight is way too intense!"
[DuduPlay]: "His intelligence evolved SO MUCH."
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I still hadn't used any attribute points. My character was fragile, every mistake could be fatal.
"I need to adapt more," I thought, feeling the weight of the battle.
When the boss prepared his final attack, a concentrated wave of energy, I rolled backward, timing my counter perfectly.
With a leap, I stabbed my sword into a gap in his armor. The impact made the boss stagger, but he still had strength left.
The clock showed nearly an hour of fighting.
I knew I couldn't falter.
The Warden let out a furious roar, readying his next strike. I was ready.
The Warden slowly backed away, his heavy body barely supporting the battle's toll. I felt every muscle of my character ache, even though it was just code and data but that tension felt real to me.
Gradually, his attacks became less precise, slower a clear sign I was starting to control the fight's rhythm.
The chat, once nervous, now cheered every dodge and counterattack:
[MariStream]: "This is it! He's gonna make it!"
[Bestofgames]: "What an epic fight! Never seen anything like this!"
Without rushing, I guided my character with the calm only a duel of this level demands. Finally, in an unexpected opening, I landed a decisive blow to the Warden's heart.
He fell to his knees, his shadow slowly dissipating over the cracked floor.
Silence took over the screen.
Then, the notification:
"CHECKPOINT ACTIVATED."
The chat exploded with applause and respect.
I ended the stream with a heavy sigh, adrenaline still pumping.
It was more than a victory in the game it was proof of evolution, patience, and control.
I knew the road ahead was long.
And even if the challenge that was overcome was in the game, this is just a warm-up for future achievements.
I stood up from the chair.
Time to recharge for the next challenge.