The final boss of the last stage took the form of a mother's legs. Every attack carried an overwhelming sense of pressure, and the attack range was enormous.
Before Darry could even figure out what was happening, he once again saw the Game Over screen.
This time, he seemed almost used to dying.
It was the final boss, after all—being stronger was only natural. He could accept that.
With that mindset, he restarted the game yet again.
Thanks to his repeated attempts, his runs were now much smoother. This time, he reached the sixth floor without losing too much health. It took a little over forty minutes to clear every stage and loot every room, collecting all available items. His combat power had reached a peak.
He also noticed that the items he'd picked up this time were significantly stronger than before.
Last time, the items had little synergy with each other, greatly reducing his overall damage.
This time, however, several items complemented one another perfectly, and his maximum health had increased dramatically.
Confidence surged through him.
This time, I can definitely beat the final boss!
Charge!
Standing before the door to the final boss room on the sixth floor, he double-checked all his resources and items. If this still didn't work, there'd be no justice in the world.
At this moment, he hadn't noticed that it was already midnight. He felt no sleepiness at all—like a tireless creature.
There was only one thought in his mind now: clear the game.
Not clearing it felt unbearable.
The final stage was right there—so close—yet still just out of reach.
I'm fully prepared. All that's left is to defeat that Mother's Leg boss!
But he had clearly overestimated himself.
Even with full preparation, he still couldn't easily defeat the final boss.
Again!
Death.
Again!
Death.
Over and over again—until dawn arrived, and his alarm clock began urging him that it was time to go to work.
The ringing alarm snapped him back to his senses.
What… did I just do all night?
An entire night had passed, and he still hadn't cleared the final stage.
He didn't think it was a matter of skill. Every time, he felt he was just this close to victory.
Just a little bit more.
If he pushed just a bit harder, he should've been able to clear it.
But reality didn't follow his expectations.
After a whole night, he still hadn't beaten the Mother's Leg boss.
Is there something wrong with my controls?
Self-doubt crept in.
Lost in thought, he picked up his phone.
"Hello, boss. I'm not feeling too well today. I'd like to take a day off."
"Mm, I'm fine. I'll go to the hospital. Yes, that's all—I'm heading there now."
Darry rarely took time off.
Using such an absurd excuse was something he'd never done before.
He liked games, but he'd never reached the point of completely forgetting to rest.
Sometimes, he'd deliberately plan a day off to play games nonstop—but that required preparation.
Energy drinks, coffee, snacks, and of course, beer—those were essentials.
Without those, there was no way he could stay up all night.
After all, he was already in his thirties. His body wasn't what it used to be.
But today was strange.
Because of this one game, he hadn't slept all night.
And even now, he didn't feel tired at all.
All he wanted was to defeat that boss.
Ring—ring—
His phone rang.
He glanced at the number—it was a close friend from work, someone he often played games with.
"Hey, Darry, how are you feeling? I heard from the boss that you weren't feeling well today. You didn't log into Titanfall or Counter-Strike last night either. Normally you'd never miss a new season—so you must really be sick."
"Uh… I'm not actually sick. I just stayed up all night. Going to work like that would've been pointless, so I figured I'd rest."
"Huh? You stayed up all night? That's rare for you. What kept you up?"
"Well…" Darry felt a bit embarrassed, but answered honestly. "I played The Binding of Isaac—the game you recommended."
"You actually—!!" The person on the other end exclaimed, then quickly lowered his voice. "You played The Binding of Isaac? I thought you only liked big-budget games."
So did I, Darry thought.
"Looks like the game really is good, huh? You played all night. Come on, tell me—what run are you on now?"
"What run?" Darry froze.
This game has multiple runs?
"Huh? You didn't know? It's a multi-run game. After each run, you can permanently strengthen your character, making future adventures easier. Don't tell me… you haven't even cleared the first run yet?"
"How could that be?!"
The shout echoed both inside his head and out of his mouth.
"Of course I cleared the first run! It's just that the game's pretty hard—I'm kind of stuck right now."
"Ohhh, that's normal. This game does require skill. And sometimes… it's not just skill—sometimes it's about luck."
Luck?
"Ah—shoot, the boss is coming over. I'll talk to you later." The voice dropped, then returned to normal. "Oh, you're feeling okay? Need any help? No? Alright, take care of yourself. I'll come check on you tonight."
The call ended.
Darry barely registered that last part.
All he could think about was this revelation:
So the game is meant to be played over multiple runs?
Right—this was an indie game. There was no way it could offer dozens or hundreds of hours in a single playthrough like a massive AAA title.
The best way for indie games to extend playtime was through multi-run design.
With his friend's explanation, all his earlier confusion suddenly made sense.
Everything existed to serve the game itself.