Daric was still brushing glitter off his armor when the next notification hit like a slap to the soul:
[World Boss Awakening: The Egg Emperor]
[Threat Level: Existential Crisis.]
[Warning: Do not underestimate the yolk.]
He stared at it blankly.
"Kaelen," Daric said slowly, "I think the universe hates me."
Kaelen, sitting nearby trying to detangle ferrets from his cloak, just grunted in agreement.
"How bad can an Egg Emperor be?" Daric asked, mostly to himself.
The ground rumbled ominously in reply.
—
The Waddlelands cracked open at the center.
From the molten depths, a giant egg—at least three stories tall—emerged, levitating in midair.
It cracked open slowly with an earth-shaking CRRRAAAK.
And from within floated...
A giant omelet.
No. Worse.
An egg-shaped being in golden armor, yolk dripping from regal pauldrons, and a cape made entirely of sizzling bacon strips.
Its crown glowed. Its eyes burned. Its whisk-shaped scepter pulsed with power.
It was the Egg Emperor.
The villagers collectively screamed.
The buff goat fainted for the first time in recorded history.
Kaelen squinted. "...Is it edible?"
"Kaelen," Daric said, "I don't think we can eat this one."
The Egg Emperor spoke, voice reverberating across reality itself.
"BOW BEFORE THE MIGHT OF BREAKFAST!"
[World Boss: The Egg Emperor]
[Species: Divine Breakfast Entity]
[Skills: Scramble Reality, Sunny Side Up Devastation, Bacon Storm]
[Passive: Eggshell Reflect (returns 50% of damage to the attacker)]
Daric paled. "We're so scrambled."
—
The battle began.
The Emperor summoned Bacon Knights—towering warriors clad in sizzling, greasy armor.
They charged, slipping occasionally but making up for it with terrifying greasy hugs that immobilized villagers.
Daric and Kaelen fought bravely, dodging bacon-flavored death, using umbrellas, frying pans, and sheer desperation.
Kaelen shouted, "Hit the yolk!"
Daric hurled his Shovel of Destiny at the Emperor's exposed core.
It bounced off harmlessly.
The Emperor laughed, unleashing his signature move:
Scramble Reality
Suddenly Daric was a chicken.
Kaelen was a giant egg.
The buff goat was still a goat, but now had wings.
"BAWK!" Daric squawked angrily.
System message appeared:
[Temporary Polymorph: You are now experiencing Eggstasy.]
[Duration: 60 seconds.]
"THIS IS FINE!" Daric bawked.
They flapped, hopped, and generally made fools of themselves until the effect wore off.
Regaining human form, Daric stumbled upright.
"Alright," he gasped. "New plan. Less dying, more frying."
—
They regrouped.
The villagers, inspired by their heroes' refusal to stay poultry-feed, launched Operation: Over-Easy.
They threw flour, water, and yeast—turning the battlefield into a sticky, doughy trap.
The Bacon Knights slipped and fell spectacularly.
Daric and Kaelen charged toward the Emperor through the chaos.
The Egg Emperor roared, summoning a Bacon Storm.
Greasy winds and smoking strips battered them, but they pressed on, fueled by pure, stubborn spite.
Daric activated his emergency skill:
Anti-Breakfast Aura.
A shining shield of cereal and coffee formed around him.
The Emperor staggered, hissing in fury.
"FOR LUNCH!" Daric bellowed, swinging the Shovel of Destiny directly into the Emperor's yolky heart.
A massive CRACK echoed across the land.
The Emperor shuddered.
Kaelen hurled his frying pan like a discus, nailing the scepter from the Emperor's hands.
Without his divine whisk, the Egg Emperor faltered.
Daric struck again—and again—and finally, with a final, earth-shaking smash, shattered the Egg Emperor into a rain of golden yolk and sizzling bacon confetti.
System messages flooded the sky:
[World Boss Defeated: The Egg Emperor]
[Essence Gained: 150,000]
[Legendary Title Unlocked: Brunchbreaker]
[Achievement Unlocked: You Beat Breakfast]
The villagers roared in triumph.
Kaelen fell backward into the sticky dough battlefield, laughing.
Daric collapsed beside him, bacon raining gently from the heavens.
"Never," Daric panted, "never eating eggs again."
Kaelen chuckled. "Yeah. From now on, just cereal."
—
That night, as the villagers celebrated with an enormous (non-egg-related) feast, Daric sat under the stars, staring at the system screen.
A new, quiet notification blinked:
[Hero's Status: Legendary.]
[Future Threats: Unknown.]
[Rest Well, Champion.]
Daric smiled.
For once, no honks.
No squawks.
No ominous poultry threats.
Just peace.
At least until breakfast.