Imagine making history as the first-ever player to reach level 100 in Hardcore Mode in Diablo 4 only to die in the hands of a Vampire Bat.

This might sound like a story made up by your friend from the playground whose uncle knows someone (remember those days?), but it's literally what happened to one of the top Diablo 4 players.

Souaïb ‘cArn’ Hanaf, a former Dota 2 and StarCraft pro player, has been recognized as the first player to achieve level 100 in the game’s challenging Hardcore mode, a feat that has solidified his place in Diablo 4's history. Yet, his triumph was short-lived as a sudden game disconnect resulted in the untimely demise of his overpowered Barbarian character.

cArn, now an avid Path of Exile player, has been spending the past couple of days trying to make history in Diablo 4. He'd ultimately reached the milestone thanks to his strategic use of group players to maximize experience gains. His character, a Barbarian built around the popular Whirlwind ability, plowed through enemies with relative ease despite the nerfs implemented during the game's opening week.

Unfortunately, cArn's celebration was short-lived as he prepared to face the game's ultimate boss when an untimely server disconnect led to his character's death.

Hardcore mode in Diablo 4 is notoriously unforgiving. Upon death, whether falling in battle, or as in cArn's case, due to a server disconnect, your character is lost - forever.

Even though cArn had plenty of scrolls of escape at his disposal - a unique Hardcore item that lets players escape deadly situations - it was of no use in the face of the dreaded server disconnect.

Upon re-entering the game, cArn found himself greeted with the dreaded sight that he no longer had active characters available. His Barbarian, in which he'd invested a staggering 82 hours, was now consigned to the Hall of Fallen Heroes, a memorial for lost Hardcore characters. The cruel on-screen text announced his cause of death: "Slain by bad servers Vampire Bat."

Despite the crushing disappointment, cArn only expressed frustration temporarily before hopping back into the game and working on a new character, a Rogue.

If nothing else, the death of cArn's character would make a timely story for Megan Fox to tell.

For cArn, the loss was less about his level 100 character, and more about losing his meticulously gathered gear. The grind to max level is a challenge, but getting those perfect rolls and tracking down the best gear is where the true thrill (and stress) lies).

Losing the fruits of his hard-earned labor since the early access of Diablo 4 is the most heartbreaking loss of all.

Despite the tragic end, Blizzard will still commemorate cArn's name. As part of Blizzard's challenge, the first 1,000 players to reach level 100 in Hardcore mode will have their names etched onto a real-life status of the game's main antagonist, Lilith. cArn is officially recognized by Blizzard as the "First to reach 100 on Hardcore mode. As such, his name will forever echo in the hallowed halls of Diablo 4's mount rushmore (we know, such a thing doesn't exist).

As cArn grinds his way back up with a new character, we're left to reflect on the precarious nature of Diablo 4's Hardcore mode and the monumental efforts players like cArn put into these digital adventures.

With cArn forging a new path with his Rogue character, other eligible players worldwide strive to join him in the history of Diablo 4. Lest we forget, the race is still on, and the saga of Diablo 4's Hardcore mode continues to unfold, one level at a time.