World Item (Part 1)

Sixth Floor Arena.

"You're finally here. If your status hadn't shown you were still online, I would've thought you logged off."

Accompanied by a flash of white light, as soon as Naiyuan and Momonga regained their senses, they heard a resentful voice.

Herohero slithered over to the two of them. Even though he had no eyes, both men turned their heads away, avoiding his gaze.

"We're here now, aren't we? Don't be like that, little Hero."

"Sorry about that, Herohero. A small accident happened, kept you waiting."

Naiyuan walked over and patted the slime's body; the soft texture made it hard for him to pull his hands away.

Momonga spoke with a hint of apology, knowing that in the end, it was his fault for making the other wait so long.

"Alright, I was just complaining a little. And Naiyuan, could you please take your hands off me? Even if it's just a game, the tactile feedback is still there."

Herohero said helplessly to Naiyuan, who was busy groping him. With the other's hands moving all over the place, to be honest, it felt strange—a bizarre sensation.

"Tsk tsk, the tactile feedback in the game has gotten a lot better since the update half a year ago."

Naiyuan pulled his hands away with some reluctance, unable to help but sigh.

"Alright, let's stop messing around. Let's take a look at the World Items, Naiyuan-san and Herohero-san."

Momonga, standing to the side, quickly stepped between them to cut off their conversation.

Seeing the two of them chatting so happily, he felt glad; time had not diluted their friendship.

"True, we don't have much time left."

Naiyuan and Herohero looked at the seven World Items that had appeared beside Momonga.

A tombstone, a ring, a red crystal, a bead covered in runes, a ring encircled by a snake, a small door, and a petite scepter.

He then opened the information panel for the tombstone.

"World Item: Ragnarok"

"Can trigger a curse that covers an entire world. This is a curse left behind when gods fall. Except for the specific individuals designated by the user, everything else in the world will be affected."

"The curse persists until all life in the world has vanished. Targets below level 50 are killed instantly; levels 60 to 70 lose 30% of their HP per second; levels 80 to 90 lose 15% of their HP per second; level 100s lose 3% of their HP per second."

"Even if resurrected, the curse remains and cannot be removed."

"This item disappears automatically after use and reappears in a random corner of the world."

"This is number 20, right? I never expected you guys to be able to find it, Naiyuan-san."

"A curse that covers an entire world—truly powerful. Even players like us at level 100 couldn't hold out for long."

Herohero remarked as he looked at the item information.

"Of course. After all, Momonga and I spent a full six months completing the hidden quest to obtain it."

Naiyuan said with a smile, and Momonga, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"I was shocked when I first saw it, too."

Momonga placed the tombstone he was holding back into his inventory and proceeded to check the next item.

World Item: Wheel of Benevolent Fall.

"Can trigger a judgment covering an entire world. By setting a range for alignment values, everything within the world will be judged. If the subject meets the criteria, nothing happens; if not, they die instantly."

"This item can be used once every 12 months."

"This item is also incredibly strong, though it's still a bit inferior compared to Ragnarok."

Herohero's previously lazy demeanor vanished, and he became completely energized.

"Hehe, don't get too excited, Herohero. There are even better things coming up."

Naiyuan laughed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. The other man's reaction pleased him; he loved seeing people get like this.

Hearing this, Herohero cast his gaze toward the next item.

World Item: Heart of Fusion.

"Allows up to three players to fuse. One player acts as the primary, while two act as support. After fusion, all attributes will be equal to the sum of the three players' attributes multiplied by ten. Enemy instant-death magic and negative status effects will only take effect after being used three times, and all negative status effects are refreshed every minute."

"When at low health, the fusion can be canceled. Upon use, the three players will separate at full health, restored to their optimal state."

"Cooldown: ten months."

"If Touch Me, Ulbert, and Bukubukuchagama were to fuse, wouldn't they be invincible?"

Herohero exclaimed, staring at the World Item in front of him in astonishment.

One had to realize that Touch Me possessed the World Champion class and was the guild's strongest physical attacker, while Ulbert held the World Disaster class and was the guild's strongest magical damage dealer. Adding Bukubukuchagama, who had the strongest defense in the guild, wouldn't the fusion of these three be invincible?

"Herohero, your thinking is sound, but getting those three to fuse is impossible. Not to mention the relationship between Touch Me and Ulbert, there's no way Bukubukuchagama, being a girl, would ever agree to such a thing."

Naiyuan interrupted Herohero's fantasy, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh. The idea was wonderful, but reality didn't support it.

"That's true. I was being a bit whimsical."

Having his train of thought broken, Herohero shook his head as he recalled their past experiences. How could he have come up with such an impossible idea?

"Actually, I think if we swapped Bukubukuchagama for Naiyuan, there might be a chance."

Momonga, who was standing to the side, suddenly interjected.

If there was anyone in the guild capable of getting Touch Me and Ulbert to get along besides Momonga, the guild leader, it was probably only Naiyuan, who possessed a "social butterfly" syndrome for the guild.

Touch Me was water, and Ulbert was fire. The only thing that could keep the two from evaporating each other was Naiyuan, who acted as the oil. Only when oil stood between water and fire could a fleeting peace be maintained.

Furthermore, with Naiyuan possessing the hidden class "Dragon Slayer," his combination with Touch Me and Ulbert could unleash the most terrifying suppressive force.

"Momonga is right; you really are the best fit, Naiyuan."

Hearing this, Herohero nodded in agreement.

"Uh, please, spare me."

Naiyuan looked at the skeleton and the slime before him with black lines running down his forehead. He couldn't believe they had come up with such a terrible idea.

Although he was indeed known for having a "guild social butterfly" syndrome during his time in the guild—able to chat with everyone and maintaining a good relationship with both Touch Me and Ulbert—

But!!! If it came to making those two coexist peacefully, Naiyuan had to say that he just couldn't do it.

It was exhausting—exhausting to the extreme. Ever since he had once persuaded the two of them to fight in coordination, Naiyuan never wanted to deal with those two guys again.

Comforting one side, then comforting the other—it made him feel like a nagging mother. Though, having two sons like that wasn't exactly the worst thing in the world.

"Haha, it looks like Naiyuan has already tried it and has been left with psychological trauma."

Herohero said with a laugh as he looked at Naiyuan, his slime body trembling with each chuckle. Beside him, Momonga sent out a laughing emoticon; being a skeleton, he couldn't actually laugh, so he had to get by using emoticons.

"Alright, alright, let's just go back to looking at the items."

Naiyuan said helplessly to the two laughing figures in front of him, though he couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corner of his lips. He didn't dislike this feeling at all.