As the great doors slowly opened, a familiar yet unfamiliar sight appeared before them.
"It had really been a long time since I came here, but it still looked the same."
Looking at the familiar yet strange hall before him, Herohero felt somewhat sentimental. This place had gathered Nazarick's most glorious moments.
Several NPCs whose names he could no longer remember stood on both sides. Among them was a succubus-like figure he vaguely recalled as having been created by Tabula Smaragdina.
Forty-two banners representing everyone had been planted along both sides. Among them, he saw Momonga's, Naiyuan's, and even his own emblem.
"Yeah." Naiyuan sighed as well.
"Look, that gemstone was made by fusing quite a few precious materials. I remember we failed so many times, and what we finally got wasn't even a particularly powerful item. Tabula Smaragdina gave us a terrible scolding over it."
Momonga pointed at the faintly glowing ruby hanging from the ceiling and explained it to the two of them.
"And the materials from the first boss we defeated, the first weapons we forged ourselves, the first potions we obtained... We couldn't bear to use any of them, so they remained in the deepest part of the warehouse even now..."
Naiyuan also fell into memories of the past, speaking nostalgically.
"But in the end, everyone chose to leave. Even though... these were everyone's precious memories, why did they choose to leave without saying a word?"
By the end, Momonga could not help trembling. His skeletal hands clenched as he spoke painfully.
Sensing his emotions, Herohero lowered his head as well. After all, he too had left this place back then.
"Alright, at least we're still here, aren't we?"
"Herohero and I are still here. The two of us will stay with you."
Naiyuan walked over to Momonga's side and patted his shoulder, speaking firmly.
"Naiyuan's right. I won't leave again this time."
Herohero wriggled over to stand beside them as well. His black slime rippled as he spoke solemnly.
"We'll witness the end together," Naiyuan said lightly.
Those words made Momonga's heart tremble, soothing his tangled emotions.
"How about finding a game to play together in the future? You, me, and Herohero—the three of us."
Momonga spoke to them somewhat cautiously.
"I'm fine with that. Just remember to call me online every day." Naiyuan raised his hands and smiled.
"My work is quite busy, but I can make some time if I try. As long as you don't mind, Momonga, I'd be more than happy to join you."
After thinking for a moment, Herohero replied to Momonga with a smile.
"That's wonderful! Then we can adventure together, level up together, and create a new Nazarick that belongs to us once more."
Hearing their answers, Momonga spoke excitedly, practically dancing with joy.
"Then you can keep being the Guildmaster, I'll keep being the grind king, and Herohero can be the salted fish."
Naiyuan laughed at the two of them. If they could not be transported elsewhere, the three of them playing together would still be a wonderful experience.
"That's a great idea. Naiyuan seems quite enthusiastic too."
Herohero spoke cheerfully. He did not know how long it had been since he had experienced such an atmosphere. Even his previously numb heart could barely contain its joy.
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll create a group chat. You have to join it, Herohero."
"Don't worry, Momonga. I always keep my word."
"If Little Herohero says so, then it's probably no problem."
"There's only one minute until midnight. Good night, you two. Sleep well."
"Good night to you too, Herohero."
"See you tomorrow, you two."
Momonga sat upon the throne at the center of the hall, while Herohero and Naiyuan stood silently on either side of him. As time slowly passed, Momonga began looking around. Everything from the past, every memory, was about to come to an end.
His gaze paused on Albedo, seated below the throne. He had secretly altered her settings before and had nearly been discovered by Naiyuan. Thinking about it now, that had truly been rather willful.
Come to think of it, if Tabula Smaragdina, the Setting Maniac, found out, he would definitely fly into a rage.
Momonga could not help smiling faintly. Forget it, this was the end anyway. Soon, everything would be gone. Even if Tabula Smaragdina knew, he would probably choose to forgive him.
After taking one final look around, Momonga looked at the time before him.
There were only ten seconds left.
11:59:50 11:59:51 ... 11:59:59 00:00:01 02 03 04
Momonga slowly opened his eyes—if the red light in his eye sockets could be counted as eyes.
The familiar sight before him left Momonga, who had expected the server to shut down, stunned.
"Was the server shutdown delayed?"
Momonga looked at his still skeletal body and wondered in confusion.
"Huh? Why wasn't I forcibly logged out?"
Herohero also looked at everything before him in confusion.
"It seems something unexpected happened. Herohero, Momonga, and I still haven't logged out."
Naiyuan looked at the magnificent hall, smelled the strange fragrance in the air, and felt the incomparably powerful force flowing through his body. His entire body began trembling uncontrollably.
A healthy body, powerful strength, immense magic power—never before had Naiyuan felt so truly alive as he did today.
"Could the system have malfunctioned? But why can't we open the control interface either?"
Naiyuan suppressed his excited expression and instead looked at the two of them with feigned confusion.
Farewell, my loans. Farewell, my little home. I won't miss you.
"Wait, Naiyuan, did your mouth just move?"
Momonga looked at Naiyuan in shock. In the game, characters could make sounds when speaking, but their mouths did not move.
"Your voice changed too, Momonga. Mine did as well."
Herohero spoke incredulously. His original voice had changed, becoming more mature and steady.
"Ah, my voice!"
Momonga was stunned as he listened to his own voice. It had become imposing, carrying an intimidating sense of authority.
Naiyuan's voice, meanwhile, had become carefree and magnetic, giving listeners a light, floating feeling that made them instinctively favor him.
"I can feel it—the strange sensation coming from within my body. Naiyuan and Momonga, you should feel it too, right?"
Herohero's steady voice rang out. He could now feel the power continuously rising within his body, along with the magic power flowing through it.
"I feel it too. It's like I've completely become a skeleton. I can perfectly sense everything."
Momonga looked at his skeletal hands and spoke gravely.
"GM communication and chat can't be used, and all our bodies have changed. Then there's only one possibility!"
"Did you think of something, Naiyuan?"
Herohero asked curiously.
"We've been transported to another world—and all three of us came together."
Naiyuan spoke after putting on an appearance of careful consideration.
"Uh... there really doesn't seem to be any other explanation."
Herohero and Momonga exchanged a glance as they spoke.
"Lord Momonga, Lord Naiyuan, Lord Herohero, did something happen?"
As the three stood there in shock, Albedo, who had previously been standing motionlessly to the side, walked over and asked worriedly.
"The NPC is taking the initiative to speak. Did being transported here bring them all to life?"
Momonga and Herohero found Albedo's behavior unbelievable, while Naiyuan put on the same expression.
"What is wrong, Three Lords?"
Receiving no answer, Albedo asked again.
Naiyuan, Momonga, and Herohero exchanged glances.
The three looked at Albedo and descended the steps. They stopped when they were only one step away from her, forming a circle around her. A faint fragrance drifted into their noses. As a Succubus, Albedo possessed a passive fragrance that enchanted others.
All three felt their hearts tremble. How could three virgins who had never touched a woman withstand such stimulation? Their hearts immediately stirred, but light flashed from all three of them at once, forcibly suppressing their agitated emotions.
The Undead's Forced Calm, the Dragonkin's Dragon Will, and the Slime's Heart of Darkness.
The three passives returned them to normal, forcibly putting an end to their lewd thoughts.
"Albedo, leave for now. The other NPCs as well."
Naiyuan spoke calmly. Dragon Will instantly put him into sage mode.
"As you command, Lord Naiyuan."
Though she was still somewhat worried, she glanced at Lord Momonga, who stood there without objection, and said nothing more. As a Floor Guardian, obeying the orders of the Supreme Beings was her duty.
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