Friends

Fate seems to love playing jokes. Just as Naiyuan finished laying his father to rest and prepared to live a simple, quiet life using the cards and savings left behind, a game that felt both familiar and strange appeared in his line of sight.

Overlord—this was a very famous novel from his past life. Although it didn't seem to perform well in its place of origin, it was exceptionally popular in his own country.

Later, it was said that the novel's anime adaptation only had a chance to happen because of this, and it could be said that Naiyuan had contributed his own share to that success.

The story of the novel was simple: it followed the protagonist, Suzuki Satoru, on the final day of a game called Yggdrasil. Having intended to stay logged in until the very last moment, he discovered that he hadn't been forcibly logged out by the system. Instead, he had been transported to another world along with the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the guild he and his companions had created, leading to a series of subsequent events.

Upon learning that the game about to be released was identical to the one in his memories, a thought immediately sprouted in Naiyuan's mind.

To follow them and be transported—that was Naiyuan's plan.

Thus, he began playing this game called Yggdrasil. It had been 12 years since the servers opened, and he hadn't missed a single event. He had collected every possible reward, averaging 12 hours of online time every day, grinding the game with near-maniacal intensity.

Having rarely spent money on games in his previous life, he decisively embarked on a path of "pay-to-win" with no turning back.

He never hesitated to splurge on every recharge event and microtransaction item. Furthermore, through deliberate effort, he successfully became friends with Touch Me, Momonga, and the others in the game, joining their Suicide Squad.

Slowly, the money in his cards and his savings were exhausted. Naiyuan began selling his household items to sustain his spending, and eventually, he even sold his house. Upon the enthusiastic recommendation of his friend Momonga, he moved into a cheap apartment. To maintain his expenses both in reality and in the game, Naiyuan began a life as a corporate slave, leaving early and returning late every day.

"It all comes down to the day after tomorrow."

Naiyuan looked calmly at the calendar in front of him, but the excitement in his voice betrayed his inner turmoil. Twelve years—he had spent a full 12 years preparing for this. Now that the time for harvest had finally arrived, a trace of anxiety surfaced instead.

He didn't know if he would truly succeed in being transported. Although he knew that all players online at the time of the server shutdown would be transported, he still felt uneasy. After all, until the very end, he couldn't be absolutely certain. Accidents often appeared just when you were most confident, ready to slap you in the face.

If I fail, I suppose I'll just kill myself.

Naiyuan calculated what would happen if he failed, and the conclusion he reached was suicide.

He had spent too much time and money on this. Even though his body was riddled with ailments, he had ignored them all; the only belief sustaining him was the day the game shut down.

Rather than living a muddled life in this society forever, he preferred to pursue that ethereal future. Before, there had been no hope, so he had no choice, but now hope was right before his eyes. He could not tolerate letting it slip by. Compared to future regret and remorse, it was better to gamble it all now.

"Bang! Bang!"

A knock at the door interrupted Naiyuan's deep thoughts, and a voice slowly drifted into his ears.

"Naiyuan, are you back?"

The voice came from the doorway. He opened the door to find a figure as gaunt as his own standing there, with prominent dark circles under his eyes that made him look exhausted.

The figure before him was none other than the protagonist of Overlord. Unlike his appearance in the game, in reality, he was just an ordinary corporate slave, as average as they come. The only difference was that he was lucky enough to eventually be transported to another world and begin a new life.

"Satoru, what happened to you?"

Bringing him into the room, Naiyuan looked at the stains on his clothes, the scratches on his face, and the small box in his hand, feeling puzzled.

"It's nothing, I just tripped by accident. Don't worry about that—look what I brought for you."

Suzuki Satoru glanced to both sides, waved his hand dismissively, and then handed the box in his hand to Naiyuan.

The box was small, only about the size of two of Naiyuan's palms. From its weight, Naiyuan could tell that the item inside was light; it wasn't anything heavy.

Watching Suzuki Satoru, who was staring at him with some nervousness, Naiyuan placed the box on the bed and began to unwrap it.

Slowly pulling away the tied ribbon and removing the lid, the object inside the box came into view. It was different from what he had imagined; it was a pure white cream cake. The cake was small, but it made him unable to look away.

On both sides of the cake, bright red items that looked like red pearls were placed as decorations. In the middle, a line of small text written in chocolate was clearly presented before his eyes.

"Happy birthday to my best friend - Suzuki Satoru."

Naiyuan stared blankly at the object before him, lost in thought. Ever since his foster father died, he hadn't seen a cake again. He had even forgotten his own birthday; after all, he had poured all his energy into work and games.

"How did you know my birthday was today?"

Naiyuan lowered his head, his long bangs covering half of his face, making it impossible to see his expression. His mouth opened and closed slightly, and a voice that sounded as if he were asking himself drifted into Suzuki Satoru's ears.

"I found out by accident. Doesn't the friend profile in the game display birthday information? Hehe, so I took the liberty of planning to celebrate it for you."

Suzuki Satoru scratched his head, looking at Naiyuan with some embarrassment.

After all, having been best friends for over a decade, Suzuki Satoru felt he should celebrate for the other person. Since he hadn't seen Naiyuan celebrate a birthday in years, he guessed that he must have forgotten, so he decided to give him a surprise.

Although it was only a small cake, the price was still frighteningly expensive.

I'll just have to work a few more days of overtime.

Holding this thought, Suzuki Satoru gritted his teeth and bought it. He would not be stingy when it came to his only friend.

Hearing Suzuki Satoru's words, Naiyuan just kept his head down and said nothing.

The room was quiet, so silent that one could almost clearly hear the sound of their heartbeats.

"Thank you."

A voice rang out, breaking the quiet atmosphere. Naiyuan looked up, staring at Suzuki Satoru with an expressionless face, though the slight moisture at the corners of his eyes betrayed that he was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.

"Whew."

Suzuki Satoru let out a sigh of relief. The atmosphere just now had made him very nervous; he was afraid that the other person might be angry, thinking he was meddling in his business or something. That was the outcome he feared most.

But Naiyuan's words finally allowed his anxious heart to settle. It's fine as long as he's not upset. It's fine...

"Don't mention it. Isn't this only natural? We're friends, Naiyuan!"

Suzuki Satoru shook his head, gazing at Naiyuan as he spoke firmly.

"Friends, huh? Sorry, I was being overly sentimental."

"Let's eat together. After all, cake and things like that taste much better when shared with a friend."

Naiyuan sighed, then said with a smile.

Using the small knife provided, he slowly cut the cake in two and brought one piece over to Suzuki Satoru.

In the pitch-black night, the dilapidated apartment was brightly lit, and the laughter of two people could be faintly heard from within.

"Naiyuan, you're despicable! You actually ambushed me."

"If you've got the skills, come and catch me."

"Don't run! Just wait until I catch you, see how I deal with you."