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At noon the next day, Naiyuan returned home with heavy steps.

Though his body was exhausted, a faint smile appeared on his haggard face as he looked at the envelope in his arms.

Thinking that if he failed tomorrow, he would kill himself and might possibly transmigrate again, Naiyuan had directly fired his boss today.

Ignoring the other man's stunned and incredulous expression, Naiyuan tossed his resignation letter into his hands and left the company despite his colleagues' attempts to persuade him otherwise and his boss's curses.

The envelope in his arms contained the wages he had been owed for the past two months.

Although his heartless boss had deducted part of it on the grounds that quitting without prior notice would cause losses to the company, the remainder was still a considerable sum, enough for him to spend on a round of top-ups.

Originally, his boss had intended to deduct half of it.

But upon seeing the slightly crazed look in Naiyuan's eyes, he fell silent. News about bosses withholding wages from employees who quit, only for those employees to stalk them afterward in retaliation, happened practically every day.

To avoid being dragged down with him in the future, he symbolically deducted a week's wages before giving Naiyuan all the rest.

Causing himself a hidden danger over such a small amount of money simply wasn't worth it.

After briefly washing the dust off himself and changing into clean clothes, Naiyuan went out again.

He arrived at the door next to his and lightly knocked on it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an apartment this cheap, there was no way it would have something like a doorbell.

Hearing movement from inside, Naiyuan slowly lowered his arm and waited patiently.

Click!

After a brief wait, a figure in pajamas opened the door.

From his damp hair and face, it was clear that he had just been washing up and had rushed over after hearing the noise.

"Looks like I came at a bad time."

Naiyuan teased him as he quickly walked into the room.

The room was no different from his own, except for a small refrigerator in the corner.

Judging from the trash on the table, it was probably filled with beer.

After all, not everyone was as free of desires as he was.

Naiyuan put on an expression that said, I'm amazing, completely forgetting that his room was bare because he had spent all his money on top-ups.

Even a thief would have to leave something behind after breaking into his home. It was enough to make anyone who heard of it sad and anyone who listened weep.

"I see you have absolutely no shame. You walk into my home like it's your own."

Closing the door, Suzuki Satoru rolled his eyes at Naiyuan, who stood in his room with the air of the only sober man in a drunken world, and complained helplessly.

Forget it. He might do foolish things sometimes, but he's still my friend.

As he interrupted Naiyuan's self-indulgence, Suzuki Satoru silently went to the refrigerator and took out two cans of beer.

"Why did you get off work so early today? Did something happen?"

The two sat on the bed with beers in hand. Seeing that Naiyuan had not gone to work, Suzuki Satoru asked with concern.

He was home today because his company had unexpectedly given him a day off, but Naiyuan should not have had a holiday today.

"Nothing. Something came up at the company, so they gave the employees half a day off."

"Forget that. Come on, let's have a drink."

Naiyuan shook his head indifferently, refusing to dwell on the topic. He raised his beer and clinked it against Suzuki Satoru's.

Naiyuan knew Suzuki Satoru's personality better than anyone. If he found out that Naiyuan had fired his boss, he would probably nag him for ages. Naiyuan did not dare argue against his friend's concern at all.

In this apocalyptic society, having a job was already something to be grateful for. Other employees begged their bosses not to fire them, while someone like Naiyuan, who had fired his boss, was practically unbelievable.

Changing the subject was the most correct choice at a time like this. He only needed to keep it hidden for two days. Tomorrow was the day the servers shut down anyway.

"Alright. But if you run into any difficulties, remember to come to me."

Suzuki Satoru sighed. Though he felt that something was off, he did not think too much about it and merely gave Naiyuan a reminder.

"As expected of the Guildmaster. You're as gentle as ever."

Naiyuan smiled. Suzuki Satoru was good in every way, except that he was too gentle with his friends. Whether in the game or in real life, perhaps that was why everyone had chosen him as Guildmaster back then.

"Tomorrow is the end. Should we send everyone a message? At least let us welcome the end together one last time."

Seeing that Suzuki Satoru wanted to say something, Naiyuan spoke before he could.

At midnight tomorrow, the game that had accompanied them for decades would reach its final moment. To be honest, Naiyuan felt a sense of loss as well. After all, he had devoted all of his youth to this game.

"The servers are shutting down... I'll send everyone an invitation message, but I don't know how many people will come back in the end."

At that, Suzuki Satoru's spirits sank. Images of everyone together flashed through his mind. He did not know why everyone had chosen to leave. Some had not even said goodbye before leaving the guild and logging off forever.

The once-vast Great Tomb of Nazarick now had only four members left.

Of those, only he and Naiyuan stayed active, along with Herohero, who logged in occasionally.

"They'll come. This was our youth, after all!"

Seeing Suzuki Satoru lost in memories, Naiyuan softly comforted him. At the same time, he could not help sighing inwardly. He knew that tomorrow, only Herohero would accept the invitation and come back for one last look. But they had been gaming companions, and even though he had long known the outcome, it was still hard for him to accept.

"Life is like a merciless carving knife, changing the way we look."

That line surfaced in Naiyuan's mind. People like Suzuki Satoru, who remained unchanged from beginning to end, were rare. If Naiyuan had not known the story, he might have chosen to leave as well.

"You're right. Maybe everyone will come back tomorrow. After all..."

"By the way, didn't you say you were going to fight a hidden boss tonight? How's the preparation going?"

After quietly muttering to himself for a while, Suzuki Satoru gathered his emotions and smiled at Naiyuan.

He had no objections to fighting a boss the day before the servers shut down. In fact, he was delighted. The last time they had teamed up with companions to raid and defeat a World Boss had been a long time ago.

"Yeah, more or less. I've been preparing for this World Boss for a long time. This time, I have to clear it. I don't want to leave any regrets at the end."

Seeing that he had moved on, Naiyuan began explaining his battle plan. All kinds of precautions and the timing of magical support continuously entered Suzuki Satoru's ears.

Looking at his friend as he spoke endlessly before him, Suzuki Satoru showed no impatience at all. Instead, he listened attentively, nodding from time to time and offering his own opinions.

"This familiar feeling... it really makes me nostalgic."

The two drank beer and chatted like that until Naiyuan's stomach sent him a signal. Only then did he get up, leave, and return home.

Slowly putting on the helmet beside his bed, Naiyuan closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Meanwhile, Suzuki Satoru also put on his helmet.

"Link start."

As Naiyuan muttered the words to himself, his consciousness arrived in another space, and the scene before him changed completely in an instant.

Ding! Welcome to Yggdrasil. Have fun playing.