Idle Chat

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

Although his body was extremely exhausted, a trace of a smile appeared on his haggard face as he looked at the envelope in his arms.

Holding onto the thought that if he failed tomorrow he would just commit suicide—and perhaps have a chance to transmigrate again—Naiyuan had fired his boss today.

Ignoring the other man's look of shock and disbelief, Naiyuan threw his resignation letter directly into his hands and left the company, disregarding the advice of his colleagues and the curses of his boss.

The envelope in his arms contained the wages he had been owed for the past two months. Although the black-hearted boss had deducted a portion on the grounds that leaving without prior notice would cause losses to the company, the remainder was still a considerable sum, enough for him to "top up" one more time.

Originally, the boss had intended to deduct half, but seeing the slightly crazed look in Naiyuan's eyes, he fell silent. News of employees being shorted on their wages after quitting and then stalking their bosses for revenge happened almost every day.

To ensure he wouldn't end up dying together with the man in the future, the boss symbolically deducted one week's wages and handed over the rest of the money.

For a small amount of money, bringing hidden danger upon himself—the risks and rewards were simply not proportional.

After washing the dust off his body and changing into clean clothes, Naiyuan went out again, arrived at the door next to his, and knocked gently.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

For cheap apartments like theirs, things like doorbells were non-existent.

Hearing the movement from inside, Naiyuan slowly lowered his arm and stood there waiting patiently.

"Click!"

After a short wait, a figure in pajamas opened the door. From the person's damp hair and face, it was clear he had just been washing up and had rushed over upon hearing the sound.

"Looks like I didn't pick a good time."

Looking at the other man, Naiyuan joked as he quickly walked into the room.

The other man's room was no different from his own, the only exception being a small refrigerator in the corner. Judging by the trash on the table, it was likely filled with beer.

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

Naiyuan struck a pose of "I'm just so great," completely ignoring the fact that it was his own spending on microtransactions that had left his room destitute. Even if a thief were to break into his place, they would likely leave something behind; it was truly a sight to make the listener weep and the observer mourn.

"I see you have absolutely no shame, walking into my place like it's your own home."

Closing the door and looking at Naiyuan, who was acting as if he were the only sober person in a world of drunks, Suzuki Satoru rolled his eyes and retorted helplessly.

Forget it, forget it. Even if he acts like an idiot sometimes, he's still my friend, after all.

Interrupting his friend's self-indulgence, Suzuki Satoru walked over to the fridge and took out two cans of beer, thinking to himself.

"How come you got off work so early today? Did something happen?"

The two sat on the bed holding their beers. Looking at Naiyuan, who wasn't at work, Suzuki Satoru asked with concern.

He was only home today because his company had granted a rare day off, whereas the other person shouldn't have had a holiday today.

"It's nothing, just some trouble at the office, so they gave the employees a half-day off."

"Don't talk about that, come on, let's have a drink."

Naiyuan shook his head dismissively. He didn't linger on the topic, instead raising his beer to clink glasses with the other man.

Naiyuan knew Suzuki Satoru's personality all too well. If he found out that he had fired his boss, he would likely nag him for a long time. Naiyuan didn't dare to refute the concern of this friend of his.

In this apocalyptic society, having a job was already quite an achievement. Other employees were begging their bosses not to fire them, so someone like him who had fired his boss was practically unheard of.

In times like these, changing the subject immediately was the smartest choice. He only needed to keep up the ruse for two more days; after all, the game servers would be shutting down tomorrow.

"Alright, but if you run into any trouble, remember to come to me."

Suzuki Satoru sighed. Although he felt something was slightly off, he didn't think too much about it and simply offered a word of caution.

"As expected of the Guild Master, as kind as ever."

Naiyuan said with a smile. Suzuki Satoru was great in every way, but he was perhaps too kind to his friends—both in the game and in reality. Perhaps that was why everyone had chosen him to be the Guild Master in the first place.

"Tomorrow is the end. Should we send a message to everyone? At the very least, let's welcome the final moment together."

Seeing Suzuki Satoru looking like he wanted to say something, Naiyuan spoke up before he could.

Tomorrow at midnight, the game that had accompanied them for decades would reach its final moment. To be honest, Naiyuan felt a sense of loss; after all, he had dedicated his entire youth to this game.

"The server shutdown... I will send out invitation messages to everyone, but I don't know how many will actually come back."

At the mention of this, Suzuki Satoru's spirits dampened. Images of everyone together in the past flashed through his mind. He didn't know why everyone had chosen to leave; some hadn't even said a final goodbye before quitting the guild and logging off forever.

The once-vast Great Tomb of Nazarick was now left with only four members, and the only ones who kept logging in were himself, Naiyuan, and the occasional appearance of Herohero.

"They will come. After all, this is our youth!"

Watching Suzuki Satoru lost in his memories, Naiyuan comforted him softly. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He knew that tomorrow, only Herohero would accept the invitation to take a look. But they were partners who had played the game together, and even though he knew the ending, it was still hard to accept.

Life is like a ruthless carving knife, changing our appearance.

That thought surfaced in Naiyuan's mind. People like Suzuki Satoru, who remained consistent throughout, were rare. If he hadn't known the plot, he probably would 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 is it? Are you ready?"

After muttering to himself for a moment, Suzuki Satoru pulled himself together and said to Naiyuan with a smile.

He had no objections to the idea of fighting a boss on the day before the server shutdown; in fact, he was quite happy about it. Raiding a world boss with a companion was something that hadn't happened in a very long time.

"Yeah, that's about it. I've been preparing for this World Boss for a long time. I have to clear it this time; I don't want to leave any regrets at the very end."

Seeing that his friend had come to terms with it, Naiyuan began his raid plan. Various precautions and the timing for magic support were continuously poured into Suzuki Satoru's ears.

Watching his friend talk on and on before him, Suzuki Satoru didn't feel a hint of impatience. Instead, he listened to what the other was saying earnestly, nodding from time to time and offering his own perspective.

A familiar feeling. It really is nostalgic.

The two of them chatted away while drinking beer until their stomachs signaled it was time. Only then did Naiyuan stand up to leave and head back home.

Slowly putting on the helmet resting by his bed, Naiyuan closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

On the other side, Suzuki Satoru also put on his helmet.

"Link start."

As Naiyuan muttered the words to himself, his consciousness arrived in another space. The scenery before his eyes underwent a world-shaking change in an instant.

"Ding! Welcome to Yggdrasil. We wish you a pleasant game."