Memories

The Great Tomb of Nazarick was a guild formed by 42 top-tier players.

Despite having only 42 members, it stood out among the multitude of guilds, ranking third overall among all of them.

In the Throne Room, the bustle of the past had vanished. The quiet space made Naiyuan and Momonga, who had returned here, feel a sense of unease.

Memories from the depths of their minds surged forth.

Momonga looked around with nostalgia at the banners imprinted with different patterns. Among them were those of Naiyuan and Momonga, the proof that the 42 players had once existed.

"Me."

"Naiyuan."

"Peroroncino."

"Bukubukuchagama."

"Blue Planet."

"Herohero."

"Variable Talisman."

"Touch Me."

"Ulbert."

Momonga pointed his bony finger at the banners before him, reciting the names of his former companions. Naiyuan, standing to the side, did not interrupt, listening quietly to his words.

Although he had held a purpose at the beginning, twelve years of time had forged an indelible bond between him and this place.

"If Ulbert knew you placed him after Touch Me, he would probably start an argument again."

"The relationship between those two could truly be described as oil and water."

After Momonga finished speaking, Naiyuan looked at him and couldn't help but tease.

"The relationship between those two guys used to give me, the guild master, such a headache. If we hadn't kept pulling them apart, they probably would have started fighting long ago."

Coming back to his senses from his memories, Momonga heard Naiyuan's teasing and spoke with a hint of a headache.

Ulbert hated Touch Me; this was a well-known fact within the guild. Regarding this issue, Naiyuan had even asked both of them for the reason back then.

"You ask me why I fight with that guy? I just can't stand seeing a winner in life like him, and besides, our personalities are naturally destined not to get along."

"Let's go raid the boss together tomorrow. With your Dragon Slayer and my World Disaster class, we'll definitely be the strongest combination."

Ulbert waved his hand, speaking to Naiyuan with an indifferent air. Then, as if remembering something, he placed a hand on Naiyuan's shoulder to extend the invitation, smiling as he talked about their adventure for the next day.

"That guy's way of thinking is dangerous, and he holds a lot of hostility toward me. It's a shame, I actually wanted to get along with him."

"Maybe it's just as he said; our personalities are naturally incompatible. Oh, right, let's go raid the boss together tomorrow, Naiyuan. Your Dragon Slayer combined with my World Champion class will surely be the strongest combination."

On the other side, when Naiyuan asked Touch Me, the man also expressed his helplessness. He wanted to get along with the other party, but the problem was that their personalities were polar opposites.

Accompanied by a laugh, Touch Me invited Naiyuan, and before he could refuse, he logged off at lightning speed.

"But tomorrow, Ul..."

Watching Touch Me, who had already vanished, Naiyuan swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and let out a helpless sigh.

Time arrived at the next day, and what followed was obvious: Ulbert, who had come to find Naiyuan, ran into Touch Me. After a brief moment of silence, the scene turned directly into a massive argument.

Naiyuan watched the two of them quietly from the side. He hadn't expected to find himself in a light novel trope where two people were fighting over him. He couldn't help but click his tongue, but then, remembering that both of these guys were men, he fell into silence.

Thinking of his friends, Naiyuan sadly discovered that everyone he had a good relationship with was a man.

Could it be that I'm a natural-born sword-wielder?

Naiyuan shook his head in horror, suppressing the terrifying thought in his mind. If he kept thinking about it, he was afraid he might go down the wrong path.

Looking at the two men in front of him, and considering Momonga, Peroroncino, and the others he was close with, he decided he should go have a good chat with Bukubukuchagama for a while.

Recalling the situation back then, the way Naiyuan looked at Momonga suddenly changed. It seemed as if he and this guy were together every single day; either he was visiting him, or the other guy was dropping by his place, day after day for decades.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing that his friend seemed to be thinking about something unpleasant, Momonga asked, puzzled.

Even though he hadn't done anything, Naiyuan had suddenly backed away a few steps as if Momonga were some kind of wild beast. It left him completely baffled—was he having another episode?

He was well aware of Naiyuan's tendency to have occasional episodes, but nothing had happened just now; they were only talking about Touch Me and Ulbert. It shouldn't have triggered anything.

Masaka, has his condition worsened again?

After a bout of wild speculation, Momonga looked at Naiyuan with pity.

"Ahem, I just thought of some unpleasant things."

Unaware that the other party had already imagined the truth about his worsening condition, Naiyuan coughed twice and replied.

How was he supposed to say that? Was he supposed to say, "Are we being too intimate, so you're a little scared?"

If he actually said that, he felt like he would be laughed at for a long time.

I clearly treat you as a friend, and this is what you're thinking about?

Naiyuan didn't dare to imagine the scene if the other party found out, so he could only choose to brush it off, even though he didn't know that the other party had already imagined the truth.

"Right, I actually had something to tell you."

"Come, come, take a look at this."

Ending that topic, Naiyuan suddenly remembered his original purpose.

Opening his inventory, he pulled a seemingly ordinary blade from a rift that appeared in mid-air, Naiyuan said excitedly.

"Is there something wrong with this weapon?"

Looking at his excited friend in front of him, a trace of curiosity also appeared in Momonga's heart. It was rare to see a weapon that could make the other party take it so seriously.

Opening the attribute panel of the weapon in front of him, Momonga began to read the item description carefully.

"Dragon-Slaying Sword"

"A seemingly ordinary sword, but it gives one a brand-new feeling. If you give it some dragon materials, you might have unexpected gains."

"Dragon Bane: The sharp blade will inflict wounds that cannot heal, causing the target to fall into a bleeding state. The longer the state lasts, the higher the damage."

The weapon's description was very short, completely different from the long-winded ones he was used to; it was only a few short sentences.

But Momonga was not disappointed. Instead, he stared fixedly at the weapon description, the last sentence of which gave him quite a few ideas.

"I finally understand why you're so excited. If I'm not mistaken, this weapon should be able to evolve, and you've probably already tried it, right? I just don't know what grade it will eventually reach, but at least a Divine-class item shouldn't be a problem. As for World-class..."

Momonga said to Naiyuan in surprise. A weapon that could evolve—even he had never heard of such a thing. Without a doubt, this was a priceless treasure. If the game were still popular, it would definitely have attracted a frenzy of looting and heated discussion among players.

"How about it? Aren't you curious about what level it can reach?"

"You guy, you bring it out to show me and then say that to whet my appetite. Isn't it just because you want the materials in the treasury?"

Momonga pointed out the other person's intentions with annoyance. The other party's goal was obvious: he wanted to pull him in to help fill this bottomless pit.

Evolving this weapon would likely consume an unknown amount of dragon-type materials.

"Hehe, after all, this isn't my Nazarick alone. I have to get the consent of you, the Guildmaster, right?"

Naiyuan rubbed the dragon horns on top of his head and said seriously.

"Go ahead. Anyway, most of the dragon-type materials in the treasury were put there by you."

Momonga said impatiently, though he couldn't help but feel a sense of joy in his heart that the other had asked for his opinion.

"A classic case of being gentle yet tsundere. As expected of my Guild Master."

Naiyuan gave a thumbs-up, then, before the other could react, he sped away from the spot. The ring on his finger flashed, and he vanished from the location in an instant.

"Naiyuan!!"

The moment he left, a roar erupted, echoing throughout the Throne Room.