Memories

The Great Tomb of Nazarick was a guild made up of forty-two top-tier Players.

Though it had only forty-two members, it stood out among countless guilds and ranked third overall.

In the Throne Room, the former bustle had vanished. The quiet space made Naiyuan and Momonga, who had returned here, feel strangely uncomfortable.

Memories of the past surfaced from the depths of their minds.

Momonga looked around nostalgically. The banners bearing different emblems included those of Naiyuan and himself, proof that the forty-two Players had once existed.

"Me."

"Naiyuan."

"Peroroncino."

"Bukubukuchagama."

"Blue Planet."

"Herohero."

"Variable Talisman."

"Touch Me."

"Ulbert."

Momonga pointed at the banners before him with his skeletal finger, continuously reciting the names of their former companions. Naiyuan did not interrupt him and quietly listened.

Though he had initially joined with an ulterior motive, twelve years had forged an indelible bond between him and this place.

"If Ulbert knew you ranked him after Touch Me, they'd probably start arguing again."

"Those two really were like fire and water."

After Momonga finished, Naiyuan could not help teasing him.

"Their relationship gave me, the Guildmaster, a terrible headache back then. If we hadn't kept pulling them apart, they would've started fighting long ago."

Pulled back from his memories, Momonga spoke with a hint of exasperation upon hearing Naiyuan's teasing.

Ulbert's dislike for Touch Me was something everyone in the guild knew. Naiyuan had once asked the two of them why.

"You're asking why I argue with that guy? I just can't stand seeing someone like him, a winner in life. Besides, our personalities were destined to never get along."

"By the way, let's go raid a boss tomorrow. With your Dragon Slayer and my World Disaster class, we'll definitely become the strongest combination."

Ulbert waved a hand and spoke to Naiyuan indifferently. Then, as if remembering something, he draped an arm over Naiyuan's shoulder and invited him along, smiling as he talked about tomorrow's adventure.

"That guy's way of thinking is dangerous, and he's extremely hostile toward me. Even though I really wanted to get along with him."

"Maybe it really is as he said. Our personalities were simply born unable to coexist peacefully. Oh, right—let's raid a boss together tomorrow, Naiyuan. Your Dragon Slayer and my World Champion class will definitely make the strongest combination."

When Naiyuan asked Touch Me on the other side, he too sounded helpless. He wanted to get along with Ulbert, but their personalities were complete opposites.

With a burst of laughter, Touch Me invited Naiyuan along. Then, before Naiyuan could refuse, he logged off at lightning speed.

"But tomorrow, Ul—"

Watching Touch Me disappear, Naiyuan swallowed the words that had reached his lips and finally sighed helplessly.

The next day, what happened was obvious. Ulbert and Touch Me, both coming to find Naiyuan, ran into each other. After a brief silence, the scene immediately turned into a massive argument.

Naiyuan quietly watched the two of them. He had never expected to encounter such a light-novel scenario where two people fought over him. He clicked his tongue, then remembered that both of them were men and fell silent.

Thinking of his friends, Naiyuan sadly realized that everyone close to him was a man.

Was he naturally an expert at crossing blades?

Naiyuan shook his head in alarm and forced the terrifying thought from his mind. If he kept thinking about it, he feared he might go astray.

Looking at the two before him, as well as Momonga, Peroroncino, and the others who were close to him, Naiyuan decided that for a while, he should go have a proper chat with Bukubukuchagama instead.

Recalling that scene, Naiyuan's gaze at Momonga immediately changed. He and this guy seemed to spend every day together—either Naiyuan visited him, or he visited Naiyuan. It had been like that for decades.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing that his friend seemed to be thinking something unpleasant, Momonga asked in confusion.

He had clearly done nothing, yet Naiyuan suddenly took several steps back as if Momonga were some ferocious beast. He could not make heads or tails of it. Had Naiyuan's condition acted up again?

Momonga knew full well that Naiyuan's condition flared up from time to time. But nothing had happened just now. They had merely been talking about Touch Me and Ulbert. It should not have been this.

Masaka, has his condition gotten worse again?!

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

"Ahem, I just thought of something unpleasant."

Unaware that Momonga had already imagined the truth of his worsening condition, Naiyuan coughed twice in reply.

How was he supposed to explain this? Was he supposed to say that the two of them might have been too close, so he was a little scared?

If I actually said that, he'd probably laugh at me for a long time.

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

Naiyuan could not imagine Momonga's reaction if he found out, so he could only brush it off, unaware that Momonga had already made up the truth in his head.

"Oh, right, I had something to tell you."

"Come on, take a look at this."

Ending the topic, Naiyuan suddenly remembered his original purpose.

He opened his inventory and pulled a seemingly ordinary sword from a crack that appeared in the air. Naiyuan spoke excitedly.

"What's so special about this weapon?"

Seeing his friend so excited, Momonga grew curious. After all, there were not many weapons important enough to make Naiyuan take them this seriously.

He opened the weapon's status panel and carefully examined its description.

"Dragon-Slaying Sword"

"A seemingly ordinary sword, yet it gives off a fresh and renewed feeling. If you feed it some dragon materials, you may gain unexpected results."

"Dragon Bane: Its sharp blade inflicts wounds that cannot heal, causing the target to enter a bleeding state. The longer the state lasts, the greater the damage."

The weapon's description was brief, completely unlike the lengthy explanations he had expected. It contained only a few short lines.

Yet Momonga was not disappointed. Instead, he stared fixedly at the description. Its final sentence gave him many ideas.

"I finally understand why you're so excited. If I'm not mistaken, this weapon can evolve, and you've probably already tested it. I just don't know what rank it'll reach in the end, but it should at least be able to become a divine weapon. As for World-class..."

Momonga spoke to Naiyuan in astonishment. An evolvable weapon—he had never even heard of one. Without question, it was a priceless treasure. If the game had still been thriving, it would definitely have sparked a frenzy among Players and heated discussions.

"So? Aren't you curious how far it can go?"

"You showed it to me and then said that just to whet my appetite. You're after the materials in the warehouse, aren't you?"

Momonga irritably exposed someone's intentions. Naiyuan's goal was obvious: he wanted to drag Momonga in and fill this bottomless pit with him.

He had no idea how many Dragon-Class Materials evolving this weapon would consume.

"Hehe, after all, Nazarick isn't mine alone. I need the Guildmaster's approval, don't I?"

Naiyuan rubbed the dragon horns atop his head and spoke seriously.

"Go ahead. Most of the Dragon-Class Materials in the warehouse were put there by you anyway."

Momonga spoke impatiently, though he could not help feeling pleased that Naiyuan had asked for his opinion.

"A classic gentle tsundere. As expected of my Guildmaster."

Naiyuan gave him a thumbs-up, then vanished before Momonga could react. The ring on his finger flashed, and he disappeared from the spot in an instant.

"NAIYUAN!!"

The instant he left, an angry roar rang out and echoed through the Throne Room.