The 6th Floor Arena.
“You’re finally here.
If your friend status hadn’t shown you were still online, I would’ve thought you’d logged off for good.”
As the white light of teleportation faded, Naiyuan and Momonga regained their senses only to hear a faint, resentful voice.
Herohero wiggled his way over to them.
Even though he had no eyes, the two of them instinctively turned their heads, avoiding his gaze.
“Hey, we’re here, aren’t we?
Don’t be so petty, Hero-buddy.”
“Sorry, Herohero.
There was a little accident, so I kept you waiting.
It’s my fault, really,” Momonga added apologetically.
At the end of the day, he was the reason for the delay.
Naiyuan walked over and patted Herohero’s slime body.
“Alright, alright, I was just grumbling a bit.
And Naiyuan, could you please take your hands off me?
Even if it’s just a game, there’s still a sense of touch,” Herohero said helplessly.
“Tsk, tsk.
The haptic feedback in this game has improved quite a bit since the update six months ago,” Naiyuan remarked, finally pulling his hands away with a sigh of admiration.
“Okay, let’s stop playing around and look at the World-Class Items,” Momonga interrupted, cutting through their antics.
Watching the two of them chat so warmly made him happy.
Time hadn’t managed to erode their friendship.
“True.
We don’t have much time left.”
Naiyuan and Herohero turned their attention to the seven World-Class Items appearing around Momonga.
A tombstone, a ring, a red crystal, a rune-covered orb, a ring encircled by a serpent, a miniature gate, and a small scepter.
Naiyuan tapped on the information panel for the tombstone first.
[World-Class Item: Ragnarök]
[Effect: Can trigger a curse that blankets an entire world.
This is the curse left behind by the fall of the gods.
Aside from those specifically designated by the user, every entity in the world will be affected.]
[The curse persists until all life in the world has vanished.
Targets below Level 50 are instantly killed.
Levels 60–70 lose 30% HP per second.
Levels 80–90 lose 15% HP per second.
Level 100 targets lose 3% HP per second.]
[Even if the target is resurrected, the curse remains until the duration ends and cannot be dispelled.]
[This item disappears automatically after use and reappears in a random corner of the world.]
“This is one of ‘The Twenty,’ isn’t it?
I can’t believe you guys actually found it,” Herohero marveled as he read the description.
“A curse that covers a whole world…
that’s terrifyingly strong.
Even Level 100 players like us wouldn’t last long.”
“Of course.
After all, Momonga and I spent half a year completing a hidden quest chain to get it,” Naiyuan said with a grin.
Momonga nodded beside him.
“I was shocked when I first saw the stats, too,” Momonga said, returning the tombstone to his inventory before checking the next item.
[World-Class Item: Wheel of Good and Evil]
[Effect: Triggers a judgment that covers an entire world.
By defining a range of karma values, every entity within the world is judged.
Those who meet the criteria are unharmed; those who do not are killed instantly.]
[This item can be used once every 12 months.]
“This one is decent too, though it’s far weaker than Ragnarök.
Since it’s a death effect with no side effects, targets just lose levels and drop some gear,” Herohero noted.
His originally sluggish demeanor had vanished, replaced by sheer excitement.
“Hehe, don’t get ahead of yourself, Hero-buddy.
There’s better stuff coming,” Naiyuan teased.
He found Herohero’s reaction quite satisfying; there was a certain sense of accomplishment in showing off.
Herohero turned his gaze to the next item.
[World-Class Item: Heart of Fusion]
[Effect: Allows up to three players to fuse.
One player serves as the host while the other two are auxiliary.
After fusion, all attributes are equal to the sum of the three players’ stats multiplied by ten.
Instant-death and debuff magic must be cast three times to take effect, and all negative status effects are refreshed every minute.]
[When HP is critical, ‘Fusion Dissolution’ can be triggered.
Upon use, the three players separate at full health and are restored to their peak condition.]
[Cooldown: 10 months.]
“Wait, if Touch Me, Ulbert, and Bukubukuchagama fused, wouldn’t they be invincible?” Herohero gasped in shock.
Touch Me held the [World Champion] class and was the guild’s strongest physical attacker.
Ulbert held the [World Disaster] class and was the guild’s strongest magic caster.
Combine them with the guild’s ultimate tank, Bukubukuchagama, and their fusion would be an absolute monster.
“It’s a nice thought, Hero-buddy, but getting those three to fuse is impossible.
Leaving aside the relationship between Touch Me and Ulbert, Bukubukuchagama is a girl—there’s no way she’d agree to it,” Naiyuan said, sighing as he threw up his hands.
The idea was beautiful, but reality wouldn’t support it.
“True.
I was being a bit flighty.” Herohero shook his head as he recalled their past experiences.
How could he have entertained such an impossible notion?
“Actually, I think if you replaced Bukubukuchagama with Naiyuan, there might be hope,” Momonga suddenly interjected.
If anyone in the guild could keep those two in a state of harmony besides Momonga, the Guild Master, it was Naiyuan and his legendary social skills.
Touch Me was water and Ulbert was fire.
The only thing that prevented them from evaporating each other was Naiyuan, who acted as the oil.
Peace only existed when there was a layer of oil between the water and the fire.
Furthermore, with Naiyuan’s hidden class [Dragon Slayer] added to Touch Me and Ulbert, they would possess the most terrifying suppressive force imaginable.
“Momonga is right.
Naiyuan, you really would be the perfect fit,” Herohero agreed, nodding his head.
“Ugh, give me a break,” Naiyuan said, his face darkening as he looked at the skeleton and the slime.
How did they come up with such a terrible idea?
While he was indeed known for being the guild’s social butterfly—able to talk to anyone and maintaining great friendships with both Touch Me and Ulbert—trying to make those two coexist peacefully was a bridge too far.
It was exhausting.
Utterly, completely exhausting.
Ever since he had once convinced them to coordinate for a single battle, Naiyuan had vowed never to deal with those two together again.
He had to comfort one, then comfort the other; he felt less like a friend and more like a stressed-out mother.
Though, having two “sons” like that wasn’t the worst thing in the world, he suppose.
“Haha!
It looks like Naiyuan already tried it and walked away with psychological trauma,” Herohero laughed, his slime body quivering.
Momonga also popped a laughter emote.
Being a skeleton, he couldn’t laugh physically, so he had to rely on emojis.
“Alright, alright, let’s just keep looking at the items,” Naiyuan said helplessly, though a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He didn’t hate this feeling at all.