Fate always seems to enjoy playing jokes.
Just as Naiyuan buried his father and prepared to live a peaceful, ordinary life using the card and the savings from over the years, a game both familiar and strange appeared in his sight.
*Yggdrasil*.
It was a famous novel from his past life.
Although it supposedly didn’t do well in its place of origin, it had been incredibly popular in his home country.
Later, it was said that the novel’s anime adaptation only happened because of that popularity.
One could say Naiyuan had contributed his part to that.
The story of the novel was simple: on the final day of service for a game called *Yggdrasil*, the protagonist Suzuki Satoru, who intended to stay until the very last moment, found that he hadn’t been forced offline by the system.
Instead, he transmigrated to another world along with the guild he and his companions created—the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The story unfolded from there.
Upon learning that the upcoming game was identical to the one in his memories, a thought took root in Naiyuan’s mind.
He would transmigrate along with the protagonist.
That was Naiyuan’s plan.
Thus, he began playing this game called *Yggdrasil*.
It had been twelve years since the servers first went live.
During that time, he hadn’t missed a single event, collecting every reward possible.
He averaged twelve hours of playtime a day, grinding the game with near-maniacal intensity.
Having rarely spent money on games in his previous life, he decisively entered a “whale” mode from which there was no turning back.
He never hesitated to splurge on every top-up event and paid item.
Under his deliberate efforts, he successfully became friends with Touch Me, Momonga, and the others, joining their “Suicide Squad.”
Slowly, the money on the card and his savings were depleted.
Naiyuan began selling off household items to sustain his spending habits.
Finally, he sold his house and, under the warm recommendation of his friend Momonga, moved into a cheap apartment.
To maintain his expenses in both reality and the game, Naiyuan began the life of a corporate drone, leaving early and returning late every day.
“It all depends on the day after tomorrow.”
Naiyuan gazed calmly at the calendar, but the excitement in his voice betrayed his internal turbulence.
Twelve years…
he had spent a full twelve years preparing.
Now that the time for the harvest had finally arrived, a flicker of worry surfaced instead.
He didn’t know if he would actually succeed in transmigrating.
Although he knew that all players online during the server shutdown would transmigrate, he still felt uneasy.
After all, until it actually happened, he didn’t dare be certain.
“Accidents” were things that tended to slap you in the face right when you were at your most confident.
“If I fail, I’ll probably just commit suicide.”
Naiyuan calculated what would happen if he failed, and the conclusion was death.
He had invested too much time and money into this.
Even though his body was riddled with ailments, he ignored them.
The only belief sustaining him was the day the game servers closed.
Rather than living a lifetime of muddle-headed existence in this society, he would rather pursue that nebulous future.
Before, there had been no hope, so he had no choice; but now that hope was right before his eyes, he could not tolerate letting it slip by.
He would rather take the gamble now than live with regret and remorse later.
*Thump!
Thump!*
A knock on the door interrupted Naiyuan’s thoughts, and a voice slowly reached his ears.
“Naiyuan, are you back?”
The voice came from the doorway.
When he opened the door, a gaunt figure stood before him, just as thin as he was.
Conspicuous dark circles under the man’s eyes made him look exhausted.
The figure was none other than the protagonist of *Overlord*.
Unlike his appearance in the game, in reality, he was an incredibly ordinary corporate slave.
The only difference was his luck—eventually transmigrating to another world to start a new life.
“Satoru, what’s this?”
Naiyuan brought him inside.
Seeing the stains on the man’s clothes, the scratches on his face, and the small box in his hand, Naiyuan asked in confusion.
“It’s nothing, just a little fall.
Don’t worry about that.
Look what I brought you.”
Suzuki Satoru’s eyes darted around as he waved it off dismissively, then handed the box to Naiyuan.
The box was small, only about the size of Naiyuan’s two palms.
From the weight, Naiyuan could tell the contents were very light.
Looking at Suzuki Satoru, who was watching him somewhat nervously, Naiyuan placed the box on the bed and began to open it.
He slowly pulled the ribbon and removed the cover.
The object inside came into view.
It was different from what he expected—a pure white cream cake.
The cake was small, yet he couldn’t look away.
The sides were decorated with bright red fruits that looked like red pearls, and a short sentence written in chocolate was clearly visible in the center.
“Happy Birthday to my best friend — Suzuki Satoru.”
Naiyuan stared blankly at the cake.
He hadn’t seen a cake since his adoptive father died.
He had even forgotten his own birthday, given that all his energy was focused on work and the game.
“How did you know my birthday was today?”
Naiyuan kept his head down.
His long bangs obscured half his face, hiding his expression.
His lips moved slightly as he asked in a voice that sounded like he was talking to himself.
“I found out by accident.
Doesn’t the friend info in the game show birthday details?
Heh, so I took it upon myself to celebrate with you.”
Suzuki Satoru scratched his head, looking at Naiyuan with a hint of embarrassment.
As best friends for over a decade, Suzuki Satoru felt he should celebrate for him.
He hadn’t seen Naiyuan celebrate a birthday in years and guessed the man had forgotten, so he planned this surprise.
Although it was just a tiny cake, the price had been staggeringly high.
“At worst, I’ll just work an extra half-month of overtime,” he had thought.
Holding that thought, Suzuki Satoru had gritted his teeth and bought one.
He wouldn’t be stingy toward his only friend.
Hearing Suzuki Satoru’s words, Naiyuan just kept his head down and said nothing.
The room was silent—so quiet that the heartbeats of the two men were practically audible.
“Thank you.”
The words broke the silence.
Naiyuan looked up at Suzuki Satoru with a neutral expression, but the slight moisture at the corners of his eyes revealed he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
“Phew.”
Suzuki Satoru breathed a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere just now had terrified him; he was afraid Naiyuan might be angry or think he was meddling.
That was the outcome he feared most.
But Naiyuan’s words finally put his heart at ease.
As long as everything was okay…
“No need for thanks.
Isn’t this only natural?
We’re friends, Naiyuan!”
Suzuki Satoru shook his head, staring at Naiyuan as he spoke with conviction.
“Friends?
Sorry, I was being overly sentimental.”
“Let’s eat together.
After all, things like cake taste better when shared with friends.”
Naiyuan sighed and then spoke with a smile.
Using the included plastic knife, he slowly cut the cake, dividing it in two, and handed a piece to Suzuki Satoru.
In the dark night, the lights were bright in the dilapidated apartment.
The faint sounds of two men laughing could be heard from within.
“You sneak, Naiyuan!
You actually ambushed me!”
“Haha!
Hit me if you can!”
“Don’t run!
Let’s see how I deal with you!”
…