At noon the following day, Naiyuan returned home with heavy steps.
Though his body was exhausted, a faint smile flickered across his haggard face as he looked at the envelope in his arms.
Clinging to the thought that if he failed tomorrow he might as well commit suicide—perhaps even triggering another transmigration—Naiyuan had walked in today and fired his boss.
Ignoring the man’s shocked and bewildered expression, Naiyuan had thrust his resignation letter into his boss’s hands and walked out, disregarding his colleagues’ attempts to dissuade him and his boss’s shouted curses.
The envelope in his arms contained his back pay from the last two months.
Although his unscrupulous boss had docked a portion of it under the pretext that resigning without notice caused the company losses, the remainder was still a tidy sum—enough for him to go on one last spending spree in the game.
Initially, the boss had intended to withhold half the pay.
However, he had fallen silent upon seeing the slightly crazed glint in Naiyuan’s eyes.
In this day and age, news of disgruntled employees stalking and retaliating against bosses who withheld wages was a daily occurrence.
To ensure he wouldn’t be taken down in a mutual suicide pact, the boss had settled for a symbolic deduction of one week’s wages and handed over the rest.
The potential danger wasn’t worth the small amount of money saved; the risk-to-reward ratio simply didn’t balance out.
After washing off the grime and changing into clean clothes, Naiyuan headed back out.
He stopped at the neighboring door and gave it a soft knock.
*Thump!
Thump!
Thump!*
In a cheap apartment complex like this, such a thing as a doorbell was non-existent.
Hearing movement inside, Naiyuan lowered his hand and waited patiently.
*Click!*
After a short wait, a figure in pajamas opened the door.
Judging by the wet hair and damp face, the man had been in the middle of washing up and had rushed over when he heard the knocking.
“Seems I picked a bad time,” Naiyuan joked, stepping quickly into the room.
The layout was identical to his own.
The only difference was a small refrigerator tucked in the corner.
Based on the trash on the table, it was likely filled with beer.
After all, not everyone was as devoid of worldly desires as he was.
Naiyuan struck a self-satisfied pose, completely ignoring the fact that he was only “destitute” because he dumped all his money into microtransactions.
His own room was so bare that even a thief would feel compelled to leave something behind out of pity.
“You really have no shame at all, do you?
You walk into my place like you own it,” Suzuki Satoru remarked, rolling his eyes as he closed the door.
He couldn’t help but sigh at Naiyuan’s “the world is drunk, but I alone am sober” attitude.
*Fine, whatever.
He’s an idiot sometimes, but he’s still my friend,* Suzuki Satoru thought as he cut off Naiyuan’s self-indulgence and pulled two cans of beer from the fridge.
“Why are you off work so early today?
Did something happen?” Suzuki Satoru asked with concern as they sat on the bed with their beers.
He was home today because his company had granted a rare holiday, but Naiyuan wasn’t supposed to have any time off.
“It’s nothing.
Something happened at the company, so they gave the staff a half-day off.”
“Let’s not talk about that.
Come on, let’s have a toast.”
Naiyuan shook his head dismissively, steering the conversation away as he clinked his can against his friend’s.
He knew Suzuki Satoru’s personality all too well.
If the man found out Naiyuan had quit his job, he’d likely nag him for ages.
While Naiyuan appreciated his friend’s concern, he didn’t want to deal with the lecture.
In this apocalyptic society, having a job was considered a blessing.
Most employees begged their bosses not to fire them; someone like Naiyuan, who quit of his own volition, would be seen as insane.
Changing the subject was the right move.
He only needed to keep the secret for another day or so.
Tomorrow was the server shutdown, anyway.
“Alright.
Just remember to tell me if you’re in any trouble,” Suzuki Satoru sighed.
He felt something was off, but he didn’t press the issue.
“As expected of our Guild Master—always so kind,” Naiyuan said with a grin.
Suzuki Satoru was a great guy, but he was almost too kind to his friends, both in the game and in reality.
Perhaps that was why everyone had chosen him to lead the guild in the first place.
“Tomorrow is the end.
Shouldn’t we send a message to everyone?
At least let us face the finale together,” Naiyuan said, cutting in before Suzuki could speak.
Tomorrow at midnight, the game that had accompanied them for over a decade would reach its final moment.
Truthfully, Naiyuan felt a sense of loss; he had dedicated his entire youth to this game.
“The shutdown…
I’ll send out invitation messages to everyone.
But I don’t know how many will actually come back at the end.”
Suzuki Satoru’s spirit dampened at the thought.
Images of the guild members together flashed through his mind.
He didn’t understand why everyone had chosen to leave.
Some hadn’t even said a final goodbye; they had simply quit the guild and logged off forever.
The once-massive Great Tomb of Nazarick was down to only four members.
The only ones who stayed active were himself and Naiyuan, along with Herohero, who logged in occasionally.
“They’ll come.
After all, this was our youth!”
Naiyuan offered a soft word of comfort as he watched Suzuki sink into his memories.
Internally, he sighed.
He knew that only Herohero would accept the invitation for a brief visit.
Even though he knew how it would end, it was still hard to accept.
*Life is like a heartless blade, carving away who we used to be.*
The quote surfaced in Naiyuan’s mind.
People like Suzuki Satoru, who remained consistent to the end, were rare.
If Naiyuan didn’t already know the plot, perhaps he would have left as well.
“You’re right.
Maybe everyone will come back tomorrow.
After all…”
Suzuki Satoru composed his emotions and gave Naiyuan a smile.
“By the way, didn’t you say we were going to take on a hidden boss tonight?
Are you ready?”
He had no objections to hunting a boss the day before the shutdown.
In fact, he was happy about it.
It had been a long time since he had gone on a world boss raid with a comrade.
“Yeah, almost.
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 his friend perk up, Naiyuan began outlining his raid plan.
He detailed every precaution, timing for magical support, and strategy as Suzuki Satoru listened.
Suzuki Satoru showed no signs of impatience.
He listened intently to his friend’s explanation, nodding occasionally and offering his own insights.
“This feeling…
it’s so nostalgic.”
The two of them sat there, drinking beer and talking, until their stomachs signaled for food.
Only then did Naiyuan stand up to leave and return to his own home.
Slowly putting on the neural-link helmet resting by his bed, Naiyuan closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
On the other side of the wall, Suzuki Satoru did the same.
“Link Start.”
As Naiyuan whispered the words, his consciousness drifted into another space.
The scenery before him transformed instantly.
[Ding!
Welcome to YGGDRASIL.
We wish you an enjoyable gaming experience.]