The Great Tomb of Nazarick was a guild composed of forty-two top-tier players.
Despite having only forty-two members, they had managed to stand out among countless guilds, ranking third in the overall world standings.
Within the Throne Room, the usual bustle had vanished.
The silent space caused a sense of discomfort to wash over Naiyuan and Momonga upon their return.
Memories of the past surged from the depths of their minds.
Momonga looked around nostalgically at the banners emblazoned with different designs.
Among them were the flags of Naiyuan and Momonga themselves—proof that forty-two players had once existed here.
“Me.”
“Naiyuan.”
“Peroroncino.”
“Bukubukuchagama.”
“Blue Planet.”
“Herohero.”
“Variable Talisman.”
“Touch Me.”
“Ulbert.”
…
Momonga pointed his skeletal fingers at the banners before him, continuously reciting the names of his former comrades.
Naiyuan did not interrupt, quietly listening to his friend’s words.
Though he had initially joined with a specific purpose, twelve years of time had forged an indelible bond between him and this place.
“If Ulbert knew you put him after Touch Me, they’d probably start arguing again,” Naiyuan teased as he watched his friend.
“The relationship between those two was like fire and water.”
After Momonga finished, Naiyuan couldn’t help but poke fun at him.
“The relationship between those two gave me quite the headache as Guild Master back then.
If we hadn’t been there to hold them back, they probably would have come to blows long ago,” Momonga said, snapping out of his reverie and speaking with a slight touch of exhaustion.
Ulbert hated Touch Me; this was a fact known to everyone in the guild.
Regarding this issue, Naiyuan had once asked them both for the reason.
…
“Asking why I argue with that guy?
I just can’t stand seeing a ‘winner at life’ like him.
Besides, our personalities were destined to never get along.”
“Anyway, let’s go raid a boss together tomorrow.
With your [Dragon Slayer] and my [World Disaster] class, we’ll definitely be the strongest duo.”
Ulbert waved his hand dismissively, speaking to Naiyuan with an air of indifference.
Then, as if thinking of something, he draped an arm over Naiyuan’s shoulder and extended an invitation, smiling as he talked about the next day’s adventure.
…
“That guy’s way of thinking is dangerous, and he harbors a lot of hostility toward me, even though I actually want to get along with him.”
“Perhaps it’s just as he says; our personalities are naturally incompatible.
Oh, by the way, let’s go raid a boss together tomorrow, Naiyuan.
Your [Dragon Slayer] plus my [World Champion] class will definitely be the strongest duo.”
On the other side, when Naiyuan had questioned Touch Me, the man had expressed his helplessness.
He wanted to be on good terms, but the problem was that their personalities were polar opposites.
With a laugh, Touch Me invited Naiyuan and then logged off at light speed before he could be refused.
“But tomorrow, Ulber—”
Seeing that Touch Me had already vanished, Naiyuan swallowed his words and finally sighed in resignation.
When the next day arrived, the outcome was obvious.
Ulbert and Touch Me, both looking for Naiyuan, ran into each other.
After a brief, tense silence, the scene instantly devolved into a massive shouting match.
Naiyuan had stood by quietly, watching them.
He hadn’t expected to encounter a light-novel-esque plot where two people fought over him.
He clicked his tongue, but then, realizing both of these guys were men, he fell into a somber silence.
Thinking of his friends, Naiyuan tragically realized that everyone he was close to was male.
[Am I a natural-born bayonet specialist?!]
Naiyuan shook his head in horror, suppressing the terrifying thought.
If he kept thinking along those lines, he was afraid he might actually go astray.
He looked at the two before him, then at Momonga and Peroroncino, with whom he was also close.
He decided that for the next while, he should probably go have a good chat with Bukubukuchagama.
…
Recalling the scene from back then, Naiyuan’s gaze toward Momonga suddenly shifted.
He and this guy seemed to be together every single day.
Either he was visiting Momonga, or Momonga was visiting him.
It had been like this for over a decade.
“What’s wrong?”
Feeling like his friend was thinking about something unsavory, Momonga asked in confusion.
Even though he hadn’t done anything, Naiyuan had suddenly taken several steps back as if Momonga were some kind of predatory beast.
It left him completely bewildered.
Had he “fallen ill” again?
He was well aware of Naiyuan’s occasional bouts of “illness,” but nothing had happened just now.
They were only talking about Touch Me and Ulbert.
It didn’t make sense.
[Could it be…
his condition has worsened!]
After a moment of wild speculation, Momonga looked at Naiyuan with pity.
“Ahem, I just thought of some unpleasant things,” Naiyuan coughed twice and replied.
How was he supposed to explain?
Should he say, “We’re a bit too close, so I’m a little scared”?
If he actually said that, he felt he would be mocked for a long time.
“I treat you as a friend, and this is what you think of?”
Naiyuan didn’t dare imagine the scene if Momonga found out.
He could only choose to brush it off, unaware that his friend had already rationalized it as his “condition” getting worse.
“Right, I had something to tell you.”
“Come, come, look at this.”
Ending the awkward topic, Naiyuan suddenly remembered his original purpose.
Opening his inventory, he pulled a seemingly ordinary blade from a rift in the air and spoke with excitement.
“Is there something wrong with this weapon?”
Seeing his friend’s excitement, a spark of curiosity arose in Momonga’s heart.
It was rare to see a weapon that Naiyuan took so seriously.
Clicking open the attribute panel of the weapon before him, Momonga began to read the item description seriously.
[Dragon Breaker]
[A seemingly ordinary sword, yet it gives off a refreshed feeling.
If you feed it dragon materials, you might find unexpected rewards.]
[Dragon Scourge: The sharp blade inflicts wounds that will not heal, causing the target to enter a Bleeding state.
The longer the state persists, the higher the damage becomes.]
The description was brief, completely unlike the long-winded essays he was used to.
It was just a few short sentences.
However, Momonga was not disappointed.
Instead, he stared fixedly at the description.
the final sentence gave him a lot to think about.
“I finally understand why you’re so excited.
If I’m not mistaken, this weapon should be capable of evolving.
And you’ve probably already tried it, haven’t you?
I just wonder what grade it will eventually reach.
It should at least hit Divine-class without a problem.
As for World-class…”
Momonga spoke to Naiyuan in surprise.
An evolving weapon—he had never even heard of such a thing.
Without a doubt, this was a priceless treasure.
If the game were still at its peak popularity, it would surely have incited a frenzy of player competition and intense discussion.
“So, aren’t you curious about how far it can go?”
“You rascal.
You bring it out to show me and then talk like that to bait me…
you’re just after the materials in the treasury, aren’t you?”
Momonga crossly exposed someone’s intentions.
The motive was obvious: Naiyuan wanted to pull him in as a partner to fill this bottomless pit.
Evolving this weapon would likely consume an unknown amount of dragon materials.
“Hehe, after all, this isn’t just my Nazarick.
I have to get the Guild Master’s consent, right?” Naiyuan said seriously, rubbing the dragon horns on his head.
“Go ahead.
Most of the dragon materials in the treasury were put there by you anyway,” Momonga said impatiently, though he couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy that his friend had bothered to ask for his opinion.
“A classic case of ‘gentle yet tsundere.’ Truly a Guild Master,” Naiyuan said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Then, before Momonga could react, he fled the scene, the ring on his finger flashing as he instantly teleported away.
“Naiyuan!!”
The moment he left, an angry roar erupted, echoing throughout the Throne Room.