Chapter 50: The World Dragon (1)
I panic.
Correction—I'm extremely panicked. So panicked that even my words are coming out wrong.
In any case, I can't really make sense of this situation. What the hell? Why is it like this? How did things turn out this way?
The inside of this composite temple—a sealed chamber with not a single ray of light slipping in—is pitch black. But with my resistances maxed out, this level of darkness is nothing. Even standard-issue night vision goggles from a special forces unit wouldn't be this clear.
"God…!"
And before my eyes… well, I'd like to say "small figure," but no—that's not it. It just looks small because my own body is massive. In truth, this monkey-like simian would be considered quite large compared to normal humans or demi-humans.
Anyway, that guy is lying prostrate, bawling his eyes out.
Completely naked.
Ack, my eyes!
No—wait, that's not the point! What the hell is this? What's going on here?!
Somebody explain this to me!
My thoughts are a mess. But no, it's fine. I'm calm. I'm collected. Therefore, I exist—well, maybe not that calm. First, I should breathe, get myself under control, and sort this situation out.
Let's start with what's certain—clear facts, verified one by one.
1. I fell asleep.
That much is true. I slept, nobody can deny that. In my sleep, I dreamed—guild dreams, dreams of my companions, dreams of reality, and all sorts of other nonsense. And then I woke up just now, thanks to an alarm—an alarm in the form of flashing panels and warning sirens.
The fact that the "alarm clock" turned out to be a death notice for one of my NPCs was enough to make my sanity fly straight into orbit, but anyway—I woke up.
2. That guy died.
Also true. I immediately revived him as soon as I saw the death warning.
When that infernal beeping woke me, I opened my eyes and found an NPC death alert flashing right in front of me. Startled, I pulled up the guild console and, sure enough, there was the name Monkyspanner in the casualty list.
So I went straight to the treasury console to revive him. For a level 100 NPC, the revival cost was 500 million gold. That's an absurd sum for an individual, but for the guild it's just a large-ish expense—barely worth worrying about.
After all, the Twelve Heavenly Branch guild is on the scale of a nation. The automatic annual taxes alone amount to several hundred million gold, so five hundred mil is pocket change.
I paid up, hit the revive tab, and while waiting, I tried to recall who exactly this NPC was.
Monkyspanner… if I remember correctly, he was created by Kakarot-sama. Before going to bed, I'd been reminiscing, reviewing the NPC background settings, so I still remember pretty well. Karma: Good. Personality: lively, cheerful, humorous. Traits: playful, oblivious to social cues, and… tsundere?
"..."
Why in the world did Kakarot-sama make such a horrifying combination—a giant, musclebound half-monkey with a tsundere personality instead of, say, a cute girl? No clue. But regardless, beneath his brutish exterior he was apparently meant to be a surprisingly delicate and kind-hearted character.
So then… why did he end up dead?
The guild attack alert only distinguishes whether the aggressor was an individual or a guild—it doesn't say who.
So from that, it seems that while I was sleeping, some intruder—an enemy guild—must have invaded. Since there are no further alerts, they were either repelled… or they killed him, looted his gear, and then ran off.
…Wait a second. Didn't Kakarot-sama pass down all his personal items to this guy when he quit?
Oh no. Don't tell me…
"You bastard…"
A hot surge of fury rushed to the top of my skull. Whoever it was—they treated my NPC like some rare-drop monster?
Sure, they were originally created by guild members who've since quit, but they're mine now—my NPCs. To treat them as nothing but loot pinatas? I'll never forgive that.
Looks like I'll have to head out and raise hell again.
I'd been planning to quietly see out the end of the servers, staying holed up in the guild and avoiding the chaos outside.
It's the twilight of the game, after all, when everyone's gone wild with their "end of service" antics. But to attack my NPCs and snatch their gear?
Whoever it was—I'll make them quit the game themselves. Even if the servers are shutting down.
…Wait. Hold on. Weren't the servers supposed to have ended already?
3. Is this Yggdrasil?
I distinctly remember Yggdrasil was about to shut down. I even double-checked the countdown before going to sleep. No way I mistook the date. I counted it down myself—"5, 4, 3, 2, 1"—every single number. There's no way I got it wrong.
And yet… why am I here?
Looking over my body… why am I this big?
Clearly larger than I was before sleeping. Not just double—several times bigger. Maybe ten times my previous size. That explains why the giant ceiling emblem of the Zodiac Guild looked unusually close earlier… it wasn't the emblem that got bigger. It was me.
Not that my body size is the real issue. The problem is: Did Yggdrasil end, or didn't it?
It was a dying game. The admins had openly announced the servers would shut down. There's no doubt they intended to kill it off.
So then why am I still here?
That can only mean one thing…
—Those damn GMs are pulling another one of their pranks!
Yggdrasil had been around so long that sometimes the GMs would post these troll announcements just to mess with the few remaining players. Their excuse was "to show closeness to the community," but in practice, it was nothing but cheap bait.
The most infamous one was when they announced, "Since the game's ending, we'll be giving away free items." Everyone rushed over. I grabbed one myself—it looked gorgeous, with appraisal results showing broken stats, even stronger than a world-class item. And then… it turned out to be a fraud. The stats were all fake. In practice, it was nothing more than a decorative trinket.
The fact that even appraisal results could be falsified was beyond outrageous. Most of the remaining players were so disgusted they quit right then and there.
After that, I thought the trolling had stopped. But now? A server shutdown prank? Even for a dying game, this is straight-up mockery. Unless I file a formal complaint—
"Uuugh… Where am I…? O god…?"
And then—what the hell?
That monkey-like simian, revived and alive, sitting there with nothing but fur over his bare body… is talking to me?
What the hell?
4. This wasn't Yggdrasil.
When I told the half-monkey, half-man bawling on the floor to "Stop crying," he instantly cut it out. His bloodshot red eyes with those golden irises were so unnerving I almost flinched, despite my size being many times his.
"Lord God!"
Then he threw himself into a dogeza bow, smashing his forehead into the floor with heavy thuds. "Stop that already!"
I asked him to explain everything he knew. He babbled incoherently, throwing info at me in a jumbled mess, so I finally told him: "Summarize in three lines."
And he did.
Yggdrasil fell into another world, whole—including the guild Zodiac.
With "Lord God" (me) asleep, the 12 High Priests and officers led the nation.
200 years have passed.
A flawless summary. For a muscle-brained ape, he's actually smarter than me.
But seriously… another world? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Not reality. Not Yggdrasil's servers. But my game avatar—Tiamat—actually fell into another world, along with the guild and all its assets?
I've heard of this. A century ago, it was a trend. Those "God-World Reincarnation" stories. People die in the real world, then some shady "god"—who always looks more like a demon—drops them into another world where they wreak havoc.
But me, the protagonist? That's ridiculous. And more ridiculous still—it wasn't my real-world body, but my Yggdrasil avatar "Tiamat" that got thrown here.
"Lord God?"
"…Wait. Let me think for a moment."
My booming voice echoed through the entire temple, shaking its walls without me even trying. Just how powerful are these lungs?
The bigger problem: what the hell am I supposed to do now? I have almost no information to work with.
I went to sleep. That's all. And now, 200 years have passed.
While I slept, the priests—my NPC subordinates—managed the guild, maintained the nation, and endured.
And now I wake up, into their world.
There's just not enough data to judge anything yet.
Two hundred years of absence—an unfathomable span of time.
For a human, it would be enough to live, die, and be reborn two or three times over. And yet, I spent all those centuries in slumber.
To simply rise now and declare, "I have returned!" …feels shameful.
Embarrassing, even. For I am supposed to be the guildmaster, the king—and yet for two centuries I neglected my duty.
Judging from Monkyspanner's demeanor, it seems the NPCs' loyalty never wavered during that long silence, but I cannot be certain.
For now… I need information. More information.
Those three summary lines explained the broad strokes, but I need the details, the truth of these missing centuries.
"Very well, Monkyspanner."
"Yes, my lord God!"
"Tell me everything you know. About Zodiac, no—about Shinshi, and this world. From the moment it fell two hundred years ago, until now. Leave nothing out."
"As you command! But… my words may be clumsy, and the explanation long. If you prefer, I can bring a high priest who speaks better than I—"
"No. You will suffice. Now, speak. Tell me everything."
"Yes!"
One could interpret it as me demanding all that they had built be surrendered without question. But Monkyspanner did not hesitate. He began to pour everything out.
"Then, my lord, two hundred years ago, when you…"
His rough, low voice reached me like echoes from a dream. My head still feels clouded, as if a fog lingers after being torn so suddenly from my sleep.
"…Then, one hundred and ninety years ago, we began gathering knowledge of this world…"
It is true his speech falters, his thoughts wander—but unlike before, his words are coherent enough to follow.
And so, I slowly filled the void of two hundred years, forcing the fragments of this alien history into a mind still dulled and unsteady from slumber. The question of why Monkyspanner had died—I would save that for later.
For dragons never forget the humiliation of what was stolen from them. The hatred within our chests is a furnace, a curse, a fire that does not fade until the thief is utterly burned away.
So for now, I swallow my fury, and listen. Until I know the true nature of my enemy, I will bide my time.
The price for daring to covet my servant, my possession—
…will never be a light one.
******************
******************
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Vanity01