YGGDRASIL is a term referring to the World Tree in Norse mythology, and in 2126 CE, a DMMO-RPG game by the same name was launched.
YGGDRASIL used network and nanotechnology to let players experience the virtual world as if it were real. Its extremely high degree of freedom attracted a large number of players.
However, its glory lasted only twelve years, and now its end was approaching.
In a luxuriously decorated room, a long, walnut-colored rectangular table stood in the center, flanked by finely crafted chairs on both sides.
Though the furnishings were opulent, the most eye-catching features were the giant cat statues placed in the four corners of the room.
These lifelike statues looked as if they might spring to life at any moment—and in fact, with just one command, they would.
That was because they were made from a construct called a "Golem." Though referred to as life forms, these were artificial creations with no consciousness or thought. They simply followed their master's commands.
However, the six players currently in the room had no intention of issuing such commands—or perhaps they were simply in no mood to care.
Today was the final day of YGGDRASIL's operation. The game would shut down at midnight, and everything in it would vanish.
Though they didn't want to see their carefully built guild, Cat Overlord ~ Great Kingdom, disappear, once they left this virtual world, they were just ordinary, unremarkable citizens, powerless to reverse the operator's decision.
The guild Cat Overlord ~ Great Kingdom, formed by cat lovers, had once grown to nearly a hundred members. Yet now, at the very last moment before shutdown, only six were online.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone's time is valuable, especially now," Sultana said helplessly to the other five online guild members as he sat in his chair.
He wanted to show a helpless expression, but he couldn't—his character was Undead, with nothing left but bleached bones, including his skull.
"Even though that's true, it still feels a bit regretful that even the guild leader couldn't log in at the very end."
Ara · Araf, dressed in white monk-like robes, spoke next. Unlike Sultana, his character was human. Although his tone carried a trace of sadness, his face showed no expression; he could only use the in-game expression system to display a look of regret.
Although he wasn't an Undead skeleton, the game's settings didn't allow player characters to make facial expressions.
"Come to think of it, the last time the guild leader logged in, he said he didn't have time to play anymore because of a work transfer. Looking back, I really should've said a proper goodbye then."
Charge ~ Cat Fist spoke while stroking the orange cat curled up in his arms. Needless to say, the cat was also a "Golem."
"Ahem, now that we're at the very end, let's talk about something cheerful."
Kouyou Tenshi Neko ~ Nya tapped the table as he spoke. He wore an angry expression, clearly annoyed by the somber mood. His pure white armor with gold trim made him look like a medieval nobleman.
"Sorry," Charge ~ Cat Fist said, glancing at Kouyou Tenshi Neko ~ Nya apologetically.
Right after that, the handsome guild member clad in fiery red armor looked at Kouyou Tenshi Neko ~ Nya and asked, "By the way, did you notify that guy?"
"Eh? Who?" Kouyou Tenshi Neko ~ Nya looked at Meow Meow Mi Ya, his tone revealing surprise.
"Of course it's HaHaHa·Hades," Kara Mifa Nya interjected, his voice carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
"Ah!" Kouyou Tenshi Neko ~ Nya exclaimed, then shrugged helplessly. "I don't think he'd care—he's part of the 'winning group' in life."
"No matter what, he did prepare for this for a long time," Kara Mifa Nya said.
"Nazarick Underground Great Tomb, huh?" Kouyou Tenshi Neko ~ Nya said with an amused expression. "I wonder if anyone organized a final assault on that heteromorphic guild at the last moment."
"That's hard to say. Even HaHaHa·Hades doesn't care anymore. He used to be a fanatic who swore to wipe out that group of heteromorphic races in Nazarick, but later... sigh..." Sultana said, trailing off with a long sigh.
Although the rest was left unspoken, everyone understood what Sultana meant: as YGGDRASIL's popularity waned, even old grudges had faded away.
After a brief silence, Kara Mifa Nya finally spoke up.
"Ahem, actually, I already notified him—just now."
Kara Mifa Nya's words made everyone exchange glances before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha, you're too wicked."
"Notifying him now will just piss him off, won't it?"
"Even if he logs on, it's not like he can do anything, right?"
"Just based on distance alone, it would take quite a bit of time to reach Helheim."
YGGDRASIL had nine derivative worlds. Helheim was the one designated for heteromorphic players, while the world where the Cat Overlord ~ Great Kingdom guild resided was not located in Helheim.
As everyone continued their teasing, their voices suddenly came to a halt—because at that moment, the object of their conversation, HaHaHa·Hades, appeared in their friend online notifications.
— — — —
For DMMO-RPGs like YGGDRASIL, which used nanoneural technology to give players the sensation of a real-world experience, in-game behavior could often reflect aspects of a player's real-life personality.
Though not a perfect mirror, as an immersive multiplayer online game, a player's words and actions inevitably revealed traces of who they truly were.
A kind person in real life, for example, wouldn't frequently engage in PK (player killing) to steal gear in such a realistic environment.
Conversely, someone with malicious tendencies in real life wouldn't feel much guilt PKing others to steal equipment in-game.
Everyone understood that equipment wasn't just monetary investment—it represented effort, time, and dedication.
Even if it was a virtual item, it was still considered a form of personal property. Those who could take such things without remorse...
In real life, even if they acted like decent people, it might just be due to the constraints of law. Given the chance, they would reveal the darkness in their hearts, and a virtual game could draw out that evil.
Because of this, the malicious behavior of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown caused many to speculate that its members were a bunch of society-hating villains.
The guild operated like a gang, roaming around and engaging in PK. Since they often ambushed players who weren't prepared, they almost never lost.
Their targets weren't limited to individuals—sometimes they struck entire guilds. There was even a guild that, due to a surprise attack from them, lost a World Item simply because they hadn't been adequately prepared.
Such malicious behavior eventually backfired, prompting several major guilds to form a 1,500-member expeditionary force to attack the notorious guild.
It became the largest guild offensive and defensive battle since YGGDRASIL launched.
Before the operation, a website was set up where victims of this guild's malicious PKing shared their experiences.
Everyone assumed that such a righteous force would achieve ultimate victory—yet they were utterly wiped out. When players reported the incident to the game's administrators citing abnormal data, the officials responded that there were no irregularities.
As a result, many players who had joined the punishment force quit the game in frustration. Perhaps it was from this point that YGGDRASIL's decline truly began.
Afterward, Ainz Ooal Gown continued their usual rampage, PKing like a swarm of locusts. Although a few players tried to organize counterattacks, their efforts were ineffective.
Later, as the game's popularity dwindled, many members of the guild may have quit, and their activity became more restrained. However, it was said that the guild leader continued this behavior until the very end.
Even in the late stages of the game, there were still occasional reports of that guild's members engaging in PK.
Hades recalled that the subjugation operation against Ainz Ooal Gown had been initiated by a coalition of eight guilds.
Although he had always been a lone wolf, Hades joined the 1,500-strong punishment force.
As a casual player, his strength wasn't particularly remarkable, but he followed the main force all the way to the Eighth Floor of the Nazarick Underground Great Tomb.
However, during the subjugation, something happened that left the young Hades indignant. Perhaps it was his self-awareness as a casual player that made him instinctively retreat to the rear at the first sign of danger.
And so, during the annihilation battle on the Eighth Floor of the Nazarick Underground Great Tomb, he ended up being one of the last remaining.
As expected of a casual player, he was completely powerless to resist the counterattack from Nazarick's members. He was eventually cornered by Momonga, the guild leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, whose character race was the same as the guild member Sultana.
"Do you wish to dance too?"
Hades would never forget that contemptuous provocation—those cringe-worthy, chuunibyou-laced words from the completely villainous Momonga, uttered in a condescending tone.
It was a line straight out of a popular anime from over a hundred years ago, one so embarrassing it made people physically uncomfortable.
Thus, the grudge between Hades and Ainz Ooal Gown's guild leader, Momonga, was born.
Perhaps due to youthful impulsiveness—and bolstered by financial freedom in real life—Hades began to spend heavily to increase his strength, hoping that one day, he could stand before that skeletal face and throw those words back at him.
But as time passed and the game's popularity declined, the fire of that old grudge gradually faded. As Hades matured, the game became less significant in his life.
After all, he belonged to the "winning group" in reality—the game wasn't everything to him, and letting himself be consumed by such a trivial matter felt beneath him.
Still, when he received a Message from his guild member Kara Mifa Nya, those long-buried memories came flooding back.
The memories of his youthful chuunibyou phase stirred something in his heart. Perhaps he wanted to pay tribute to that period of his youth.
"Let's go and check out Nazarik."
Or perhaps, to put a proper end to all those once seemingly pointless efforts, he activated his nanovirtual device and logged into YGGDRASIL.
Hades saw that six guild members were online in his friend list, all located within the guild headquarters.
But he didn't have time to greet them. After all, the Ainz Ooal Gown guild wasn't in the same derivative world as Cat Overlord ~ Great Kingdom, and there wasn't much time left before the server shut down.
His relationship with those guild members was only average, but out of politeness, he still sent them a greeting Message while en route to Helheim—the world where the Ainz Ooal Gown guild was located.
Then, while reacquainting himself with the somewhat unfamiliar operation interface, he set off toward Ainz Ooal Gown's guild headquarters: the Nazarick Underground Great Tomb.