Title: Overlord: The King's End
For Hades, that time when 1500 players tried to raid the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he joined because he wanted to see the strength of the ninth-ranked guild.
However, when that undead skeleton player named "Momonga" used overwhelming power to corner him, taking his life while saying in a condescending tone, "Do you also want to dance?",
Hades realized that he only had one goal left in YGGDRASIL: to overthrow "Ainz Ooal Gown," the heteromorphic race guild located in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and to trample "Momonga" under his feet while spitting on him.
But as he got older, the old grudges faded away. As the game was shutting down, he came to Nazarick to reminisce about his youth...
Chapter 1: Helheim's Call
YGGDRASIL, a term referring to the World Tree in Norse mythology, is also the name of a DMMO-RPG game released in 2126 AD.
YGGDRASIL uses the internet and nanotechnology to create an immersive experience, making the virtual world feel like reality. Its exceptionally broad and free gameplay has attracted a large number of players.
However, this glory only lasted for twelve years. Now, it's coming to an end.
In a room with a particular style of decor, a long, walnut-colored table is placed in the center.
On either side of the table are exquisitely crafted chairs. Although the furniture is luxurious, the most attractive things are the huge cat statues placed in the four corners of the room against the walls.
The lifelike cat statues seem almost alive. In fact, with a single command, these four cat statues would move.
This is because they are made from a construct life form called "Golem." Although called a life form, they are actually man-made creations without self-awareness or the ability to think. They only passively accept their master's commands and act accordingly.
However, the six players in this room have no intention of ordering them to move, or rather, they are not in the mood to do so because they are feeling down.
Today is the last day of YGGDRASIL's operation. After midnight, the game will shut down, and everything now will disappear.
Although they don't want their carefully built guild, "Great Cat Kingdom," to disappear, after leaving this virtual world, they are just ordinary people with no ability to stop the operator's decision.
The guild "Great Cat Kingdom," formed by cat lovers, has grown to nearly a hundred members, but only six people are online at the very end of the game.
"It can't be helped. After all, everyone's time is precious, especially at a time like this," Surshana said helplessly to the other five online guild members while sitting in a chair.
Although he wanted to make a helpless expression on his face, he couldn't. His character race is undead, and all that remains of him is pale bone, including his skull.
"Even though it's true, it still feels a bit regrettable that even the guild leader couldn't log in at the last moment."
"Alah Alaf," wearing white, priest-like robes, said. Unlike Surshana, his character race is human. Although his tone sounded a bit sad, there was no expression on his face.
He could only use the in-game built-in expression system to display a regretful emoticon.
Although he is not an undead skeleton, the game setting prevents player characters from making expressions.
"Speaking of which, the last time the guild leader logged in, he said that he didn't have time to play due to a job transfer. Looking back, we should have said goodbye to him properly."
"Charge Cat Fist," said, stroking a cat lying in his arms. Needless to say, this cat is also a creature made "Golem."
"Ahem, let's talk about something happy at the very end."
"Brilliant Angel Cat~Meow," said, knocking on the table. He sent an angry emoticon, complaining about the sentimental atmosphere of the conversation. His pure white full-body armor, inlaid with gold trim, made him look like a medieval nobleman.
"Sorry," "Charge Cat Fist" said, looking at "Brilliant Angel Cat~Meow" and apologizing.
Then, a handsome guild member in fiery red armor looked at "Brilliant Angel Cat~Meow" and asked, "By the way, did you notify that guy?"
"Huh? Who?" "Brilliant Angel Cat~Meow" looked at "Meow Meow Miya," his tone revealing surprise.
"Of course, it's "Hahaha-Hades'," "Karami Fa Meow~" interjected, his voice with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Ah!" "Brilliant Angel Cat~Meow," exclaimed, then shrugged helplessly. "I don't think he'd care, since he belongs to the 'winning group' in life."
"No matter what, he prepared for this for a long time," "Karami Fa Meow~" said.
"The Great Tomb of Nazarick?" "Brilliant Angel Cat~Meow," said with a funny expression. "I wonder if anyone will organize a final attack on that heteromorphic guild at this last moment."
"That's hard to say. After all, even "Hahaha-Hades" doesn't care anymore. He used to be a fanatic who vowed to eliminate those heteromorphic species in Nazarick, but after that... sigh..." Surshana said, finally letting out a long sigh.
Although he didn't say the rest, everyone present knew that Surshana meant that as YGGDRASIL's popularity declined, even the old grudges had faded away.
After a moment of silence, "Karami Fa Meow~" broke the silence.
"Ahem, actually, I already notified him, just now."
"Karami Fa Meow~"'s words made everyone look at each other, and finally burst into a burst of teasing.
"Hahaha, that's too bad of you."
"Isn't notifying him at this time just going to annoy him?"
"Even if he logs in, he won't be able to do anything, right?"
"Just in terms of distance, it would take a lot of time to get to Helheim."
YGGDRASIL has nine derivative worlds. "Helheim" is the world for heteromorphic race players, and the world where the "Great Cat Kingdom" guild is located is not in "Helheim."
Just as everyone was teasing, their voices suddenly stopped, because at this moment, in their friend's online notification, the object of their teasing - "Hahaha-Hades" - logged in.
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For DMMO-RPGs like YGGDRASIL, which use nano-neural technology, because they can make people feel as if they are in the real world, immersive, a player's behavior in the game can also reflect some of their real-life character.
Although it cannot be said to be the same, as an immersive multiplayer online game, words and deeds will always carry some shadows of reality.
If you are a kind person in reality, you will not often do things like PK and steal equipment in such a realistic game.
If you are not a good person in reality, you will not have any psychological burden to PK and steal equipment in the game.
Because everyone knows that equipment embodies the player's efforts, not only money but also time. Although it is a virtual game, it is also their property, and those who can take other people's property without burden...
Then, in reality, even if they behave like good people, it may be due to the suppression of the law.
Once there is an opportunity, they will show the evil in their hearts, and virtual games can elicit this evil from them.
It is also for this reason that the heinous behavior of "Ainz Ooal Gown" has led everyone to guess that they may be a group of social-hating villains.
This guild's members act as a group, PKing everywhere. Because the PKed players are often ambushed without preparation, they rarely fail.
Their behavior is not only aimed at individual players, but also at guilds. Once, a guild was caught off guard by their sudden attack and had its World Item stolen because it was not adequately prepared.
And such heinous behavior was finally met with a backlash: a 1500-person subjugation team, formed by several major guilds, attacked that infamous guild.
This was the largest guild siege battle since YGGDRASIL was launched.
Before this action, a website was created where victims who had been maliciously PKed by this guild wrote about their experiences.
It was thought that such an army of justice would usher in final victory, but they were wiped out by that guild.
Later, they reported the data to the official because they felt the data was abnormal, only to receive a negative response.
As a result, many players who participated in the subjugation team at that time quit the game in anger. Perhaps the starting point of YGGDRASIL's rise from prosperity to decline was this action.
Next, Ainz Ooal Gown continued as usual, PKing everywhere like locusts. Although a small number of players organized counterattacks after that, it was of no use.
Later, because the game's popularity declined, perhaps many people in that guild quit the game, so their behavior became much more restrained, but it is said that the guild leader of that guild continued this behavior until the very end.
Even in the late stages of the game, news of that guild's members PKing could still be heard from time to time.
Hades recalled the reasons for the subjugation of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild, which was launched by an alliance of eight guilds.
Hades, who had always been a loner, joined the subjugation team of 1,500 people. As a casual player, Hades' strength was not outstanding. He followed the main force all the way to the eighth floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
But during the subjugation, something happened that made the young Hades feel indignant. Perhaps because of his awareness as a casual player, he would always shrink back at the first sign of danger. Therefore, in the annihilation battle on the eighth floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he was left behind.
Unsurprisingly, as a casual player, he was unable to resist the counterattack of the Nazarick members.
He was cornered by Momonga, the guild leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, who had the same character race as the guild member Surshana.
"Do you also want to dance?"
Hades will never forget that Ainz Ooal Gown's guild leader, who was completely evil in the game, used a condescending attitude to make that contemptuous provocation to himself, and said the cringey chuuni line from a popular anime more than a hundred years ago.
Hades and Ainz Ooal Gown's guild leader Momonga's feud was thus formed. Probably because he was young and vigorous, and Hades was not short of money in reality, he began to spend a lot of money to improve his strength, hoping that one day he could stand in front of that skull face and return those words.
But as time passed, the game's popularity declined, and the original grudges were no longer as angry as they were at first.
As he grew older, the game became less important to Hades. After all, he belonged to the "winning group" in life. The game was not his everything, and it was a bit ugly to get so angry about this.
When he received the message from guild member "Karami Fa Meow~", memories of the past flooded into his mind.
The memories of that chuuni period in his youth stirred his heart. Perhaps he wanted to commemorate that chuuni youth.
Or perhaps to put an end to his efforts that once seemed a little boring, he activated the nano-virtual device and logged into YGGDRASIL.
Hades saw that the names of the six guild members in his friend list were displayed as online, and their location was in the guild base.
But he didn't have time to say hello to them, because the Ainz Ooal Gown guild was not in the derivative world where the "Great Cat Kingdom" was located, and the time remaining before the server shutdown was running out.
Hades' relationship with these guild members was average, but out of courtesy, he still sent a greeting message to them while heading to the "Helheim" world, where the Ainz Ooal Gown guild was located.
Next, he familiarized himself with the somewhat unfamiliar operation interface while hurrying to the Ainz Ooal Gown guild's base, the Great Tomb of Nazarick.