Simultaneous Travel: Becoming a Legend in the Heavens.

Chapter 567 Guh~ Why you?!

Momo's vision gradually cleared from blurry, and he heard a familiar voice. The dizziness in his brain gradually faded, but he felt a sense of panic.

"Flying squirrel, flying squirrel..."

"What's wrong? Did you fall asleep from exhaustion? Are you as tired from work as I am?"

"That's normal. With your sleep schedule constantly reversed and you being exploited every day, even your brain will break down. This society... is beyond saving, it's rotten to the core."

He struggled to open his eyes and saw only a spacious and bright hall, a round table with forty-one seats, and black mud wriggling beside him.

A more specific name would be "Ancient Slime," an extremely rare variant of slime. Although it may appear to be a grunt at first glance, it is actually a very powerful boss-level creature.

After all, he was one of the top players named "HeroHero," one of the forty-one members of the major guild [Great Tomb of Nazarick].

If Ainz had a face, he would probably look surprised.

He looked at the council chamber of forty-one supreme beings inside the great tomb, wondering why they had suddenly appeared there.

He felt he should be doing something more important... Had the Great Tomb not been destroyed?

Ah... Of course, the Great Tomb, which had stood firm despite being besieged by multiple guilds, would certainly not be in trouble. In fact, it would be strange if he subconsciously felt that the Great Tomb had been destroyed.

The memories in his mind were ambiguous and blurry, as if veiled by a thin layer of fabric. The flying squirrel tried desperately to recall what had happened, and the first word that popped into his chaotic mind was…

Virgin.

He felt inexplicably embarrassed. Although he was indeed a virgin, he wondered why he had suddenly thought of this.

"The workload is increasing, but the money I receive is decreasing. I have no free time anymore, and even seeing the sunlight is a luxury. It's so inhumane."

"The company's performance hasn't been good lately, and rumors are circulating in the department about pay cuts and layoffs. If I lose my job... oh dear, my child has only just started elementary school, and my wife's job is also..."

"I knew I shouldn't have gotten married so early. Once you have a weakness, you're completely powerless to resist. Those vampires exploit that weakness to their advantage... Hey, Momonga, are you listening?"

The sudden question interrupted the flying squirrel's thoughts, causing him to exclaim in surprise and scramble to his feet.

"Uh... Ah! Of course, I've been listening carefully the whole time, Helo Helo!"

"Really?"

The writhing, dark sludge seemed to sigh, tilt its head back, and suddenly began to apologize weakly.

"I'm sorry, Momonga... I've been complaining to you the whole time, talking about my problems and transferring all my negative emotions onto you."

"No, that's not true. I'm glad to hear about you. Out of all the members, only three returned before YGGDRASIL shut down, and you were the last one. I'm so..."

The flying squirrel lowered its head, its lips moving slightly: "Thank you..."

"Ah, I feel embarrassed by what you said, Momonga-san. You've taken good care of the Great Tomb even after we left."

"Because this is a guild that we forty-one people worked hard to build together. Whether it's you or the NPCs you created, if it can continue like this..."

Momonga pressed his hand on the table, somewhat excitedly. "Even if I make new friends, even if it means putting them in danger, I want to find... find what again..."

"Has your memory gotten worse? This is a side effect of staying up all night. It seems you didn't get a proper rest before saying goodbye before logging off, Momonga."

Hei Luo yawned. "Sorry, I can't hold on much longer. If I stay up any longer, I won't be able to go to work tomorrow, so..."

The flying squirrel stopped exploring the memories in its brain, opened its mouth but didn't know what to say.

"Thank you for your hard work all this time, Momonga. I hope we can meet again in YGGDRASIL2."

"Okay, get some rest, Helo Helo."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Blackie disappeared from the spot, leaving only Flying Squirrel in the empty hall.

The flying squirrel remained silent for a moment, then rose, feeling lonely and disappointed.

He arrived at the throne room on the tenth floor, entered the world-class item "Throne of Kings" and slowly sat down. He then looked at Albedo, who was serving him with a smile, as well as Sebastian and the battle maid.

Everything had a strange sense of déjà vu.

Ainz Ooal Gown stroked the staff in his hand, activated the clock function, and quietly watched the numbers on it increase, as a new wave of thoughts began to surge in his mind.

23: 57: 00
"The first checkpoint has already stopped more than half of the people. It seems the landing operation won't go very smoothly..."

"It's strange that adventurers are all perverts, but you, who are clearly a harem, have come here!"

"Huh, what's that up ahead?"

The sound echoed in his ears, his brain trembled, and the flying squirrel involuntarily covered his head. The extremely realistic stinging pain made him groan.

23: 58: 00
"Hmm... There's an unseen attack. What is it? Detection magic isn't working. Oh no... Casualties are starting! If we don't think of something soon, we'll all die here!"

"It's shaped like a hand. This country... no, the whole world is covered with countless arms. We can't stop moving... as long as we're 'lazy,' we'll be attacked!"

"Senpai! You've finally gotten your comeuppance for doing nothing all day, huh? Wait... Kazuma-nii, what's wrong with you too? Oh no... Aqua!"

"Everyone, keep up the good work!"

A scene seemed to appear before the flying squirrel's eyes.

A vast crowd floated in the air, flying erratically, as if being carelessly manipulated by an unseen attack. Various martial arts and magical techniques shone brightly, and familiar faces were attacked because they had stopped moving...

23: 59: 00
"This cruel world is about to be judged!"

"A paradise accessible only to the innocent, a realm of 'arrogance' judgment..."

"It was my fault for attacking Ye Lantier, in whatever way! I shall bear the responsibility as a warrior!"

"So that's how it is. Even if you want to escape the past, evil will always follow you like a shadow. Even if it hasn't happened yet, a wicked person is still a wicked person..."

"This setting is too much. It's normal for vampires to drink blood. I only target bandits. Is it a sin to do evil to bad people?"

Another scene unfolds: in a panic, you and others flee at breakneck speed, as some kind of domain relentlessly encroaches upon and pursues you, shattering the people and insects within it into countless fragments.

23: 59: 30
"So hungry, so hungry, so hungry..."

"A hunger that wants to devour the soul, no matter how much you eat, it's never enough... Eat, drink, bite, gnaw, bite, bite off, crush, gluttony! Binge eating!"

"Ah... there are monsters ahead, what are they? So many rabbits, are they food? Why has the sky darkened... whales floating in the air? And what are those... black snakes?"

"Lord Momo, it's alright, please continue forward. I am a Beast Tamer, and I was just worried about not having any magical beasts under my command. Leave these three magical beasts to me..."

The scene was quite epic, with the three great monsters charging towards the dwindling army. The dark elf wielded the "Queen's Whip" and fearlessly charged towards the monsters.

23: 59: 50
"Compared to the previous fields, this is probably the gentlest one."

"All injuries will be healed, all pain will be gone, and there will be no more 'anger' and sorrow, but the price is... the sacrifice of one person to bear the wounds of everyone." "It's alright, leave it to me. A knight's mission is to sacrifice. When I have completed the sacrifice, I can grow into a true knight."

"Next time we meet, it will definitely be with smiles..."

In the new scene, a boy dressed in a girl's skirt grips a scepter tightly, like a sacrificial lamb bearing all the pain. As a price, only a few people are left to recover to their full strength and continue upward.

The outline of the island is now within reach.

23: 59: 59
"The Devouring World Shadow Tide..."

“Mr. Momo, you seem terrified of this. Have you seen it before? I actually have some connection with this person…”

"I was given love and then taken it back. I don't understand why, but it's not nice to have my life manipulated like this. I'm not much worse than that person now, so let's have a fight!"

"The end is probably just ahead, Momo, remember what I said."

"As long as you keep moving forward, the road will keep extending, so... don't stop!!!"

In the final scene, a wave of shadows, blending seamlessly with the sky, blots out the sun. A giant blue dragon radiates endless light to fight against it, and "oneself" successfully takes the final step.

00: 00: 00
Before it could comprehend the information in the images in its mind, the bizarre world in the flying squirrel's eyes turned into darkness.

…………

Jingle Bell!
Jingle Bell!
The alarm clock rang urgently in my ears, its annoying sound echoing incessantly in the enclosed and cramped room because no one had turned it off.

Suzuki Satoru opened his heavy, tired eyes, straightened up as if on cue, only to be startled awake and fall back down due to the weakness he felt upon waking.

"What... is going on..."

He jumped up in a panic again, instinctively clutching his chest. His breathing and heartbeat were frighteningly rapid, and his whole body was covered in sticky sweat. He then took off the helmet he had worn all night and tried to gather his thoughts.

YGGDRASIL, a once-popular MMO game from over a decade ago, is a miniature world built on the basis of the Nine Realms, featuring thousands of professions, incredibly free gameplay, and is an excellent work suitable for all ages.

Yesterday was the last night before the game shut down. As a player who had invested a lot of effort, he waited until the game shut down in the early hours of the morning and even fell asleep.

That's about it?

Suzuki Satoru sat up wearily and looked at himself in the mirror. His face was weathered and worn. He was only in his thirties, but he looked as if he had burned out and had been drained of all his energy.

An ordinary job, working more than twelve hours a day, and constant overtime. If it weren't for the fact that I was too busy to spend time with the opposite sex and therefore didn't get married or have children, the situation would probably be even worse.

I feel like I've forgotten something.

Suzuki Satoru glanced at the time, took a quick shower without any expression, and then went out as usual.

In 22nd-century Japan, the level of technology was not as magical as depicted in a certain old manga. After reaching a certain point, the development of the electronics field stagnated. The main trunk of the technology tree stopped, and research began to focus on its branches. The lives of ordinary people did not change much.

For example, Suzuki Satoru still needs to rush to the subway station to catch a flight to the company, instead of having a door that leads to any place, and the subway is still crowded.

He endured the crowded environment, listlessly looking up, just in time to see the advertisements flashing on the subway's screen.
Cosmic Wonders Game Company:

To express our gratitude to our users, we will be restructuring our company, adding more online interactive games, and continuously producing high-quality games. The following is the list of games for October.

Suzuki Satoru watched the scrolling subtitles and slowly read them aloud.

"Elden Ring - Nightfall".

"Doomsday Horn: The Other Gods Chapter"

“YGGDRASIL2”.

Ainz was momentarily stunned upon seeing the last game title.

What game just shut down and is already preparing for a sequel the very next day? Aren't game companies these days a little too dedicated?!
Before he could think or look any further, the tram arrived at the station, and the crowd surged out, creating a spectacular scene. He was powerless to resist and went out with the crowd.

A familiar company, familiar colleagues, familiar bosses, and familiar work—for more than thirty years of my life, I've spent most of my time repeating this routine.

However, Suzuki Satoru felt that something was a little different today. A sense of unease churned in his mind, making him feel that something was not right.

But everything is normal.

My colleagues were as polite as ever on the surface, but behind my back they were making veiled accusations and vying for credit and performance. My boss was as stern and sarcastic as ever. My clients were as demanding that I change my prayers and threatening not to pay me if they weren't satisfied.

In conclusion, this is a peaceful and boring world, just like always.

As the sun set and neon lights came on, Suzuki Satoru, who had only worked three hours overtime, rushed to catch the last bus and returned to his rented room, exhausted.

Nothing has changed.

…………

Everything seemed normal, but the lingering sense of unease shook Suzuki Satoru's spirit as if a spoon had killed him.

He finally began to carefully observe his own body, and then gradually examined his room.

From the stains on the ceiling to the crumpled paper in the bedside trash can, and even the toothpaste that had been squeezed dry but still managed to get a little bit out, he still came up empty-handed.

Suzuki Satoru frowned deeply, clutching his chest as he questioned himself. His anxiety continued to rise, and the sense of unease not only did not disappear but intensified, yet he could not find any clues.

Until... his emotions reached a breaking point.

A cold, icy will from the depths of his soul spread throughout his body, his furrowed brows relaxed again, and his anxious heart instantly became incredibly calm.

At that moment, he finally found the source of the discord.

"This is the first time I've been so grateful for 'forced calm.' If it weren't for it, I probably would have really thought this was a real world."

As soon as those words were spoken, the surrounding scenery vanished into dust, revealing another layer of true nature. The modernly decorated room shed its disguise and transformed into a weathered, ancient, mysterious, and elegant palace.

Suzuki Satoru's body also transformed from a flesh-and-blood human body back into an undead ruler of skeletons. The shattered memories in his mind tore away the veil of "deception" and became clear again.

A figure appeared before Suzuki Satoru. It was a witch composed of black and white, beautiful and intelligent, yet wearing a chilling smile.

The witch gave Suzuki Satoru a slight smile, her tone gentle.

"Simple yet complex, perfect yet flawed, possessing both classic elegance and modern style. Although it's a bit perfunctory, I've perfectly executed your instructions."

"..."

Suzuki Satoru silently took out the world-class item "Spear of Saint Slayer," and slowly turned around. He knew that the witch's words were not directed at him.

After seeing who was behind him, he let out a heavy sigh.

"It really is you, my client."

Luke, as leisurely as if taking a morning stroll, raised his index and middle fingers upwards and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Hey, Momo, is this the first time we've met in our true forms?"

(End of this chapter)