"So today it's all going to end."

I said these words while looking at my character for probably the last time as whom I have spent long years. It has been an unimaginable adventure, I have met many wonderful people who have helped me at least in part with the great guilt I have felt all this time.

The figure in question is a tall woman with long silver hair and blue eyes. She is dressed in a set reminiscent of traditional Asian costumes. She looks the way I would like to look but, unfortunately, when I was a child I lacked proper nourishment and its shortcomings have made me quite short and flat despite being close to thirty.

I clicked on the character and my consciousness shifted into the game. While I wait for the process to finish, I reflect.

There are only a few tens of minutes left before midnight strikes and with that the servers will be shut down forever. At first, I wanted to escape reality through this game, but I met people who helped me greatly. I never told them what I was doing for living, but it didn't stop several of them from guessing. Most of them thought I worked in a high-level corporate job, which is technically true.

When the game loaded I appeared in the cortege of the ninth floor of the guild base. It was originally a dungeon inside Helheim of one of the Yggdrasil worlds. This world is perpetually overcast, with no light and a generally very cold climate. Anyway, after many attempts and a long time we managed to conquer it and make it our headquarters with the name Great Tomb of Nazarick. We didn't change the name because we didn't have a better idea and we were too happy to have done so, which led to us dropping the subject.

Using the interface, I looked at the mini-map of the base and saw that there were two of my companions in the round table chamber, the official meeting place of all forty-one guild members. Not wanting to waste the time that was already running out, I headed in their direction.

Once I approached the locked door, one of the people inside disappeared from the map, which means they logged off and left when.

Ah, I understand that work life etc. but they would have shown that they at least cared a little.

I took a breath and without changing my facial expression I kicked the door open with all my might with a bang.

"Hello there skele-boi".

Inside the room is a large round table with a number of chairs corresponding to the number of the members of the guild. The walls are painted in bright colours, with a beautiful chandelier hanging as the light source.

There is a momonga sitting on one of them. One of the players playing as a necromancer skeleton. Yes I know, it can't get any more cliché than that.

Anyway, he is wearing these strange robes, the function and statistics of which he has never revealed to anyone.

He and Ulbert are the closest people to me in this game. They both guessed what my work was about but decided not to tell anyone. Equally, they are not repulsed by the complete lack of expression on my face despite the obvious emotion in my voice. This is a skill I have developed over the years in my profession.

"Hi Atsune how was your day?"

Said skele-boi using my real name instead of the nickname I use in the game. 

"Pretty good. I saw someone else was here a while ago, but I see I didn't make it."

I answered his question a little saddened that we were the only ones here on the last day.

Sighing, Momonga, or Suzuki if you prefer, gets up from his chair and grabs his magic sceptre, which is the symbol and greatest treasure of the guild.

"Let's go to the throne room. There's more space there and we'll finish the game in style."

I nodded at his suggestion and together we set off strolling between the corridors towards the lowest floor of the tomb.

While walking momonga started a conversation.

"I have to get up for work in the morning. And you, how are you working now?"

Unlike him, my job doesn't have typical working hours, it's just that when there's a target I complete it and get paid for it. It doesn't matter if it takes me an hour, a day or a year.

The charms of being a contract killer in the service of a corporation right?

"I'm off now momo. There are no contracts for the time being."

What I didn't say is that there are, only I don't want to take them for the time being. Not after what happened last time.

"Anyway skele-boi you have my number. If you'd like to meet, give me a call."

The skeleton looked at me and nodded. Due to the fact that his head is the skull itself it is difficult for me to determine what he is thinking. The lack of facial expressions does that, quite problematic.

Do others feel the same way about me? Possibly.

After a while, we arrived at the large doors leading to the throne room. These are decorated with images of an angel and a demon positioned on two sides of the door.

Right in front of the door stand the maidens pleiades along with the ever faithful Sebas, the head butler. Of course, we had them enter with us because.... why not.

Inside, I saw a huge hall that I had entered countless times before. It is filled with decorations on the walls, ceiling and many other places, but the most prominent are, of course, the throne made of dark stone, the carpet of brilliant quality leading up to it and the flags hanging from the ceiling hooked to the pillars supporting the structure. Each of these flags symbolises a different guild member, mine among them. My symbol is  a black dragon on a white background with hollow wings and lightning leaping from it.