Chapter 1 - The Beginning

In a classic-style bar tucked within the heart of the kingdom,located in what would be Tokyo in the real world. Ren leaned back against a leather-padded wooden chair, visibly exhausted. His hand still held a beer mug, now losing its foam.

He let out a long sigh.

“That was exhausting… after getting off the stage,” he muttered.

To Ren’s left sat Amano Soutarou, swirling his wooden beer mug as he looked at Ren with a teasing smirk on his face.

“We’ve got a meeting tomorrow to discuss the next update, Ren. I hope you’re still alive by then.”

On his right, Kozue Hiyori let out a soft giggle. Her voice was gentle, but her eyes gleamed with playful mischief as she glanced at Ren’s lifeless expression.

“Looks like he won’t even make it to tomorrow’s meeting, Amano.”

From across the round wooden table came a loud laugh. Yoshikawa Rikuya, a man with a large-bodied avatar, raised his oversized beer mug and declared:

“At least we get some time to relax! Let’s enjoy the anniversary night while it lasts,before that annoying meeting tomorrow.”

Ren glanced at each of them, one by one. Under the bar’s dim lighting, his expression remained tired. He groaned:

“Must be nice… not having anything to worry about.”

Amano furrowed his brow. Straightening up, he placed his mug down with a dull thud and gave Ren a sharp look.

“You think it’s easy being the head of the division that handles the entire world’s background?”

Hiyori smiled softly at Amano’s comment, then replied with a slight tilt of her head.

“Backgrounds, huh? What about me, dealing with all the NPCs in this world that’s as massive as the real one, Amano?”

Rikuya glanced at both Amano and Hiyori with a mocking expression. His grin widened as he leaned forward and scoffed:

“Backgrounds? NPC? Then what about me, being buried under all the damn codes you two keep throwing at me?”

Ren looked at the three of them and spoke with a tired tone:

“Then what about me? I’m the one handling the sponsors, checking all your work, thinking about the next update, and testing builds that are barely even half-finished.”

Hiyori, Amano, and Rikuya responded in unison, without hesitation.

“THAT’S STILL EASY!”

Ren flinched at their blunt reply. He looked up at the ceiling, eyes heavy with fatigue, and let out a deep sigh before murmuring.

“Yeah… I guess we all have our own responsibilities… our own share of burdens.”

He closed his eyes briefly, then continued, his voice softer,filled with quiet awe and reflection.

“Still… I never imagined my crazy idea, to create a game with a world as big as the real one,would actually come true.”

He lowered his gaze and smiled faintly, a rare glimmer of gratitude in his voice:

“Thanks… for helping me make this game.”

Hiyori, Rikuya, and Amano turned their eyes toward Ren.

Hiyori spoke first, letting out a light sigh as she swirled the drink in her hand:

“At the very least, try cutting down the number of NPCs giving quests during events.”

Amano followed right after, his voice calm but clearly laced with exhaustion:

“And the backgrounds,those keep changing every single event. It's a pain having to redesign the whole world every time. I hope you understand what I’m saying, Ren.”

Rikuya burst out laughing at Ren’s earlier words, shaking his head before chiming in:

“Yeah, well, even though my team has to pull all-nighters every time there’s a new event… I still get to enjoy the game on my days off.”

Ren smiled as he listened to the voices of the people who had helped bring his dream game to life.

He picked up his wooden beer mug and raised it toward the center of the table.

“I might trouble you again with more events in the future… but I’m proud to be working with all of you.”

Hiyori, Amano, and Rikuya lifted their mugs toward his.

Rikuya chuckled and said with a grin:

“Then let’s drink tonight,before your madness drags us all into work again, Ren.”

Hiyori and Amano simply smiled.

Then, all four of them spoke together, voices in unison:

 “Cheers!”