Overlord First Half Chapter 1:
Prologue Part 1
<em>Trantor: Frostfire10</em>
<em>Editors: Anonex and Guilty.sworD</em>
DMMORPG (Dive Massively Multiyer Online Role ying Game) [Yggdrasil].
In 2126, it was released by a local Japanese producer and is a sensory-based MMO.
By using a sensory-based dedicated console, you could link up your five senses and y a game in which you feel as if you are in reality.
This system was born in 2079.
The first aim was the military, and then it was developmented for the field of medicine, but the cost was high. It was then simplified after 10 years and now every home has it.
Although techniques created by shops and tourist sites were used to lower the development costs, it still took 15 years before the first DMMORPG was born.
One of the reasons why the DMMORPG, Yggdrasil was better than any other was because of the amount of data.
The choice of characters diverged from the basic Humanoid races of Humans, Elves and Dwarfs. You can also be a Goblin or an Orc which both are part of the Demi-human race that boasts better abilities than the Humanoid races although their appearance are unsightly. Lastly, races that posses a variety of monstrous abilities but suffered from penalties in other aspects, the Heteromorphic races. In total, there were 420 of such races.
In addition, the number of sses, both basic and advance, can be summed to about 880.Naturally, the basic sses made of half of those, it was thatrge of a quantity.
And if you satisfied the basic conditions, you could have a taste of multiple ones. The sses could only go up to level 15 and the maximum limit was level 100. No matter what race you were, you could choose more than 7 of them and pile it up.
If you wanted, you could have 100 sses. However, you’ll be weak.
Basically it was such arge amount of data that it was impossible to create two identical characters unless it was intentional.
It was at a level where you could still make it more borate. By using the creator tools sold separately, you could customize the appearance of weapons and armour, your own appearance, and the settings of your own dwelling.
For example, say you have killed a dragon. Money and experience drop as per normal DMMOs. However, this is different. The dropping of money and experience does not change. However, in ce of items, crystals containing data are dropped.
It was this type of data.
Length: +1, Weight: 40, Physical Damage increased by 5%, Special Effect: Additional Damage/Fire+10, Special Effect: [Martial Arts] Rush+1,
Although there are actually more details in the data, you already have the general picture.
You could tinker with this data by using the creator tools and make original items. You could also buy appearances within the MMO.
By doing this, you could make an unlimited variety of original items.
Also, if you were a Necromancer, you could turn the corpse of a Dragon into an undead monster. Alternatively, if you were a berserking warrior, you could bathe in the corpse’s blood and gain a bonus. sses that could turn Dragon Bones into Golems existed, as well as those that could turn it to medicine.
If this was a normal DMMO, the body would disappear immediately after death, so this would provide many advantages to the yers.
For example, you could make a Golem out of Dragon Bones due to the data. By ying around with this data with the creator tools, you could create your own Golem. In addition, you could add your own AI to use for gate keeping and for transportation.
It kickstarted the creator souls of the Japanese, resulting in the following.
You could distribute your own data on 2channel or the official homepage. From there emerged people called God’s Craftsmen. They could do things such as a partnership with the illustrator and make a present of a special appearance.
Some used AI to strengthen their creations, others created cat AIs as cute pets.
[Yggdrasil] had changed the way that DMMOs had been up til now, from focusing on battles to explorations.
As expected, whenparing a sword made of clear crystal and a swordprised wholly of iron, the amount of data needed for the exterior ispletely different. The amount of data is determined by the resources of the item, such as minerals.
So the goal was not only to destroy monsters, but also to search for resources and to explore for new discoveries. yers enjoyed calling themselves adventurers to do such things.
Those yers seeking unknown knowledge and unseennds had arge map waiting for them.
Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, Muspelheim. There were 9 worlds, each with their own particr traits, each were 2 to 3 times the size of Tokyo.
It wasmon not to meet other yers at the frontier for a week.
A DMMO that promised unlimited enjoyment.
The creators made a famous remark, [A DMMO where strength is not everything] which perfectly embodied the game.
With such explosive poprity behind it, it had reached a level of acim where Yggdrasil and DMMOs were considered as one and the same in Japan.
However, that was from a time long past.
The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.
It was arge tomb with 8 floors, an infamous dungeon.
Once, there was a union of 6 Guilds with yers and NPCs totaling up to 1500 people. It was the first time in the server that such arge group of people aimed to get to the lowest floor. Then, they were all wiped out. It was a ce where such a legend was born.
However, the level of monsters were not particrly high.
ording to the rules, at best the monsters were at level 30. The level cap in [Yggdrasil] was 100, and since a third of the 1500 people were at that level, they should not have been much of an enemy. On the contrary, they should have been able to tear through them like paper.
However, the characteristics of the undead that appear there—-can heal by negative damage, and get damaged by positive energy. They are also unaffected by instant death attacks and mental attacks as well—-It is a strategy that takes advantage of it.
The negative damage spread across the floors—- by about 1 point—- and reduces the area effects on positive energy while still allowing recovery magic.
In addition, there was a transportation trap system that could divide a party. That wasn’t the only trap as there were many other types strung up all over the ce. Traps that blinded people and ones that poisoned the air, all for the sake of blocking the path of the adventurers.
Also, coupled with the typical undead of zombies and skeletons, original monsters could be used and is one of the major factors of the crushing defeat.
While having the appearance of a bloated zombie, the gue Bomber detonated itself and dealt negative damage and healed nearby undead.
The Ghost could pass through walls and had a specialisation in hit and run tactics to touch you with their weakening touch and deal damage.
The Screaming Banshee had the ability to instantly kill anyone who heard it or deal mental damage.
The Deathborn Totem had the appearance of tens of skeletons merged together and could attack multiple times.
There were tens of other undead races that waited elsewhere, all were capable of sending chills down your spine.
Of course all the enemies wereprised solely of undead, but it still was not easy to cope with them.
Elementals, Demons, and Devils appeared more suddenly frequently than Summons. Summoned monsters could be specifically chosen to be disadvantageous to the opponent. In a nutshell, you could choose those with fatal special abilities.
Naturally, the deeper you go, more difficult monsters would appear.
It was a wall of monsters so thick that you could not even imagine how much resources were spent for it.
Now, ording to what was currently known, the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had 8 floors. The intruders merely thought that they just had to get through 8 floors.
There were actually 10 Floors in total.
When you enter the 9th Floor onwards, the scenery of the tomb changes. It bes simr to that of a white castle.
Countless chandeliers, that emitted light, hanged from the ceiling, furniture suitable for kings and nobles were ced around. The marble floor was polished and sparkled.
For those that were clueless, would they even believe their eyes?
Wouldn’t it be natural to think that way?
This Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, in the DMMO [Yggdrasil], was the stronghold of the guild standing at its peak, [Ainz Ooal Gown].
On the 9th Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick—-
The marble passage was without a single speck of dust, and a set ofrge mahogany doors were opened.
In it, a giant round table made of obsidian was ced, and surrounded by 41 gorgeous chairs.
However most of them were empty.
The once-full seats were now only upied by two people.
Sitting in one of the seats was a humanoid figure d in a jet ck robe fringed with gold and purple.
It was not a normal human. It had a close resemnce to a dried-up corpse, with skin covering a little bit of its bones.
A dark red light flickered in its empty eye sockets.
Another one was a lump of ck mass making a “doro doro” sound. It made you think of coal tar and it was constantly moving around. It was impossible for it to hold the same shape for more than a second.
The former was an undead that was pursuing magic—-an existence that was the strongest amongst the Liches, an Overlord. Thetter was an Elder ck Ooze. An existence that had the strongest acidic abilities amongst the slimes.
Their figures asionally appear in the hardest dungeon, their names infamous among the adventurers.
The first of the infamous figures, the Overlord, spoke. Of course, its mouth never moved.
“Really, it has been a while, Herohero-san.”
“It really has been a long time.”
“Um, I believe it was since you transferred jobs?”
“It seems so. Actually even now I’m in the middle of a death match.”
“Uwaa. That’s terrible. Are you okay?”
“My body? It’s in tatters.”
The Elder ck Ooze prodded its arm, looking very much like a strange dance.
“I had no time to rest at all. I’m being whipped like a ve at my job.”
“Uwaa”
“It’s really terrible.”
Their conversation turned toining about their jobs.
To join [Ainz Ooal Gown], you had to satisfy several conditions. One was that you had to be a functioning member of society. Another was that you had to be of the heteromorphic race.
Their conversation went on for a while and stopped.
It was a silence caused by them wondering what should happen next.
“Oh no, sorry for having you listen to all that.”
“What are you saying. I’m very happy that I could meet with everyone after such a long time.”
“Hearing you say that takes a lot off my shoulders.”
“Maa, I really want to stay until thest moment, but I’m too tired.”
“Ah. That’s true. Take a good rest OK.”
“And what will the Guildmaster be doing?”
“I will be here until the end. Someone else mighte.”
“I see. ……Thanks for everything up to now, Momonga-san. The reason why this game was so fun was all thanks to you.”
Momonga, as the Overlord, made arge gesture in reply.
“That is not true at all. It was because everyone was here. I didn’t really do anything special.”
“I believe that it’s not true……Thank you. I will be taking my leave now.”
“Right. Thanks for everything.”
Just like that, thest of the 6 people to visit the guild disappeared.
Momonga gazed at the seat where Herohero just was. Making a gesture like he was shaking off something, he slowly rose to his feet.
In the direction he was facing, there was a staff.
It had the motif of a Caduceus, with 7 snakes entwining around it. In each of the snake’s mouths were different coloured gems. The grip was made of a clear crystal that sparkled a blueish white light.
Anyone could tell that it was a first ss item, it was a guild weapon of which a guild could only own one, a the symbol of [Ainz Ooal Gown].
Originally the Guildmaster was supposed to own it, but it was decorating this room instead. The reason was because it was none other than the symbol of the Guild.
It was for the sake of making this weapon that everyone cooperated and spent their days on adventures.
The teams separated andpeted to collect the materials, everyone argued over the appearance, pushing for their own views and making it one bit at a time.
That was the golden age of [Ainz Ooal Gown] —- a story from that time.
While reaching out his hand, he stopped in mid-motion.
He stopped at this moment as, the staff that everyone made—-this brilliant piece of his memories, he felt that he was about to throw it to the ground.
But, he should not leave it here in the end.
There were people who came despite their bodies tired from work. There were also those that gave up their family time, causing them to have a fight with their wives. Also, there were those whoughed while saying they took a paid leave.
There was a time where they would just talk about it for one whole day. Lots of stupid ideas were made. They nned adventures to collect treasures. They also ambushed an enemy guild’s castle and conquered it. There was also once when they brought down the strongest ss of boss monsters. While they were defeating monsters, they were also attacked by other yers.
Now, everyone was gone.
Out of the 41, 37 had quit. Momonga could not remember thest time the other 3 had came.
It was a guild in ruins, but it had its golden age.
It was the crystallisation of that sparkling lustrous time. And that was why he did not want to pull it into the current remains of that.
However, he was thinking of the opposite.
[Ainz Ooal Gown] respected the use of majority vote. He, as the Guildmaster, merely did the clerical work ofmunicating with everyone.
And that was probably the reason. He wanted to try out the power wielded by the Guildmaster for the first time.
Hesitating—-
He reached out with his hand, and took the staff, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.
The moment his hand touched the staff, it released a wavering ckish red aura. Sometimes, an anguished expression of a human appeared and crumbled a momentter.
“……We really added too many details into this thing.”
The supreme staff that he had never held even once after itspletion finally fell into the hands of its intended owner.
While feeling the drastic increase in his status, he felt lonely.
“Shall we make a move, symbol of our guild. No—-Let us go symbol of our guild.”