ã€ŠOverlord - a More Experienced Playerã€‹


 Volume 1 - YGGDRASIL; Chapter 1 - An Idea of Life

    It was a very calm and peaceful normal day in the city of Tokyo. A young teenager, almost reaching adulthood, was quietly preparing his food at home.

    "Hmm... I forgot the salt..." He said, walking towards a cupboard and taking what he wanted, putting it in.

    After preparing the food, he took a deep breath, leaning on the kitchen counter and looking to the side, seeing an empty table, with only four chairs. He took a plate, put lunch on it and then took it to the table so he could eat. Even being alone, he said a little prayer before eating and soon began to be satisfied, as he took a kind of notebook in his pocket and began to write, without worries.

    That young man lived alone, the house was not that big, nor that small, but it seemed to be full of essential items, with the addition of several very technological gadgets. He doodled and wrote in his notebook calmly while looking out the window, seeing a beautiful landscape of a... Starry night?

    "Damn, I forgot also to change today... My memory is really garbage." He commented, picking up his smartphone and clicking a few times.

    Soon the view from the window was gone, it was a complete hologram. While the new image did not appear, a slightly green fog could be seen that covered everything that someone could see, giving an impression of being quite toxic.

    In this world, everything was already being taked by pollution, making be inside a house being the most safest way to live. This was sad to think about, but nowadays there were a lot of people trying to find ways to fix it...

    But soon that horrendous landscape disappeared, thus emerging a holographic image of a sunny afternoon and clear sky with birds sometimes appearing, even having the characteristic noise they make.

    With that done, the boy went back to writing in his notebook, focused as he finished eating.

    <hr>

    April 3th 2136 - 3:45 pm

    Today is another day without problems at home, another day deciding to write during my lunch.

    Tomorrow is my 20th birthday, I''m thinking about maybe asking my dad to come visit, not for holograms this time. My mother, on the other hand, already told me that she would be here in the morning, without delay. The way she is, I might have to leave the door open when it''s 6:30 am.

    Dad called me last week, saying I''d better get some work, even if it''s at least something completely digital. And well, I''m thinking of doing just that.

    With all the money my dad has, he never sees a problem with paying for things for me, I always ask for the essentials and few treats, so that my reserve money always accumulates more and more.

    Everything is perfect, but I know they could be better....

    Anyway... What will my new job be?...

    I have already prepared my own website, I will try to be a game journalist. But I researched very well about it, and apparently this market has so many people, that it is always better to focus on just one game, and that is very famous so that it makes the maximum profit possible.

    I didn''t think so much about profit, but hearing about a new VR-MMORPG that has been in early access for a few days. Its theme intrigues me a lot, because it reminds me slightly of my old life, from what is written on their main page.

    - Keiko Kobayashi -

    <hr>

    Soon the boy realized that he had a blunder at the bottom of the page of his diary and crossed out the words "my old life" and put "an interesting anime" instead.

    "My goodness... I always end up writing these things... Imagine if someone sees this... They''ll think I''m crazy..." He said to himself, without fear, since he was alone at home.

    Getting up, he headed towards his room, where there was a console connected to the computer. It appeared to be a complex and compact machinery that one could enter to interact with people using virtual reality.

    He sat in a chair next to him, using only the regular computer screen. "Let''s see if everything is really great for me."

    Keiko was looking at an improvised worksheet that he had made a few hours ago, in it he had the basics of the basics of the information he got about the creation of characters in the game that he would "participate". Apparently, the young man wanted to have the best experience possible, not in the sense of having everything at his disposal, which is impossible, but at least to be able to focus on some things more than others. Another reason he was doing this was that he hated being stuck in character creation screens, especially when it came to "sculpting" the character''s appearance itself.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    But how did this boy get access to this information? If only players with early access would know about this, and even though he had already purchased early access, the game was still being downloaded to his computer.

    The answer to that is that one of his father''s employees was also among the participants. And as they were known, for the times he went to visit his father''s company, this employee was helping with the basics.

    "Ooh... He sent one more email." Keiko said to himself as he began to read the employee''s email, still aloud, so that he could absorb all the content.

    <hr>

    Hello, Kobayashi-kun!

    I''m here to wish you congratulations in advance, if you''re already in the game tomorrow too, I''ll give you another congratulations.

    ?*??(¨@?¨A*)??*?

    Anyway, I''m sending this email to know where you want to spawn. As in medieval viking culture, which is where the game''s setting and ideas were taken from, YGGDRASIL has 9 realms.

    ¤Ø(._¤Ø)

    Depending on the race of each one, some realms will be blocked as a place of first spawn.

    Why am I asking this?

    (?¡¥?¡¥?)

    I want to help you, being a kind of "tourist guide". I know I''m also new to the game, but I managed to learn about perfect locations to farm Experience Points, in all 9 realms. That and I want to give you a birthday present through the game.

    Signed, the great friend of justice!

    <hr>

    Keiko was holding back his giggles as he read the final part. "Oh my god, I know he said he would do a lot of RolePlay with things involving the game and that it would be a character with a plot focused on justice... But that''s an exaggeration! Hahahah!"

    The only thing he knew about this employee''s character was that he was from a Heteromorphic race, an Insect, but that he planned to have a beautiful and shiny armor so as not to scare other players.

    {8 hours later}

    It was 5 minutes to midnight, Keiko had done his usual chores and now he was looking at his spreadsheet again. He had decided to choose a humanoid being, and he had already chosen the appearance. But now it lacked the race and class he would choose.

    "There are several options... I would even like to get a race that suits him better to be a duo... But I have to see something better..." Keiko said, really being between choosing Human or Vampire as a race.

    Vampires could be considered quite powerful for their initial resistances. There were also some cons, aside from the constant HP loss, along with the debuffs, that you would suffer if you walked outside in daytimes.

    Humans were seen as a very basic and completely simple race. They didn''t start with buffs, or debuffs, and could be any unlocked class, with no stat conflict. But Humans had a greater advantage than any other race in the game.

    Humans couldn''t level up their race. Race level 0 was the maximum possible, so that human players could focus completely on job class builds. The other races, on the other hand, could evolve by gaining levels, however, on average, this evolution only happened after 10 - 15 levels were spent in the base race.

    While any other character was trying to focus on just evolving the race to a more advanced version, or even trying to evolve the race in with a class. A human character would have already maxed out the chosen base class.

    "Okay... That will be it." Keiko started putting on a separate sheet what he wanted his character to be from the start.

    During this, an alarm went off and a notification noise happened at the same time. Now, today was his birthday and coincidentally the game had just been downloaded to his console.

    "Perfect... I think I''ll answer the email when I wake up in the morning..." The young man soon walked to his bed, throwing himself on it so he could sleep.

    He would have left the console and computer on, with the spreadsheet open, taking notes on what his future character would be like.

    <hr>

    Nickname: Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T

    (Kobayashi = Small forest. Good joke haha)

    IGN: -----

    (Still working in a name, maybe something related with a great story name or related with a element. Nothing related with my real self.)

    Job: -----

    Residence: ¨¢lfheimr

    (maybe?)

    Alignment:

    (Still thinking, maybe I''ll main in the Good spectrum.)

    Total Level: 0

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 0(Max)

    Jobs Level:

    (Being a Rogue would be fun for the start..? Or Swordsman?)

    Ability Chart:

    Hp: 5

    Mp: 5

    Phy.Atk: 5

    Phy.Def: 5

    Agility: 5

    Mag.Atk: 5

    Mag.Def: 5

    Resist: 5

    Special: 5

    (Humans are so lame, they start with everything in 5. At least is better than nothing.)

    <hr>

 Chapter 2 - The Birthday

    [Keiko Kobayashi POV]

    I was up, cleaning my teeth with the electric toothbrush in one hand. Looking in the mirror, I take a hairbrush with the other hand and arrange my simple brown hair, and then I put on my contact lenses, which served both for me to see and to hide the heterochromia in my eyes. Naturally, one iris was light brown, almost amber, and the other was completely dark, as if the pupil had taken up the entire space of the left iris. But thanks to those contact lenses, my eyes were now brown, pretty generic.

    Leaving the bathroom, I passed the hall clock, it was starting to chime six, revealing it to be 6 am. Even though things here were modern, I had decided to buy a structure that resembled a pendulum clock from the 17th century... Yes, a clock that imitates a model from 500 years ago. You can call me crazy, but I still love the most classic things, even though I didn''t live in that time, at least in this life.

    Anyway, this time meant two things to me, the first was that it was finally morning, even though I couldn''t see the sun in this polluted world, I knew it was rising. The second thing was that my mother was possibly close to arriving, knowing the way she is. With that, I removed the manual lock on the door, so she could use her key and get in on her own, and walked to the kitchen, getting some products and making me a strong coffee.

    Unlike people in the year 2136, I didn''t like the idea of ??using an electronic coffee maker. Did I have one here at home? Yes, but I still felt that doing these things by hand made it taste better, even if it was a psychological effect, I still prefer it that way.

    I sat on the couch in the living room, drinking my coffee and putting on a news channel on television, even so, I took my cell phone and started to see more specific news with my father''s company and about YGGDRASIL. It was very interesting to see the things that the game already had in early access, it made me want to start my adventure right away, but I was still waiting for my parents to arrive so I could have my social moment with them, or at least with my mother, because my father still hadn''t confirmed whether he would be here physically or holographically.

    As I started to read the company news, I ended up hearing the doorbell. I got up and walked slowly to the door. When I opened it, I saw a woman 160 centimeters tall, with short brown hair and a soft smile that brought me calm, her appearance reminded me of a 25 year old girl, but that was just because of how our society has evolved, or maybe it''s the surgeries she had?... Maybe...

    Because I''m 187 centimeters tall, she had to lift her arms wide to hug me, but I bent down a little to return the hug. "Oh my little baby, getting a year older today! How nice!" she said excitedly.

    "Thanks for being here, Mom." I kissed her forehead while making room for her to enter.

    I soon noticed that next to her there was a gray haired man, he was wearing a classic butler outfit and was holding a two-story cake, even the facial features revealing that he was probably quite old, his body was well taken care of, enough for him to carry the cake in one hand. Looking back at my mother, I noticed that she was holding a gift bag.

    "Very good to see you too, Master Keiko." Said the butler, with a friendly smile.

    "Likewise, Garry. Want some help with the cake¡ª"

    "Don''t worry, he himself said he wanted to come carrying the cake to see you. The others are missing you too, are you sure you don''t want at least one of them to come and help you?" My mother interrupted me, already justifying the situation. She walked into the living room, putting the gift on the sofa.

    "I''m pretty sure of that, Mom. Even though I love everyone there and most of them I consider childhood friends, my apartment is too small for me to have a helper. You know I always try to live a simpler life saving an amount of the money dad gives me sometimes." I answered her, letting Garry in. He left the cake on the living room table.

    It wasn''t such a decorated cake, since my mother knew my tastes. It appeared to be a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting on both floors. On the top, it had written "Happy Birthday, my sunshine.", while in the space that was left on the bottom, there were icons of swords, staffs and shields. Which left me pretty confused, getting closer to see if I wasn''t crazy.

    "Oh! Did you like that?" Garry commented. "Master Kobayashi told us you were going to start a job reviewing a new medieval European-themed game that''s very fantasy, with princesses, kings and mighty dragons! So we decided at the last minute to ask the baker to put that on the cake."

    "Ooh.. Got it, I think this is very cute." I said, smiling, but mentally I sighed.

    "Damn dad... I said it was in a Nordic runic theme game, not medieval European... But lucky for me these icons fit both themes." I thought, knowing my dad probably heard half of what I said to him on the phone the last time. Which would be acceptable, since he works a lot, but in that case, he was on vacation and said he was taking a bath in the pool when we were talking, so there was no excuse for not paying attention to a call with his only child.

    "I''m glad you liked it! Well, my little baby. How about telling me how your new career is going? Since your great-grandfather''s generation, our family has taken care of the company, so seeing you taking a different path is always exciting to think about! " my mom said excitedly and patting her side on the couch.

    The reason she is like this is that the family business is really of great importance and having, after three generations, someone who was not interested in participating due to the level of responsibility, was very difficult to predict, thanks to the Japanese culture of honor to the family. But no wonder, Kobayashi.Inc was actually one of the 7 multinational companies related to the restoration of the planet. So me not feeling excited to participate in something so big went against all logic, because nowadays, everyone always wants to show themselves and take the best opportunity possible to make a lot of money.

    My father''s company was responsible for 60% of the world''s supply of street breathing aids, as well as super powerful filters that kept pollution from entering ventilation systems. My great-grandfather who started this idea, and he was so sure that his company would stand out compared to the others, that he decided to change his last name, to our family''s current name. Kobayashi means small forest, that is, a place where there are trees, where there is fresh air.

    We could say that the family name was the lucky charm that made the business work. My father was thinking of double his luck by naming me Keiko, which can mean "lucky boy." But as you can see, so far, I''m not getting the "luck" he originally wanted.

    "I haven''t really started writing or making videos about it yet, mom. In fact, the game finished installing this morning, according to the notification I received. So far I just have the site all tidy, waiting for me to write the content on it... I was even thinking about starting to play today after we celebrate." I replied my mother as I sat next to her.

    "Great! You''re laying the groundwork and hoping the first thing you write is really your first impressions! That''s perfect! Make it more natural. And actually, natural is better! Ohohohoo!" She said this with a long, classic anime aunt laugh.

    Why was she laughing? "Natural is better!" is one of Kobayashi.Inc''s slogans. and my mom usually never gets a chance to say that line in normal conversation, so when she does, she''s always laughing, finding it funny. I, on the other hand, don''t see any fun in it, but I always laugh lightly, so as not to sadden her.

    "But so what? Will you go all blind? Or do you have a friend who will play with you?" she asked me smiling.

    "Oh... Well... One of Dad''s employees said he''d be playing early access too, so I asked him if I could follow him around when he''s in free time. He happily accepted." I replied as I saw Garry taking some of the coffee I had prepared earlier and offering a cup to my mother, after she politely declined, he drank the coffee so there was no waste.

    "An employee of the company there? Hm... I hope that''s all right, you know how your father is with lazybones there. Because this week isnt a normal rest week."

    "Relax, from what I''ve seen he''s having to play anyway because of a doctor''s recommendation." I said in a low voice, it was weird talking about it. My mother sighed, understanding the situation.

    In the last 3 to 4 decades, the amount of work done by people has increased dramatically, making cases of death from stress become more recurrent, especially here in Japan, where this type of death already happened a century ago, but not so much. Because of this, video games, vacation time and the like were made must-haves. Depending on the person''s workload or basic health, doctors may even recommend the amount of additional hours a person should have for relaxation. One study says that the perfect minimum time was 7 days straight every two to four months, because after 7 days of doing nothing stressful, there would be no more neurons or muscles affected by mental work.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    {A/N: Using real information to justify events mentioned briefly in the original Overlord novel.}

    But of course, there are some companies that do not follow this, and these are always forced to put in the contracts in relation to the "possible" reduction of these "rights". Kobayashi.Inc was one of those who took this medical situation seriously, as "a small forest should be relaxing and healthy to be in".... Yes, that''s another slogan.

    <hr>

    {7 hours later}

    It was already 1:45 pm, I was sitting on the couch watching a movie on a streaming service, along with my mom, while Garry had been ordered to clean my house, because according to my mom "You living alone has left you weird in away." I won''t and won''t try to complain to her about it, as she barely comes here all the time, and I actually forgot to pack things up yesterday, as I usually do, so she wouldn''t come over and say that.

    We had ordered food online, and according to the gps, it would still take 5 minutes to arrive. That''s when I finally had the courage to speak out on that subject.

    "Mom, Dad isn''t coming today, is he?" I asked quietly, still looking at the television, but that didn''t stop her from noticing that I was a little hurt by this situation.

    "Relax, my little baby. He actually told me he wanted to talk to you via hologram in a few minutes, possibly half an hour, so we can sing happy birthday with the cake being the dessert for our lunch." She smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek, I couldn''t help but smile slightly. That martenal affection was always nice to feel, especially in dark years like these.

    It didn''t take long and the delivery guy finally arrived, I was going to pay with my credit card, but my mom decided to do it in my place, since I was the birthday boy. Garry, meanwhile, was picking up the food and putting it on the table. To be honest, it wasn''t all that great for me, but it wasn''t cheap either.

    The lunch was a complete kit of classic Japanese food, common in the last century, with slices of salmon, fresh vegetables, octopus, and other things in this level. Like I said, it wasn''t amazing... for me... but for people of that century, it was considered a splendid meal. Even though livestock and fish farming improved with the help of water and air purifying companies, these products were still very expensive as producers were still trying to lower the price bit by bit.

    Before eating, we prayed, showing our gratitude for that. Honestly I could taste the food, it was really worth it for the price. Much better than my lunch yesterday, which I had to add salt to give it some flavor.

    Shortly after we were done, my smartphone rang, and I saw it was a holographic call with my dad, so I placed the smartphone on top of the table and clicked a button. Thus revealing a man with an old appearance, but not in the sense of elderly, but in the sense of mature and respectful, he was a little bald, but he chose that, because he wanted to be "as natural as possible" for interviews and meetings. The hologram made was from his belly to a little above his head.

    "Hello my son! My great Keiko! How are you doing?" He said in that lively voice, but it was pretty "repetitive" because it''s the kind of voice he always uses when he appears on the news.

    "I''m great, we''ve been waiting for you so we can eat the cake." I smiled and stood up, turning my cell camera to the cake on the table.

    "Oooh! Great! Let''s go then!" he said, making everyone stand up and start singing happy birthday to me. He even put a song through the holographic presentation to try to sound like "the cool dad".

    After that, we had a slice of cake, with my dad eating a 3D cake emoji as he was watching the party through a holographic projection. We talked a little, until it was the time for him to go to a meeting. Soon after, my mom also decided to go out with Garry, taking 4 slices of the cake with her so my dad could taste the real thing when he gets off work.

    I was now alone in my apartment again and decided to look at the gifts I got.

    As always, on every birthday, my father had given my bank account a very generous amount of money, while my mother had brought me some accessories like fake earrings, semi-transparent shirts to simulate tattoos and a small box. Opening that box, I saw a photograph in a beautiful reddish frame.

    The photo was me, my mom and dad on one of our vacations together to an artificial beach in Okinawa. I was only 5 years old at the time, but I could still vividly remember it, it was a great day and lots of silly but fun things going on.

    I felt tears running down my cheeks and I gave the photo a soft kiss. Why so much emotion in this? Simple, it was really a physical photograph, it wasn''t a hologram, it wasn''t digital, it was real, touchable.

    I got up, wiping my tears and went to my room, putting the things my mother gave me into the closet and leaving the photograph on my computer table. I sat down quietly and sent a simple email to my future "coworker".

    "I''m entering now, according to your timetable you sent me, today you are free. The place I will spawn is ¨¢lfheimr. Wait for me there." I said as I typed and sent it to him, quickly sitting down at the VR console to enter YGGDRASIL for the first time.

    <hr>

    I saw myself as a white silhouette in the middle of a sky, floating and watching the VR-MMORPG title screen appear in front of me. Soon a floating keyboard appeared where I started to type.... Putting my username, password, email... I always signed up at a fast speed, because I was already used to doing things at the last minute. With everything confirmed, my surroundings changed, becoming completely dark as a mannequin appeared in front of me, where I could model and modify it using values ??or sculpting with my own hands. To the side was a panel with more basic and simple to understand information, with predetermined options to select from.

    "Hmm... Let''s see... Human... I want red hair... Eyes... Amber... Hm... What else did I write in that spreadsheet anyway? Ah! This!" I talked to myself while I was modeling my character and adding cosmetic things that every user had access to when creating the account.

    After finishing that, the terrain around me changed and I could see the white silhouette that represented me being filled in by the character I created. I was able to move it smoothly. Doing a few simple jumps, punches and kicks to test. With that done, a screen popped up to choose two things. The class and place as first spawn. As expected, some options of both options were crossed out because of my choice to be of the human race.

    And of course, there was a reason for that. It would be too bad if someone who hasn''t researched before, choose a realm of freezing temperature as their first spawn, with the character being human. This would make him die constantly, until they were able to enter the teleport and change realms before they died again.

    I made my choice of class first, and when I clicked on confirm there was a notification noise.

    [Congratulations, for choosing your class and being a human, you gained 1 mandatory class level! Your base stats will be affected!]

    "Eh?! I thought any human of any class started with 5 in all stats... Well... Anyway..." I took a deep breath and clicked on ¨¢lfheimr.

    [You have decided, Alfheimr, the realm of light. Often confused as the representation of paradise for those who want a simple and peaceful life, it is home to beings like fairies, light elves and pure spirits. But beware, even though they are incredible and peaceful in theory, in practice they will attack you at any cost if you invade their territory! Do you accept it anyway?]

    The system spoke to me after my choice.

    "Woah.. Great way to explain in lore the existence of aggressive monsters in a realm considered beautiful and incredible." I thought to myself before answering the system. "Accepted!"

    Everything around me became clear and I soon felt that I was on solid ground. Taking a few steps, I stepped out of a ray of bluish light that went from the ground to infinity above me. Apparently it was still morning inside the game, there was no one near me, or so I thought.

    A little further on I saw a character of the heteromorphic race, an half-insect to be more specific, that player was wearing basic white armor and had a big sword, they were the base items of a paladin, very similar to the description he gave me before. But what impressed me was when he got closer to me, making me see his IGN perfectly.

    "Hello!! K-kun! Welcome!!!" He possibly called me "K" because he didn''t want to say my name and because my acronyms are K.K. possibly he also hadn''t gotten close enough to see the in game name above me.

    "[Touch_Me]? Really? Is that your IGN?" I said staring at my father''s employee, who just laughed.

    "That name actually means ''Touch_Me if you can!''." he chuckled gleefully at the name choice as I lightly clapped my hands. "But I loved your name too! It suits me a lot!"

    "I agree, it has everything to do with it. Because of my name I decide to start in ¨¢lfheimr." When I said that, he stared at me, trying to understand, until the answer hit his mind and he screamed with joy.

    I put my hand on my chest, looking at my avatar. I''m now a guy 185 centimeters tall, with red hair and a type of mark on my face''s left. My clothes were super common for my class, it was only a shirt, pants and boots, all in a brown-biege spectrum. Soon after this I said proud, already starting my roleplay. "This is the birth day of one of the humans who starts in this magnificent world, [Hikari]!"

    <hr>

    Nickname: Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T

    Started Playing: April 4th, 0000

    {A/N: Year 0 because is in Early Access}

    IGN: Hikari

    Job: Nomadic Rogue

    Residence: ¨¢lfheimr

    Alignment: True Neutral ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Karma: 0

    Total Level: 1

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.1

    Ability Chart:

    Hp: 6  |  Mp: 5

    Phy.Atk: 7  |  Phy.Def: 5

    Agility: 8

    Mag.Atk: 5  |  Mag.Def: 6

    Resist: 4  |  Special: 5

 Chapter 3 - Born to Kill

    [Hikari POV]

    I was a little close to Touch_Me as we walked together through the initial areas of ¨¢lfheimr, the landscape was very full of light but soft and beautiful colors that gave a great contrast compared to the game''s theme. I swear I could see some fairies floating in the distance, behind a cluster of trees near the road that connects the spawn to the first town in the realm.

    "Yaaa hoo! How will we find many things around here???" Touch_Me said excitedly.

    "Weren''t you already walking around here before I showed up?" I asked adjusting a golden accessory in my red hair, making a spiky little ponytail.

    "Ooh! Of course, of course! But I only know the easy places to gain experience, so far the only city I entered was the initial of Midgard. It''s interesting the Lore base of this game, apparently the justification of fights and things like that between players and bosses, involves the fact that high beings want to devour the leaves of the great tree, which the game is named after, each leaf represents one of the realms here! And apparently, depending on where you start the first main quest, the game will say that the leaf that these beings are focusing on first is that same realm." he answered me incredibly grandly at the end.

    "Oh! I understand... It depends on where the person starts, that same realm is the one that is most in danger, after an emergency situation, no matter what realm is... So let''s see what we find around that initial area... or will we go to the XP Farm area you said before?" I asked while swinging my daggers, turning them one in each hand, they were the starting item of my Job as a rogue.

    As expected, they were quite simple, so simple that I think that even an ultra beginner of drawings could draw them in a way that any player would recognize what item it is. There''s no detail on them, no runes, no sign of damage, just something that resembles a generic metal.

    When he looked at me, he was silent, staring at me for a few seconds. "Eh? What is it? Won''t you answer me?" I asked again.

    "Ah! Ahn... Let''s go first to the place I said before, so we take advantage and also get drops to sell and get better equipment than the starters... But... Dude... How are you doing this?" he asked impressed, seeming to step out of his roleplay a little.

    "Doing what?" I raised an eyebrow.

    "Spinning your daggers like that. It seems like something you''d see an anime character do while he''s bored!" he exclaimed, still impressed.

    "But... isn''t it a weapon art?" I was confused, after all I did a little research on the main YGGDRASIL website and it seems that, even though it''s a VR game and the player controls it freely, there are still weapon arts, abilities of each weapon that make the player have predetermined and generally specific moves for each equipment.

    "Uh.. Yes, there are weapon arts in this game. But starter items don''t have this! They''re just made for you to get the first kills without any problems so you can buy something better later! That means what you''re doing, you also knows how to do it in the real world!!!" He stated extremely excited to see that I knew how to do something like this.

    "Eh? Really? I was just trying to do this because I know it won''t affect my real body... So you mean I always had a reflex for that.. I never tried because of fear... Wow..." I replied his big doubt while I made other moves to test.

    We stop for a while and I start doing some tricks with those daggers, turning them around in my hands, doing a kind of juggling with them and then I think of a fun thing to do. I throw them into the air, because they are spinning, they would go a little backwards in the trajectory, so I try to do a backflip, I end up landing a few steps behind where I was and I stretch my hands up, holding tight to the handles my daggers.

    "THIS WAS AWESOME, KEI-KUN!" Touch_Me exclaimed but soon covered his own helmet''s mouth as he realized he spoke a nickname he gave me in the real world.

    "Heh.. Thanks. Let''s go to that place you said to get XP." I said and finally we headed towards the expected place.

    "Btw! What''s your agility? By the amazing thing you''ve done, you must have a lot of points in this stat!" he asked as we went out of the route to the starting city.

    "I have 8 points in agility." I replied simply.

    "Whaaat?! I thought you were at least 20, grandiose Hikari-kun!" he exclaimed, trying to get back into roleplay rhythm.

    "But I just got here today... to this great tree of life called YGGDRASIL!" I answered him by roleplaying too.

    "True... I forgot that detail, my fellow justice. I''m impressed with you, you''re going to be amazing!" He said and soon we stopped walking, arriving at the place we wanted from the beginning.

    It was a land surrounded by trees, with only two dirt paths free to move, the one we came from and the other on the opposite side of that clearing. The terrain seemed to have several ravines, the ground in parts was rocky and in others covered with grass.

    There were few monsters in front of us, some resembled wild boars with horns on the front that had bright yellow runes, while there were also a small amount of monsters that resembled fairies, but there didn''t seem to be any legs and their wings were bent abnormally, making them crawl to move.

    If they weren''t monsters made to attack players that get too close, I would feel sorry for them. But even then, they were just NPCs.

    "Attack the [Fallen Fairy]s. They are between level 5 and 15 in this area, they are extremely slow to attack, however their attack does an average of 20 damage with paralysis effect, no matter the level.I take care of the [Low-runic Boar]s. The ones we have in this area are only level 10 max, but they make quick lunges." my colleague warned me as he grabbed his basic big sword and wielded it.

    I swallowed hard, after all I had 6 max HP because I was still at level 1, unlike Touch_Me who was at level 10, possibly because he killed enemies like this in his spare time. But I knew very well that his maximum HP was high enough to be able to receive an attack from these monsters and still survive, must that be one of the advantages of being a heteromorphic player? Or maybe it''s because he chose the Half-Insect race?

    Anyway, a lvl 5 - 15 monster that will easily hitkill low lvl players like me..? The devs don''t really expect there to be people who try to take a risky adventure? Although... They attack slowly, which could be a sign that they actually accept these strategies, but the fact that these fairies are close to wild boars... Maybe an element of natural difficulty among monsters?

    With my daggers already in hand, I slowly approached the [Fallen Fairy]s while Touch_Me walked towards the [Low-runic Boar]s. He made a loud noise as he slammed his big sword against a tree, drawing the monsters'' attention to him. The ones that looked like boars were running towards my colleague, while the ones that looked like fairies were just growling and making angry noises, possibly because he was far from them, even so, they didn''t seem to have noticed me.

    I was approaching from behind one of the [Fallen Fairy]s that was further behind the others. I had an idea of ??how to attack her effectively and then I tried to make my plan.

    I jumped, landing sitting on top of her wings, on her back. The fairy grunted in pain, possibly because the wings were not only broken but fragile. Still using the momentum of that same jump, I moved my shoulder, elbow, forearm, all in sync that made my dagger in my right hand hit the enemy''s unprotected neck, causing it to be decapitated.

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl12 received fatal method damage]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl12 killed]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari lvl1 ¡ú lvl2]

    [Player Hikari received 1 level to spread between job/racial levels]

    [+3 HP ; +2 MP ; +1 Phy.Atk ; +3 Special]

    In a typical MMORPG game, I wouldn''t be able to do this, but here, it was quite important to consider where the enemy is going to be attacked and how the attack will take place. This would be fatal to any human if we were in the real world, so why wouldn''t the same be true for low-level "defective" fairies without any physical armor?

    It wasn''t surprising that you could get a level-up with just that kill. After all, that [Fallen Fairy] was at level 12, that is, 11 levels above me. But I actually expected to have at least 2 level-ups, maybe I''m almost reaching level 3 too?

    Anyway, now wasn''t the time to open my stats screen to get my question answered, I was still in combat.

    I watched the other two [Fallen Fairy]s that were there, when they heard their friend''s grunts, they turned and saw me. One grunts quite loudly with a thin and very irritating frequency, while the other started to have a glint in her broken wings and placed both claw-like hands on the ground.

    I kept myself in a defensive position, with both daggers in my hands as I watched the fairy I killed, she disappeared and a kind of small crystal, with a faint glow, appeared where the corpse was. Possibly it was the way monster drops appear in this game. Interesting to say the least, it reminds me of a very old game from the last century called Digimon.

    The fairy that was snarling, seemed to start copying her colleague, while the fairy that was preparing an attack, made the glow coming from the wings go directly to her hands and thus propelled herself towards me, trying to bite me. To avoid this I did a simple side step, making her fall face down on the floor and gradually come back to her common position.

    I found the attack method interesting, it was much easier to dodge than I thought, now I understand why the damage was so strong, it was simply a way to punish players who thought they were too slow and weak.

    When the other [Fallen Fairy] tried to do the same against me, instead of me dodging to the side, I tried to jump. This resulted in a favorable positioning for me to do something that would be considered quite disrespectful against monsters, including this one that was level 8.

    When I jumped, I did it in a way that my feet were right next to my body, so when that fairy was below me I was able to step on her head and do another jump using her as a platform. Doing a pirouette and landing safely on the ground, still holding my two daggers.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl8 received damage.]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl8 appears to have reached close to half HP.]

    Oh, so the system doesn''t say how much damage or how much HP a monster has? Maybe that''s because we''re in early access, or maybe I need an item that is gained after main and mandatory quests to follow the lore of YGGDRASIL.

    I could see that the fairy I attacked was now facedown on the ground and trying to get out of there, while the other one seemed to go with the same attack as usual. Again, I decided to dodge in a different way, this time ducking, but I took the opportunity to attack, raising my dagger.

    The dagger hit her in the stomach, and because she was making that impulse attack, she ended up landing on my other side, with the dagger still stuck in the place where I hit her. She started to grunt in strong pain, obviously because this type of monster moves by dragging its body, having a dagger stuck in its belly is a nightmare for any of these.

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 received damage]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 received damage]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 received damage]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 received Bleed status.]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 will take damage while the status is happening.]

    Great, apparently in these cases the system does not spam the damage caused, it already says the effect received. At least the devs of this game know what is annoying and should be avoided....

    Hm.....?

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 will only have the Bleed status removed in 2 situations.]

    [Situation 1: Removing the item that is lodged in the body and covering the wound with some cloth or using healing magic.]

    [Situation 2: Using a debuff/negative effect canceling spell.]

    Woaaah!?! Wait a minute... Is the game doing a tutorial on this in the middle of a fight? Wow, that''s pretty smart. Maybe more tutorials like this will come if I do something for the first time. Right now, it''s the first time the "bleed" effect has occurred near me and the system has identified it.

    After being impressed, my mind returned to the battle when that fairy I used as a platform finally left the ground and was advancing on me with everything, this time without carrying that energy that originated from the wings.

    "Hm? Are you going to attack me without your charged attack? I''m not stupid to figure out if it''s going to do me a lot of damage or not." I said, doing a little roleplay as if the monster in front of me was understanding me.

    As I only had one dagger at the moment, I dodged to the side, intending to hold her wing with one hand as I plunged my dagger into her back, but that was when I discovered something that took away any of my doubts.

    [Player Hikari Lvl2 received Paralysis status.]

    Shit! So that''s what caused the paralysis effect that Touch_Me warned me about! The wings of the monster named as [Fallen Fairy] causes this effect when touched, so this completely explains the difference between the charged attacks and the normal attacks of these fairies.

    [Player Hikari Lvl2 will only have the Paralysis status removed in 3 situations.]

    [Situation 1: End skin contact with the item causing the effect and wait for a few turns]

    [Situation 2: Using a potion against paralysis]

    [Situation 3: Using a debuff/negative effect canceling spell.]

    With my paralysis, I released the level 8 fairy''s wing. Now I was an easy target for them, my only option was to do Situation 1, but there''s no way I can survive a single attack from these monsters.

    I then watched the field around me, Touch_Me seemed to be having fun fighting the [Low-runic Boar]s, there were 5 of them and he was more acting than fighting for real. But unfortunately, he didn''t seem to be seeing my situation, or if he was, he wanted me to learn the hard way how things are around here.

    Anyway, I looked again at the two [Fallen Fairy]s in front of me. Level 8''s had just landed on the ground and was staring at me, growling, while Level 6''s continued to grunt in pain and stared at me, already charging her attack, wings glowing and the glow transferring to her claws. I took a deep breath, already accepting that I would die and return to the spawn area, but the dumbest thing ever happened in front of me.

    When the fairy, who was ready to attack, lunged at me, she evaporated like glitter, just before she wanted to touch me.

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 received excessive damage from the "bleed" status]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl6 Killed]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari Lvl2 ¡ú Lvl3]

    [Player Hikari received 1 level to spread between job/racial levels]

    [+2 HP ; +1 MP; +1 Phy.Def ; +2 Mag.Def ; +3 Resist]

    [Status Paralysis removed by Level-Up]

    So there was a fourth method to cure paralysis?... Well, that''s what I should expect from an RPG game... So when we evolve our statuses reset? Or is it just in reference to negative effects of this nature? As I haven''t dropped my HP so far, I haven''t been able to figure out how this part of the system works.

    I soon noticed my second dagger, the one that was stuck in the defeated fairy''s stomach, on the floor, next to a monster crystal there. I also looked in front of me, seeing the fairy that was left coming at me, wanting to attack me without charging an attack.

    Reflexively, instead of picking up the dagger or dodging, I simply kicked her hard in the face, causing her to fall back a little, onto her back against the floor. I quickly grabbed my second dagger and jumped on it, digging my two blades into the fairy''s neck, which soon evaporates as well.

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl8 received fatal method damage]

    [Fallen Fairy Lvl8 killed]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    I was panting for a moment and then decided to sit there on the floor, and pick up those crystals that were dropped.

    [3¡Á Data Crystal Common Class - Broken fairy wing]

    So they dropped the broken wings? This was very interesting to see, but when I went to look at the item itself in my inventory, the description didn''t say anything about paralysis effects. This means that maybe another drop from [Fallen Fairy]s has something to do with it, but there was also a chance that there were no dropable items like that coming from these monsters, at least at low levels.

    I sat there watching Touch_Me enjoying his fight, deciding not to interfere and just waiting for him to finish. But I didn''t stand still, I took the opportunity to see how my status was.

    A notification window popped up in my face before I could do anything and then I went to open it to see what was there.

    [Player Hikari. Your first kill was performed with a fatal method, within the first 24 hours of play, you earned the title "Born to Kill".]

    [Titles can be enabled or disabled by Player choice. When enabled, the title will appear below your IGN.]

    [Player Hikari. You managed to kill a monster that was at least 10 levels above your current level, you got the "Always Prepared" achievement.]

    [Achievements can be seen in your achievements list. The Player can decide whether the achievements list will be displayed publicly, among friends, or private.]

    I took a deep breath, that first notification shocked me, had the devs already posted a title involving this? And worse, by the description the Player had to kill his first monster in a fatal way, within an invisible time limit. This meant that no one would normally pick up this title, without someone talking to the person before they even completed 24 hours of playing. Most likely it is the type of title that will be taken by Players who decide to reset their accounts.

    No way I would activate this title, it would make me look like someone evil, and since I''m wanting to keep Touch_Me, since he''s my guide in this game, I don''t want to ruin the reputation of a vigilante he wants to have just for being near him.

    The second notification made me laugh, it was an achievement for the first time someone killed a very advanced monster. I can imagine the faces of Players who tried to attack a monster with a high level, were completely broken and still got this achievement, it''s the same thing to make fun of their face. The Devs must have made an achievement with that name as a mockery.

    I decided to leave my achievement list for friends only and finally went to see my character''s screen.

    <hr>

    Nickname: Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T

    Began Playing: April 4th, 0000

    IGN: Hikari

    Job: Nomadic Rogue

    Residence: ¨¢lfheimr

    Alignment: True Neutral ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Karma: -8

    Total Level: 3

    (2 levels points still waiting to be added)

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.1

    Ability Chart:

    Hp: 11 | Mp: 8

    Phy.Atk: 8 | Phy.Def: 6

    Agility: 8

    Mag.Atk: 5 | Mag.Def: 8

    Resist: 7 | Special: 8

    Total Stats: 69

    (Base: 45; Early Access'' Little Benefit: +6; P/Level-Up: +9)

    {A/N: I don''t remember exactly if it''s exactly like that, but I''ll leave the amount of points earned as this.}

    <hr>

    After seeing this, a notification screen popped up asking if I wanted to record the events of this fight I had, I accepted, as I needed some way to remember the events to write about on my YGGDRASIL review website. But it was strange that just now this notification came up.

    That''s when I noticed Touch_Me was done fighting the [Low-runic Boar]s, possibly he saw that I was done already with the fairies and he decided to stop acting. He was soon walking towards me and I got up from the rocky ground I was on.

    "So, did you have fun? Hikari, the JUSTICE companion!!!" He said all excited while posing.

    "A lot. Now I''m level 3 and I have a basic idea of ??what to write in one or three posts on my website." I said wiping the dust on my pants.

    "Perfect! Come on, fellow justice. We need to sell the items you got and see if we can buy you a good weapon!" He continued acting and making funny poses and soon seemed to walk towards the starting city of Alfheimr, but soon stopped staring at me. "And which stats did you choose to distribute your points about?"

    "Huh? None... The system chose it for me." I replied, confused.

    "Oh, I see. You must have the ''personalized choice'' option enabled in your menu. It''s a method of making players evolve depending on the specific things they do. Generally, people like me who love to roleplay here, love to let this option turns on. But if you want to have more control over it, turn this option off." He started explaining to me, completely out of character, in a more technical way.

    "However, just turning this off makes your stats not increase by themselves, you are forced to enter the menu and increase them. But there is also another one that allows you to decide how many fixed points you will gain in certain stats after each Level-Up, if you choose this other option, I warn you that it''s always best to remember to change it according to your needs, otherwise you will end up evolving only specific things while the rest will be far below the ordinary." He continued talking and meanwhile I was deactivating this ''personified choice'' in the menu, but I decided not to activate the alternative method as I was still thinking about how I would focus my character evolution, the job choice was just because I love being agile.

    "Okay, let''s go then." I said starting to run in front of him.

    "Hey! Hold on!" he exclaimed, trying to catch up with me as we headed towards our next destination.

 Chapter 4 - Weird Good Karma

    [3rd Person POV]

    It would have been 1 month, out of YGGDRASIL, since players Hikari and Touch_Me started exploring the game. They seemed to be people who didn''t interact as much with other players, at least for now.

    In addition to having trained little, they decided to have more fun there and not massive battles, at least the player Hikari decided to do that and was honest with that choice. Because, on the other hand, after only some days, Touch_Me wanted to show himself as a complete brave knight in that virtual world, so he decided to keep farming XP by killing some hostile mobs when he could.

    At the present time, before jumping into the game as usual, Keiko Kobayashi, the person behind Player Hikari, was writing stuff on the website he created to review YGGDRASIL. The site''s name was simply "YGGtreeDRASIL" and it had a simple and straightforward home page, with things already separated into different categories, such as "Chronological Reports", "PvP and PvE Information", "Interviews" and "Biography of a Player". Clearly other categories would appear in it, but these were already made because they are the basis of every website about MMOs.

    Since his father works at a key company, the young man would try to use that to his advantage to do interviews with developers, about basic things that weren''t so connected to the VR-MMORPG world, as if he tried to take all information, it would take the fun out of a interview. But for now he hadn''t contacted them about the matter, he was waiting at least for Early Access to end, which would happen in the middle of June of that same year, and that means, he still has another month for that.

    Another thing that was important to talk about "YGGtreeDRASIL", or just YtD for short, was that the boy so far hadn''t written on the website saying who he is in real life, he always referred to himself using his IGN. That way everyone would know who he was as a Player and not as the son of a famous businessman, and so other players who were readers would recognize him in the game if they find him.

    In the "Biography of a Player" category, he didn''t write character information, just the things he did that were of some importance, like the first PvE fight he had against the monsters known as [Fallen Fairy]. He decided not to talk about the title and achievement he obtained, and the much more detailed information about this fight was in the proper PvE category, where he also had his report on how the game teaches things in very interactive ways.

    "¡ªand therefore, deciding to be more efficient and diverse. Many might say that it''s better to focus on one job class and have a team, but being the handyman is nothing to be ashamed of." Keiko said as he finished writing another one of his common posts and hit the submit button.

    "And that''s it!" The boy stretched his arms a little, sitting on the chair, which was soon turned over and he stood up.

    He looked at his room for a while and then leave to go to another room. During that month, he had bought some new equipment and that other room was where he kept those things. Half of the place was filled with tech stuff, like a more powerful computer and his neural-link equipment, which was now sitting there opposite his bedroom.

    The other half of the place had training equipment like punching bags, some weights, and the floor was covered with something soft, like a mat. There was also a small shelf with some sticks and items that simulated melee weapons, all for training outside the virtual world, after all, even if it was better to train inside YGGDRASIL, it was also good to keep in shape in the real world. When he asked to buy things like that, the family was very surprised, but they still delivered him, after seeing that one way to have an advantage in the game, was to maintain a balance of mind and body.

    He started to train a little with the punching bag, wearing only long pants, that was very loose in the leg area, in addition to fingerless gloves. Throwing several strong punches, always training, not the force he hit, but the movement he made. With every single muscle movement, he was trying to make calculated movements more natural, to be much more effective in the game.

    <hr>

    {8 Hours Later}

    [Player Hikari. You have entered Midgard, the Human Realm.]

    [Notice: Here Humans and Demi-Humans are in home. If PvP occurs against Heteromorphic Races players, you will suffer a passive buff.]

    "Argh.. I hate this game detail, but there''s nothing to be done, after all... Humans and Demi-Humans suffer debuffs in other realms." Hikari thought, after entering that realm.

    He walked a little along the road that connected the Spawn to the main city. Arriving there, he came across some human NPCs walking around, with some having sort of exclamations, grey and scratched, above their heads, possibly because he, as a player, started YGGDRASIL''s lore in Alfheimr. Also, he saw a few Players, most seemed to be focused on one of the downtown taverns in the main city of that realm, so he went there.

    [Player Hikari. You have entered Dragon''s Spine, welcome! Click on the establishment icon or physically pick up the menu for information on what is served here.]

    [Player Hikari. Because you are of legal age, you have access to the adult menu, aka alcoholic beverages.]

    The system popped up these message windows in front of Hikari as he walked into that bar. That location was very reminiscent of a clich¨¦ of Middle Ages and Norse taverns, all tables had at least one player sitting on them, meanwhile he saw a human woman approaching, when she got close enough, he noticed that it also was a player.

    "Hello! Would you like a place to sit?" She said, being dressed in simple but very attractive clothes, making her have space to see her big "accents".

    "Either this is a man who wants simps... or a girl with self-esteem issues." Hikari thought, before answering her. "Oh! Sure, I would like. And by the way, I''d like a butterbeer too."

    "Of Course! Follow me." Said the woman as she took him to a circular table for 6 people, on it there was just an elf and a fox-type demihuman.

    "Excuse me, this man would like to have a table, but we''re out of empty tables, and this is the one with the most space. Is that okay?" She asked and both other players didn''t seem to mind, so Hikari sat there with them, while the woman followed his order from before to take his drink.

    "So, you''re new around here? I haven''t seen you anywhere around before." the girl with demi-human character asked curiously.

    "Oh! Sorry not to say anything.. Well.. My name is Hikari, and you haven''t seen me around here because I started Lore quests in Alfheimr. So I''m more there than in other realms." He replied simply.

    "Alfheimr? Isn''t that the realm of light elves, fairies, and such? Why would you start the lore there?" the elf asked, wondering.

    "Well, people start wherever they want... Why the question?" Hikari asked looking at them.

    "Oh..What?..I thought we were forced to start in Midgard." The human-fox spoke and then looked at her friend. "Hear that? You could have started where your race resides, silly!"

    "I realized that!... Argh! I thought we were forced to start here too. It would have been so much more poetic for me to have gone to Alfheimr!" The elf spoke in a dramatic and irritated way, while Hikari received the butterbeer.

    "Woah! You paid too much, didn''t you? That beer is only 5 gold coins!" The attendant exclaimed aloud, making the elf stop babbling and look at her and Hikari, in fact several players around did too after she had spoken so loudly.

    "Don''t worry, stick with it. Players who work in places like this usually like Roleplay more than the adventure itself, but it''s still nice to have extra money to buy miscelious things." Hikari replied to the girl who was walking away happily.

    "What did you do?" the fox girl asks.

    "I only gave her 50 gold coins." He said as he started to drink his beer. "Wow! That''s a really good one!"

    "Wow.. Like.. Paying ten times the value of an beer... is that serious, man?" The elf said confused as he seemed to eat some snacks there on the table.

    "I don''t see a problem with that... Uh... What are your names?" Hikari asked as he took another sip.

    "My name is Sun, I''m a Fighter Fox. And this one is Pakker, he''s an Elf Archer. And what would you be?" The fox said curiously.

    "Well, folks at the beginning of the game don''t like to choose different job classes.. I''m a Rogue, Wizard and Craftsman." he replied simply and Sun stared in awe.

    "Really? What level are you by any chance?" Pakker asked and soon Hikari opened a small information window.

    <hr>

    Player: Hikari

    Total Level: 10

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.4

    Wizard ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.4

    Craftsman ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.2

    <hr>

    "Hmm..." The elf stared straight at the human in front of him. "How long have you been playing?"

    "I started playing in April. I haven''t been farming XP as much, but I''m training my own irl physique more to improve my performance here." When Hikari said that, several players started laughing at him.

    "Hm...? Is there a problem?" he asked confused.

    "Hahahaha! No big deal, is that... Training irl to get good at a game like this? Really?" Sun said, still laughing.

    "Because the neural-link interacts with the YGGDRASIL system, such training makes the mind more adaptable to making movements with your character." With that answer, everyone fell silent again and looked at him strangely.

    "Are you saying that... You don''t use the neural helper?" a player at the next table asked, his character appeared to be a dwarf who could be mistaken for a human child.

    Neural Helper, better known as Neural-Addaptor-Simulator, or just N.A.S. for short, was a pseudo system that existed in several other media that used virtual reality as a basis. It allows the user to choose an action and the user''s character would make the pre-programmed movements at all times.

    There were games where this system was mandatory, some prohibited the use of it, and others it was a mix. YGGDRASIL, until now in Early Access, was considered a game where players could choose to leave it enabled or not. There are people who say that it takes the naturalness out of the game, but there are times when it''s very useful to have something like this to do very specific things, such as weapon arts.

    "Yep. I dont use this by choice." Hikari said, smiling.

    "But what about your job class as a craftsman?" Sun asked.

    "That''s an excellent question. Craftsman is a Job Class that allows the player to build things, I mean, you could try to build something without it, but with this Job Class, things are easier, besides not needing so much effort I would love to build things as naturally as possible myself, but I''m here to play and have fun, not to get hired as a bricklayer." Hikari gave a light laugh and then made the system window in front of him disappear.

    "And, when the Devs finish the store creation system, I want to be ready." He said taking a long swig of the rest of the butterbeer in front of him.

    He could be in a tavern, and the waitress who served him was a player. But that environment was made by the Developers, they were still creating a way for Job Classes, involving creations, to be able to have a financial life within the game. Of course, without having too many exploits.

    "I didn''t even know about this one, how is this going to work?" Sun asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "Really? This information is in the ''major beta developments'' category on the official website. Just log in using your account that is linked with your Early Access data." Hikari explained calmly, before finally actually answering. "It will be a system that allows people to use purchased land to create stores and/or establishments. There they will be able to sell items they create or resell things at a considerable price. In addition, this establishment will appear on the game''s common map if its creator wants it."

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Wow... You look like a complete nerd" Sun was deadpan when she said that.

    "But... This is for anyone who has Early Access to see." Hikari replied, but apparently the fox girl didn''t seem to mind any of that.

    "Sorry, Hikari. She''s just like that, always getting interested in something and after a second giving up." Pakker spoke and received a punch in the face, sending the elf flying to the other side of the tavern.

    Everyone looked with wide eyes at the demihuman, Sun, who had just made that attack, her hands were reddened, symbolizing that she had fortified her fists. "OI OI!!!! I''M NOT LIKE THAT!!" She exclaimed, her manner of speaking sounding like a yakuza.

    "D-dear... You literally got sick of being a fox after 2 minutes, but you decided to keep being one because you were too impatient to create another account." Pakker said and then Sun jumped on him and started scratching him with long claws on his face, a classic attack for demihumans of the fox or cat type.

    [Alert! PvP has started]

    "Hey! No fighting here at the Tavern! If you guys keep this up for more than 1 minute the damage in this place will be paid for my own money!" Said the woman working there.

    "Yeah... If you want to fight, do it out of here, all the people are just wanting to drink and have fun." Said the Dwarf from before, approaching to try to break up the fight, but before he touched the fox, she punched him, flinging him across the tavern, the same way she did to the elf.

    "I SAID, NO FIGHTING HERE!" the waitress exclaimed more, but apparently she didn''t have the heart to step into it.

    "Heh?!? Or what will happen if I dont stop, cutie!?" Said the fox, still like a gangster.

    "That''s what will happen." She heard a dense voice coming from beside her, and before she could turn her face away completely, she received a full blow to the jaw.

    [Wizard First Lesson: Fire]

    Said player Hikari, using the basic knowledge magic of the Wizard class. Normally this spell would just make a flame appear in his hand, with this one not being throwable, but because he was throwing a punch, with his fists closed, while activating that spell, the punch itself turned from the fire attribute, using Mag.Atk instead of Phy.Atk.

    The fox, Sun, was thrown out of the Dragon''s Spine tavern, as Hikari aimed at the door while punching her. Everyone was wide-eyed seeing that and soon the human left the tavern, all the other players decided to follow or look out the window to see how the situation would turn out.

    In front of the establishment, she started to get up, with a look of extreme anger, watching Hikari leaving to see how his consequences were, while Pakker appeared right behind. The girl''s eyes showed absurd hatred.

    "Dude, why did you do that?!?!" Pakker exclaimed.

    "Because I noticed your HP was low, idiot. Your character was already turning paler than usual... That and... The woman there asked for the fight to stop inside, so I''m just doing what I think it''s right." Hikari replied, looking the elf in the eye, and then looked ahead, seeing the fox foaming at the mouth.

    "I didn''t know that demihuman foxes have the rage emoticon so realistic." The dwarf commented, standing well behind them all, watching everything using the tavern''s door to not be exposed.

    "They do not have." Hikari and Pakker answered at the same time, the elf speaking fearfully while Hikari spoke as if he was just answering in a direct and dry way.

    "How.... Do... You.. Dare.. ATTACK MEEEEEE!?!?!!" Sun yelled, running towards the human while activating a Base Job Class Fighter classic skill.

    [Player Sun_of_Afternoon, activated [One Vs World]]

    [One Vs World] was a skill that allowed the user to increase all stats by 50%, but for that it was mandatory that the user had no help from other players during combat, otherwise the skill would be deactivated at the exact moment. At advanced levels, this skill can be considered very appealing, so at the moment, the Devs are seeing if they allow a skill like this to pass to the public game, or if there will be some patch that nerfs it... or the most easier option, delete this skill and switching it with other of the same type.

    "*sigh*...Girls.." Hikari jumped to dodge her attack, gripping tightly to the sign above the tavern''s entrance door and finally jumping high up behind the demihuman.

    Hikari used the skill [Stealth Slash], which allowed a rogue to quickly grab any dagger-like weapon they had equipped and make a quick attack against the enemy. So far the only requirement for this skill to be used in YGGDRASIL, was the user to be behind the target.

    [Player Sun_of_Afternoon received critical damage]

    [[One Vs World] caused critical damage to be cutted in half]

    "Damn it." he muttered while watching his enemy quickly turn around, trying to use her claws against him.

    To escape the claws, he used one of the skills he gained upon reaching Rogue Lv.3, [Rogue''s 101: Thief''s Dash]. Making his body use all its Agility points to throw itself backwards, with no previous impulse for such a movement.

    "AAAAH! DIE!!" Sun exclaimed and continued to attack madly with her claws, from the way she moved, it was obvious that she was an N.A.S. player.

    With that in mind, Hikari had a great plan. He simply used [Rogue''s 101: Thief''s Dash] again, only this time in a direction that normally no one would imagine would be used....

    He darted upward, staying just meters in the middle of the air. From the speed of that movement, it took a few seconds for the fox to understand where her enemy ended up, but unfortunately, it was too late.

    The boy landed on top of Sun, in a way that would normally only be seen in fighting rings. He sat on her shoulders and pressed his thighs against her head with all his Phy.Atk status. By using N.A.S. she didn''t have such a quick way of reacting to such a random move like that, but he wasn''t finished yet, because soon he put both hands on her head, more specifically, with two fingers stuck in each ear of the fox, and then he spoke very high another skill.

    [Wizard First Lesson: Thunder]

    The fox''s body seemed to take a shock, with her whole body shaking as if she had an epileptic attack. And after he got off her, she fell with her back to the ground.

    [Player Sun_of_Afternoon received fatal method damage]

    [Player Sun_of_Afternoon was killed]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari lvl10 ¡ú lvl12]

    [Player Hikari received 2 levels to spread between job/racial levels]

    [Due to settings, Player Hikari recieved +18 points to spread between stats]

    "...EH?!?!?" everyone exclaimed, even Hikari.

    "Oh my god how did you kill her like that!?!" Pakker exclaimed, running over to Sun''s dead body, which soon disappeared and it looked like she wasn''t going to respawn, at least for now.

    "I-I.... I just wanted to make her paralyzed, I didn''t think it would kill her!" Hikari spoke, amazed at how effective that attack was.

    "Well... Even though she is Level 15.. She never puts HP stats. So it was obvious that she would be a glass like that...either way.. With her skill... I''m surprised that her Mag.Def still was weak." Pakker commented, seeing that Sun had dropped a bandana that she normally wore, he soon took the item. "I''ll return this to her when she goes online."

    "Okay. I didn''t mean to take anything from her anyway." Hikari just spoke facts.

    "Anyway, relax Hikari. We hear you used a super basic skill... So it''s not your fault you PKed." The waitress from earlier spoke up, as she approached the situation. "Besides, she started this fight out of nowhere."

    "Yep!"

    "You''re right."

    "She who started attacking that elf, you only protected him."

    All the players there started talking, looking like they were judging Hikari''s action as correct. Meanwhile, Pakker appeared to be sweating heavily with fear, with several droplet emojis popping up over his head.

    "Eh... I''m the one to blame for that.. I called her impatient and stuff. Unfortunately, she''s really stressed out.. Luckily I know how to calm her down. Buying a lot of chocolate." Pakker made another comment, which made most of them laugh.

    "So you guys live together?" Hikari asked.

    "Actually, she and I live in the same building... And she''s kind of my girlfriend." the elf spoke scratching the back of his head.

    "Oh my, a girlfriend?"

    "My God, I don''t know if I feel sorry for you or envy you."

    "Wow... Play MMO with your girlfriend....?"

    The other players continued to comment on the situation and the elf soon received a necessary question. "If she''s too abusive to you, run. Really, just run."

    "Relax, Hikari... She''s only like this when she''s super stressed..." Pakker commented, with more droplet emojis appearing on top of him.

    "Are you su¡ª"

    "Oops! I have to go, see you later!" The elf did not let him complete the sentence and soon logged out of the game.

    ". . . This one is really screwed." Hikari, the waitress and the dwarf. Both three spoke in unison, causing endless laughter from the other players.

    Meanwhile, the boy simply opened his character sheet to start reallocating the points he got.

    <hr>

    Nickname: Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T

    Began Playing: April 4th, 0000

    IGN: Hikari

    Job: The Magic Rogue

    Residence: ¨¢lfheimr

    Alignment: True Neutral ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Karma: -25

    Total Level: 10 ¡ú 12

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.4 ¡ú Lv.5

    Wizard ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.4 ¡ú Lv.5

    Craftsman ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.2

    Ability Chart:

    Hp: 18¡ú20 | Mp: 15¡ú19

    Phy.Atk: 17¡ú19 | Phy.Def: 11¡ú12

    Agility: 17¡ú20

    Mag.Atk: 15¡ú18 | Mag.Def: 13

    Resist: 9¡ú10 | Special: 17¡ú19

    Total Stats: 132¡ú150

    (Base: 45; Early Access'' Little Benefit: +6; P/Level-Up: +9)

    <hr>

    "I still can''t believe that killing her gave me +5 karma points... Besides giving me 2 levels." Hikari commented this to himself, but the others overheard.

    "Wait, did you earn positive karma when you PKed???" the waitress asked, confused.

    "It must have been because she started the fight inside a public place that there shouldn''t have been fights." The dwarf answered her and now all the players there were aware of it.

    "We will have to report this, actually this establishment was supposed to have the anti-pvp command. There must have been a bug." The waitress made a valid comment, why would a tavern in the starting city of a realm have PvP on...? Clearly it was some bug or error in the terrain programming.

    "Hm... I''ll take the opportunity to talk about it with them when I interview them." Hikari again ended up speaking his thoughts.

    "Excuse me, what?" the dwarf asked.

    "Oh! No big deal. It''s just that I started a review website for this game, and was planning on maybe asking the Devs for an interview when Early Access ends."

    "Amazing! What''s the name of the website?" One of the players there asked.

    "YGGtreeDrasil" Hikari just replied while putting away his daggers, and coincidentally, a notification popped up in front of him.

    [You have received a new message in the group "JUSTICE FOR ALL!"]

    "Anyway, I have to go... A friend of mine is calling me." When he said that, the other players remembered that they hadn''t tried to add Hikari as a friend yet, but it was too late, he had disappeared to enter the chat room.

    "*Sigh* Now whoever wants a drink will have to wait. Apparently one of the things that bumped into that fox when she was thrown was the butterbeer tap." The waitress warned as she walked back inside Dragon''s Spine.

    "Damn it!"

    "How boring... I would have asked for 6 more mugs of butterbeer!"

    "Hm... Is there any way I can pay more to speed up the Auto-Repair?"

    The players were muttering as they returned to the tavern.

    <hr>

    {Somewhere, outside the 9 realms}

    Touch_Me: "Ah! Here you are, my fellow Justice!!! How are you today?"

    Hikari: "I''m fine. I just had a slight problem today."

    Touch_Me: "oooh! Tell me!"

    Hikari: "I was walking around Midgard and a player started hitting another, I tried to help by paralyzing her, but my single attack already killed her. Apparently she had not increased her HP even though she was Level 15."

    Touch_Me: "OOOH MY GODNESS!!!!! You PKed?!?!... Hm.. But from the situation you''re saying, it was really bad luck for her."

    Hikari: "Most hilarious of this is that I even gained positive Karma points."

    Touch_Me:"That''s great! It shows how much on the side of Justice you are!!.. And it''s also great that you won this, after all you''re having negative Karma points because of the [Fallen Fairy]s you''ve been killing. "

    Hikari:"You''re lucky, so far every PvE you''ve had has turned out to be positive for karma. What''s your secret?"

    Touch_Me: "Justice, my friend... Justice!"

    Hikari: "Haha.. I know. And how are the people there? I heard you didn''t go to the company yesterday and today."

    Touch_Me: "Oh, they''re all fine here. I just didn''t go today, as I had been called to return to my old job as a police officer... I''ll have to talk to your father about that."

    Hikari: "Oh! Do they want you back?! Congratulations! What area are you going to enter this time? I heard that before you were a camera watchman for the main neighborhood."

    Touch_Me: "I was called to the paperwork area, being the chief''s assistant."

    Hikari: "Understood. Good luck and congratulations again! But.. So you called me just to talk about this?"

    Touch_Me: "I just have some free time now, so I decided to take a walk around Niflheim. Want to come with me?"

    Hikari: "... You have the item that allows me to walk in that realm, right?... Like, there is literally a giant iceberg."

    Touch_Me: "Of course, luckily this type of item is very cheap in that realm, so I have some emergency spare sets!"

    Hikari: "Perfect, I''m coming!"

    [Conversation in the group "JUSTICE FOR ALL!" was temporarily ended]

 Chapter 5 - Ice isnt good for Battles

    [Hikari POV]

    "3 hours..."

    "I understood that the idea was bad, but we have to enjoy it, don''t we?"

    "..."

    "No...?"

    "TOUCH_ME! WE''VE BEEN HERE FOR 3 HOURS TRYING TO COMPLETE THIS DAMN DUNGEON!" I exclaimed with all the strength my character had, while using [Rougue''s 101: Thief''s Dash] to dodge yet another freezing attack that came from holes in walls.

    [Player Hikari took damage from the Freeze effect done by the dungeon.]

    [Danger! Player Hikari is at 1/4 max HP.]

    "Damn it!" I exclaimed with that notification that appeared in front of me, even though I wasn''t hit by the attack, that place still gave a passive effect of Freeze.

    "Argh! Why does this Dungeon even exist?!? We''re still in Early Access!!!" I exclaimed again watching Touch_Me defending himself from ice blasts using his shield.

    [Danger! Player Touch_Me has equipment durability less than 10%]

    "I think this is really a beta and unbalanced dungeon." My partymate said as I watched the notification related to him and he was approaching me in that big ice corridor.

    "Even so! This was so easy to find that I''m thinking some of the Devs are sadistic and want to destroy any curious explorers!" I replied as I ran along with him, trying to dodge more of the attacks.

    <hr>

    {4 hours ago...}

    I had just logged into YGGDRASIL, deciding to go to Niflheim. When my character spawned in the initial area, my body was already feeling the gigantic cold of that mountainous environment, even though the common spawn area was surrounded by a basic dome that allowed players not to be affected by the Freeze status that that realm had.

    On my last visit here during my first month exploring the Early Access, this and the Poison effect were my biggest enemies. There were swamps in other realms where, just reaching the limit of the entrance, the Poison effect was activated, causing me to take 5% passive damage every 10 minutes, but the Freeze effect was another story...

    Nilfheim as a whole, with the exception of protected cities, was a terrain covered by that annoying and absurd debuff effect, which made it a place considered Late-Game for most of the possible races the players love to choose. Freeze simply debuffs the agility status of players and monsters, in addition to causing 10% damage every time someone tries to use spells or skills to counteract the loss of speed. Seeing this, it was obvious to think that there must be honest ways to not be affected by that damn negative effect. I still remember the exact words I wrote on my website when I made my discoveries.

    <hr>

    ...

    Hello my dear followers, Hikari here for an update on the effects I discovered in my playthroughs in YGGDRASIL, more specifically in Nilfheim.

    In this realm, there is a passive effect that will affect everyone just by simply walking. A lot of people might hate it, but the existence of the special effect called "Freeze" makes complete sense.

    In order not to be affected by this and to walk freely in Nilfheim, it is necessary that you are equipped with a full set of protection. This set can either be purchased in cities in this realm or found in random chests spread across the other 8 realms. The durability of each piece of this set is greatly reduced when directly attacked by temperature-related attacks. Other ways of not being affected are: either being covered by a [Resist Freeze] spell or similar; or be of a Race or Advanced Job Class linked to the elements of ice and fire.

    ...

    <hr>

    It took a few minutes for Touch_Me to arrive with an extra set of equipment for me, the last time I was here, a piece of my set had been broken, thus taking away my Freeze immunity, I took advantage of the fact that the other pieces of the set could still be used as common equipment and did some solo adventures to test some strategies. With that said, it was obvious that I was out of parts at the moment.

    "Hikari-Kun!" Touch_Me caught my eye as he approached me.

    [Player Touch_Me wants to give you 4 items, accept?]

    The message box appeared in front of me, and while I clicked on to receive the items, my fellow vigilante was getting ready, a set, which was hot just to see it, appeared on his body, and then he put on his common armor on top of it all. I looked at him, one eyebrow raised and I was also going to put that set on my body.

    The headpiece was a simple hat that was a mixed design between a classic aviator hat and a Viking helmet, the torso area was a large long-sleeved coat, filled with dark fur on the outside, while the inside was incredibly smooth. As pants, it was also a piece of clothing full of dark fur, following the same style as the torso, and finally, as footwear, there were high boots, with a very characteristic style between a mixture of medieval dwarf and viking.

    "Why do you wear your regular armor over that? Seriously, as far as I know, your half-insect appearance isn''t that bad." I commented, adjusting my hat while playing with my daggers.

    "Because that''s my mark, if I don''t keep my beautiful armor, I won''t be representing JUSTICE!!" Touch_Me exclaimed all happy.

    "Are you telling me that you''ll have this specific armor forever? I mean, it''s great and all, but this armor is a basic iron one." With my comment, his extreme joy was instantly gone.

    "I-I... I''m going to upgrade my mark... but for now it''s THIS armor!" He answered me and I just sighed, leaving the spawn''s protection area.

    I felt all that cold touching me, but I couldn''t feel the effects of the "Freeze" affecting me, that was to be expected. My half-insect companion followed me, we walked side by side observing the icy and mountainous landscapes of that realm. It didn''t take long for us to arrive in the first city.

    It was considered a very friendly place, unlike other realms, this city was one of the few in early-access that, as a whole, had the anti-PvP system. The houses, taverns and hotels there were all completely themed in a rustic style of dark wood and stone that faintly resembled marble. We walked around, observing the landscapes and the clear lack of players in that place, until we saw an NPC with a question mark on his head, symbolizing a side-quest.

    "Was that NPC there before?" Touch_Me asked.

    "I don''t think so. As I recall there was a little update a few days ago, wasn''t it?" I replied as I walked towards the NPC.

    The NPC was from a heteromorphic race that until now I had never seen a player using, his body seemed to be made of solid ice, but if I focused my vision well, I could notice its skeleton underneath those layers. Over the "skin" the NPC wore only pants and a sleveless coat, both made of what I would guess was bear parts. His head was pointed, like the tip of an iceberg, and tall, he was only a little taller than me. That NPC was a kind of [Ice golem].

    "Oh! There was an update? This explains why the loading screen took a few minutes this last Saturday... I thought I had slow internet due to the acid rain that rolled down that day." my companion said, as I started interacting with the NPC.

    "Hello, travelers! I see you''re not from around here! I need a lot of help with hunting snow rabbits. I don''t need to eat, but I work as a staff member at a nursing home where some Demi-human children have been taken because of the terrible blizzards that occur all around. The blizzards are so intense, that I can''t see my surroundings! You, being travelers, must be used to this kind of weather, so could you help me?"

    [Terryvja, the gentle and tiny ice golem, is asking for your help. Accept or Decline?]

    "Hm... It doesn''t say how many rabbits he wants beforehand." I commented.

    "Agreed, maybe it''s one of those side-quests they make it look easy but it isn''t?" my half-insect companion asked me.

    "Yep. Wanna do it?" I said smiling at him.

    "Well... Hm... Hunting something he''s just referring to as snow bunnies. I don''t see a problem if it''s something simple." With that phrase from my friend, I clicked on Accept the side-quest.

    [Side Quest: Humility of Ice - Rabbit Hunt]

    [Description: "Terryvja is an ice golem who suffers a slight bully for being of a size considered small only for his own race. He needs help, because he is afraid to enter the region of the ice golems that abandoned him, and that''s where it has the highest chance of encountering [Icy P-Rabbit]s.]

    [Win Requirements: 8¡Á "Icy P-Meat" for each Player in Party]

    [Rewards: +10 XPCrystals; +5 Low HP Potions; +40 Gold Coins; +1 random medium loot box.]

    "Woah... A random loot box in the medium level? Interesting" Touch_Me commented, taking a good look at that notification.

    Loot Boxes are common in any multiplayer game, and YGGDRASIL is no different. I had never seen one, but I knew about its existence and how it worked. The lootbox level meant the minimum rating of the item it could give you, being able to give drops from monsters, equipment, or single-use items. Low, Medium, High, Top, Legacy, Relic, Legendary, and Divine, these are the ranks an item can have, for what the Devs are planning, so I knew we wouldn''t get a Low Item in that lootbox, but there was a small chance that we would get something of a good and high rank.

    This side-quest didn''t seem like a big deal, so we headed towards where the map was showing. It was an area away from the city and, as the NPC said, there was blizzard. However, the map continued to show us a possible path to walk. It was obvious now why Terryvja commented on how "travellers" manage to navigate these situations easily, the map is our best friend.

    "Touch! Zoom the map to 4.5!" I exclaimed through the blizzard as we walked.

    "Good idea!" He answered me.

    We were guided along the path that was created on the map, even so, we walked carefully, after all we didn''t know if that region was on top of a mountain or if there was a cliff near there. After 10 minutes walking, I saw what looked like a small cabin in the middle of so much snow covering my vision. I caught my companion''s attention and we went in there. It was a pretty wrecked cabin, but luckily, it was enough to make the snow filter out of our sight. There was a single bed, a kind of improvised sofa made of a large trunk cutted and covered with animal skin, and some Data Crystals on the floor. Touch_Me sat on that sofa and cracked his neck a little while I took my hat off for a moment to test something out.

    Yup. The Freeze effect was still present.

    "We''d better wait here for a while until the blizzard stops." Touch_Me opined on a possibility, while he walked up and took those Data Crystals, since he said nothing about those, I understood they were just random low tier items.

    "Hm... Really? I mean... I know the side-quest doesn''t have a time limit, but do you think that all this blizzard is not coming from the side-quest, but from the changes in the realm''s weather?" At my questions, he gave a strong and characteristic sigh of his big physique, only agreeing that yes, that was his thought.

    "Great, let''s stick around for a while, even with my body unaffected by the Freeze, I still feel very cold from the walk we had." I commented as I sat on the bed there.

    With an immense surprise, I gave a cry of fright. When I had sat on the single bed, it broke under the weight of my body, as if it was on a thread of not being destroyed before we arrived. However, it didn''t stop there, under the bed there seemed to be a very deep hole, into which I fell into.

    "H-Hikari-kun?!?" I heard Touch_Me screaming my name, worried.

    "I''m fine! I-I didn''t take any damage!" I exclaimed as I looked up and saw my colleague''s helmet watching me from above.

    It looked like that hole was about 7 meters deep, the walls were a mixture of an ice structure and dark wood and when I looked around I noticed an odd but untouchable door, compared to the rest of the cabin. This caught my attention, making me get up, brush the snow and debris off my body, and I turned towards the door.

    "Yo! Touch! I found something interesting here!" I called my friend as I was opening the door, which had a tight handle, but I was able to pull it hard.

    "Really? More interesting than the side-quest?" At his words, my expression turned to one of complete animation as a notification flashed in front of me as I took the first step to the other side of the door.

    [Player Hikari! Congratulations! You were the first player to find The Frozen Hut dungeon.]

    "Yes! Very interesting! There''s a dungeon down here!!!"

    When I said that, my companion didn''t take long to jump and go down to the place where I had fallen, and when passing through the door, he also seemed excited, possibly also seeing the notification. After a few steps into that strange and mysterious dungeon, we heard the noise of the door closing, I turned around and when I touched the door another notification appeared, which left me with one foot behind if it was a good idea to explore that place.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    [Warning! This dungeon is classified as a "single run". Players who enter here will only have a single chance to leave and complete it, if this first chance of leaving isn''t used now, they can only leave by dying or completing it! Do you want to leave or are you going to continue the adventure?]

    "Should we do this? Do we have proper equipment to explore here, Touch?" I could be someone experienced in MMORPGs, but due to the option to teleport out of here didn''t existing, it made me a little tense, after all, I was only a Lv.12, and my skill list wasn''t that amazing.

    But it wasn''t just that, I also wanted my partner''s opinion, who, upon seeing the notification, responded to me. "We have several HP and MP potions, plus I still have 2 complete sets against Freeze in my inventory. What are your equipment again?"

    With the question he asked, I showed my inventory window, as equipment, in addition to the set of anti-Freeze armor I was wearing, there was also a bow I bought in Alfheimr, a total of 150 common arrows and 30 arrows that could be enchanted with elements without spending mana, a leather whip that I had bought in Midgard a few days ago, my standard light armor, and lastly, a round and small shield, which I had bought to keep abusing the parry system. I also showed him the amount of HP and MP potions I had, they were all Low Tier, but they were an acceptable amount, taking into account that, when we go to farm XP, we usually spend hours without going back to a city to replenish our things, unfortunately, there were only 5 potions against debuffs.

    "Hmmm... we came to this part of the map, behind [Icy P-Rabbit]s, didn''t we?" He asked.

    "Yes... and?"

    "This dungeon we''re in, looks very close to the area marked on the map." He spoke vaguely so I gestured for him to continue. "In dungeons, the monsters that appear are related to the type of dungeon and the monsters that spawn in the surroundings~" With him talking like that, I understood what he wanted.

    "Really? Exploring a dungeon and doing the Side-Quest at the same time? Back to the real question at hand... Do we have resources for that?!" I exclaimed, for my companion to finally give me some real answer.

    "We have plenty of resources for that. After all, the Devs wrote in the main menu''s news area that any dungeons that were created in early access would be considered accessible for a party with members at Lv.20, as they would be incredibly rare." Before I could say anything to retort his line, he continued. "Even though you''re Lv.12, I''m Lv.27... You''re safe with me, my fellow Justice!"

    I took a deep breath and looked deep into the eye holes in his helm. "If we die and lose a lot of Levels... Can I entirely blame you for that?"

    "Of course, I''ll take all the responsibility, after all, you''re much younger than me, Hikari-kun." With that, I clicked to decline the exit for the dungeon in the notification and the door disappeared.

    <hr>

    {In the present...}

    "At least we got all the Icy P-Meats!" Touch tried to say the good side of the situation as I continued to run.

    "Oh! No shit, Sherlock!" I exclaimed, taking a Low tier HP Potion from my inventory and drinking it as I ran, thus recovering part of my life points.

    From inside of the Holes formed in the ice walls, several ice beams were shot. We kept running for a while, until we finally found a door, with my companion using his big shield to protect us while I tried to open the door, it was quite stuck.

    "It''s frozen like a solid wall! Try holding them a little more while I try to unfreeze it!" I exclaimed to him as I extended my hand.

    [Player Hikari activated [Wizard First Lesson: Fire] inside The Frozen Hut dungeon, mana consumed will be 1.5 times higher than normal.]

    With the flame in hand, I started to increase the point of contact of the flames with the frozen door, I smiled seeing the ice melting, but my smile instantly disappeared when I heard cracking noises. Watching my companion, I noticed that the shield he was using to protect us was being destroyed.

    "Got it?!" Touch exclaimed as I pressed my hands hard against the door.

    "Almost!" I answered him, feeling the effect of Freeze destroying my protection set even more.

    But the door finally unfroze enough for me to get it open, I kicked it all the way open and grabbed my companion by his armor belt, pulling him with me. Being in that other room, my first thought was to close that door and walk away, seeing that it was frozen again due to the ice beams that possibly hit it.

    "Oh my freaking god!! This is a Boss Room!?" My mind stopped for a few seconds with what I heard Touch_Me saying, I turned around and dazzled the scene in front of me.

    We had entered a large semi-destroyed hall, with large glass windows on the sides, which let in natural lighting in a very theatrical way, or even as if it were something I would see inside a cinematic church. On the floor there was a navy blue velvet rug that was very messy, but my vision followed the path that beautiful rug made until it reached a large throne. On top of that throne was a classic snowman that anyone would make in times before environmental disasters in the real world. It even had a top hat, a blue scarf, dark stones for decoration, tree branch arms and a pointy nose, which resembled, but obviously wasn''t, a carrot.

    "Christmas...? But it''s May now..." Touch-san made that comment, which made me slowly turn my head towards him.

    {A/N: But it''s already December as I''m writing this. Ha!}

    "He didn''t say that...did he?" I thought to myself as I slowly walked towards the center of the room.

    Without approaching the throne, I changed my equipment, taking my bow and having enchanted arrows, forcing them to become of the fire element. I looked at my friend, who was obviously changing his armor to the reserve set, and I whistled for attention. I didn''t even need to speak and he threw me a large Data Crystal, which I caught after putting the arrows in my quiver.

    I opened the menu quickly and was changing the old and worn out set with the new one he gave me inside that Data Crystal, I looked at my current amount of HP and MP, and to prevent any situation, I drank potions so that everything stayed at 100%. I was staring at the screen for a few seconds, seeing that in the status tab I had evolved a bit by facing the hard monsters in this dungeon, being more specific, I had reached Lv.15. However, until now, I had not distributed my status and job class points. Without thinking too much, I already made it so that I was really ready and soon I took an arrow in my quiver and started aiming at the snowman. The tip glowed as if the metal was heating up.

    "Are you ready?!" I asked my partner.

    "Yup! I''ve replenished all my HP and MP, and I''ve taken a new shield." I heard his voice but kept my gaze on the snowman.

    "Great! Let''s go!" I said shooting the arrow.

    I didn''t have the Job Class Archer, so skills involving arrows weren''t on my list, but none of that stopped me from trying other tricks that affected my attacks, or even buying arrows already enchanted. I saw that arrow touching the snowman and just like that, a high pitched scream could be heard.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" The scream was agonizing and quite terrifying, as expected, that snowman was alive and was the boss of this place.

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 received a fatal method damage]

    [Due to Boss rank, fatal method damages are in half power]

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 received Burn status]

    My eyes widened at the name that appeared above its head. Not only was its name in red, which meant it was way more advanced than me, but that notification... "I dealt him a fatal method damage... But how?! I just threw a fire arrow at it. Besides, he''s a BOSS!" I thought, but soon my question was answered.

    The snowman wasnt in his battle form yet, this is why a single fire arrow was almost fatal. Its body was changing while the snow was still burning. Large and monstrous snow legs were emerging, the branches that formed the arms grew, transforming them into hideous trunks. That pointy, orange nose got bigger and now seemed to be some kind of cannon, the top hat changed shape, turning into a generic black crown, and finally his scarf seemed to stretch and encircle the base of its arms, as if it was being something that leaves the trunks glued to the snow.

    "Do not stop moving!" I exclaimed to Touch, who started running towards the boss and attacking it with his sword in the leg area.

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 received Slash damage]

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 received Burn damage]

    If it wasn''t for the system, I would have thought that Touch-san''s attack had been pointless, as the snow leg appeared to be intact. On the other hand, the Burn effect I gave the Boss seemed to still take effect, but I didn''t know how long it would last.

    Soon, that big snow monster used one of his trunks to try to crush Touch_Me, but he managed to dodge passing under the monster''s legs. Meanwhile, I watched that cannon that was its nose, the monster was aiming at me and I could see cyan light coming from there.

    I held tight to my bow and tried to fire arrow shots, aiming inside that cannon, something that apparently worked, as a big explosion was made in its face, making him shoot whatever that attack was for the ceiling. Unlike the ice beams the walls used to attack us before, that attack looked more like a blue laser than snow or ice.

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 received Explosion damage]

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 received a increase of Burn damage]

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 destabilized the boss room]

    [Time Limit to defeat the Boss: 10 minutes]

    My eyes widened with the last two notifications... The game was really messing with me, wasn''t it?! Just because of my attack, we now had a time limit, or else we would be buried here!!

    We continued to fight like crazy there, I always stayed away from the Boss, while Touch_Me was attacking using his skills, to increase his physical attack stats. After using several enchanted arrows, I ran out of them and started using regular arrows, being forced to use Mana to set them on fire from now on. The Boss continued to attack us with his wooden arms and that blue laser.

    With 1 minute left for the time limit to end, the arena was pretty much destroyed and finally one of us was hit by its attacks. Touch-san had taken a high jump and plunged his bigsword into the Boss''s head, causing the cannon that was the monster''s nose to crumble, but before this was disconnected from its body, it fired and hit my companion directly in the torso, throwing him to the other side of the arena... and just like that the message appeared in front of me.

    [Party Warning! Player Touch_Me was killed by King SnowFlake Lv.30.]

    [Due to the settings of this dungeon, Player Touch_Me isn''t able enter it again.]

    W h a t?!

    Touch_Me hadn''t taken damage from the Boss until this moment... And he had recovered all his HP before the battle... He... He''s Lv.27!!! Even though it was only 3 levels above him, the snow monster managed to OHKO my friend!!

    "Bastard!!" I exclaimed giving up the arrows and running towards my enemy.

    [King SnowFlake Lv.30 is preparing charged attack.]

    Don''t tell me... So until now that thing never had done a charged attack!?!

    I equipped my leather whip and continued to run towards the boss, watching the seconds slowly tick down on the floating notification on my HUD, I started to accelerate using [Rougue''s 101: Thief''s Dash] to get under it and using my whip with [Wizard First Lesson: Fire] to deal fire damage to the ice creature.

    [30 seconds left...]

    Abusing more and more of my speed skill, I jumped behind the enemy, climbing the wall behind it, which was crumbling with the seconds counter decreasing more and more. I took another jump needing to activate [Rougue''s 101: Thief''s Dash] again to get right on top of the boss.

    [20 seconds left...]

    Up there, I could see the bigsword stuck in the Boss''s forehead, I used my whip to pull the bigsword towards me, making blue blood come out of the monster. As a mouth finally appeared on it, it was a mouth with teeth of bones and dark ice, there was a glow coming from the back of its throat.

    [15 seconds left...]

    I gripped the chandelier that was at the top of that huge hall. Watching the enemy attack being almost activated, as I once again used [Wizard First Lesson: Fire], this time, the leather whip channeled the magic and led it to the bigsword it was tied to, causing the blade to light up with a vibrant red, this produced steam in contact with the icy air of the region.

    [10 seconds left...]

    The attack was finally released, it was an absurd cluster of super dense snow that looked like it was covering a blue laser of strong brightness. I dodged the attack by jumping, making it actually hit the ceiling. With the whip in hand, I swung it with a rotating movement from top to bottom, at the end of the whip, the Touch_Me''s bigsword was still well held by the hilt, which let it be enchanted with my magic.

    [5 seconds left...]

    With that hard spin, I hear the sharp, horrifying crunch of snow hitting the hyper-hot blade.

    [4...]

    Everything seemed in slow motion, maybe it was because of the timer, or maybe it''s the adrenaline in my body..

    [3...]

    I managed to watch the show, with the sword making a beautiful vertical cut on the boss''s face...

    [2...]

    With the movement and angle of the attack, that cut went from the top of its head to the neck area. The slicing in that region...

    [1...]

    My heart seemed to stop from the pressure, but I could see that instead of the snow gathering after the attack...it was pulling and falling apart...

    [Congratulations Player Hikari! You have completed the dungeon!]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    [Player Hikari gained Experience Points]

    Everything went white, not allowing me to see all those messages... but when my vision returned, I found myself lying on something very soft and fluffy, with one last notification in front of me.

    [Player Hikari Lv.15 ¡ú Lv.20]

    <hr>

    Username: Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T

    Began Playing: April 4th, 0000

    IGN: Hikari

    Job: The Magic Rogue

    Residence: ¨¢lfheimr

    Alignment: True Neutral ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Karma: 60

    Total Level: 15 ¡ú 20

    (5 Level points left for distribution)

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.6

    Wizard ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Craftsman ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.4

    Ability Chart:

    Hp: 23 | Mp: 21

    Phy.Atk: 22 | Phy.Def: 16

    Agility: 23

    Mag.Atk: 21 | Mag.Def: 16

    Resist: 13 | Special: 22

    Total Stats: 177¡ú 222

    (45 Status points left for distribution)

    (Base: 45; Early Access'' Little Benefit: +6; P/Level-Up: +9)

 Chapter 6 - A great first impression

    [??? POV]

    I was simply talking to my colleagues about new things that were happening or that we are planning for the future. Among us, only one had a note app turned on, to write down all our ideas, so they could be discussed at the next meeting.

    "Then we could try to use a new item creation system and give item creators room for some extra space in the Shop Window." My friend to my left commented.

    "Hmmm... sounds like a great idea, but in theory, wouldn''t that destroy the proprietary store system we''re already planning?" Another colleague, a little further away, pointed out that detail.

    "No. At most it will make people lazy when looking for extreme quality items, but on the other hand... It would help players to be able to compare extreme quality and value items with those they want to buy." my colleague to my right spoke.

    "So it would be more or less the same logic as going to a place to buy something in person and looking on your cell phone if the price of the item is exaggerated or extremely cheap? Hm...okay, let''s save that idea for later. Something else to discuss ?" The person sitting in a chair opposite me asked curiously.

    "Perhaps in regards to skill''s reviews list to ban, nerf or whatever? Do we already have the list of this until Early Access ends?" I asked looking at my colleagues and one of them shook his head.

    "Unfortunately I didn''t have time to see this, family issues are getting in the way." When he said that, everyone laughed.

    "Was it your wife or mother this time?" I asked in a tease way.

    "Mom... She kept giving me hell to spend time with her, even though I had already visited her for a whole week, not even a month ago." He said embarrassed.

    "Relax, all mothers are like that, man. Seriously, mine is coming into the room all the time and handing me cookies. Lucky for me, you can''t hear her through the neural link." We had a long and fun laugh with that comment, and soon a notification ping appeared on my display.

    "Oh, did something happen? If I remember, we put a rule in place that we were only supposed to leave super important notifications on." My colleague on the left commented as I opened the notification.

    [Warning! Someone entered The Frozen Hut dungeon!]

    I broke out in a cold sweat seeing that notification, and everyone seemed to notice my sudden annoyance, as one of them tried to snoop on what I was seeing. He got wide-eyed just like me, and commented "Isn''t that the dungeon you put as a draft?"

    When he said that, everyone else looked shocked at me, and another asked. "Wait, you didn''t forget to close the dungeon entrance, did you?"

    "I-I remember definitely deactivating the object_event that allowed entry. It''s the only way they could get in, so.. HOW?!?" I exclaimed and opened the command history window, searching only for that dungeon to see if I really had closed it or not.

    "This is going to be a problem... You said you were testing some skills on the AIs that will be given to Bosses from lvl.40 and up, right?" The colleague who had seeing into my communication window asked.

    "Yes, but I don''t understand how they-" I stopped talking when I saw that there was no deactivation message from the bed''s object_event. I really had completely forgotten to hide the script that activated the dungeon.

    "Damn... I really forgot..." I said embarrassed and soon one of my companions pulled my dungeon history screen to him and left it on the ground.

    The screen extended and changed functionality, now we could see in real time what was happening there. Apparently, there were only two players who had entered the dungeon, and when we pulled their character sheet, I noticed that one of them was still at a very low level, even for the recommendation we gave for someone to find such an adventure.

    "Are we going to get them out of there or...?" I looked at my friends and one of them shook his head.

    "The meeting is over anyway, let''s see how novice players run in fear of your dungeon of horrors. Just for entertainment."

    "Really...?" I asked.

    "We''ll give them compensation when they die, maybe we''ll make them return all the levels and items they lost as a way of apologizing and not making them angry for something unfair." One of us said that and I had to agree that at least it was good we didn''t lose players because of our mistake... I mean, it was my mistake, but everyone here, as developers, will have the same responsibility.

    So we sat there and watched the big screen on the floor showing their situation, every now and then we switched to the first person view of one of the players, but generally we kept it in a third person shot.

    To be honest, I was getting overwhelmed, this dungeon was meant to be a quick 1 hour adventure, but because of the advanced skills of the monsters there and because they were hunting some specific monsters in addition to that, they seemed to last three times long of time. I was even confused as to why they were stopping sometimes to hunt [Ice P-Rabbit]s, but then one of my colleagues opened his writing console and looked up some information.

    "Interesting... well I suspected..."

    "What''s it?" I asked, curious.

    "Remember that silly Side-Quest I implemented a week ago?" We all nodded with his question, and soon he continued talking. "Apparently they accepted this Side-Quest and that''s why they went to that area of ??the map... They''re pretty smart for assuming that they would find these monsters inside the dungeon."

    "That''s because I made this dungeon part of the map''s environment, I just created countless walls and locks, making it only accessible through the only entrance." I commented and those who were confused about how that was possible suddenly had an air of wisdom.

    I was even more impressed when I saw them arriving in the Boss room, I had made that room inspired by several movies and anime where the heroes arrive in the arena of the final battle against a great king. It made me proud to see the expressions of surprise and beauty that they had when analyzing that big room, that was the spirit that I wanted to give to whoever went there.

    We saw them prepare for the battle, with one of them picking up a bow, ready to shoot. My colleagues and I noticed that, even though he had a whip and a bow, he had no job classes related to these items, the only offensive item he had that involved a job class of his was the daggers.

    "He must have trained in target shooting irl or in some other virtual game to be able to do that without having a proper job class..." I thought, as I watched him shooting a fiery arrow at my precious snowman, who was now beginning to move and show its true form.

    We continue to see their hard fight, to say that it was incredible would be the least possible, that battle was more than impressive, it was extraordinary! It was as if both players had trained in martial arts or great fighting techniques! This was splendid and shocking to say the least!!!

    "Doesn''t your snowman have all the skills with the potential of a lvl.60?" One of my colleagues asked and I just agreed. I didn''t give this Boss extremely crazy skills, I just made all his skills have the strength of advanced skills, not the same level of versatility.

    [Arena condition changed, timeout enabled.]

    I saw this notification in front of me and looked to the side, seeing one of my colleagues messing with the dungeon settings.

    "What do you think you are doing?!" I exclaimed.

    "I won''t accept that two players of this level manage to defeat a Boss like that... That''s... I want to heat things up." He said while eating something that resembled a mixture of popcorn and cookies.

    We looked at him with a little anger and I took a deep breath, I hadn''t created the rewards for that dungeon yet, so anyway they wouldn''t receive anything additional for completing it. Even so, put a limited time in the middle of nowhere... it was a very wrong thing to do, even if the Boss was already at half health, due to the initial attack it received.

    We continued to watch the fight in silence, while all this time, the players were managing to dodge the attacks while using their skills to slowly drain the life of the Boss I created. I didn''t know if I should be proud to see such experienced players in Early Access, or if I should be angry that my precious monster couldn''t attack them.

    Time was passing, the limit that was placed was coming to an end, even so none of them had died yet, until the moment when one of them was thrown and suffered from OHKO.

    "Sheesh" We all said in unison.

    "That one must have hurted." I said as I watched the remaining player scream in rage and charge at my monster.

    Those moves...

    That use of basic skills...

    And that technique...

    All this made me see my creation being destroyed, milliseconds before the dungeon kicked the player out of there due to the time limit.

    [The Frozen Hut has been completed!]

    I quickly clicked on some buttons on my console, and deactivated the dungeon. A deactivated dungeon meant that only us, Devs, could see it. For others, the place became a blank and empty room. I took a deep breath as I observed that all of my colleagues were incredibly impressed by that player''s performance.

    "Who the fuck is that guy?"

    "He really started a few days after we released Early Access... how is it still at such a low lvl with so much technique...?"

    "This was meant to be... A poorly finished and unbalanced dungeon..."

    "We need to find out who this guy is.. his IGN doesn''t tell us so much, and I bet that someone would be crazy enough to put their real name, but his username is ''Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T''... maybe there''s some connection we could do with this username?" One of the Devs, who are responsible for our website page, commented, making me snap out of my thoughts.

    "I created that dungeon, I will go to him to congratulate him and try to get as much information as possible without destroying the terms of use and privacy that we created. Anyone against it?" I asked and no one seemed to refuse my idea.

    [Is The Frozen Hut the right place you want to go?]

    I activated the system that asked me that question through a popup. I clicked on the accept option and a portal appeared on my side, which I soon entered without much delay.

    <hr>

    [3rd Person POV]

    Player Hikari was lying in a completely strange space, he could see nothing but the white color in all directions, there weren''t even shadows, which made him become disoriented and fall when he took a wrong step. Slowly he decided to sit up, still panting from the battle he''d just had.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    "Wh-What is it?" He whispered to himself, confused he opened his status window, and he could see it, making him more relieved to know he was still in the game.

    However, before he could use the Party window to talk to Touch_Me, a large flashy portal appeared next to him. The portal was quite colorful and vibrant, which made Hikari see it very clearly in the middle of that empty white. From inside the portal, a humanoid being came out, with slightly brown skin, with arms proportions a little more elongated than that of an ordinary person, in addition to wearing a white mask and the clothes being all dark. If these details didn''t exist, that would be considered a human NPC or a Player who loves simple things.

    "Hello boy... Did you enjoy your little adventure?" Said the mysterious being, it snapped its fingers and chairs appeared next to both of them, it sat in one while Hikari was a little scared, but decided to accept that and sit down too.

    "I''m fine... just tired... I''ve done a lot today." Hikari replied calmly as he saw a large mug of butterbeer appear in front of him.

    "Drink it up, you deserve a victory drink after that." That strange being answered and soon a console appeared in front of it to write some things.

    "... Wait a minute... Are you a Developer?" the player asked calmly after seeing that floating keyboard, moreover, he decided to take a small sip of the drink, it tasted amazing and delicious, even more so than the other butterbeers he has tasted.

    "That''s right, I''m one of the Developers, to be more exact, I''m the creator of the dungeon you completed, you can call me ''Great-o Doll'', but many call me GoD..." Said the developer, with an air of grandeur.

    "Kind of clich¨¦, don''t you think?" Hikari commented, taking another sip from his butterbeer mug, and the developer burst out laughing.

    "Yes, I know it''s clich¨¦, I purposely chose it as an inside joke that me and the other developers have... but anyway, back to business... I''m here because... the dungeon you completed shouldn''t be actived, the entrance was supposed to be completely blocked for players to enter... and due to my mistake, the entrance remained open." GoDoll commented, giving a slight embarrassed laugh.

    "So... Was it a half-done dungeon?" Hikari asked, taking another sip of his drink.

    "No. The dungeon was complete... the problem was that I was still using the monsters, traps and the Boss of this place, as tests for powerful skills..." The developer said this, but Hikari didn''t seem to understand where this was going, then he continued to talk. "The skills and attacks you faced here were all above Lv.40."

    With that comment, Hikari forcefully spit out the beer that was in his mouth, soiling the floor beside him, while coughing a few times, trying to catch his breath. Great-o saw that reaction and gave a smile behind his mask, that was comical to see, almost like a scene from a cartoon.

    "D- *Cough cough* Did you say lv.40?!?"

    "Yes, and you managed to survive all that... the snowman... or as the system call it... [King SnowFlake]... could be being seen as a Lv.30 Boss... but actually all his skills were from Lv.50-70 monsters..."

    "T-That''s insane! You''re telling me I survived attacks that are more than 50 levels above mine?!" Hikari asked, and GoDoll responded with a simple nod.

    "If your friend hadn''t been so flustered and gone for a point-blank attack in that form, he would be here for this conversation as well." With that comment, Hikari stared a little at the non-existent floor and sighed.

    "But relax, I will be sending him a formal apology later today, as well as giving him the levels and items he lost with that OHKO." GoDoll explained and gave a long yawn.

    "However... I want to know something... who the hell are you to have managed to do that? I mean... my colleagues and I watched the fight against the Boss, it was impeccable to the point that we felt like emperors watching a fantastic fight and beautiful in a coliseum." He commented again, getting Hikari''s attention.

    "Oh... I''m not as awesome as I look, I''m just playing, having fun, and taking notes." said Hikari, a little shy with those informations.

    "Taking notes? Could you explain that to me?" GoDoll looked at the player, very interested.

    "I''m working as a Game Reviewer... I decided to choose YGGDRASIL as my complete focus... I was even thinking of trying to contact you guys to do interviews and stuff like that in exchange for other things. So... finding a developer now, has its advantages." Hikari answered simply.

    "Oh! A game reviewer? Famous or newbie?"

    "Newbie... This is my first job actually, but you could say I would famous if I said who I really am." Hikari answered him, finishing his butterbeer.

    "So... rich dad''s little boy who wants to get out under his dad''s wing using ''fun'' jobs... Got that right?" Godoll asked.

    "Yeah.. Like that."

    "Interesting... So about this thing with doing interviews and stuff. I would need to know who you are first for that, mainly because... you''re the first direct contact I have with someone cataloging our game... That might become something bigger in the future than just a review website... and become a secondary zone of secure information... of course, apart from the official YGGDRASIL website itself."

    Great-o Doll was very interested in that whole conversation, meanwhile he was seeing conversation bubbles from his fellow developers countless times, and he answered them by typing on the floating keyboard, instead of speaking, so as not to disturb the fluidity of that situation. Hikari had a simple but smug on his face, as if he had, by sheer luck, gotten what he wanted without having to look too hard.

    "So... instead of getting just one interview... would I become your affiliate? Is that what you are saying?"

    "Not exactly... It''s more like a secondary way for players to know things and see us, Devs, in a more humane way, and not as if we were crazy people who live to fix the servers." GoDoll explained further and Hikari chuckled, agreeing with the idea.

    "But... as you yourself said before... that you wanted to interview us in exchange for some things, can you continue your line of reasoning?"

    "Yes... I won''t say my level of kinship, but I''m from the Kobayashi family... the same Kobayashi family that works with air purification around the world." Hikari said this calmly and sternly, but soon GoDoll stood still, as if he was impressed, but his mask didn''t allow anyone to see if that was true or not.

    "Kobayashi... Oh... now I get your username... very silly, but clever." The dev responded calmly and watched Hikari, talking and giggling a bit. "So would our game get sponsored or something for you to become a helper and such?"

    "Well... for a sponsorship... I don''t know if I can get it... but at the very least, a big discount for the devs on the company''s products... That''s something I can try to give you without any problems." Hikari replied.

    "Could it be... let''s talk about this later... now you deserve a much better prize than all this talk." Great-o commented as he took a kind of big box from inside that portal. "As a reward for defeating a Boss with an average power of lv.60, when you were only a lv.15 player, I will give you this thing."

    The large box was pushed in front of Hikari, it was very square and had a design that resembled an ordinary wooden box used to store items on ships. On top of the box were three bows, one red, one purple, and one yellow. Hikari glared at those bows and before he touched the box, Great-o Doll snapped at him.

    "To open it, you only need to pull one of the color bows... If you open it with the purple one, you will gain consumable items of Top tier to above. If you open it with the yellow one, you will gain a huge amount in Coins, equivalent to the value of items that would give the same level of power that [King SnowFlake] had... and opening with red... you''ll get two... random items out of 5 specific items."

    "Can you tell me the possible purple and red bows items?" Hikari asked and the dev shook his head.

    "Well... purple are Top tier consumables... but as the name says... they are consumables... Yellow will give me money... but I already planned to work hard inside the game, why would I want something I can have later?" Hikari kept talking to himself, while the dev watched, with a proud smile under his mask.

    After a few seconds of deep thought, Hikari pulled the red bow and the box opened, revealing two very interesting items. There was a Hunnic bow, with the ends being blued, the main material being a whitish wood, and in the middle there was a purple area to be able to hold with the hand, the string of that bow was quite clear also with light purple details. The other item there was a kind of sword, to be more specific, a katana, with a white handle, a dark purple sheath and a golden guard.

    [Player Hikari received Bow-Bifrost]

    [Description: Before the teleport portals that connected the remaining 9 realms of YGGDRASIL, there existed a physical bridge that connected 2 realms, Midgard and Asgard. This bridge was destroyed during one of the High-Beings'' attacks, who were trying to devour the YGGDRASIL leaf that represents Asgard, but that realm managed to survive, unfortunately losing connection for some time. This bridge was made of something called Bifrost, an extremely powerful and beautiful metal that glows in rainbow colors when activated, it was said that the bridge this material came from, burned enough at the point that ice enemies could start melting just from seeing the metal.]

    [Data: -Arrows used with this bow automatically gain simultaneous Burn and Freeze effects, but the chance to inflict one of these effects on targets is 10%.

    -When the item''s owner has a Level-Up, the bow''s durability goes back to 100%.]

    [Player Hikari received Kowai-Muramasa]

    [Description: A sword from the eastern world, made by the amazing Muramasa. Muramasa''s blades are known to sap the wielder''s willpower, and drive them mad for murder and bathe the blade in blood. Many believe that there may even be demons inside each blade. Kowai-Muramasa is a very specific katana, it is said that the demon that inhabits it makes the user feed the blade in two ways, either inflicting fear on enemies, or receiving blood from the user''s targets.]

    [Data: -50% chance to inflict Bleed effect when attacking in unprotected areas.

    -5% chance to inflict Paralysis effect when unsheathed in front of a target.

    -Kowai-Muramasa has its own levels, they increase the more the user kills enemies that are with Blood or Paralysis debuff using its blade.]

    "Can I really have this?" Hikari stared at the dev in front of him, the player''s face was completely impressed and shocked by those descriptions and datas.

    "Of course, I don''t see a problem. Since we''ll be doing some kind of contract later and stuff, we''ll always keep an eye on you anyway. If we see that we need to nerf your items, we''ll contact you first and we can have a conversation of possible ways to nerf without taking away the importance of the gifts you are receiving."

    "Great... Can I..."

    "Test? Of course, I don''t see a problem!" The dev soon started typing on the floating console''s keyboard.

    [An Enemy has arisen! It''s a Dummy Lv.100!]

    Hikari stared at the [Dummy] and then at the developer over there, too confused. Great-o Doll just laughed a little and struck a comical pose as he spoke. "Relax, it''s just an object that we, devs, sometimes use to test in practice equipment that has suffered some type of complaint."

    Hikari then took a deep breath and picked up [Bow-Bifrost] for the first test. The player took a common arrow from within his inventory and began to use the new item, the arrowhead began to shine a beautiful color that was changing from red to blue, while the ends of the bow itself were changing color in a style of RGB lights, but in a more mystical way. Slowly the boy was positioning and aiming at the center of the [Dummy]''s body. When he was ready, he fired a shot.

    The arrow hit the [Dummy] throwing it away, but soon it returned to the position it was, and above it was the information that the test doll had suffered a debuff of Freeze. Even so, there was still in the air, a rainbow trail along the way the arrow was released, which disappeared after a few seconds.

    Now for the next test, Hikari took [Kowai-Muramasa]. Initially positioned at the waist, taking the blade from the katana sheath, he could see that the blade was very beautiful and delicate in a certain way. But in doing so, nothing happened to the [Dummy]. So he continued testing, sheathing and unsheathing the katana several times, until above the test doll, a information appeared that it received a debuff of Paralysis.

    "These items are really amazing... But are you sure I deserve all this?" Hikari was still in doubt if this was all real or some dev making a joke.

    "Relax, kiddo. I told you it''s okay. Besides... the title [Born to Kill] suits [Kowai-Muramasa] a lot" The dev laughed and opened a new portal.

    "Wait, you know about the title I got on the first day?" Hikari asked, startled.

    "Of course, we have access to character information." The dev was deadpan about that and Hikari just facepalmed.

    "Okay... We''ll see later then, won''t we?" Hikari said, approaching the portal to finally leave that white room.

    "Yes. We already know your username, if we want to talk to you, we''ll send an email through your YGGDRASIL account. If you want to talk to us, just send a message calling some Dev, I''ll come if I''m online." Great-o Doll reached out to Hikari, who simply shook hands firmly with the dev, before finally walking out of that white room.

    "This kid has a future. How much do you bet he''s going to be the most well known player in the whole game?" Another dev emerged after the portal Hikari went through was gone. He used a high-elf as a character.

    "... I''ll bet you 5 months of free snacks, but don''t go overboard." Great-o Doll made the comment, laughing.

    "What about the fact that he''s related to the famous air purification family company?" Another dev appeared, this one having a beast girl as a character.

    "I don''t think people would have the nerve to create such an absurd lie when we can just deactivate his account via Neural-ID." Great-o raised a big point.

    "Okay, so if there really is an interview and after that we don''t get those discounts he mentioned... we want you to take responsibility for being the first one be interviewed." the beast girl dev said.

    "I''m okay with this... I really liked this boy, y''all saw that his talent isnt a lie." he said, as both they three went out that white room using other portal.

 Chapter 7 - Great News

    [Hikari POV]

    Finally, the day has arrived...

    Today is June 20, 2136, the day Early Access will finally end, and the official game will be available for anyone to play...

    I was looking forward to this, not only because I wanted to see more players walking the streets, but because today I was going to do an interview with the Developers, as we had agreed in May. This interview would be watched in-game, but the live-stream would be connected to my website, YtD, so views from people watching on the website and within YGGDRASIL would be added together.

    Yesterday, Great-o Doll and I talked through a private group, where there was him and 4 other Devs, who decided to remain anonymous and not say anything, just to see how things were going. This conversation was about what they would get in exchange for letting me be an official miscellaneous news website regarding their game.

    Taking advantage of my father being the current owner of Kobayashi.inc, I asked him to help with these details, and I managed to make a deal that he himself was interested in and offered to the Devs. The deal would be that in exchange for them allowing me to do these things, they would gain basic sponsorship from the company, with the idea of ??being a virtual world without pollution of our sad reality, in addition to receiving lifetime and anonymous cards in which they could buy items with 70% discount. These cards were very interesting, as they were connected to the ID of the person who received it, even though it is an anonymous ID, there is no way to copy it, especially when connected to a Neural-Link.

    I still find it hilarious how people can''t understand this kind of thing, I mean, even Great-o Doll was confused when I explained, because he never had something like this. An anonymous card that can only be used by one person... Wasn''t there anything like that in the past at least? Well... who cares?

    At the time I was in Alfheim, inside a Tavern and waiting for the interview time. I already had some notes of things I was going to ask, in addition to having already noticed a floating television next to me.

    The Devs made a very small update, installing these floating screens in several taverns and in the central squares of all the main cities of the 9 realms. No one thought it was strange, especially since today was the end of Early Access, everyone was imagining that there would actually be something "new year" style with a counter and fireworks.

    In that simple tavern I was at, there were only 3 other players and an NPC who worked as a waitress. The NPC was a [Dark Elf] with a lovely and simple uniform, her appearance was of a young woman in her 20s, with nothing exaggerated about her body, red hair and red eyes. It was my first time seeing something of this race, it was very different from what I imagined, the skin wasn''t that dark, the tone of it seemed a perfect tan, something between light brown and caramel.

    "Here are your orders." The NPC spoke while putting on the table 3 mugs of butterbeer, 1 glass of mead-based whiskey, and a plate full of dry leaves that gave an appearance of potato chips.

    I grabbed one of the butterbeers and take a long drink, already drinking half the mug. "I will never stop loving this drink here at YGGDRASIL." I said as I caught my breath, slamming the mug down on the table in the classic style of someone from Nordic times.

    "I noticed, that''s the only alcoholic drink you have. Are you sure you don''t want a whiskey like mine?" Said one of the players next to me.

    This player used a dwarf as a character, the appearance made everyone see him as a human child, until they saw the race he belonged to. His IGN is <u>[</u>Samblok], but we just called him "Sam", he was one of the players I met in the incident that happened against that fox-girl player... what was her name again? Son... Sun...? I didn''t even remember anymore, I never saw her or that elf again.

    "All you guys think about is drink af, eh? I ordered a Butterbeer too, but only because I don''t like to be the different." Said another player with us.

    This one used a female human character, with a great and attractive body, she wore a leather rogue outfit, even though this wasn''t her JobClass, her hair was quite long and blonde, and her IGN is <u>[Lanrha_Turn3]</u>. She was also an acquaintance of mine, from the same event where I met Samblok, in fact, she was the waitress at that tavern in Midgard, but she ended up giving up her job to explore Midgard, Alfheim and Nidavellir a little, the main realms for humans, elves, and dwarves, respectively.

    "You say that because you don''t know that we spend most of our time battling various monsters and leveling-up as citizens of this huge world tree!!" Touch_Me was the third player with me, and he was talking in a expressive way, roleplaying.

    "So you two really fight too much? That explains your levels." Samblock commented by taking more sips of his whiskey.

    He was right about that, although Touch_Me explored more than I did, we were both at pretty advanced levels considering that we only played in our spare time. I had reached Lv.25 not even a week ago, while my half-insect companion had reached Lv.32. Impressive how, even though he spent more time in battles than I did, we had gained the same amount of levels. Meanwhile, Samblock was only Lv.12 and Lanrha was Lv.6, not very impressive but understandable considering what they do normally.

    "Don''t think it''s too much, we just go to an area with enemies within our level and attack them." I said while looking at the time on the system screen.

    [In Game Time: 03:50 pm]

    [In Real Time: 9:30 pm (Japan - GMT+9)]

    "It''s almost time..." I said finishing my butterbeer and going to the NPC over there.

    "Hm? Going somewhere, cutie?" Lanrha said teasingly.

    "Good luck, Hikari. You''ll need it." Touch_Me commented waving at me as I paid for what we ordered.

    [The value for all products purchased at this establishment was 40 gold coins. Will you pay for everything or will you share it among the people who consumed it?]

    "Thanks, Touch... And you''ll see, Lanrha, you just need to watch the television." I said with a smug in my face.

    "Hm...? What do you mean??" She was quite confused while Samblok was quiet, just drinking his whiskey.

    I smiled at their confused faces and left the tarven, walking a little through the main city of Alfheim until a message from the system appeared in front of me. I had a wide, amused smile on my face.

    [Great-o Doll: I hope you''re prepared boy. The show is about to start, but I have to take you in advance so that there is no problem.]

    [Player Hikari, you are being called to an "event". Would you like to participate?]

    I clicked on the "Accept" option and soon a door of a nearby house began to glow gold. Interesting to say the least, doing it that way so if there were people next to me, no one would find it strange? "Fine, I''ll accept the way you work, Developers." I spoke low to myself as I walked towards that door.

    When I opened the door, I saw a white and gold spiral, I was unable to see what was on the other side. I took a step, and when I was fully stepping inside and the door seemed to close automatically. On the other side was a room that one would expect from a wealthy family mansion, completely themed in a fantasy Viking way, with armchairs, a table with snacks and drinks and a single window in place. It was a huge glass window that showed a surreal landscape of floating islands with colorful waterfalls and a sky with purple and green as the main colors.

    "Heya, Boy. How are you today?" I heard a familiar voice and turn around.

    There he was, the goddamn awesome dev who had gotten me into big trouble over his little mistake. But I couldn''t get mad, after all he gave me two amazing items as compensation for the trouble and for defeating the biggest creation he had at that moment. Great-o Doll was dressed in a kind of festive and clich¨¦d outfit from any Nordic movie, with the collar of his uniform being quite fluffy, as if it were a whole fox wrapped around his neck. His characteristic elongated arms seemed to slightly match what he was wearing, and then he sat down in one of the armchairs, facing me with that white mask, which was so plain and simple, it didn''t look special.

    "I''m fine, but are you sure it was a good idea to do this today? I mean... It''s Wednesday! Couldn''t it be a Friday or Saturday?" At my questions, Great-o bursted out laughing as he used his long arms to pick up a large mug of orange drink from the table next to him.

    "Boy... I don''t make the rules... Hilariously, this was chosen by vote... and it was an 80% win!" He exclaimed as he was drinking what was in the mug.

    "Got it... one more thing... why are there 3 seats here? I thought it would just be you and me." I asked as I walked over to the table, picking up something that reminded me of chocolate candy.

    "That''s because I decided to participate too... Is there a problem, little boy?" I heard a voice I didn''t recognize and turned around, facing a character that was a humanoid feline with white fur, unlike common demi-humans, she was much more inclined towards a beastman.

    "Oh! And would you be...?" I asked, popping the candy in my mouth.

    "[Trjegul Freyjaha]... I''m one of the Devs who was in the chat yesterday in anonymity." She said with her feline tail wagging rhythmically.

    "Oh, so it''s Freyja''s ''Golden Tree''...interesting name." I said approaching her.

    Unlike Great-o, Trjegul was only wearing simple black shorts and a dark green top made of some hard fabric, in addition she had several accessories on both arms and legs, which looked like colorful bracelets. Her feline eyes were heterochromatic, with one being green and the other purple, like the sky in the landscape seen through the window.

    "Oh! The little boy did his homework! Great to hear that!" Her voice suddenly became super excited and she jumped up and down happily.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    I was surprised by her reaction until Great-o said. "She is just happy because you understood her reference... not so many people easily remember that the goddess Freya had two cats as a symbol."

    "I see, sometimes people forget about these details... Anyway, shall we get started?" I said sitting in the farthest armchair while Trjegul sat in the armchair next to Great-o.

    "We''ll be starting in a few minutes." Said one of them while typing something on a floating keyboard, then a small fairy appeared, holding a camera that was facing us, and a large screen above the fairy.

    "That fairy will be filming us, while that screen up there will be for us to see how we are appearing to the public. The fairy is not glowing now, but when it glows green, it means that people are listening to us, and when it isn''t glowing, it''s like we''re mutated. Easy to understand?" I just agreed with what they said as I let my question notes float on my HUD.

    "Oh! One more thing before we start!" Great-o exclaimed and pointed in my direction. "How is [Kowai-Muramasa]<u> </u>doing? Did it evolve during this little time?"

    "Hm... It suddenly got the Lv.1 symbol while I was battling... Why is this question so out of the blue?" I said looking at him strangely.

    "Great! It''s just that I had forgotten to activate its level-up system." When he said that, I stared at him blankly, while Trjegul smacked him on the back of the head, using those big and fluffly paws.

    "You gave a player a special item and forgot to activate the special part of it?... You really forget a lot of things, we''ll need to give you a calendar and an alarm even to go get some water!" Trjegul spoke irritably to her colleague, who just sighed.

    <hr>

    [Touch_Me POV]

    I was sitting there on the tarven, watching that floating screen in front of me and waiting for Keiko-kun to appear on it! I was still in disbelief over the events that had transpired this past month. By luck and unluck, we had found a dungeon that was still being prepared, and for that, we received compensation from a developer in flesh and blood!... Or should I say "In data and IDs"? Well... that detail doesn''t matter so much.

    What mattered now, was that he got in contact with the Devs and now would very possibly not only sky-rocket with the success of the game, but make the game much more famous right from the start, due to the sponsorships. Was I supposed to gain something from this too...? No! Better not.

    I have to show everyone and everything that I can earn things with what I have! Be it money or willpower, I will only gain something from others if they want to give it to me as a gift, not if I ask for it. Yea! My pride would never allow that!

    "So, Touch-senpai. Why did Hikari leave so early out of nowhere? He''s going to miss the event!" Samblok, one of the humanoid race players Keiko-kun met and befriended, asked me with a curious tone.

    "Don''t worry, he has his reasons for doing that, but like he said before, you two will soon understand. I bet you''ll clap your hands while standing up." I said grandly, standing up and bouncing the butterbeer mug in my hand a little.

    "If you say so... but tell me, how did you two meet? You seem to be great friends." Lanrha commented while fixing her hair.

    "We''ve met irl, to be more specific, I''ve worked with him in a way."

    "Got it, so an old co-worker? Makes a lot of sense." Samblok commented and soon we saw the floating screen turn on.

    Initially appearing the YGGDRASIL logo along with various details, it looked like an introductory video for something, during this, more elements were appearing on the screen, such as a number in the upper right corner, with an eye symbol on top and a kind of extra area on the side right. I saw 3 semi-transparent keyboards appearing above the table where we were eating, and then the name "Chat" appeared at the top of the right side of the screen.

    "Don''t tell me..." I started typing some things and they appeared there, shortly after that, several people started to appear there through messages.

    "Holy Shiiit! It''s like a livestream!?" Samblock commented excitedly.

    <u>[Ladies and gentlemen! Humanoids, Demi-humans and Heteromorphs... We''re here today to celebrate the fact that the Early Access is at its end. And after that, our wonderful world will be accessible to anyone!]</u>

    <u>[So both for new people coming in and for you current players, we found you a young man who can help!]</u>

    <u>[He will bring essential information about how the world of YGGDRASIL works, in addition to being the person who will deliver first-hand news to all those who want more and more knowledge!]</u>

    [Everyone, please welcome our journalist, from YGGtreeDRASIL, Hikari!!!]

    Seeing those messages popping up one after the other made me smile broadly under my helmet. Keiko-kun, you''re managing to walk a path of fame, without having to be in the shadows of your family... You have my full respect.

    "Wh-What?!?" Samblok and Lanrha exclaimed, but I decided to ignore it and watch the interview.

    <hr>

    [Interview Starts!]

    Hikari: "Hello People! My name is Hikari, and I''m here with two YGGDRASIL''s developers to talk and celebrate a lot! Many may not know their IGNs and appearance, but here I present you,<u> [Great-o Doll]</u> and <u>[Trjegul_Freyjaha]</u>!!"

    [Sounds of applause]

    Great-oDoll: *Waving to the camera, which is approaching him.* "Good morning, good afternoon or good night to you, my dear players. My name is Great-o Doll, but everyone calls me Great or GoD. I am one of the developers responsible for creating dungeons in general."

    TrjegulFreyjaha: *Waving when the camera zooms in on her, as well as doing a cute neko pose with her hands.* "And I''m Trjegul! The people within the development group call me NekoNeko, I''m one of the devs responsible for the idea of physical skills! It is an immense pleasure we are showing ourselves in this incredible and magnificent way, to start making our dear game public for everyone to enjoy!"

    Hikari: *Looks at the camera as if he was speaking to the viewers* "Just don''t think she is going to be easy, guys. Her nickname is adorable, but she even bites monsters at Lv.100!"

    [Sounds of laughter and applause]

    Hikari: "Okay, thank you again that our guests were able to be here today, and, of course, thank you for this immense opportunity to be here talking with everyone in this interview. But could you tell me what you expect from this public game start?"

    Great-oDoll: "Hmmm. A simple but powerful question... I''d say I''m hoping our game gets a lot of people on an astronomical level! Yeah, we''re working hard to give everyone a fun and realistic experience of what it would be like in a world like the one we have here in the game."

    TrjegulFreyjaha: "Yes! We are doing our best to see these things, so much so that the Early Access served to let us know what was good to continue, what would be great to add, and what would be better to nerf or delete. So players will have a less intense experience when they start!"

    Hikari: *Looks at a sheet of paper and turns the page a few times.* "Great, now let''s talk about what you said. Do you already have a list of what will be nerfed?"

    TrjegulFreyjaha: "This being one of my main roles, I know that we have at least 20 skills to be nerfed and 40 items that should be deleted or categorized as rare, so would be more difficult to have as a monster''s drop. Sorry, I can''t say the exact number or what skills and items are those."

    Hikari:"O-Oh... all of that... at the very least??"

    Great-oDoll: "Exactly, but there''s nothing to worry about. We''ll also have new things that don''t exist here in Early Access. And don''t worry, journalist, from what I saw in your list of skills, none of them will be deleted, but some of them will only have a name change. Without influencing what they do."

    Hikari:"Oh! So there will be skills and items that won''t have anything changed, except the name? That''s really good for our viewers to know, after all, we don''t want anyone too confused."

    [Sounds of laugh]

    Hikari: "Well. And a question that a lot of other players maybe are asking themselves. And how about the levels? The Early Access Players will have something more than the new ones that will come up?"

    Great-oDoll:"Another great question... About the Levels, they will stay the same, but we already created a new way to calculate how much EXP is needed to level up. I can''t say now how it is calculated, just that.. Starting at Level 50, the EXP that people will need to level up will increasy exponentially, instead of the progressive way of players below this ''wall''... For this other thing... NekoNeko, do we have something for them?"

    TrjegulFreyjaha:"I can say that... Hm... well, this is really a thing to think about. We had already given +6 points for your status. but yeah, we can also give to you all new titles or maybe we do a buff in this +status points..."

    Hikari:"Good! This is great to see. But now I''m seeing that my time here is coming to an end. So I can ask one more thing?" *They both nod, so he continues* "We all know that items are separated in classes like Low, Medium, High, Top, Legacy, Relic, Legendary, and Divine... but. There is a way that you''ll create more classes? Or maybe just fuse two or three of them as if they were in the same level?"

    Great-oDoll:"Hm... I dont know if we can talk about this.. but... in the future we are planning two whole new classes of itens... Actually.. no, they aren''t classes.. they are more like new TYPE of items!"

    TrjegulFreyjaha:"Yes. They will be unique and limited.. So yeah, they won''t have copies or such."

    Hikari: "T-This is crazy... you all can say another thing about this?"

    Great-oDoll: "Just... one single thing... between those two new types of items... one can only be used for a specific JobClass... And this JobClass will be given... only for one single person of each realm!"

    [Suspence Silence]

    Hikari:"E-excuse.. what did you say?"

    TrjegulFreyjaha:"Great-o.. I think you are talking more than we can."

    Great-oDoll: "O-Oh!!! M-my bad guys!" *Cough cough* "Welp, I said that, but actually this is still a alpha plan... Ah, god.. this is hard to explain! But, yeah, we are still thinking about this or not."

    [Sound of a cute alarm]

    Hikari:"Geez! Our time is over! Welp, I think that now everyone is curious about this, even me! But we all will need to wait to see what our crazy devs are planning, right players?!"

    [Sound of audience saying "That''s right!!"]

    Hikari: "Good! So, see y''all in another day or maybe in the website <u>''www.yggtreedrasil.com''</u>! Bye bye and have a happy EarlyAccess'' last day!!"

    <hr>

    I can''t believe this! Hikari, that was amazing!!

    You not only showed yourself as someone who knows how to do your job, but you managed to make one of them say something he shouldn''t have accidentally said! That''s what I call a journalist!

    But it was impressive to say the least... two new TYPES of special items... I hope someone like me gets one of this. I bet they must be powerful to say they were limited and unique... It would be seriously great to have some of those to be used to carry out true JUSTICE!

    Yea! When these items are added to the game, I need to protect weak players, and prevent evil players from getting these items! BRILLIANT IDEA!

    "I can''t believe what I saw.." Samblock commented, dropping his whiskey glass.

    "That Hikari... our Hikari... managed to reach the devs in such a hurry.." Lanrha said with several question mark emojis appearing above her head.

    "Wait a minute, Touch_Me! Did you know that?!" The human player said and soon the dwarf turned to face me.

    "I knew he got that contact, I just don''t know how! But it''s amazing, isn''t it??" I lied, of course I knew, but it was better not to spoil the reputation of the devs, because they made that little mistake a month ago.

    "W-Well... it''s amazing indeed!" Samblock commented and Lanrha frantically nodded her head in agreement.

    I gave a light chuckle and finished drinking my Butterbeer, when a message popped up for me.

    [Hikari: Touch, We need to talk.]

    I was a little confused by this. "Did something happen?" I thought as I got out of my chair and walked to the tavern door. "Guys, I have to go, my family seems to be calling me." I said so that nothing was suspicious.

    "Oh! It''s okay, Touch_Me. Maybe we''ll see you around!" Samblock said saying goodbye.

    "Yes maybe." I commented while activating my party teleport function. It took a few seconds, but I got a confirmation, and with that, I wasn''t in the tavern anymore.

 Chapter 8 - A Fallen being

    [Touch_Me POV]

    <u>[Congratulations! You are one of the first 100 players to reach Lv.50!]</u>

    I watched the notification pop up in front of me, as I had just finished decapitating a <u>[High-Corrupted-Elf]</u>. The mob''s body fell and soon a <u>[Data Crystal]</u> appeared on the ground, I slowly bent down to pick it up.

    <u>[Player Touch_Me recieved Data Crystal of High Tier]</u>

    <u>[Data Crystal: 2¡Á Corrupted Tongue]</u>

    Today was one of the few full days off I had before my mandatory vacantions, thanks to the fact that I''d gotten a promotion during those first few days of returning to my old job as a police officer in the real world. And I was taking advantage of that to evolve my character a little more.

    "Now it''s going to be very difficult, remember what the Devs reported in the last update. The amount of EXP to evolve when someone reaches Lv.50 has exponential growth." I heard my companion''s voice saying that as he finished off the last <u>[High-Corrupted-Elf]</u> that was there at the moment.

    I was still impressed by the evolution that Keiko was making, both in his career as a player and as a journalist for YGGDRASIL. Due to the fact that he always had to roam and explore the 9 realms, he didn''t have that much time to spend fighting over and over again, so unlike me, he was still at Lv.40. Another thing that made him not evolve that much since Earlier Access was that special katana he received from a Dev. As I understand it, he wasn''t forced to have a JobClass involving katanas in order to use the item, but if he wanted full efficiency, he had to do something about it. And that something was not only including the <u>[Weapon Master]</u> JobClass in his character, but also sacrificing some of his EXP into his weapon blade itself.

    <u>[Kuwoi-Muramasa]</u> had that strange unique ability. Unlike other equipment that evolves using objects smelted by a blacksmith, that katana evolved by itself when it absorbed EXP from its enemies, instead of letting the player have it for himself. For this, Keiko was forced to start and end a battle with that item. Due to the special effect of paralyzing enemies when unsheathed, Keiko only needed to unsheath it at the beginning and cause the effect, this already counted as "initiating a battle using <u>[Kuwoi-Muramasa]</u>".

    I slowly walked over to my battle partner and watched him messing with his status, I tried to peek, but he stopped me, putting his hand on my face. Because of our characters'' height difference, he was always forced to lift his arm to do this.

    "Curious again, Touch-san?" He gave a light laugh and slowly returned his katana to the sheath on the left side of his waist.

    "Actually yes, since Lv.30 you haven''t told me how your progress is regarding your character, the most you tell me is the level of your katana." I commented, pointing to the katana on his waist, when pointing, the nickname <u>"[Kuwoi-Muramasa LV.10]"</u> appeared as if it was a player.

    That was another bizarre thing about this item, according to the conversation we had a while back, the Dev who gave it to him made the katana work like that just for the fun of it being a test item, to see how the world around Keiko would change to have something like that. But it was hilarious to think that he could set it so that specific people could see the level of that item, currently it was set to "Party Members Only".

    "Hm... Okay.. I will show you... but only the job Class!!!"Kei-... Hikari said, with a smug on his face.

    It was a little difficult to see his whole body, due to the armor he had, but that mischievous smile did not escape my eyes. Looking at him again, he really already showed how experienced he was becoming. He had a brown cloth outfit and a chain mail over it, in addition, iron plates were placed in the vital areas of his body, in addition to having a glove with spikes on his right hand, while his left glove had a kind of small shield connected. His helmet covered almost the entire head, with the exception of the front part, it was very similar to mine, but mine completely hid my face, so as not to scare players who weren''t used to Heteromorphic races.

    He didn''t really resemble a rogue anymore, even if he had a different set of armor for moments that speed and quick attacks were the most efficient... It was rare that he used this other set, since normally he used his amazing bow for long range attacks, his whip for mid-range and his katana for short-range. He still had his daggers with black blade, but he used more when he saw that it was worth to not make the katana gain EXP instead of him.

    Slowly I saw a blue window appear between me and him, it was his character''s status window.

    <hr>

    Player: Hikari

    Total Level: 40

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue (Assassin) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.10

    Ranger ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Wizard (High-Wizard) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.10

    Craftsman ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Commander ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Weapon Master ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    <hr>

    "So you evolved your <u>[Rogue]</u> to <u>[Assassin]</u> and also <u>[Wizard]</u> to <u>[High-Wizard]</u>?" I asked, curious.

    "Actually, I spent some real money to buy an item that forced evolution from [Wizard] to [High-Wizard]... But the evolution in [Rogue]... is a bonus effect of my title as [Born to Kill]." Hikari said smiling at me.

    "Hm... I heard that in last week''s update, [Born to Kill] became a limited title for only 5 players per continent." I spoke calmly as we started walking through the region, we were close to some cliffs and ravines, so the scenery was quite interesting, to say the least.

    "Yes, that''s true, the Devs said that if the maximum amount of these players is reached, the only way to receive it would be to carry out the achievement right after one of these players has their account banned or deleted... But taking into account that what it does is increase bladed attacks by 50% in addition to turning [Rogues] into [Assassins] instantly... I don''t see it as something very powerful.... I mean, it''s obvious that high level players will have plenty of ways to counterattack others who have such advantages." Hikari commented as we watched a kind of floating platform made of rock from the ravines.

    Hikari jumped on the platform and then jumped again to reach the other side of that deep hole, and I followed even with slight difficulty. Even though I didn''t know his agility stats, it was clearly higher than mine, even though I was 10 levels above him.

    "Wait, but why do you have these other JobClasses?" I asked after realizing he had two JobClasses he never mentioned that had before.

    "Are you talking about [Ranger] and [Commander]? Well, the first one is a JobClass that is connected with [Rouge]''s skill tree, so I took it to specialize more and to use my special bow in a more powerful way, even with [Weapon Master]. In the case of [Commander]... I did a little research, apparently the skills this JobClass can give.. skills involving speaking louder and things like that, can buff beings that are following my orders, which can be either Players and NPCs" When he said that, it all made sense.

    Considering how famous he was becoming as a YGGDRASIL journalist, it was expected that at some point a lot of Players would join him in groups, temporary or permanent. And in that way, he could be considered a leader for them. Having a JobClass with skills like that would be the best option.

    After a few minutes walking through the amazing landscapes of our home realm, we noticed that there weren''t many enemies around. And that was incredibly strange, very strange...

    "Was there an error? Maybe their spawn glitched?" I commented after noticing that my friend had the same thought.

    "No... It doesn''t look like that..." He spoke in a low voice, it was almost a whisper, and slowly approached a small pile of dust.

    Touching that small pile of dust, we could see some [Data Crystal]s, all of which appeared to be Low-Tier drops. "Apparently there were some players here recently..." He spoke and then grabbed the bow on his back.

    In the slightly mountainous region where we were, the monsters respawned every 10 minutes, this meant that the players who farmed there were still close. That made me start walking and trying to look into the distance, until suddenly...

    "HELP!! SOME- AAAH!"

    It was a cry for help, and apparently, it was a player who could be having problems with monsters. My feeling of wanting to help anyone was beeping! And I wanted to further improve my name as a warrior for JUSTICE!

    "Let''s see what''s going on, Hikari-kun!" I exclaimed and started running in the direction of the scream, he was still following me a little behind and already pulling the string of his bow.

    After a few meters, we saw a kind of Player, he seemed to be serving as a security guard, and behind him was the entrance to what appeared to be a large cave. I was really confused, but soon I heard again the cries for help, they were coming.... From inside that cave.

    "That voice is clearly a Player..." Hikari spoke, pulling the string of the <u>[Bow-Bifrost] </u>to the end.

    "I agree... This situation... looks a lot like someone is being attacked and others are giving cover... but we need to confirm... I''ll go there and ask pretending to be a little lost... you keep targeting him." I said and my friend agreed.

    I started to walk calmly there, as if I didn''t want anything, and I noticed that I got the attention of the ''guard'', even though he couldn''t see my face and knew that I was looking at him. That Player was the clear stereotype of a big human, but not in the sense of power, but of weight.

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    "Oi Oi!!! What is a tin head doing here?" He said, trying to intimidate me.

    "Oh! A thousand apologies! I''m looking for a specific type of monster that spawns infrequently in this part of the map!" I replied, still acting my character and feigning innocence.

    "Why the fuck would you look for something that has little chance of showing up here?" He asked, seeming to view me as some dumb player, I was lucky I had turned off my level view beforehand.

    "Oh! It''s a new thing! When you kill a monster in a place where it''s rare, it''s even more likely to drop the highest tier item it has!" I exclaimed, still with that lie to pique the guard''s curiosity.

    "Oops! This is new!! I think I already know where to look for some things..." He said thoughtfully, falling into my conversation, but soon...

    "HEL- AAH! NO, MY WIN-" Another scream was heard.

    "Eh!?! So problem there?" I asked.

    "Nothing much... It must be a monster." The player there spoke a little seriously.

    "Are you sure? It seemed to be a Pla-" Before I could speak, he seemed to be trying to hit me with some kind of very large sword, but before he could swing that sword in my direction, he had been hit.

    <u>[Player TrupeMortal received fatal method damage.]</u>

    <u>[Player Hikari killed Player TrupeMortal.]</u>

    <u>[Player Hikari will be shown as a PK for 1 day IRT]</u>

    Notifications from my Party group came up as that big human fell to the ground already lifeless. There was an arrow that pierced his skull from the side, for the simple fact that that guard had no protection on his head.

    I looked at my colleague and made a sign with my arms for him to come over to where I was. Now we stood near the entrance and heard low moans of pain, as well as approaching footsteps. I noticed that he started using our Party message command, with something appearing in front of me.

    <u>[Hikari: I''ll take care of them, protect my back... I''m going to try out a new skill I recently gained.]</u>

    <u>[Touch_Me: Are you sure about this?]</u>

    <u>[Hikari: Absolute. At the first notification saying I took damage, you enter.]</u>

    <u>[Touch_Me: Alright...]</u>

    After organizing our plan through the chat command, Hikari put his bow away and was holding the katana tightly, still not taking it out of the scabbard. With everything ready, he rushed in there, and I stood waiting, holding my sword in one hand and my shield in the other.

    <hr>

    [Unlucky Player POV]

    Shit! Shit! SHIT! How did I end up in this situation?!?

    I had just accepted an invitation to enter a newbie dungeon! And when I get here, the people who invited me instantly kicked me out of their party and started beating me non-stop!

    Due to how PVP currently works, I was now stuck! Wonderful! I couldn''t use the teleport command to go to the Spawn, because I was in battle! And if I logged out now, I would gain several debuffs when I return, in addition to most of my drops disappearing as a sign of giving up! SHIT!

    "What''s up, robobird? Are you going to cry?" One of the players who tricked me tried to provoke when he saw that I had stopped talking or making any noise, and soon he punched me in the stomach area.

    <u>[Player |||||||||| Lv.10 recieved damage]</u>

    <u>[Player |||||||||| Lv.10! You are with low than 15% of your HP!]</u>

    Holy shit... I''m really fucked up... not only has this all happenning, but I''m a fucking [Magician] out of MP!!

    "Ah! What the fuck... I thought angels and humans were partners!" I exclaimed and then another of the Players over there grabbed my only wing tightly.

    "Angel? You look like a bird that some troll caught, chewed up and then spat out because it tasted awful!" The player in front of me exclaimed.

    "If this makes you an angel, then I having a [Holy Gem] as an accessory makes me Pope!" The player who held my wing quickly grabbed a dagger and stabbed it, as if trying to tear it apart.

    <u>[Player |||||||||| Lv.10 recieved damage]</u>

    <u>[Player |||||||||| Lv.10! You are with low than 10% of your HP!]</u>

    "HEL- AAH! NO, MY WIN-" I screamed again and was soon kicked in the face.

    <u>[Player |||||||||| Lv.10 recieved damage]</u>

    <u>[Player |||||||||| Lv.10! You are with low than 10% of your HP!]</u>

    "I was getting tired of it already... Seriously... I had barely started playing this thing I was recommended to play and already I had players treating me like this?!... What a shitty gam-" My thought was interrupted when suddenly the one holding my wing seemed to pin it and one of my wrists to the wall, his look a bit surprised.

    "Someone killed Trup.. what a disgrace..." One of them said in a low voice and they seemed to be walking out of that area they had trapped me.

    ".... Really, could it be that if I chose to play as a human... I wouldn''t have this problem?... ah.. of course not... motherfuckers like that are everywhere." I thought for a while, looking down at my robotic-looking body. "Shit... I at least shouldn''t have chosen to have only one wing for pure aesthetics... At the time it seemed so badass the idea, I would look super edgy and attract attention... well... I did... but not the one I wanted..."

    "AAAA! WHO ARE YOU SON OF A B-" I hear an angry scream coming out of nowhere.

    By the way that cave had been programmed, it was not possible to see much ahead, even with a torch or lighted item, the maximum vision that could be had was 4 meters, after that it was all darkness. And in the midst of this darkness, I ended up watching something rolling across the floor towards me...

    It was the head of the human player who was leading that Party....

    A FUCKING HEAD! DECAPITATED ROLLING ON MY SIDE!!!

    "WHAAA?!" I exclaimed, trying to get up and run away, but the fact that I had low HP, 0 MP and was trapped by the wing and a wrist, made my escape not even exist.

    "Relax, wing guy, are you okay there? Did these guys give you too much hell?" I hear a voice coming from that same darkness, and soon I saw another human player approaching.

    He had well-made armor, something I would see a player with a JobClass of [Berserk] and [Knight] wearing. He seemed to have a katana in his hands, it was a little dirty with blood, but slowly that blood disappeared, as if the blade was absorbing it. His helmet was exposed in the face area, showing slightly pale skin and a few patches of fiery red hair.

    "Hey? Not listening?" He asked again, and I realized I hadn''t even answered him.

    "Ah... I... I could be better... Those guys got me in trouble.. I don''t have any MP and my HP is already on the critical.." I said things that were very obvious and objective, nothing much. If this guy also wanted to kill me, I would know, because with that information, he could even kill me in a single hit.

    "Hm... and what level are you?" He asked me as he seemed to move his arm to his back, as if calling someone who was not yet in my field of vision.

    "I''m just a Lv.10 [Magician]... Those guys over there were looking for newbies to guide them through easy dungeons, in exchange for 200 coins per person..." I replied as he took out the items that held my single wing on the wall

    Observing further ahead, I noticed a kind of another player, he was too tall to be a human character, and his whole body was covered either by parts of his iron armor, or by a whitish fabric he was wearing underneath. He stood there watching the situation, while he had a great sword and a shield in his hands...

    "My goodness... I was saved by the royal cavalry?" I ended up making that comment by accident, when I really wanted it to be just in my head.

    The two players stared at me, until the redhair one started to laugh a lot, as if he found what I said very funny. He looked at that white knight in shining armor, unable to stop laughing. "Oh my god, Touch! You did it! Someone finally compared you to this! Holy shit!"

    The white knight released a kind of dust through the holes in the front of his helmet, as if he was taking a deep breath. "At least my role in maintaining JUSTICE is being done!" He struck a grandiose pose.

    ". . . " I observed that scene well and thought. "Are you serious? I was saved by a knight who uses a katana instead of a regular sword and a madman in white shining armor?"

    After I was able to move now, the red-haired human player, or as the shining armor guy said, Hikari, gave me a potion. When analyzing the potion before drinking it, I noticed that it was a high tier HP recovery. I got my virtual eyes wide open, after all that would recover my HP without a shadow of a doubt.

    "Well... You need to be careful, not only with scammers, but with human and demi-human players... recently the people who manage YGGDRASIL, announced the existence of secret JobClasses, and so far the only tip they gave is referring to ''Killing beings heteromorphic''... So there are players hunting NPCs and others going after other Players of this category." As he spoke, I drank that potion which easily filled my HP, but it was strange... it also recovered some MP.

    "I never heard of that... I was told about the secret JobClasses part, but not that they were only for humans and that they had hinted at that." I spoke calmly.

    "I see, there are other places to get news besides the game''s login hud." For some reason he smirked at me. "But if you''re at such a low level and you''re a newbie, you should at least team up with your friends, shouldn''t you?"

    I was silent for a few seconds and then he seemed to understand my situation. "Oh... there are few?" No... he didn''t understand.

    "Actually... I don''t have any friends at all... I chose to be an angel because people always love Angels in animes and mangas. And I chose to have only one wing to attract more attention... But nobody sent me a friend invite and... I''m not the type of person who sends invitations..."

    "Hum... You can be our friend if you want!" Said the knight in shining armor.

    "Really?..ah..okay..." I said as I activated my invite setting.

    Two notifications appeared in front of me and one in front of each of them. I soon accepted both friendship invitations.

    "Hm... <u>[Luci¡ïFer]</u>.... Interesting name, especially with your choice of race and design." The redhair guy said, smiling at me.

    "Thank you..." I was silent, thinking "Holy shit, I had already heard their name and accepted their friend request, but I still forgot!!"

    I opened my friendship window and continued talking. "Same to you, Hi-" I noticed their names and tried to hold in my laughter, but I couldn''t.

    They stared at me confused as I continued to laugh. "Wait! Isn''t Hikari a woman''s name?!"

    "Well... I chose it because of the element, not the name itself." He replied.

    "And you! Touch_Me! What''s this name! That seems more like a suggestion than anything else!" Unlike Hikari, the knight was just silent, staring at the ceiling, looking ashamed.

    I continued to laugh until I realized a slightly... minuscule... important detail... Their levels...

    "Wait... I''m being friend... with a Lv.40 and a Lv50?!?" I exclaimed inside my mind.

    "Anyway..." Hikari caught my attention. "Do you want to farm? We know a place that in 2 hours you can kill some monsters and earn 2000 coins in drops transation... if you''re lucky of course. What do you think?"

    "O-Of course!" I accepted their idea, and we started walking out of the cave, until a doubt arose in my mind...

    "Wait, why didn''t you guys kill me to try and see if you could get those secret Job Classes?" I watched the two that were in front of me, and Touch_Me just gave a little laugh

    "I''m not from a human or demi-human race, there''s no reason for me to do that." Touch_me spoke first.

    "I''m not interested in that kind of thing, anyway, if I was interested, I''d try things that didn''t involve killing players first... unless the players were aggressive, like the guys that attacked you." Hikari was the next to respond, taking off his helmet and showing that he had a very spiky ponytail, with a kind of golden accessory holding his hair in place.

    "I see... Thanks again." I said a little embarrassed for having asked that.

    So we walked together towards the place they wanted to recommend me.

    Little did I know that this would be the beginning of not only a bizarre friendship, but also great and humorous... at least for me. Hehe.

 Chapter 9 - Earth Ruins

    [3rd Person POV]

    January 1st, 2137, 6 am...

    A notification alarm was activated on the first day of the year. That alarm caused several people around the world to wake up with strong hangovers, others woke up calmly for not being interested in the festive period, and some just grabbed their cellphones, having woken up earlier than that, or maybe they didn''t even sleep during New Year''s Eve. But what did all these people have in common?

    Simple, they were all YGGDRASIL players! That notification was from the game, apparently there was an update request for the new year, and everyone did it without question. Everyone, including a gaming journalist, who was currently writing something on his website.

    "EH?! An Update?! But I wasn''t even told about that!!" the journalist, Keiko Kobayashi, exclaimed when he saw that notification, after all, he was sponsoring the game using his family''s company, he was expected to know that beforehand to already have a pre-made news to send at in time! Unfortunately, that didn''t happen. Irritated, he opted for the most normal option in that situation, he left the computer on, downloading the new update while he went to test something.

    Usually people never leave their apartments because of the toxic air, but for Christmas he got a rather interesting present. This gift was a brand new breathing suit, it was a new prototype that will start to be sold around October of that year. Before that, did equipments exist with this function? Of course! But this prototype seemed to be much more flexible in joint areas, including the hips and knees, allowing the person to run using it, something that is practically impossible using models that are on the market today.

    He also took another item that he won at Christmas last year, a kind of hoverboard that could be fueled using carbon gas, to be soon after transformed into heat, energy and light. It was an ecological way of helping the planet so to speak, using the thing that is destroying us for mobility and light. That item had become very famous in 2129, but few people used it, as they found it super difficult to move around while wearing protective clothing, making the hoverboard more useful for carrying heavy items when they are out of their houses.

    However, with the prototype suit Kobayashi received, that would be completely fantastic for him!

    "Let''s see how this beauty works." He said, standing in the entryway underneath the building he lives in.

    More updated buildings, since 2100, have two entrances, the bottom one and the top one. The top entrances are for people to access the electromagnetic roads, created exclusively to give more space for electric cars to move. Even so, the concrete roads still existed, usually used as a pedestrian area. The project of still using concrete roads for this didn''t expect that, even after 30 years, the world would not be very safe to walk around outside a car. But world leaders still believed it was a good thing we had this, after all... maybe some miracle could happen and the world would be safe again to move freely.

    Before going up on the Hoverboard, Keiko checked if all the equipment on his suit was properly closed, also using the watch, which was underneath the suit, to calculate if there was any leakage. With a happy sigh, it appeared that the watch was reporting 0.001% toxins, and as the suit was a prototype, that was seen as completely acceptable, and within the margin of error.

    Thus, he put his foot on top of the item and began to give light impulses with his right foot on the ground to gain an initial speed, with that achieved, the hoverboard seemed to propel itself forward without assistance. It was an interesting image to see, some of the toxic fog ahead being sucked in by entrances in the front and sides of floating item, to soon after generate energy that kept it afloat, there were five luminous points to help in location, two in front, two behind and one that was below, also directly illuminating the ground through which it passed.

    "Hm... The maximum speed of this is 30 m/s according to the manual..." Keiko spoke to himself as he made the watch again test the level of toxicity inside the suit, and it was still the same as before.

    One of the reasons he chose to use the concrete streets to test this, was because there were two types of toxins in the air currently, a heavier one, and a lighter one. The lighter one would obviously affect higher areas, while the heavier one would be more concentrated the lower it is. The heaviest has an absurd amount of carbon, which means the Hoverboard can be on full fuel no matter how much it accelerates.

    Moving faster, the boy arrived at maximum speed, with the help of the frontal light, he could identify that in front of him the street had some holes. Due to the way the clothes were made, he was able to move his hip areas well to avoid the holes and ended up jumping into an open stream there, managing to land easily on the other side. But because he had a building right ahead, he was forced to make a very close turn, leaning heavily to accomplish this feat.

    The young Kobayashi whistled, impressed by the way that hoverboard was working. It was better than expected. "Amazing indeed!" He thought, as he began to recognize where he was.

    He knew that a few streets ahead, there was a set of luxury residences, it was literally a big dome with houses inside. Yes, they were real houses, not buildings... And among the houses in that place, there was one that belonged to a family that four decades ago became rich. The current man of this family has a beautiful and young wife, a studious daughter, the same age as the young journalist, and a quiet life, having a job that would be seen in the past as dangerous, but with high responsibility.

    "Touch-san..." Yes, nearby, there was the house of a police detective, and Keiko''s great friend, well known by his nickname in YGGDRASIL, Touch_Me!

    "Hm... maybe it''s better to visit him another day..." he thought a little more and finally went back towards the building he lived in.

    He had a feeling Touch_Me wouldn''t be home for various reasons. One of them is about why his internet connection during a small New Year''s party inside the MMO-RPG was a little bad than usual, like he was in an unplanned place to play. Another reason was related to him having left at least 6 times in the middle of the game to do something, possibly he could be visiting relatives in another city. But anyway, it''s good to confirm this kind of thing in a calmer moment and without so many tasks to do.

    And this was Keiko''s logic.

    <hr>

    [Hikari POV]

    "How interesting! Very nice to see that!" I exclaimed, eyes shining.

    It had taken about 8 hours IRL, but finally the update was installed. I had barely finished accessing my YGGDRASIL user account when an interesting system window popped up, it was clearly a warning related to what''s new this year.

    <u>[Warning! Big Heteromorph Update!]</u>

    <u>[Recently we saw how several players of the Heteromorphic race have been hunted around, thanks to the reward system involving very specific Job Classes! And because of that, most of the new players are deciding never to choose these monstrous but super interesting races! To combat this, we''ve decided to release some new races of Heteromorphs that can be chosen for character creation!]</u>

    <u>[Most of the new races that can be selected are from monsters that already existed in the YGGDRASIL environment, but the team of this DMMORPG decided to give them a chance as an option. Others are completely original for players, with the small probability of, depending on how y''all react to them, being put into the game as NPCs too!]</u>

    <u>[Among the Heteromorph options that we are adding are: Skeletons; Zombies; Undead Golems; Slimes; Lesser Fairies! There will be races other than the most famous ones mentioned!]</u>

    I was really happy to see a bigger incentive to have heteromorph players. Really the whole situation of hunting provoked by human players was annoying, even though I was using a human character, I could feel how dangerous it must be, because until now, most of the people on my friend list, were from races considered as monsters. But another message popped up, leaving me stunned.

    <u>[If one of the newly added races was one you wanted, but ended up choosing another because you had no choice. We will be giving all players an item called "Reborn Leaf". This item will make the player reset the character, but still keeping the attribute and level points, to be able to use them in their new attempt. It will not be possible to use this item to reset your attributes and your character while remaining in the same race, as an item like this is already being developed!]</u>

    <u>[This item will be usable until February 15, 2137, after which it will lose its function and become completely decorative! So if you don''t want to use it, keep it as a commemorative gift for YGGDRASIL''s first New Year''s Eve. Sincerely, Dev Team.]</u>

    A method of switching races but keeping EXP?! This is extraordinary, now I understand why they didn''t tell me. They wanted me to surprise myself with this idea!

    Most likely, after some time, there may be items that do these things again. But for now, having a human character is better for me... It''s not that I wouldn''t want to be a heteromorph, it''s more because I love being a jack-of-all-cards, and for that, I have to focus on Job-Classes only. The only way to do this without ending up with a super weak character is to be a human.

    "It would be cool to see others with these new races, I bet it will be a great experience to interact with players like that." I ended up saying to myself as my surroundings were finally being constructed, I had spawned inside a tavern in ¨¢lfheimr. It was where I and some players, who were inside the game before, celebrated the new year.

    The place seemed empty at the moment, with the exception of an NPC maid there, so I just sat down in one of the chairs and opened a system window to see my friend list. It was amazing how, even after becoming a YGGDRASIL journalist, I still had less than 50 names on that list, the vast majority were newbies that I helped both in game and through my website, but besides them, there were those two devs, [TrjegulFreyjaha ] and [Great-oDoll], and my two partymates [Touch_Me] and [Luci¡ïFer].

    Among the last two, only that angel player was online, so I decided to send him a message. Creating a sort of floating keyboard above the table, and started typing.

    <hr>

    [Hikari]: AYO! Luci-kun! I just logged in and saw that there''s only you online among my colleagues, do you want to go farm some EXP?

    [Luci¡ïFer]: Oh... Ohay¨­, Hikari. I''m in an area of ??Midgard waiting for some guys who agreed to participate in a tour to farm EXP and some specific items for the production of basic potions. If you want I can ask them if we can have one more person together to participate.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    [Hikari]: Alright, ask them, if I can come let me know.

    *10 minutes in game passed*

    [Luci¡ïFer]: Okay, they said it''s ok, the more people the better. It''s weird that they just accepted without me saying your name or level.

    [Hikari]: Maybe they''re just desperate to get lots of items. After all, I heard that the devs implemented, at Christmas, a monster increase system when there are more players in an area.

    [Luci¡ïFer]: True. It reminds me of how irritated Touch was when he saw that the amount of monsters had decreased in the place you normally farmed.

    [Luci¡ïFer]: (£þy¨Œ£þ)¨q Ohohoho.....

    [Hikari]: Okay, want to send me the location?

    [Luci¡ïFer]: No need, because I''m not in combat and you''re my party leader, you can teleport directly here, right?

    [Hikari]: Oh right... sometimes I forget this feature. So wait for me there!

    [Luci¡ïFer]: d==(£þ¨Œ£þ*)o

    <hr>

    Now with something to do today, I opened my party menu and activated that function. My body started to became surrounded by a bluish light beam, making me unable to see my surroundings. But when everything became visible, I ended up falling sitting on the ground, because I was teleported while sitting on some a chair at the tavern, and I could hear a classic laugh rising in my ears.

    "Haha! You really always end up falling!" That angel said, standing next to me, and I had no way of refuting him. Until now, every time I appeared next to him without walking, I ended up falling to the ground.

    "Ha... ha! How funny... says the guy named after an angel who literally fell." I tried to fight back the teasing, but it turned out worse than I thought.

    "So... where are the people?" I asked as he helped me to my stand up.

    He just pointed in one direction and I noticed that from there, person was coming up on a horse, in addition to some guys following the horse on foot. They all appeared to be human or demihuman players, they, with the exception of the guy in the horse, were wearing uniforms with hoods covering their faces. The exception to the rule was an elf player, with red hair and who seemed to be carrying a giant greatsword on his back.

    Luci¡ïFer waved his arms, drawing attention to us, and slowly those players stopped nearby, with the one that was using a horse, simply getting off it and making the animal disappear in the air, turning it into a data crystal. He took that and then stared at me for a bit, then extended his hand.

    "Hm. Hello! I''m [SaintElvBlade], but everyone just calls me Blade. And would you be?" We gave a handshake as he spoke.

    "I''m [Hikari], it doesn''t have much to do with my name, so you can call me by the same... my friend here said you were going to a good place to farm, I was interested, since I don''t have nothing planned for this first week of the year." I straightened my neck, making a popping sound.

    "Well, the idea is that we''re actually going to a dungeon nearby." He commented, thumbs up.

    "Don''t exaggerate... this is more like a buggy area that increases the amount of monsters drastically." Said one of the girls in that group. Counting better, I saw that the group that arrived was 7 people.

    "I was going to ask where the dungeon was, because I never heard of one in these areas... thanks for clearing my doubts." I gave the girl a smile, who subtly hid her face further into her hood, as if she was shy.

    With that done, we walked a bit until we reached the entrance to said buggy area. It was a part of the scenery that resembled a mansion that collapsed, but still has some parts still standing, with vegetation covering some walls and floors. It was what I would expect from a structure destroyed by time.

    "Okay, before we get into it for real, I think I''d better talk aboutwhat I''m good, after all, I went into this group out of nowhere." I made that light comment, Blade nodded and allowed me to continue talking with everyone listening me.

    "I''m a blade expert." SaintElvBlade chuckled at the irony of it, but I continued. "My main JobClass is [Rouge], but I''m also great at using some ranged spells, as I also have the JobClass [Wizard]. Already saying beforehand, because of some achievements I completed during my playing time, these JobClasses have evolved into [Assassin] and [High-Wizard], so if we need sneak attacks or magical offensive skills, you can call without fear."

    "A-Anything else we need to know?" Said that shy hooded girl.

    "I could help even more if I was the leader of the party, since I have the [Commander] JobClass as well. Since there are some buffs gained by having someone like that as the leader. Not that I''m trying to steal your spot, Blade-san , I''m just saying the most suitable situation for me to use this specific JobClass."

    "No problem, I don''t have this JobClass because I think it''s a waste of time, but if I see that we really need more buffs than norma?, I''ll leave it configured to pass the leadership to you." He smoothed his red hair while claiming that.

    "Thanks for the vote of confidence. What about you guys?" I asked out of curiosity.

    Soon, Blade began to speak. "We understand that you are someone who has a few Job Classes that point in different directions, but our group prefers to focus more on one thing. In short, I am a [Paladin], and about the others we have a [High-Cleric], two [Archer], a [Berserk], a [War-Wizard] and..."

    "I''m a [Shooter]!" Said the shy girl, showing me a kind of rifle.

    "Cool, my colleague here is just a [Magician]." I commented, pointing to Luci¡ïFer, who just got annoyed with me and stamped his foot on the floor, but he really couldn''t do anything about it, after all, he literally had this JobClass at maximum, having only [Fighter] as Secondary JobClass, and I can say secondary with capslock on, because he just had that for cases that he is with 0 MP.

    Thus, everyone there already knew about the main JobClasses of the others, so we could enter with confidence in what would be the roles of each one. The entrance in front of me was a broken door, I entered through it with Blade and the Berserk guy, while the others decided to enter through holes in the wall in two groups of three players, to have a better view of what would be ahead.

    I kept walking calmly, my right hand ready to catch one of the daggers at my hip. The Berserk in our group was carrying a greataxe, while Blade had his greatsword already equipped, holding it with both hands. Suddenly, we saw a reddish glow flickering back and forth in the hallway ahead.

    "What monsters are around here, Blade?" I asked, since it was my first time there, I never focus on Midgard, so even though I''m a human player, I was slightly ignorant to this realm.

    "Normally it''s [Dark Boar]... the levels vary depending on how many players enter the ruins... Last time I checked, the maximum was Lvl 30."

    "That certainly wasn''t a [Dark Boar]..." I said before something appeared in front of us, making me grab my two daggers.

    It was a humanoid monster with a bright red body on the sides, while the rest was dark reddish skin, as well as having a pair of horns on the sides of its head. Yes, with absolute certainty, that was a [Fire Devilsh] a low-level variant of [Lesser Demon] race monsters. But what would it be doing here?!? Usually this type of monster appears in M¨²spellsheim, the fire realm!

    "What the hell is that?!" our berserk said as the enemy launched a sphere of fire at us.

    Seeing this, I was forced to change my equipment, no longer having my light gloves to now be using my forearm protections, taking advantage of the fact that the one on the left side had a shield attached, I helped the Berserk, defending him.

    <u>[Player Hikari received damage from Lesser Fireball.]</u>

    <u>[Due to Resistance in the Shield-Glove, the damage was nullified.]</u>

    After that, I saw Blade advancing against the enemy, trying to attack it using his large greatsword, but because of the angle, he hit the enemy with the blade being sideways.

    <u>[Fire Devilsh Lvl 32 received strike damage. Not very effective.]</u>

    "What?! But why is a beast above Level 32 here?!" Blade exclaimed, confused.

    Taking advantage of the confusion, the Fire Delvish started delivering several consecutive punches to Blade''s stomach area. I''ve definitely never seen an absurd amount of windows indicating damage, rising so quickly like this, luckily his JobClass caused all that to be reduced due to the type of monster.

    "Will you help?" I watched our Berserk, who just shook his head.

    "That guy always ends up doing stupid things like that, usually I let him get his ass kicked before I help so he learns not to throw himself around."

    "Says the group''s Berserk about the Party Leader... Wow, what a tight group." I commented sarcastically as I walked forward to help Blade.

    <u>[Wizard Second Lesson: Thunderbolt]</u>

    I activated one of my magic skills, enchanting my feet and hands to increase my agility attributes and to be able to deliver attacks with a paralyzing effect. The Fire Devilsh noticed this and moved away from Blade, now to focus on me, dodging my dagger''s slash by ducking and then it got up trying to give me a fire punch. Keyword... tried.

    <u>[Rouge''s 101: Thief''s Dash]</u>

    I used one of my base movement skills, my body quickly appearing behind the enemy. The moment it got up to do the fire punch, I stabbed him horizontally from side to side in the back, hitting the shiny areas of his body, which are clearly his weak point.

    <u>[Fire Delvish Lvl 32 received slash damage.]</u>

    <u>[Fire Devilsh Lvl 32 received paralysis effect.]</u>

    It screamed in pain as Blade and I backed away from the enemy, me behind and the red-haired elf still in front, with the Berserk behind Blade just watching. As if analyzing the battle as a whole.

    "He''s paralyzed! Hit the shiny areas!" I exclaimed to Blade, who soon advanced using a sword skill.

    <u>[Sword''s Magic: Great Slash]</u>

    His greatsword''s blade became blue and soon he charged at the enemy. When making a horizontal blow where I ordered it, the Fire Delvish screamed in pain and began to spurt dark blood, but which gave off a lot of heat, as if it were lava.

    <u>[Fire Devilsh Lvl 32 received fatal damage.]</u>

    <u>[Fire Devilsh Lvl 32 was killed.]</u>

    I watched as the monster began to disappear like smoke, leaving only a few Data Crystals behind. Since the berserk player didn''t participate in the fight, only Blade and I got EXP from that. But as usual, I gave a sly smile, watching the system window pop up for me.

    <u>[Due to title Born to Kill, the enemy killed by a fatal damage gave you 2x EXP.]</u>

    Some might consider this cheating, but to me it was very fair. I figured the red elf wasn''t familiar with that type of monster, so I just showed him the weak point to make things easier and with the enemy being paralyzed, it was the perfect circumstances for a fatal method damage. I wouldn''t have minded if Berserk wanted to fight too, but thanks to that, I gained EXP equivalent to what I would gain in a solo fight. Split it in two for me and Blade, but I won twice.

    With these small advantages, I can level up faster, even if it takes a while, it won''t be as extensive! If I had known the beginning of this secret advantage that the title gave me, I would never be hiding it.

    "Great, that was a nice EXP gain... but how did you know the monster''s weakness?" Blade asked as he cleaned his sword.

    "Pulsing and flashing bright spot logic, pretty classic. But also from experience! I know a lot about these types of monsters... and so it was strange at first, these things shouldn''t show up in Midgard." I said keeping my daggers on my hips.

    "Because of experience? Like you play too much? What level are you?" For some reason the other player was curious about that, and I just sighed.

    However, before I could speak, a loud explosion noise could be heard near us, causing us to start running in that direction. This time, I had one hand resting on the handle of my katana, while we saw a very strong glow ahead.

    "H-Help!!!" I heard that scream and I could recognize the voice, it was that little girl from before.

    "The people must be in trouble!" I spoke and increased my speed.

    "How?! The group isn''t that big, it''s not supposed to have many enemies so soon..." Blade grumbled, as if that really was impossible to happen.

    "Sometimes it''s not good to be completely confident about this type of information!" I exclaimed, and when we were close enough to see the situation, my eyes widened.

    "Is that... 10 Fire Devilshs...?" Blade tried to describe what he was seeing, his voice sounded scared.

    "No... apparently there are some goblins in the middle." The berserk with us commented, also analyzing the scene.

    Soon I managed to correctly identify where the group responsible for that part was and I jumped towards them to help, unsheathing Kuwoi-Muramasa in the air, I planned to give an interesting blow, to save them from that tight situation.

    <u>[Kuwoi Unique Skill: Blood Rush Fever]</u>

    Yeah, this will definitely work.

 Chapter 10 - Traitors of Humanity

    [???''s POV]

    Hm... this group I''ve been invited to is pretty good, but their demands are slightly annoying...

    Firstly, they force everyone to have one JobClass path, so that everyone is completely focused on their functions, with the excuse of not spending MP on skills that are not necessary. It was really stupid, in my opinion.

    The second reason was that it wasn''t allowed to ask about what missions were happening, unless we were doing that said mission. In this case, we could ask the actual goal and the like. The excuse they gave for this was that it would be something more real, because in magical and medieval story quests, normally the situation changes with the middle of the climax. I even managed to understand... But leaving the real knowledge of the mission to just the leader and its main helper was stupid, especially considering that it could end things that others had planned out of the game.

    But the third and fourth requirements to be in the group delighted me. Everyone should act as if they were roleplaying, with the theme being a group of heroes who ultimately want to defeat the demon king. And on top of that, everyone had to spend 90% of their free time, outside of work, on gaming-related stuff.

    I love doing roleplays like crazy! Even if the ones I do are more erotic due to my work, normal roleplays are also welcome... And speaking of my irl job, the third requirement would make everyone here be weebs addicted to games, if they only knew what I do for living irl, they would drool over me for sure! But that would take the fun out of it, after all I''m playing YGGDRASIL, to be not recognized and not have any fans giving me hell.

    At the time, I had split with others in our group, in addition to a non-human character player. It looked more like a robot or something, but I have to be honest, it''s an interesting style and charm. But wow, this guy won''t shut up for anything, or at least that''s what I thought, when strange monsters with flaming bodies appeared.

    He completely changed his stance, being much more serious and observant. Helping me and the Cleric in the group stay protected. Of course, I shot several times using my [Explosive Aiming] skill, but in the end my MP was running out faster than usual, forcing me to ask for the cleric''s help to replenish my mana again.

    The robotic angel was attacking enemies with [Waterball] and [Earth Spike], while I fired regular bullets, without using skills. The cleric was trying to fill our MPs, but there was a moment when he started to feel extremely tired. Apparently, the amount of points in his Special attribute were quite small, so doing a lot of restoration skills repeatedly was actually depleting him more than expected.

    ¡°We need to call the others!¡± I exclaimed, as the Steampunk Angel started creating more [Earth Spike], this time using them as obstacles to buy us time.

    "I am trying! But they are not responding!¡± The cleric complained, clearly with a system window in front of him, he clicked several times but nothing happened.

    ''Why isn''t he answering?...'' I thought, already being irritated with that situation. I love roleplays and adrenaline, but this was purely out of the ordinary things I was promised, these ruins are not even considered real dungeons, and they are already causing so much trouble!

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The metallic angel complained, walking backwards a little.

    ¡°What is it now?¡± I said, manually reloading my gun. These manual reloads gave a small accuracy buff until the bullets I put in myself ran out.

    ¡°It''s not just those fire demons¡­ [Goblins] are coming out of nowhere?!¡±

    "What?!?" I exclaimed, quickly looking over the obstacles separating us from those monsters.

    I could see with my own eyes, strange goblins appearing out of pure nothingness! It was as if they were sprouting from the floor and from every corner of the walls!!

    "H-Help!!!" I ended up screaming in panic when I saw all that, and soon the barriers created were destroyed.

    Even though this was all fake, being just a game, I could still feel the sweat of my character, running down my forehead and dripping onto my chin. I felt the icy air of those ruins lowering my hood¡­ I felt fear, forcing me to close my eyes.

    Those are the only things I hate about this type of roleplay!

    [Kuwoi Unique Skill: Blood Rush Fever]

    I heard a skill being activated, and when I opened my eyes to see what it was, I could also hear the sound of joy from that Mechanical Angel. ¡°LESGO, HIKARI!!!¡±

    A beam of reddish light appeared amidst the darkness of the night environment, hitting enemies accurately, creating equally bright red lines on parts of the bodies of [Goblins] and those creatures that reminded me of [Lesser Demons]. The monsters seemed to be paralyzed while that happened, with each new line that appeared in their bodies, the faster a new line appeared.

    The intense noise of wind appeared next to me, until I saw that player who came with the robotic Angel, Hikari. He was slightly crouched in front of us, with that beautiful bloodstained sword. In one swift motion, he wiped the blood off the blade and slowly sheathed it, with that, all the monsters seemed to fall apart, their limbs and body parts sliding in those reddish lines. And along with that, an innumerable amount of pop-ups appeared among us.

    [Fire Devilsh Lvl 33 was killed.]

    [Fire Devilsh Lvl 27 was killed.]

    [Hollow Goblin Lvl 30 was killed.]

    [Fire Devilsh Lvl 32 was killed.]

    [Hollow Goblin Lvl 35 was killed.]

    [Fire Devilsh Lvl 27 was killed.]

    [Fire Devilsh Lvl 24 was killed.]

    [Fire Goblin Lvl 23 was killed.]

    [Fire Goblin Lvl 39 was killed.]

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Nothing could shock me more than that, with a single skill, he had killed a huge amount of enemies, plus he had simply appeared at the moment we most needed...

    ¡°It even looks like an anime character¡­¡± I ended up externalizing my thoughts, making that Player laugh excitedly as he got up.

    ¡°We are inside a virtual game, looking like an anime or manga character is common.¡± He made that comment, then looked at his friend. "Luci, why didn''t you use the mana potions?"

    ¡°One of the group''s rules was to hand out items so the leaders could distribute things¡­¡± As he said that, Blade came up behind Hikari.

    ¡°Exactly, our plan was to first look the situation and then distribute the items according to each person''s needs.¡±

    "Did you take even the simplest potions from them?" That Player exclaimed to our leader.

    ¡°Is there a problem with that? We didn''t believe it would be that much of a problem after a simple reconnaissance of the place.¡± Blade said it like it was no big deal, but Hikari caught him by the chest piece of our elf leader''s armor, slamming him against the wall hard enough that some small debris from the wall fell next to us to the floor.

    [Warning! Party Leader Blade lost more than 50% of its health!]

    A party notification popped up in front of me, making my eyes widen. Was that simply tremendous damage in a single action? Or maybe he was already close to 50% health? Sometimes I hate the fact that I don''t interpret messages like this correctly.

    ¡°Don''t play with it, anyone''s life can slip away if they don''t have access to the basics, no matter the situation. Now, when we''re all together again, you''re going to hand out all the items we each need, and not only that, but you''re also going to leave each of us with extra emergency items, got it?" His voice sounded extremely menacing and dominant.

    Even though that was a passive effect of the [Commander] Job Class he has, for some reason I started to get a slight heat in my cheeks. His level of acting was impressive, it was like he was really mad about it, but it was clear that it was all roleplay, at least that''s what I think.

    Blade''s face turned paler than usual, possibly scared because he was now at half his maximum health, Hikari soon let go of him and sighed deeply, looking towards one of the destroyed corridors. ¡°Luci, was there anything interesting on your side?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, there were some chests, but inside them there were only Data Crystals of equipment enhancement ingredients, but they were so random, that there is absolutely nothing to do with them now.¡±

    ¡°I see, how much MP are you all on?¡± He looked back at us.

    ¡°5 MP only, I can''t use my passive recovery skill due to the situation.¡± Our cleric commented.

    ¡°You must already know my status.¡± The angel sighed.

    ¡°I¡­ I have 0 MP¡­ W-why do you ask?¡± I said, trying to return to roleplay.

    Soon Hikari took 5 Mid MP Potions from within his inventory, giving one to me and his friend, while he gave two to the Cleric and drank the rest. My eyes widened when I saw this, because I still couldn''t buy enough of this type of item to be spending like this, but someone like Hikari was above that?????

    Due to my level, I ended up filling almost all of my MP bar with that potion alone, so I enchanted the bullets inside my weapon with [Explosion Bullets]. While the Cleric activated the skill [Lesser Healing] to prevent and leave everyone with considerable HP.

    ¡°Hey. And me? Where is my MP Potion?¡± Blade complained, causing Hikari to glare at him in a way that made him freeze in place for a while.

    ¡°You spent next to nothing MP, because you are a [Paladin].¡± He stared at Blade until a question came out of his mouth. ¡°Where is that Berserker?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Hammer? To tell you the truth, I don''t know¡­ the last time I saw him was when we were running here.¡± I was going to say something about what Blade said, but I stopped myself after seeing some pop-ups that filled me with fear...

    [Warning! Party Member Jac0bySin was killed!]

    [Warning! Party Member KrinnyHell was killed!]

    Jac0bySin was our [War-Wizard], while KrinnyHell was an [Archer] girl... What the hell was going on in the other group... if they were killed, there was only one left...

    ¡°Hey, is there a problem?¡± Hikari''s voice reached me, and I soon looked around, seeing our Cleric afraid like me.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "I received a message! Two people from the other group were killed! Only their Archer is left!¡± I accidentally expressed my panic, causing Hikari to draw his sword again.

    ¡°Let''s get fast on our part! They entered through a hole further to the right than us, it is possible that they are still on that side!¡± He commanded us, with a mighty voice.

    "Who said this group is you-" Blade stopped talking when Hikari glared at him very aggressively.

    "Let''s go now." He soon started walking towards where we think the other group went. The monster player and I went with him, while I observed that the cleric was a little distressed about that, but he followed us right after close to Blade.

    The ruins of that mansion seemed more and more bizarre, with nature contaminating everything, in addition to having some ceiling and wall debris being held by vines. It felt really bad, but I couldn''t figure out what it was.

    ¡°Since we are not really in your Party, can you contact The Archer or Hammer so we can get an idea of where to go?¡± Hikari was still talking with very attention for his  surrounds.

    ¡°Unfortunately, our Party doesn''t have this config due to the way we created it.¡± At Blade''s answer, Hikari stomped down on one of the branches on the ground.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to use that¡­ Luci, you can protect me with everything.¡± He tosses another Mid MP Potion to the angel, who simply drinks it all up.

    ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡± the cleric asked.

    ¡°Hikari has a unique character skill, [Stalker From Hell], allows him to find out where a player or enemy is, at least needing to know his appearance for that, unfortunately while he has this active, he cannot walk quickly.¡± The angel answered.

    "Wow, that''s amazing... but it opens up a lot, especially for someone like him..." Blade commented.

    ¡°Anyway, it''s the best thing to do¡­¡± Hikari said and finally activated that skill. I could see a red pulse coming out of his body and traveling up to the heavens, but I didn''t feel anything, it was something much more visual than anything else.

    Hikari was walking slowly, while I decided to stay closer to him so I could help guard him, with my weapon raised. I couldn''t resist taking a good look at his character in that position, a young adult of healthy body, with spiky red hair, having a fringe long enough to cover a quarter of his face, along side with brown eyes, now reddish and shiny because of the Skill that he was using.

    This, in with his light and simple armor, really made him look like some of the characters from the place I work. The typical classic where it''s not the objects they possess that make them attractive or flashy, but the body itself.

    Wait! No! I shouldn''t be thinking about this! We need to rescue my br-

    "AAH! You son of a bitch!!!" my thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the one we were looking for.

    This made my body go on automatic, running a little ahead of the others. Upon noticing a figure attacking our last archer, I stomped to the ground so as not to be affected by the recoil and shot, trying to aim for the torso area of the big target.

    "AH! FUCK!?" I had hit my target and¡­ Wait¡­ Did it speak?¡­

    [Warning! You hit a member of your party! Be careful, friendly fire is active!]

    Friendly fire?... Did I hit someone in the party?....

    "AH!!" Another scream of pain occurred, but this time it didn''t come from in front of me, but from behind me.

    "You bastard!" I heard the voice of the robotic angel and when I turned around, I realized that Blade had stuck one of his swords in Hikari''s back, as he ran backwards, moving away from us.

    B-but what¡­?

    Don''t tell me... that¡­ T-that¡­

    <hr>

    [3rd Person POV]

    The beginning of the new year within YGGDRASIL was supposed to be a time of friendship and fellowship. The Devs had given a new item and new races, so that people could have the chance to be more than ordinary humans, entering more the story of that magnificent game through the eyes of other beings.

    Even so, such an incredibly kind and gentle act has not reached the minds of people who don''t care about anything but feeling superior and better than others...

    [Warning! You are losing HP at an alarming rate!]

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Said a player who had just been stabbed in the back, literally. His companions approached him to help, while the owner of the sword that pierced him, [SaintElvBlade] hid in the midst of the darkness of the night.

    "Hikari, calm down, you still have HP potions, don''t you?" One of the newest members of his personal party, Luci¡ïFer, asked, but the only response was silence, followed by groans of pain.

    "I have a plan-" Hikari tried to say something, but a louder voice drowned out his.

    ¡°Pero! Run!¡± The human Player with a rifle in hand exclaimed, but that only made things worse.

    The other traitor, a Berserk JobClass Player called [HammerOfMidday], was about to attack the injured archer in front of him, using a huge greatsword that he held in both hands. The poor archer''s HP was low, so if he didn''t dodge or defend in some way, he could end up dying. Due to the situation he was in, he was forced to use his own bow as a shield, praying for the impact to be lessened, and closing his eyes in terror.

    Instead of feeling a hard impact, or wanting to hear the sound of the bow breaking, he heard the sound of blades hitting each other. Opening his eyes, the archer saw that player, still with a sword stuck in his back, in front of him, managing to hold the berserk''s blade with the blade of his own katana.

    "Just look! Is an [Assassin] trying to show off as a hero?¡± Said Hammer, pressing that greatsword harder against the katana.

    ¡°Man¡­ take that sword away from me¡­¡± Hikari spoke to the archer, but he was in a daze, trying to fully understand the situation.

    "Now!!" Hikari screamed loudly, and so the archer managed to do as he was asked.

    [Warning! Player Hikari is in critical condition.]

    [Do you want to enable Alpha-Glass?]

    "What the hell is that?" Hammer looked confused at the existence of a pop-up like that, and Hikari smiled.

    ¡°YES!¡± Accepting the system''s proposal, a kind of explosion happened, pressing the archer against the wall behind him, and throwing the berserk a few meters back.

    After that, Player Hikari was surrounded by a reddish aura, similar to the one he had when using Kuwoi-Muramasa''s unique skills. Making an intense positioning of the feet against the ground, you could see cracks appearing in it, and without giving Hammer time to return to a stable fighting pose, Hikari went for it.

    Meanwhile, Luci¡ïFer was with the other human player and their Cleric, both watching the battle from a little distance, but keeping their guard up, because of the Party Leader''s disappearance. The girl with the gun aimed in Hammer''s direction, while the angel had fireballs in his hands, and the cleric seemed to create a circle of protection.

    ¡°Have you found him yet?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I can''t see him, how about you? Can you assist him?¡± The angel questioned.

    ¡°No¡­ His movements are too fast and too close to Hammer for me to be confident of shooting without hitting him¡­¡±

    ¡°What about your brother?¡±

    "He''s sneaking over here, trying not to get in that bastard''s range of vision... Ralph, can you help him over there?" She watched the Cleric.

    ¡°I don''t think so, you know well how my agility is one of the worst attributes I have, besides, I have to stay here to protect you from the B-blade.¡±

    "Shit." the angel and the sniper said in unison.

    ¡°Anyway, we need to be careful with Blade no matter what, the way his honor was demolished by Hikari, the chances of him going up against our katana friend are low.¡±

    ¡°Even though the guy is on low health?¡± The archer said finally managing to approach the three, hiding behind the debris with them. ¡°I saw the notification that came up, he is in critical condition.¡±

    "Critical condition?" Ralph the cleric asked.

    ¡°That''s what the moment when you''re down to 5% HP is called, depending on the person''s maximum amount of HP, this might not even be that dangerous, but since he tried to reach that state through draining HP for having a sword stuck in the back, there''s a chance it''s not a considerable amount.¡± The angel commented, using [Earth Spike] again to decrease the directions in which they can be attacked.

    ¡°You say that, but you''re not worried about him¡­ Are you really that confident?¡± the archer asked.

    ¡°I may have a level below 30, but this guy is very special.¡± Even though there was no mouth on his character, everyone could feel a smirk coming from the angel.

    "What? Like, is it true that we all have the anonymity setting, which means we don''t see our levels or names unless the person says so, so what level is he in for you to be so confident?¡± The sniper asked, kind of curious about that.

    ¡°Well, apparently you didn''t recognize him by name¡­¡±. Luci¡ïFer stood up a little, striking an incredibly dramatic pose, leaving everyone confused or embarrassed. ¡°He is the unique and famous¡­ Hikari, the official journalist of YGGDRASIL!! The person who helps newbies the most with the use of his special website and video shows on streaming platforms! Recently with the special achievement of being number 67 reaching level 50 on all YGGDRASIL servers!!¡±

    Everyone was stunned by that, but it wasn''t surprising, after all that whole group had people from level 20 to level 35 at most. Not only that, but the Cleric and Archer were finally able to recognize him because of his work, as a content creator within YGGDRASIL, he was clearly famous among newbies, but because of the vast majority of heteromorph players as his friends, a little bit of human and demi-human audience was decreasing. Even as the number of views increased more and more, non-heteromorph players didn''t memorize the in-game appearance of this rising celebrity, only some of the information.

    ¡°Hm.. This is really a high level, but wow, this title is a little cring-¡±

    "Magnificent!" The archer ended up interrupting his sister. ¡°So he is the grand novice guide! The player who got VIP access to countless information directly with the game''s Devs!!! I never thought he was right under our noses this whole time!"

    ¡°Yeah, and he''s so awesome he should be tearing Hammer apart by now.¡±

    ¡°Oh broken wing¡­ Even though he reached the level 50 mark, do you think he survives with so little HP?¡± The sniper asked, still being realistic in her way, because unlike her younger brother, she had never seen Hikari''s popularity.

    But her logic became flawed when seeing a popup.

    [Warning! Party Member HammerOfMidday was killed!]

    Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, with the exception of Luci¡ïFer, with a big hypothetical smile on his face. And so they turned towards where the battle was taking place. There was now a large berserk kneeling and headless, while his enemy was standing, finally sheathing his katana. In addition to all that, there was a large amount of burnt grass and pieces of ice on that part of the floor, showing that it was not a simple sword fight.

    But there was something strange, Hikari, instead of calling the staff, looked directly at them with a sinister and scary smile, but why is that? Only the angel realized the reason for that, forcing him to open his only wing to force everyone to the ground.

    ¡°Get down!¡± He at least screamed during the act.

    ¡°Eh, but wh-¡± An extremely high-pitched noise prevented her from speaking further, as another pop-up appeared.

    [Warning! Party Leader SaintElvBlade was killed!]

    ¡°¡­ what¡­?¡± The sniper tried to understand what the hell had happened, but when the angel undid the wing, it was all too plain to see.

    Apparently the traitorous Party Leader had sneaked in and prepared to attack people by surprise, possibly out of desperation after Hammer died. But Hikari managed to notice this in time and made some kind of slashing attack with his katana, Kuwoi-Muramasa. This became more evident as the katana was again drawn as Blade''s body was sliced in three in front of them, slowly turning to dust and after into Data Crystals.

    ¡°So¡­ guys¡­ Shall we go back to the original scheme and see which chests are left in this abandoned mansion?¡± Hikari said, jumping up and approaching everyone.

    ¡°Of course, but first, take the fucking Mid HP Potions! Insane brat! I knew you were lying when you said you didn''t have more!" The angel complained, seeing Hikari taking one of those items out of the inventory, but he slowly gave it to everyone, so that they would have 100% HP and MP.

    ¡°Hehe, you know that the passive skill [Alpha-Glass] only appears if I''m in critical condition, and the lower my HP, the more powerful it will be.¡±

    ¡°Wait, how much HP were you on?¡± The cleric asked, extremely curious.

    ¡°Only 1 HP.¡±

    ¡°1 HP?!?¡± Even the angel was shocked by his friend''s ideas.

    ¡°Anyway, let''s remove the anonymity setting and introduce ourselves properly, you should already know that my name is [Hikari] and that my friend over there is called [Luci¡ïFer]¡­ and you?¡±

    "My name is [Ralpheinstein]" Said the high-cleric.

    ¡°My name is [Peroroncino]! Nice to meet you, Hikari-Sama!¡± Said the archer, giving a wide smile.

    ¡°My nickname is [Bukubukuchagama]... also nice to meet someone like you.¡± Said the sniper, making an ultra cute and shy voice.

    ¡°Woah¡­ what great nicknames, is it okay to call you Ralph, Pero and BB?¡± Hikari said with a slight laugh, but getting a little embarrassed due to the suddenly mega cute voice the sniper made, even so everyone shook their heads, not caring about those nicknames, but slowly Peroroncino made a comment that caused a more embarrassing situation.

    "So watch out for my sister, she loves to tease, maybe she''ll even ¡®cheat¡¯ on you in be-." With that comment made, the sniper simply took her gun and used it as a club, hitting the younger brother hard in the face.

    "What are you thinking!?! Don''t talk crazy like that!"

    ¡°Oh, what''s the problem, onechan?~ I thought you were saying that because you liked him, don''t lie, your character is all blushing.~¡± The archer never stopped making the situation worse and so they started shouting among themselves, always telling each other to shut up.

    ¡°At these times I''m lucky to be an only child¡­¡± Hikari said that, sighing, and still hyper blushing from the whole situation.

    ¡°I say the same¡­¡± Luci¡ïFer and Ralph spoke at the same time, equally sighing due to what happened earlier.

    Unfortunately, for any animal in the environment surrounding those ruins, their night was a restless one, due to the screaming and fighting between the two brothers, which didn''t stop for nothing.

 Chapter 11 - Nine words for a Tournament

    [Keiko Kobayashi POV]

    Sitting in my armchair, I watched my website while drinking a very hot cup of black coffee. Even though I wasn''t exposing myself as an actual public figure, my alter ego Hikari was becoming more famous than I expected. Due to a connection between YGGDRASIL''s database and my news blog, people were able to choose between sending anonymous messages or commenting on things using their own accounts. That''s when I realized, my fame was really high among new players, as if those who had had a little help from me decided to stop interacting in fact, even if officially any novelty in the game could be found there.

    ¡°Argh¡­ I can''t complain, usually people just need a little boost to start and then they''re on their own¡­¡± I ended up complaining to myself, while, with another window open on my monitor, I watched the long list of incoming emails from the game developers.

    They always rewarded me with salaries and free purchase cards or consumable items for my character, but until now I had never activated those advantages within the game, I just left them accumulating, to use them in moments that were really necessary for me. It made me smile a little to think that, even though it wasn''t officially, I was a member of their group, just in marketing and Dev-Player relations.

    ¡°Oh¡­ true, there is this little thing¡­ should I let the others know?¡± I whispered to myself, cracking a laugh as I looked through one of the emails.

    It was ¡°confidential¡± information about an event they were going to have, a championship in each realm, to name the 9 most powerful players in the entire game. For this to be possible, the championships themselves would take place on a separate server, but they would be broadcast live on all the others through holograms. Also, there would be a limited number of players that could participate, in order to have a chance to enter, they had to be among the top 200 of each world, register for the event, and be chosen by the Devs. That way, the best of the best would enter there, having the average between the number of Kills of NPC monsters, number of dungeons/quests completed, number of assists, amount of EXP, Levels, JobClasses¡­ among others.

    ¡°Yeah, maybe it would be good to give them a little spoiler¡­¡± I started to think about the new group that was slowly forming.

    After having met Bukubuku and Pero, I started to notice something strange, even with the encouragement of the Devs, there were still players wanting to abuse everything and everyone, always being the winners and leaders with countless betrayals, using the fact that they were Human Players, as an excuse to go after Heteromorph players. I made this comment with Great-o Doll and TrjegulFreyjaha, they told me they were going to organize some kind of update where there would be a punishment mechanic against this, but I knew there was a chance it wouldn''t work...

    Therefore, we created a group of players that would help heteromorph players in annoying situations like this. For now there were only 8 players who decided to join me in this, namely:

    -[Bukubukuchagama], who decided to change her race to be a Slime and focus on being an awesome defense wall;

    -[Peroroncino], who would work as our member focused on long distances as an archer, and for that having changed his race to a Birdman, thus allowing him to have more combat space;

    -[Touch-Me], the person who first came up with the idea for our group, being our Paladin;

    -[Luci¡ïFer], who after many conversations, decided that he would work more as a Mage and Summoner, giving up on evolving the JobClass of Martial Artist;

    -[BluePlanet], a plant monster that prefers to fight indirectly, always creating traps themed with trees and roses, in addition to being a support, a true novelist. Luci¡ïFer was the person to introduce him to us;

    -[Warrior Takemikazuchi], a giant, more specifically a Nephilim, being a samurai we encountered on one of our free-for-all dungeon adventures, having been drawn to us due to my hit-kill techniques, something he also seeks to obtain;

    -[Ulbert Alain Odle], a demon player who was completely focused on being our Sorcerer. He ended up meeting me and Peroroncino when we were in a PvP area of M¨²spellsheim, saving some Heteromorph Players from an organized attack by 3 Human groups, for some reason he said he was intrigued how we were destroying our enemies with uses of weapons that are not in the store. Although my weapons are all rewards given by the Devs, he is right about the fact that they are not for sale in any store;

    -And the last member we found for that group for now, [Punitto Moe], a Plant Player who proved to be a complete strategist who seemed to find information everywhere. He ended up agreeing to join our group right away, because of me and Touch-Me, apparently he already knew a lot about our strict method of facing human PKs, and because he had a red nickname, it was obvious that he killed a lot of human players. One of the reasons I accepted him was to limit his killing level a bit.

    Most are above level 60 right now, due to some exploits I''ve let them know about areas where enemies give more EXP. We still needed one more member for us to enter the question of officially creating a clan, and not only that, we hadn''t even thought of a name yet!

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I''m going to prepare them for this tournament¡­ besides, finding possible candidates to be the tenth member would be easier if we were known to participate in this event¡­ I''d better say it soon¡­¡± He said already taking the virtual reality helmet.

    As if it were some crazy coincidence, a new email popped up in the home tab of my inbox. I opened it immediately, realizing it was an email from Great-o Doll''s account, after all he has higher priority for me due to all the work.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Hello, Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T.

    Due to a slight calculation error regarding the schedule of all Staff members who will be busy with the Extra Server for the participants of the Great Event that we are organizing. We need to get the information exposed as quickly as possible.

    We won''t be able to make a public announcement in video form today, so we ask that you get things moving quickly if possible by informing players via your website about the Big Event: The World Champion Tournament.

    As for the start date of the event itself, it will occur exactly 1 month later than expected, thanks to technical problems found in the very system that the Extra Server will have. The deadline for you to publish this news is until tomorrow (May 9th 2137) at 4 pm (IRL Japan Time).

    Signed, The Greatest Puppeteer.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    That made me burst out laughing, it was as if the world really wanted me to reveal this ¡°secret¡±, and not only that, I was buying even more time so that everyone in our group could have a chance. As we are now 9 players, the insane possibility of all of us winning this championship was incredible. But I knew it was a very far-fetched imagination, as not all of them are focused on intense fights and why would we have a lot of exceptional players facing us.

    I quickly replied to the Email, saying that I would do it right away. And so I started to slightly modify the draft of the post that I had previously made, with the necessary changes, after 2 hours of re-reading to see if everything was right, I clicked on the ¡°Enter¡± button and went straight to the virtual world of YGGDRASIL, putting on my virtual helmet.

    <hr>

    [Hikari POV]

    ¡°So, this is the scheme that will happen¡­ what do you think about it?¡±

    I was sitting at a bar table in the starting town of M¨²spellsheim. All the other 8 members of the group we wanted to form were online, sharing the same table with me, with the exception of Peroroncino who wanted to stand while drinking a full mug of beer. I had just been talking to them about the basics of the event that was going to happen in the middle of the year. Some seemed excited, and others didn''t even seem to care, knowing that they wouldn''t survive that long.

    ¡°So, in addition to being on a separate server, will the system on that other server prevent players from losing levels when they are killed?¡± Punitto Moe asked, so that everything would be clear.

    "Exactly. They will be doing this so that there are no problems with people wanting to lower the level of certain participants too much before the competition actually starts. The extra server is just to make things easier for Developers to control, making the competition fair.¡± I replied, taking a sip of my Butterbeer.

    ¡°You only say that because you have direct contact with 1 or 3 developers, Hikari¡­ But you never know if they will really want to control the results¡­¡± Ulbert was the one who spoke, slamming an empty mug against the table.

    ¡°But the fact that they''re known to him doesn''t actually make the results in Hikari''s favor, IF they really cheat? Hihihihi~¡± Bukubuku said in a super adorable voice, as she filled Ulbert''s mug with a bottle of blue wine.

    ¡°I don''t want to comment further on these possibilities, as there will be judges outside of YGGDRASIL for cases where it ends in a draw or the fight time expires.¡± I said, getting up from the chair and snapping my fingers, thus changing my armor set to the simplest one, focused on agility. ¡°Anyway, who among you wants to try and get into this?¡±

    When asking this, I saw Takemikazuchi, Touch_me, Peroroncino, Ulbert and Bukubuku raising their ¡°hands¡±, making only Blue Planet, Luci¡ïfer and Punitto Moe not interested. It was understandable, seeing as the two Plant Players were much more assured in strategies and traps, while Luci¡ïfer had just given up on being a Martial Artist, it wouldn''t be good to enter a competition still unused to the other skills.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    With 6 of us wanting to participate in this, the best idea was that we would each participate in a world, but that would be bad if any of us had discomfort with the common players there. So I asked Punitto Moe to make a report of possible players that entered each of the tournaments, so we would have something to look forward to. Because now the focus of all who were going to enter, was to gain more levels and strength.

    ¡°Okay, with that all said, we still need a name for our group¡­ Even though we''re still looking for one last member to make the clan official, we''d better have something in mind¡­¡± Luci¡ïfer said while stroking his own chin metallic.

    We were all in deep thought trying to come up with ideas for this. Punitto Moe came up with the idea of calling ourselves ¡°Monstrous Revenge¡±, but everyone turned it down right away. Blue Planet thought of ¡°Nature Warriors¡±, I even liked it, but most turned it down. Even Peroroncino talked about calling us ¡°XHuntersX¡±, I was confused trying to understand what that name meant, but Bukubuku beat up his younger brother, after saying that in a ¡°smart¡± way, Pero wanted the name to mean ¡°Hunters of Women¡± and because of that Luci¡ïfer and Ulbert also hit our Archer Birdman with everything.

    But finally Touch_Me came up with an interesting name. ¡°How about we call it ¡®Nine Own Goal¡¯? It would be interesting and makes a lot of sense.¡±

    ¡°Explain the meaning then, please¡­¡± Blue Planet asked, interested.

    ¡°Simple, ''Nine'' because of YGGDRASIL''s ''Nine Realms'', and our main ''Goal'' is the survival of heteromorphic races. And that means¡­"

    ¡°We would be saying on our behalf how great our goal is¡­¡± I ended up finishing Touch_Me''s sentence, smiling broadly. "Excelent! Mainly because I, a Human, is in the middle, so we''re really representing the pursuit of peace in the nine realms, in our own way."

    Everyone seemed satisfied with the last idea, but with the meeting finally over, Punitto Moe logged out to carry on with the research, while others left the bar, whether they were going to train alone or just have fun out there, like Blue Planet, who would possibly visit some places again. forest areas to be inspired. Inspiring what? I don''t even know, that was the answer he always gave.

    For our training, we decided to do trios, each one taking turns each week. Thus, we could learn from each other''s criticism, in addition to being able to have friendly battles between us, with the rules being not to use parts of the environment and that the person was already considered defeated when they reached 5% of HP. This rule ended up backfiring against me, due to some of my skills activating with the low HP requirement, but that didn''t stop us from creating our own strategies.

    In order to increase our Levels, we all decided to go into Great Dungeons in deep areas of some realms. These dungeons were considered "Great" due to being separated by floors, rather than the common dungeons that the game provided before. Because of this separation, we made our own challenges, where each one of us had to try to defeat each floor individually, and if someone couldn''t complete the challenge, the person could no longer participate in the fights, until everyone had had their moment. This method of turning EXP gain into personal competition made everyone that much more incentivized to keep going¡­

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    {3 months later¡­}

    It was the day... after so much training and gaining levels, the most anticipated moment of all YGGDRASIL that year finally arrived. The list of players who had their applications accepted would be posted in the center-squares of all major cities in the realms.

    The anxiety of the people around me only increased, among my friends, only Bukubuku and Touch_Me decided to wait for the announcement in the same square, with the two by my side. Not only was there a sort of giant scroll in the rolled up sky, waiting to be opened in the center of the square, but there was also a sort of pop-up, taking the countdown. Some might think I wasn''t looking forward to it, but the idea of participating in such a tournament was always interesting.

    Because I decided to sign up, the Devs were no longer talking to me about the event, and they said that, in case I actually participate, one of them would be responsible for writing the news about it. I would only receive at the last minute to send directly, without a considerable amount of time for me to gain some ¡°advantage¡±.

    "AAaawn! Come Oon!!! I''m about to explode!!" B.B was exclaiming, with her gelatinous body moving a lot and also that cute anime girl voice, unfortunately, or fortunately, this made some players not get so close so as not to get dirty with goo, thus gaining a little space so that I could breathe.

    ¡°Don''t worry, there are a few minutes left according to the notification.¡± Touch_Me tried to calm our gelatinous friend, but she seemed to move more frantically.

    I was impressed seeing this, even though she had low agility and had evolved her race level into a ¡°Flesh Slime¡±, she still moved as if she were more liquid goo than solid, a property I would only see in stress balls. But soon my attention returned to the counter that was getting closer to 0.

    After those few minutes, trumpets started playing as that scroll in the sky was descending, there were names on it, but as expected, the counter pop-up disappeared, becoming a message icon. I clicked without thinking twice.

    <u>[Congratulations Player Hikari! You have gained the invite to be in The World Champion Tournament!]</u>

    <u>[Due to this, with the agreement made through the rules delivered before the registration, you, after 4 hours in game from the time of this invitation, will be forced to participate only in the Extra Server that will be created for the event, going in another server to any time while the event is going on equals dropping out of the event altogether and losing around 80% of the EXP and items gained during your stay.]</u>

    <u>[Reminder: When logging into the Extra Server, any item you have in your inventory will be evaluated and given a rating. And because of that, don''t even try to cheat with debug mode items or things created based on external programming, the player who does this will be automatically expelled from the event and will have its account suspended for at least 6 months irl! Reasons for having ¡°ratings¡± will be explained within the server.]</u>

    My eyes lit up with the first of three messages that came upon clicking that pop-up. Taking a big jump, which due to my agility level reached 3 meters high, I screamed excitedly. "HEELLLL YEAH! LET¡¯S FCKING GOOOOO!!¡±

    I looked to one of my sides, seeing Touch_Me turning his helmet slightly, nailing his sword into the ground while seeming to say some kind of low prayer. But from what I could hear, he was wishing luck on what he would face in the tournament with me. Meanwhile, on my other side, B.B. didn''t seem all that excited, in fact she turned to us, her voice confused.

    So we found out that her application had not been accepted, and that in fact only the accepted people received a pop-up message, the others were completely left out, without even a notification saying that they had not gained. I felt sorry for her, but there really was nothing I could do about it.

    I wasn''t just sad that she wasn''t in the tournament itself, but because she and I had already become quite close with our interactions within YGGDRASIL. She always tried to get online at the same time as me, just so we could chat endlessly in some quiet areas that had no Players or NPCs, I could feel that she really wanted to be my friend, more than a person on my contact list or a member of a group that I am part of. Did I know why? No, but at least I understood that my relationship with her was different from the relationship I had with anyone else in YGGDRASIL.

    We decided to gather all the members of our still unofficial clan, so that we could talk about the information and to find out who had managed to join. Apparently, only me, Touch_Me, Takemikazuchi and Peroroncino were accepted. It wasn''t bad at all, after all there were 6 people who signed up among us, and 4 got it. Ulbert didn''t seem all that affected by being left out, apparently his pessimism had helped him to expect it, and B.B. she looked mildly depressed about the fact that I was going to be gone for a while, but she looked like she was hitting and beating Peroroncino with a lot of rage since he was going to this instead of her.

    20 minutes in game, before my connection to the Extra Server, B.B. decided to say something to me. Because we were inside a tavern at that moment, I went to an NPC and paid for a room, so we stayed on the second floor, inside that simple environment that only had a single bed.

    ¡°So what do you want to talk to me about, B.B.?¡± I asked, closing the door with the key, thus a protection system was activated.

    Her Flesh Slime pink body seemed to get slightly redder, with a shy emoji on top of her, she always looks like this when I use her nickname in moments when we are all alone. ¡°I just wanted to ask for a little something¡­¡± Her slime body crawled closer to the window, she seemed to be using a more mature voice and not all childish and adorable like she usually did around the others.

    ¡°And what would that¡­ little something be?¡± I asked again, standing there listening to her, but fully aware of the timer I had set to see when I''d be transferred from server to server.

    ¡°Well¡­ chatting with you was something that¡­ made me really happy and excited¡­ and I don''t want it to stop all of a sudden, not even for something as amazing as an event¡­ so¡­ I wanted to ask¡­ if we could exchange contacts? Like¡­ really contacts¡­ telephone and such¡­¡±

    ¡°B.B. It is very dangerous to keep exchanging contacts like this.¡±

    ¡°I know that¡­ I just¡­ I want to keep talking¡­ okay? Can you trust me? We know a lot from the subjects we talk about.¡±

    "You''re saying that, even though I know you work as a voice actress, you never tell me what you dub, not even if it''s anime, games or movies." When I made the comment, she shrunk into a tiny sphere.

    ¡°B-But¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°If you want to talk to me that much outside of the game, then we''ll exchange contacts between us, but the first subject will be what you dub. What do you think?"

    ¡°W-What!? B-bu-bu-bu-bu-¡±

    "It''s this or nothing... 10 minutes until I literally get yeet''d out of here." I simply gave the final word at that moment and I could see parts of her slime body melting due to nervousness. Some might call me a monster for that, but for some reason I find that cute about her.

    ¡°O-Okay! Here it is!" With time almost up, she exclaimed and handed me a system notepad, which had her number on it, but upon seeing the phone code, my eyes widened.

    ¡°Eh? Some problem?¡± She noticed my surprise and I just did the same, writing my contact number and handing it over. ¡°Are you kidding me¡­ Are we from the same city?!?¡±

    ¡°Apparently yes¡­¡± I shook my head a little and even laughed. "Well, I''ll call you when I leave the game later."

    ¡°O-okay, see y-!¡± I barely heard the rest of her sentence, and a system message popped up.

    <u>[Warning! You are being transferred to another server.]</u>

    ¡°Wow¡­to think there would be such a coincidence¡­ Sheesh¡­¡± I took a deep breath.

    After a few minutes of waiting in the loading area, I appeared in front of the tavern I was in, but now being a complete parallel server, with another message appearing in front of me. Unlike the bluish color, this one was quite golden.

    <u>[Welcome to the server made specifically for The World Champion Tournament Event! We''ll leave you free for a period of 1 irl day, so walk around and look to see what''s different here!]</u>

    <u>[Player Hikari, your inventory has been analyzed by our Staff, nothing has been withdrawn since you are within the regulations, your items have been ranked for the tournament, tournament ranking rules will be explained in the future.]</u>

    I was quite curious about these classifications, so looking at items like [Kuwoi-Muramasa] and [Bow-Bifrost], I noticed that they had an ''S'' symbol marked on them. For items like Low or Mid Potions, there were marked letters ''E'' and ''D'', my shield gauntlet was marked ''B'', my greatsword was ''B'' and my whip was ''C''.

    Clearly it was some rank related to power or something like that, but I better not assume things too quickly. It was time to explore this new server a bit, and the first thing I thought of was trying to meet up with the other 3 members of my group. Then decide to walk towards the lobby, hoping to find them quickly.

    But nothing takes away the impression that something wrong can happen...

 Chapter 12 - World Tournament I: Mid-Start

    [ ? ? ? POV]

    I was sitting in my room, watching the holographic landscape from my window, along with my huge amount of collectibles on the shelves nearby. In front of me was my computer, on the screen there was only the image of the end of a video call. I had just had a meeting with the group I was hired to work with.

    Honestly, they were all great at the job, but I expected more emotion from male voices, we''ve already been warned about how people want to feel more action from male characters, while female characters were already at the top end of the market. But what could we do after all? It will only be seen by mature people, not kids who love the thrill of fighting games.

    "At least I''m free now..." I muttered quietly to myself as I stared at the ceiling, having an adorable decoration I recently bought.

    It was a super adorable pink with countless stickers of characters I''ve voiced. All were super cute chibis that they use in promotional art in public places. It was great that I was still making a lot of profit from sales, it was so much so that I didn''t even have to be bothered by doing slightly smaller jobs, which had proportionately fewer hours per week.

    "Oneesan!!!" My annoying brother''s voice eventually came from behind the door.

    "Argh..." I sighed, turning off the mic in front of me, only to turn towards the door and scream. "What is it now, brat?!" I got up going to the door.

    "Ohohohoho, don''t you know what time it is? You told me to call you now, Oneeeeechaaaaan~" He kept teasing me in that stupid perv voice.

    But his words hit me, making me stare at my phone a bit and see what time it was, it was almost time for the event-

    No... it wasn''t just that...

    "H-He called me and I didn''t even answer him?!.. Why did I have this shitty meeting!?!" I completely demonstrated my irritation there and opened the door, to reveal my brother, with the exaggerated and messy blond hair. "I asked you to let me know 2 hours in advance! Not 1 hour!!!!"

    "Calm down, Oneeeeechan~ There''s still time!" He laughed annoyingly at me and walked down the hall, but he wasn''t fast enough as I managed to throw a pillow right at the back of his head, making him escape my gaze.

    I took a deep breath, taking a few vitamin drops out of my drawer and popping them into my mouth, before actually laying down on the bed and putting the headset on my head. With nagging thoughts of my anger at things not going my way.

    It didn''t take long to connect to the YGGDRASIL system, my body initially looked like just a humanoid mannequin that emanated a completely white light, but little by little it changed, gaining more shapes and colors. Until it became a big pink bubble that was slightly settling.

    Entering the server I always enter, I ended up going to Midgard, appearing in the main area there. I could see some human players wondering about my presence when I arrived, it was not surprising, as a heteromorph player nowadays, I practically entered the enemy realm. But I didn''t care, because I was there to see him. He had signed up for the Midgard championship, being the only human in our group, who wanted to participate in it so much, this really was the best option.

    "Eeh... how gross..."

    "Is that slime or a bunch of dead bodies?"

    "Does this player have the courage to appear here?"

    I could hear the others talking, they didn''t seem to care that I heard them, but at least they weren''t going to go up to me and talk to my face, I took a deep breath. Due to my fame, there was a huge chance of having my fans between those racist players. If they found out who I am, they would have a heart attack and consider themselves traitors to my fandom...

    "Perfect..." I thought, after all, I was playing this game to dissociate myself from my fame.

    While walking towards one of the Midgard transmission arenas, I tried to make a call to Hikari, having his phone number, I could contact him within the game, even if he was on the ExtraServer. It took a few minutes, but he finally answered.

    "Hello, BB. How are you?" He spoke calmly and simply, as if he wasn''t even inside the event.

    "I-I''m fine... I''m already in Midgard, I''m coming to see you." I ended up stuttering a bit.

    I still wasn''t used to having his phone number, even though I''d heard his voice before, was talking with him in this method more... exciting...? I lack words to understand why I''m acting like this...

    "Great, I''m fine too. The people here are just reminding the participants of the rules... no big deal."

    "I see... Hm... which side do you recommend I sit on?"

    "Well, players can choose at will which side they will enter the arena... There were already those choices before the tournament, I will always enter from the north side."

    "Okay! Even though the tournament is being recorded, I will record my perspective so that the people can see it later. It is a pity that I am the only one who will be watching your matches..." I said sadly, but my hidden face showed that I was happy to be the only one, luckily that was a voice call and not a video call.

    "I agree, but it makes sense at least for the events to be live holographically in their respective realms." He gave me a soft laugh. "I find out something great, you''ll love it."

    I didn''t understand what he meant by that, but in the end he just kept sending me adorable kissing emojis and then hung up the call. Even though my face didn''t actually exist in my character, my pink goo turned redder with embarrassment. Arriving at the arena, the place seemed pretty crowded, but as I passed the entrance, a kind of notification appeared on my HUD.

    <u>[Player Bukubukuchagama! You have been invited to stand in a VIP area of the arena you entered. Head to the North side and report your ID to the Guard NPC there.]</u>

    I was surprised, clearly... So that was the "Something great"? Did he get me a VIP area so I wouldn''t be bothered by so many human players? How cute.

    It didn''t take long for me to enter the VIP area, thanks to a human NPC who helped me get there. There were few people there, the vast majority were human and stared at me strangely, with one or another elf and demi-human players between them. I sat down in a seat that had my name on the back, the VIP area was just what I would expect from privileged seats in a theater, with the glass in front of me also serving as a holographic screen, and I only noticed this because 3 players next to me were using the screen to bet on the winners of this first battle.

    <u>[Notice! The show will start, stay tuned!]</u>

    That message came up and finally a holographic version of a human player in grand clothes was in the center of the arena. "Hello! Ladies and Gentlemen! Humans and Heteromorphs! I am pleased to announce the First and Unprecedented World Tournament!!!" He spoke, moving his hands elegantly and with an imposing voice. Everyone seemed to get up and clap their hands, scream happily, while I could only move slightly and use emojis due to my body.

    "As you all know, what you will see now is the part related only to players who signed up for Midgard! And these will be the participants!" As he said that, a popup appeared on my screen, showing which fights would happen and in which order, I was surprised to see who would be the first to fight.

    "Let''s get started, just like that! Contestants Dive_Higherfrost and Hikari can take the stage!" And with his grandiose voice, two doors opened in the arena, one below where I was and the other on the complete opposite.

    From the one on the other side, I could see a human player who wore a uniform characteristic of players from Niflheim, the "true winter" realm, having furry clothes with the appearance of thick leather and raw metal. On his head there were numerous accessories that gave him the appearance of having hair made of pure frozen crystals.

    Below me was why I even thought about entering Midgard after that fiasco. The spiky red hair was there with that golden hair tie with an attractive shine, having a special dark purple headband so that his face was completely exposed, something he normally doesn''t do. As for armor, it seems that he chose a very simple one, focused more on agility than on defense itself, or at least that''s the impression it gives.

    "Dear participants! Do any of you decide to activate Command 7?" The presenter spoke loud and clear, but I was confused, I had nothing in my head that made sense out of that last word.

    "I refuse, who is the crazy person who would do that?" Said the guy named Dive_Higherfrost.

    "I want to activate Command 7." My Hikari said, making his opponent a bit surprised.

    "Great! Perfect! As one of our contestants decided to accept on day 1! It will be great to talk to viewers!" The announcer said with a big laugh. "My dear viewers! Command 7 is a permission for everyone to have access to a participant''s status! Normally, everyone''s status is kept secret until the end of the tournament or when that participant is out of the event! But when this option is activated, all the prizes that this participant wins, from now on, will be doubled!"

    If my character had eyes, they would be bulging out of my face. This was literally trading important information for more rewards! Was that the real thing Hikari meant on that call?!? He''s destroying his element of surprise, and now all enemies will know which attributes to watch out for!

    "Is he insane as much as he is kind?" It was the only thought that came up before a + symbol appeared next to his name as a participant, I clicked, even though I knew I would only see his attributes.

    <hr>

    Username: Th3Unkn0wnF0r35T

    Began Playing: April 4th, 0000

    IGN: Hikari

    Job: YGGDRASIL''S JOURNALIST ¡ï

    Residence: ¨¢lfheimr

    Alignment: Lawful Evil ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Karma: -200

    Total Level: 76

    Racial Level:

    Human ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.Max

    Jobs Level:

    Rogue (Assassin) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.10

    Ranger ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Striker ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.7

    Single Blow ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.8

    Wizard (High-Wizard) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.15 [MAX]

    War Wizard ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.6

    {Blood Drinker} ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Craftsman ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Commander ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.5

    Weapon Master ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Lv.10 [MAX]

    Ability Chart:

    Hp: 600 (60) | Mp: 1200 (120)

    Phy.Atk: 92 | Phy.Def: 65

    Agility: 120

    Mag.Atk: 92 | Mag.Def: 65

    Resist: 56 | Special: 56

    Total Stats: 726

    <hr>

    That was the information that surfaced not only for me, but for everyone present in the arena... No... This information appeared in all the arenas of Midgard...

    The whole place seemed to have gone silent, until the other player started laughing, laughing so hard that it even echoed throughout that space. And thanks to that, everyone went back to talking to each other, gossiping before the first fight really started.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    My real eyes were widening inside my character, not for the reason everyone expected. After a survey, it had been discovered that the average level of all participants was 85 and up, so Hikari being level 76 was what made the opponent laugh and everyone was impressed by how "low" that level was. But for me, what impressed me was that, he was at level 70 when he went to the ExtraServer... He had leveled up 6 levels in that short amount of time.

    Not only that, but there was that Job Class I didn''t remember him having, so it must have been something he got in that same short amount of time. [Blood Drinker]... Never heard of it, it seems like something only someone of the Vampire race could have, but if that was the case, why would he have it? And what does it mean?

    "As the last thing to do, in each fight, we allow the participants to decide the items they will use, so that there is always variety. Dive_Higherfrost, what will your weapons be?" the presenter asked.

    "I will use the <u>[Frozen Dagger]</u>, two to be exact."

    "Okay, they are B-rank items, which makes you allowed to wear up to B-rank armor and a maximum of one A-rank piece." After he said that, Hikari''s opponent seemed to change equipment right there, and than he asked my acquaintance the same right after.

    "I will only use <u>[Kuwoi-Muramasa]</u> as a unique weapon."

    "This item is S-rank, it forces you to wear C-rank or lower armor pieces, are you sure about that?" Hikari nodded, while seeming to change the gauntlets he had for fingerless black gloves, apparently it was the only thing above rank C he was wearing in the start, but finally the famous katana appeared on his waist.

    "With that done... let the fight begin!" The presenter exclaimed, snapping his fingers and disappearing from there.

    We all watched the scene, Hikari seemed to position himself, standing still with his hand on the katana''s handle, while his opponent seemed to be rubbing the blades of the two daggers together. Speaking in a mocking tone loud enough for everyone to hear, he began to tease.

    "Get over here! I saw these ridiculous attributes! It''s so below average and so balanced that you shouldn''t even be able to handle a level 87 player like me!"

    "If you say that... come here." Hikari''s voice can be heard easily, and I know him well enough to know that he... was he bored?

    "You really are an idiot, aren''t you?" The opponent exclaimed, making his first move.

    He activated <u>[Agility Boost]</u>, dashing at my Hikari with some speed. Using the daggers, he tried to hit him with horizontal slashes, but something happened, something that I expected, but that no one else seemed to understand.

    Hikari had drawn his katana from its sheath, activating its temporary paralysis effect on the enemy. So Dive just stood there like a fool for a few seconds, giving Hikari enough time to simply take a big leap and land on the other side of the arena, his katana now in hand.

    "What the fuck was that?!" Dive exclaimed after getting back to moving.

    "Nothing much... it always happens... I just didn''t kill you for wanting to make things fair..." Hikari said neutrally and with an unconventional battle pose.

    The opponent was quite annoyed by this, also using <u>[Attack Boost]</u> to increase Phy.Attack''s attributes, he advanced again against Hikari and thus both began the actual fight. The two daggers with frozen blades were trying to hit the enemy, but the katana''s blade always seemed to stop the attacks, causing countless sounds of metal hitting each other repeatedly.

    Everyone seemed to be silent, as they saw someone level 76 without any use of boost skill, going toe to toe with someone at level 87 that used [Agility Boost] and [Attack Boost], in addition to having two blades instead of one. That was really a tournament, an event among the best who signed up, and apparently only now the penny had dropped, if someone with below average level is there, there must be some reason, nothing is so easy.

    I couldn''t contain myself and giggle with that, the defense patterns Hikari used were identical to the ones he used to train with me and my brother. It was giving me so much nostalgia, that I knew when he was finally going to actually counter attack...

    He soon seemed to spin around to defend against another one of the two daggers'' attacks... Yes, it was now.

    After the spin, he gave a surprise blow to the enemy, a punch with his right hand, pushing him back a little. It could be a little space, but it was enough for him to go immediately afterwards, without any delay, make a vertical cut from bottom to top, throwing Dive_Higherfrost a little up and back, with his HP bar decreasing a lot, in a single attack, he had lost 20%, while Hikari was still at 100%.

    "Da hell?!" Before Dive could adjust himself in position, Hikari advanced very quickly towards him again, without even using skills.

    "<u>[Body Strengthening]</u>!" Dive said, increasing his defense, while Hikari was attacking very quickly with the katana.

    Some blows were reflected, but the vast majority of cuts from that katana managed to reach the opponent. Losing 5% of HP with each hit, Dive seemed to be extremely enraged and irritated, trying his best to get away or counterattack my beloved, but it was useless. Hikari continued to dodge the blows and accelerate his blade movements, the movements were so fluid and abnormal, it was obvious to everyone that he wasn''t using the neural helper, as most players do.

    "You shouldn''t even be able to handle a level 76 player like me..." Hikari''s voice came up, as if he was copying the phrase Dive said at the beginning of that match, and so he gave him a last blow by piercing his stomach and using <u>[Great Fire]</u> to burn him from the inside to form, dropping Dive''s HP that was at 40% directly to 0%.

    So, the fight was over, it had only lasted 8 minutes, and the vast majority of that time was just the two of them trying to attack each other to find some gap. For many, that seemed quite boring, but in fact it was just the first fight, the first phase of the tournament...

    The moment to crush those who thought they were the best, when in fact they weren''t even close...

    "YES! GO HIKARI!" I broke the silence after that victory, getting up from my chair and screaming for Hikari. It didn''t take long for others to start copying me and eventually, everyone seemed to be chanting his name.

    "AAAnd our participant Hikari, guarantees his first victory! Very moving and interesting to see you hit someone as cocky as that guy!" The presenter said, returning to appear there.

    "It wasn''t a big deal, he just had a lot of openings... the fact that he was thinking as a better player only made these openings much more frequent." Hikari spoke even calmly, and finally he looked at me...

    Is that why you wanted to know where I would be sitting? It was impossible for him to know where I am since this is just a broadcast and the arena he is in is a completely different one from mine...

    "And I will not show my potential to those who act like this without reason. I hope they take me seriously so I can show what I''ve been training with all my friends before I get here... It would be disappointing for me to win the tournament without using my unique tricks that set me apart from everyone else..." He might sound arrogant, but I know him well enough to understand that he wasn''t bragging or really teasing.

    He is serious...

    He wants this to happen...

    He doesn''t want all the effort he put in during our training sessions to go unused...

    I could feel some heat, my real face was heating up while my character was redder than usual. Hearing some people booing, and others continuing to applaud him for that speech. I couldn''t help it, I smiled so hard that the game made an emoji of it appear above me.

    "You will finish them off. I know that..." I thought, and went to get up towards one of the NPCs in front of a bar in the VIP room. Even though I only came to see him, I wanted to make the most of it.

    <hr>

    Time passed more and more, and the tournament continued with all the expected fury and strength. And after almost 1 month in game (1 week irl) the qualifiers ended, since each realm having 64 participants, the Event Staff had to do on average 2 fights each day in game, and on August 24th - a saturday - the grand finals would really start.

    There were 8 participants left from each realm, and among the 4 players from Nine''s Own Goal that were participating in all this event, only Ulbert had been defeated, he was in the M¨²spellsheim Tournament, and had been eliminated in the last phase before the quarterfinals, by an extremely violent player who gave zero chances to attack, as if he were some kind of bloody maniac. Touch_Me, with his paladin charm, seemed to be doing very well in Alfheim, being seen as one of the most favored participants in that realm. Takemikazuchi was also doing very well in Niflheim, being seen as a player who could easily reach third place, thanks to his skills focused on improving and fortifying techniques from his Samurai Job Class, which was already at max level.

    My brother on the other hand, was seen as a bad joke in Helheim, his personality was the complete opposite of the realm. This made players think that if he truly became Helheim''s World Champion, Helheim''s fame as a dark place would be destroyed. So he was always booed, even after winning some fights. The reason people found out about his personality was the simple fact that he was openly an H-Games lover and made jokes related to fetishes when he defeated any opponent...

    "Baka... are you really self-destructing on purpose? Or are you blinder than a chicken going straight to the stove with so much joy?" It was one of the questions that always popped into my mind when I heard him celebrating and showing off both in and out of the game.

    As for Hikari, in the last fights he had, people didn''t seem to go all out against him, and they were punished for quick, accurate and fatal blows. The first fight, against Dive, had been his special katana debut; in the second phase of eliminations, he had decided to use his bow, <u>[Bow-Bifrost]</u>, always keeping his distance from the opponent, but attacking with his own fists when necessary, apparently that bow was also in rank S, again making it impossible for him to use good armor and another weapon of assistance; in the third phase of eliminations, Hikari was finally able to use more than one weapon, having a Greatsword with a very wide blade and a rustic whip that caught fire when attacking. He made a strategy of using the whip to trap and pull the opponent, while using the Greatsword as a shield and cutting element.

    Among these three phases, he only used basic skills such as elemental enhancement, increased magic defense and aim enhancement, in addition to some moves that are only achieved by the Job Classes [Striker] and [Single Blow], at times when his weapons were not really needed. That is, they hadn''t really forced him to go with all the strength he had, because I know very well that [<u>Kuwoi-Muramasa]</u> was the only weapon in his arsenal that would allow him to show his frightening potential in a "correct" way.

    I was there again in one of the Midgard arenas, this time being accompanied by Ulbert, who after that defeat he had, wanted to see some of Hikari''s battles, because until now he hadn''t even seen the recordings that I send in our private chat. Like the other times, people kept looking at me strangely, because I was apparently one of the few heteromorphous players that wanted to see the event in this realm, but thanks to Ulbert next to me, now they didn''t seem to be disgusted, but afraid.

    "You seem to have gained considerable fame outside of M¨²spellsheim." I said, making a lovely voice to cheer him up.

    "It must have been because I survived 4 attacks in a row from that crazy freak, even without being defending... Seriously, everyone over there is calling him ''The demon with the axe''..." Ulbert said, not wanting to talk about his defeat so well, but the fact that people had such a strong reaction due to that fight, made him hold his head high.

    "Oh! Buku! How are you?" A human player said, approaching me after Ulbert and I entered the VIP area of that arena.

    "I''m going well and you? Have you been spending days inside the temple?" I said to tease him and he started to laugh.

    "Uh... do you know each other?" Ulbert immediately reminded me of this detail, and so I began to speak again.

    "Ah! Ulbert, this one is a friend of mine from when I was still playing as a human character, [Ralphinestein], a High-Cleric." I said to him, and then looked at Ralph. "And Ralph, this one here is [Ulbert Alain Odle], a demon player who has been hanging out with me and Hikari for some time now."

    "Woah! It''s a pleasure to meet you, if you''re someone who always talks to Bukubuku and Hikari, I can already see how amazing you are." Ralph said excitedly.

    "Thank you, I think. Well, since you''re also an old acquaintance of our FleshSlime, I also feel like it''s a pleasure to meet you, unfortunately she doesn''t seem to like talking about the past, so I''m even surprised by that..." Ulbert spoke as he stood next to where I was sitting.

    "Anyway, are you excited to see today''s fight? You must be wanting blood to spurt everywhere, no?" When Ralph asked this, I made a thumbs up emoji appear.

    Soon Ulbert asked, out of pure curiosity. "What is he talking about?"

    "It''s just that an annoying player who tried to use me before, will be our Hikari''s opponent now..." I spoke as the presenter appeared and seemed to introduce the participants who were going up.

    As always, Hikari appeared through the gate below where I was, but on the opposite side, appeared one of the people I''ve ever had the displeasure of meeting, [SaintElvBlade], the red-haired elf paladin. The two walked close to the center of the arena, where the presenter was.

    "And here we are, for the start of the fourth round of seven, in Midgard''s Tournament! To my right, is an elf fluent in a language, called ''Shining Cuts'', his name? SaintElvBlade!" That cowardly elf kept blowing kisses to the audience, as if he were the greatest.

    "And on my left is the person who has been giving our newbies the most publicity! The one who has an unreachable thirst for justice, the one who does things that always surprise us! Hiiiikari!!" Ulbert and Ralph started clapping as I whistled happily, he might not actually be in the same arena as us, but I could see him raising his right fist up, as if showing the world he''s there.

    "Perfect. You already know how to start." The announcer spoke, first looking at Blade.

    "I will use my tier 4 paladin set as armor, and as a weapon... just my<u> [Great Crystal-Sword]</u>." He said this with a great broadsword, the blade was crystallized like salt, emerging from his back and finally a golden and white paladin''s armor, having a gap from which the elf''s long red hair came out.

    "That looks like a polished version of Touch-sama''s armor, doesn''t it?" Ulbert asked me.

    "Touch-sama had told me that he was saving up so he could buy a new set of armor exclusive to paladins... I think it was this model..." I replied, but I still didn''t take my eyes off the arena.

    "Great, the item ranks are acceptable and balanced. Now, Hikari, what do you decide to go with this time?" He just stood there after the host''s question, as if he was having some deep thoughts, but soon all his armor disappeared.

    Being... topless... wearing only shorts?

    "Hey! What indecency is this?!" The opponent seemed to complain, and with good reason.

    The game could be very realistic and all that stuff, but due to the policy of extreme virtual reality games, characters couldn''t really be naked unless they didn''t have genitals or anything like that. In the case of human players, women have a bandage covering their breasts like a bra and wear black knee-length shorts, and men only wear black normal shorts.

    "I choose to sacrifice any piece of armor, in order to use <u>[Kuwoi-Muramasa]</u> which is S-rank, and an accessory item which is A-rank." Everyone in the audience seemed to freak out about it, and I believe it wasn''t just in this arena. To say that all Midgard''s arenas were filled with people anxious to see a situation like this was quite acceptable.

    "Wait! That''s not allowed, judge!" Blade seemed to intervene.

    "Actually, yes, the rules about the ranks were made so that everyone would not have equally strong strength and defense equipment, only one can be. Him choosing to go without defensive equipment is the same as having F-rank equipment. From the calculations we made very carefully before, in these cases, the player can choose an S-rank offensive item and any other non-defensive item, to balance the scales." The presenter said this with a smile. "And in this specific type of case, the maximum rank for this ''other item'' has to be A rank. Because two S rank items is something extremely overpower in the opinion of the Staff of this event!"

    The gossip was increasing a lot in the audience, while I was in disbelief. Until the moment before the list of participants, we never trained without our defense equipment, so apparently this would be something completely new?

    "Heh... how funny..." Ulbert commented, now leaning on the window to see better.

    "What is funny?" Ralph was the one to ask.

    "Everyone being surprised like this, I think a demihuman rabbit tried to do this same thing in Jotunheim. But that happened in the first qualifiers, and she lost very badly. The battle lasted 2 minutes, so people must have completely forgotten about this possibility." I was even surprised that I hadn''t heard about it too, maybe because we don''t have anyone from Nine''s Own Goal in that realm while the event is happening.

    "Anyway, let us know which A-rank item you have in your hands right now, so we can finally get started!" The presenter seemed to speak much more excited about the situation, he had fun with it.

    His katana appeared on his waist resting on his shorts, and soon something appeared in his hand, giving to see that it was a ring, thanks to the big screen on one side of the arena, which focused on important moments. "This item is called <u>[Wish upon a Star]</u>..." He placed the item on his ring finger, giving the jewel a soft kiss there before placing one of his hands on the handle of the katana.

    "Okay! So... LET THE QUARTER FINALS BEGIN!"

 Chapter 13 - World Tournament II: Saint of Afternoon

    [Hikari POV]

    I was smiling internally at my teasing, looking around after naming my special ring. There weren''t that many people in the stands, just the players from the Midgard tournament and some from the other realms, but I knew that in reality it was a whole stage full, thanks to the footage my friends sent me.

    ¡°I once wanted to see the feelings of others¡­¡± I ended up whispering to myself.

    I knew that on other servers I was seen as someone amazing, that people stood up to clap because of my style, but on Extra Server, I was hated by the vast majority of competitors. The impressive thing was that I ended up noticing some people who were not participants in the world tournament, they were the Devs, I managed to recognize the two with whom I spoke the most, but there were others that I had only seen in simple meetings, but that never came to me to chat directly.

    "Okay! So¡­ LET THE QUARTER FINALS BEGIN!¡± The presenter exclaimed, not only to us, but to all the servers that this fight was being broadcast, and just as he appeared, he disappeared from the center of the arena, remaining seated in one of the closest stands to continue his work as a judge.

    [SaintElvBlade] stood in front of me, with a super arrogant expression, but clearly irritated by my equipment choices. I remembered well when I met him, but only because I met Peroroncino and Bukubuku in the same situation. After he showed his true nature, I just felt disgusted by the fact that he claimed to be the ¡°perfect paladin¡±. There''s no point in that, when the most samaritan, paladin-worthy person I know is my best insectoid friend, [Touch_Me]...

    ¡°Come on, child.¡± He said all cocky, like he''s never lost to me before. ¡°You look pretty confident for a madman who doesn¡¯t wear armor¡­¡±

    "I don''t need armor against a party traitor like you." I said, putting my hand on the hilt of my katana, waiting for him to move to draw it.

    ¡°[Under Divine Flag]¡± He activated one of his skills and soon began to advance against me, holding that greatsword that seemed to be made of pure salt.

    I drew my katana to activate one of the paralysis special effects, but he continued to move towards me. This took me a little by surprise, but even so, I had time to react to use my own katana to stop the enemy''s attack, making our blades hit each other, causing a muffled but quite high-pitched sound.

    ¡°What was that little face? Didn''t you know I had an anti-paralysis skill?" He said with a big smile on his face, as if his true face came out because he thought only I was seeing this.

    ¡°I thought you were an idiot who only focused on offensive skills, I''m proud.¡± I said that with a weak smile as I pushed him back with a thrust of my katana and legs, but due to the weight of his armor, the space between us was even smaller than I expected.

    ¡°Then suffer the consequences for having low defense!¡± He exclaimed, trying to make another cut, this time horizontally and activating another skill. ¡°[Attack Boost]!¡±

    I was again able to defend myself from the attack, parrying with my blade, but the blow had still taken away some of my HP. I could see on my hud that even though I defended, I had lost 5%. Anyway, when doing my counterattack, I activated one of my skills from my newest jobclass.

    ¡°[Blood Cutter]!¡± With that, [Kuwoi-Muramasa]''s blade started to glow red and I started a series of attacks that increased in speed each time I managed to hit him.

    Even with that paladin armor, I was still able to hit his body, due to the synergy of my katana with the [Blood Drinker] jobclass. This caused blood to start seeping through the gaps in his armor, startling him a little and making him take a few steps back. His fear was easy to understand, even equipment like that didn''t stop me from inflicting the bleed effect on his character.

    ¡°[High Slasher]!¡± He exclaimed, taking two steps back and then doing a vertical slash from bottom to top, releasing a wave of energy in the shape of that attack in my direction.

    I managed to dodge the attack by taking a side-step to the right, but I ended up falling into his trap, hearing him shouting another skill. ¡°[Divine Disarm]!¡± With a lunge attack, he managed to knock not only my balance, but made my katana leave my hand and stick in the arena floor, a little away from me.

    Before he took the opportunity to attack me, I managed to catch a glimpse of the people in the stands, everyone was smiling, happy that apparently I was totally finished. But they forgot that I am not completely dependent on [Kuwoi-Muramasa].

    ¡°[Bare Deflect]!¡± My fists started to glow as SaintElvBlade used [High Slasher] against me, the difference was that it was done at close-range this time.

    Because it''s so close, the defensive skill from the [Striker] jobclass was very effective. His blade slammed against the back of my right fist, causing him to lose his balance and his greatsword to go way back, with him not letting go of its handle. With that situation, I started to make some instinctive strikes, to force him to get away from me and give me more space to move.

    ¡°[Great Manaterization]!¡± Using that skill from the Jobclasses linked to [Wizard], I was able to materialize claws on my hands.

    ¡°[Sting Fingers]!¡± In combination, I used a special skill, which I only got by having the jobclasses [Assassin] and [Single Blow], both above lv.5. That way I managed to move my hands very quickly and accurately in his vital areas, which due to my claws, managed to scratch the armor a lot.

    He couldn''t draw the sword properly to defend himself or attack, so as expected, he took a few more steps back, thus allowing me to run towards my katana. Using yet another skill, [Agility Boost], I managed to reach and pull it off the ground, but not without being attacked again by yet another energy cut from his [High Slasher] skill.

    I ended up being hit in the back, losing a lot of HP due to my lack of defense, so after falling to the ground, I jumped up, activating another skill. ¡°[Body Strengthening]!¡± I exclaimed, and my body was surrounded by that aura.

    "There is! Are you finally using your skills?¡± He chuckled, his greatsword filling with more energy.

    ¡°Of course, I needed to take my gear off to get any real challenge~¡± I taunted him, and it worked.

    He ran to me and went back to attacking close-ranged, knowing one of his skills, we exchanged blade attacks, holding my katana with only one hand, so I could use [Bare Deflect] with the other when he tried to use [Divine Disarm] repeatedly.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t neither fun!¡± He exclaimed, still exchanging blows with me, but due to the bleeding effect, his HP was slowly becoming less than mine.

    "That''s the funny part..." I ended up giving several cuts aiming at his legs, this made him instinctively take a few steps and then try to jump at me, but I had already taken a jump.

    His headshake showed he hadn''t even noticed where I''d gone. Landing behind him, I used [Blood Cutter] again, but added [Attack Boost] to that, and stabbed the blade hard into his back, continuing my speech. "... fun exists for those who enjoy the fight."

    ¡°A-Argh! I-Is that all you have?¡± He didn''t seem to be taking my attack so seriously, that even though it was accurate, it still took a little HP from him.

    I grinned, and used the skill my newest JobClass is most known for. ¡°[Blood Pool]¡­¡± The blood inside his character began to spurt out frantically from the cuts I had made underneath his armor. Not only that, but all that blood was sticking to my skin and seeping into me through my wounds. Systematically speaking, it was a lifesteal-type attack, SaintElvBlade''s HP decreasing and being transferred in part to me, with his body paralyzed in the process.

    When his HP reached 1%, I took the katana from his back and he ended up falling to his knees on the ground, weakened. I exclaimed, for all to hear. ¡°You should have had more fun!¡± Soon giving a horizontal cut in the space of his neck, decapitating and throwing the head a little away.

    "Just look! It seems that we have our winner! Ladies and Gentlemen, Hiiiraki has won another match! Now all that remains is to see who he will face in the semi-finals!¡± Said the Announcer, appearing in the center of the arena and speaking very animatedly. I raised my right hand as usual, as a way of acknowledging the celebrations that the viewers were having, while the extra server audience that was in the moment, looked at me with a certain curiosity, as if they were planning how to defeat me.

    ¡°I didn''t even need to use the ring, I thought it would be more difficult¡­¡± I whispered to myself, watching the item on my finger, but soon I changed my equipment, to what I normally wear and left the arena.

    There was, however, one person approaching me, that demi human appearance with the feline aspects were the most striking things about her. As always, I smiled at her, opening my arms.

    ¡°TrjegulFreyjaha! Good to see you! I hope that you enjoyed the fight." I spoke excitedly, after all it was one of my friends among the Devs.

    ¡°I liked it a lot¡­ but I feel like you overdid it by taking off your armor¡­¡± She said looking around to see if anyone was listening to us or not, but there were only the two of us in that part of the building.

    ¡°I think it was little. I sacrificed my armor in order to have an item, and I didnt even use it!¡±

    ¡°That''s the thing that scares me¡­ I created this item myself and left it as a possible reward for two dungeons, one here in Midgard, and another in Helheim¡­ And besides, I put a low percentage for it to spawn in only one of the dungeons¡¯ chests of the last rooms.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ really? I got it on my third try.¡± My words made that demihuman grab me tight with her claws on my shoulders and shake me frantically.

    "MAN! DID YOU MAKE IT ON YOUR THIRD DUNGEON-RUN?!?¡± She soon released me, seeming to gnaw on her own claws. ¡°I put a 2% chance for this item to drop in chests! And these chests only reset when you complete 100% of the dungeons!... Wait a minute... When did you get this item?...¡±

    ¡°After the third elimination round, why?¡±

    ¡°. . . . the third qualifiers lasted 1 irl day¡­ You stayed the whole day, playing, and managed to complete that dungeon 3 times!?!¡± She screamed in panic.

    ¡°2¡­ there were 2 times, after all¡­ the chest wasn''t so far from the entrance, when you discover some shortcuts.¡± I smirked.

    "Even so! A whole day and you managed to complete 100% of that dungeon twice!!!! W-Well, even so, it''s too risky to use this item, you know that, right?" I just nodded in agreement.

    [Wish upon a Star] is a kind of betting roulette. I was forced to put 20 items into a list that comes up when configuring the ring. The power of this accessory is simply to transform into a slightly weak copy of the item chosen in this roulette wheel. That is, if I''m very lucky, I have a chance of a weakened copy of [Kuwoi-Muramasa], thus having two in hand, but if I''m very unlucky, the ring can turn into one of my armor pieces or even an HP Potion, which wouldn''t be a bad thing since potions are not allowed, except for this loophole. But clearly, this has a cooldown, so it''s a good thing I didn''t use it now.

    ¡°To think I found this without knowing it existed¡­ I was simply training and taking EXP for my katana¡­¡± I ended up whispering and chuckling lightly.

    ¡°Wait¡­ what level is this KATANA at?¡± She questioned hearing my whispers and I just handed the object to her. ¡°My¡­ wow¡­ how did this evolve so much?¡±

    ¡°I used the EXP Boost tickets you guys sell in the store, I''ve been saving a lot of Gold and DataPoints.¡± She looked at me strangely when I answered her. "Eh? Is there a problem?"

    ¡°EXP Boosts tickets are made for Players only¡­ That must have been a bug¡­¡±

    "Eh?! I-I''m sorry, I didn''t know.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ It''s good that you were the one to discover this¡­ I think it''s because your item is the only one that uses the leveling system like the players¡­ I''ll let [Njordyn] and [Siffyni] know about it...¡± My eyes stared at the feline a little at what she had said.

    ¡°Is my item the only one that does this?...¡±

    ¡°Uhum, you''re being our Beta Tester, so to speak, for items with their own levels. And I better warn others about this already, so if we make items like this as a common thing, players won''t start abusing this bug anymore.¡± She said that writing it down in a kind of fluffy little card decorated with a white tiger.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    We talked a little more, before saying goodbye, since I didn''t want any of the other participants chasing me before the time, and, honestly, I didn''t want to see the fights, I wanted to be surprised about the person I was going to fight against in the next round. Due to this and other reasons, I decided to Logout, it would be better to have some rest outside the game. After all, the next step will happen tomorrow, according to the real world time.

    <hr>

    And that''s what happened¡­

    During my rest period away from YGGDRASIL, Bukubuku and I chatted via voice chat while I worked out a bit in my mini gym in the apartment. She seemed quite excited for me and kept updating me on our friends'' situations.

    I was still sad that Ulbert lost, but to think that Peroroncino had made it to the semifinals as well was something that surprised me, unlike Touch_Me, who I was sure would win, just knowing his courage. BB looked really affectionate and incredibly cute during our conversation, even though she wasn''t using any of the voices she does in her work, and honestly, I blushed at the moment when she called me ¡°Hikari-senpai¡± to tease me.

    After that, a few hours of sleep, and a hearty breakfast, I was back in the game. The outside part of the arena that we usually use for broadcasting the fights seemed much more decorated, with ornaments everywhere, in addition to countless NPC Pixies floating and lighting up, giving that very fantasy atmosphere to the environment. Entering, I noticed that there were already people in the stands, with something that impressed me, some were heteromorphic players that I had never seen before, carrying a big sign with my name.

    Because they were on the Extra Server and I had never seen them, it meant they were participants in World Tournaments from other realms. It could be both those who went to the semi-finals, and those who lost, but decided to stay there to see everything up close. I felt my face getting slightly hot at the sight of this and I waved at them, doing a few jumps. Additionally, there appeared to be several floating screens above all the stands, showing various other arenas packed with other players.

    ¡°Apparently you loved the decoration~¡± Said the presenter when he noticed that I had arrived. ¡°Very well, lad. As always, you will be the first fight of this tournament stage, do you have a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°No sir, but who will I fight this time?¡± I asked, still impressed with how many arenas were full according to the floating screens.

    ¡°Oh, it''s going to be against a human player who has so many accessories that she can easily pass as a demi-human. I already wish you luck because she is extremely irritable¡­ in the changing rooms she just screamed and beat the walls.¡± My gaze was slightly startled by the tournament announcer himself wishing me luck.

    ¡°As some say¡­ ¡®Faith in the crazy ones¡¯, huh?¡± He ended up laughing at my joke and pointed for me to go and position myself in the north area so that the transmission could start.

    "Ladies and gentlemen! Today we will finally start the Midgard Tournament semifinals!!¡± The presenter said looking at the surroundings and I could not only see, but also hear, all the animation of the viewers through the large floating screens.

    ¡°On the north side, we have the vast majority''s favorite competitor! The one who, when doesn''t seem to be taking it seriously, is when he really wants a fantastic fight, not for himself, but for you, our viewers! Our great journalist who is off duty during this event, [Hikari]!¡± With his words, I entered the arena, listening to the animation of the players, which contrasted a lot with the audience I was having on ExtraServer.

    ¡°And on the south side! The fake kitsune! The girl that many of you fall in love with! The one you don''t play without first activating all possible defenses! Make way for her, [Sun_of_Afternoon]!¡± I saw the gate swing open, revealing a 1,50m girl with huge clawed gauntlets, an adorably fluffy dress, long hair and tails, fox ears, and an exaggerated¡­ bust.

    ¡°It''s been a long time¡­ Apparently you really deleted your old character and changed to a Human, or did you use the New Year''s special item?¡± I ended up speaking, thus provoking her, but I feel that my very presence irritates her, as her eyes already showed a murderous instinct even before I opened my mouth.

    "Okay! Choose your gear!¡± The presenter spoke and I simply removed my armor, staying as in the last battle, while my opponent continued with what she had, without changing anything.

    ¡°Get ready, the fight will begin!¡± He disappeared and a large counter starting from 10 appeared in his place, I could clearly hear the viewers counting along with the numbers that appeared.

    ¡°[Attack Boost],[Agility Boost],[Body Strengthening]!¡± She and I used the same skills before the fight started, with the difference that I had also activated ¡°[Great Manaterization]!¡± Thus, creating very thin boots, pants and gauntlets made purely from mana, which would have been blue, but due to defense fortification, were now greenish.

    When the counter reached 0, she charged at me at full speed, making a quick up and down movement with the claws of both gauntlets, which ended up creating a blast of energy. To dodge the blow and the lunge at the same time, I ran to the wall behind me, climbing on top of it with just my feet as I took a huge leap, propelling myself all the way up.

    "It won¡¯t work!" She exclaimed and I could see her doing that attack again, now throwing it into the air, where I was.

    Being airborn, my body continued to spin due to my jump, but that didn''t stop me from drawing my katana, which unfortunately didn''t affect my opponent with a paralysis effect. However, using my blade, I managed to deflect one of the energy waves, with the slight problem of being thrown further than I expected.

    Landing on the complete opposite side to the one I was at the beginning, I saw her still running towards me, all the time trying to reduce the distance between the two of us, and I accepted. Standing there, she started trying to give me countless strikes with both claws, but thanks to my katana and the mana gauntlets, I managed to defend myself from both my sides.

    However, I ended up being taken by surprise, by the dirtiest attack of all that I would never expect someone in a tournament like this to pull off¡­

    ¡°UUuuuhg!¡± I could hear countless viewers making that sound together for the sheer empathy of that scene.

    She took advantage of my imbalance by kicking right between my legs to start a big combo of scratches on my torso and face, until she finally kicked me in the left rib, throwing me hard against the wall, which now had some flaws. I could hear her giggling as she lunged at me again, but those silly giggles of hers were enough to give me time to activate another skill.

    ¡°[Shadow Dash]!¡± My body went completely black and went through her body, ending up behind her. Before she could react, I hit her hard enough on the back with the hilt of my katana, to then take a small jump and rotate my entire body, thus giving a full kick in her face, throwing her away from me.

    ¡°Argh .. right in the intimate parts¡­ you really don''t have any class of a lady¡­¡± I ended up externalizing my thoughts without even realizing it, while watching my HUD. In this little time, I had lost 20% of HP, apparently she has a very high Phy.Atk¡­

    I could see her starting to get up, slowly, and with an extremely annoyed look at me. ¡°[Fire Enchantment]...¡± Her body started to catch fire, her claws gleaming as if the metal in her gauntlet was going to melt at any moment.

    ¡°By the looks of it, guys! Really the semi-finals will be interesting!!!¡± I could hear the announcer''s narration as I just straightened my pose, holding my katana tightly with both hands.

    ¡°[Lightning Enchantment]...¡± Due to my fighting style, I decided to choose the electrical element, rather than something like water. Like what happened with Sun_of_Afternoon, my body began to be surrounded by the chosen element, with my red hair becoming more spiky than usual and completely upwards, while my armor made of pure mana was now turning yellow.

    She ran towards me again in a very animalistic way, still attacking with both hands, while I tried to defend myself as much as possible with my katana and a few dodges. Again, I ended up being caught by surprise, receiving a big push that took me back, but without taking damage. However, she took advantage of the gained space to boost herself, as if every time she advanced on someone, her attacks became faster.

    And indeed, it seemed that her arms became faster, to the point of causing an after-effect that they were cloning themselves during the blows. She wasn''t only focused on Phy.Attack, but also on Agility, just like me.

    ¡°No¡­ Even if we both focus on Agility, I have other things stronger such as Phy.Attack¡­¡± I thought, giving a big smirk and again stepping back with a [Shadow Dash], she seemed to love it, as if really my hypothesis was right, this multiple agility buff should be coming due to some of the armor pieces she has.

    She again took another leap towards me, but it didn''t matter much, as I had managed to have time to use one more enhancement skill. ¡°[Greater Thunder Blade]!¡±

    My skill seemed to fill [Kuwoi-Muramasa]''s blade with a lot of dense electrical energy, as if it wasn''t something sharp anymore but made for hitting, so I swung it like it was a baseball bat. I ended up hitting my enemy under her chin, sending her flying like a ball in a home-run.

    Her body ended up hitting hard against the vertical limit of the arena, and it made me laugh out loud, but I didn''t finish my attack. She was in mid-air, looking helpless, so I continued to do what I had least done so far in this competition. The use of skills from my magic job classes.

    ¡°[Aim Magic: Fire Storm], [Aim Magic: Final Drop], [Aim Magic: Titanium Spike], [Aim Magic: Silver Wind]!¡±

    A quadra elemental combo of projectiles appeared around me, starting to be projected against the human dressed as a fox, who tried to defend herself from some blows with her claws while she was falling, but it wasn''t enough. After the first shots, she began to be hit in different parts of her body. Of course, each of these skills has a specific rate of shots per minute, but with the 4 being used at slightly different intervals of time, it made her always receive 2 shots every second.

    This lasted until she was 3 meters from the ground, which was when I felt that that amount of mana spent had already been enough. She fell face down on the ground and didn''t seem to get up, with her body forming a pool of blood below her and her HP bar appearing on top, seeming to have only 10 points.

    ¡°Apparently it''s over¡­¡± I said after standing right next to her, watching her closely.

    ¡°You¡­why¡­don''t you crush me¡­already¡­?¡± She said clearly irritated and with her character so broken that she couldn''t speak normally.

    ¡°I didn''t mean to be rude to a lady¡­ But as you asked.¡± I said, putting my foot on top of the character''s head and crushing it hard, turning it into several data-crystals that evaporated in the air.

    ¡°And so, our dear Hikari wins another match!!!¡± The judge started to speak and I could see the large number of people on the screens getting up and cheering. ¡°Now, we will only see him in the FINAL! And the person he faces will be decided in a fight in 6 irl hours! Take your time and get the popcorn!¡±

    I noted where my foot was and then putted my normal gear from the inventory, walking to the changing room area of the arena so I could drink some recovery potions. I could see a slightly irritated person approaching me.

    ¡°[Great-o Doll], I didn''t expect to see you here. Everything is fine?" I asked out of pure politeness, but he seemed in a rather bad mood.

    "If I''m fine???? I lost a lot of gold now, you know?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­? You lost? A dev? What the hell happened to something like that?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°You are the thing that happened!¡± I was still confused, waiting for him to continue talking. ¡°I had bet that [Sun_of_Afternoon] would win the tournament! And you ended up literally throwing her out!!¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ you didn¡¯t even believe that I would defeat her at some point??¡± I made an exaggerated expression of betrayal at that point, after all I thought I was his favorite.

    "It''s not like that. It''s just that¡­ we made this bet 1 month ago. I would never have known that you would evolve this much between the moment we informed the competitors and the actual start of the event.¡± He was in a bizarre state somewhere between disappointed and proud. ¡°Anyway¡­ Using the bullet-rate of those Aim Spells like that in the end was a good idea, I honestly never thought of using it that way.¡±

    ¡°It''s because I have a lot of mana and the damage of those spells is influenced by both Mag.Atk and Special. So since I still had enough of it all, I decided to take the opportunity not to let her get close¡­ honestly, answer me¡­ did she have a passive damage increase skill?¡± My dev friend just nodded.

    ¡°Yep, two pieces of the gear she was wearing had an effect the more lunges she gives, she''ll gain a bit more agility points for a few seconds, not so good in fights that last a long time actually.¡± He spoke, swinging his arms from side to side. ¡°Anyway¡­ congratulations on being a finalist, boy¡­ I still remember well when I met you¡­ seriously, killing a boss with stats of level 80, being below level 30¡­ how insane..¡±

    ¡°I agree, that day was pretty crazy¡­¡± We ended up having a few laughs, walking through the halls inside the arena until we reached a door written ''Staff Only''.

    ¡°Well, I hope you are happy for the last battle¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? Why this smile?¡± I pointed out the fact that he was smiling wider than usual.

    ¡°Well¡­ I won''t spoil it, I''ll just say you''re going to have a great time. There will be a unique gimmick¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ see you in the finals?¡± I reached out to him.

    ¡°Of course, I will hand the prize over to you.¡± He laughed again, shaking hands with me and after that entered that room, which lost the doorknob at the exact moment the door was closed.

    It didn''t take long for me to log out. People would say that it would be better to relax inside the game because time passes differently there, but my anxiety called me strongly¡­

    I looked at my watch, seeing that it was still 10 am in the real world, I had barely finished my breakfast by that logic. I knew that the second fight of the semifinals would take place in 6 hours from here, and that the finals would possibly take place around noon tomorrow, this would be enough time for me to breathe and think about the situation.

    I got up from the chair in front of my computer and walked into the living room, seeing the decorative furniture that was reminiscent of an extremely old 1990s style reality indeed. I grabbed an energy drink from a nearby fridge and sat on the sofa, turning on the television to watch some anime while I ended up getting a call.

    ¡°Good morning good morning~ How are you, B.B?¡± I spoke softly after seeing who was calling.

    ¡°Yooo! I saw today''s match, you were amazing, seriously, I couldn''t have known what trick you would use, and to think it would go straight to the magic method¡­¡±

    ¡°You haven''t answered me yet~¡± I said, trying to sound flirtatious through the phone.

    ¡°Ulala~ I''m fine yes, very fine~ so much so that I would throw myself at you if I were on the same server~¡± We started to laugh a little at her response, but that had given me an idea¡­

    "But have you heard any news about the others?" I asked, taking a sip of the energy drink.

    "A good one and a bad one. The good news is that I was informed that Touch_Me entered the Alfheim final without too many problems, the bad news is that my brother lost in Helheim." We were silent after she said that, but we ended up laughing at the situation.

    "Maybe it''s a good thing he lost, you never know what the hell he''d do with the winner''s prize."

    "Knowing him, I bet he would spend 80% on perverted accessories." She said that and we started laughing more and more.

    "Anyway... I''ll be out of the game until two or three hours before the next battle. So if you want to talk to me more..."

    "Okay, that''s good to know~" I could hear adorable laughter coming from the other side.

    "Well... I''ve been thinking about how we''re going to celebrate, even if we lose, touch_me and I made it to the finals anyway, that''s reason enough."

    "Ooh... say more~"

    "Well, the celebration would be shortly after the tournament ends... I would like you to ask the others where they live, at least what region of Japan, as you are in contact with all of them and I already know Touch_Me personally."

    A noise of surprise was released from her. "Wait...is this serious?"

    "Uhum. Let''s get ready soon and see who really has a chance to participate in an IRL party. The victory of a world tournament needs to be celebrated in the most amazing way possible!"

 Chapter 14 - World Tournament III: I love bets.

    [Hikari POV]

    I was alone, sitting on a bench in the changing room part of the arena, just waiting for the moment. Unlike before, I could feel the strength of the audience, the energy, the excitement, everything was there. And it wasn''t for nothing.

    Today wasn¡¯t just the final of the Midgard Tournament, but the entire World Tournament''s end. So the way for all participants, who didn''t leave ExtraServer, could enjoy this day, each fight was going to be done at a different time in the realms. So far, the Alfheim, Helheim and Muspellsheim finals have already taken place, in that order respectively. Clearly I went to the first one, to see Touch_Me, the only person in our group, besides me, who reached this level. Without a doubt, I could see his big win, which made me celebrate wildly, unfortunately he was instantly teleported to a place that the Devs said every winner could see the fights and wait until the event ended for real. That is, he will be watching my fight.

    My heart was pounding, my right foot kept shaking, making a rhythmic sound on the ground, and I could feel sweat from my irl body on my face. No matter how many times I went through big things like this, this time I wasn''t being selfish, I saw this victory as something for our group, not me. Two World Champions in the same guild, which is focused on ending PKs that attacks heteromorph players, that''s a strong message.

    ¡°It¡¯s your time, boy.¡± One of the event staff members, who had the look of an automaton, called out to me, I followed him taking a deep breath, and when we got to the door he gave me good luck.

    I took my first step into the arena, hearing the applause of several people. With a quick look I saw that the arena was crowded, not in the same way that Alfheim was, but it was understandable because of the hours irl. But it wasn''t just the physical arena, there were also more and more televisions floating around with other servers¡¯ audience, in a more exaggerated way than yesterday. In the center of the arena there was not only the usual judge, there were also some Devs, so I walked towards them, always waving to the people in the stands. On the other side of the arena I saw the person I was going to face, he seemed to want to be seen as someone ¡°cool¡± and ¡°edge¡±, because he didn''t even bother to look and wave the same way I did.

    ¡°Are you ready? Today is going to be quite interesting for all of us, I''m sure of that.¡± Said one of the Devs, I didn''t talk to this one much, but his appearance was unforgettable, a humanoid with a trio of horns on his head and a large thorn coming out of the center of his chest.

    "Always ready." I replied, fixing my spiky ponytail.

    ¡°Certainly¡­¡± Said my opponent, with a rather heavy voice, which was what I expected from his armor.

    "Perfect!" That same Dev seemed to whistle, calling out to one of the pixies that lit up the arena with that magical atmosphere. The NPC turned into a microphone, and so he spoke again, now to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen! Now we have here in Midgard, the end of the tournament that will show who is your champion!¡±

    ¡°To my right, we have our journalist, who has shown that levels are not all you need! Being the person with the lowest level among all the other participants, Hikaaaari!¡± The applause was deafening, preventing me from hearing anything else, so that Dev waited until the volume was adequate before continuing. ¡°And on my left, we have the warrior in black armor! Considered by many to be the god of Longswords with wide blades! Your berserker! I present to you, HaaammerOfMidday!!!¡± And again there was the deafening sound of applause.

    ¡°Like the other fights that took place today, one of the gimmicks is that our fighters will enter a ''pocket dimension'', to have a huge area! But like the other 3 fights that happened, they will have an extra gimmick, which will not be repeated in the next fights!¡± He raised his voice to say and soon a roulette wheel appeared next to him.

    The roulette had 9 parts initially, but now there were only 6 options with very flashy and different colors, and so that Dev held on tight, spinning the roulette wheel. That floating disk kept spinning and spinning, until it slowly stopped at a part with the number 4 stuck in it. ¡°And it looks like they got the most interesting gimmick we had pre-written! They will be allowed all equipment within their inventory, with the exception of those marked with a huge red X!!!¡±

    My eyes widened hearing that, was this really something they were doing? Have they gone crazy? They created the weapon ranks rule precisely to better control the equipment each one would have. But at least I wasn''t the only one surprised by this, my opponent was also wide-eyed, there''s very much a chance that he had fully planned to fight me, but that was within the original rules.

    The audience was now going crazy, cheers, people cheering for both sides...

    This is going to be¡­ interesting¡­

    A smile unconsciously crept onto my face, as it grew wider and wider as I took a huge leap back, startling the present Devs and the Judge a little. With this new gimmick, there was a clear change of plans, I equipped my SpeedTypeArmor, an armor that consisted of a white and gold breastplate with wing symbols on the sides of the torso, crimson arm and leg guards, black boots with gold details on the back that resembled lightning and on my head there was an incomplete white helmet, with only the areas that protect the back of the head and the jaw.

    Some might say it was a ¡°horrible look¡±, but that set had pieces that increased agility and special stats by 20 total points each, clearly not having that much defense. About the weapons, I remained with [Kuwoi-Muramasa] on my waist, while [Bow-Bifrost] and [Fire Howls], a small ax with a flaming aspect, were on my back, and in my left hand appeared my gauntlet with a parry focused round-shield coupled.

    Hammer did not change his armor, continuing with that heavy garment very seen among berserkers and with that longsword that has an extremely wide blade in one hand, but on his back there was a war spear, with a kind of small flag tied to it.

    ¡°This time I won''t lose¡­ you used to be 20 levels above me, but today I''m 10 levels above you¡­¡± He said, heavy air coming out of the vents on his full-helmet.

    ¡°Levels aren''t the only thing¡­ I thought by all that time you would have realized that while watching my fights.¡± I started by getting into a defensive position, with the little ax now in my right hand.

    ¡°Ready?¡± The judge asked while the Devs disappeared and the environment around us was changing, becoming a landscape of very flat green field, with the limits of the arena that existed before, now being formed by trees well spaced between them.

    Me and Hammer nodded in agreement and the Judge fired a projectile with a flare gun, shortly after disappearing. We were in position activating our skills in sequence before the roar of the explosion reached our ears¡­

    ¡­[Attack Boost], [Great Attack Boost], [Greater Attack Boost], [Agility Boost], [Great Agility Boost], [Greater Agility Boost], [Body Strengthening], [Refined Body Strengtheing]...

    KA-BOOM!!!

    Hammer ran with extreme speed towards me, swinging his longsword diagonally from top to bottom. I had enough reaction time to defend with my shield, causing a loud metallic cracking sound. In the midst of this absurd sound, I hear a small and soft tinkle, at the same moment I pushed the longsword back, activating the parry effect of my equipment and making HammerOfMidday take a few steps back. Having that little space, I went in for a ferocious attack with the [Fire Howls], jumping up and then trying to do a top-down slash completely vertically. My blade met his, having an effect similar to when I parried that attack, causing me to be thrown backwards, spinning on my own horizontal axis.

    While I was in the air, he grabbed that spear from his back and threw it towards me, screaming.¡°[Fury Greatest Aim]!!¡± It even surprised me how he had a classic skill from the [Hunter] and [Lance Soldier] job classes.

    ¡°[Lesser Flight]¡± I used one of my skills that my chestplate allowed, regaining control in mid-air, but I ended up receiving that attack, being hit in the shoulder. It was a fair bit of damage, but he looked pissed off, like I was supposed to have taken more than just damage. But it didn''t matter, because I saw the spear appearing again in his hand after having flown a great distance.

    As obvious from the name of the skill, I didn''t remain floating for long, soon landing on the ground, already receiving a visit from Hammer with his longsword trying to attack me horizontally this time. I leapt over his attack, extending my left leg and kicking hard at his helmet, but the momentum of the attack didn''t make him move away from me, instead my body moved away from his.

    ¡°Apparently I was only able to push him back before due to the parry mechanic¡­¡± I thought, as I started swinging [Fire Howls] gently through the air above me, forming after-images of fire in the shape of the ax.

    I watched his eyes turn red, while his feet rubbed the ground like a bull ready to run, apparently he had activated the skill [Berserk¡¯s Push] and I was just waiting for the right moment to release the energy. I took a deep breath, pointing my ax at him.

    ¡°[Phantom Lesser Weapon]...¡± I fired those copies of fire from my axe, and Hammer advanced against them, seeming to use the skill not only to try to attack me, but to reduce the damage he would receive when he was hit.

    The projectiles were going through him while the few exposed parts of his body were showing the reliefs of veins flowing with a lot of blood, he had entered the base state of a berserker. To dodge, I jumped over him, but I was met with an attack I didn''t expect. He practically turned quickly back and hurled his war spear in my direction. Hitting me in the back area and throwing me a little far, but thanks to the passive effects of my chest piece, I managed to land on my feet.

    I watched him looking enraged at me, starting to run like a bull after the bullfighter, shouting loudly and stretching one of his hands forward, making the war spear stuck in the ground return to his left hand. I threw the [Fire Howls] upwards and with a well-timed [Shadow Dash], my body could pass through his without taking damage from the charge or his spear.

    Turning around on my own axis, I quickly grabbed the [Bow-Bifrost], aiming for his back while I still couldn''t get out of that trajectory. ¡°[Great Magic Arrow]¡± A glowing arrow appeared in my hand and upon releasing the string it split into five that flew with speed, creating a rainbow trail wherever they passed.

    Two out of five arrows hit his back, due to the passive effect of my bow I could see the area hit creating glowing crystals, causing Burn and Freeze status at the same time, with the other three passing close and hitting the ground, creating a cluster of spiky ice due to the second effect. Hammer hit hard against that cluster, obviously doing more damage, which was lessened by the state he was in, but still, damage was damage.

    ¡°AAAH!!¡± He screamed after being hit by all that, but I couldn''t tell if it was in pain or anger.

    ¡°Hmm.. never mind¡­¡± Seeing the [Fire Howls] landing on the ground, next to where Hammer was, he got a smile on his face, possibly because he thought my idea was for my ax to hit him in the fall, but it wasn''t simple just like that...

    ¡°[Great Sacrifice: Item Breaker]...¡± I said in a whisper, making the [Fire Howls] start to glow and explode with great force, raising a lot of dust and hitting my unprepared enemy for something like that.

    That skill was one of the few that I had earned with cash-items instead of getting it with hard work and job class evolution. It was part of a series of expensive skills that had a lot of good points, but a lot more bad points... for those who don''t know how to get around. That one in particular meant that any item I had could be deleted in exchange for it exploding, with the intensity of the explosion depending only on the durability of the item itself, both in quantity and percentage. And with my [Craftsman] JobClass, I had repaired that weapon to the fullest before the fight.

    After that initial explosion, some crackling noise can be heard, very characteristic of when equipment is damaged to the point of no longer being recoverable. When finally Hammer''s silhouette emerged from the smoke, he screamed in rage.

    ¡°[True Nature of Fury]!!!¡± He came out of that smoke, running towards me, with the torso part of his armor and half of his war spear having been the equipment I destroyed with my surprise skill.

    That skill he used was one of the most classic of the jobclass [Berserk], it made a large part of the defense status go to the attack, referring to its state. That meant that part of his PhyDef went to PhyAtk, and part of his MagDef went to MagAtk, even though I highly doubt he cares about his own magic attributes...

    But that also meant I couldn''t relax so much anymore and let him get to me again. With my bow equipped at the time, my options were limited to dodging and defending myself, with the round-shield on my gauntlet. And that''s exactly what I did.

    This time his longsword felt ten times heavier than before as I parried, not to counterattack, but to buy myself some time to think about my next tactic. Not only that, but when I dodged, I felt the simulated air of that virtual world rush past me with tremendous force, as if I were 2 mm away from being hit by the side of a bullet train.

    ¡°I don''t know whether to hate or love how exaggerated and realistic YGGDRASIL looks at the same time¡­¡± I thought for a while as I dodged yet another slash that HammerOfMidday was trying to do.

    ¡°Stop dodging and fight!! I know you haven''t even used all your tricks! Just an armor-destroying explosion is not enough!¡± His voice sounded more powerful, like some kind of enraged general who was energized by the rage of an entire battalion.

    Why would an opponent like him say things like that? It was even obvious why.

    The initial provocation he made before the fight, he wanted to feel superior to me, because for him what matters are levels and, consequently, skills. But unlike him, I also have technique and movements trained by my own brain, something that with a Neural Helper could never be done. By the way he was moving, it looked like he was using this same device just to give blows and use skills with YGGDRASIL''s pre-programmed settings. I was showing him the truth that the way he viewed the game was not completely absolute, and he was hating it more and more, he wanted me to stop my silent argument¡­ he hated the way I ¡°danced¡± with him.

    I began to laugh unconsciously, fending off another attack through the parry system of my round-shield. I could hear him yelling more in rage. "Are you laughing at me!!! I won''t let it go so easily! I will destroy you!!!¡±

    Yes, his rage was consuming him more and more, swinging his sword more predictably, using skills like [Slash Power] and [Great Slasher] to intensify the blows, forgetting more and more about strategy and truly acting as his main job class. This made me have a mental question about what the other job classes he has, so far there have only been one or two skills outside the [Berserk] or the classic [Warrior] skill-tree.

    It seems that it was time to stop making that silent argument of dodges and parries, after all we have viewers watching and the event will have 5 more fights in different realms after this one. Still, the smile didn''t leave my face.

    ¡°Then destroy me, Mr. BigSword!¡± I taunted him again and when he gave one more [Great Slasher], I didn''t react.

    Taking that intense damage made my character bleed from the mouth, but it didn''t take away my smile. Making him angrier and slash at me more and more, without even thinking about why the fuck I was letting him do all of it¡­

    I was letting my life be taken from me, my HP bar falling lower and lower. And finally, instead of him trying to make more cuts, he grabbed me firmly by the neck, lifting my body and showing once again the clear difference between our heights.

    "You little shit..." he said with his teeth grinding together in anger. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wipe that shitty smile off your face!?!¡± I laughed more and more about that situation, making him get angry and throw me away. Even with my body there in the ground, I started to laugh out loud, turning into something almost hysterical as I arched my back against the floor.

    ¡°Did you freak out because you saw you were going to lose? Stopped defending for accepting defeat and being stupid for forgetting that you can just yell for quit?¡± He said it arrogantly and still with the classic fury of a berserker.

    "I''m just laughing... because realizing how stupid you are..." I said, still smiling, as I stood up, gripping my katana tightly and pulling it out of its sheath, causing the effect of paralysis on him.

    "Eh?! What trick is this?! Berserkers like me have the passive ability against fear effects!!¡± He complained, temporarily paralyzed there.

    ¡°It''s not fear paralysis, it''s just regular paralysis¡­¡± I spoke in a voice that was completely different from the giggle I was having before. ¡°And well¡­ if you really want me to fight seriously, you should remember how you really lost last time¡­¡±

    His face was confused, but as soon as his eyes widened, I raised my trusty katana high in the air, and turned it, aiming down. ¡°Because I''m about 20 levels above that time¡­ so it''s going to be much worse¡­¡± And so, I hit with [Kuwoi-Muramasa].

    I didn''t stuck into the ground as many viewers expected, I putted it into the only part of my armor that exposed the plain cloth I wore underneath, causing blood to spurt. I stared into Hammer''s eyes, an almost blank feeling on my face, and I could feel his body slowly come out of paralysis.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    My HP bar was so low that it stopped showing percentage, becoming more specific and showing the counter in unit form. When it reached 10 HP, a system message appeared in front of me.

    [Warning! Player Hikari is in critical condition.]

    [Do you want to enable Alpha-Glass?]

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I muttered to myself, but the smile was back on my face. From the look of panic Hammer was starting to get, I must have looked like some kind of extremely sadistic maniac.

    An explosion happened around my body, it was so intense that it made some trees in the scenery shake, my body was surrounded by a reddish aura. As if that wasn''t enough, I could feel the blood running down my mouth and wound, slowly removing my katana from inside my stomach, with the blade incredibly dirty with blood.

    [Blood Pool] was activated shortly afterwards, with all that blood floating and surrounding my body as if it were Saturn''s rings, until it slowly sticks to my armor, turning it completely into the purest red, together with the katana. That same aura surrounded [Kuwoi-Muramasa] violently, it could even be said that the blade was pulsing, as if the weapon was begging for death and blood.

    ¡°It''s now¡­¡± The ground beneath me seemed to crack as I firmly placed my feet. ¡°¡­ that you should be running, calling for your mommy~¡±

    Before Hammer finally had some reaction, I didn''t allow it. With my agility becoming very high, due to the armor upgrade that already gave that passive buff, I managed to get behind him. Without having changed the direction I was looking, I slammed my katana''s handle hard against his back, my PhyAtk status at that moment allowed that alone to be enough to throw him and knock him face down to the ground.

    Allowing him to stand up, only to be gifted with a [Blood Cutter], projecting some of the blood onto the katana''s blade as a sort of crescent-shaped energy. He tried to defend with his arm guards, but again he was thrown back.

    "What the fuck?!?" He exclaimed as he watched me use [Thunder Hand] and [Fire Hand] skills to further enchant my blade.

    ¡°A while ago you were complaining that I didn''t really use my skills¡­¡± I replied, the smile on my face hurting a little. ¡°So¡­ Don¡¯t complain later~¡±

    ¡°AAAAARGH!!¡± He got up and seemed to use [Berserk''s Push] again, heading directly towards me.

    ¡°Are you desperate? Or are you really stupid?¡± I thought, letting out a heavy sigh.

    Our blades met, causing a huge gust of wind on impact. Now, that tremendous force that reminded me of a bullet train was gone, making me laugh again as we tried to attack each other repeatedly, with the loud and extremely sharp sound of our blades impacting each other. But he didn''t come out unscathed, during each attack I gave, part of the blood that was glued to my armor came off and formed a projectile that hit my enemy, it wasn''t a great damage and it didn''t even seem to shake him that much, but I was taking HP from him no matter what.

    ¡°AAARGH!! [High Prison Flow]!!¡± He exclaimed and soon a kind of huge cage appeared around us, having its bars made of something that resembled cobalt, but they were always in motion as if it were something solid and liquid at the same time. However, he didn''t stop the attacks, so I used my shield on the left gauntlet again to parry and thus drive him a little away.

    ¡°So that was it? Have you advanced a bit in the jobclass [Guardian]?¡± I said, giving one more of my laughs.

    ¡°Shut up and die already! I don''t need to explain anything to you!!¡± he tried to do another [Great Slasher], but after that I could hear the sound of his heavy breathing, as if his MP was low now.

    ¡°So that was it¡­ You have little MP and only focus on low cost fortification skills~¡± I said, looking at my blade still surrounded by blood, electricity and flames. ¡°If it¡¯s getting to the point where you spend that much MP, then I¡¯ll do the same~¡±

    "What?! What do you mean?!? Those skills of yours should be draining you out!!!¡± He exclaimed, disbelieved, but he tried to strike me again, which I parried with ease this time using my blade.

    ¡°Did you even forget that my MP amount is twice as much as my HP? Not like you, I am equally focused on physical and magical battles.¡± Again I defended from one more attack from him, but I felt that my reflexes were getting slower.

    No wonder, that skill he used around us is called that because it makes people inside the AoE move with the same speed they would have if they were under water, an even effective way to face enemies, since the amount of races involving the aquatic environment is low. I then thought it was about time to end it, before my [Alpha-Glass] effect wore off.

    ¡°Allow me to demonstrate¡­~¡± I said as I stuck my katana straight into the ground. ¡°[Greater Sacrifice: I¡¯m special!]¡±

    Although the name of that skill was pretty silly, it had an impressive effect to say the least, like the other skills in the ¡°Sacrifice¡± line, it had immense synergy with people from job classes [Blood Drinker], [Cursed Caster] and [Cursed Knight], so it didn''t waste me an extremely insane amount of MP since I have one of the 3, was it still too high cost? Yes, but not to the extreme that would make me never want to use it.

    I could see the simple list of my character''s attributes, all¡­ decreasing¡­ decreasing¡­ and decreasing more and more.

    My PhyAtk and MagAtk that I had so much increased before? Reached 5.

    My PhyDef and MagDef? They also reached 5.

    My Agility that I love so much and my Resist? They reached 25 and 5 respectively, due to my armor¡­

    But where were all these attribute points? As the name suggests¡­

    My Special attribute now had¡­ 536 points¡­

    Hammer didn''t attack me initially because he didn''t know what that skill did, getting completely defensive¡­ And that''s what I expected.

    He being in that state, I used my grand item that was on my finger. ¡°[Wish upon a Star]!!¡± I used the ring and his jewel exploded creating a kind of roulette wheel.

    Hammer realized that he was too defensive for a situation like this, he tried to move, but¡­ nothing¡­ not even I could move¡­

    The world around that roulette stopped so that it could spin grandly, with 20 items on it, being my weapons, some potions, and pieces of armor.

    But why had I done all this? Using a skill that turned me into a mega weak player and then using an item that was completely related to luck? Did I freak out? Am I really insane?

    Perhaps this was the kind of question that came to mind from viewers¡­ But there are actually two reasons why I would do something so risky¡­

    Firstly, [Kuwoi-Muramasa''s] skill [Blood Rush Fever] deals damage according to Agility, PhyAtk, MagAtk and, most importantly, Special, because of that, theoretically, what I did would be the same as taking points of Resist, MagDef and PhyDef and distribute among the other 4 attributes. But what really mattered was the second reason.

    I took a good look at that ring and found one thing, every time it was written in the description of the ring about how much luck was needed, the word "luck" was always surrounded by a yellowish color, there is only one other thing that does that, besides very rare items. When the word ¡°special¡±, referring to the attribute, appears in the system texts, it is also surrounded by yellow¡­

    The ¡°Luck¡± of [Wish upon a Star] is completely related to the Special Attribute¡­

    With that, I wasn''t afraid to use it. And when the roulette wheel stopped¡­

    [Congratulations! You are very lucky!]

    [Player Hikari received a copy of Kuwoi-Muramasa, RankS -> RankB!]

    Time started to run slowly again, I gripped the original katana firmly, ducking against the horizontal slash HammerOfMidday was trying to do, but he was still regaining his speed. Finally, with my left hand, I firmly grabbed the copy of my katana that descended from the heavens.

    ¡°[Blood Rush Fever]!!¡± I used the skill with the copy of my katana, instantly slicing through my enemy, delivering a slash with it to his unprotected torso.

    Just one hit? I would need 3 more targets for me to even activate this skill''s infinite combo exploit. No¡­ I now had two katanas, both had different cooldowns for this skill.

    The first one was not that powerful, the copy being rank B instead of rank S made the damage scale with the necessary attributes not incredible, anyway, a set of 571 points still did absurd damage, taking 20 % of his HP.

    ¡°[Blood Rush Fever]!!¡± Thus, I was able to use it one more time without having to change my target, the passive speed boost buff for each enemy hit still counted, even if it was with another katana. The original rank S item''s scale was much higher, so those unified Phy-MagAtk, Agility, and Special points felt like a meteor.

    Before the system message even appeared, HammerOfMidday''s body was severed, separating the top and bottom with a clean, almost surgical cut that ran through his waist.

    [Player HammerOfMidday received fatal method damage.]

    [Player Hikari killed Player HammerOfMidday.]

    ¡°AND WE HAVE MIDGARD¡¯S WORLD CHAMPION!!!!¡± The judge¡¯s voice boomed around me as the atmosphere slowly returned to that of the arena.

    Several people were giving standing claps, not only those present in the arena I was in, but in all the broadcasts I could see. I couldn''t help but notice some who seemed to be gossiping through text messages, with system windows open in front of them.

    Due to a light that seemed to come from an intense spotlight, I could notice a trophy descending from the skies and slowly being in front of me. This made me remember how different it was in the previous 3 realms, where, for example, Touch_Me received the trophy by the hands of a High-Elf NPC, while in Helheim the winner received the prize through undeads that appeared from the ground. The item looked like a golden chalice with images of trees and clouds embedded in it.

    I reached out my hand, taking the item. I remembered that that was how Touch_Me had disappeared, as if a vortex had swallowed him from the inside out at an absurd speed, but for me, it was as if I were instantly somewhere else.

    The place had a splendid gold and silver decoration, with details on the walls made of a blue that seemed to try to change color, but never managed, reminding me a little of the arrowheads of my [Bow-Bifrost]. There were some rustic wood furniture that reminded me a lot of the style of furniture that exists in the rooms where the Devs and I gather for live interviews.

    ¡°Hikari-Kun!!¡± My thoughts were cut off when I heard a voice around me, I couldn''t turn around in time and had already been squeezed into a big hug by my friend in shining armor.

    ¡°Touch-sama!!¡± I chuckled and returned the hug. "It''s really nice to see we''re in the same place."

    ¡°I expected no less from you! But seriously, what madness was that halfway through to the end of your fight? You even looked like a complete lunatic!¡± He exclaimed, still showing excitement that we are together there.

    ¡°I just wanted to scare and confuse the enemy about how to react, my usual strategy.¡± I answered him, but then I noticed a whistle and turned around to notice Muspellsheim''s and Helheim''s World Champions, who were sitting in separate armchairs.

    Helheim''s Champion had the appearance of a demi-human, more specifically a Nekomimi, a race known by many as being the perfect for cat lovers, his clothes gave him away that he was a mix of [Rogue] and [Hunter], but traits like part of his right arm being with exposed bones made me suspicious that he had also fallen into the line of undead-related JobClasses. Muspellsheim''s Champion was the same player who beat Ulbert, his big war ax was leaning on the ground nearby, with details of flames coming out of its handle, he seemed to be an Undead Beast, more specifically a mix between Zombie and Minotaur, and this was noticeable by his skin being greener than normal for that race of demi-humans, in addition to one of his horns being broken, but with bones appearing in place as if they were being repaired.

    ¡°So you really know each other? Nyehehe.¡± Said the nekomimi, with a big smug face. ¡°This Half-Insect was always saying good things about you and how you represent justice and blah blah blah, I thought he was just talking for the sake of a speech you gave in one of the battles you had. Btw, my name is [NyahoSorrow], nice to meet you~¡±

    The other player there didn''t seem to want to say anything, he just let out thick air through his nostrils while a system screen appeared in front of him, on which he kept writing with a keyboard. I just stared at him for a bit, along with NyahoSorrow. After all, I think about the situation correctly, if my friends had won their tournaments, we would all be here now talking, but there''s nothing to do, it was obvious that there were chances of defeat, in the same way that there were chances of victory, but at least it was a relief not to see that pervert Peroroncino here with us, it would really be an embarrassment to all of Helheim.

    ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, NyahoSorrow, as my friend here said, my name is Hikari, but really¡­ your fights were very interesting, I heard about you two because of other acquaintances who entered the same tournaments as you. They both said you are ¡®Iron First Players¡¯, so to speak, but I feel ¡®Bone Fist¡¯ would be a better term." I answered the Nekomimi, who ended up laughing at my pun, while the Minotaur didn''t even react, as if he wasn''t even listening.

    Touch_Me, on the other hand, put a hand on my left shoulder, squeezing hard and saying. ¡°I will stop you from spending that much time with Luci¡ïFer, he is infecting you with these little jokes.¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry I couldn''t resist~¡± I let out a hearty laugh.

    Not much time passed and slowly the other winners appeared in that room, they all looked very different from each other in terms of race and build, but I was happy to see at least one person extremely focused on magic was able to be one of the champions, from Asgard in specific. And with the arrival of the last winner, a bizarre sound appeared, along with the Level-Up notification.

    I was confused and went to look at what it was, realizing that the Devs forced Level-Up on all of us, so that we could obtain a JobClass called [World Champion]. ¡°A level up for free after level 50 is really an amazing thing¡­¡± Said NyahoSorrow as he was sitting next to me, and I could only agree, due to the exponentially calculated amount of EXP.

    Finally, Great-oDoll, TrjegulFreyjaha, and two other Devs appeared in that room, with the first of them speaking in a grand manner. ¡°My dear Players! Today I''m honored to say how grateful I am to see such incredible and powerful people within this game that my colleagues and I work so hard on programming, as well as on the design and customizable appearances that our champions already know. As a prize, you won the [World Champion] jobclass, which allows you to show everyone how great you are, in addition to being able to use special items that no one else can use, unless they pay a lot. But beyond that, we''ll let you create your first special item! You can create the description, appearance, flavor text¡­ everything!¡±

    ¡°However, after we receive the settings of what you want, we will check what can and cannot be accepted, so it won''t become things like that¡­ extreme overpowers ¡­ So yes, even you, World Champions, will have a limit, but this limit will be so high that I doubt that during your future adventures, you really will feel limited.¡± TrjegulFreyjaha spoke right away, and one of the Devs behind her snapped its fingers, thus bringing up a golden screen of the system in front of us.

    ¡°The item can range from armor parts, accessories, swords, pistols, cleavers, whatever you want, even if any of you are crazy, the special item can be a hair ribbon! Hahaha!" Great-oDoll said laughing and finally we were free to write.

    I was thinking deeply about what I should order. I already had too many good items, but I know they weren''t enough for the future when I reach the limit of level 100. I kept thinking and thinking, more and more¡­ until I had a ridiculous idea, making me raise my hand to the Devs present there. "You said it could be anything, didn''t you, Doll?"

    ¡°Exactly, Midgard¡¯s World Champion, why do you ask?¡± He replied.

    ¡°Instead of having a new item, upgrades of an old item can also be done?¡± My question confused him, but then his eyes widened.

    ¡°Boy¡­ I wouldn''t recommend this, you have so many options, but would you choose to upgrade? It would be more interesting to ask for something completely new, and if you really don''t have anything in mind and want an upgrade, you''d be better off having an item that could be mistaken for an improved version of something you already have.¡± I sighed at his answer, but he quickly continued. ¡°It''s not that I don¡¯t trust your decisions, after all, you''re here simply because of your creativity in mixing skills and creating synergies out of thin air. I''m saying this because I know exactly what item you want to upgrade, and I''m already telling you that if you''re really stubborn and want to go with that idea, you''ll end up with an initial improved version, not the current improved version.¡±

    "So it''s the same logic of resetting in an idle game to gain prestige that helps you evolve even more?" I asked, since that was the only analogy I could think of.

    ¡°In part, yes¡­ but actually it would be more complicated and irritating to go back to the stage that it is at the moment¡­¡± I smiled at his answer and nodded, going back to writing in that system window.

    Time passed and the other World Champions finished writing what they wanted and handed it to the Devs, with all of them disappearing as soon as they had nothing to do there. In the end it was just me and Touch_Me in that room, it could see in our faces as we always analyzed what we wrote, erased and re-wrote something over it until we were satisfied. It seems we were taking longer than expected, so even the Devs left that room, with TrjegulFreyjaha remaining to get our world items settings.

    Touch_Me was the first of us to finish, he looked extremely happy with his choices. ¡°Lady TrjegulFreyjaha, here is the item I wish to have! It''s fabulous!¡±

    She took the setting he handed her, and looked at it curiously. ¡°Oh, interesting, a full armor named [Compliance with Law], the stat buffs this item gives are well within the expected cap, now let''s see the flavor text.¡± She smiled as she saw the item that Touch_Me wanted so much, but her look was super confused by what she read next. ¡°Wait¡­w¡­wtf? Why is the word ''Justice'' being repeated at least 1 time in every sentence?!?"

    This made me lose focus as I finished writing about my item, I started laughing a lot hearing that, and tried to explain the feline dev''s doubts ¡°It''s just that he works with things like that, he''s really fanatical about the idea of perfect justice. It''s a very common thing to see him doing." Clearly I haven''t given away too many personal things about him, just enough.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She looked at my faithful friend, a little embarrassed. "I''m sorry, Alfheim''s World Champion, I just spoke without thinking..."

    ¡°It''s okay, I see people reacting like this all the time¡­but¡­that''s the price I have to pay to achieve the Most Honest Justice in the world!!¡± He said this with a pose, which made me laugh even harder.

    Touch_Me soon left, as he said someone was calling him out of the game, possibly his wife or daughter. Anyway, 5 minutes passed, I got up from my seat and handed the feline dev my world item settings. She took it and seemed to read it more carefully than she had when she received the previous request, without doubt she was looking to see if I had done something extremely absurd, but in a way that even impressed me, she looked at me smiling and confirming with her head.

    ¡°This item is within the limits we can give. Great, I expected you to exaggerate a lot more.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ really? I really thought you were going to complain about something and ask me to change a few things.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I mean¡­ didn''t you complain a lot when you saw the things I was doing with [Kuwoi-Muramasa]?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that''s because the katana that Doll gave you as a gift, was ranked low, and it became much stronger than some other Devs expected. I mean, we had to manually rank it as S for this tournament!¡± I ended up scratching the back of my neck at her response. ¡°And what you gave me, it''s quite acceptable¡­ In fact, from what I''ve read about the other World Items that have been asked for here, yours seems to be the most Overpowered among them.¡±

    "Really?!? What is the criterion for you to know these limits????¡±

    ¡°We have some draft World Items that we will be adding just as rewards from future events and such, this new katana of yours is in a similar parameter to these drafts. So congrats¡­ I think¡­ Either way, you will receive an email when the item is ready, Hikari.¡± She clapped her hands while smiling at me, and soon I decided to get out of there, obviously waving to her before that.

    ¡°I''m going to have a lot of things to do and people to deal with¡­¡± was what I thought before logging out, feeling proud of what I achieved today. Maybe I will reward myself with a lot of candies, or just wait for what I was planning since the middle of the tournament¡­

    Either way¡­ this is just the beginning.

 Chapter 15 - The Lucky Tree

    [Keiko Kobayashi POV]

    Messages, private conversations, friendship invitations¡­

    These three things were what appeared on my devices. Such an extreme amount of notifications that I was forced to disable them for a while. I knew what I was getting myself into by becoming a World Champion, but I didn''t expect it to be as instantaneous as what happened. The only answer to this would be something related to YGGDRASIL''s time being faster than the real world. At least there were good things, like my website reaching a huge amount of people accessing it simultaneously.

    ¡°I have to thank the Devs for paying for a more robust server for the website¡­ it would be annoying for a World Champion who works in journalism not to have a website that can support so many people.¡± It was one of the things I said, alone in my room and staring at the computer screen, with the website in question open.

    However, there were other things that made me happier, one of them being that¡­

    Two IRL days after winning the Midgard World Tournament, we had a fast meeting, and my beloved paladin of justice had arrived with a new member to our party. He is a skeleton, according to his clothes and the brief conversation we had, he is a player who wants to focus a lot on being a wizard, not in the same way I do, but rather a complete focus on dark properties, like a necromancer. I was quite excited, after all we had a cleric, a paladin, a builder, a swordsman, a shield, a naturalist, but none of us had such a grand focus on wanting to use the Dark element in a magical way. He still seemed to be a newbie, so I asked him to know what times he would normally be online, so that both I and others would be willing to help him. After all, we are his ¡°senpais¡±, aren¡¯t we?

    And yes, that meant he had agreed to join our group. With 10 members now, we can access the requirements to become a Clan. We would still need a few more players to reach the ¡°Guild¡± requirement, but that is for another time.

    The second thing that made me very happy was that, after some people were reluctant about it, we managed to schedule an irl meeting with all the members of the new team that was being made official from now on. Apparently they all live in New Tokyo or nearby prefectures, so there was no problem with me paying for their transportation. Of course, some insisted on going their own way, but this was the ¡°first meeting¡± related to my work, plus this was all my idea, so I should be the responsible for it.

    In the invitation I sent to them, I said that there would be no dress code, it would be something in the style of a meeting between schoolmates, with the only thing that everyone should have being something that we could use to identify each other by InGame Name. This was done so that no one felt forced to say their real name, after all, today was the day to really get to know who the people behind the characters are.

    I have to say, the fact that T_M and B.B. trusted me a lot, meant that none of the others were afraid of wanting to meet me irl. ¡°Really thanks, guys¡­¡±

    I got up, grabbing some clothes to get dressed. Even being from a rich family, I''ve never been much for wearing expensive or fancy clothes, so I picked a beige shirt, a dark red long-sleeved coat and black jeans. For style, I took boots that went just below the knee, as well as a gold accessory for my brown hair, a small detail that reminds me of the hair clip that my character has. As a method of identifying myself, I took an old brooch from my drawer, took a piece of paper with ¡°Hikari¡± written on it and placed it on my coat, in the left chest area.

    And so I waited until 4 pm, which was when I received a message on my cellphone. It was my paladin friend, who had arrived to pick me up. It was a chance to take advantage of the fact that he lived close enough that it wouldn''t be a problem to give me a ride, as we''ve known each other since long before the game, there was no problem with that either. So I took a backpack in which I left only essential things and left my house, obviously turning on the security system while I was inside the elevator.

    Arriving at the parking area, I could see that the vehicle wasn''t incredibly glamorous, but it demonstrated how expensive it was compared to the other cars there. As I approached, one of the windows rolled down, showing that man, white hair, an envious beard, a strong physique, as well as dressed in a white polo shirt, a simple bow tie, black pants and shoes.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Masato-Sama.¡± I said, laughing lightly and noticing that there was a person in the backseat. ¡°Oh, Selen, how are you? I didn¡¯t expect you to be here.¡± I got into the front seat, my backpack resting near my feet.

    ¡°I''m fine, I''m going because today is my free day... besides... I heard that daddy was going to a great restaurant that you would be paying for. When you two go out together, the places you pay for are always the best.¡± She said with a sweet laugh.

    ¡°Seh, what did I say about acting like that?¡± He asked in a very commanding voice, his daughter instantly trembled and immediately apologized for speaking like that.

    I just laughed, accepting her apology and closing the door. Masato, better known as Touch_Me, just kept a serious and imposing expression, but soon relaxed, also giving a hearty laugh next to me. Selen ended up laughing too, but not that much.

    ¡°I still can''t believe how you two are such good friends¡­¡± She said while looking at her cellphone.

    ¡°This is called, companionship in games, my dear Selen Senju.¡± I answered her in a deep voice.

    ¡°I actually find it all very fun and challenging, my dear.¡± Masato replied, with an obvious smile on his face.

    ¡°And there are more, you are in the presence of two YGGDRASIL World Champions! Something really big!¡± The theatrical way I did ended up making Masato laugh a lot.

    While we didn''t arrive at the restaurant, I looked at the notifications to see if anyone had sent any messages. Apparently BB and Peroroncino were the only ones who responded that they had already arrived, but that was to be expected, they live in the same neighborhood as us. And it didn''t take long for us to be there either.

    It was a very simple looking place from the outside, but luckily it had an indoor parking area, so none of us needed a respirator to walk to the door. Inside it was a super minimalist area, with simple and basic colors, as well as chairs without legs, supported by the walls with tables between them. As for the organization, it was something that I would say was a reimagination of restaurants from the 80s, 20th century.

    A holographic screen was near the entrance, asking if we had reserved a table or not. I inputted the reservation code and a lovely map appeared on the screen, showing which table was ours, so we headed towards the place without delay, it was a private room. Two people were already there.

    One was a blond guy with short hair and slightly artificially tanned skin, he was dressed messily, like a classic school bully. It was easy to see that he had a piece of paper stuck to his right cheek, with the word ¡°PeroPero¡± written on it.

    Next to him was a woman with very long black hair, dressed in a long-sleeved, high-necked pink sweater, tight-fitting black jeans completely hiding her legs, and black gloves that left only her ring fingers exposed. She turned her face towards us upon noticing our presence, so I could see that she had an adorable pink slime brooch on her right shoulder.

    ¡°Woah, I didn¡¯t expect that from you Hikari, you¡¯re actually a lot older than I thought.¡± That''s what Pero said, but I didn''t respond, I just gave him a facepalm, because it was obvious that he was talking to Masato, after all, he hadn''t put on any identification, and possibly the pervert in our group didn''t notice my brooch.

    My good friend just coughed lightly. ¡°I think you made a mistake¡­ My justice doesn¡¯t allow me to accept so many things like that¡­¡±

    Their gaze quickly shifted to Selen, but finally they reached me, as I puffed out my chest, leaving my identifier clearly visible to them. While the woman who was clearly BB looked me up and down, very surprised, Peroroncino simply started laughing.

    I responded with a sigh, choosing to sit next to BB. "What was it? Did you think that the person who says ¡®Justice¡¯ all the time would be the child and the famous journalist would be a strong guy?¡±

    ¡°To be honest... Yes, I thought exactly that, I''m in shock that things turned out like this... Anyway, I''m still impressed with how you two look.¡± Pero was the first to respond, while BB continued to look at me, seeming to analyze my clothes or face.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re a ¡®slime¡¯, but do you need to be thinking about eating me out of the game?¡± My response made her immediately blush, while Pero laughed a few times.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to say things like that so openly, Hikari-kun.¡± Touch_Me responded, sighing and turning on the screen next to where he had sat at the table, looking at the restaurant''s menu.

    ¡°Well¡­ who is this that arrived with you? Was there another woman in our group? eeeh?¡± Pero asked again, observing Selen next to her father.

    ¡°She is my daughter¡­ she asked to come with me just because this restaurant is very expensive and famous for its delicious synthetic meats¡­ Introduce yourself to them.¡± Masato spoke, still looking at the menu.

    ¡°Hm¡­ yes, people call me Seh, nice to meet you¡­ uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Peroroncino. This is my name in the group.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m his older sister¡­ They call me Bukubukuchagama¡­¡± B.B. said that, still slightly blushing, now looking fixedly at the table.

    ¡°Oh! Oneesan was so serious and stiff before, do new faces make you so shy?¡± Pero said provocatively, but before Masato could complain about his way of acting outside the game, BB ended up throwing a kind of rubber bat in his face, it was a direct blow, enough that, if there was no support for back in the chairs, Pero would possibly fall to the floor.

    ¡°Brat¡­ What have I said about talking like that in public? Eh?... Do you want us to have a ¡®great¡¯ time when we get back home? Eh¡­?"

    Her voice became incredibly mature, in the biggest Dommy Mommy style I''ve ever seen in this life. This caused Selen to have a look of astonishment, Touch to have an eyebrow raised, while Peroroncino seemed to have his courage hidden, that bad boy bully aura disappearing instantly and transforming into the same aura of a tamed dog. Really, she is an excellent voice actor, to the point where I was surprised by her sudden change in mood, after that teasing phrase her younger brother said.

    ¡°We better calm down here, BB, we don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± I said, touching her shoulder to get her attention, and she seemed to adjust herself in the chair and once again her cheeks turned red.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a woman Bukubuku, I¡¯m surprised and proud that someone like you is the one to control this brother of yours.¡± Masato commented.

    ¡°Hey!!¡± Peroroncino wanted to protest about that, but was quieted by yet another cold look from his sister.

    However, she was embarrassed by what my friend had said, looking away from us. ¡°Thank you¡­ I think¡­ As this brat''s older sister, I always need to pull his leash so as not to overdo it and embarrass our family in public¡­ after all, we only have ourselves at the moment¡­¡±

    That conversation had unintentionally gotten into a very personal and heavy subject, but thanks to fate, something happened to ease the tension, three men appeared inside our private room. One of them had long brown hair, wore a gray hat and loose white clothes, with two brooches, an upside-down cross and another with a star, obviously that was Luci¡ïFer. The second had a closed brown coat, covering much of his torso, while there were long jeans, and instead of brooches, he seemed to have just put on a head accessory, something that resembled small goat horns, so this was Ulbert in this logic. The third one seems to stand out among all of us there at the moment, wearing a basic worker''s outfit, such as a white shirt, dark blue suit, with pants and tie of the same color, however he had a piece of paper stuck to his belt, with a simple drawing of a skull, most likely it was the newbie, Momonga.

    ¡°Watashi Momonga desu.¡± The worker said, bowing to us at the table, but this caused a slight laugh from Peroroncino.

    ¡°Relax, newbie. We¡¯re all friends here, there¡¯s no need for so much education, after all, we¡¯re all ¡®monsters¡¯, aren¡¯t we?¡± His way of speaking seemed to have returned to his relaxed style.

    ¡°I agree, we are all here as friends and allies in a way.¡± Luci¡ïFer said, adjusting his own hat a little and sitting down next to Pero.

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ anyway, it¡¯s good to finally meet you guys¡­ And thank you very much, Hikari, for the opportunity.¡± The person I interpreted to be Ulbert spoke¡­ looking at Touch_Me.

    I looked bored watching that, while Peroroncino started laughing again ang again. The three of them were quite confused, until we explained that I was Hikari. The most ¡°humiliating¡± part was that they said the same thing Pero said. ¡°You look like a kid who would be talking about justice all the time and he really seems like a super responsible and respectful guy.¡±

    After they kept apologizing for that mistake, we started ordering some food while we were waiting for the others. I knew that, unfortunately, Warrior Takemikazuchi had canceled his coming to our irl meeting, due to some family problem, which we decided not to ask about in depth, so the only ones missing were Blue Planet and Punitto Moe.

    Luckily, they both arrived before our food. Blue Planet wore a brooch with the classic appearance of Earth on his chest, dressed in a slightly formal way, his glasses along with his hair style made him look like a university professor, the kind where the students are always good friends with, even if their grades aren¡¯t so friendly. Punitto Moe, on the other hand, was dressed in a simple uniform, green with white and red stripes, with the way to identify him being the letters ¡°PM¡± marked in green on a simple mask that covered the lower part of his face.

    ¡°I hope we weren¡¯t late¡­ I almost forgot about our meeting, I was doing a little extra work at home¡­¡± Punitto Moe said, massaging his own left shoulder.

    ¡°Likewise, I was grading some exams¡­ and wow, I knew YGGDRASIL had a lot of kids playing, but seeing only two in our group still surprises me.¡± BP said, possibly referring to me and Selen.

    ¡°Oh¡­ no, I¡¯m not a player like you¡­ I came here because I begged my father.¡± She replied, making Masato sigh.

    ¡°So we even have a family man here? Really, our group is very diverse¡­¡± Punitto Moe spoke, deciding to sit on my other side. ¡°Do you mind if I stay here, Hikari?¡±

    "Make yourself comfortable." I answered him. ¡°We ordered some grilled synthetic meat, along with some cans of drinks. Will you want something too?¡±

    ¡°A simple beer is enough for me.¡± PM responded.

    ¡°No problem, I always bring some natural juice with m- Wait a minute¡­ Hikari???? One of our leaders is a child???¡± When BP said that, everyone started laughing, including me.

    ¡°Yes¡­ your leader is a 21 year old young adult, take this surprise, Professor Planet.¡± I smirked.

    ¡°Wait¡­ you said you brought ¡®natural juice¡¯?¡± Momonga asked, making us all notice this little detail.

    ¡°Well¡­ I work as a professor at an university, which participates in the initiative to recreate fruit plantations in biodomes. They ask me to always drink the natural juices they produce... it''s as if I were a test subject to see if the new hybrid fruits, which are being harvested, are suitable for prolonged human consumption.¡± He has a big smug, as if he was ultra proud of being in said ''extra-job''.

    "This is amazing! Really, something very interesting... it''s no wonder that your character is the closest thing possible to a real druid.¡± Touch_Me''s words made BP''s cheeks redden, giving a genuine smile.

    It didn''t take long for the synthetic meat to arrive, there was no smell, but the taste and texture were excellent. It clearly didn''t come close to real grilled meats, which are extremely expensive and rare at the moment, but at least it came close enough that I, a person focused solely on conversation and interaction, wouldn''t notice. Drinks arrived too, they were largely alcoholic drinks as only one of us would be driving once our little ¡°party¡± was over.

    Slowly, the slightly tense atmosphere of 9 players meeting each other irl, began to disappear. Becoming warmer and more fun to talk to and joke with each other, it even seemed like we forgot that we were all working adults, starting to act more like our characters, for pure roleplay. To be honest, I let myself get carried away by alcohol, even coming up with the stupid idea of playing truth or dare between us. Obviously, some like Selen, Masato, Blue Planet and Punitto Moe decided not to participate.

    ¡°So¡­ Truth or dare, Peroroncici?¡± Momonga asked when it was his turn.

    ¡°Peroroncici??? HA!¡± We started laughing because he got the name wrong, but Peroroncino continued. "Dare!!"

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I heard that you have a huge collection of dubious action figures¡­ Put your cellphone on the table, with the image open of the last photo you have of any of these action figures!¡±

    ¡°Hahah! Holy¡­ That was pretty heavy, Skeletron!¡± Luci¡ïFer was laughing more and more.

    ¡°Hmph! That''s nothing!" But he said that possibly not even thinking about the problems that this could cause him.

    And with great luck, when he showed the cellphone screen to all of us, we saw a photo of a set of collectible dolls from an anime, possibly something from the Old Net era. It was a raccoon woman with a katana, dressed in a classic kimono, and a little blonde girl with wings, wearing a white and blue tunic. Seconds passed and I could see Peroroncino breathing a sigh of relief, as if he finally noticed the danger in this.

    But soon, he looked at me. ¡°Uhh¡­ Hikari! Truth or Dare?"

    "Truth." I decided to play it a little safe.

    ¡°*Hic* How boring¡­ anyway¡­ uh¡­ Are you wearing contact lenses?¡±

    His question left me a little confused and I soon gently touched my face, noticing a small detail. I didn''t have my contact lenses on, making everyone see that I had heterochromia. This hadn''t been mentioned before by any of them, even though it was the only thing about me that really caught their attention, so what surprised me most was that it was only mentioned now.

    ¡°Nope. These are my eyes indeed.¡± I said, using the index and middle fingers of both hands to keep my eyes wide open. ¡°I normally wear lenses to keep them the same color, but apparently I forgot to put them on.¡±

    Everyone seemed interested in that fact, making them look closely at my face, until I finally continued the game, but before that I took a long sip of my drink. ¡°Ulbert-¡±

    "Truth." He responded before I could finish.

    "Okay! Hm¡­ let me think¡­ If one of us fought you, which one of us would you be most afraid of?¡±

    The demon player was very thoughtful, but soon responded. ¡°If we count back in time¡­ I would be scared of Takemikazuchi, but currently¡­ I¡¯m between you and Touch-sama.¡±

    ¡°Being a World Champion really makes people afraid to face us.¡± Masato commented, and I just agreed, making a loud ¡®Humuhumu¡¯.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Ulbert took another sip of his drink, now pointing at BB. ¡°Bukubuku! Truth or Dare?"

    "Dare!" She said quite cheerfully, even though she hadn''t drunk that much, her face was very red, and a silly smile was on it.

    "Okay! I always wanted to see this! *Hic*... Flirt, anyone at this table, with the most perverted voice you can think of!¡± Everyone''s eyes, except BB, went wide at Ulbert''s request.

    ¡°My goodness¡­ Doing this with a professional hentai voice actor¡­ this is going to be intense¡­¡± Punitto Moe commented, while I saw Masato covering Selen''s ears with his hands, which I found minimally funny, since she''s a little older than me.

    ¡°Okaaaay~¡± BB spoke in a very adorable voice in the biggest loli style possible, it was so contrasting with her appearance, that it made Momonga and Luci¡ïFer cough up a little of their drinks.

    Soon BB turned to me, giving my left arm a firm hug, placing my shoulder right at her bust. I felt my face get quite hot at that moment, with her voice changing drastically to something quite sexy and provocative.

    ¡°Hikari-kyun~ What do you think about going to a sauna? This way my body melts, and you can use me for a bath~¡±

    ¡°Woaaah!?!?¡± Most exclaimed seeing the way she spoke to me, while my face heated up even more.

    Clearly that flirting was referring to her character in YGGDRASIL. The thought of a slime next to me in a sauna, with it melting and covering my entire body¡­ Plus that voice was the icing on the cake, making me feel a little blood running down my nose. But it didn''t end there, with her giving a small lick near my mouth, cleaning the blood that ran onto my chin. I could feel like steam was coming out of my ears, and I slowly turned to the people there at the table, everyone was also blushing from the scene, while Selen now had her eyes covered by Masato''s hands.

    ¡°I think you overdid the type of challenge, Ulbert¡­¡± I commented, as I saw BB still hugging me there, with a simply silly face and closed eyes, looking like she slept in that position.

    ¡°Sheeesh, I didn¡¯t expect that¡­ Honestly.¡± Ulbert replied.

    ¡°She is a girl who works in a part of adult entertainment, besides obviously liking Hikari, who was sitting next to her, what did you think was going to happen?¡± Punitto Moe spoke, making most of the game''s participants facepalm themselves.

    ¡°I knew she liked me¡­ but not like that¡­¡± I replied sincerely.

    ¡°Most likely she¡¯s so *Hic* drunk, that she forgot we¡¯re not in YGGDRASIL.¡± Peroroncino said, taking out his cellphone and taking a photo of that scene. ¡°Hehehehe! But it was worth it, I will use this photo to win some favors from her.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Pero¡­¡± Masato and I spoke at the same time, with voices that clearly demonstrated our disgust with his idea, making him turn away, not wanting to see our disapproving faces.

    ¡°Anyway, better to make her comfortable, no?¡± Momonga raised that point, but when I tried to put her head lying on the table, she held on tighter to my arm.

    ¡°My left arm was sacrificed¡­¡± I gave a long sigh, picking up a piece of synthetic meat with my fork and putting it in my mouth.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have such weird friends, dad.¡± Selen said that, and soon we all felt a little embarrassed about it.

    ¡°They drank, it''s normal for people with stressful lives to be like this after drinking¡­ that''s why I told you to stay at home¡­ But your mother kept asking me to let you come, just because Hikari was going to be here too¡­¡± Masato said, in a tired voice while drinking an apple soda. ¡°And that¡¯s also why we made the rule that you can only drink after you¡¯re 30.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so ¡®Touch_Me¡¯ to say.¡± I, along with Ulbert, Luci¡ïFer and Blue Planet, spoke at the same time. This made Selen start laughing at everyone''s reaction to how iconic her father''s speaking style was among us.

    After eating some more grilled food, Momonga looked at me strangely, and spoke after taking another sip of his drink. ¡°Hikari-Sama¡­ I would like to know something¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You can ask, what do you want to know?¡± I said, still having to take care of the drunk BB next to me, who continued to hug my left arm. The way I spoke demonstrated how quickly I got used to the situation I found myself in.

    ¡°How would you describe the color of your eyes?¡±

    His question took me by surprise, as it was much more random for me than I thought, but I still answered. ¡°Well¡­ The medical term is to say that one is brown and the other is amber. But I like to be dramatic and say milk chocolate brown, and fool''s gold plated amber. Why the question?"

    ¡°Fool¡¯s gold-plated amber? That¡¯s a very specific and bizarre way to describe a color.¡± Punitto Moe commented, finishing what was on his plate.

    ¡°I said it was my dramatic way of saying it. Not that it was something common.¡± I answered him, but then I looked at Momonga, who seemed to be a little silent after I spoke. ¡°Want to ask other thing?"

    ¡°N-No¡­ it was just¡­ just curiosity¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ It''s really rare to see someone who is naturally like me, so it''s worth being curious¡­¡± I drank another glass of my drink.

    Slowly, our meeting was ending, but before it ended for good, some interesting things happened¡­

    Ulbert came to me when I was leaving the table to go to the bathroom, he gave me some Players¡¯ ID links. Apparently they were people who wanted to join our group, but were unable to contact us in advance. He told me that these players wanted to form a group with the same objective as ours, but because we have two World Champions, it was more appropriate to unite, rather than create separately. I told him that I would research these players when I got home, and then see if they could actually join or not.

    Another thing that happened was BukuBuku... When I came back from the conversation with Ulbert, she didn''t want to let me go for anything, it didn''t matter that the meeting was over, she kept grabbing me and hugging my arm. We tried everything we could to separate her from me, but Peroroncino ended up giving us some very special information.

    ¡°She gets very angry if she doesn''t get what she wants, even more so when she''s drunk¡­ Getting in the way now is the same as having a ticking bomb near us.¡±

    And because of that, we came up with an ultra-brilliant idea. As we all trust each other, especially me and Bukubuku, because we talked a lot online since the beginning of the World Tournament, and because I, BB, Pero and Masato all live in the same neighborhood... I decided that she would go with me to my house, and when she was in a sane state again, I would take her back to her house.

    This was the most logical option and would cause the least problems, in my opinion, but¡­ O M F G¡­ the amount of teasing and jokes about me taking an older woman to my house was so great that I decided to pay for things straight away and go directly to the parking lot, where I waited for Selen and Masato so we could finally get out of there. BB and I were in the back seats, while the other two were in the front.

    ¡°I can''t believe that even Pero kept making jokes asking me to stay with her so he can get free¡­¡± I said, while I was still sitting there, head patting a drunken Bukubuku.

    ¡°I still think it¡¯s impressive how you came out on top here.¡±

    ¡°Selen?! Are you even making jokes like that? I¡¯m just being a gentleman and letting a woman off the hook.¡± In the second half of my speech, I changed the intonation of my voice to something more theatrical.

    ¡°I don''t know which side to take, on the one hand, I understand your logic completely, Keiko. On the other hand, I think people have a reason to joke.¡± Masato continued to look at the road as he said that.

    ¡°Eh¡­ My real name? Hello?¡± I tried to get his attention.

    ¡°She''s drunk, I don''t think it''s a problem for her to hear your first name once~ Besides, your family is quite famous, I was surprised that no one recognized you when we got there, to be honest¡­¡± Selen spoke while adjusting herself a little the makeup on the cheeks.

    ¡°It''s because I do text interviews, I don''t show my face or anything like that, and all the photos related to me I ask to represent me as a small seedling with 4-leaf clovers at the ends. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t try to come with a mask, unlike Punitto Moe.¡±

    ¡°Hella ¡®Lucky Tree¡¯, aren¡¯t you?¡± Selen made that pun, making Masato laugh.

    ¡°Well, what is more appropriate to represent me than that? My name basically has this meaning, in a way¡­¡±

    It didn''t take long for us to arrive at the parking lot of my building, and so I was left there with BB. Strangely, it wasn''t that difficult to walk her to my house, she didn''t trip and just stayed close to me, without letting go of my arm yet.

    ¡°Ehn¡­ Your brat¡­ stop moving so much¡­ *Hic*¡­¡± She said, clearly drunk and thinking I was her brother, but out of nowhere she decided to not only hug my arm, but my body itself.

    Inside the elevator, she pressed her body against mine, hugging me as if I were a stuffed animal, and I just watched. I was a little taller than her, enough for her face to be at the height of my neck, she completely hugged my waist while saying something that I couldn''t even hear. However, it completely chilled me that she would do that in a place like this.

    ¡®My god¡­ Is this really happening?¡¯ I thought to myself, and finally the elevator door opened.

    I managed to get her to stop hugging me like that, but instead of grabbing my arm again, she held tight to my left hand. ¡°Baaaaaaakaaaaaaaaa~ *Hic* Don¡¯t let go of me~¡± Her voice was completely soft and calm, with a stupid smile on her face.

    I took a few steps until I reached the door, luckily the key was in my right pocket, so she didn''t get in the way of me opening it and entering the apartment with her. Being there, she let go of my hand, taking a few steps alone and murmuring things that I couldn''t find any sense of. They were all meaningless sentences, as if they were lines from characters she had recently voiced.

    ¡®Is she that drunk?¡¯ I thought, taking a long sigh and slowly leading her to the living room¡¯s sofa. When I touched her, she turned to me and hugged me tightly again, this time with her arms around my neck. I could see the reddened cheeks, that silly smile, and a lost look, but one that seemed to stare deeply at me.

    ¡°Heelllo, handsome¡­ who are you?~¡± She had an incredibly seductive voice. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re here for *HIC* me?~¡±

    Before I could do anything, she pulled me firmly, bringing our faces closer and stealing a kiss. I tried to pull our faces away, but she continued intensely, finally letting go of me when it seemed like we were out of breath. She fell, taking me with her, but we managed to fall onto the sofa together, with her slowly letting go of my neck.

    ¡®My first kiss¡­ stolen by an older and drunk woman¡­???? This wasn''t what I expected... Is the universe really taunting me or what?''

    Finally, truly free, I got up from the couch and watched her lying down, hugging one of the pillows there. I decided to get ready, so I grabbed some clean clothes and went to take a shower. It didn''t take long and I came out of the bathroom wearing black shorts, a white tank top with a small anime logo on the back, and red crocs shoes.

    Returning to the living room, I saw her still sleeping there. I felt terrible letting her sleep on the couch, so I carried her to my room. I don''t know if it was good or bad that she was much lighter than I thought, but at least it made it easier to carry her, leaving her now lying on my bed.

    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaa!~¡± She made an adorable noise, but then did something that many would consider indecent.

    She simply started to take off the pink sweater she was wearing, showing that she was wearing a red sports bra underneath her clothes, and finally threw herself face down on the bed. Immediately after that, she began to snore, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.

    ¡°. . . . . Drunk women are really unpredictable. . . .¡± Those were the only words that came out of my mouth, however, being a gentleman, I took one of my blankets and put it over her.

    In order to forget about the things I just went through at this very moment, I decided to look for the players that Ulbert had mentioned. Entering the YGGDRASIL registration system, and with the IDs he sent me, it didn''t take long for me to find the players mentioned. I pulled their public profiles into separate windows, so I wouldn''t get confused in my analyses.

    The first one that caught my attention was one with the nickname [Tabula Smaragdina], his striking appearance, along with his race, was something I hadn''t yet experienced in the game. I had never met a Heteromorph Player, who had decided the path of the Brain Eater race, a humanoid being with a distorted octopus head. In his description, he said several things about Lovecraft, an ancient writer who appeared before the Old Web, related to myths about cosmic and supernatural terror, and an obvious inspiration for the choice of his race in the game. Furthermore, he talked a lot about alchemy and the inexplicable desire to learn, which made me smile, after all, we didn''t have anyone in our group currently who was on the path of the Alchemist JobClass. It would be good to take a closer look and see if he is within our real ideals.

    The second was one that had the appearance of a Hecatonchires, from Greek mythology, a being that has countless transfigured heads and connected to a main body, however, in YGGDRASIL, there were not the countless limbs like in the original texts. This player had the nickname [Bellriver] and seemed to be someone like me, a person who likes to be everything, but not have an absolute focus on anything, or at least I thought, until I read the description published on his profile. Someone who wants to be both a magical and a physical player, without having assistant JobClasses or things like that. I should take a closer look to see if everything is in order to enter.

    The third one I saw was a player called [Yamaiko], being a player focused on magic involving spirits. In her public description, she referred to herself as a Healer, which surprised me a lot, as she was a Nephilim, the race of giants that Takemikazuchi is also part of. A healer with naturally high defense and attack attributes due to its race, that was something great to see, after all our only cleric was Punitto Moe, and he doesn''t have any really effective healing magic. I''ll see what others think of her...

    And so I went, looking at several other Players¡¯ IDs that Ulbert had given me. My mind focused a lot on this, but when I was already watching the 24th player¡¯s profile, I heard a sound behind me.

    Turning back, it was Bukubuku, she seemed to finally be waking up. With one hand on her head, clearly feeling the effects of a hangover, she looked around, confused, and tried to get up, but slipped and ended up sitting on the bed. I got up from the chair and approached her, smiling slightly. When our eyes met, she raised an eyebrow, slowly realizing who I was, leaving her cheeks red, but not from the drink.

    ¡°H-Hey?! Uh¡­ H-Hikari?!? Wha- W-Where are we?!?¡± She exclaimed in fright after regaining her senses.

    ¡°At my house... you got too drunk there and wouldn''t let me go for anything... your brother said it was better for me to take you with me, and when you woke up, I''d get a taxi for you.¡± I answered her calmly, extending my hand to help her get up.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ he only said that because he hates to be close to me when I''m drunk¡­ a-and I''m sorry if I caused any problems¡­¡± She accepted my hand and stood up, seeming to avoid eye contact with me, but soon looked really confused with where she was. ¡°My god¡­ how many old things¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t like it? I bought as many items as possible that go back to the Old Net times, and there are other things that just imitate items that are much older than that¡­¡± I laughed lightly, fixing my hair.

    ¡°You really must be rich to buy things like that¡­ the only times I saw things from the Old Net era were when the parents or grandparents of people I knew decided not to sell them. I¡¯ve never seen anyone have those types of things by buying them.¡± Her voice seemed very reflective, as she took a good look at my room.

    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± I tried to speak calmly, but I couldn¡¯t stop thinking that she didn¡¯t even notice that she wasn¡¯t wearing her sweater, so I went to pick up the piece of clothing she had thrown on the floor and handed it to her. ¡°You were so drunk that you took this off¡­¡±

    Her face became even redder, with her mouth moving a lot, as if she was trying to say something, but her voice wasn¡¯t coming out at all. She was in pure panic at that moment, so I decided to leave the room to let her breathe a little, returning with a glass of water. She still hadn''t worn the sweater.

    ¡°Uh¡­ T-Thank you¡­¡± She said, taking the glass of water and drinking it.

    ¡°It was nothing¡­ and relax, no one will know what happened here.¡± My words made her eyes widen.

    ¡°Wait¡­ I just did ONLY this, right? I JUST took off my sweater¡­ didn¡¯t I?¡± She asked, almost desperate.

    ¡°Uh¡­ you were rubbing against me too¡­ and¡­¡±

    Her gaze became almost blank immediately when I didn''t continue speaking. "AND¡­? What did I¡­?"

    ¡°Ehh¡­ you basically¡­ grabbed me and kissed me to the point where we almost fell to the ground¡­¡± I decided to be honest with her, and in response to that, she became expressionless, with a lost look, as if she was having an internal scream.

    ¡°B-but relax¡­ that¡¯s not a problem¡­ you were drunk¡­ and Pero said that your crush on me wasn¡¯t a roleplay¡­ so¡­ it¡¯s not something wrong¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°...Wait...my brother said what?...¡±

    Aaaaand¡­ did I make everything worse¡­?

    ¡°D-Did he tell you about this¡­?¡± She returned to a mixed expression between shyness and anger.

    ¡°Actually¡­ Yes¡­ he said¡­ but everyone said it was obvious¡­ I was apparently the only one who thought you were acting extremely well¡­¡± My words made her look at the ground again.

    She started to mumble softly, as if she were talking to herself and didn''t think I was listening. "M-My god... he must be disgusted... a woman like me falling in love with someone young like him... and on top of that... kissing him while drunk... I''m horrible... my god I''m going to become worse than Kazuya..."

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to act like that¡­ We are adults after all, you aren¡¯t in ¡®love¡¯ with someone underage, I don¡¯t look that youn- Wait a minute, who is Kazuya?¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ you said before that you were 21, is that true¡­?¡± I just nodded, but she soon had a look of shock. ¡°K-Kazuya? Huh¡­ it¡¯s my brother¡­¡±

    I patted her again, this time on her head. ¡°As I said before, no one will know what happened, only if you want me to tell them... In fact... since you said your brother''s real name, it would be more appropriate for you to know my real name, wouldn''t it?¡±

    ¡°N-No! I-It would be more appropriate for you to say your name if I say mine too¡­¡± She was still a little nervous.

    ¡°So¡­ how about we talk? If we count time inside the game, we''ve known each other for around a year or more. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if we spoke more openly¡­ let¡¯s start with age, since it¡¯s the first thing you know about me, but I don¡¯t know about yours.¡±

    The expression and agitated shape of her eyes seemed to show that she was looking for a way out of that situation, but finally, the woman in front of me gave up. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m 29¡­ I¡¯ll be 30 this year¡­¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you were really nervous? Were your dreams broken because I¡¯m 9 years younger?¡± She confirmed with her head moving very quickly, seeming quite honest about it, but I replied. ¡°Like I said before, we¡¯re adults, besides¡­ I don¡¯t see a problem with having something with a woman older than me.¡±

    ¡°A-are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Huh! Our relationship, whether as friends or something more, was something created by our personalities, not by our irl bodies, right?¡± she nodded. ¡°So¡­ If you really want to make your crush on me become something real and not just in the game, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±

    Her eyes started to shine, as if whatever problem was in her head had disappeared because of my words. I just laughed at her reaction, continuing the head patting. Finally, she finally seemed more relaxed, returning to sit on my bed, while I returned to my computer chair.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue our introductory conversation, okay?¡± I suggested ¡°Let¡¯s recap¡­ I¡¯m 21, and you¡¯re going to be 30.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ My surname is¡­ Aoki¡­¡±

    ¡°Mine is Kobayashi.¡± I smiled at her.

    ¡°Kobayashi? Hm¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve heard this surname somewhere¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the name of an air purification company.¡± Her eyes widened at that response. ¡°I''m the owner''s son... but at the moment I''m not thinking about working with him... I''m just with the people of YGGDRASIL.¡±

    She remained silent, staring into space, thoughtful, but finally speaking again. ¡°T-That explains the very expensive things you have¡­¡±

    ¡°I hope that doesn''t make you any more scared... Unless you want to be... uh... what''s the term they use for that?... a ''Sugar Baby''?... No, wait... that''s when the girl is the youngest¡­¡± I tried to think of the words to say, but when I looked at her again, her face turned red like an HP Potion, with her eyes slightly flickering.

    ¡°I-I think this term works¡­ But please¡­ never say that when other people are around¡­¡± She stuttered a lot.

    ¡°Okay, I promise I¡¯ll only call you that when we¡¯re alone, okay?¡±

    ¡°N-N-N-No! Isn¡¯t that what I meant?!¡± She exclaimed, extremely flushed and nervous about the situation, she grabbed one of my pillows and pressed it hard against her own face. I on the other hand just laughed, I don''t know why, possibly teasing her a little, in the same way she does with everyone in the game.

    ¡°Okay¡­ well¡­ you work as a Voice Actor, while I work in journalism within YGGDRASIL¡­ Do you want to talk about what you like, or is there something else you want to talk about so we can continue our conversation?¡± I continued with a slight smile.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t sound too rude¡­ Well, my name is Haruka.¡± She seemed calmer at that moment, looking at the floor.

    ¡°Haruka? It''s a cute name¡­¡± I made her blush, again, making me laugh a little. ¡°My name is Keiko.¡±

    ¡°Keiko¡­ were you¡­ serious about accepting the idea?¡±

    ¡°Seriously serious about this, if it doesn''t work out, we can just stop and just continue with our in-game lives, as friends or acquaintances...¡± My response made her suddenly jump on top of me, sitting on my lap and hugging me with force.

    "Thank you very much!!!!" She smiled, hugging herself even tighter against me.

    ¡®Oh boy¡­ does the universe love to tease me?¡¯ I thought, as my face was pressed against her bust.

    <hr>

    {3 months later / 2137¡¯s Halloween Event}

    Everyone from Nine''s Own Goal was together for this event, even though the actual date of Halloween was two days ago, we were still able to participate. The event is supposed to continue for two whole weeks, but only those who were online on that Thursday, October 31st, could enter. Since in that day, for 4 hours irl, the devs had placed entry keys for the event in the main YGGDRASIL shop. Me, Momonga and Tabula, one of our new members, were online at that moment, so we were able to obtain the access key for everyone in the group.

    The event itself was actually a temporary dungeon, having the appearance of a haunted mansion, with at least 4 visible floors. Three copies of this dungeon had appeared in each realm; they did like that, making each one have different challenges, always being an anxiety-provoking surprise, perfect for a festive date about scare and terror.

    "Guys! I hope everyone opened the boxes I sent on your profiles! From what I researched, there are settings that end up causing debuffs to players with physical damage JobClasses, and others that cause debuffs to players with magical damage JobClasses! Physical players, put the [Monster Life Gloves]! Magical players, put the [Mask of Skeletal Splendor]!¡± Punitto Moe said, standing a little behind me.

    [Monster Life Gloves] were special accessories that allowed you to use physical weapons, with slash or strike damage, against specific enemies, which would normally be difficult to face. In Heteromorph players, the appearance of the gloves was something simple like leather, but in non-heteromorph players, that item make the hands change shape to that of some random monster. [Mask of Skeletal Splendor] was an item that worked in the same way, but to help people with magical damage from becoming weaker, with the common appearance being the front part of a platinum-colored vampire skull.

    Being the only non-heteromorph player in the group, I was the only one who suffered slight changes in appearance thanks to the two items. From the elbows onwards, my arm had become skeletal, with the bones being incredibly dense, and the fingers becoming claws. My face looked like someone who hadn''t eaten in years, with my eyes glowing like a vampire staring at its victim, and sharp fangs in a werewolf style.

    "Are you ready?!?" Touch_Me took a few steps, being in front of everyone and turning towards us.

    ¡°YEAAAAH!!!¡± Me and all 22 other members exclaimed, excited for this.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!!¡± He said turning to the door and using the key to open it.

    With the entrance to the dungeon-mansion open, we saw a grand and beautiful area, worthy of an 18th century rich man, but there was one detail that didn''t make that area so beautiful...

    ¡°Daaaarling¡­ can you clean up?¡± BB spoke calmly, approaching me, and I just sighed, her character, like always, being a pink slime, but having a type of female mask floating inside her body, just for the Halloween¡¯s aesthetic.

    ¡°Do I really have to do this?...¡± I asked, already knowing what she meant by that.

    ¡°Yes¡­ After all, I won the bet, didn¡¯t I, Hikari-kun?¡± Tabula said happily next to me, with his tentacles waving a lot, excitedly.

    ¡°Wait, were you serious when you made the bet?¡± The next one to speak was one of the new players that we had invited thanks to Ulbert and Tabula''s contacts, he was monstrous with aspects of a large lion-type beast, the nickname [Beast King Mekongawa] really suited him in a way.

    ¡°Wait, what bet?¡± our main healer at that moment, Yamaiko, asked very curiously.

    ¡°If the first room was full¡­ Hikari-kun would have to use one of his signature World Item attacks to clear the area.¡± Tabula couldn''t contain his excitement, with his tentacles moving a lot.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ I only accepted because they said there was a 7% chance that the configuration of this dungeon we chose would have the first room full of monsters¡­ I don''t like using my weapon that way¡­ I prefer to use it more in PvP against the ones that only use exploits¡­¡± I replied, opening my inventory, putting on my classic [Kuwoi-Muramasa], to get my ¡®Not-So-Famous-Right-Now¡¯ katana.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t use your World Item all the time, Hikari.¡± Touch_Me spoke, looking closely at the brand new katana that was in my hands.

    In structure, it was identical to [Kuwoi-Muramasa], but the colors seemed much cleaner and pure. Its handle was white with purple and blue diamond details; The guard was in the shape of a star with 10 edges, which changed color between constantly bright red and blue; And finally, the blade had designs of waves and a flame, engraved in the dark metal.

    ¡°That¡¯s because, unlike your [Compliance with Law], my [Yamato-Kowaidasai] was made to slice and dice existence, it¡¯s not something mainly to protect.¡± I explained, hearing some laughter from the people in my group due to the name of my World Item.

    I wasn''t even worried, I want everyone to be so afraid of my new katana, that no one will laugh at the name again, and for that to happen, it must be used a few times, to show its real importance. I observed it in my hand, with its stats being at level 5, different from my initial katana which had already reached level 100 because I used it a lot.

    ¡°Come on, just do what the newbies want, I don¡¯t care about that nonsense.¡± Punitto Moe ordered and I just gave another sigh.

    Holding my World Item tightly with both hands now, I watched as Touch_Me walked out of my way, leaving only the door open in my view, with all those monsters there, walking back and forth, without having charged at us yet, since no one has actually stepped foot inside the dungeon. Positioning myself, preparing for a strong horizontal cut, I exclaimed dramatically, after all, almost none of the new members saw that, everyone was excited to see a piece of the destructive power of a World Item.

    ¡°For the love of cherry trees! For the hate of my enemies! And for my responsibility as the first bloodshed! World Class Attack, [Dimensional Infinite Cutter]!!!¡±

    The NOG members, the monsters inside that first room, the entire world seemed to slow down around me, to the point that I could say they really stopped moving. Not only that, but my speed increased significantly, teleporting to the first enemy in front of me and slashing through it, as if it were butter cutted by a hot cleaver. Another blow like that was given, and another... and another...

    My body didn''t move, it simply teleported towards the enemy, with them already receiving the cut. If I had to explain this to someone, it would be like [Blood Rush Fever], but much faster and without the restriction of only hitting my targets in areas with their body exposed. I didn''t think about how many of those monsters I had cut through with my blade, I just did it, as if it were natural. Finally, my body seemed to teleport to where I was before using the skill, with the world moving again, the NOG members started moving again as if nothing had happened, but only the monsters inside were still.

    ¡°Dude¡­ Was that nothing?¡± Tabula questioned, obviously because he hadn''t seen my attack, only the consequence that came soon after.

    With a simple movement of swinging my blade towards the ground, a loud and sharp sound appeared. It was the sound of countless cuts appearing in mid-air, as if I had cut with molecular precision, and instead of the pieces of bodies separating, as happens with [Blood Rush Fever], small black holes appeared, swallowing the enemies. Leaving only several Data Crystals behind, being the loot of my attack.

    [Item Yamato-Kowaidasai stole Experience Points]

    [Item Yamato-Kowaidasai Lv.5 ¡ú Lv.15]

    ¡°Hm¡­?¡± I watched the system message, giving a slight laugh. ''I''ve actually barely used this katana... since I got it... Anyway... I don''t think anyone will be sad... the EXP needed to go from Lv.5 to Lv.15 isn''t that great, compared to the level most of us are currently...''

    I looked at Tabula who seemed in disbelief, not only him but all the rookie NOG members were impressed with the clean up I did in one simple attack. Finally, I turned to Touch_Me.

    ¡°I said¡­ it¡¯s very OverPower¡­ it takes away the fun¡­ you can keep your armor all the time¡­ I¡¯ll only use this beauty when I really need it¡­¡± That¡¯s what I said, before exchanging katanas again, keeping my classic in hand and entering with everyone present there.

    A Halloween dungeon, for a ¡®Halloween¡¯ group.

 Chapter 16 - A great Tomb for great Friends

    [3rd Person POV]

    For a long time, Nine''s Own Goal continued to grow and shrink repeatedly, with new members emerging, and, unfortunately, few of them actually remained within the clan, as they slowly showed their real faces, which for the most part were disappointing to the first nine members. That Clan was created with the simple objective of killing PKers, and saving as many Heteromorph Players as possible, who continued to receive so much bullying and mistreatment. Those who were expelled, seemed to be completely focused on killing Non-Heteromorph Players, no matter if they were friendly with them or not.

    This caused Touch_Me to create rules for joining the clan, with failure to comply with these rules being reason enough for immediate expulsion. The rules were: Be a working member in society; Hunt of Players, focusing on PKers and others who were against NOG; And willingness to help group members, with internal fights having to be resolved among themselves. But it was not known how long this would last.

    The clan had already been in existence for 5 months, which when converted to ¡°In-Game-Time¡±, was the same as around 2 years (20 months to be more exact). And even though they now have 20 members in total, until that moment, they didn''t have a fixed place to live. All weekly meetings within YGGDRASIL were held in different taverns in Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspellsheim, for the obvious reason that the 3 realms were the ones that gave passive buffs to heteromorph players.

    But¡­ That was about to change¡­

    It was December 28th, the last Saturday of 2137, Nishikienrai, a rookie ninja Player in NOG, and Peroroncino had made numerous text messages asking most of the members to come meet them in Helheim. Due to the animation and urgency of the messages, this would not be for a weekly meeting as was always. Some agreed to go there without any problem, others only went after the two players explained the reason for the call.

    ¡°Argh¡­ Pero¡­ Nishi¡­ are you sure it¡¯s this way? According to the maps we have of the region, there is nothing in this swamp¡­¡± Punitto Moe said, complaining a little, while the trunks that served as feet for DeathVine were getting stuck in the muddy waters, full of poison.

    "Yes! I found it while I was flying around looking for players who needed help! It was an incredible place that could be perfect for our plan!¡± Peroroncino spoke, still very excited, flapping his wings to move close to the NOG members, without stepping on the mud.

    ¡°I can confirm this, after all I was with BirdHead here.¡± Nishikienrai commented, managing to walk over the muddy area with ease, without his feet sinking in due to one of his JobClass passive skills.

    ¡°I feel like I''ve walked through these parts before¡­ I didn''t expect them to add it here after the new update¡­¡± Touch_Me commented, having no difficulty walking through that swamp due to his World Item, [Compliance with Law].

    The update that Touch_Me was referring to was one that happened right after the Halloween event. The event itself had involved a mansion-shaped dungeon, to introduce players to the idea of using Dungeons as a home for Guilds. Because of this, the requirements for forming a Guild had been completely changed.

    Before, to create a Guild, what you needed was: a Clan with at least 20 members; a specific amount of Data and Gold; and the need for the Clan to exist for at least 4 months irl. But thanks to the update, there were modifications, such as the need for a specific type of dungeon to be the guild''s base, and, if a dungeon was not found, the amount of Data and Gold needed would be increased considerably in an absurd amount. And that was why Peroroncino called them, he and the ninja had found a dungeon that met the requirements to be used as a guild base.

    These special dungeons had a chance to appear without appearing on the players'' mini map, with the number of floors within them varying from 5 to 20, but being proportional to the size of the floors and the level of difficulty within them. They are simply called ¡°Special Dungeon¡± by the game system, but players decided to call them other ways, with the most popular name being ¡°Omega Dungeon¡±.

    In addition to all these things, there were other details that differentiated them from ordinary dungeons. In the common ones, for example, their name appeared on the player''s HUD when they entered it. In Omega Dungeons, their names appear when the player is close, before they really enter. The number of enemies within common dungeons depends on the number of members of the party that is exploring, whereas in Omega Dungeons, the number of enemies is fixed, regardless of the size of the party. But that doesn''t mean it''s easier, as the fixed amount wasn''t the biggest thing to worry about, but the fact that players can only raid it once.

    ¡°It¡¯s because it was close to this region that you met me for the first time, Touch_Me¡­ I think it was actually to the west of where we are, not even a kilometer away.¡± Momonga made a comment, while swinging a silver staff with a large red orb, which he had purchased a few days ago at the small Christmas event, which only lasted that Tuesday and Wednesday.

    ¡°Oh¡­ so a paladin¡¯s initial encounter with a necromancer is so remarkable, that you can know about it?¡± Yamaiko asked, quite curious.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± A drop emoji appeared next to the necromancer¡¯s forehead. ¡°Actually, I marked the place on my personal map as a possible ambush area¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that really is an acceptable excuse¡­¡± Tabula replied, then looking at Peroroncino, already bored of walking through that huge swamp. ¡°But are you sure we¡¯re getting to that Omega Dungeon you guys talked about?¡±

    ¡°Of course, OctoBrain! I''m sure it''s in this region! I wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to bring my sister with us if that wasn¡¯t true!¡± When Peroroncino said this, everyone started laughing.

    ¡°Using the fact that I would beat you for forcing me to walk through a swamp¡­ as the veracity of your sentences¡­? Only you can say that, brat.¡± Bukubukuchagama commented, but even saying that, she wasn''t even touching the swamp, because Hikari was there, carrying her on his back, as if she were a huge gooey scarf.

    ¡°¡®Forcing you to walk through a swamp¡¯ you say¡­¡± Hikari grumbled, because thanks to carrying a player, his boots sank more easily into the poison mud.

    ¡°What is the problem, Darling?~ You said you would do this for me~¡± the Pink Slime used an adorable voice when talking to her boyfriend.

    "I know, but don''t tell lies here, since I''m doing this job..." Hikari grumbled once again, having a slight difficulty staying close enough to the group, to be within Yamaiko''s AoE Skill, the only thing that allowed most NOG members to not be affected by the swamp¡¯s poison.

    Suddenly, everyone''s reaction changed as something came up. At the top center of their HUD, a phrase appeared...

    [Welcome to The Great Tomb of Nazarick, player recommendation above level 80.]

    ¡°Recommendation ABOVE level 80?!?¡± all the people, who had been brought there by the birdman and ninja, exclaimed in complete shock.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you talk about this?!? We would have come more prepared!!!¡± Hikari shouted to the two players.

    ¡°Well¡­ we wanted to bring you here to find out about the place¡¯s existence and for you to see for yourself if it¡¯s an appropriate location.¡± Nishikienrai made that comment, with a fearful emoji appearing over him.

    ¡°You could have simply sent more detailed information about what you discovered¡­¡± Punitto Moe spoke seriously, not really understanding the motivation of those two showing it instead of simply messaging them.

    ¡°We will need to do a lot of things to be able to actually go into this dungeon¡­ one of those would be buying more consumable items, something I can do quickly, but that depends on everyone''s personal time¡­¡± Touch_Me made that comment, sighing heavily. ¡°I myself have to leave the game in 3 hours, because I need to pack things for the new year¡­¡±

    ¡°Understandable¡­ We can get together later to do this dungeon¡­¡± Hikari said, already being a little calmer and marking the area they were in on the personal map. ¡°We will have to prepare ourselves for this¡­¡±

    <hr>

    And that''s what happened¡­

    Over a period of time, Nine¡¯s Own Goal players began to prepare to obtain that dungeon. The location, debuffs and passive buffs of the swamp, and the fact that it is a mostly underground dungeon, were the factors that made them not want to miss this chance for anything. Therefore, they not only forced all members to reach lvl 100 before the raid, but also gradually used Cash Items obtained through the Gacha system, with Hikari sometimes having to sponsor players to be able to buy luck amplifiers.

    But this process took longer than expected. It was predicted by Punitto Moe that it would take around 2 weeks in game for all 20 members to be at their current 100%, however some non-heteromorph clans found out about Nine''s Own Goal''s plan due to a former member who was still in contact with Bellriver. They didn''t even know which realm that specific Omega Dungeon was in, but they started to disrupt the group by killing some of the members in surprise attacks, forcing them to go back to farming EXP.

    And why do they want to get in the way? Simple¡­

    They used the excuse that humans are good and heteromorphs are evil¡­ It would be better to prevent the ¡°evil¡± ones from being able to evolve, right?

    This was the same stupid excuse for the extensive bullying against those players to exist... This was actually just giving more fury and reasons for the NOG members to want to evolve and crush players like those. Because of this, from that moment on everyone was forced to walk at least in groups of three to be able to defend themselves.

    There were times when Hikari and Touch_Me were so furious about other players disturbing their progress that they themselves entered the game and used their World Items to completely destroy the enemies, killing them countless times to return them to lvl 1. The icing on the cake was Hikari''s World Item''s name, the humiliation of dying by a weapon called [Yamato-Kowaidasai] was immense, it made the attacks lessen and so they really had peace for a while.

    There were still human players who reported about the World Champions bullying and abusing their powers, but the Devs knew very well the nature of those two players, meaning that those requests were not accepted and in fact there was a wave of warnings for those who reported countless times players who were not doing what was reported.

    That whole situation made Touch_Me, the main leader of the clan, start to feel disgusted at having to organize and manage that type of problem. And the day before the raid, he held a very important meeting, in which 14 of the 20 members were present.

    "OI!! Touch_Me! Why did you want us to be here? Did something unforeseen happen again?¡± Tabula questioned, still being at level 99 due to the recent attacks and lack of time to restore himself to level 100, and that was reason enough for him to be angry at having his EXP Farm schedule interrupted.

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not something that serious¡­ it ended up ruining my moment with my darling¡­¡± Bukubukuchagama also complained, but in an adorable voice as she hugged Hikari next to her. Hikari watched his old friend, also being confused by the reason for the surprise meeting, not knowing what Touch_Me wanted.

    ¡°It''s an unforeseen event, but not the kind you think¡­¡± The paladin spoke, sitting on the ground, everyone was gathered inside the swamp, in a small wooden room that was created by BluePlanet for that moment of emergency. ¡°The situation with the Players wanting to kill us¡­ This is beyond what I expected people to do to us¡­ and I don¡¯t want my name to be seen as a leader of massacres, even if there are reasons for us to attack them so repeatedly.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re not saying what I think you¡¯re saying. Are you, Touch_Me?¡± Momonga asked, holding tight to his silver staff.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I would like to let you know that¡­ When we evolve the Clan into a Guild¡­ I will no longer be your leader¡­ I will continue as a member, but I no longer want to take on the main responsibility.¡±

    The paladin''s words reached the members present in a different way, some understood his logic, others already expected that at some point this would happen due to one of the rules he had set, and the last ones seemed to refuse this, but remained silent. However, there was a more essential question for a situation like this¡­

    ¡°Who do you want to be our leader now?¡± Hikari was the one to question.

    ¡°You, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Tabula said, still a little in shock from that conversation.

    ¡°He can¡¯t¡­¡± Warrior Takemikazuchi gave his knowledge. ¡°Hikari works as a non-direct member of the YGGDRASIL DevTeam, he is forced to remain neutral.¡±

    ¡°Remain neutral?! But isn¡¯t he killing our enemies?¡± Tabula continued arguing.

    ¡°There is a big difference¡­ The situation of being neutral means that I cannot officially take responsibility for any group, which is why Devs don¡¯t try to create VIP Guilds¡­¡± Hikari replied. ¡°If you haven''t noticed, at no point during Nine¡¯s Own Goal existence did I call myself a leader, at most I was called as Touch_Me¡¯s helper or sponsor, just being a member doesn''t interfere... And yes, this is the most I can do within the contract that I signed.¡±

    ¡°Tsk¡­ so who would be our leader?¡± Momonga questioned, looking at the ground and with his left hand resting on his chin. ¡°We would need someone who gives as much confidence as Touch_Me, in addition to understanding the members here and knowing who to choose for the right jobs¡­ If Hikari wasn''t someone hired by the DEVs, he would clearly be the perfect person for this¡­¡±

    Everyone was thinking, but it didn''t even take a minute and they were staring at Momonga, blankly. "Eh? what is the problem?" The skeleton questioned again, confused by the reaction of the members there.

    ¡°You are literally that person.¡± Hikari and Touch_Me spoke in unison.

    ¡°Well... I was already planning on choosing you as the next leader, Momonga... Among these 6 months, you were the member who dedicated the most, I''m not saying that the others didn''t dedicate either, but as far as I know you are the one who interacted more with members equally, while others prefer to stay within their small groups rather than generalized interaction.¡± Touch_Me spoke, pointing to the skeleton. ¡°A good quality of a leader is knowing all the members of the group, including all their strengths and weaknesses¡­ since Hikari cannot be, you are literally the person who has the most of this quality.¡±

    ¡°I-Is this serious?¡± Momonga questioned himself, but no one seemed to refuse the idea, in fact there were even some who nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Under these conditions, Momonga really is the best choice, I don¡¯t see any problem.¡± Ulbert joined the conversation.

    "Same." Yamaiko and BluePlanet responded in unison.

    ¡°...¡± Peroroncino stared at the scene, laughing lightly. ¡°The thought of having a necromancer leader¡­ given that our plan is to take over a dungeon in a swamp, which looks more like a cemetery after being flooded, than anything else¡­¡± He made some excited bird noises. ¡°You can feel all of this, Momonga-kun.¡±

    Other members slowly spoke their minds, none of them seemed to refuse the idea of Momonga being the person to take on the mantle of leader. With that, Touch_Me clapped his hands, with a happy face.

    ¡°With this, our emergency meeting ends¡­ Tomorrow night, everyone has free time, right?¡± The members present confirmed what Touch_Me said. "Perfect¡­"

    ¡°Doing a special raid¡­ on Valentine¡¯s Day¡­ what a crazy joke.¡± Warrior Takemikazuchi chuckled at that thought.

    ¡°Speaking of which¡­ you already bought me a present, didn¡¯t you?¡± Bukubukuchagama questioned Hikari, pressing his body against her slimy one.

    ¡°Of course, darling¡­ I''ll be there irl right before the Raid time¡­¡± Numerous sweat emojis appeared around his head, nervous about the way his girlfriend was pressuring him.

    <hr>

    And so it was done, the next day, 9 pm, all members were online for the raid. They were divided into 4 parts, 7 of them were more focused on physical, 5 were focused on magic, 3 were focused on being supports, and the other 5 were players who could find themselves on more than one spectrum.

    In the outer garden of [The Great Tomb of Nazarick], undeads began to emerge as soon as they approached. They were all [Ghoul] and [Skeleton] types, with their levels varying between 50 and 60, which was very apparent, as several of them were wearing armor, swords, axes and shields. For that initial wave, the main players were Bukubukuchagama, Ulbert Alain Odle, and Beast King Mekongawa.

    The Pink Slime Player focused heavily on defense, stretching her body countless times and using the [Aegis] skill to defend her allies from thrown axes, and then using [Shield Attack], with her slime body advancing in towards a group of undead, as if she was a cannonball. The Demon Player took a silver wand that was hidden on his shoulder, starting to swing it carefully towards the sky, using the skill [Summon Stranger Obstacle] above the enemies, in this way a large sphere appeared, crushing several of them and rolling in the direction of others. The Beast Player rushed forward against the remaining ones, focusing more on the [Ghouls], thus using the [Devilsh Claws] skill to make his large claws to dismember the targets excessively.

    Of course, there were some undead that ended up attacking the other members, but Hikari, together with Ulbert Alain Odle, used a skill from the Commander jobclass, [Call of Power], thus attracting the enemies specifically towards them, making they being able to kill the enemies with a few AoE attacks. This way, easily eliminating the first stage of the dungeon, the Ground Floor.

    The other stages became more complicated, not due to the increase in the number of enemies, but rather due to the size of the space for battles. When they stepped inside the dungeon itself, the monsters began to make more tricky attacks. The size of the corridors forced the NOG members to walk behind each other, with the possibility of only pairs being able to stand side by side, this meant that the attacks were related to [Skeleton] type monsters appearing from the ground around them, in addition of some [Zombies] and [Ghouls] that appeared from the walls and ceiling, as if the dungeon itself had corpses within the structure.

    The first floor was a large corridor with the aesthetics of a Greek temple, with undead always appearing as traps, all enemies being physical type monsters, without many wizards or gunners. With orders from Punitto Moe and Momonga, the members focused on physical attacks were left aside so as not to become exhausted, while the members focused on physical defense and magical attacks were the ones who were most active.

    The second floor was a small maze of concrete walls with mud covering half a meter on the floor. The enemies were limited to undead fish and some mimics that disguised themselves as walls and chandeliers. Tabula, the Brain Eater, and Wish III, the flaming Djinn, began using location and identification skills, making all hidden monsters have a golden aura. This way, everyone was able to get through that floor with some ease, as the biggest difficulty being the hidden monsters and the mud that caused a speed debuff.

    The third floor could be described as a series of rooms in sequence, in which there were waves of monsters, with each one becoming more powerful and annoying to face. The monsters were limited to things like [Cursed Knight], [Zombie Warrior], [Skeleton Mage] and [Undead Werewolf], all ranging from levels 60-75. The accepted strategy was one that Momonga and Touch_Me had formulated together, where only one person crossed to the next room, and depending on the types of monsters, specific players would enter to help. This way, they were able to fully take advantage of their enemies'' weaknesses, without leaving them with little room to fight.

    However, after those 3 floors, they arrived at the bottom floor. The fourth underground floor of the dungeon was divided into just two rooms, one where the stairs were, and the other where the Boss arena was. All members of Nine''s Own Goal used MP and HP potions to stay at 100%, with JobClassers Commander using buff skills such as [Warrior''s Song], [Greater Force House], [Divine Comedy of Defense] and [Hermes'' Call]. This didn''t stop all the members from activating more and more attribute-increasing skills so as not to waste time doing so during the upcoming fight.

    And what was the battle to come? It was very obvious to imagine¡­

    The Final Boss, of that grand home of undead, was a [High Emperor Lich]. A being with the upper part of its body being skeletal, while the lower part still had skin and muscles, the monster was dressed in a grand uniform with red and purple shoulder pads, having a crown made of bluish flames. However, the most eye-catching part of it was a golden staff, large enough to easily exceed 3 meters.

    The Boss immediately activated a necromancer spell, causing countless undead to appear across the arena, several of them being [Cursed Knight], [Undead Werewolf] and [Underworld Zombie], with an interesting additional two [Skeleton Dragon]. Thus, the final battle of that dungeon finally began, with several of the physical focused players defending the magical focused ones, who began to use various spells with fire and holy affinity to affect both the Boss and its minions.

    The fight was much more complex than expected, from the garden to the end of the third floor, it took them 4 in game hours to complete, but the fight against the Boss was much difficult, taking up to 2 in game hours to put the [High Emperor Lich] with half health. The difficulty was never in the fight against the Boss itself, but rather against its summons, which kept appearing and serving as a shield to their master.

    Everyone at Nine''s Own Goal was getting exhausted, but the part that showed how much they needed to get this over with was Touch_Me having to leave the game, because of a police call he needed to answer. They were taking so long that even one of their world champions had to leave for work. Of course, the paladin didn''t really want to leave, and if it weren''t for his job, he would have continued the fight for a few more hours, so for him to still be present in some other way, he temporarily handed over his World Item to Hikari, the only one in the group that could use the equipment.

    After the 2 and a half hour mark, that''s when the strategy had to be modified...

    ¡°I want the Yuri-Alpha formation for now!!!¡± Momonga exclaimed, while still in a continuous battle against the Dungeon Boss, both attacking and repelling the spells constantly, so that the Boss no longer summoned summons compared to the current state.

    "Okay! Ready guys?!?¡± The healer, Yamaiko, exclaimed to some of her friends.

    ¡°YEAH CAPTAIN!!¡± Hikari, Warrior Takemikazuchi, Beast King Mekongawa, and Variable Talisman (a Player that are from the Insectoid Race, as a Spear-Warrior), exclaimed at the same time, all rushing towards Healer to prepare the formation.

    The ¡°Yuri-Alpha¡± formation was something that Touch_Me and Yamaiko designed, with the main factor being that the Healer would use the support magic [Kings and Queens of a Blade] to amplify the slash power of a maximum of 4 players, around 300% each, at the sacrifice of 80% of her MP. Because Touch_Me wasn''t there at the moment, Variable Talisman had to take his place in the formation.

    Another problem with this formation was that it forced the 5 players to remain close to each other, meaning that Yamaiko had to enter the middle of the battlefield, with the other 4 players keeping her safe while they fiercely attacked the enemies. Hikari, using [Compliance with Law] and [Kuwoi-Muramasa] at the same time, made him extremely agile, and with the additional 300% in slashing power, he made several of the undead enemies being cutted like butter. Warrior Takemikazuchi and Variable Talisman were not behind, both being players who wear heavy and reinforced armor, they did not move as quickly, but this allowed their attacks to have more weight and strength, piercing and slashing enemies with an extremely long katana and a magic-tipped spear, respectively. Beast King Mekongawa was giving several attacks with his claws, which had become shiny due to Yamaiko''s skill, becoming more aggressive towards the monsters close to him, but defensive when he saw a monster trying to get the healer. But that wasn''t all, after all the main objective of that formation, at that moment, was to assist Momonga, preventing any summon from approaching him.

    ¡°I hope everything is going well, Momonga-kun!¡± Hikari exclaimed, cutting a bone projectile that had been aimed at the necromancer player in mid-air. ¡°Some may not be tired, but you have to remember that I don''t use a Neural Helper! At some point I may not even move anymore because of so much mental fatigue!¡±

    ¡°I know that, Hikari-sama, I''m trying my best, but this damn Lich''s defenses are too great¡­¡± Momonga spoke, clearly mentally exhausted from that fight. ¡°I ordered the formation for you to destroy his shields. He is using [Armor of a Dark Magician] now, which means that only beings with job classes like his can perceive the areas of weakness he has, but all of them¡­¡±

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    ¡°Are these areas that can only be attacked with physical blows¡­?¡± Variable Talisman tried to predict what the skeletal Necromancer was going to say, as he attacked a nearby [Underworld Zombie], driving his spear inside the enemy''s head.

    Momonga just nodded, as he launched another spell that hit another of the Boss''s spells, nullifying them both. ¡°Okay, I want you to attack at the same time, on the right side of his torso, close to his left knee, and someone hit the wrist that is holding the staff... I think that this way his defense will drop so much that my spells will no longer be nullified and I will be able to use my greatest trick.¡±

    "Okay!"

    Hikari ran towards the Boss, who tried to stop him using the tail of one of the [Skeleton Dragon], but ended up failing, with the World Champion dodging the attack at the last second. Beast King Mekongawa began running on all fours towards the Boss, attacking with [Devilsh Claws] any Undead that tried to get in his way. Warrior Takemikazuchi used [Advanced Jump] to go over the enemy, several summons tried to launch projectiles at the player, but the large and dense armor protected him from things like that. Yamaiko and Variable Talisman decided to remain as close as possible to Momonga, so that no summons could attack him, while he seemed to start charging a long-lasting spell.

    The [High Emperor Lich] seemed to realize that someone was approaching one of the weak points of the [Armor of a Dark Magician], so he used [Dark Spectral Blades] to disrupt and push that player away. Unfortunately, the player in question was Hikari, who, thanks to [Compliance with Law], managed to not only defend, but completely nullify the attack. Underneath that grand and pure white helmet, Hikari had a psychotic smile of satisfaction at the enemy not being able to inflict even 1 point of damage.

    ''Thank you, Masato...'' Hikari thought, while landing a furious blow with the katana, behind the Boss''s left knee.

    During that same attack, Beast King Mekongawa managed to get closer, and used his claws to hit the skeletal ribs on the Boss''s right side. Warrior Takemikazuchi was still in mid-air during the two allies'' attacks, so, in order not to lose his timing, he threw his katana, which fortunately managed to scratch the Lich''s right wrist. Thanks to those three almost synchronized attacks, a sharp and loud coin noise resounded throughout the arena, being a feedback that [Armor of a Dark Magician] had been destroyed.

    Even though there were no expressions on his skeleton''s face, Momonga had a big smile upon hearing that sound. He then hit his staff hard against the ground and exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s Show Time, guys!!! It¡¯s better for y¡¯all run!!!!¡±

    Without any hesitation, all the members of Nine''s Own Goal began running towards the entrance of the Boss Room, while a large pillar of blue light appeared in front of Momonga, with countless domes of light also appearing around him, as if it were a large spell. Hikari was the last one to arrive at the entrance to the Boss Room, but that was because he threw 3 [High X-Potion] at his skeletal colleague, leaving him at 100% HP and MP.

    ¡°Finish him! Do as we practiced!!¡± Hikari exclaimed, finally arriving close to the other members, with the defense-focused Players activating several defensive enhancement skills for what was to come.

    ¡°Of course¡­ The same way we trained together¡­¡± Momonga whispered to himself, and looked at the [High Emperor Lich]. ¡°I will take your place from now on, failed necromancer¡­ This is what happens when you only fight with summons and not real allies¡­¡±

    The Boss clearly didn''t understand that sentence, as it was an artificial enemy in the game, but Momonga still felt amazed and incredibly powerful saying things like that. And with a deep voice, he activated the skill he had obtained a short time ago, thanks to his training with Touch_Me, Hikari and Ulbert.

    ¡°[FALLEN DOWN]!¡±

    The Boss Room''s ceiling began to shine, as if it were the sky on an extremely beautiful and sunny day. The pillar of bluish light seemed to become denser and expanded exponentially, reaching the members of Nine''s Own Goal, who were doing everything they could to defend themselves, with the Undead Players needing help from their allies, due to the natural effect of that spell of dealing great damage to anyone, with the undead suffering much more from this.

    Everything turned white, as if the entire world ceased to exist and became just pure light, but slowly the place began to appear again in the eyes of the players. That arena had some ash scattered across the floor, which seemed even cleaner than before, due to the secondary purification effect of that high tier magic. Momonga was in the center of the arena, using his staff to remain standing, looking quite exhausted by it all, but it wasn''t over yet, one thing was missing...

    A grand system message, with countless confetti, appeared in the center, in front of Momonga, symbolizing that the Dungeon had been successfully completed in a single run. Not only that, but below that message, another appeared, asking for the name of the group, that had completed the place, to be entered, in addition to asking for a quantity of data crystals and gold.

    ¡°Wait¡­ so we should pay immediately¡­?¡± Peroroncino said, approaching Momonga and seeing that message, the birdman player had very worn armor and of the 4 bows he carried on his back, it seems that 3 of them had broken during that entire raid.

    ¡°Of course, that was another reason we had to prepare, idiot.¡± Punitto Moe was the next to speak, observing that system message. ¡°I think Hikari has all the necessary items, right?¡±

    ¡°You are very lucky that I was the person who was entrusted with guarding the Clan''s treasuries, if the person was Touch_Me, we would have to leave someone inside, waiting, until he gets back online.¡± Hikari said in a tired voice, still wearing Touch_Me''s world item as he walked towards everyone there, placing his hand on the system message, sending all the necessary Data Crystals and Golds. "I think¡­. that everything has already been paid for¡­ and since only one person from the group is not here, we will not be prevented from founding our guild, in addition to having this dungeon as our home¡­¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what name did you choose? I kind of wasn¡¯t at the name decision meeting.¡± Bukubukuchagama commented, as she got off her boyfriend.

    Slowly Momonga started typing the name of the guild, while he answered the Pink Slime. ¡°It was something that Ulbert, Punitto Moe, and other members had an idea for¡­ And then we accepted it as something that we would officially be known for¡­¡±

    [Congratulations! Now The Great Tomb of Nazarick belongs to the Ainz Ooal Gown guild!]

    ¡°Good job¡­ Oooh, Guild¡¯s leader¡­¡± Tabula spoke, clapping his hands as he observed all the commotion in the center of the arena. ¡°Now, we need to fix this whole place up so that it can actually be a Guild base¡­¡±

    ¡°I have already written down the minimum things we will need to stay well here.¡± Punitto Moe said, taking out a large scroll and opening it, there were several things written on it. ¡°But due to Momonga¡¯s tiredness, I don¡¯t think we can resolve this now¡­ unless he grants us advanced permissions.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ I''ll do it¡­¡± A system screen appeared in front of the new guild leader, it didn''t take long for notifications to appear for some specific players. ¡°I gave you almost all the permissions, with the exception of some that are only for guild leaders... Now, if you''ll excuse me... I want to wake up in the morning to at least have a quiet moment to relax... You know very well how my boss keeps asking extra things even on the weekend.¡±

    The players looked with pity at the skeleton, and soon he left the game, quite possibly to sleep.

    <hr>

    {2 irl months after - Inside Nazarick}

    "Today is the day!!! Today is the day! Yeeeee!!!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know today is the day¡­ Did you forget that it¡¯s not just what you¡¯ve achieved that deserves celebration?¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why do you say that?... AAH! True! I forgot today is your birthday, I¡¯m sorry!!¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize¡­ Professor Planet. I would also forget a friend''s birthday if I was extremely excited to show off a project as big as the one you did¡­¡±

    Hikari and BluePlanet were talking, walking on the 9th floor of the grand base. They both seemed very happy and calm about what was happening at the moment, as today was the day on which everyone would get together to decide the next steps for the defense and use of the place they call home.

    Since the day Nazarick was obtained, the members of Ainz Ooal Gown have been improving, turning that place into a true dungeon, worthy of being their domain. To achieve this, many Data Crystals and Golds were spent to increase the size of the dungeon, which originally had only 4 floors, to a place with 10 floors completely underground. Few members had permission to create whatever they wanted on those floors, one of these members was BluePlanet, who had taken the 6th floor to make a complete environment, formed by several forests, an idealization of what Earth would be like without the existence of humans, a complete garden for a university professor fascinated by nature, which no longer exists in the real world.

    But there was more to it than floors. Some resources had also been spent on creating NPCs, which would help, not only with things the members wanted, but also with appropriate defenses, in case a player invaded when no one was online. Most thought a lot about the multi-utilities that each NPC could have, with the main thing being to try as much as possible to make NPCs suitable for battle.

    ¡°Oh¡­ you are there! Amazing!!! I was waiting for you inside the Round Table Room, but only Momonga is there now¡­¡± Tabula was the one speaking.

    Next to the Brain Eater Player was a woman with black hair so long that it hid her face, in addition, her skin was extremely pale, she was dressed in a black dress, and she had a large pair of scissors in her left hand. Hikari approached that being, noticing that behind her long hair, there seemed to be a skinless face, pure exposed flesh.

    ¡°Ooooh, I see you liked my NPC.¡± Tabula said, giving a laugh.

    ¡°I''m just surprised to see this¡­ As far as I know we agreed to hide NPCs until the matter related to them be discussed during the meeting¡­¡± Hikari spoke, still analyzing that woman. ¡°But yes, it¡¯s an interesting design and it goes well with the things you talk about all day¡­ What''s her name?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Her name is Nigredo! My very first creation!¡± Tabula said, boasting. ¡°I created it as an emergency measure while I don''t make an NPC worth being a Floor Guardian.¡±

    ¡°So you actually did what Ulbert recommended, about first creating something for the upper floors, and then thinking about protecting the lower floors¡­¡± BluePlanet questioned.

    "But of course! According to the agreement we made with Punitto Moe, I am responsible for creating the 10th Floor Guardian!! I still need a lot of Data Crystals to make something appropriate for this mission!¡± Tabula said, moving his arms and tentacles in a theatrical and exaggerated way.

    ¡°I understand¡­ But wow¡­ doesn¡¯t she seem to have¡­ really nice curves?¡± Hikari raised that point.

    ¡°The idea is that she distracts the invaders by being a beautiful girl who hides her own face¡­ That and I was inspired by some Old Net horror movies.¡± Tabula gave an embarrassed laugh.

    ¡°You said Momonga is already inside, right?¡± BluePlanet remembered that fact, and soon the 3 players entered the mentioned room.

    It was a large hall with an equally large oval table, having chairs for each current member of the guild, behind each chair, a small flag that represented each member''s mark. Momonga was standing next to his chair, while he seemed to touch and adjust a being that closely resembled a mannequin, with its uniform being extremely military-looking. When the Skeletor noticed the presence of the players there, he waved in a friendly way.

    ¡°Hikari, Blue Planet¡­ I''m glad you''re here early¡­¡± He paused for a few seconds and then continued. ¡°And before I forget, happy birthday Hikari, I hope the day is going great for you.¡±

    ¡°It''s a Friday and the Devs seem to have given me a complete break, so yeah, it''s a great day.¡± He replied, then sitting down in his chair, which was next to Momonga''s. ¡°By the way, what an interesting NPC you have. What is it?"

    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s a Doppelganger, his name is Pandora¡¯s Actor. I will assign him the role of protecting the Treasury.¡± Momonga said as a matter of fact. ¡°Talking about this¡­ what about your NPCs? Did you have any problems making them?¡±

    ¡°You know I said I would create a very simple NPC so as not to be left out of this ¡®everyone has their own NPC¡¯ thing... since I''m focusing more on the 6th floor.¡± BluePlanet scratched his own face a little. ¡°It¡¯ll just be working at the Bar that Luci¡ïFer made on this floor¡­ It¡¯s a simple Myconid.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t have any problems creating my NPCs, the biggest thing I had problems with was connecting the floors¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh! Hikari, don''t talk about it now, if you''re going to talk about the project you did, better talk about it when everyone is here, I want a complete surprise. After all, I wasn''t restricting myself to just staying on the 9th and 10th floors for nothing! I want to be really surprised by what y¡¯all were preparing.¡± Momonga said quite excitedly.

    ¡°So I will be forced to not talk about my NPCs until such time, as they are quite connected to what I did.¡± The smile of the World Champion made Momonga laugh loudly.

    They talked a lot about basic things, keeping a complete roleplay. Slowly the room filled with the 35 members that Ainz Ooal Gown had at the moment, everyone seemed excited about this meeting. Meanwhile, Punitto Moe was just sorting out the paperwork, being the guild''s greatest strategist, he was the person who organized all the functions of what each one should do, all the players there had freedom to do various things, but everything had to be in agreement with their tasks.

    The Death Vine Player took a large dark wooden staff, which he had as his main item, and banged it hard against the ground, drawing everyone''s attention. "Guys! Today is the first meeting after the Dead End of the first Guild construction phase! As many here know, we should all be prepared for any brainless idiots who try to invade and destroy us! To achieve this, one of the things we kept in mind was the creation of guild floors, with the first ones serving as a fake dungeon, others being a real dungeon for those who managed to get through our initial defenses, and the last floors being our own areas, with various things that we love, so that we don''t need to leave Nazarick, unless it''s something impossible to have here... Are we on the same page?¡±

    All players agreed, and so the cleric continued ¡°Great¡­ Let¡¯s go in order, then, the first 3 floors, the place known as ¡®The Catacombs¡¯, or in a more simplified way, the ¡®fake¡¯ dungeon. I asked some of you to set up numerous traps, as the main function of these 3 entire floors is to disorient, disrupt, separate and trap any invading player who tries to enter... The structure of the 3 floors was inspired by the original 3 floors before Nazarick was taken by us¡­ And due to the nature of these floors¡­ I only asked for the existence of a single Floor Guardian¡­¡±

    He took the paperwork and read aloud some things and others about the 3 initial floors, such as the area where countless insectoid monsters would be placed to the horrors of some unwanted players, and another area where it would be a simulation of a church without any windows. But finally, he returned to the important point. ¡°Peroroncino! I gave you the role of creating the Floor Guardian which will initially be located on the 2nd floor. Can you show us?¡±

    The Birdman just waved his wings, happy and using an item so that an NPC appeared on the table. She was a girl of short height, long white hair with a ponytail, extremely pale skin, large eyes with red irises, and a Victorian-era styled outfit, with the biggest thing that caught attention being a nearby umbrella and that pompous dress. ¡°I present to you, my creation, Shalltear Bloodfallen, a true vampire!¡± A system window appeared next to the NPC, showing its attributes, as well as its JobClasses.

    Everyone seemed to look at that NPC as if something was missing, and Punitto Moe was the first to actually ask. ¡°Peroroncino¡­ Where are its Settings?¡± That simple question made the birdman stop getting excited, with a slightly scared look, but since he didn''t do anything about it, the Cleric asked once again. ¡°Where¡­ are the Settings¡­ of your NPC? I gave you complete freedom to do whatever you wanted, as long as it was within the limits¡­ so¡­ show it.¡±

    And as requested, Shalltear Bloodfallen''s Settings have appeared for all members to see. Everyone''s reaction was very different, some covered their eyes after reading a sentence or two, others were just incredulous, but players there, like Bukubukuchagama and Hikari, just stared at Peroroncino as if they were mentally asking ''Why the hell do we give freedom to this pervert?''. After Momonga had only read half of those Settings, he simply caught everyone''s attention with a loud clap of his hands.

    ¡°L-Let''s go talk about the next floor¡­¡± Those were the only things said by the Skeletor, from that moment on, Peroroncino¡¯s NPC wouldn¡¯t be mentioned at the meeting, with Shalltear simply disappearing.

    Everyone agreed, and Punitto Moe returned. ¡°Yes... uh... 4th floor is the ''Underground Lake''... I didn''t ask anyone here to create an NPC to be the Floor Guardian, as we are using one of the NPCs that the system gave us as one of the rewards for conquering Nazarick, the one stone golem 30 meters high. Any questions about that?¡± No one seemed bothered by the decision, so they continued to the next floor without delay.

    ¡°5th Floor is the ¡®Ice World¡¯. It is a large area that is always snowing, with several icebergs and freezing rooms. The ¡®Internal¡¯ areas are the hall for the Floor Guardian and a prison. This floor as a whole causes a speed debuff and inflicts ice elemental damage to those who are not part of the Guild.¡± Punitto Moe commented, looking at Warrior Takemikazuchi. ¡°I asked you to create this floor¡¯s Boss.¡±

    "Yes." Warrior Takemikazuchi simply made his NPC appear, unlike Shalltear, it was large enough to have been summoned on the ground and not on the table. The NPC''s attributes and settings appeared for everyone to see. ¡°This one is Cocytus.¡± He pointed to that Big and extreme bulky Ice Insectoid that had some blades in its hands.

    ¡°An Insectoid with the JobClasses [Sword Saint] and [Knight of Niflheim]... And really focused on physical attacks, with a good magical defense¡­¡± Touch_Me analyzed, clapping his hands. ¡°A great job.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­ The hardest part was deciding which JobClasses were perfect for him¡­¡± Warrior Takemikazuchi looked slightly embarrassed to see someone clapping because of his job, so he sat back down and made Cocytus disappear.

    ¡°Now¡­ for one of our stars¡­¡± Punitto Moe said, slamming his staff on the table, having to create a hologram of the next floor to show everyone. ¡°The 6th Floor is an immense forest¡­ The largest floor in Nazarick in size, being 200 meters high with an area of 4 km2¡­ There are several areas and sub-areas within this place¡­ uh¡­ I''ll let Blue Planet talk about his creation¡­¡± All the players there clapped when the Druid stood up after being called, he seemed quite surprised that he had been called to talk about the very floor he gave countless hours of his free time to build.

    ¡°T-Thank you, Punitto¡­ ehn¡­ As he said, it¡¯s the biggest floor we have¡­ and I created it to be a way of showing the natural beauty that many of us cannot observe in peace, because most of these landscapes within YGGDRASIL are in realms where they want us harm... In it we have an artificial sky and sun, to give the greatest possible impression that we are not underground... There is an immense tree to represent the great world tree that gives the game its name... It will be the home of Floor Guardians¡­ As for the other areas and subareas that were mentioned. There we will have an amphitheater, inspired by the Roman Coliseum, where several teleportation traps will be connected, so that we can see all the players that invade Nazarick, being teleported there so that we can provoke them and fight, showing that we are the sovereigns here.¡±

    Several people clapped at what BluePlanet said, with Momonga clearly fascinated by the idea and quite pleased with it, but soon the druid continued speaking. ¡°In addition to the amphitheater, there is also a hidden area that will have an NPC that I bought from a friend, a parasitic insectoid, whose function is to attack NPCs from other players that invade our base. For leisure, I created an area that is a flat and flowery field, perfect for if any of us want to relax and lie down in the flower beds, another important area to talk about is one that I created together with Hikari.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is a Casino that we can access from both the 6th floor and the 7th floor, I have already created two NPCs that will remain there, one is just an Area Guardian, who serves as the manager, while the other is an assistant to the Floor Guardians assigned to these two floors.¡± Hikari said, causing the two aforementioned NPCs to appear behind him.

    They were both blonde women with long hair. One dressed like a Maid, having dragon wings and tail, in addition to a penetrating gaze, her settings revealed her to be a dragon and an angel focused on melee attacks. The other didn''t seem to have legs, it just floated, having a beautiful greenish dress and blue eyes like a clear sky, with the settings revealing it to be a Poltergeist, with JobClasses focused on magic. The dragon was called Belindo Dracul, while the ghost was called Mary Necry.

    Everyone looked interested at Hikari''s NPCs, but right after that, Bukubukuchagama spoke. ¡°And well, coming to this matter. I was assigned to create the 6th Floor Guardians, due to the large size, I made two NPCs to perform this role. I present to you, my babies, Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fiore.¡±

    Two NPCs, dark elf children, appeared standing on the table, with their information appearing next to each one. In the settings they were categorized as being twins, with the boy dressed in a female uniform being a druid focused on magical attacks, and the girl wearing a male uniform being a ranger specialized in dominating monsters and using them for combat.

    "My God! They are so cute!!!!¡± Yamaiko spoke, stretching out her arms, as if she wanted to squeeze the cheeks of those two NPCs, but unfortunately her sudden joy disappeared, with a deep look from Punitto Moe.

    ¡°Now is a serious moment¡­ if you are going to do something like this, wait for the meeting to end¡­¡± The cleric soon looked back at the 3 main players responsible for the 6th floor. ¡°They are perfect as I had asked, really, a good job for you, a huge place like that needs several NPCs to protect.¡± This way, the 4 summoned NPCs and the holographic map of the 6th floor disappeared.

    ¡°Now the 7th Floor, the counterpart of the 5th Floor, the ¡®Hell World¡¯... A floor completely filled with lava, a simulation of the hell of the Christian religion. This floor is made up of a flaming temple and countless rivers of lava, the floor and the floor guardian were both created by Ulbert.¡± Everyone clapped for the Death Vine Player''s words, while Ulbert Alain Odle stood up from his chair, with an NPC appearing next to him, with the settings and attributes appearing for everyone.

    It was a tall man with dark skin, in an impeccable red British suit, with a silver tail full of spikes, and according to the settings, the NPC was from the Arch-Devil race. ¡°This is my son¡­ Demiurge¡­ I created him with the intention of being able to adapt to any fight.¡±

    ¡°I can see that he seems very balanced, with the thing that stands out the most being you maximizing its Special and Resist attributes.¡± BellRiver made that slight comment.

    Soon after that, they talked about the following floors, the 8th floor was the last line of defense before the true house of the guild members, so everything about it was dangerous and desperate, even the Guardian Floor there was desperate, as it was an NPC whose main function was to kill itself to lead all enemies to death. But not everything seemed terrible on that floor, as one of the areas on it was a Cherry Blossom Sanctuary, which would be commanded by an NPC with the race class of Immortal Human, being the leader for a complete group of Battle Maids who would be hanging around the 9th and 10th floors.

    The 9th floor, where they were at the moment, was the absolute place of leisure for all members, having among countless things: two dormitories for players (members and visitors); Spa; Dojo; Theater hall; Canteen; A HUGE part of the things created on this floor were just roleplay, completely decorative, with no real use, but at least there were areas like Tabula''s laboratory where they could manufacture potions and alchemical items without having to leave Nazarick. They had even considered making the Casino on the 9th floor instead of something between the 6th and 7th, but as Hikari was in charge of that specific area, he decided on a more usable alternative, in addition to him loving the roleplay of his and his girlfriend''s creations ¡°interact¡± whenever they could.

    The agreement with Punitto Moe meant that this floor didn¡¯t have a Floor Guardian, instead, there were several NPC maids of the Homunculus race, with their leader being Pestonya Shortcake Wanko, an NPC who in appearance resembles a beautiful woman, but with a dog''s head instead of a human one. However, the closest thing to a 9th Floor Guardian was an NPC created by Touch_Me, a completely human-looking dragon called Sebas Tian. When the World Champion showed the NPC, everyone who knew his face was extremely confused, as it was literally the same face.

    Finally, the 10th Floor, is the bottom floor of Nazarick, it was there that contained the final hall, the place where they placed the World Item that had been won among the various rewards for obtaining the dungeon. [Throne of Kings] is a throne that whoever sits on can see all the statuses of all creatures affiliated with where it is, in the case of Nazarick, anyone who sits on it will be able to see all attributes and statuses in real time from absolutely all members and NPCs of Ainz Ooal Gown, regardless of whether the being in question is inside or outside Nazarick.

    The 10th Floor Guardian did not exist yet, so Tabula still needs to gather many Data Crystals to create something that would be ¡°a perfect wall¡±, in his definition. However, the last thing to be shown at the meeting was the group of battle maids named Pleiades, apart from the one that would remain as Area Guardian on the 8th Floor, there were 6 of them that would be positioned right at the entrance of the 10th Floor as the absolute final line of defense , which exists at the moment. Due to them being battle maids, and Touch_Me''s NPC being an extremely powerful butler focused on physical attacks, it was decided that, indirectly, T_M¡¯s NPC would be considered their leader.

    The meeting was coming to an end, with the majority of members deciding to leave the game to enjoy the Friday. The few who remained decided to walk around, as some of them had waited for that event to happen before going to see the floors in person, among them was Momonga, who couldn''t contain his excitement for the floors besides the two he was on.

    ¡°Hikari, what do you think about going to the 6th floor together?¡± The skeleton said, with smiley face emoticons appearing above him.

    "Of course. The girls and I were thinking about staying there for a while.¡± The human world champion referred to his girlfriend, the healer and the cooker, a newbie who had joined Ainz Ooal Gown 1 week after the conquest of Nazarick, called Ankoro Mocchi Mochi.

    "Yes! Let''s go! I want to squeeze those dark elves¡¯ cheeks a lot!¡± Yamaiko said happily, making the people there laugh a little.

    To go to the 6th floor, the 5 players used the [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown], an item made by Momonga, Punitto Moe and Luci¡ïFer to allow guild members to walk freely around the dungeon. In this way, they teleported, disappearing from that oval meeting room and then appearing in a place covered by full and tall vegetation, having a small trail that led to some of the sub-areas of the floor, near them.

    ¡°Hihi! It''s so beautiful!" Ankoro Mocchi Mochi said all happy and cheerful, walking with her friends to one of the areas mentioned in the meeting, being an open and flowery field, very colorful, giving a good feeling that seemed to improve with the soft and eternal breeze that runs throughout the floor.

    ¡°I agree¡­ BluePlanet really did an excellent job¡­¡± Yamaiko said, gently touching the flowers on the ground.

    It didn''t take long for a portal close to them to appear, with three homunculus maids emerging from it, who brought with them a marble table and some chairs. Ankoro was the first to sit down, and soon after her friends followed her actions.

    ¡°Nothing better than being rewarded with this landscape¡­¡± Hikari said, with a simple smile on his face.

    However, the human player''s expression soon turned into one of joyful surprise, upon seeing Ankoro''s NPC, Pestonya Shortcake Wanko, bringing a large 4-tier cake to the table. Not only that, but his girlfriend''s two twin NPCs seemed to be bringing some well-decorated rose-themed gift boxes. While behind Yamaiko, her NPC, Yuri Alpha, named after her great success in one of the guild''s raid formations, also appeared with a tray of juices, placing it on the table as well.

    ¡°G-Guys¡­ you didn¡¯t need to do that¡­ seriously¡­¡± Hikari said, still smiling, making a slight headpat to one of the dark elf twins.

    ¡°You deserve even more than that, darling... Unfortunately, we can''t do something like this irl, but here in the game, we will do our best for your birthday.¡± Bukubukuchagama was the one who responded, bringing her slime body closer towards her boyfriend, as if she was hugging him, and he reciprocated without any problem.

    ¡°I agree, I wish we could do more for you in this regard, you help us a lot¡­ I mean, we only managed to make a few NPCs within Punitto Moe''s time limit, because you sponsored us with several Data Crystals.¡± Yamaiko revealed that, as she seemed to pull Aura Bella Fiora close to her, gently squeezing the dark elf''s cheeks.

    "It was nothing. This is all for our guild.¡± Hikari laughed heartily, cutting a piece of that digital cake and putting it there for everyone, even though it wasn''t a real cake, the taste simulation created by the YGGDRASIL system was still usable.

    ¡°No, you really need a lot more than that so we can reward you for everything you¡¯ve done for us.¡± Momonga made that comment while making his NPC appear on his side.

    Pandora¡¯s Actor started humming ¡®Happy Birthday to You¡¯ as if it were an MP5 playing, doing several theatrical poses, which caused Momonga to facepalm, while the other 4 players laughed happily at the scene. It didn''t take long for the female players and Momonga to start singing the song, clapping lightly and softly. Hikari soon followed them, and in the end, the human player created a small flame on the tip of his index finger, extinguishing it with a simple breath.

    ¡°Happy 22nd birthday, darling!¡± the Pink Slime said, wrapping her body tighter around the birthday boy.

    ¡°I want Nazarick to witness countless happy moments like this!¡± Momonga said, raising a large glass full of juice.

    ¡°Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!¡± Hikari said, also raising his glass.

    ¡°Glory to Nazarick!¡± The three female players also raised their glasses, with the 5 of them toasting and starting to grab more slices of cake between themselves.

 Chapter 17 - Side Jobs for Supreme Beings

    <strong style="font-family: verdana, geneva">[3rd Person POV]

    {2138, July 7th, Monday}

    Inside YGGDRASIL there was a small, very simple event that would last an entire IRL day. Because the game originated in Japan, this event could be unknown or confusing to Western players, but in fact it was a kind of tribute to a festival that took place in the country, at a time when it was still possible to leave the house without problems and see the stars in the real world.

    Tanabata, better known as Star Festival, was being celebrated within the game. The main part of the event consisted of letting the 4 in game days be 100% nighttime, with the simulated sky having more stars than usual. Furthermore, the capitals of each realm, along with the cities most frequented by players, now had mixed decorations between Nordic and Eastern.

    The origin of the festival itself refers to two star lovers, Altair and Vega, who are always far from each other, but meet annually on the 7th day of the 7th month. Because of this, there were some very specific and interesting things that could happen to players, for example: Players who were officially in a relationship with each other, and made it official on their public profiles, received bonus EXP and attributes, if they were no more than 10 meters away from each other; Players could follow the Japanese tradition of writing wishes on paper and leaving them hanging in exposed areas, with a 5% chance of the wish being fulfilled, with the possible wishes being fulfilled being limited to temporary buffs and items that were at most 5th Tier (Legacy); And finally, Pets had a rare chance to summon a 50k Gold Data Crystals just once during the event.

    Halfway through the 1st in game day of the event, inside Nazarick, Bukubukuchagama and Yamaiko were sitting in one of the open fields on the 6th Floor. Yamaiko was correcting some online tests for her irl students, as she was able to transfer the files to the DMMO-RPG with some ease. Bukubukuchagama was just there keeping company for the Nephilim Healer. In addition to the two, there were some Players and NPCs nearby.

    Ulbert and Hikari were chatting a little, sitting on floating chairs, with an equally floating table between them. Those items were floating due to one of NPC Mary Necry''s skills, in addition to talking, they seemed to also be playing chess, but it was quite complex, with the board being divided into 7 floors, with around 96 pieces in total, 3 times the number of pieces in conventional chess, in addition to having 4D Chess rules. There were also some NPC maids next to them, including Pestonya, who were bringing some treats, which even though they didn''t really take away their hunger, still tasted good enough to completely immerse them in a great immersion.

    ¡°Darling~ Are you winning?¡± the pink slime asked, looking at both the players.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a similar situation, BB.¡± Her boyfriend replied.

    ¡°In a chess like this, even the one with the fewest pieces can win, it is completely difficult to be 100% guaranteed¡­¡± Ulbert also commented, with a slight shake of his head, some little bells on his horns made a pleasant noise.

    ¡°I see¡­ Hm¡­ Yamaiko, why did you bring work here? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to do this outside of YGGDRASIL?¡± The pink slime asked again, this time looking at her close friend.

    ¡°That''s why one of the reasons we asked BluePlanet to create a field of flowers, was so we could have a great place to relax... That and the feeling of carrying out activities in a place like that is incredible, you can even understand a little some scenes in very old romance books.¡± The Nephelim said, with a really calm voice. ¡°That and the game has the mental accelerator, which allows 1 day to turn into 4, much more time to calmly correct things.¡±

    ¡°True¡­ I never thought about taking advantage of this system to help me with my work¡­¡± Bukubuku became very thoughtful, with her gooey body almost melting, she was so calm there.

    ¡°You work as a Voice Actor, BB. The time the staff gives you to make the audios is enough so that you don¡¯t even need the system.¡± Hikari said as he continued to play with Ulbert, moving three pieces at once.

    ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t do that!¡± the demon player complained.

    ¡°Baka. These 3 pieces are at different round times. Don''t tell me you''re not even paying attention to that¡­¡± The human player''s words made the other feel embarrassed, he had really forgotten that detail.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ having a lot of free time¡­ eh¡­¡± The pink slime continued to be very thoughtful, until she slid her body towards her boyfriend. ¡°Darling, you gave me an idea.¡±

    Everyone looked at her, confused. ¡°What ideas would you have relating to what we are talking about?¡± Hikari was the one who asked her.

    ¡°I want to be something more than just a Voice Actor, and I think you would love this idea, to the point of wanting to participate together.¡± She spoke excitedly and continued a little more. ¡°How about we take advantage of our popularity as members of Ainz Ooal Gown, along with your fans as a journalist and my fans as a voice actor, to create something bigger and independent enough that we won¡¯t worry if we lose our jobs?¡±

    ¡°Oooh, thinking about a distant, slightly realistic future? That''s good to see¡­¡± Ulbert positioned himself better, sitting in that floating chair. ¡°But what do you think of doing, that would use all this?¡±

    ¡°Being a VR-Streamer!¡± The pink slime''s response was so instantaneous, that the 3 players stared at it a little longer, as if they were thinking about whether they really heard that or not.

    ¡°VR-Streamer? Are you talking in the same way as on sites like THE-witch-Channel and Sunnytube?¡± Yamaiko asked. ¡°I know this stuff is really popular with kids and teens, but your general content is more adult-oriented¡­ how would that work?¡±

    ¡°She''s right¡­¡± Hikari seemed to be talking about what Yamaiko said, but was actually agreeing with his girlfriend. ¡°We could use some things that worked quite well in the past¡­ for example¡­ live videos with gameplay, karaoke, original songs, covers¡­ things like that¡­¡±

    ¡°But what would the equipment be like for that?¡± Yamaiko was really curious about that detail.

    ¡°I''m a voice actor, I already have my own professional sound equipment.¡± She answered

    ¡°And I would have no problem buying her some other equipment. The fact that these people are very successful overshadows the fact that the things they use are very simple. Their equipment is extremely expensive, but that is because of the brand, there are several that perform even better functions, which are cheap because they are from not so famous brands.¡± Hikari spoke calmly, looking at a system window. ¡°But I feel that most of the expenses would be on the 3D model and appearance of the location of the recordings.¡±

    ¡°For this¡­ I had a great idea.¡± his girlfriend responded, appearing to smile behind the character.

    ¡°Great¡­ But do you really not want to participate in the event? I mean, you two are the only ones in Nazarick who can earn the most benefits from the event.¡± Ulbert questioned, confused.

    ¡°We have already prepared the wish papers, they are outside Nazarick, on the roof.¡± Hikari was the one who responded, but Bukubuku also nodded in agreement.

    <hr>

    ¡°HOLY FUCK! THIS IS A GENIUS IDEA!!!!¡±

    ¡°Shhh!! Be quiet, Tabula¡­¡±

    It was the second in-game day of the event, Hikari and Momonga were talking to Tabula in his room. Why is that? Because Tabula was one of the few who had absolute permission to create more and more rooms on the 9th floor, as long as they were more decorative than functional, and Bukubuku''s idea called for a room that did not contain things that are normally needed, was a perfect idea.

    Why was Momonga there? Because it was with him that Bukubuku and Hikari talked about the possible idea of the pink slime using her free time in the game to become a VR-Streamer, after all, Momonga is not only a great acquaintance of both since the beginning of Nine''s Own Goal, but also their guild leader.

    And where was Bukubuku at that moment? She was with Ankoro Mocchi Mochi, asking her friend for help in making adorable idol-themed dress designs, inspired by her NPC model, Pestonya.

    ¡°We need to remain silent, even though we know how beneficial things will be in a certain way, you know very well that there is a huge chance that, if Punitto Moe finds out before the plan is happening, everything will be undone¡­¡± Momonga spoke calmly, with a slightly embarrassed, after all, he was the guild leader, but he still saw the Plant Cleric as a superior, due to his role as the greatest strategist among all the members.

    ¡°Ah¡­ true¡­ I always forget that little detail¡­¡± Tabula swung his tentacles very slowly as he got up and went to a closet in his room. ¡°So¡­ Create a Studio for Bukubuku in my name?¡­ That could be possible, if that PlantHead asks something, we can say it was something made exclusively for the girls, in theory it won¡¯t be a lie¡­¡±

    The two players nodded, allowing the Brain Eater Player to continue speaking. ¡°But, remind me¡­ how is the planning going so far?¡±

    ¡°The idea is to use this special room as a base scenario for her, and after that we use the flower field on the 6th floor as a secondary scenario, where BB can use Mare and Aura as companions or helpers. As this secondary part would be done there, no one could complain about us, as we are not taking the Floor Guardians out of their spaces.¡± Hikari fiddled with a spreadsheet in the system as he spoke.

    ¡°Hm¡­ So there really is a way to use NPCs to our advantage without breaking the rule that Punitto Moe created¡­ I hadn''t thought of that before¡­¡± Tabula said, taking a cube and placing it on a small table close to the two players. ¡°So you don¡¯t want something too big, do you?¡±

    ¡°I think at most it would be good to make half of this room where there will be more technical things, and the other half to actually be her scene. That¡¯s how it used to work, with simpler setups, right?¡± Momonga gave his opinion, and the others agreed.

    ¡°Hey, talking about NPCs and Floor Guardians. Tabula, have you finished your project of creating the Final Floor Guardian?¡±

    The question made Tabula freeze for a few seconds, and then look towards his friends. ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ I''m still configuring some things on it, but I already have the appearance and the choice of races ready.¡±

    ¡°Good, because you¡¯re the only one left to finish a defensive utility NPC.¡± Momonga pointed out that.

    All the Floor Guardians and Area Guardians that had been requested were ready, with the exception of Tabula''s Floor Guardian, and because of that Punitto Moe was always sending him threatening messages asking him to finish it soon. From that moment on, any other NPC created would be something extra and not 100% necessary, having the purpose of helping guild members with certain tasks, or entertaining them.

    Tabula used that small cube to make a sketch of what the studio where Bukubuku would work in Nazarick would look like, but after that, he guided the two players into his laboratory. It was a complete alchemy-themed laboratory, it was quite empty at the moment, but it was likely that Tabula would make an NPC just to create potions more quickly.

    ¡°Here she is¡­¡± He said, approaching a large glass capsule that was covered by a white cloth, removing it to reveal the NPC.

    She was a beautiful woman with very long black hair, wearing a white dress. It had two grand black wings that resembled those of a majestic raven, as well as two white horns on its skull. The curves, clothes, extremely exaggerated details, everything, with the exception of the neutral expression, seemed to come from some absolute beauty.

    Momonga made a hissing noise. ¡°You''ve outdone yourself, Tabula. Not that your other NPC doesn¡¯t look good, but this one¡­ you really studied female anatomy a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, it was a little difficult to produce it, the artist I commissioned kept getting wrong about details that I asked, so I was forced to follow him on video calls, until this came up. I call her Albedo, and she is a Succubus.¡±

    ¡°Succubus?¡± They both questioned.

    ¡°Yes, she will be a succubus with extreme defense for both magic and physical. Let¡¯s just say she is literally the final WALL.¡± Tabula spoke theatrically again.

    ¡°Wait¡­ Nigredo¡­ Albedo¡­ you¡¯re not thinking about making two others called Rubedo and Cinitritas, are you?¡± Hikari watched his brain eater friend get very excited by his words.

    "Yes!! How did you know that????¡±

    ¡°These 4 words are used a lot in Western alchemy, they are seen in the scriptures when the creation of the magnum opus is mentioned.¡± Momonga was surprised by the knowledge that Hikari spoke, leaving the skeleton open-mouthed during that conversation.

    "Yes! Exactly, that¡¯s why I chose Albedo¡¯s main color to be white, and Nigredo¡¯s to be black.¡± Hikari just agreed with what Tabula said.

    They talked a little more about that NPC, which was almost being finished, and then headed to where the pink slime would be. When they met her, they talked about what the studio would be like, they even showed her that sketch made in a cube. If you could see the players'' real faces, Bukubuku would have her eyes shining with joy, as she jumped on top of Hikari, thanking him so much for supporting her crazy idea.

    It took a little longer for more things to be mentioned as ideas to use. But there was an absolute question about a slight detail to be thought about¡­

    What would Bukubuku look like?

    The first alternatives were related to her buying some humanoid 3D models, after all, not everyone likes non-human things. However, this idea was thrown out for the obvious reason that it could be seen as a surrender, since Ainz Ooal Gown is completely aggressive against humans who do not demonstrate themselves as allies. Other alternatives were limited to using 3D models of sexy monsters, something that made Hikari feel slightly jealous, at the idea of his girlfriend using something like that on live streams. Therefore, these ideas were also thrown out. However, there was one last idea that was very acceptable and possible to do, without having to spend much on that part.

    ¡°Yes, it would be good for you to use your own character for this¡­¡± Momonga commented, scratching his own chin. ¡°But can you change the shape of your body to be something with a humanoid silhouette?¡±

    ¡°My main race is Slime, I must have some skill for that that I never realized because I didn¡¯t find it interesting at the moment¡­¡± She replied, with a system window open showing her entire skill tree.

    ¡°Oh! I found something that is what we were looking for!¡± Everyone looked at her curiously, and after a few seconds, her slimy pink body took on a more humanoid shape. Bukubuku ended up becoming a girl with an anime-style schoolgirl outfit and a ponytail, but she was still 100% pink.

    ¡°It may be like that, but if you think it need to gain more colors, I can use an illusion skill, BB.¡± Hikari said while headpatting his girlfriend in her new form.

    ¡°Kaaaaay, senpai.¡± She, as always, changed her voice to something loli-style.

    ¡°I have to say¡­ If you don''t make very sexualized content on your streams, you could gain countless fans in the 10 to 17 age group, looking like that¡± Tabula expressed his ideas, but then looked at Ankoro Mocchi Mochi. ¡°Have you already planned what clothes you¡¯re going to make for her NPCs?¡±

    Ankoro soon took out a holographic image and showed it to everyone, it was a super cute and adorable Idol uniform, one in yellow for Aura and another in green for Mare. According to the confectioner, her grandmother was the one who came up with the idea of being inspired by a group of V-Streamers that existed in the last century, that was a model of clothing they wore when they went to live music shows.

    ¡°So you live with your grandmother? Eh¡­ it''s very rare to see elderly people living with their grandchildren. You are lucky." Momonga spoke, with smile emojis appearing all over him.

    ¡°Ah, well¡­ as she says, ¡®Bad pots are hard to break¡¯¡­ Eh¡­ I don¡¯t like those expressions¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway, they¡¯re perfect¡­ I¡¯ll ask a friend of mine to model and physicalize these clothes, then we can transfer the files and dress my children in them.¡± Hikari said, still trapped in his girlfriend''s gooey embrace.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s cute that you call them ¡®children¡¯... You two really are adorable together.¡± Ankoro gave a slight smile.

    ¡°Well, they are my wife¡¯s creations, why wouldn¡¯t I call them my children?¡± Hikari''s words made the pink slime change color to red, becoming extremely blushing when she was called ''wife'' instead of ''girlfriend''. In response to this, the human player just started laughing and headpatting her, with everyone around finding this quite adorable.

    And so it continued¡­

    After that event, Ankoro, Tabula, Yamaiko, Momonga, Ulbert and Hikari, those 6 players were mentally helping with the future idea for the side job that Bukubuku would have to improve her income a little. Hikari, being the closest person to her among the 6, was the one who provided a little extra money so she could buy everything she needed that she didn''t have inside her house. Only those 6 players knew about the pink slime''s plans, the others were ignorant about it.

    Then the day arrived, Bukubuku''s first live stream. She was using Studio Tabula as the initial setting, it was a simple but beautiful area. A completely cubic room, with countless decorations that ranged from adorable themes, to a more monstrous and unique theme, such as, for example, small plushies that vaguely resembled some of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, with a plush that looked like Hikari and two others that looked like the pink slime''s NPCs were the only ones at the desk where she was sitting and introducing herself. She used her slime skill to change shape, looking like any other teenage girl in school anime themed clothes, as well as having that adorable voice.

    Most of her fans recognized her because they were also fans of her work as a Voice Actress, but none of them knew her nickname in YGGDRASIL. So to maintain even greater security, she decided to adopt a new name to represent her new Ego, instead of using her voice act nickname, she was now called [TeaTeaBoomPop], or just TTBP, a slight reference to the meaning of the official username .

    Hikari, Ankoro and Yamaiko remained close to provide a lot of support during the debut, always staying behind the cameras and speaking using voice changers, which made them sound like robots, after all, the star there was ¡°TTBP¡± and not her friends. And when that was over, they went to see what the reception had been like, with Bukubuku having achieved a huge number of simultaneous viewers on that website on the first day.

    Things continued to go like this¡­

    After 2 months of doing that, she finally showed Mare and Aura to the viewers. Both were wearing the uniform that some Virtual Idols wore in the 21st century, and from the first moment they appeared, Bukubuku''s audience tripled, seeming to stabilize at a considerable number. That was enough to draw the attention of some entertainment companies, who wanted to hire that rising streamer. However, she rejected all contracts, but still allowed them to call her to do collabs with the streamers who already worked for them.

    TTBP''s schedule was well defined, as she still performed at Ainz Ooal Gown as Bukubukuchagama, she only had live streams on some weekdays and very specific weekends. All of this is in accordance with her responsibilities both in YGGDRASIL and in her main voice acting work¡­

    Or that''s what many people said...

    Because slowly, what was the side job became the main job and vice versa. Even though she tried to hide this from the other guild members, some ended up watching her streams secretly, at some point the information would reach the ears of the more serious people in the group...

    <hr>

    {2138, October 31th, Friday}

    ¡°So you managed to be so successful as an independent artist for 3 irl months? Not bad."

    ¡°I agree, but still, I feel slightly betrayed that I didn¡¯t know something like this was happening under our roof.¡±

    ¡°I''m lucky I wasn''t one of those who saw these lives¡­¡±

    Three players were at the large oval table on the 9th floor, along with Bukubuku, Hikari, Momonga and Tabula. These three players were Garnet, Peroroncino and Punitto Moe.

    "What was it? Her work hasn''t interfered with anything at the guild... I mean, you just found out because Yamaiko accidentally talked about the 6th Floor Guardians'' uniform.¡± Hikari was the one who started to respond.

    ¡°Still, we should have been informed that one of the areas on the 6th floor and the 9th floor were being used for transmissions like this¡­ What if someone found out where Nazarick is?¡± Punitto Moe said, raising his voice a little. ¡°And you two, I feel betrayed knowing you were covering this up!¡± He pointed to the skeleton and the brain eater.

    "Eh?! What about Hikari, aren¡¯t you going to scold him?¡± Tabula exclaimed, realizing that only he and Momonga had been singled out at that time.

    ¡°He and my sister always hang out together¡­ if something happens to her, he knows, and vice versa¡­ so we expected that from him, without a doubt¡± Peroroncino said, shutting the brain eater up.

    ¡°I didn''t want to seem like a bad guy in this situation, but Punitto is right about possibly revealing the location of Nazarick by doing this¡­¡± Garnet returned to the main point of the discussion.

    ¡°I already said, we are using at least 5 different VPNs for connection, in addition to that I reconfigured my account, since I am the one recording the lives, to indicate me being at the entrance to Helheim, and as ALL players know that Ainz Ooal Gown is a guild from Helheim, that''s not relevant, not even for those who don''t know it''s Bukubuku, or think it''s just someone who paid to use our guild as a studio.¡± Hikari replied, once again.

    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think this will be enough¡­¡±

    ¡°Punitto Moe, just because we have at least 5 super specialized programmers in our guild doesn''t mean that other guilds also have the same. Besides, if there are guilds with programmers like ours, I think they would rather use their own effort in their work than in our game¡­¡± Momonga finally spoke in that discussion. ¡°In addition to all this, given the way our guild is becoming famous in such a short time, it is very likely that they will discover our location... but you shouldn''t be worried about that, after all, we made the NPCs and traps precisely so that we don''t get invaded. Isn''t it?"

    Everyone fell silent for a while after Momonga demonstrated that strength in his words, until the death vine player spoke again. ¡°But the longer we exist without them knowing exactly where the guild is, the better¡­¡±

    ¡°. . . I feel like you''re becoming too protective, Punitto¡­¡± Garnet commented, poking the very screws that were in his neck. ¡°I''m more worried about how tired Bukubuku might be than about defending Nazarick, not that that''s not important, but if¡­ you''re getting paranoid about when Nazarick is actually found¡­ I could increase the number of traps in floors 1 to 5.¡±

    ¡°If this is the reason for being here, Garnet... I sincerely thank you for being worried about me, but I''m fine, without any fatigue... in fact it''s even less tiring than my Voice Acting work, because there I needed to repeat the same phrases over and over again¡­ being a VR-Streamer, I just need to keep quiet on certain subjects and the rest will flow naturally¡­¡± Said the pink slime, still well together and glued to her boyfriend.

    Punitto Moe was silent for a few seconds, thinking about how to respond to Garnet and Momonga about the fact that he was being ''paranoid'' for trying to ward off the inevitable, but he soon sighed, looking at the Automaton and the Skeletor. ¡°If you say that I''m actually being paranoid... that''s fine, but the next time I feel like something is going to go wrong... if you don''t listen to me and we end up suffering for it... I will beat you all to the point of returning to Lv.10¡­ understand?¡± Everyone was silent with the clear threat, but accepted the situation.

    "Now... if you''ll excuse me... Today there will be one of the first karaokes, and I''ll be the person who will be there as a duet and instrumentalist..." Hikari spoke, getting up from the chair with the pink slime being carried by him, as they always do.

    Momonga just made a movement with his hands, allowing the couple to leave the room, but it didn''t take long for his expression to show quite calm, as he looked at the players who were still with him. ¡°Do you want to watch the stream here using one of the holographic screens? Or are we going to follow them and see them ¡®live¡¯?¡±

    "First option." they responded in unison, even Punitto Moe said this, seeming to have been defeated and surrendered to the idea.

    The first karaoke live wasn''t bad at all, in fact it was even better than expected. Mare and Aura continued to appear in the background with those adorable Idol uniforms, while ¡°TeaTeaBoomPop¡± was dressed in a schoolgirl uniform, singing the songs that came up. Hikari was right next to her, with an instrument that resembled a very rustic guitar, as well as wearing a more modern punk-style uniform, having a red mask so he couldn''t be recognized, the [Mask of Envy].

    And slowly... things seemed to get a lot better from that day onwards

    <hr>

    {2138, December 24th, Wednesday}

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°You were great this time¡­ I honestly didn¡¯t think that performing a cover like that would get so tiring for both of us¡­¡±

    ¡°I have to congratulate you, darling. The idea of us doing this here was the best you could have done, it really gave a more than special feeling... But are you sure our bodies didn''t show up?¡±

    ¡°Of course I''m sure, I looked at least 7 times on VOD before archiving the stream.¡±

    Keiko and Haruka were talking to each other, both equally tired from what they had done, to the point that they were sweating a lot due to the intensity of the moment. Normally, they would do this inside YGGDRASIL, but due to that festive date, they decided to do something more special, getting together at one of their houses and using a virtual camera APP to look like their models in the game.

    Haruka took two cans of beer from the minibar in Keiko''s study room, handing one of them to him. They both opened it and drank some, while thinking about what was going to happen next. That day was Christmas Eve, but what about the party itself? Would it happen inside YGGDRASIL? The answer to that was that, yes, there would be a party within the game, but it would actually only happen in the early hours of the 24th to 25th. And at the time it was only 4 pm.

    So they had the idea of having a small Christmas party with their irl friends. It was obvious that some people invited wouldn''t be able to go, either because they were already busy at the parties themselves, or because they really didn''t see a reason for something like that. However, there were those who accepted.

    Kazuya, better known as Peroroncino, was already in that house, having come with his sister. He was in the living room watching a movie on TV, as well as using his cell phone, something very expected of an uninteresting young adult at that time. Meanwhile, the other guests, who had not yet arrived, were Momonga, Yamaiko and Ankoro Mocchi Mochi. Yamaiko informed Keiko in advance that she would come with her little sister, Ankoro had told him that her gifts would be special cakes from the bakery she works at, and lastly, Momonga said that he would come without any problem, since he lives alone and close.

    It didn''t take long for them to arrive there one by one. For Yamaiko and Ankoro, that meeting would be very interesting, as they were the only guests that the original members of Nine''s Owl Goal had never seen in person.

    The first to arrive was Yamaiko. She was an adult woman, with not so striking features, in addition to her long black hair which, if it weren''t for her hairstyle, would have covered her face completely along with those glasses with rectangular lenses, her clothes were red and white, being something slightly casual, but still acceptable for parties. Next to her was a girl around 15 years old, with black hair like Yamaiko''s, but short and slightly spiky, unlike her older sister, she didn''t wear glasses, and she was wearing a much more formal Christmas outfit.

    "Good afternoon teacher." Keiko said as he opened the door. ¡°You look incredible in that outfit, I say the same to you, Akemi.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ why do we want to use silly names like that outside of the game?¡± Said Yamaiko¡¯s sister. ¡°You can call me Senko¡­ surname Yamase.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ Yamase¡­?¡± Haruka arrived behind and observed the teacher. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your name is Maiko¡­ Is your username literally a combination of surname and first name?¡±

    Yamaiko seemed to be extremely embarrassed as she placed her bag on the table. ¡°I¡¯m not good with names¡­ besides¡­ I¡¯ve never used that name in any way in anything else, so I have nothing to worry about¡­¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no problem¡­ The worst that could happen is your students discovering that their caring teacher is actually part of a group of powerful villains.¡± Peroroncino made that comment, making everyone there laugh.

    As they talked, mostly with Yamaiko talking about Keiko being too mature for his age, the doorbell rang once again. When the boy opened the door, he saw two people, one of them being that same hard-working man, Suzuki Satoru, better known as the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga. The other person was unknown to him, but because she was wearing an adorable Christmas outfit with an apron, he quickly concluded that it was Ankoro Mocchi Mochi.

    ?The confectioner appeared to be a young adult, with short blond hair, wearing a kind of red beret on her head, as well as that Christmas apron and characteristic gloves. Those two were together, carrying some boxes, which made Keiko go to them and take some of those, helping them enter the apartment, in addition to putting everything on the table.

    ¡°Apparently it wasn¡¯t a lie when you said you are a pastry chef¡­ Really¡­ I didn¡¯t even think that this job still existed manually.¡± Kazuya commented as he went to the table and opened the boxes, inside there were several sweets, chocolates and two sweet pies. The hungry face he made was noticeable, leaving Haruka afraid that her brother would try to devour everything prematurely. To stop him, she simply pulled him hard by the arm.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯m going to get things done quickly and cut the pies¡­ can I?¡± Keiko said, entering the kitchen to get some plates and cutlery.

    ¡°Of course you can¡­¡± Suzuki commented, sitting on the sofa and observing the place. ¡°I thought of something¡­ Hikari, your parents aren¡¯t coming, are they?¡±

    Keiko looked at his friend, putting things on the table and sighing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to use my player name here. After all, everyone here knows everyone¡¯s name, right, Saori?¡±

    "Eh?! How do you know my name???" Ankoro Mocchi Mochi asked, super confused, and then Keiko pointed to her apron. Looking closely, you could see that in one of the corners there was her name written, so she just sighed in defeat.

    Some laughs were had by everyone there, but soon Keiko returned to Suzuki''s question. ¡°I told them I wouldn''t go because of you... knowing the way my parents are, their presence and way of speaking would make you all want to move away or feel uncomfortable... I''m not kidding... they talk about expensive and luxurious things so naturally¡­ as if they weren¡¯t even in the same world as us.¡±

    ¡°I understand¡­ it¡¯s really good that this doesn¡¯t happen.¡± Suzuki and the others agreed with that idea.

    People spent time there, but Ankoro''s sister continued to walk back and forth, curious. Until she ended up calling everyone to a room in the house, it was where Keiko kept his irl training items. It was not unexpected, as in addition to the common weights and gym equipment, there were even replicas of various weapons.

    ¡°How do you have something like this¡­? I''ve never seen it here¡­¡± Peroroncino said, picking up an ax from the wall, with a light touch on the blade, he realized that, even though it was a replica of a basic axe, it could still be used for self-defense.

    ¡°No matter how many times you guys come¡­ I always lock the door after using my equipment¡­ I mean¡­¡± Keiko blushes the back of her head a little. ¡°I must have forgotten this time¡­ as I was so excited for the Christmas karaoke live.¡±

    Everyone understood, but he could still see the excitement in Maiko, Saori and Senko''s eyes. It was as if they were begging to see those items in action. Keiko simply sighed, understanding what they wanted. ¡°Okay, I''ll show you¡­ let''s go to the garage, normally I train in the living room, but as we''ve already packed everything for the Christmas party, we need to go somewhere very spacious¡­¡±

    And so the 7 went to the lower floors of the building, obviously having permission from the security guard there, so that they wouldn''t cause too much trouble. They brought a replica of each piece of equipment so they could see what Keiko''s irl training was like. Everyone stood next to some vehicles, while the boy in question stayed in the center, in the most open space possible.

    ¡°Let''s go¡­ and don¡¯t blink¡­¡± Keiko picked up a stick that had circular tips, it was a safe replica of a spear, starting with simple thrusting movements, and then turning into some acrobatics, rotating the stick on its own axis, without ever fall or lose flow.

    Kazuya took out his cell phone and started recording the situation, it was so incredible, not even Haruka believed that her boyfriend was really that skilled outside of the game. Everyone at Ainz Ooal Gown knows that ¡°The Fantastic Hikari¡± did not use a Neural Helper, yet hearing about it and seeing it firsthand are two completely different things.

    Soon after that he demonstrated movements using that blunt axe, then a plastic dagger, and surprisingly, movements using a katana and a sword, both with metal blades that were not sharp. To finish, he also demonstrated how he does hand-to-hand combat, just with punches, kicks and dodges.

    ¡°That was really incredible!!!¡± Saori and Maiko spoke extremely impressed, while Maiko''s sister just stood with her mouth open.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that much¡­ I can do better things with my YGGDRASIL body.¡± Keiko responded modestly.

    ¡°So¡­ are you telling me that you are only limited to your real body!? Holy shit! This is insane!!" Kazuya exclaimed as he stopped recording.

    ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± He ended up feeling embarrassed because they were praising him so much, even when Haruka hugged him from behind, he shook in surprise, causing widespread laughter among those present there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back upstairs, now that you¡¯ve shown us all this, I bet you must be hungry.¡± Ankoro said, possibly wanting to know what everyone there thinks of her sweets.

    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Keiko said, quickly composing himself.

    So, they went back to the apartment and had a Christmas Eve party, eating a lot, doing karaoke, and especially exchanging gifts with each other. Even though it was common practice to open presents after waking up, they all decided to open what they received right there.

    ¡°WOAH!! A new suit? And it seems to be of excellent quality¡­ thank you very much Keiko-kun.¡± Suzuki exclaimed happily when opening the first gift, but as soon as he opened the other, his face became serious. The next gift he opened was a well-made but extremely generic skull mask. ¡°Is this serious, Pero?¡±

    Kazuya laughed when he saw the gift he gave being opened. "What it was? Don¡¯t like it, Skeletron????¡± He couldn''t stop laughing, but he suddenly became quiet when he opened his first gift, being an expensive collector''s figure, from an ecchi game series that he loved, but the problem was that...

    The figure itself was precisely one that his sister voiced¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like being with your sister even more, Peroroncino?¡± Keiko said, with a smug smile on his face, he and Haruka had bought that, simply to irritate the poor fetishist.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Kazuya muttered, putting the gift back into the box.

    ¡°Oh! How lovely! Thank you so much, guys.¡± Seiko said, taking out a cooking kit from inside her gift.

    ¡°It was nothing, Ankoro. As we only knew that your irl job was as a cook, I tried to think of the simplest and most practical thing.¡± Suzuki said, scratching his own cheek a little.

    ¡°That makes sense¡­ Anyway¡­ now I feel a little stupid¡­ since I gave everyone a giftcard, which is worth 40 thousand yen for shopping at my establishment¡­¡± Seiko said with a simple smile.

    ¡°Does this mean we can always buy from your bakery until we reach the total value of 40 thousand yen? It¡¯s quite understandable¡­ you can¡¯t keep giving away amazing cakes for free, so it¡¯s just an excuse for your friends here to ask for some.¡± Keiko commented and the baker just nodded.

    ¡°This is due to my bakery''s policy, since I''m not the only one in charge there... my friend who runs the financial side is always very restricted... so really... this is the only way to cheat his system a little.¡± Everyone laughed at how ¡®smart¡¯ she was for that.

    Of the gifts that weren''t open yet, Haruka had received a medicine kit, all of which were designed to take care of her voice and skin, something quite expected given her situation. As for Keiko, everyone said that, unfortunately, they didn''t really know what to give him, so it would be something within YGGDRASIL. However, Haruka was the only one who said that there was a gift¡­ with a slight condition, that it would only be given when the whole party was over.

    That whole conversation made the boy blush nonstop, while Kazuya had an incredulous expression and the others gave some mischievous giggles, with the exception of Senko, who seemed to ignore everything, just wanting to know about the food. Everyone continued to have fun, singing a little karaoke and even playing some simple games that didn''t require that much technology. At the end of it all, the party ended, with everyone taking with them the gifts they received, as well as small bags with what was left over from the Christmas meal.

    Only Haruka and Keiko were left in that apartment¡­

    ¡°So, can we take this opportunity so I can give you my gift?¡± The young woman said, hugging her boyfriend from behind, after a few minutes of being alone.

    He turned to her. ¡°Ugh¡­ are you sure about this? We need to wake up early to arrange some things with the Guil-¡± He could barely finish speaking, and he was attacked by continuous kisses that gradually became more and more intense.

    ¡°Let''s forget about YGGDRASIL this morning~ We''ve already done a lot of work today with the livestream and the party¡­¡± She said, pulling the boy by his shirt to his room.

    He couldn''t fight against that woman, their bodies were easily pressed against each other on the bed, with several kisses being exchanged between them. It didn''t take long for her to start taking off her clothes and attacking him like a real beast. Unlike what one imagined of a tired woman, it seemed that everything had disappeared, or that perhaps the kisses had completely replenished her...

    It was an incredible Christmas morning for that couple¡­

    <hr>

    {2139, March 14th, Saturday}

    ¡°Thanks for the donations, guys! As promised before, 70% of the money I receive, after paying the fee, will only be used to improve our channel and equipment so that I can always improve the livestreams!¡± BukubukuChagama said, all happy and excited, using the appearance of her stream alter-ego, TeaTeaBoomPop.

    ¡°Anyway, today is our channel¡¯s first White Day! And as many know, if you really follow me on social media, I already have a love. An incredible man who is always supporting me... several of you may be jealous, but if it wasn¡¯t for him, I wouldn''t be able to be here!¡± She continued talking happily, sitting on a small wooden bench and swinging her legs agitatedly, with the landscape being the incredible flower field of Nazarick¡¯s 6th floor.

    When she said that, Hikari, who was holding the camera, turned it slightly towards him, smiling and waving at everyone. He soon gave the camera to one of the NPCs who were there, in this case being Mary Necry, so that he could approach TTBP without any problem for the viewers, sitting next to her on that wooden bench.

    As always, to hide who he was inside YGGDRASIL, he wore different masks, along with a completely black cloak, which left only his hands exposed. This time, the mask he was wearing was extremely smooth and white, to celebrate that date made for lovers.

    ¡°Yes, dear viewers! My camera man, who also interacts with us when I need a duet on my corvers, he is also my adorable knight in armor~¡± TTBP said that in a completely cute loli voice, which made Hikari just cough a little, completely with shame beneath that mask. ¡°How some of you may know and some may not! White Day is a direct response to Valentine Day! In one, the girlfriend receives gifts and sweets from the boyfriend, in the other, the boyfriend receives the same affection in return!¡±

    As she spoke, her two NPCs, Aura and Mare, approached the bench they were both on, each carrying a type of box. When they opened it, the one Mare was carrying had some kind of paper, while the one Aura was carrying had an incredible amount of beetle-shaped chocolates, with gold details. The paper was actually [Monster''s Rule State], a consumable item, which allowed the player to tame a monster of their choice, with the monster''s maximum level being 5 levels below the player''s. The candies, called [Chocochoco Clumsy Beetle], were consumable items, which, unlike the name surgere, gave +5 in Agility for a period of 10 minutes in game, not being a stackable effect.

    Those two boxes were worth a considerable amount of gold, enough to be able to buy 3 luxury cakes from the Ankoro Mocchi Mochi bakery, if the value was converted to real money...

    ¡°I loved the gift, TeaTea~¡± He replied, using her idol name and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, of course, with the mask between them. In reaction to this, the livestream chat started filling up with adorable emojis, while several donation notifications appeared above the slime girl''s head.

    ¡°Hm¡­ it seems like people loved our relationship, how cute~¡± She said in a loli voice.

    ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ anyway, thanks for the donation, guys!¡± Hikari responded by looking at the camera, but soon another notification appeared.

    [LovelyGr33nP4nD4 gifted 7500 yen with the message ¡°Oh my god! I''ve always loved these cute elves you have with you, TeaTeaBPop-chan! But since you already have a sweetheart, would they be¡­ like¡­your two children?¡±]

    That made them both blush incredibly, both in and out of the game. In response to this, Hikari headpatted the two little dark elves, and ordered them to sit with them on the bench. This resulted in Aura sitting between the players, while, due to lack of space, Mare''s artificial intelligence made him sit on the lap of the largest player, in this case, Hikari, who continued headpatting him.

    ¡°Yes, they are, so much so that my dear TeaTea wrote in their flavor text that we are a beautiful family, aren¡¯t we?¡± The ''exposed'' that Bukubuku received made her paralyzed, stuttering nonstop. This resulted in several viewers donating to her, seeing that scene was so adorable.

    [Anonymous563: ¡°LMAO!! She even looks like an anime character!¡±]

    [Anonymous616: ¡°I agree. The kind with social anxiety so bad you can only describe it as ¡®relatable¡¯. wwwwww¡±]

    [Salamonyahaha: ¡°Adorable! Absolutely adorable!¡±]

    [CakeSens31: ¡°Take all that money! So perfect!"]

    [Anonymous3252: ¡°AH! What a lucky guy! It was supposed to be me, not him!!¡±]

    Bukubuku soon began to shrink her slime shape, leaving her in size comparable to that of NPCs. This caused more fun laughter between Keiko and the viewers, with the slime girl blushing more and more with embarrassment.

    The live ended with the human player deciding to play some music for his girlfriend. They were all old and emotional songs, using a very elegant bardic instrument and without the neural system to help with this, in addition to the voice appearing to be very moldable, being thick when needed.

    [Anonymous616: ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s so cheesy it¡¯s good!¡±]

    [LovelyGr33nP4nD4: ¡°I can''t believe it! It¡¯s the music from an old anime that I was marathoning these days!¡±]

    [Anonymous3252: ¡±Yes! It''s from that blonde brat anime with a mechanical arm. Our! I didn¡¯t expect to hear someone singing that.¡±]

    [CakeSens31: ¡°Marathon old anime? You really have nothing to do. wwwww¡±]

    All viewers seemed to give more donations due to the quality of the music and finally the broadcast ended. It didn''t take a minute for Bukubuku to return to her standard pink slime form.

    "Why did you do?! T-the plan was to have a duet song moment!¡± She complained, still blushing.

    ¡°I know that when you look like that, you end up missing all the notes, my silly slime girl.~ ¡± Hikari replied, taking off his mask, giving a simple kiss to his girlfriend''s amorphous body.

    Slowly that pink body became 100% red, like a tomato, and she became spherical, rolling away after so much embarrassment. The human player was left laughing at his girlfriend''s reactions, while looking at the two NPCs, the couple''s ¡°children¡±. He continued headpatting them, in addition to caressing and squeezing their cheeks.

    ¡°Hm¡­ the feeling of touch really isn¡¯t 100% realistic¡­ it kind of feels like I¡¯m squeezing one of those stress balls.¡± He expressed his thoughts while squeezing NPC Mare''s cheeks tighter. ¡°Oh my god, they are so cute! I think I''m going to die from so much cuteness!!! It was a really great idea to use them as ¡®assistants¡¯ for Har-BB.¡± He almost said her real name, but stopped himself and just said her nickname.

    It didn''t take long for him to look at the NPC he created that was there too. The poltergeist was still there holding the camera, even though the transmission had ended. He ordered her to leave the camera next to him and took advantage of that to also look at her creation.

    He tried to touch the NPC''s face or hands a few times, but he passed through every time. He ended up facepalming, remembering that she was a ghost, so he made one more order. ¡°Get concrete.¡± And in this way, he was now able to touch the NPC.

    Unlike Mare and Aura, in which BB was obsessed only with appearance, Mary Necry, as well as Hikari''s other NPC, Belindo Dracul, were created in a much more detailed way. He had to create the models from scratch, with numerous small reliefs on the skin, to give them a more realistic appearance to the touch. Yes, it still looked like real skin, but it was much more than those dark elves. Not only that, the settings and character lore of both were also much more detailed than some Nazarick NPCs, due to Keiko''s creative nature.

    Due to the level of detail, many AOG members imagined that both were representations of real people. However, they were mistaken, with Belindo''s appearance and personality being a mix of some anime characters from the 20th and 21st centuries, and Mary being his own creation, with him saying that it was something that came into his mind to do.

    Keiko was deep in thought while surrounded by the 3 NPCs, when he suddenly received a sudden text message. It was Momonga, and to answer him, he picked up the audio-to-text system and started talking while walking in one direction.

    [Momonga: ¡°Hikari, something new showed up. A group from a random human found Nazarick and they seem to be preparing to attack¡­¡±]

    [Hikari: ¡°Really? How many?"]

    [Momonga: ¡°It appears to be a group of at most 20 members, from the equipment I can see, using the special cameras in the external area, they appear to be players between lvls 50-80¡­ That or they are newbies using a lot of cash items.¡±]

    [Hikari: ¡°I see, is there any problem besides that?¡±]

    [Momonga: ¡°The tests we''ve done so far with the current NPCs and Traps were done only by you and Punitto Moe, so until now we haven''t really tested with outside players. And as you well know, in case there was a failure that we didn''t notice, we were supposed to have several members ready for attacks.¡±]

    [Hikari: ¡°Even though it¡¯s Saturday. There aren''t that many of our members online, and most of them are doing that quest to have access to the HistoryQuest related to Ragnarok, right?¡±]

    [Momonga: *agreeing emoticon*]

    [Hikari: ¡°Okay, Bukubuku is also at the base and online, so I''ll let her know, we''ll meet at the 6th floor amphitheater and use the camera system to keep an eye on the situation, okay?¡±]

    After this message, he went after Bukubuku. The beloved slime girl was inside the big tree that was her NPCs'' home, she was very easy to find and warn about the situation. It doesn''t take long for all available players to be in the amphitheater. In addition to the two lovebirds and the necromancer skeleton, there was also Beast King Mekongawa, who just hadn''t gone to the quest, because he was too tired due to his irl work, wanting to be in YGGDRASIL just to do the thing he did most in those times, which was tinkering with his NPC, Lupusregina Beta, one of the Pleiades, always testing new uniforms and accessories for her.

    ¡°So just a group of human players, right?¡± Mekongawa said as he watched the floating screens that Momonga created.

    ¡°Very simple people¡­¡± Momonga said, noticing that some of them were scared and attacked desperately against the common enemies on the 1st Floor.

    ¡°They really must be newbies¡­ Are we really needed here?¡± Bukubuku questioned.

    ¡°You never know if they¡¯ll hit the teleport trap here.¡± Hikari replied, even giving a small laugh when she saw a dwarf girl falling on her butt on the ground after receiving a jumpscare from a normal [Skeleton Warrior].

    ¡°I agree... besides, we can''t forget that they seem to have good equipment, it doesn''t matter if they are newbies who rose in power using only money. Anyone can be lucky enough to destroy undeads this way.¡± Momonga''s words were accepted by everyone there, and they soon continued to look and wait for the need to intervene in that invasion.

    Among the members of that group, the vast majority were human players who focus exclusively on physical job classes. Of course, there were some with more diverse job classes, but they didn''t seem to have evolved to a high level, considering that, even though they looked desperate and were scared all the time, they continued to use skills that could be considered simple, or annoying like a fly floating near your ear, compared to the skills that AOG members normally use in friendly battles.

    ¡°Apparently their little leader is taking them to one of the teleportation traps.¡± Bukubuku said, pointing to one of the floating screens with a tentacle from his slime body.

    To further separate enemies, Nazarick''s teleport traps were very random. The same trap had a chance of taking to a maximum of 6 different places for each person who fell into it. Of course, such teleports could be controlled and make an entire group go to the same place, but that was in special cases.

    And as expected, they just entered a dead end corridor. The entire floor of that corridor opened up, showing a pit where the bottom was the teleportation portal. Everyone had fallen, and Momonga quickly activated the cameras in the locations where they could fall.

    Seven unlucky players ended up falling in the middle of a disgusting floor, full of cockroaches that kept biting and devouring parts of their clothes, that sub-area was known as Black Capsule. The victims there screamed in fear, trying to attack the cockroaches with their weapons, but ended up attacking their own allies, due to an effect of that place, which linked the friendly fire between parties.

    Another five ended up appearing in a ¡°safe¡± area amid the extensive rope bridge that led to the Floor Guardian Shalltear Bloodfallen¡¯s habitat. Four were ¡°lucky¡±, as they were taken to the 5th Floor, more specifically, to the Frozen Prison, from everyone''s expression, they were being affected by the Freezing Effect that the entire floor gave, in addition to the noises, there were already some [Frozen Ghouls] hidden in nearby hallways. Finally, the last 3 members of that group of invading players, Momonga''s special screen showed that they had been teleported to the amphitheater, and heteromorph members could clearly hear a woman screaming in panic due to the fright of having fallen into that trap.

    ¡°Who will fight them?¡± Mekongawa spoke while appearing to sharpen his claws with one of his daggers.

    ¡°I''m going down there to do a little presentation, and I''ll send Mare, Aura and Mary to fight them. What do you think of that?¡± Hikari said, already standing up.

    ¡°I''m fine with that, they seeing an unknown human player in this situation is hilarious to think about.¡± Momonga replied.

    ¡°Okay, our babies should be able to easily handle a fight against anyone if they¡¯re good together.¡± the slime girl said happily and with a loli voice.

    Hikari soon jumped up, going down to the large circular stage of the arena, changing his outfit, he was now wearing a sleeveless and open jacket, no shirt, loose pants that went down to his heels and barefoot. It took a while for the invading players to appear and enter that arena, only when a human girl saw him, he was noticed.

    ¡°Oh! Hello invaders! I see you were lucky enough to be teleported here, how interesting.¡± Hikari spoke with a smile, clearly seeing above the players that they were at most lvl 50.

    ¡°Invaders??¡± "Eh???? What is a player doing here?!¡± ¡°Did anyone else buy information about this dungeon?! Are you kidding me?!?¡±

    The three players spoke irritated and confused. Two were women, with one being human and one being elf, while the only man appeared to be a human rogue.

    ¡°Oooh?¡± Hikari heard that and had a strange smile on her face. ¡°Well, this dungeon you entered, The Great Tomb of Nazarick, was actually conquered around 1 irl year ago, and has been our guild''s base ever since.¡±

    "My God!! One YEAR?!? We had gotten this information last week, and it was being considered very new information!¡± The Elf girl complained.

    ¡°Well, now that you know you were raiding a guild and not a simple dungeon, you have two options. Either you leave here now and I return 80% of the items your dead comrades dropped¡­ Or you die right here.¡± Hikari''s words seemed to anger the invaders, who gripped their weapons tighter and pointed at him, with the elf girl even spitting in his direction.

    ¡°You seem like an idiot, for thinking that someone would give up like that.¡± she said, her pointy ears fully up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what you¡¯re up against, kids? Newbies like you, wanting to fight [HIKARI, THE MIDGARD¡¯S WORLD CHAMPION] just because you want to?¡±

    His words echoed throughout the amphitheater, their eyes widened as they looked more closely at the person in front. The spiky red hair, that name, that job class¡­

    ¡°T-The journalist?! M-My god! I hadn''t even recognized! I-I''m sorry my friend talks to you like that! I-I¡¯m a fan!¡± The human girl spoke, stuttering a lot, immediately dropping her staff.

    ¡°W-What?!?¡± The other two were too confused by it all, and as if they wanted to escape from there, they looked around, only to realize that there were 3 more players there, all sitting in the stands and just staring at that scene.

    "Enough! Hikari-sama, you showed me that there is no reason to give them mercy, even if everything is a mistake.¡± Momonga said, standing up and swinging his grand staff. The clear skies on the 6th floor turned reddish, as if it were a sunset in the world made of flames. ¡°You can get out of there, they don¡¯t deserve to be attacked by your blade, it would be disgusting to see such a scene! We will now send 3 NPCs to destroy them.¡±

    Hikari sighed and jumped, landing in the stands, next to Bukubukuchagama. With no time to waste and without letting those players recover from the whole scene, magic circles appeared on the floor, and Mare, Aura and Mary came out of them, all already wearing an appropriate outfit to be Floor Guardians, instead of the Idol uniforms for the BB lives.

    ¡°I recommend not taking it easy because they are adorable~¡± BB said.

    ¡°These blondes will annihilate you~¡± Hikari continued.

    And so it happened... it wasn''t that complicated, all the invading players either died, or logged out because of the horrors they experienced inside Nazarick. Those who suffered the most were definitely those who fell into the Black Capsule and those who ended up finding Rubedo in the Frozen Prison. The fight on the 6th Floor was also not disappointing, being exactly what was expected from the settings and teamwork of the 3 NPCs.

    When some of the AOG members returned from the quest, they even saw recordings of what happened, with Yamaiko being the person to react the most when she saw what happened to those who fell into the cockroaches'' domain. The information that Nazarick was being talked about as an unconquered dungeon made Punitto Moe rethink a little about the Guild''s protection situation, after all, it was clear from the recordings that a small group like that would never try to enter if they had this basic knowledge.

    ¡°After the Ragnarok HistoryQuest, we will publish the information that our Tomb already has an owner. I find it impressive how those newbies came here without researching anything further, trusting an informant so blindly¡­¡± Punitto Moe said, pacing back and forth, being in his room with Momonga, TouchMe and Hikari.

    ¡°By the way, how is our progress towards Ragnarok?¡± Momonga asked, making TouchMe show him a floating, pulsing red heart.

    ¡°So the item we got was [Sulfur¡¯s Heart]? Better than nothing¡­ This makes us mandatory for Ragnarok to be considered a winnable quest.¡± Hikari commented, taking that heart and analyzing it. ¡°Apparently, Ainz Ooal Gown will go deeper into the game¡¯s story than I thought¡­¡±

 Chapter 18 - There are Wins and Losses

    [3rd Person POV]

    ¡°ARGH!!!! Take it, FUCKER!!!!¡±

    Said a certain insectoid, completely irritated and without patience, crushing the skull of a huge wolf again, again and again, using the blade of his great sword.

    ¡°Should we¡­ calm him down and tell him that [The Great and Legendary Fenrir] is already dead?¡±

    ¡°No... Let''s let him take out all his anger on the corpse... after all, he almost died 20 times in this final stage, plus the Boss drops are being spawned in the next room.¡±

    Those who were talking were Momonga and Punitto Moe, both watching the famous paladin, Touch_Me, having a fit of pure rage for the aforementioned reason. Meanwhile, most of the Guild members were entering the said room that was beyond the Boss, but there were still those who watched the Punisher Insectoid beating and cutting that corpse.

    AOG was finally finishing the Ragnarok History Quest, something that was initially thought to be fast, turned out to be a pure two-year adventure. With this grand quest being divided into 20 stages, 19 of them being given to guilds in random order, and the last being the battle against 4 Bosses, [Surtur The FireLord], [The Great and Legendary Fenrir], [Fury of Vidofnir] and [The Oldest Remnant of Odin]. It had been a very intense Final Stage, with each guild member being forced to use at least twice a very expensive item called [Max Refresh], a transparent tube with a blue liquid that allows the user''s HP and MP to return to maximum instantly.

    ¡°Hey! There¡¯s something interesting here, come and see!¡± Peroroncino ended up drawing their attention so that all members could enter the next room.

    It was a half-destroyed square room, the intact part was full of large chests with orange decorations, while the other part was simply a large hole, in which they could see an immense abyss, and on the other side of the abyss, something that resembled a japanese dojo. There didn''t seem to be any way to get there, it was like a scene element, but Hikari was staring at that landscape while the others were opening the loot chests.

    The main reason the chests were decorated in orange was because AOG had been the 3rd guild to complete the entire History Quest. The two guilds had finished their final battle at least 5 hours ago, but compared to the fact that the most powerful guild behind them was still stuck at the 17th Stage, then the mighty Heteromorphs were actually far ahead.

    ¡°Was that the interesting thing?¡± Momonga asked while also looking at the scenery.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything much, it¡¯s not on the map, so it must be an area made just for landscapes, there¡¯s no way to get there.¡± Punitto Moe commented, turning around and heading towards the loot chests, the same way all the other members did.

    ¡°I don''t think it''s just a scene element¡­¡± Hikari said, pointing to a kind of metallic target that changed color between blue and red. ¡°It appears to be a bifrost temple. I''ll go and see what''s there¡­¡±

    "To see? But how?" Momonga questioned, but was stunned by what his colleague did.

    Hikari took his bow [Bow-Bifrost] and aimed at that metal. Using [Greater Aim of Ranger] he fired, a sharp sound was made as it hit the target, and surprisingly, a portal appeared below the cliff. The human player looked at the Guild leader with a smug face.

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right¡­¡±

    ¡°I''ll go there and see what''s new, I''ll send you a message if it''s an extra battle.¡± He said, before throwing himself off the cliff, entering the portal and going to that dojo.

    ¡°Damn¡­ why would they do something like that?¡± Touch_Me said, finally arriving in the room, but managing to see what his best friend did.

    ¡°Well, it must be a kind of extra for story reasons, after all, it is said by some that the original bridge, the Bifrost, had been destroyed during Ragnarok. So whoever has an item of this material can do this¡­¡± Peroroncino got involved in the conversation and sighed. ¡°I even tried shooting with my own arrows before, but it didn¡¯t even work.¡±

    ¡°Seeing as how the vast majority of items made by devs, with ¡®Bifrost¡¯ in the name or flavor text, are not that strong, it must have been a way of congratulating whoever still decided to bring something like this to the fight.¡± Momonga tried to come up with the only possible explanation and soon he also joined the others to see what they had achieved.

    The chests contained numerous consumable rewards, the vast majority being [Greater EXP Balancer] and [Gacha Coin Tier 3], two items that made any player gain an absurd amount of EXP and Gold, depending on the current amount each player had. There were also some weapons and magic stones, which could be used to create or improve items. But what interested everyone most were 3 specific things, the first being a special skin, in which certain species could have interesting effects, with embers and a divine aura around the body, few AOG members had races that this effect could be placed.

    The second was a kind of invitation that only existed in one of the chests. That invitation seemed to give permission to the Players to be able to talk to the Devs, in addition, according to the flavor text, the conversation would be related to making the guild in question part of YGGDRASIL''s canonical lore. This made several AOG members excited, for a player to be recognized as part of a game''s lore due to achievements? This even seemed like a dream. And of course, the person who would use this item to talk to the Devs should be the Guild Leader.

    And speaking of the Guild Leader, the third thing was something that caught Momonga''s attention when he opened a small chest a little away from everyone. Inside it was only a red and glowing sphere, as if it were some currently deactivated mana receptacle. What intrigued him most was the name of the item¡­ or in this case, the lack of a name.

    ¡°What did you find there, Momonga? Seems interesting." HeroHero, the second slime player in the guild, asked as he approached the skeleton.

    ¡°Nothing much, I think I¡¯ll keep it, it looks like it¡¯s some kind of equippable item.¡± he replied as he put the orb on as equipment.

    When he did this, it positioned itself inside Momonga''s body, more specifically where his intestines would be, if he weren''t a skeleton. But one thing scared him¡­ It was permanent equipment¡­

    ¡°And now it¡¯s attached to me¡­ but it seems to be a magic caster assistant according to the basics I understood from the flavor text, so perfect¡­¡± he said again, now completely opening the cloak he was wearing to see what the orb looked like there.

    ¡°Wow, it looks like you have a shining target.¡± Peroroncino commented, and everyone ended up agreeing.

    ¡°Well, the idiots who target this thing, thinking it¡¯s a weak point, will end up suffering.¡± Punitto moe took one of the positives of having a shiny red orb exposed like that.

    It didn''t take long for everyone to finish collecting the loot from the room, including Hikari, who ended up returning the way he had gone. Having a kind of reddish metal staff in his hands, it ended up catching the attention of Punitto Moe, who went to see what the boy had picked up in that extra area. Touch_Me and Momonga also went to see what happened.

    ¡°There was nothing much, other than dusty chests with data crystals and this item here.¡± He showed that metallic staff, with the name [Laevatein]. ¡°It is a type of multi-weapon with a flaming appearance and which gives an attribute buff to spellcasters, swordsmen and martial artists. Depending on how you use.¡±

    ¡°Multi-weapon?¡± The three players questioned and the boy demonstrated it.

    Initially, it looked like a very elongated metal bar that slightly resembled a simple staff. However, placing the staff horizontally, keeping one hand at the end, and moving the other hand towards the other end, suddenly the central part glowed and turned into chains, the staff had become a nunchaku. After that, he returned it to the shape of a staff, held it with just one hand and swung it very quickly, until it made a sharp sound, as if cutting through the wind, shining and remodeling itself, now becoming a big knife. Everyone found the options that that item gave to the user interesting, but even so, they allowed Hikari to be the owner of it, because he was the only one who went looking for that object.

    Finally, the last members of AOG left the reward room, making it completely official that this guild of heteromorphs was the third, in all of YGGDRASIL, to complete Ragnarok. It wasn''t long after that that Ainz Ooal Gown entered the game''s lore, as being the most powerful group of heteromorphs in all of history.

    Information about the guild was being exposed by members, ranging from superficial things, to completely dramatic and theatrical versions of events, maintaining the roleplay identity that everyone there loved. With the most impressive situation being a joint interview with 20 of the 41 members, answering questions about what they liked most about the game, how everyone there met, and giving tips to some players, as expected from AOG, the vast majority of tips they were related to builds with Racial Levels, leaving human players largely aside.

    After the interview and the addition of AOG to the game''s lore, there was greater recognition. With enemy guilds becoming increasingly rare to attack, and allied guilds spending a lot of time close to them. Their fame grew, and they became, in everyone''s eyes, like the biggest villains, the type of group that no one wants to see the bad side of.

    Two specific players, these being Bukubukuchagama and Hikari, ended up being much more affected by the guild''s fame, as they were recognized as TeaTeaBoomPop and ¡°Camera Boyfriend¡± in such a short time due to the hardcore fans they obtained over those 3 years of streaming. Even so, they did not stop using pseudonyms, and continued their work together.

    <hr>

    {2141, May 1st, Monday}

    {IRL - Keiko¡¯s House}

    The young game journalist woke up and tried to get out of bed, having a little difficulty because of his girlfriend, who had come by surprise and spent the whole weekend with him. After leaving her firm embrace, he managed to go to the bathroom, clean his face and take care of all his personal hygiene, having not put on his contact lenses and being in his pajamas, he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

    While there, he prepared a hot bottle of coffee, as well as artificial bacon in the frying pan and some really thin slices of tofu, which, when fried, became a kind of snack. Putting everything on plates and glasses on the table in the living room. The morning seemed calm and simple, like any Monday morning for someone like him.

    Until a call destroyed the calm, it was Masato Senju''s professional number, the one he uses when working in police. Keiko didn''t take long to answer. "Hello? Masa-san?¡±

    ¡°Keiko, I don¡¯t want to scare you, but could you turn your TV on to the live news?¡± The voice of the famous Touch_Me seemed breathless, with even some strange noises in the background.

    Without questioning, the boy left his breakfast on the table and went to turn on the television, putting it on the local news channel. What he saw made his eyes widen.

    It was a broadcast about some kind of attack that a building was having, according to the information that the news gave, it seemed that one of the companies that used that building had a huge drop in their business actions, and because of that, an employee went completely crazy, setting fire to the place, in addition to killing some of his companions as result. The police had been called after an explosion occurred in one of the parts of the building due to the fire, and were already surrounding the building together with the fire department.

    Keiko stared in shock at that transmission, recognizing the name of the company. ¡°This is not the company that¡­¡±

    ¡°That Bellriver works for? Yes, it is... I was called to provide backup and we are helping the people we managed to rescue. I just saw him being taken away by an ambulance, with his legs badly burned and some wounds on his body. I''m warning you in case something worse happens, or if the members ask about him... you know very well that-¡±

    ¡°I know that most members don''t watch the news... Anyway, thanks for letting me know right away. And for the love of god, Masato, stay safe! If this building starts to collapse because of the fire, get out of there immediately!¡± Keiko spoke worriedly on his cell phone.

    ¡°Okay, as I was called as an extra reinforcement, I¡¯m not really obligated to stay in the area, I¡¯ll update you with anything.¡± Just like that, Masato Senju ended the call.

    Keiko stared at the television, carefully observing this sudden situation, until he felt a gentle touch on his right shoulder, as he looked, it was Haruka. She was also in her pajamas, a little messy, as she started hugging him from behind and watching what her boyfriend saw.

    ¡°Ah¡­ darling, it¡¯s morning¡­ Why are you seeing this kind of thing?¡­¡± From the sleepy way of speaking, it was obvious that she had now entered the room, not knowing the context.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not going to see this, I just turned on the TV¡­ your breakfast is ready, you can go eat.¡± He kissed her on the cheek and sat on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to change my calendar¡­¡±

    That sentence was much stronger than he expected to be¡­

    He was still planning a party for all of AOG to attend IRL, in order to celebrate the achievement they made two weeks ago. That sentence was referring to having to adjust the schedule a little and put it for a few weeks after the normal, for now he was thinking too much about Bellriver¡¯s situation...

    And so, it started to get worse¡­

    The members were informed why the hecatonchires was not participating as much in some events, saying that he was in the hospital due to accidents at work, but only few really knew the level of severity of it all. Three weeks passed, and sadness truly hit the guild members.

    Bellriver was unable to resist the large degree of burns and cuts for long, ending up dying in hospital due to a general failure of organs that had been affected in the fire, but which doctors only noticed when it was already in an advanced state. There were two burials for him, one inside YGGDRASIL, with members paying their respects inside the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary, and the other taking place irl, in a simple cemetery in Japan¡¯s countryside, within the AOG members, only Hikari and Momonga had a schedule open to participate.

    The funeral was simple, with only 3 of Bellriver''s relatives there, his mother, sister and a cousin. The two players knew the difficulty that the deceased''s family was going through, due to some mandatory conversations about a ¡°stable life¡± that was required to Bellriver to enter the guild. With him, that family even had enough money to save, but now, it would be difficult to stay okay. And because of that, Keiko went to them and gave them a card with money, which represented the deceased''s hard work during his days in YGGDRASIL, in addition to proposing a side job as a helper for his sister, it wasn''t something common to see these days, but the kindness he delivered was accepted.

    ¡°You really are a very different person, Keiko-kun.¡± Satoru said, thoughtfully, as he got into the car, the funeral was over, and he would be driving.

    ¡°Different?" The young man asked, a little confused, sitting in the passenger seat, taking off the breathing aid that was attached to his clothes.

    ¡°Being charitable and respectful like that¡­ It even sounds like things my mother said about my grandparents.¡± he replied, taking off his suit tie and starting to drive. Taking a while to continue. ¡°That''s not really what I expected from a rich man''s son. And¡­ what was that? Give a job out of nowhere?¡±

    ¡°From some conversations I had with Bellriver, I know that his sister works part-time at a grocery store, even though she was trained to be a Designer. So, giving her an opportunity to earn a little more by helping me write articles, when I¡¯m really tired, shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem¡­¡±

    ¡°But with what money???¡± Satoru asked really wanting an answer. ¡°You haven''t received an allowance from your parents for a year from what I heard, besides, the YGGDRASIL Staff might not like it.¡±

    ¡°I will pay her half of the salary that I earn from YGGDRASIL, with an additional amount that I earn with Haruka¡­¡± He replied calmly. ¡°And like I said, she will only work and be paid when I need help, which will be soon, as countless BoomPop fans are asking me to appear a lot in the gameplay and interaction lives that she does.¡±

    ¡°I can understand your logic¡­ in theory it makes sense, given how things are, there will be no complaints in the monetary case¡­ I think¡­¡± Satoru commented, stepping a little hard on the accelerator.

    ¡°Are you still going¡­?¡± Keiko apparently wanted to change the subject.

    ¡°For the event? I already told you that you need to tell me in advance when it will be so that I can at least say whether I''m going or not.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I''m still planning properly, since with his death, I was forced to see a better day for us, and the place I thought about renting doesn''t have any other upcoming dates, but I promise you, it will be on a Saturday.¡±

    ¡°If it''s a Saturday, I''m definitely in¡­¡± they did a fistbump, playing some music, as there weren''t many things to talk about.

    <hr>

    {2141, October 28th, Saturday}

    It was the day...

    The guild''s celebration had become a reality, and, as expected, it would not be held inside YGGDRASIL, but in the real world. The chosen location was a large building belonging to a company specializing in events and entertainment. Each floor of the building had a kitchen, a set of bathrooms, and, most importantly, a party room. Considering the number of guests, only a single floor of that place had been rented.

    The hall was magnificent, compared to the life they had outside the game. The walls were decorated in a way that resembled some of the floors in Nazarick, apparently, a small band had been hired, as there were some instruments on a small stage, with no people at the moment, and not only that, part of the hall had a grand table, in which there were 41 chairs, each one having the nickname of each AOG member written on the back. It wasn''t such a round table, but it was a clear reference to the Round Table Room on Nazarick¡¯s 9th floor.

    Keiko, as the main person in organizing all of that, was already present at the moment, asking some of the cooks in the building to defrost and prepare some desserts, as the snacks had been on the main table for a few minutes. Due to the dress code that he and Punitto Moe planned, the boy was wearing a simple black suit, with a red shirt underneath, as well as a white mask that covered half his face, with an abbreviation of his nickname written on his cheek.

    The purpose of the mask was to take into account the fact that there were still people in the guild who had not met in person in the real world, so, out of pure respect for them, everyone was asked to speak to each other using their nicknames if possible. This way, everyone would feel comfortable on such an occasion.

    ¡°The party is going to be very interesting¡­¡± Said a person who approached, wearing a classic theater mask with a long beak, obviously it was Peroroncino.

    "Oh yeah it will be great. I don''t believe everything worked out after that unfortunate incident... I thought it would happen in 2 years, given the number of companies that rent floors here to hold meetings between the most important members.¡± Keiko adjusted his mask a little. ¡°I was extremely lucky to find out that they were released for a date close to Halloween¡­ It''s almost as if fate wanted us to have our day.¡±

    ¡°I agree¡­ And are you really going to do that?¡± The perverted friend asked with an eyebrow raised beneath his mask, but he was soon left speechless when he saw the organizer respond silently, simply taking an item from his bag. ¡°Man¡­ this is going to be amazing.¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s reaction will be incredible. And her? Is she ready yet? I mean... it was because she wanted to dress up like crazy that you two arrived early... So she could put on makeup right here.¡±

    ¡°Last time I knocked on the bathroom door to check on her, she screamed at me and all she had to do was kick me between the legs¡­ she must be almost ready.¡±

    ¡°Perfect¡­ and you were quiet, weren¡¯t you, you idiot? You, Suzuki and Masato are the only ones in our entire group who I spoke about this.¡± Keiko spoke, putting the item back in his bag as he walked close to the stage.

    ¡°Of course I kept quiet, I can be an asshole sometimes. But ruining that would mean her destroying or selling all my model figures.¡± The pervert''s words seemed like the most logical he had ever said in his entire life, and Keiko could do nothing but agree.

    It didn''t take long for some people to arrive, all following the same dress code, with suits of different colors, as well as white masks that slightly resembled the races of their characters. In the case of Slimes like HeroHero and Bukubuku, both received completely smooth masks with details that slightly resembled slime. The women of the guild, being the large minority, came in dresses that covered them below the knees, with long gloves.

    Everyone was talking and introducing themselves to each other, as well as sitting in their seats. Only when the last chair was filled, Keiko stood up, tapping a glass lightly.

    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! I wanted to say a few words before the party starts... I''m very happy that I managed to invite you to this place, where we can all interact and have fun outside of YGGDRASIL! A true demonstration that friendships don¡¯t change, no matter where they are made.¡± He said, raising the glass a little higher, indicating to the employees on the floor to fill the glasses of the people sitting at the table.

    With a slight movement of his hand, in addition to sitting down, Satoru noticed it was his time, standing up and continuing Keiko¡¯s speech. ¡°Thank you for the sweet words, Hikari. Well, today we are all here, together, to celebrate our victory against the game! Many saw us as villains just because of who we chose to be and our friends, but now, we truly are the villains, even within the game''s Lore! Many would dream of a moment like this! A moment when you, as a player, are recognized in such a big way. And now, it¡¯s our turn!!¡±

    Everyone raised their full glasses to the guild leader, and he continued. ¡°Unfortunately, absolutely all the members present on the day of our conquest cannot be here today, so, among the guests, I asked Bellriver''s younger sister to come in his place... I would like us to take a moment of silence out of respect for him¡­¡± he said pointing to the girl who was wearing a white mask with several small faces on the left side, as expected, everyone gave their period of silence for their friend.

    After the silence, the words returned to Keiko. ¡°And now, our grand banquet can begin! You can serve yourselves at will and without being afraid! It¡¯s all on me!¡± The lids of the trays were lifted, revealing food that was extremely expensive and beautiful to look at. Much of it was imitation of food items commonly seen in the game, with the taste being the most faithful attempt possible at what such foods would taste like. They ranged from roasted pieces of chicken and shrimp, to burgers and full rows of salmon and sushi.

    Everyone ate happily, talking a lot among themselves, especially with the deceased''s younger sister. It seemed like everyone wanted to cheer her up by telling stories about the adventures her brother had with all the members, this clearly raised the aura of the place a little, to the point where they started having drinking competitions and some karaoke, using a holographic screen for song lyrics to emerge.

    Without exception, AOG members participated in those small events. There were those who were embarrassed, those who had a great voice despite being shy, and obviously, those who thought they were being incredible, when in fact it was necessary to put a cloth over their mouth after the songs. If this was a competition worth money, clearly Haruka and Keiko would win as a duet, since they had been working in music and entertainment for a while.

    It didn''t take long for everyone to be extremely comfortable there, the scene was perfect for something to happen. Everyone''s attention went to the leader of the group, who gently tapped the spoon on the wine glass in front of him, causing a thin and calm sound.

    "Guys! I know everyone is having an incredible time on our special day, and I would like everyone''s attention to an urgent announcement from our fellow human.¡± Suzuki said, forcing his voice a little to be a little similar to Momonga''s voice.

    Pointing to Keiko, he already knew what that was, getting up from the chair. ¡°Thank you, Momonga-Sama! I would love to make a grand announcement that could change the lives of some people in Ainz Ooal Gown, both within YGGDRASIL and here, in our world¡­ My dearest slime, could you look at me for a brief period?¡±

    As he said that, everyone looked towards Haruka, who, a little confused, adjusted her chair. Seeing her boyfriend approaching her, he continued to speak. ¡°Bukubuku, we''ve known each other for a long time... We can count from the period when you still played as a Human Sniper, after you became a heteromorph, or from the day we were able to touch hands IRL... Whatever, it''s been almost 5 years that we''ve known each other, with 4 of those 5 years being our incredible relationship that started as just a roleplay, and then evolved into something bigger than that¡­¡±

    His words touched the hearts of some of the guests, while Haruka remained silent, looking at him, a little confused about where this conversation was going. With the first one that realized what was really happening being Maiko, she was left slightly awestruck.

    ¡°And I would like to know if our relationship can evolve further¡­¡± The situation became as obvious as possible when he knelt down next to his girlfriend, pulling from his pocket a beautiful pink box, completely decorated with silver details and reddish spheres.

    When opening the box, she could see a golden ring with small pink and red stones surrounding it, with an oval, greenish jewel as the main one. The woman''s face became completely red, almost the same shade as her avatar, her wide eyes showed surprise at that, she really didn''t expect something like that to happen.

    ¡°This is not for Bukubukuchagama, not even for TeaTeaBoomPop¡­ This is for you¡­¡± A smile appeared on him, as he lifted the open box a little higher, closer to his beloved. ¡°Haruka Aoki¡­ Would you like to marry me?¡±

    The woman seemed to lose her voice for a few seconds, as she slowly stood up and pulled the young man by the arm, hugging him tightly while stealing a long kiss from him. Everyone was amazed at her way of expressing herself, until, when she parted her lips, she responded sweetly.

    ¡°Yes, of course~¡±

    It was possible to hear a whistle while everyone clapped for that event, it was Masato Senju, Touch_Me, the one catching the waiters'' attention. ¡°Bring more wine! We need to drink to celebrate the couple here!!¡±

    ¡°Did you really ask me to marry you? Me? An older woman?¡± Haruka spoke with a silly smile, still hugging her lover tightly.

    ¡°And do you think there would be someone else who would have this role? You are my sweet in the middle of my sour life.¡± He said that, stroking her chin, but she couldn''t control herself, laughing.

    ¡°Haha! You were so cheesy just now!¡±

    ¡°Relax, all this cheesiness will turn into something else in bed.¡± Now, speaking with a seductive voice close to her ear, the voice actor began to blush extremely, but with a smile on her face, she really loved it.

    ¡°Are you inviting me to your house when the event is over?~¡± She followed the flow, still whispering.

    ¡°If you want¡­ we can repeat everything that happened from our first meeting. You just need to drink alot, and then I¡¯ll take you to my bed.¡±

    ¡°Oh, maybe I can be with less clothes than before~¡±

    While the two were whispering indecent things to each other, some other members talked a little more, until they reached an important topic, started by Punitto Moe. Everyone was there, with the exception of the two lovebirds who had gone out of the room to do ¡°something else¡±.

    ¡°So guys, I don¡¯t know if this is a good time to speak, but I received a communication from some important guilds in YGGDRASIL, two of them want to have a guild fight with us.¡± He said calmly as he pulled out some wine to drink.

    ¡°Oh, a fight between guilds, tell me more please!¡± The person with a mega deformed mask spoke, it was HeroHero.

    ¡°Well, they want a friendly fight against us. The original idea is that each guild will form two groups, one for attack and one for defense. Those attacking will go to the opposing guild to attack and those defending will remain in their own guild bases.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. So would it really be a fight between guilds just so we have something to do while there are no events¡­? There must be something bigger to this, what are the gains for whoever wins?¡± Masato asked as he enjoyed a burger.

    ¡°Simple, the fight would last until one guild completely dominates the enemy base, or until a time limit runs out. The winner gets the percentage of loot equivalent to the percentage they dominated in the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°So this is if the time limit runs out, if we manage to take over their dungeon completely, we get all the loot?¡± A member with a robotic mask asked, this being Garnet, the person in charge of creating gimmicks in Nazarick.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Exactly! BUT the same applies to the enemy!¡± Punitto Moe spoke a little theatrically, moving the cup in his hands a lot.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I hadn¡¯t heard about that.¡± Suzuki commented, adjusting his skeleton mask. ¡°When was this request made?¡±

    ¡°It was about 2 am today. If it had been something delivered to me earlier yesterday, I would have re-emailed you. But I was busy seeing if I was really ready to come to the party.¡± That really was an acceptable excuse, considering the situations.

    Suzuki just shook his head a little, thoughtfully, but exposing his voice. ¡°Depending on the guilds that wanted this and their credibility, I will be able to see whether or not we accept the invitation to a controlled guild war, did they at least inform us what the time limit is?¡±

    ¡°Well, they said nothing has been fully confirmed and we can talk over time to rearrange any of the rules before an official date. But the initial idea they gave me was that there would be a maximum period of 1 in game day.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ yes, of course¡­ we will talk to them if we accept, and arrange everything so that everyone feels comfortable. But I see 6 hours a day as something acceptable only on weekends.¡± Several people agreed with the guild leader''s words.

    The rest of the party had been simple, but incredible for the members, ending around 8 pm, everyone went to their homes, with the exception of Haruka, who had gone with her now fianc¨¦, so that the party continued for much longer, just for them. And things didn''t seem to have changed that much after the event, with everyone having their jobs, moments in YGGDRASIL, etc.

    With the information Keiko had, it was discovered that YGGDRASIL would not have any major events until August 2142, with the holiday events before that being completely simple or just remakes of those that happened in 2140. Having this knowledge, the most important members of Ainz Ooal Gown began to see the possibility of actually participating in a friendly guild war.

    Among the guilds that came up with the idea and those that were invited, there were 5 guilds made up only of Human Players, 7 mixed guilds that roleplayed among themselves for pure fun, and 2 guilds focused on Heteromorph Players, including AOG. They were all within the list of Top 20 guilds, which was not seen as so important, as the list only took into account the average number of points earned by the total amount of Kills, Gold and DataCrystals that each one had. This meant that a guild known for being PKers was on the same level as a guild focused only on accumulating Gold and items.

    During the period in which everyone would be coming to an agreement on the rules of this particular event, some were leaving, others were joining, the number increased and decreased depending on the choices made, and this was mainly due to the guilds seeing this as a very serious event, to the point that, if a guild leader was not present at meetings for 2 weeks in a row, their guild would be removed from the competition. Everyone wanted an incredible guild battle that really focused on the game, and that was clearly going to happen.

    In the end, there were only 4 guilds participating in the competition, one of them being AOG. Among the other 3, two of them were in 2nd and 7th place in the Top Guilds, both being composed only of Human Players, while the last one was a mixed guild, which was in 5th place. And the rules had finally been agreed upon by everyone.

    The rules were that each guild could only have 2 teams, one offensive and one defensive, with a maximum of 10 members each, if the guild had more than 20 total members, the others would be left out, being the narrators and judges for see all the events from both sides. The score of each offensive group would refer to how much of the opposing guild was explored and how many traps were destroyed, the winner would be the one with the most offensive points. Because there are 4 guilds, there would actually be three battles, two between two guilds and a final one between the two winners.

    The winner of everything would receive 50% of all the loot dropped during all 3 battles, second place would receive 40% and third place, the one with the highest offensive point among the first losers, would receive 10%. Last place would receive nothing, just compensation in gold and the reputation for at least having participated in a private guild war.

    <hr>

    {2142, May 5th, Friday}

    This little championship had become a kind of entertainment. With permission from all of the offensive and defensive groups of the 4 guilds, the battles that would take place were recorded and posted as videos in a separate tab on Keiko''s website. In the videos, there were recordings made by the offensive teams and the members left out, who narrated the events, in addition to giving their own comments and recording the scores.

    4 videos had already been published, all of them from the first round of that particular event between the guilds. And today was the final, with the participants being AOG, and ¡°L30nidas¡¯ Warriors¡±, better known as ¡°L-Thirty¡±, respectively 3rd and 2nd on the list of best guilds in YGGDRASIL.

    In Nazarick, AOG''s defense team and L-Thirty''s attack team were chatting, before the small war began...

    ¡°Haha! What a good joke, eh. Anyway, I''m really happy to be on the same battlefield as you, even though I''m like an enemy.¡± Said a member of L-30, a human who appeared to be a Hunter Sniper, due to his clothes and the revolver on his waist.

    ¡°Oh, I''m grateful that there are still people like you who know how to separate roleplay from reality. Seriously, there are some crazy people who keep filling me with racist messages in DMs¡­¡± Garnet replied to the human player.

    ¡°I agree¡­ impressive how there are crazy people who really see me as a complete traitor to the human race¡­ I mean, I was among the founders of this group¡­¡± Hikari was also in the middle of that conversation, he seemed to be taking a potion to make his HP and MP complete, he even offered a potion to the Hunter Sniper, but he refused because he had already taken one before.

    "Guys! 1 hour left until we start! Prepare yourselves!" The leader of the L-30 attack team spoke loudly using an item that looked like a megaphone.

    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s time for you guys to get ready, good luck there.¡± Garnet said waving and heading towards Nazarick.

    ¡°I agree, no hard feelings, right?¡± The player said, taking the pistol from his waist.

    ¡°Of course, roleplay only.¡± Hikari responded, doing a firstbump, but his attention was soon caught by Momonga.

    ¡°Hikari!! There has been a change of plans, you will be relocated, due to some problems we noticed with our defenses.¡± The guild leader said this while sending a private message to the journalist, so that no one from the rival team would know.

    Hikari soon waved to everyone there, disappearing from the front garden of the great tomb using [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown], reappearing shortly afterwards on the 6th floor, realizing that even Yamaiko was there. He approached the Niphilim waving. ¡°So, you and I will be here together?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the plan was for Bukubuku to stay here, but we discovered that one of the players on the enemy team has a very intense build that could destroy Peroroncino¡¯s NPC, so she was taken there as a way to intensify defensive buffs.¡± The healer commented as she sat on a fallen log. ¡°So you had to be called in, to help coordinate the NPCs here in case someone invades.¡±

    ¡°I understand¡­ Then I will be the leader of the ¡®6th floor squad¡¯¡­ I don¡¯t see a problem with that. You¡¯re here to amplify NPC regeneration, aren¡¯t you?¡± She agreed with the boy''s question. ¡°Perfect, if everything goes wrong, even with me here, I will use the ¡®Phantom Claw Zeentry¡¯ position¡­ any questions?¡±

    ¡°What is this bizarre formation you said?...I never write these things down.¡±

    ¡°Simple, my NPC, Mary, will use [Possession of Awakening] to enter Mare and increase his magical power, while Belindo will be in dragon form and will be used as a mount for Aura, thus optimizing and maximizing their strengths. ¡±

    ¡°Why these strange names?¡± The Healer said, confused.

    ¡°Says the person who called an attack formation with a healer in the center ¡®Yuri-Alpha¡¯ and then decided to pay homage, for always working out, by calling an NPC the same way.¡± Hikari''s words ended up reaching Yamaiko''s big heart, who just remained silent, questioning her ability to name things.

    ¡°The NPCs are now scattered around, so I will call them and organize them in more strategic areas. I recommend staying in the Coliseum area.¡± He continued to speak after the long silence and soon disappeared, leaving a shadowy trail with a trail of flames that disappeared after a few seconds.

    "..." Yamaiko just sighed, staring at where her companion was, but she did as suggested and walked towards the large arena on the 6th floor.

    After an hour, the small guild battle finally began, 10x10 pvp, with NPCs as additions to make the situation more exciting. At the entrance of Nazarick, there he was, Momonga, the guild leader, floating in the skies as enemies appeared, everything being filmed.

    ¡°Hahahaha!!! Look what we have here! Welcome to the destruction of your miserable existence, oh, those who dare invade my dear home!¡± The skeleton said, focusing hard on the roleplay, swinging his grand cane.

    ¡°So you are the grand demon king of the evil guild? I expected more than a skeleton in a purple cape!¡± Said the player leading the attack team, swinging a kind of greatsword he had in his hands.

    "Demon king? It''s a title I could accept in many ways¡­¡± Momonga said imposingly, then pointing to the ground. ¡°Unfortunately, you, peasant weaklings, don¡¯t seem that powerful in my eyes! Face simpler minions, they are perfect for weak beings that still ensure the existence of humanity!!¡±

    ¡°[Quintet Extensive Magic! Summon Skeleton Legion!]¡± Momonga shouted his spell, creating a huge magic circle across the land.

    Within the area of the large magic circle, 5 different types of skeletons began to emerge from the ground, these being [Skeleton Archer], [Skeleton Mage], [Skeleton Warrior], [Skeleton Rider] and [Skeleton Centipede]. But it wasn''t just that, as some separate bones also came out of the ground and levitated to the heavens, joining together and forming some [Bone Vulture]. All those monsters were very weak, ranging between levels 20 and 30, and because of having [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown] in hand, he managed to summon 30 of each. In Momonga''s view, this would serve as an excellent way to start a fight in which the enemies were all around lvl 80 to 100.

    ¡°The Demon King has summoned a legion against divine morals! I will not accept this! [Second Lesson of Holy! Harm Undead]!!¡± Said an elf woman, High Cleric, who was on the attack team, raising a staff full of religious symbols and launching a bright beam towards some of the skeletons that surrounded her. Few Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Centipedes were destroyed, because they didn''t have their shields raised or because they didn''t dodge quickly.

    ¡°A High Cleric?! I see you''re not that stupid when choosing your team of heroes! I must respect them for that.¡± Momonga spoke again with that imposing voice, flying above the entrance to Nazarick.

    One of the rival players, a dwarf with a bow and arrow, started shooting towards the Overlord, who started to dodge some attacks, but seemed to be hit, or in this case, he let that happen, with the arrows sticking in his bones, but causing no damage, due to passive skills with high physical resistance. This ended up scaring the dwarf himself, who tried to shoot using arrows loaded with fire magic, but this distracted him deeply, causing him to be hit by one of the Skeleton Mages. It wasn''t that much damage, but it was annoying to say the least.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use our strategies! Just because they are low level doesn¡¯t mean we should let our guards down!!¡± Exclaimed the leader of the rival team, making Momonga laugh again evilly.

    Inside, Satoru was loving that mix of roleplay and competition. It wasn''t every time he could use spells like that openly instead of using something more overpowering. He was thinking of using things like [Fallen Down] only if a lot of them managed to get past the 4th floor.

    It didn''t take long to see 2 of the 10 players being left there while the rest invaded Nazarick. The leader didn''t seem worried and summoned more skeletons to hinder the players there from reuniting with their allies, even slightly increasing the amount of MP used for Skeleton Archers to use Bone Vultures as mounts.

    After some time, 3 of the maximum 6 hours had already passed, apparently staying separated was the attack team''s strategy, as only a few of them managed to go through each stage, they were divided, the limit becoming the 5th Floor, with the glacial effects affecting the two remaining players. In the current situation, Momonga took care of the entrance by always summoning skeleton monsters; Bukubuku helped on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd floors, being a damage sponge and giving protection to Shalltear Bloodfallen; Tigris Euphrates, one of the guild''s Rangers, focused on attacking anyone on the 4th floor, as it was a very open cave, he could position himself on platforms on the roof to attack enemies; Garnet was on the 5th floor, in order to help the Floor Guardian, Cocytus, in attacks on enemies; On the 6th floor, Hikari and Yamaiko were also there as assistants to the Floor Guardians; The players on the 7th floor were Genjiro, the AOG loot organizer, Ulbert and Nubo, the guild''s divination specialist, two of them focused on identifying any invaders, while Ulbert would go into battle with the help of Demiurge and his minions; And finally, the tenth player on the defensive team was Luci¡ïFer, who hilariously was sitting on a chair in the middle of the main hallway of 9th floor, just waiting for someone to arrive.

    In the midst of all that, a message appeared in the guild chat... it was one of the members of the AOG attack team, but why would they be sending something?

    [Peroroncino: Guys! A big problem happened here!! The enemy guild is being attacked with full force!!!]

    [Hikari: But isn''t that good? Attack our rivals and conquer as much as possible???]

    [Peroroncino: No, you idiot! Another guild decided to attack them while we are here!! I want to ask permission from Momonga and Punitto Moe if we can help them, as this is completely out of our control.]

    [Momonga: Permission granted-... wait a minute, I see some enemies from outside the rival guild approaching! I want everyone here at the entrance, now!!]

    Suddenly the situation changed... Apparently some ill-intentioned guild wanted to take advantage of that particular competition there. All available AOG members, with the exception of the attack team that was far away, quickly went to the entrance, to defend that dungeon. Due to the goodwill that happened, L-30¡¯s offensive team decided to join the AOG members to also defend the place, thus, an unforeseen invasion began.

    Without any real start, the true enemies started attacking from all sides of the entrance, luckily, several of the allied players had AoE skills to attack as much as possible. There were several, the vast majority that could be seen were Human-type Players, with some Heteromorphs and the majority being Demi-Human players.

    "Lucifer! Take me high!¡± Hikari said, after fighting 5 enemies at once, he was using [Kuwoi-Muramasa] and [Laevatein], occupying both hands.

    "Okay!" The angel replied.

    Holding tight to Hikari''s shoulders, he used [Fly] to get off the ground. Gaining a better view, they could see the extreme number of enemies that came to invade, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to think that the entire invasion was carried out by a group of 5 entire guilds at least, if it takes into account that another party was invading L-30¡¯s base. And in that position, [Laevatein] changed form, from being a big knife, to becoming a crimson staff.

    ¡°[Quintet Potency Fire Magic! Epic Magic Missile of Fire World!!]¡± Hikari exclaimed the skill, quickly rotating the staff in his hands, large spheres of fire appeared around him and his winged friend, all of them were projected in different directions, exploding upon impact with the ground and causing a great Burning effect on everyone close to the explosion.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to do this?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I have JobClass MAX in War Wizard and High Wizard, along with this staff here. So spells, specifically fire spells, won¡¯t cost that much MP.¡±

    ¡°If you say s- OH SHIT!!!¡± The winged friend said, holding on tight and trying to dodge some arrows and magical projectiles that were aiming at both of them.

    During the dodges, it was possible to see several AOG members having problems, as they began to resort to their most powerful abilities, [Fallen Down] being the easiest example to notice, as a large pillar of light descended from the skies, causing a large amount of huge number of messages related to dead players. There were also some types of small meteorites conjured up and hitting the ground hard, an attack characteristic of Ulbert.

    That wasn''t the only thing that was noticed, a little behind all the enemies, there were three figures with armor that caught a lot of attention... they weren''t just any Player, and Hikari quickly recognized them. This made him decide to use one more blow, getting rid of his items to take [Bow-Bifrost] and aim at the heavens, pulling the line back with great force and releasing an arrow of pure energy.

    "What was that?" Lucifer asked, not paying as much attention to his friend as he continued to fly and dodge the attacks while holding him tight.

    ¡°[Double Potency World¡¯s Sun. Hell¡¯s Rain of Arrows]¡± Hikari responded after saying the name of the skill, with a now very serious expression on his face. ¡°Throw me as high as you can!¡±

    The arrow slowly disappears as it passes the vertical limit of the map, but in an instant, clouds appeared from that same point, spreading and creating several small arrows that were stationary, without falling yet, waiting for the user to aim at the true target. And this happened, with him being thrown, there was a better angle for the skill to be very effective. When he reached the maximum height, Hikari pulled the bowstring firmly and released it, thus making the various arrows move forward with speed and strength.

    Due to the bow used for this skill, the areas hit by the arrows changed, with the swamp floor freezing, in addition to creating numerous sharp clusters of ice that impale and even burn nearby enemies. Unfortunately, out of the three he wanted to target, only one seemed weakened.

    ¡°Bastards¡­¡± Hikari said to himself as he activated voice communication with all AOG. "Guys! We have a World Champion attacking us! Just in case none of you die easily and lose too many levels, I ask everyone that is in this battlefield enter Nazarick and only attack whoever enters.¡±

    [Momonga: Are you serious?!]

    [Touch_Me: Wait! Is there a World Champion there? I''m going to help you!]

    ¡°No need, Touch¡­ Keep helping and defending L-30¡¯s base¡­ I¡¯m going to DESTROY this guy¡­¡± Hikari returned to the ground while summoning [Kuwoi-Muramasa] again, cutting three enemies in half. ¡°And the reason I want you to join inside Nazarick is because I will have to configure to leave the Party [AOG_Battle_Defensive] to be able to go all out, that is, my attacks can damage even you... and I don''t want anyone to lose levels because of me."

    [Bukubukuchagama: Love, do you want me to help you by serving as an extra layer?]

    ¡°Don''t worry... I''ll use something else to give me great buffs, honey... I would only ask to use you if it was something I know I can''t handle on my own. I don''t want you to lose levels just because you''re being my shield. Hold things tight inside Nazarick, and good luck to everyone.¡± He said, leaving the Party, jumping very high, in the middle of the air, activating some basic buff skills focused on magic classes and thus landing in front of the possible organizer of the invasion.

    He was very tall, holding a large big war axe with several golden details and amplification jewelry. His two large skeletal horns made him have 60 centimeters added in total height, with a purple color over much of his skin, a trademark of zombies with high racial classes. The minotaur seemed to have a serious expression, but upon seeing [Midgard¡¯s World Champion], a mocking smile appeared on his face, with steam coming out of his nostrils. Next to him were two people with uniforms that resembled fighting Jesters, but one of them had part of his body frozen.

    ¡°Look¡­ if it isn¡¯t the crazy minotaur¡­[Aurogoth_Rher]¡­ What are you doing here?¡± Hikari asked a rhetorical question, while making a portal appear behind him, from inside it, Mary Necry and Belindo Dracul, his NPCs, showed.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­ I just heard that the group of so-called ¡®villains¡¯ was playing such a friendly game¡­ a competition with rules to boot¡­¡± Muspellsheim¡¯s Champion spoke in a bored manner. "This is unacceptable¡­"

    "Unacceptable? With what context, you idiot?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you stupid little boy!!¡± Said the unfrozen jester. ¡°You guys are supposed to be the peak of evil! THE BEST IN DESTRUCTION!!! But do y¡¯all actually end up being friends with people who are friendly and play games with rules? WITHOUT any conspitation?!?¡±

    Hikari was slightly confused by that sentence, but he replied. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re attacking us because AinzOoalGown in Roleplay isn¡¯t the same as the real guild itself¡­?¡±

    "OF FUCKING COURSE!! THIS IS TOO IRRITATING!!! And to think that worms like you act like this!! Mostly you! You are a World Champion! A GOD among all players! And yet, don''t you use all your power to cause what your guild represents? EVIL INCARNATE?!?¡± The other Jester, even though frozen, complained too.

    ¡°Yeah... in short... I''m here creating discord, just to end the competition, and show YGGDRASIL, what true evil is... I was actually hoping to fight the stupid paladin... but my informant only told me that only one World Champion would be here¡­¡± Aurogoth sighed, but soon had a maniacal smile, his teeth grinding and his grip on the axe tighter. ¡°But I don¡¯t care¡­ I will destroy you, along with the 10 guilds that decided to join me¡­¡±

    ¡°And given their level¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, very weak, they were at the very bottom of the guild list, and because of that¡­ I was able to hire them with the reward of having part of the loot we gain from destroying you and your friends¡­¡± The minotaur''s smile widened. ¡°But you decided to come alone¡­ and with just two companions? Wait, I can''t see their tag, are they NPCs? Is this serious? Fight me using NPCs?!?¡±

    He started laughing loudly, while the other invading players were also laughing at the situation. Hikari kept hearing those laughs that came from all sides, having a serious expression in that situation. Was the guild being attacked because the members aren''t that bad compared to when Roleplaying or facing enemies? And this was the motivation of a World Champion to carry out such an attack?

    ¡°If you want something destructive, I will give you something destructive¡­¡± Without wasting time, he used some commands. ¡°Mary, use [Possessions of Awakening] targeting me. Belindo, use [The Guardian Angel Sacrifice] targeting me.¡±

    The Poltergeist started becoming translucent and entering Hikari''s body, his character changed his appearance a little. His spiky red hair turned into a long orange hair. The hunter''s uniform and armor he had were all disappearing, taking on a cosmetic appearance of a green British suit with a blue bow tie. Meanwhile, the Half-Dragon was behind Hikari, with her body slowly falling apart, giving all her energy to create a golden halo, which was placed above her creator''s head. This gave an almost divine aura to the player.

    ¡°Will you give some destruction? For me?!? Hahahaha!! And how will you do that? In that dumb outfit? Or is it this Halo? OOH NO! He is an angel!!" The minotaur began to laugh and make fun of the whole situation, not being afraid of what it all possibly meant.

    ¡°Apparently you didn¡¯t really research much about some things in YGGDRASIL¡­¡± Hikari used [High Leap] to fly away from them, ending up landing very close to Nazarick¡¯s entrance, this way, all the enemies would be right in front of him.

    He continued to speak loudly for everyone to hear. ¡°You will know PAIN and SUFFERING!!! I swear on all the GOLD and DATA CRYSTALS in my player account that I will get you all to Level 10 and this will happen due the damage taken being so excessive!¡±

    Holding [Kuwoi-Muramasa] in his left hand, he extends his right, calling out his World Item, [Yamato-Kowaidasai]. Holding it firmly, countless magical circles appeared around him, these created barriers prevented some desperate players from hitting him with projectiles, and thus, he was filled with buffs, more than he expected to use.

    ¡­[Attack Boost], [Great Attack Boost], [Greater Attack Boost], [Agility Boost], [Great Agility Boost], [Greater Agility Boost], [Body Strengthening], [Refined Body Strengtheing], [Magician¡¯s Body Strengtheing], [Manaterization], [Great Manaterization], [Greater Manaterization], [Elementarist resist: Fire], [Elementarist resist: Ice]...

    The thing he said about others not researching, was in regards to what it means to be possessed by a ghost and have the protection of an angel. Certain races can use abilities of this type, which gain maximum efficiency when used by an NPC and not a Player, because when used, the beings themselves decide to stop existing for a temporary period just to add their attributes to the target. The biggest backlash to this is that the target''s maximum HP will decrease absurdly.

    With two NPCs doing this kind of thing with Hikari, his HP attribute became 5, when previously it was 50, but his other attributes each easily surpassed the 150 point mark. He, at that moment, had become the best representation of the term ¡°Glass-Canon¡±...

    Among the various skills he used, all the skills from the ¡°Manaterization¡± series allowed him to intensify the blades of both katanas, making them more robust and powerful. It got to the point that they could be categorized as greatswords instead, their blades, along with much of his body, glowed in an intense cacophony of red and green.

    ¡°[WORLD CLASS DESTRUCTION! SLASHER!]¡± It was possible to hear Aurogoth launch an immense blast of energy using his war axe; some of the players brought there ended up being caught in the middle of the attack, which was heading towards Hikari.

    ¡°[World Class Catastrophe: Null], [High Level Counter]¡± He responded, giving a light and gentle swing with both katanas, directing the attack towards the skies, preventing Nazarick''s entrance from being destroyed in the process.

    Without letting the others react, he started attacking the players that were close to him, killing them with ease after one or two hits. They seemed to never stop coming, as if all of Aurogoth''s players now decided to go all out, but nothing changed the fact that they were torn apart quite easily.

    All the AOG members who were inside the dungeon looked at the scene thanks to a holographic screen created by Momonga, it could feel the seriousness on their faces, even if many of them were unable to express it in the game. It was worrying, to say the least, as most of them had never seen that World Champion use so many buffs at the same time, without taking into account that it was very likely that he had also activated the ability [Alpha-Glass] in the process.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we help him now?¡± Genjiro asked, seeming to doubt what he was seeing on the screen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he needs it¡­ and you heard him, we will only attack those who enter here.¡± Nubo commented, giving a sigh. ¡°Isn¡¯t that true Punitto?¡±

    Punitto Moe was talking to some members of the L-30, asking about their strengths and weaknesses, in case they were needed in any strategy. ¡°Of course, did you forget that he is the 3rd person in the guild that everyone can count on for strategies?¡± He responded without even looking at his colleague.

    ¡°I hope this doesn''t make him too stressed later... Last time he was like this, he didn''t even talk to me, he just kept going into fight simulations and beating dummies like crazy.¡± Bukubuku finally spoke, she seemed to be hugging the NPC Mare like a stuffed animal as she watched the scene.

    ¡°Is he that kind of person?¡± One of the L-30 members asked.

    ¡°Sometimes he relieves stress by eating, other times by playing heavy metal¡­ and sometimes he wants to beat something up¡­ I think it''s pretty normal, tbh¡­¡± Tigris Euphrates joined the conversation, but then looked at the guild leader. ¡°Momonga, when do you think the others will be able to get here?¡±

    "According to what Touch_Me told me, the situation there isn''t the best either... Even though there isn''t a World Champion, they''re facing a little less than twice as many enemies..." Momonga answered them, still looking at the fight that was taking place up there, for better protection and preparation, everyone was in the church on the 2nd floor.

    ¡°My god¡­ that''s really scary to think about¡­¡± Garnet said as he soon looked back at the holographic screen, being quite shocked by what he saw. "What the hell is that?!"

    Everyone''s attention was on what was happening on the screen. The number of dead players seemed to increase more and more, but not only that, Hikari was shining as if he were a green and red light, which went through everyone, giving countless blows until he killed them, leaving a trail of black fire wherever he passed.

    ¡°Why does this remind me of ¡®snake¡¯?¡± Lucifer said this and was soon slapped hard on the back of the head.

    ¡°I know that the fact that he''s leaving a trail and ''devouring'' everything in his path makes it seem like he''s from the game ''snake'', but at a time like this, for the love of all that is divine and evil, don''t make jokes.¡± Ulbert, the one who caused the attack, commented.

    ¡°It looks like he is attacking Aurogoth while also attacking the surrounding players¡­¡± Ankoro said his thoughts.

    ¡°He must be using the other players as ¡®charge¡¯ to continue the skill [Blood Rush Fever] against the same person... I remember him saying that this was a viable form of exploit.¡± Bukubuku said, still hugging one of her NPCs.

    Almost exponentially, the enemies disappeared, pillars of fire and countless bursts of attacks even began to appear on the scene, making it a little difficult for everyone to understand what was happening with Momonga''s help. But it was clear that all that was coming to an end.

    Extremely loud and sharp noises could be heard, with even some strong earthquakes reaching the 2nd floor, demonstrating the intensity of the attacks that were occurring. After a few tremors, everything seemed to have gone silent. The Overlord soon reactivated the holographic screens and it was clear to see¡­ only Hikari was there. That image made everyone celebrate immediately and everyone walked out of the guild, whistling and clapping for Midgard¡¯s World Champion.

    Bukubuku was jumping and jumping with her gelatinous body to where her lover was. ¡°Hey! You did it! My god, next time I go there, I will give you a graaaaand gift as a reward!¡±

    Hikari didn''t respond, he seemed to be resting a little, kneeling and with one of the katanas stuck against the ground, close to several data crystals, possibly Aurogoth''s loot. This made the slime jump a lot closer to him.

    ¡°Hey! My dear fianc¨¦! Not ignore me! HMPH!!¡± She made an imaginary pout, and even so, Hikari didn''t respond, in fact he didn''t even move.

    ¡°Heellooooo?? Love? Are you hearing me?!?¡± It didn''t take long for Bukubuku''s agitation to draw the attention of other members who were going to see what had happened. Unfortunately, a system message appeared in front of Hikari, before he simply disappeared.

    [Player Hikari was logged out due to lack of connection.]

    ¡°Lack of connection? He? Is this serious?¡± Lucifer was the first to speak seeing that system box.

    ¡°There must have been a problem with the power at his house, or someone must have visited him and he went to see who it was¡­ but he ended up leaving the game on and it took too long to come back.¡± Momonga spoke of the most likely options.

    ¡°Okay, shall we wait for him for a celebration?¡± Ulbert commented and everyone seemed to raise their hands, accepting.

    However¡­ Something was happening¡­

    1 day¡­

    2 days¡­

    5 days¡­

    Hikari wasn''t entering YGGDRASIL, not even answering others'' calls...

    A week after the last time he was online, Masato and Haruka decided to go check on him. That was very strange to happen, considering that he works with YGGDRASIL. The two were chosen to do this because they both live very close to him, and Haruka had access to the apartment.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ seriously, why isn¡¯t he even answering ME? Did I do something?¡± Haruka responded, getting out of Masato''s car, both already inside the garage.

    The police officer was finishing turning off his vehicle, getting out of it and locking the doors as he walked to the elevator. ¡°I don''t think it''s that... I mean... he was happy and all before that bullshit... and it doesn''t seem like it was some general energy problem...¡± He said, pointing to the garage lights, they were the regular, not the emergency ones.

    The confusion only increased in both of their minds, not even understanding why this was happening. When they entered the elevator, Haruka not only clicked the floor button, but also swiped a card on a reader, these were some security upgrades that the building had undergone in the last year. Arriving at the apartment door, they opened it, revealing the room that looked a little dirty. Not in the sense of pure dirt or mess, but they could notice some dust.

    ¡°Love! Darling! I arrived! I''m sorry for not coming sooner, I was busy¡­ Are you home?¡± She said that as she put her things on the sofa and opened the curtains that were completely closed, turning on the holographic window, setting to show a calm landscape of a clear morning.

    Masato walked a little further away, heading towards the main corridor, seeing that the doors were closed, he knocked softly on each door to let anyone know that he was going to enter, and then opened it, revealing no one there. With every door he opened, a stupidly high anxiety arose in his mind. But why was he like that?

    The situation was already strange enough, his intellect as a police officer thought of some alternatives when seeing the situation as a whole, since normally he hates to go out of the apartament, one of them would be kidnapping, in other words, he wouldn''t be there. This would even be the most common thing to think, since he comes from a family that owns one of the biggest companies in Japan. So before opening the door that led to the game room, he took a deep breath and pushed the door lightly...

    What was there was unexpected...

    Masato remained silent, with a slight twitch in one of his eyes as his legs slowly began to tremble¡­

    ¡°Did he leave a message about where he is?¡± Haruka''s voice came, not so close to him, and he swallowed hard.

    ¡°Haru¡­ please¡­ can you wait for me in the garage?¡±

    "Why do you say that? Something happened?" She said approaching the door where he was.

    Masato stretched out his arms, preventing her from passing through that part of the corridor, his legs still shaking. ¡°I told you to go down¡­¡±

    The way the police officer acted made her want to really see what it was, even though she felt like she shouldn''t do that. When she looked into that room, a scream of horror could be heard coming out of her mouth, but not only that, she was pulled away from that door and started vomiting on the floor, with tears coming out of her eyes and her breathing was incredibly heavy, as if she was going to faint.

    ¡°No No No¡­ That¡¯s a prank¡­ WHO THE FUCK MADE THIS PRANK?!?¡±

    ¡°Please... go to my car... I have some strong tranquilizers in the backseats... use them so you don''t have a more severe panic attack than now... understand?¡± Masato said with tears also streaming down his face, trying to get the most profissional he could. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to call some of my friends¡­ let¡¯s start an intense investigation¡­ Do you understand me?¡±

    What was inside the room was simply a body, sitting on a chair and headless, several electronic shrapnel everywhere near the corpse, and what appeared to be pieces of flesh and muscle burst on the ceiling and walls, there was even one of his eyeballs, the amber one, slight near the entrance...

    No one could believe that something like this would happen to such a kind and friendly person¡­

    It was later confirmed, after some research in the security and info logs, the cause of death. A technical failure had occurred, the virtual reality device exploded in his head, after trying to amplify the neural speed by 64 times, and it seems that it exploded in the time he won that last battle.

    Time of death: 2142, May 5th; 9:00 pm. He died at the age of 26.

    <hr>

    End of Volume 1 - YGGDRASIL

    Next: Volume 2 - A New Holy World

 Volume 2 - A New Holy World ; Chapter 19 - Lost Wishes

    Darkness¡­ Emptiness¡­ Solitude¡­

    A harmonized cacophony¡­

    The non-existence of a destiny..

    That was the way to describe that scenario¡­

    There was nothing, it couldn¡¯t see anything, but it could still have feelings¡­

    A whole pain was building, holding tight to a head, or something that looked like one... it wasn''t important... nothing there was important... just the sadness... the tears...

    Tears so fake and yet so real, that not even their creator could understand them. They were honest and dishonest¡­

    A pure illusion hidden in lies and more lies so well told that they became realities even for the most skeptical beings.

    It was not known how much time had passed, how much pain had been felt, how much anger was exuded by an imaginary, non-existent breath. But if it knew one thing, something would appear, something must appear. It was not possible for nothingness and emptiness to really be uninhabited, the being that felt things was there, the being was the very antithesis of there being something in nothingness.

    And as if it were desired. Something really appeared, something visible¡­

    It was a golden, floating, almost holographic screen, with a message written in some strange language... no... there were several languages... the words kept changing their writing, making it virtually impossible to decipher what was there...

    But the being knew very well what it was¡­

    As it got closer, its body finally took on a visible shape, being a pale body, without any features, something similar to a mannequin...

    It would approach and hit that golden screen with its hands forming a fist. Again¡­ Again¡­ and again¡­

    It was as if it was angry with that specific item¡­

    The punches began to be more violent, dark blood ran between its fingers, until that being seemed to get tired and fall to its knees on the ground, shaking its head incessantly. And during that movement, the jaw tried to open, creating a mouth by force with the skin tearing slowly and grotesquely, the voice now existed, being completely incomprehensible and only showing pain, hatred and anger. The same happened with the eyes, the skin was torn forming the opening for them, with blood flowing from them, revealing a completely dark sclera and red irises.

    It started banging the head against that golden holographic screen¡­ until a golden light came out¡­

    A flash filled the darkness, turning the void into pure white¡­

    <hr>

    The torso got up from the bed quickly, breathing heavily and without much control. That person was Suzuki Satoru, a simple working man who had just woken up, and apparently had some intense nightmare, as his body was sweating a lot, even though the room was cold.

    ¡°Argh¡­ That again¡­¡± He grumbled, getting up from the bed and going to pack his things for another day of work.

    His room was very simple, just a bed and a closet, in which he always left his clothes ready, he never wanted to take long to do his chores, in fact, he always wanted to do everything as soon as possible, so that his free time could be accumulated in one part of the day, rather than divided over 24 hours. He picked a set of clothes and left his room, with the door making a characteristic creak.

    Outside the bedroom, there was a hallway that led to 3 doors and the living room. He went towards one of the doors, revealing it to be the bathroom, after getting ready, he left and walked down the hall to the living room. The motion sensor activated, making the white light on the ceiling and the air purifier turn on, comparing all the necessary items in the house, that purifier was the most eye-catching thing, perhaps because it was a gift and not something very old.

    He didn''t think much about it and went to the kitchen, taking a bottle of vitamins from an old refrigerator, filling a glass with it and putting it on the sink. Next to it, there was a series of jars, all with different pills, Suzuki took one of each and put it in his mouth, using the drink to swallow everything in one go. This was his breakfast.

    ¡°Argh¡­ it tastes drier today¡­ I better buy more¡­¡± He sighed, leaning against the sink counter and holding himself back from vomiting.

    As a daily thing to do, after eating, he took out his cell phone to check the time, it was still 4:43 am. It might even be early for some, but he always woke up at these times, so his biological clock was still working perfectly. Looking at the calendar to see if there was anything special scheduled for the day, he ended up seeing something he didn''t want to see, or in this case, he wanted to ignore for a little longer...

    There it didn''t show anything important for his work, but there was a note about today being the last day of the YGGDRASIL servers, the great DMMO-RPG that made him gain friends and have some kind of happiness in his boring, sad and cold life. And this description of life could also be seen throughout the house, the only feeling he had when seeing it was loneliness and sadness, at least it started to be like that after his mother had passed away, in 2136. Facing the sink, he remembered vividly, she was making his favorite breakfast for his birthday, but when she went to say good morning to him, she suddenly had a heart attack, falling in front of him. It didn''t matter if it was a decade ago, it was still fresh in his head.

    ¡°I hate how this seems like a joke¡­ That it''s really a lie and doesn''t really end¡­¡± He said to himself as he started to check if everything he needed was in his suitcase.

    But why say that? Simple, today, the closing day of YGGDRASIL, was April 1st, 2147. It would be a magnificent marketing move if in fact the game was trying to make a big lie, and launch an update, or perhaps an YGGDRASIL 2, with a system of account transfer so that no one loses part of the progress they made in the original game.

    This was clearly the most delusional thing to think about. The game was almost dead, compared to its golden age, the number of active players was decreasing at an alarming speed, and that''s not counting the players who still spent money, being one of the few ways of earning that the Devs had. This was all thanks to the accident that occurred because of the game, several sponsors decided to step aside, with two of them even suing the group of Devs, who even though they were victorious, lost a lot by paying for lawyers.

    And this accident? It was the reason for Suzuki''s nightmare...

    It didn''t happen that often, but when that nightmare repeated itself, it was always in the same way, word for word, second for second. Even though he didn''t see the situation in person, the description he got firsthand, the consequences he could witness, all of that made him traumatized by the scene created by his mind.

    It was always a solitary chair in the middle of a room, rotating non-stop, and every time he saw what was on the chair, it changed. At one point it was a head, at another it was a set of eyes staring at him, and he could even see a woman with a rope hanging her, his friend...

    Coming out of his somewhat morbid thoughts, he went to the front door, deactivating all 3 electronic locks to get out and reactivating them to make everything ok. He was walking to the garage to drive to his place of work.

    Once there, things happened normally, as if it were just another day. Doing paperwork, tidying up and organizing the activities that the boss requested via email, having periods of certain irritation due to the incompetence of some colleagues and receiving the same treatment when he was unable to do things at a high speed. During his lunch period, he had gotten some instant food that only needed hot water, so he put it to heat in the small cafeteria on his work floor, which was limited to just the necessary items. Taking his cellphone, made a call.

    "Hello? Who is it?" A voice responded that Suzuki hadn''t heard for a few months.

    ¡°Yo, Pero, it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ I already told you not to call me, and also, stop calling me that, my name is Kazuya¡­¡± he spoke, apparently already irritated when he realized who he was talking to.

    ¡°Well, this is your sister¡¯s number, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± That sentence was said calmly, but Kazuya felt like it was a slap right in the face. ¡°And I don¡¯t like using your real name so much, you know that.¡±

    ¡°Kay¡­ what do you want to talk to my sister?¡±

    ¡°I was just going to ask her if she would be okay with me being there when I get home.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to tell her face to face then. You know very well what she¡¯s doing now.¡± The young man''s words showed his irritation and concern.

    Kazuya''s older sister, Haruka, has been going through some very difficult times over the past 5 years. Having made several suicide attempts during the first 4 months after her fianc¨¦''s death, until she was forced to fill herself with medicine and, with medical advice, spend more time doing the thing she liked most, so that the medicine could work more efficient. And that thing was YGGDRASIL. She started spending more time in the game, more than any member of the group, never leaving Nazarick, always walking around the 6th and 9th floors and nothing else, even refusing to go on missions if someone tried to invade the place.

    Suzuki felt sorry for her, but he couldn''t try to help her out of the game, as that would be hypocrisy. The initial reason for him to start playing that DMMO-RPG was because he didn''t have any friends or family, being the only way to interact outside of work. But Haruka? She could literally work there doing some live streams, and even though her audience dropped over time due to her mental decline, she didn''t care.

    ¡°Alright man¡­ I understand¡­ she must be playing, right?¡± Suzuki tried to speak calmly again.

    ¡°Must she ¡®be¡¯ playing? OF COURSE she is! If it weren''t for the need to eat or sleep, I bet her VR-Set would glue to her skull, instead of spending 17 hours connected to it!¡± And apparently that only irritated Kazuya even more. "You know what? Don¡¯t call again, and if you do, pray for her being able to pick up, because I won¡¯t answer it at all!!¡±

    Before Suzuki could say anything, the call had ended. That old friend of his, Peroroncino, had also changed in those years, initially it was just concern, but after so much of his sister''s addiction, he started to hate YGGDRASIL, stopping appearing in the game, in addition to changing his username in most of the other games just to not remember that place. It was likely that he would even uninstall or forcefully remove his sister from contact with the game, but that would only cause worse problems, because even in a situation like that, both of their money is largely provided by the older sister.

    Everyone reacts to grief differently, and that''s a fact. With the consequences changing the person, or making them worse altogether.

    After thinking a little and taking the instant food to the table. Suzuki returned to his duties while eating. One hour¡­ two hours¡­ time passed until it was 7:30 pm. Getting up, the employee went to the boss''s office, knocking on the door to enter. The room was very simple, in the same way as the entire floor, if it weren''t for being a separate room or because of the slightly higher rank, that man would be at the same level as Satoru.

    ¡°What do you want, Mr.Satoru? It¡¯s very rare for you to come here¡­ why don¡¯t you come in?¡± Said the head of the department.

    ¡°It''s something simple, just a question... I would like to know if I could be released sooner, since I finished all the paperwork that you told me had to be done in 10 days, plus I clocked in 1 hour earlier."

    The boss stared at him for a while, thinking about the situation. Normally employees leave at 10:30 pm, but as today was Saturday, the departure time was around 8 pm. ¡°You arrived an hour earlier than usual... you''ve already finished everything I had set as a date on the 12th... Okay, I''ll allow you 30 minutes earlier... But remember, don''t think you''re gaining anything. If you had asked to leave at 7 pm, I would have refused right away. But¡­ why do you want to leave early?¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much boss! And¡­ ehn¡­ it''s because I''m going to meet some friends at a bar. It''s close to the birthday of one of them, so we''ll take advantage of the fact that it''s the weekend¡­¡± said the employee, he wanted to go and play his last day of YGGDRASIL straight away, but it wasn''t a lie that he was going to see his friends and that one of them will have a ¡®birthday party¡¯.

    "All good. Hurry up before I change my mind¡­¡±

    That situation was excellent, given how grumpy his boss usually is on Saturdays. Catching the lucky break, he turned off the equipment in his cubicle, delivered the paperwork digitally and physically to a file cabinet, and left the building through the garage.

    Driving through the streets, the lights that could illuminate the floating roads were quite strong, putting a large beam in his face, something that would blind him if this wasn''t common for him. The number of cars began to gradually decrease as he got closer to his house, and when he finally arrived inside the garage of his building, it was already 8:20 pm, a time at which he would normally never arrive, no matter the day.

    After deactivating and reactivating the three security locks on the door, Suzuki quickly grabbed another drink from the fridge and a set of pills, his dinner being identical to the breakfast. He walked directly to the last door in the corridor, revealing that it was his room prepared for the use of the virtual device.

    ¡°When I''m done, I''m going to take a shower¡­ I don''t want to waste any more time out here¡­¡± He said to himself, taking a slightly torn power cable, putting a lot of insulating tape on it to make it stick well.

    When sitting on the chair in the middle of the room, he put on his VR-helmet and connected to the console, turning it on and the classic YGGDRASIL logo appeared. There was a message in the right corner, next to the login area, saying the time the servers would close, it would be midnight. He had less than 4 real hours to enjoy everything he loved, but luckily, that translated into much more within the game...

    <hr>

    {2147,1st april, Saturday - 14 game hours to YGGDRASIL¡¯s End}

    ¡°So guys, is everyone here?¡±

    ¡°Of those who at least confirmed that would come, the only one missing is Momon- Oh wait¡­ it appeared here that he is online now.¡±

    Touch_Me and Ulbert Alain Odle were talking quietly in one of the areas on the 2nd floor, they seemed to be enjoying their time there. When they saw Momonga''s notification, they decided to teleport to wherever he could be at the moment. Using [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] to reach the 6th Floor, more specifically, the flower field.

    There was Yamaiko and Ankoro Mocchi Mochi, the two were talking calmly on chairs that resembled those that could be seen in the gardens of Victorian queens, in front of them, there was a table full of cakes and cookies, but there was also a third chair, empty at the time. The two players approached them, waving.

    ¡°So, Momonga showed up here?¡± Ulbert said.

    ¡°Knowing him, maybe he¡¯s taking a leisurely stroll to breathe a little and get a feel for the place¡­ But he¡¯ll probably show up.¡± Ankoro was the one who responded and then she looked a little away. ¡°I feel really sorry for her¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree¡­ how will she be after the game?¡± The healer asked with a hint of sadness in her words, looking in the same direction.

    When Ulbert and Touch_Me looked towards that direction, they observed the Pink Slime playing with her NPCs near a certain golden statue. They clearly weren''t moving correctly, after all, they were NPCs, they just made commands and things programmed as possibilities by the Devs, but even so, she was there, playing with them, seeming to talk to them, stroking their hair. And not only that, there were also two other NPCs next to her, a draconic one, and a classic ghost. The blonde ghost was also having interactions with the player, while the draconic one was standing there, like a maid, perhaps due to the uniform that made her look like one¡­

    That... was sad... Depressing... Something that everyone could feel the suffering of, even though they didn''t fully know the real pain of it.

    Bukubukuchagama was there, treating her and her lost fianc¨¦''s NPCs like children, like friends, like living beings. No matter how sometimes their movements were stiff and obviously dead and cold, she still seemed madly attentive to them, as if she were truly a mother with her offspring.

    Her situation is not easy, it never has been since the first second. Not only was she having to deal with a huge grief, but such ways of dealing ended up leading her to the possibility of suicide, something that shocked everyone. But the worst was the sin that happened, not on her part, but on the part of those who were supposed to be her future parents-in-law.

    After Keiko Kobayashi''s death, some documents were discovered, they showed that half of all the money he had in his possession was supposed to be given to his fianc¨¦e, while 20% would be divided among all living members of AOG and 30% would be given to charitable companies not linked to Kobayashi Corp. Even so, his parents tried their best to prevent this money from ever going to other people, even claiming that the marriage proposal was false.

    Going into mourning and having to survive allegations that the love she and he had was some kind of scam?

    Hearing from her own parents-in-law that she should never deserve anyone''s love?

    These were actually some of the several factors that made her recovery almost impossible to achieve over a period of a decade. But so far it had only been 5 years, so it was understandable that hearing that YGGDRASIL was going to end was destroying her mind more and more. The thing that brought them together would come to an end...

    And to survive this? She was ignoring it as much as possible, it wasn''t a good decision, but what else could she do? Succumb to insanity? It was much healthier, momentarily, to ignore problems to feel happy for at least one last time.

    But¡­ Among all these things, it was really impressive how Keiko had made a will 2 months before his own death. It is very likely that this thought was driven by the death of another great colleague in the group, Bellriver. This really opened his eyes to this paranoia, a paranoia that turned out to be correct.

    Touch_Me and everyone there were caught up in so many thoughts about what led to that unique moment, that they ended up getting scared when someone called them from behind. It was Suzuki, or rather, Momonga, he also observed his slime friend a little, lightly touching Ulbert''s right shoulder and the paladin''s left.

    "Good night people! How are you? Did you rest well these days? Did you have anything interesting and new to say?¡± He spoke with that grand voice and optimism.

    ¡°Oh! Momonga. Nothing much happened to me this week.¡±

    ¡°Not even with me, at most, the only thing that happened was my daughter winning an online 21st century history contest.¡±

    "Incredible! And you, how are our beautiful ladies?¡± Momonga continued, now heading towards Ankoro and Yamaiko.

    ¡°W-we¡¯re fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we were talking a little just now¡­ like¡­ I was able to arrive earlier than expected, only because, apparently, a client of mine canceled the delivery of a 4-tier cake, before I even started making the second tier.¡±

    "Great. I was also released a little early thanks to my boss. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, even though I had warned y¡¯all that I would come at 4 hours to midnight in game.¡±

    They seemed to talk a lot, and this was due to the fact that not everyone showed up every day. The insectoid paladin, for example, hadn''t been in the game for 3 weeks, or the smart demon, who hadn''t even been online for around 2 months. But that didn''t stop everyone from at least talking through calls or video messages.

    Soon Momonga went to Bukubuku to talk to her, walking calmly. ¡°How is your day, Buku! Did you have something special?¡±

    The slime now had the two elf NPCs on top of her, as if she were a huge cushion, but not only that, she seemed to not want to be far from that statue. ¡°I¡¯m great, Momonga¡­ Just me, my darling and our children here having fun.¡±

    She said this because the golden statue was in honor of Keiko. Because of image copyrights of Kobayashi Corp., there were some problems, so they could only make a statue with the appearance of his Player Account, Hikari. In the sculpture, he was wearing a uniform that mixed the JobClasses of Wizard and Thief, with a katana in one hand, an ax in the other, and a bow on his back. The pose was simple, just him standing with his legs slightly open and pointing the sword slightly upwards, while the ax was positioned close to his left chest.

    ¡°I see, I hope you¡¯re having a great time with him, after all his birthday is in less than a week, right?¡± Momonga commented and sat next to Bukubuku, she happily agreed and talked more and more with him.

    In this way, time passed, passed and passed. The anxiety of everyone present at AOG on this day meant that every second mattered, every inch should be loved and appreciated, everything should be seen in the last details, as a form of respect and love for everything they created together. Even though some now hate the game and others didn''t have time to interact more, those who were there had to do their best.

    The people who demonstrated this the most were HeroHero and Luci¡ïFer, both of them took photos and more photos of each area they loved in Nazarick like they were crazy, even deciding to take photos of some NPCs, who they considered special enough to NEVER be forgotten, whether because of appearance, importance, or individual Settings with those connected to other things.

    ¡°AAAH!! MY SOLUTION EPSILON!!!¡± HeroHero exclaimed, tightly hugging the NPC he created, or would it be better to say that his body was wrapping around hers?

    She was one of the NPCs that is part of the Nazarick Battle Maids group, having a uniform consistent with her role, in addition to being a blonde with an extremely attractive body and slightly large breasts, without exaggeration. HeroHero, being a depressed programmer outside of YGGDRASIL, always dreamed of having a wife with that kind of appearance, to make it ¡°possible¡±, he put in her settings that he was her husband, and not only that, he made sure they shared the same race, a slime. More specifically, Solution is a Predator Slime, while her creator is a GraySlime, a species known for being able to use the game''s technological equipment without difficulty.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you hugging your NPC too much, HentaiHentai?¡± Luci¡ïFer made that tasteless joke, but he burst out laughing.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I enjoy it a little more?! Do you know how difficult it is to find another Virtual Reality service that accepts my 3D model?!? Most refuse because of her magnificent ASSets!!! Plus, those who accept are completely of my monthly budget!!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I''m sorry, but couldn''t you program your own virtual prototype where you would have her with you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same when the Artificial Intelligence used is made by me¡­ It would be like I was dreaming about catching my DAUGHTER!!! But not! As the Artificial Intelligence here was not created by me, I can consider her my great companion instead! Plus, my job is killing me! I wouldn¡¯t have time to create something just for myself.¡±

    Luci¡ïFer stared at that Gray Slime, until he sighed, giving in. ¡°You''re right, it would be bizarre for you to flirt with something that was created 100% by you... in fact, the guy you ordered this 3D model from was very good. Can you give me the contact details later?¡±

    ¡°By Email or Phone?¡±

    ¡°Email me. It makes it look more... professional...¡± The mechanical angel''s words made them both burst into laughter.

    ¡°Anyway, I feel sorry for you. All the NPCs you created are actually just golems that function as decorations and also as traps.¡±

    ¡°I don''t need a humanoid NPC or anything like that, I just needed something beautiful! And honestly, my Golems are super cute. You can¡¯t say anything against it.¡±

    HeroHero thought for a while before speaking. "True. They are very beautiful¡­ are you sure you didn¡¯t get the art from other places?¡±

    ¡°I was just inspired by some religious temples. Nothing else." The angel scratched the back of his head.

    [Momonga: Hello! Guys! I want everyone to gather in the Round Table Room as soon as possible!]

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Oops! Let''s go?"

    ¡°Of course, you can go ahead¡­¡± The Gray Slime continued rubbing against his NPC, making the angel have a slight look of disgust as he went to the requested spot.

    Inside the meeting place, some AOG members were already there, they were all enjoying themselves as much as possible, to the point of always hanging out with their own NPCs. As the last members arrived, a light announcement began.

    ¡°Welcome, my faithful and great friends. We are here today to say goodbye to this incredible and grand world of ours, which we call our second home. I hope everyone is satisfied with everything we created together and all our hours as incredible companions!¡± Momonga said while his NPC, Pandora''s Actor, began to play a great song through the holes in his own face, it was an incredible BGM, worthy of the heteromorph group.

    ¡°I know that most of you really won''t be able to stay until the last few seconds, so I''d like to ask everyone something... Does anyone here DO NOT have any type of irl contact with another person in the group?¡± The skeleton continued to speak, concerned about the connections more than anything.

    Only one person raised their hand, it was Garnet. ¡°I think the only one I don''t have contact with is Yamaiko, what way would you think is better?¡± He asked, while he had his NPC, CZ2128 Delta, a long-haired, rose-gold Automaton, on his lap.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, I think Email might be the best option.¡± She said as they already seemed to be exchanging emails with each other via private message.

    "Perfect! Now that everyone is connected, we could say that the great AOG will never die! I really hope we may find a game similar to YGGDRASIL in the future.¡± The guild leader said, clapping his hands.

    ¡°I agree¡­ But I feel that if we find one and it¡¯s not related to strategy, I won¡¯t participate¡­ I¡¯ll let you know in advance.¡± Punitto Moe was the next to speak.

    ¡°How sad.. so we will already have a ¡®almost confirmation¡¯ that we won¡¯t have our favorite plant sadistic? Hmmmm¡­¡± Ankoro Mocchi Mochi said trying to make a cute and sad voice, meanwhile, she was hugging one of her NPCs as if it were a stuffed animal, it was a penguin called Eclair, nothing big, just a Lvl.1 NPC.

    "Hehehe! Don''t say things like that guys! Seeing as how the game had immense fame and is only declining due to lack of money, I bet a lot that someone will take the idea and do something similar.¡± Tabula was the next to speak, with one of his creations behind him, this being Albedo.

    Time passed more and more, approaching the inevitable end of that virtual world. Now there was almost an hour left in the game until midnight and so, several people started to say goodbye¡­

    First it was Garnet¡­ Then it was Ponitto Moe¡­ Yamaiko¡­ Ankoro¡­ everyone disappeared one by one. Logging off to get a good night''s sleep.

    A sadness slowly emerged in the hearts of those who decided to stay there until the last seconds, especially Bukubuku and Momonga. The slime decided to go to a place, before meeting up with his skeleton friend and others who also wanted to support them both.

    ¡°And here we are¡­¡± Said Bukubukuchagama, standing in front of one of the rooms of the AOG members. On the door there was the symbol of the person, a heart upside down, with small horns at the top, numerous crystal symbols and in the middle one eye with the famous yin yang.

    She slowly opened that door, looking at the three NPCs, Mare, Mary and Aura. "Follow me." With that order, the three artificial intelligences entered the room alongside the PinkSlime.

    Inside there was a double bed in one corner, as well as what appeared to be a music box stylized to resemble a 1980s bar player. Next to it was a large mirror and what appeared to be a bookshelf full of books, all being history books, fanciful legends, or even things written by the owner of the room.

    On the side completely opposite the bed, there was a kind of small altar, with the same golden statue that exists on the 6th floor, but it was very small, enough to stand on top of a shelf, with crystal eyes with different colors, matching the color of the eyes in the real world. In front of the altar, countless items, small gifts, each given by each guild member, but the most eye-catching thing there was one of his katanas, it was inside the sheath, as a sign of respect that no one would use it. The same could be said of the other katana, which instead of being on the altar, was placed inside the Treasury, as a maximum security measure, after all, it was a World Item.

    ¡°Darling¡­ I came again¡­ how are you?¡± She said looking at the altar, with an almost tearful voice. ¡°T-This is the last time I will be able to pray to you like this¡­ next time¡­ I will have to pray in that stupid world where you no longer exist¡­ I''m sorry about that¡­ I never wanted that¡­ I would never leave you¡­ you know this¡­"

    She used the slime race''s metamorphosis ability, becoming something that vaguely resembled her real appearance, then she knelt down next to the small statue and began to pray. It was a calm and slow prayer, as if she was truly believing that she would be able to hold out for as long as possible...

    It was inevitable¡­

    She would return to the real world¡­

    She would return to the world where her love is no longer...

    She just wanted to die... she didn''t want to be completely honest with everyone... but the medicine never worked... that very expensive crap was a placebo effect thing, and it failed miserably for her...

    The only thing that really kept her alive at that moment was the fact that the two of them, together, had created those NPCs, even if they were fake beings, they created them together with a lot of love. She still remembered very well the last funny and cute moment they had, it was a basic talk, about if they had children, it would be really cute to name them the same as their NPCs...

    This cute and silly memory stuck in her mind... making her love these computer data even more...

    This memory gave meaning to sets of 0 and 1¡­

    Indeed, love can make someone blind, deaf, dumb, or even crazy. But at least she felt some happiness¡­

    Even though her model didn''t show, it was possible to hear the tearful sound of her voice. ¡°I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I-I shouldn''t have listened to you¡­ I-I should have been strong and said with all my will that I would help you at that time¡­ That way¡­ maybe¡­ maybe you would never have exaggerated with the speed spells¡­ Maybe¡­ the device wouldn¡¯t have exploded¡­ M-Maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe I would even be pregnant by now? Or would I already have a child?... I-I hate to say this in your presence... but... we are so perverted and sassy that it wouldn''t even be surprising..." Her hands went to her face, her tearful voice increasing in volume . "WHY?!? WHY WERE YOU SO NICE TO ME!!!!¡±

    ¡°Haruka!¡±

    A voice caught her attention, along with a soft touch on her shoulder. When she looked back, she saw the paladin, Touch_Me, even though she couldn''t see his face, his worried expression was obvious. She turned to him and he just extended his arms, making her hug him firmly. The insectoid just gave her a light headpat, trying to calm her down.

    ¡°30 minutes left now¡­ We''ll all stay on the 10th Floor as agreed¡­ shall we go?¡±

    ¡°I-Do I really have to go?...¡±

    ¡°...Haruka...you say you knew him very well, right?¡± She just nodded to the question asked, then he continued. ¡°So you know very well that he wouldn¡¯t want your last moments here to be sad¡­ The others have already left in a happy and good-humoured way¡­ Now it¡¯s just us left, and I know very well that if I left you here, your last moments in this game would just be pure lamentation and self-hatred¡­¡±

    She took a deep breath, finally managing to face her friend. ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s go¡­ Can I take them with me?¡± She was referring to the NPCs.

    "Of course. I even asked Satoru to take my NPC there.¡± A slight smile appeared on the slime in response and soon they both started walking, with Touch_Me even taking that small statue that was on the altar, so that Keiko could be with them, in a symbolic way.

    Arriving at the throne room, there were Momonga, Ulbert and Tabula. Not only them, but there were also the Pleiades, Sebas Tian, Demiurge, Albedo, Cinitrites, Nigredo, Rubedo and Pandora''s Actor. Mare, Mary and Aura were ordered to get into position with the others, and they did so.

    "Oh my¡­ Did you even bring ¡®him¡¯ here? I hope no one is mad that you took it from the altar.¡± Ulbert said, giving a light laugh while looking at the small statue.

    ¡°These are our last minutes here¡­ do you think I wouldn¡¯t bring him?¡± The paladin was talking to the demon while the slime went towards the other two.

    ¡°I hope you can feel a lot of happiness with this goodbye... but remember, we can talk outside of the game, maybe I''ll even go into your house if that grumpy brother of yours is bothering you.¡± Tabula spoke, watching Bukubuku get closer to him.

    ¡°Okay¡­ I would even¡­ appreciate it if you would come see me tomorrow¡­ Is there something bothering you?¡±

    ¡°No, on Sundays my work only starts at 3 in the afternoon and ends at 8 at night, so I could stop by your house in the morning, but from there I would go to work.¡± Momonga said, head patting his slime friend to cheer her up a little.

    ¡°I''m completely free tomorrow.¡± Brain Eater said.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Momonga! Can I use the scepter for one thing?¡± She spoke, extending her slime arms towards the grandiose [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown].

    ¡°Oh¡­ sure, but why?¡± He simply handed it to her.

    Without saying anything, Bukubuku went towards Albedo and tapped the item close to her back, making the NPC''s Settings appear. Tabula just observed the scene with a look that could have meant ''What the fuck do you think you''re doing, bitch?''. A keyboard appeared and Bukubuku started typing something.

    ¡°What are you changing about her¡­?¡± Tabula questioned, in a very serious voice.

    The slime now disguised her depressing feelings a little, having a perverted voice, very characteristic of when she is carrying out some plot. ¡°Nothing much, I''m just deleting the part about her being a prostitute. Even though she is a succubus, her wings are too beautiful to be a whore.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I can see the keyboard, you¡¯re TYPING, you haven¡¯t even clicked on backspace¡­ WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TYPING?!?¡± Tabula said in an irritated voice.

    ¡°Shhh¡­ calm down Tabula¡­ let her have some fun¡­ after all, it¡¯s our last day¡­ and I don¡¯t want to ruin her mood¡­¡± Momonga said the last part in a very low voice, just for the brain eater to hear. He sighed deeply, giving up on that, after all, it was simply the last minutes of that NPC''s existence, her being deleted, rewritten, or having the Settings modified, all of that meant nothing.

    And so were the last moments¡­

    In the last 10 seconds, everyone there took a deep breath, holding hands with each other, Momonga in the center sitting on the throne.

    23:59:55

    23:59:56

    23:59:57

    23:59:58

    23:59:59

    00:00:00

    . . . . . . .

    00:00:01

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Momonga opened his eyes observing the situation, nothing had changed, were they still in the game? But how? Why? Had the servers not been shut down yet?

    "Eh?" Ulbert was the next to open his eyes, letting go of Momonga and Bukubuku''s hands. ¡°How bizarre¡­ isn¡¯t it times like these when we would simply be bounced out of the DMM-?¡±

    His words were interrupted by something very frightening, which made even the 10th Floor tremble. An extremely loud and distorted scream came out of nowhere, it sounded frightening, as if countless beings were being tortured at the same time. Even the NPCs reacted, putting their hands over their ears as if they couldn''t take it...

    Wait¡­ Are the NPCs reacting? How is this possible?! Maybe it''s some event? Isn''t the game over? Was it all a hoax?!?

    "What the hell is that?!" Touch_Me exclaimed, seeming to be the one who felt the most pain.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see what it is!¡± Ulbert said, standing up, but soon received an item in his hands, the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown].

    ¡°Use it to know where it¡¯s coming from!¡± Momonga exclaimed.

    ¡®E-Eh? B-But the fucking HUD isn''t even showing up!'' Ulbert thought when he saw nothing appearing, but strangely, it was only when he thought about it that the holographic image appeared inside his mind.

    He didn''t even try to question that much, he wanted to find out what the hell was making that noise more infernal than Dante''s universe, so he started running at speed. He reached forward, trying to use [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown], again, a HUD did not appear, but he could feel the power of the ring, thus creating a portal to the desired location.

    Arriving there, he ended up finding himself in front of Hikari''s bedroom door, this shocked him a lot, as the sound seemed to actually come from there, it was louder, making it difficult for even the Demon Player to hear his own thoughts. The door seemed stuck and had some strange black goo oozing out from underneath, so what he instinctively did was give the door a really hard kick, using his goat legs. But what was there would never be expected by absolutely anyone.

    The entire room was smeared with that same strange dark goo, with Hikari''s initial katana, [Kuwoi-Muramasa], spinning incessantly in the air. Below it, there was that goo, but it seemed to form a head that imitated Hikari''s, that was the source of the screams. It felt like sick torture to see that.

    Ulbert didn''t think twice and tried to pick up the katana to use it against whatever that slime thing was, but when he touched it, the scream seemed to disappear and voices now appeared in his mind...

    Exhaust¡­

    Escape¡­

    Hide¡­

    Destroy¡­

    Scary¡­

    Blood¡­

    BLOOD¡­

    Master¡­

    Dominate¡­

    DOMINATE!!!!!

    The katana¡¯s handle began to seriously burn Ulbert''s right hand, making him release it. This way, it floated again, but in a more centered and less chaotic way... all so that the blade could aim against the entrance to the room and fly away at full speed.

    ¡°What¡­ was that?¡­¡± Ulbert felt his burned hand and looked at it, it was damaged, but not in the way it normally is in the game, it was more grotesque¡­ more realistic¡­

    After the shock, he picked up the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown] again, this time with the other hand, so he could feel where that was floating. Again, he used the guild''s special ring to teleport, now finding himself close to the entrance of the great tomb, but there was something wrong...

    They weren''t in the poison swamps of Helheim...

    It seemed like he was in a very beautiful green field, with some forests. It was night and the stars seemed much brighter and more attractive than usual in the game. He felt a bit of the wind breeze¡­ it seemed softer, more elegant, more real¡­

    This all distracted him, as soon the calm breeze was replaced by an overwhelming wind caused by the floating katana that had finally arrived there and passed straight by him, flying up to the heavens. It was possible to hear a pop in the air, as the item had just broken the sound barrier and was no longer visible, not even to Ulbert''s sharp eyes.

    <hr>

    After that whole situation, the 5 decided to meet at the 6th Floor Coliseum. It was very bizarre that they heard their voices so clearly through the use of [Message] instead of text appearing, but they didn''t want to think about it too much...

    Text¡­ No more text appeared, no HUD to be used. Nothing in the system seemed to exist in a tangible way, all the information came to their minds directly, as if they already knew these... This scared everyone, obviously.

    ¡°So¡­ Is our theory that we all suffered something similar to an anime¡­ acceptable?¡± Tabula complained, leaning against one of the walls.

    ¡°Apparently yes, I had asked Sebas to look for information about the area we are in, but from what Ulbert told us, it doesn''t seem like we are in Helheim anymore¡­¡± Momonga was the next to speak.

    ¡°And why are we here exactly?¡± Ulbert questioned.

    ¡°During the time you were away¡­ Albedo was¡­ molested by Momonga, then we discovered that the NPCs became real. Then we will hold a meeting.¡± Bukubuku said that as he tightly hugged Mare and Aura.

    ¡°I-It wasn''t molested! I just touched her chest!¡± Momonga try to take out the wrong of this.

    ¡°For me this can even be seeing as rape.¡± Bukubuku said again, while Ulbert just facepalmed about his skeleton friend¡¯s decisions.

    Either way, what the slime said was another point for the theory that all of this became real, but not only that, there was an obvious example of it right there. Mare and Aura seemed super happy with their creator, they could see their expressions loving receiving hugs and affection. This has never been emulated before in YGGDRASIL.

    ¡°Bukubukuchagama-sama. I-it¡¯s squeezing me too much, won¡¯t there be a problem?¡± Aura was the one who said that. One more point that this was no longer a game.

    ¡°I already told you, call me mommy, mother, mom! Anything related to that! Because that''s what I am to you, understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes mother!¡±

    ¡°Yes mommy!¡±

    Aura and Mare responded respectively, making Bukubuku blush a lot and hug them more, showering them with kisses, her dream had become completely real. Slowly another NPC appeared, it was Mary, Bukubuku''s other ¡°daughter¡±.

    ¡°Mother¡­ According to my analysis¡­ the other Guardians should already be arriving¡­ it¡¯s better to release my brothers so we can stay in formation.¡± Mary''s voice was doubled, it seemed as if a mature woman and an 8-year-old girl were speaking at the same time.

    Bukubuku soon released the children, just before a portal appeared in the coliseum. It was a large purple portal from which the other Floor Guardians, in addition to Sebas, arrived as ordered. This way, everyone got closer, forming a line in front of the Players.

    ¡°Momonga-sama! I hope that our presence will really be of great help to you, please, can you use me as an example if this meeting serves to punish us for future incompetence!!!!¡± The one who said this was Shalltear Bloodfallen, her voice sounded like a woman with some kind of sick desire, as if she wanted to be beaten right there without knowing the real reason for being there.

    All the 5 players looked at her in shock, even the pink slime stood still, giving a long and heavy sigh. ¡°She really was created by my brother¡­¡±

    ¡°A-Anyway! We called everyone here because something quite strange and peculiar happened! According to Ulbert, he saw that we are no longer in known territory, and luckily, I asked Sebas Tian to do more appropriate research, without straying too far from our base¡­ Sebas, could you tell us what you discovered?¡± Momonga said in an intimidating and grand voice.

    ¡°Of course, Momonga-Sama.¡± Sebas soon looked towards everyone there, including the Players. ¡°According to a slight search I had, I discovered that we are actually in a kind of very green and flat field. I was able to observe that there is some kind of village much further to the south, due to some lights that I presume were created by very primitive fire. In addition to the fact that to the east of our location, it appears to me that there is a dense forest, but it would take more time to reach compared to the previously mentioned remnant of civilization.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ we are actually quite conspicuous compared to our surroundings¡­ correct?¡± Tabula questioned.

    ¡°Yes¡­ When I went back to Nazarick, I ended up noticing that our great tomb is very prominent in this region. I doubt that inferior beings will be able to detect us from afar, but if they are at a certain distance, it will become easier to see, just like seeing a blue mana steel among yellowish gold.¡± Sebas continued.

    ¡°As the surrounding environment does not help Nazarick, it would be better to change it¡­¡± Touch_Me finally chimed in, seeming to want to distract himself from something. ¡°And since we don¡¯t really know where we are, we can¡¯t afford to be exposed like this¡­ I would recommend a terrain change¡­ Mare Bello Fiore, you are a perfect being for basic terraforming of this type, would you have any ideas?¡±

    The little femboy elf blushed extremely, possibly seeing yet another Player talking to him normally. ¡°I-I-I would see it as a good idea¡­ maybe cover our surroundings with hills¡­ and after that bury the exposed part of the Great Tumb too, so that let it be just one hill among many¡­¡±

    Mare''s words could have been honest and a great idea, but he ended up irritating some Floor Guardians, Albedo was the one with the most fearful expression about it. ¡°What are you insinuating?!? That we let the grand paradise of our Supreme Beings be placed 100% underground?!? Are you wanting to be tortured by any chance?!?¡±

    ¡®Supreme Beings?¡¯ All the Players there were confused by the term used, but soon Tabula was the next to speak. ¡°This idea is actually very good... Everyone would suspect a single building in the middle of nowhere, even if it was surrounded by trees or buried, but if we created a huge amount of hills and buried our guild inside one of them, in fact, the People might think it was some mysterious act of nature, or that maybe there were always hills there and they just never noticed. Good Job, kid.¡±

    Those words boosted the young elf''s ego while ending up destroying the Floor Guardians'' leader''s confidence a little, after all, the person who said it was a great idea was her own creator! This made her expression change a little, even refusing to look directly at the brain eater.

    ¡°With that out of the way, I would like to ask one more thing before our work in hiding our great guild begins. Due to the new situations, I would like all of you to give me your votes of confidence. In short, I want you to tell us how you see us. And do it by floor orders.¡± Momonga was the one to speak, slamming the base of the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown] against the floor to get everyone''s attention and immediately, all the Floor Guardians present knelt down.

    Shalltear was first, with a seductive and even needy voice. ¡°Momonga-Sama! Touch_Me-Sama! Bukubukuchagama-Sama! Ulbert Alain Odle-Sama! Tabula Smaragdina-Sama! I see the awesomeness of all of you as the most exemplary and excellent imaginable! The beings that use us as tools!¡±

    Before they continued, Ulbert gave a slight cough, being quite flushed there. ¡°You don''t need to say our names to talk about this, we still have a lot to do¡­¡± Just like him, Momonga, Bukubuku, Tabula and Touch_Me, they showed a certain strange feeling towards Shalltear''s sentence.

    The next one was Cocytus, who stood up slightly, slamming his great freezing weapon on the ground, his breathing seemed to freeze the air in front of him a little, his voice was quite slow. ¡°MY.LORDS. I.SEE.YOU.AS.BEING.THOSE.WITH.A.SKILLED.IRON.FIST, WHO.DEMONSTRATE.HONOR.AND.MERCY.ONLY.AGAINST.THOSE.WHO.ARE.NOT.A.TRUE.DANGER, OR.AGAINST.THOSE.WHO.RESPECT.YOUR.DEVINE.WILLS¡­¡±

    ¡°Bukub-... Mother! You showed us a lot of affection, while Momonga-sama even gave us some things while we waited for everyone!¡± Aura was the one who said it.

    "Yes! Mommy showed us how important we, as part of Nazarick, are to making this place really work!¡± Mare continued.

    ¡°I realize that the Supreme Beings are extremely friendly and incredibly kind to us, their creations, and how much they will destroy everything and everyone that gets in the way of Ainz Ooal Gown¡­¡± Mary, the most mature among the three brothers, spoke calmly, with her voice still doubled.

    Next one who spoke was Demiurge, with a sly smile as he adjusted his own glasses. ¡±I believe that the Supreme Beings really are existences above the divine itself, and that they must order us to create the best possible circumstances for survival. Such beings have the power to dominate!¡±

    And lastly, among the floor guardians there, it was Albedo. ¡°I see you, my lords, as absolute perfection, beings who must conquer everything that is said to not be rightfully yours! In addition to being the only ones for whom my heart can beat in all eternity¡­ The true owners of my body, soul, mind and being!¡± She blushed a lot looking at the Supreme Beings, with an extremely wide smile while her wings didn''t stop flapping for anything, as if she was madly excited and needy.

    Tabula realized that and stared deeply at Bukubuku, after all, with the NPCs becoming real, and those answers everyone gave so far, it was incredibly easy to assume that their personalities were completely guided by the Settings. The slime was completely to blame for doing that to the succubus, but what exactly did the slime change in Albedo, so she could have that reaction?

    Others just looked to the side or gave a few coughs, completely embarrassed by the situation, the same way that happened with Shalltear, only worse. "Okay! That is enough, our great servants! I believe that, even though we haven''t demonstrated 100% all the greatness that you feel coming from us, it is enough for something as simple as what was requested... Now if you''ll excuse me, I''m going to look at what the region around Nazarick is like¡­¡± Momonga said, turning around and creating a portal.

    ¡°Mare and Mary! Come with us! As your job will be to begin the process of terraforming the exterior landscape, you must do this as quickly as possible.¡± Bukubuku called the two NPCs.

    ¡°Oh? Why do I need to go too, Mother?¡± asked the ghost.

    ¡°You will use the power of possession on Mare, so that he gains enough magical energy, this will make everything happen even faster.¡±

    ¡°Understood, we will go with you, mommy/mother.¡± Said the two at the same time, while following Bukubuku and Momonga.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to have more people to protect you, supreme beings?¡± Demiurge said, possibly due to the situation that they were really in such an unusual situation as to what he ''remembers'' about YGGDRASIL.

    ¡°I''ll go with them too¡­ I feel like it will help cool my mind¡­¡± Touch_Me commented, going with them and soon the portal closed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be in my lab looking at some things.¡± Tabula said, waving to everyone, but then looked at Albedo. ¡°And you¡­ I will scold you later for getting excited just for saying things like that! The situation is serious, you shouldn¡¯t act in such a way, where is the professionalism of my creation?!¡± He tried his best to continue acting as the other NPCs described them.

    ¡°I-I''m sorry, Tabula-Sama!! I didn''t know what to do, I never thought I would need to say what I feel! And every second that I waited for my turn to speak¡­ I felt more¡­¡± She tried to continue talking, but her wings started flapping like crazy again as she looked up a lot.

    ¡°Argh¡­ firstly, I¡¯m your father, in theory, so it¡¯s bizarre for you to say things like that including me¡­ I¡¯ll go check on your sisters¡­¡± He used the [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] he had and created a door, but he soon realized something and looked at Ulbert, the last player present there. ¡°Could you give them the extra rings we have? As far as I remember, no one ever gave them the equipment.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it right now.¡± Ulbert just watched Tabula disappear from the coliseum, and so the vision went to the NPCs present. ¡°Everyone come one at a time, please.¡±

    They all gathered close to the Demon Player, who created a portal into which he entered to have contact with the guild''s Treasury. There he took a number of rings and handed them, one by one. He noticed a strange thing, the expression of each NPC seemed to be of extreme happiness or joy upon receiving that, with doubt, he asked his creation, Demiurge.

    ¡°Oh! Great Ulbert-Sama! Our happiness is incredibly justifiable, after all, these rings are owned only by the Supreme Beings who guide Nazarick! Receiving this¡­ so precious¡­ is something to be blessed.¡± He said the same with a big smile on his face.

    After everything had been organized, he looked at the butler. ¡°Sebas! If anyone wants to know where I am, I''ll be in my room with my son, chatting a little.¡±

    The butler agreed that he would give the message, with Demiurge looking rather happy to be called ¡°Son¡±, with his long ears flopping in response to this fact. They both went together through a portal to Ulbert''s room on the 9th Floor.

    Meanwhile, outside of Nazarick, Momonga, Bukubuku and Touch_Me were observing that beautiful landscape, being so incredible and extraordinary in their eyes, it was real, and extremely addictive. With the help of the accessory [Winged Feathers], a necklace with a jewel in the shape of a small wing, the three Players were able to fly and see everything better.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ so beautiful¡­ I still haven¡¯t realized¡­ that this doesn¡¯t seem like a dream¡­¡± Touch_Me was the first to say something to break the silence.

    ¡°I agree¡­ it''s a shame that¡­ I can''t exactly feel it¡­ but seeing my clothes flapping in the wind¡­¡± Momonga was very thoughtful, his skeletal body really didn''t allow him to feel very gentle touches, any gentle touch he felt would actually be a placebo effect, but nothing changed the fact that his uniform moved so smoothly.

    ¡°This gelatinous body can feel too much¡­ it¡¯s agonizing¡­ but¡­. It seems to get so relaxing after a while¡­¡± Bukubuku also commented, she was still holding Mare inside her body, just with the NPC''s head out, while Mary was floating next to her.

    The NPCs noticed that the Supreme Beings were enjoying the landscape, so they decided to stay quiet so as not to disturb them. Bukubuku laughed lightly and seemed to caress Mare a lot, even creating a small slime tentacle to squeeze his cheeks. While this happened, Momonga and Touch_Me were stuck in thoughts, lots of thoughts.

    ¡°It would be incredible to always have a view like this, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Momonga commented.

    ¡°Yes, maybe keeping it in a snow globe would be something incredible¡­¡± Touch_Me said looking directly at the stars in the sky now. ¡°They¡¯re so beautiful¡­ I almost want to have them one by one¡­¡±

    ¡°Why not the whole sky?¡± The skeleton asked.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not as greedy as you.¡±

    The paladin laughed, holding Momonga from behind and rubbing the armor''s hilt against his skull, while the skeleton laughed too. The slime just watched that, giving a light laugh as well.

    ¡°They even look like children¡­¡± She said to herself. ¡°Maybe things are better this way¡­¡±

    She looked thoughtfully at the sky, but then in a specific direction, to her left, or to be more specific, to the West. ¡®The katana flew in that direction¡­ But why did it fly? Could it be¡­¡¯ She shook a little in denial. ¡®No, I can¡¯t think about that, now my precious babies are real, that¡¯s already a blessing¡­ it would be too much to ask to have him too¡­¡¯

    After some time outside, Tabula sent a message to everyone there, it was actually his voice, which even scared them, as they weren''t used to there not being a text. "Guys! I know you must be having fun and stuff, but I want everyone in my laboratory, I think it''s time to start theorizing~¡±

    ¡°How tacky.¡± Bukubuku said, laughing lightly, but then looked at Mary and Mare, leaving them at the entrance while the other two went through a portal. ¡°You can start terraforming out here¡­ if you need help or anything, you can call the other NPCs, but don¡¯t be afraid to call me too, okay?¡±

    The two nodded and soon realized that their ¡°mother¡± changed shape, becoming more humanoid than a pink blob. She kneels down to be at their level and gives them both a soft kiss on the cheeks. ¡°Mommy loves you¡­ don¡¯t try too hard.¡±

    ¡°Okay mommy!¡±

    ¡°I understand, mother.¡±

    Both responded to her with simple smiles, but seemed very happy with all the affection. This made the slime think that she should go and try to do the same with Aura Bella Fiore, but this was not the time. Creating a portal, she teleported to Tabula''s laboratory.

 Chapter 20 - What is this New World?

    ''What happened?''

    ¡®Why should something like this have happened to me?¡¯

    ¡®I am a good man, an agent of justice, one who helps and does the best for everyone¡­¡¯

    ¡®I am the father of a special girl. I am the husband of a wonderful woman. I am a person who was born in the trash and managed to overcome everything, all in the name of having a happy life in a horrible world.''

    ¡®Why did these things get out of my contr-?!?¡¯

    ¡°Hey! Masato-san! Are you still there? Did you fall asleep again?¡±

    Those were sad and depressed thoughts from the paladin, Touch_Me, who had just been called to attention by one of his friends, Tabula. They were inside the Brain Eater''s laboratory, with the motive of having a private conversation, without the NPCs intruding, so that everyone there was on the same page as to what was happening to them. It was time to theorize what this was all about, and confirm that none of them were crazy.

    ¡°I''m sorry, Fuyuki¡­ I ended up sleeping a little due to tiredness¡­¡± The paladin replied, using Tabula''s real name.

    Since there were no NPCs with them now, they could say anything without distorting the way they were seen. The idea of being called ¡°Supreme Beings¡± was something that shocked everyone, they expected to be respected for their own creations, that was obvious, but being considered as absolute was something completely different.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ Masato-san, you said you slept for a while, what¡¯s the last thing you remember?¡± Suzuki was the next to speak, his voice seemed calmer and simpler, after all, he didn''t need to force an imposing presence.

    ¡°We were talking about the theory that what dictates the personality of NPCs are the Settings, with the addition of Karma level and Job/Racial Classes¡­¡± Touch_Me tried to remember correctly what they were talking about before, taking one of the chairs in the laboratory and deciding to stay seated.

    ¡°Returning to this subject then¡­ It is clear to everyone that there is a chance of the same happening to us, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ulbert commented while gently moving the blades attached to his hands.

    ¡°Yes, Akatsuki-kun¡­ And this is going to be a big problem for us¡­¡± Touch_Me commented, observing his sword on the table. ¡°But what scares me is not just whether we can still be ourselves after a while. If we become our characters, then the same can be said for our skills or what we represent¡­¡±

    After saying that, everyone was able to understand the biggest burden of that situation, they were stuck with those bodies and what their levels represent. Job and Racial Classes were seen only by the pros and cons related to attributes or skill trees, but now they actually had meaning. And with that, something else came to the minds of some, who stared at the paladin fixedly.

    ¡°Your World Champion Class¡­ maybe that will give you some boost beyond what already existed in the game.¡± Tabula said very thoughtfully. ¡°And not only that, I mean¡­ we all have skills that, if translated as real, are incredibly destructive, but out of everyone¡­ you are perhaps the greatest of all in this regard, Masato-san.¡±

    ¡°But we are lucky, at least your Karma is the most positive I know. By that logic, if we are all taken over by our karmas, you will be able to hold us back easily.¡± Ulbert continued.

    ¡°We don''t know exactly how karma affects us, I mean, so far all the NPCs we''ve talked to have seemed pretty normal, as far as possible.¡± Touch_Me said, taking the sword and looking at it more closely, as if looking for some dirt on the blade.

    ¡°Maybe it''s because of who we are to them, or maybe it''s because we all here are from the same group, which means there''s no reason for karma to be a reason for one to attack another... we could never know unless the karma system was more complex than just good and evil.¡± Bukubuku was the one who raised the idea, she kept observing some shiny bottles in the laboratory.

    Everyone sighed at that thought, really, as bizarre as it seemed, things would be much easier to understand if everything were more complex in YGGDRASIL. Simple things had to gain many things to become real, things unknown to most.

    ¡°Speaking of NPCs, how exactly did they act towards you, apart from that weirdness with Albedo and Shalltear?¡± Ulbert questioned, taking some potions, but Tabula immediately stretched out his tentacles and took the object from the demon''s hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even touch it again if you don¡¯t want to explode!!¡± Tabula exclaimed, making everyone look at him strangely.

    "Why do you say that?" Momonga raises his non-existent eyebrow.

    ¡°Because this is a potion made to explode minerals¡­. wait¡­ how do I know that?¡±

    ¡°This pink bottle was a room decoration and became a real item?... and this information appeared naturally in your mind?... Things are a little more unbelievable than I imagined.¡± Touch_Me said, with a quick gesture of his hands, his sword disappears in mid-air, removing his helmet to breathe better, thus revealing a half-human and half-insectoid face, of what could be interpreted as a young adult warrior. ¡°Going back to what you asked before, Akatsuki-kun. Among the small interactions I had with some NPCs, I noticed that for some reason Sebas Tian always seems to want to please me. Of course, we just arrived, and I could be wrong, but that¡¯s the way I understood it.¡±

    ¡°He was created by you, so it would be obvious... I also was interacting a little with Demiurge, apparently his Settings of being one of the most intelligent strategists among the NPCs is still valid. In a way, I tried to do the same as Haruka, and apparently he felt better than ever when I called him my son.¡±

    ¡°We are literally their gods, if we give our own creations the chance to call us casually, they will clearly be super happy. It¡¯s the most obvious.¡± Momonga commented while only becoming more thoughtful about some details. ¡°But what about what exactly happened to us?¡±

    That question hit everyone hard, what exactly happened to them? Tabula used knowledge related to Earth''s supernatural legends and cultures to try to discover what possibilities had occurred. Ulbert also gave some ideas using logic from old 21st century anime. All the alternatives were narrowed down, becoming some small theoretical conclusions, among them:

    This could just be a bizarre dream of just one of them, or of all of them at the same time, due to YGGDRASIL''s neural system. There may be a chance that when they wake up, it will only have been 8 hours of sleep, or even the equivalent that they would spend in there. This logic was even accepted by some, but discarded by others, due to things seeming too real, even involving situations that their minds would never normally imagine.

    They could have really suffered from the famous fantasy situation of ending up in another world, and if that was the case, they would need to resolve something to return to their normal lives. In this alternative, there was also the logic that, if they returned to the real world, they would return the same second they left, or after some time, with their bodies having remained in a vegetative coma. This version could be more believable for everyone there, but it seemed super optimistic, something that most couldn''t feel as true, due to the complicated lives they suffered before.

    Touch_Me was incredibly hopeful that the real situation was at least what everyone had theorized, with the exception of one, which completely destroyed the paladin''s joy.

    There was the third option, that they had died while playing YGGDRASIL, and that in fact, that new world they found themselves in was either purgatory or a second chance to live. This was certainly the most morbid alternative, as it meant there was a 0% chance of returning to their lives. However, the paladin tried to think of something else¡­

    ¡°Maybe, yes, we are in a magical world, and no, we cannot return to Earth, but our current minds are just copies fused with the characters.¡± If he were to believe the more morbid version, he would only believe it if it were like that.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that we¡¯re not ourselves, but rather a fusion of the characters¡¯ minds and bodies?¡± Tabula asked that and Masato nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ I understand that you want to think that way so as not to worry about your family, so I won¡¯t try to ruin that. Is there anything else we can talk about?¡±

    ¡°We could talk about this topic later, but in relation to the outside world... According to Sebas, there is some kind of village that he considered ''primordial'' a little to the south, in addition to some forests nearby, it would be good to find more information about that.¡± Bukubuku commented.

    ¡°Relax¡­ I have already planned some things, when Mare finishes the new external appearance of Nazarick, I will try to use some of my skills to create surveillance mirrors. There is a great chance that I will be able to do this outside the guild area, since what limited this was YGGDRASIL''s territory system, not the skill description.¡± Momonga replied. ¡°This way, we can take a look at this nearby village before finding out if we can make contact to get some information. Other than that, I recommend everyone to be more concerned about our resources, we don''t know how long things will last here, even if Nazarick is completely full at the moment, nothing is absolutely infinite.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your option is the least intrusive and possibly the most efficient. By the way, you spoke like a true leader, Suzuki. It''s good to know that your strategic part wasn''t affected as much by the shock of our new bodies.¡±

    Touch_Me''s words made the skeleton feel embarrassed, with a slight scratch behind the back of his head, but soon a green aura appeared around him and the feeling seemed to disappear. It was emotional repression, one of the passive skills that came with becoming an Overlord.

    There was actually one more topic to discuss¡­

    ¡°What about the katana that went flying a few hours ago?¡± Ulbert reminded everyone. ¡°I mean¡­ at the same moment we are teleported here, it reacts strangely and just went away like a rocket¡­ What do you think that could mean?¡±

    ¡°There is a tiny chance that the katana was actually the thing that should have been summoned to this world, and not us.¡± Tabula revealed a peculiar idea, which left everyone really shocked. ¡°But, that wouldn¡¯t make sense, if some being in this world wanted to summon a powerful weapon¡­ Why would it be that katana? Why would it be an object from within a practically random game?¡±

    This only raised more and more questions in the minds of everyone there, with Momonga once again giving his opinion. ¡°And most importantly¡­ what brought us to this world? Not in the sense that it was that item, I think that is already quite exaggerated. But I''m asking in the sense of... who? A powerful wizard? Some magic circle? Was it pure coincidence? Was it something premeditated? And if it was all premeditated and a being brought us here¡­ this being is more powerful than all of us combined? After all, it would be illogical for a summoner to summon something more powerful than themself.¡±

    ¡°We can try to find out as time goes on. And as for the last thing you said, in several ancient literary stories of our world, even biblical ones, it is told how weak beings can summon more powerful beings. In other words, the fact that there may be a living being that was responsible for bringing us here does not exactly mean that it is more powerful than us.¡± Tabula used several things he knew, including Lovecraft stories, to support his logic.

    ¡°I hate how much we are using fantasy story logic to justify our theories¡­¡± Masato said, getting up and going to the door. ¡°I''m going to stay here on the 9th floor for a while. Maybe talk a little with some NPCs to get to know them better, or practice some moves.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but remember! Without using skills! If what we¡¯re theorizing is true, you¡¯re practically the Justice Atomic Bomb!¡± The nickname that Haruka gave the paladin made everyone, even Touch_Me himself, start laughing.

    With the paladin leaving, some more conversations took place regarding other important things that should already be prepared for investigation. However, tiredness seemed to affect Ulbert, the only member of the guild, besides Touch_Me, who still needed to sleep normally, even with their new races. The others also agreed to go to sleep in their rooms, even if sleep didn''t really exist for them, it would just be a light rest or even a moment to meditate.

    <hr>

    While all this was happening, The Great Tomb of Nazarick¡¯s people continued to work, with some NPCs talking to each other or just doing their daily jobs, all programmed. Among the jobs was Mare, who, even with Mary''s possession skill, needed more help to do what the Supreme Beings had ordered him to do. Because of this, Demiurge, along with some other demons from the 7th Floor, decided to reduce the problem of the little dark elf.

    ¡°The ordered work is going splendidly, I can now perfectly understand the logic required for Nazarick to be buried.¡± Demiurge commented, standing and observing everything, without leaving the dungeon entrance.

    ¡°Thanks for the compliment, I really want to please them, so I¡¯m even making the grass color more appropriate.¡± Mare responded, with a completely broken and tripled voice, due to Mary''s possession.

    The little elf was currently lifting a large amount of earth near the dungeon using magic, and taking it to another corner, thus creating the base for another hill. ¡°I will ask later about the possible need to create an artificial lake, if I cannot make it completely flat.¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll ask that for you. After all, I¡¯m here to report your job.¡± Demiurge replied calmly as he watched the horizon. ¡°Really, very different from the grand poison swamps we lived in.¡±

    "I agree. The Supreme Beings have even shown interest in this landscape.¡± Mare''s words made Demiurge''s ears perk up.

    "Speak more¡­"

    ¡°They talked about how beautiful the stars and green fields seemed than those of our old world, and that if they could, they would put this landscape in a¡­ snow globe¡­? I don''t know exactly what that is. But I was also hearing Momonga-Sama and Touch_Me-Sama talk about how they wanted to have the stars and the sky.¡± Mare said that, gesturing with his arms, pointing to the sky and the surrounding fields.

    The demon in front of the dark elf began to have a very wide smile, as he slowly took off the simple glasses he had, revealing two eyes made completely of diamonds. ¡°This¡­ is magnificent, incredible to say the least. We''ve barely arrived and correctly identified our surroundings, but it seems that the Supreme Beings are showing such interest in the conquest¡­¡± He cleaned his glasses, using some of the fabric from his own red suit. ¡°As for ¡®Snow Globe¡¯... I don¡¯t remember ever hearing this term, I owe you in this regard, I will research it in the library, to find out exactly what they mean.¡±

    ¡°Demiurge-san, are you thinking about something?¡± Said the young elf.

    ¡°Perhaps it would be good to organize ourselves for a great achievement¡­ I will prepare some reports on what is needed, after all, we are no longer in our territory. Of course, I won''t prepare extremely important things until they are said directly to me, but I feel that my father will be proud to know that everything is taking shape little by little, enough so that he just needs to raise his claws to the sky!¡± The demon soon put his glasses back on his face, slightly adjusting his suit and tie.

    At that moment, Demiurge continued to monitor the condition of the construction from the outside. He wrote everything down, summoning a kind of parchment and using a small flame formed at his fingertips as ink to mark and write. Everything seemed to go as planned, with there already being 4 hills around Nazarick to cover the place, in the demon''s mind, it was better to create 5 in total to represent all the Supreme Beings that were with them, or even make 41 hills to represent all of Ainz Ooal Gown. However, he was controlling himself as much as he could so as not to overdo it.

    He vividly remembered the conversation he had with his creator, Ulbert, a few hours ago. The great Supreme Being had asked Demiurge''s opinion on plan strategy, and when that question was answered, Ulbert demonstrated that he loved the Floor Guardian''s way of thinking, but that it wasn¡¯t necessary to do as much, unless it was extremely necessary.

    ¡°Think of it as if it were an entire kingdom, the person who orders everything to happen is part of the nobility. You are like our peasants, you will be preparing swords, armor, shields, extra resources for emergencies. In this case, the warriors wait for orders to advance in an attack, they do not attack directly without any orders! If they do this, even with the intention of protecting the kingdom, they may even ruin some secret plan made by the nobility, and the consequences will probably be beyond what was imagined.¡± These were the words of wisdom spoken by that Supreme Being, being a comparative example so that even the smallest beings could understand.

    The demon gave a slight smile when remembering all that, for such an incredible being to speak in such a simple and understandable way, it meant that he knew very well how inferior the so-called NPCs were to them! How concerned they were about making everything clear so that no one could fail, and if they made a mistake, the blame would fall absolutely on whoever made the mistake itself.

    ¡°Demiurge-san, I think we can say the work is done.¡± Mary said as she got out of Mare''s body, they had already finished covering the guild''s entrance.

    Now the entrance was simply almost swallowed by an artificial hill, with only a little of it exposed. From the perspective of anyone who was unaware of these areas, it would not be impossible to think that that dungeon had always been hidden there.

    ¡°I agree¡­ I will directly hand this over to the Supreme Beings, you two can return to the 6th Floor. From what I remember, Aura was wanting to have a light picnic as the first thing in the morning, and it seems like it¡¯s already fully dawn.¡± The demon in the red suit said, pointing to the sky, which was already very clear, with a beautiful blue and some clouds, it was very likely that noon hadn''t even arrived yet.

    With that said, everyone returned to the dungeon, they would all do their usual routine actions, related to protecting the place on their respective floors. Or at least that was what was imagined¡­

    Day after day, some more things would happen, the Players were planning ways to contain emergency situations, without the NPCs knowing. It seems that Momonga, together with Ulbert, were the main ones to become paranoid that they should remain completely on guard until something actually happened. Using [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown], the Overlord managed to create several mirrors around the new environment, allowing all of his friends to have access to these ¡°cameras¡± inside their own rooms or by going to the throne room. The most important thing was that they were all learning to get used to their new lives.

    <hr>

    ¡°Hey! Are you sure this is a good idea?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the problem with this, honestly, I only see advantages!¡±

    Touch_Me and Ulbert were talking while observing the place they were at. That was the bathroom on the 9th floor, created by their former colleague, Luci¡ïFer, for purely roleplay purposes, having an elegant appearance that would be seen in a large indoor Greek sauna, there were several Golem NPCs who did not appear to have consciousness, but which had a passive effect of heating the place.

    ¡°I agree with that too. Masato, you have to at least take a real shower. You didn''t even try to bathe in the lakes on the 6th Floor or the 4th Floor, which is literally an area full of water.¡± Momonga commented as he removed all his equipment, showing his naked body, which was basically just pure bone, nothing indecent existed about the Overlord.

    ¡°You say that because you are a skeleton! I still haven''t gotten used to my new body for this kind of casual thing¡­¡± Touch_Me commented, realizing that his friend had already gotten used to it very easily.

    ¡°You just have to ignore it a little¡­ Furthermore, the bath here is not exactly made with water, but with slimes. Just let them run through your skin, and they will remove any imperfections.¡± Momonga replied, already entering one of the large bathtubs on the floor of that room.

    When the skeleton entered the water, it was clear that it wasn''t really water, it was much more viscous, the words that it was a type of slime certainly weren''t a lie. Ulbert ignored the fact that his colleague still found all of this strange and entered too, but unlike the skeleton, the demon player was prepared with a men''s underwear, very common in bathrooms like these.

    ¡°I don''t have underwear for swimming, unfortunately¡­¡± Touch_Me tried to make excuses.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring you something, Touch_Me-sama.¡±

    A new voice emerged, that of a woman. The masculine instincts still existing in the 3 men there, made them turn scared towards that voice, with Momonga trying to hide¡­ the non-existent, out of pure impulse. The woman standing there was Solution, one of the Pleiades, but most importantly, she was still a maid.

    ¡°Eh¡­ Solution, how long have you been here?¡± The paladin questioned.

    ¡°I was passing by and happened to hear you talking about not having something, so I decided to do my best job of fulfilling your requests.¡± The blonde maid said with an adorable expression and smile.

    ¡°I see¡­ eh¡­ I don¡¯t really have equipment like that¡­ so I wouldn¡¯t be able to get one for myself in my room¡­¡±

    ¡°How about Peroroncino¡¯s room?¡± Ulbert gave his opinion, making his two friends look at him strangely. "What? As far as I remember, he was the AOG member who had the most equipment made solely for cosmetic purposes, and some of them are shorts that can be used for swimming.¡±

    ¡°But wearing his clothes would be too bizarre! Besides, it is HIM we¡¯re talking about.¡± Momonga questioned that.

    ¡°He''s not here, he probably won''t be with us anymore, and as far as I remember he never actually used them! Right?"

    The existing alternative began to be considered, making the paladin sigh. ¡°Solution¡­ I give you permission to enter Peroroncino¡¯s room ONLY to get a pair of pants that can be used for me to bathe¡­ no images or pictures on them, they have to be the simplest and with a single color.¡±

    She gave a strange and bizarre smile before bowing and leaving the bathing room. Everyone at that moment remembered that, even though they were super friendly, that didn''t change the fact that all of Nazarick was created to be a paradise just for them, but a place of nightmares and horrors for any other being.

    It didn''t take long for Solution to find what the paladin had asked for, it was a kind of all-gold swimming trunks with embarrassing but adorable wing details on the sides. It didn''t matter, that way he had no excuse, meeting up with his friends for a good and well-deserved first shower since they were transported to that new reality.

    ¡°I honestly don''t see the level of discomfort you have with your new body, Masato-san. I think it¡¯s the most human thing among all of us.¡± Momonga just told a truth.

    Among the 5 players who were in Nazarick, Touch_Me was the only one who had a human part, due to his character being a half-insectoid. He had a muscular body, as one would expect from a veteran adventurer, with very pale skin and greenish details on the sides of the torso and arms. His hands were very human, with the exception of the fingertips, which were very hard and without nails, like a carapace, his legs also resembled that of a human, apart from some parts with a natural carapace and some extra joints that made him basically have 2 knees per leg.

    ¡°I understand, but even so, it doesn''t look that much like my real face¡­¡± He said as he watched his own body being covered by the bath slime, which seemed to clean his body well, devouring all the dirt.

    ¡°It''s kind of funny, since Sebas''s face was inspired by your face. It would be bizarre to have two people that look the same.¡± Ulbert made that comment, making them both laugh.

    ¡°Hahaha, well I¡¯m his creator, can¡¯t I make my creation as perfect as myself?¡± He responded in a very comical voice, making them laugh even more. It was a good way to release the tension and relax in that big tub of slime.

    However, it wouldn''t stay like that for long, because shortly before they were completely clean, to return to their common activities, someone knocked on the door of that room in a very frantic manner. This even scared them due to the surprise, but they recovered themselves while asking whoever was going to come in there.

    The being that entered was the classic succubus, the 10th floor guardian, Albedo. She was pretty flushed, mainly because of the sight she was seeing, while wings on her waist were moving like crazy. ¡°Mo-Momonga-sama, Ulbert-Sama, Touch-Sama! I-I came during this incredible period you are having, to report some news. I just discovered that there is intense movement coming from the village that you are keeping an eye on, in addition to that some of the humans are approaching us. I would finish the job and eliminate such an unforeseen event, but as you asked me, I am giving you the information before anything is done¡­¡±

    "What¡­?" Ulbert spoke with his eyes wide open.

    That feeling of calm disappeared immediately, with Momonga activating a spell, summoning three mirrors there for everyone to see. The only village they could identify near Nazarick seemed to suffer an attack by a group of soldiers dressed in white and blue. There could even be some thought about that village having something strange and that being an excuse, but the moment a child was seen being stabbed by one of the soldiers, it was completely clear that it was an attack just to destroy.

    Not only that, one of the mirrors showed the group of humans that were approaching near where the dungeon is, it was actually an injured woman carrying a little girl, who were running away from other soldiers who were after her without rest...

    Touch_Me, due to his sense of justice, didn''t take long to think, getting up out of the slime tub. With a wave of his hands, he summoned all of his equipment, looking at his colleagues. ¡°Who¡¯s coming with me?¡±

    Ulbert didn''t know what to do about that situation, those people were completely unknown and from another world compared to them. He was very used to the fact that there were many deaths even on Earth, so why bother?

    Momonga, on the other hand, had a completely different thought. The plan was initially not to interact with that village, only when they understood that they were good people, they would go there to seek information. But now, that place was being attacked, and there were soldiers approaching, even though they didn''t even know about the existence of the dungeon. All of that caused an idea of emergency to cross the Overlord''s mind.

    They could take advantage of the attack that was happening, thus introducing them to the inhabitants of the village so that they would perhaps see the players as heroes, when rescuing them. Furthermore, it was much better to know that the village in the ¡°backyard of the dungeon¡± was full of simple villagers rather than crowded with bloodthirsty soldiers.

    With these last-minute plans in mind, he stood up, climbing out of the tub and summoning his classic uniform. ¡°I¡¯ll be coming with you.¡± He said watching the paladin while soon looking at the demon player. ¡°Ulbert, stay here and inform Tabula and Bukubuku about what is happening. Just in case, activate some defense systems¡­¡±

    He touched the Succubus''s shoulder, which made her wings move more while she blushed immensely. ¡°Albedo. As we do not yet know the power level of these humans, you will come with us to serve your main function as my shield. Use your equipment in case damage cancellation is necessary.¡±

    ¡°Yessss, Momonga-sama!~~ I will always be your shield, I will be with you as soon as possible!¡± She said, thirsty as ever, while she ran out of there to get her equipment.

    Touch_Me and Momonga wasted no time creating a portal for themselves.

    <hr>

    ¡°ATTACK THESE WORMS! DESTROY EVERYTHING!!¡± A soldier screamed as several in front of him began attacking.

    The scene was incredibly chaotic. Villagers hid in their houses, with the most responsible among them trying to defend the place using spears, forks and everything they had at their disposal. There seemed to be no peace, it was the beginning of an attack so sudden that some children and women were fatally injured during the first few seconds.

    Among the villagers who fought there, one stood out because she seemed to be a very strong and fearless woman. She appeared to be helping her father fend off and prevent the invading soldiers from entering their home. To do this, she held a great fork and tried to hit them when they approached the door.

    "Father! This idea won¡¯t work for long!!¡±

    ¡°We have to hold on until help arrives. In a situation like this, clearly allied guards will be sent!¡± Her father said, showing equal concern, trying to make his daughter not think so much about the failed part of that plan.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the village has been completely surrounded yet, we could try to escape.¡± Said a woman who was there next to them, with a small red-haired girl hugging her tightly with fear in her eyes, respectively they were the mother and younger sister of that family.

    ¡°That''s a good idea¡­ I hate to say it, but your safety matters more to me than staying in the village¡­¡± The father said that, soon noticing the front door receiving several strong hits from the outside.

    He quickly tried to reinforce the protection of the door by placing some chairs in front, while the mother watched from afar through some windows. ¡°Yes, it looks like we can go out from the back.¡±

    ¡°That''s perf-¡± Before the father said anything else, a sword went through the door, it became so difficult to hold on, that the father had decided to stay there, forcing the door with his own hands. ¡°Leave quickly!¡±

    ¡°But dad!¡± The eldest daughter tried to argue, but before she could say anything, her father had been hit from the other side of the door, with a sword blade going through his stomach.

    The older sister firmly grabbed the younger one and started running towards the back, the mother followed close behind, panting from the nervousness of the situation. They managed to get through the door and started running through the village, heading north, but something sadder happened.

    ¡°Look over there! We can¡¯t leave a trace!¡± One of the soldiers shouted after them, and soon they started shooting arrows.

    It was noticeable how close those projectiles were to hitting them, until, without looking back, the oldest girl could hear her mother screaming in pain. ¡°AH! Enri! Do not look! Just Run!!¡±

    The young woman began to cry, hearing the sounds of pain behind them as she held her sister tightly, even picking her up so that the little girl wouldn''t trip during her escape. The little one, on the other hand, ended up seeing their mother''s situation when she was placed on her sis¡¯ lap and turned her head back, leaving her eyes wide open.

    Heavy footsteps could be heard behind the two girls, who were running towards a small forest that was close to the village. Even so, that didn''t stop her from being hit in the back by an arrow, the attack made her scream in pain, but it didn''t stop her from continuing to carry her sister.

    After a few steps, they found themselves trapped, with the forest becoming so dense that it was difficult to move. Two soldiers continued to follow them, managing to catch up, attacking the older girl from behind. Thus, they both fell together on the dirt floor.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "P-Please! L-let my sister run away! L-Leave her alive!¡± The girl said, putting her little sister behind.

    ¡°Hehe¡­ don¡¯t think we¡¯ll feel sorry for y-¡± One of the soldiers said, approaching, but he soon stopped, looking a little further ahead with a surprised and confused expression.

    The two girls didn''t understand that, but they could hear a strange and very low humming noise, then they saw what seemed to be a person passing from behind, taking a few steps and getting between them and the enemies. The person had white armor, complete and well polished, and what looked like an expensive red fabric over one of the shoulders aside of a great blue crystal in the front. The oldest looked back, noticing the existence of a dark portal, that was how that man had appeared.

    ¡°You¡­ are actually attacking two women like that¡­? Really, You are stupid worms¡­¡± The knight in white armor said, as another being emerged from that same portal.

    It was a skeleton with a large purple robe and countless jewels in its hands, carrying a large staff made of pure gold. When looking at that other being, the woman simply tried to move away, covering her sister''s face, but she was too painful to get off the ground.

    ¡°Touch¡­ don¡¯t try to talk to these ones, it seems pointless.¡± Said the skeleton.

    The soldiers looked scared when they saw those two strangers, but even so, one of them went towards the one called Touch. The knight simply raised his own shield, defending himself from the attack, causing the enemy to end up being thrown back with the impact itself. However, there was no time for him to fall to the ground alive, as Touch took his sword and attacked him with a sharp cut in the air, decapitating him.

    The soldier, who was still there, was horrified, but before he fled, he felt as if something invisible was holding him firmly, it was the work of the skeleton, which had its hands raised. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn¡­[Grasp Heart].¡± A blue heart appeared in its hand, and with a simple squeeze, it was crushed, causing the last soldier in that area to be killed, instantly.

    That scared the young women, who just stared wide-eyed, not knowing whether to thank them, cry in fear, or try to run away...

    ¡°Hey, young ladies¡­¡± Said the paladin, taking a few steps closer to them and kneeling down. ¡°I''m sorry for letting you see such a violent scene, unlike my friend, I couldn''t contain myself or use a not so grotesque blow¡­¡±

    ¡°One of them looks pretty injured.¡± Said the skeleton, summoning a small portal from which he took out a kind of bottle, trying to hand it to the older girl.

    The bottle was very ornate, it looked like something that would be used a lot just as decoration, and the color of the liquid was red, as if it were pure blood. This made the eldest continue to be scared while her sister seemed to stand in front of her to prevent her from taking it.

    The skeleton raised a non-existent eyebrow, gently touching the bottle in his hands. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be afraid¡­ This is a healing potion.¡±

    ¡°Yes, just because my friend here is a skeleton doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s going to deliver something bad.¡± Touch spoke near the scene.

    With that speech, and the fact that, anyway, she was going to die, the oldest grabbed the potion from the skeleton''s hand and drank it immediately. Surprisingly, there was a soft glow in the cuts and wounds, with them closing completely, in addition to the pain disappearing. The younger sister smiled realizing that and hugged the older one deeply, who reciprocated.

    ¡°Great¡­ we¡¯ll continue¡­ the village should be further along.¡± The paladin said, however, the skeleton put his hand in front of him, preventing him from continuing to walk.

    ¡°Wait, my attack worked very efficiently, more than I expected. There is a chance they are many levels below us, at least 30.¡± He said, as he looked at one of the corpses and approached it, holding tight to its head.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be good to fatigue ourselves out with weak enemies for now¡­ [Create Middle Tier Undead].¡± With that skill, the corpse''s body quickly decomposed into a very gelatinous black goo, which slowly took shape and became a [Death Knight]. ¡°My Death Knight, I command you¡­ Go to the village ahead, and kill only the soldiers who had the same outfit as your previous self¡­ after doing so, self-destruct.¡±

    The Death Knight nodded, turned and began walking with heavy but very fast steps towards the village that was being attacked. Touch understood why that was the idea, but even so, he was afraid that the summon would do something out of the norm, so he ran alongside him to keep an eye on it.

    As for the Overlord, he stood there, reflecting a little until he looked again at the two girls. They seemed to be kneeling as a form of gratitude for having cured them... or perhaps it was also because they had seen an incredible demonstration of magic? Unfortunately, the skeleton didn''t know if what he did was truly great or just simple.

    ¡°You must still be very shaken by what happened¡­ I recommend that you stay there and rest a little before walking again¡­ In case a soldier manages to go unnoticed and attack you¡­¡± He extended a hand towards them, while continuing to activate various skills. ¡°[Wall of Protection from Arrows], [Defensive Up].¡± A large barrier appeared around the two girls, glowing a very vibrant green.

    ¡°T-Thank you so much for helping us!¡± Said the oldest.

    ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Said the youngest.

    He soon picked up two items and threw them to the older woman, they looked like trumpets made from the horn of some animal. ¡°That''s just in case they attack with something that my protection doesn''t serve... This item is called [Horn of the Goblin General]... with it, it is possible for anyone to summon a small amount of obedient goblins that would even make suicide attacks to protect those who call upon them.¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?!¡± She picked up the item and was extremely shocked by what she was told, but before seeing the skeleton turn to disappear from her sight, she asked. ¡°I''m sorry, but I just heard that the white knight''s name is Touch¡­ What would yours be?¡±

    The skeleton thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°My name is Momonga! Touch and I are part of a great guild, led by me! Don¡¯t forget the name, AINZ OOAL GOWN!¡± He said grandly and turned to head towards the village, but something else appeared to stop him from walking.

    Another being appeared through the still open portal, it was someone wearing completely black armor, with a large war ax in hands and horns on the helmet. ¡°Momonga-Sama, forgive me, I was late due to my equipment being in a remote area.¡± The being, now identified as a woman, noticed the existence of the two humans there and pointed the ax at them.

    Momonga raised one of his hands to stop her. ¡°Ignore them, I raised this protection myself for them to use, don¡¯t try to attack those I decide to help.¡±

    ¡°B-b-But¡­ Momonga-Sama! These are inferior beings!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to question my actions, Albedo?¡±

    The situation became very tense at that time, so Albedo seemed to give up trying to find reasons to kill insignificant beings who had been blessed by the vision of one of her several masters. The portal closed, and she began to be taken away by the Overlord, who finally left the scene.

    Going in that direction, Suzuki realized that perhaps his face would scare other humans, in the same way it scared the two girls. With that, he has an idea, taking from his inventory a commemorative red mask for Christmas. It brought back good memories, but it didn''t matter, it was the minimum necessary to have.

    While this was happening, the Death Knight arrived in that village, mercilessly attacking the enemy soldiers, as ordered by his summoner. Some screamed in fear when they saw their attacks not working, others tried to recover, using the help of soldiers with bows and arrows to attack the monster, but none of that helped. As time passed, the number of living soldiers decreased drastically.

    "No! Please! I''ll give you as much money as you want, but don''t kill m-¡± A soldier screamed in fear, thinking the undead was a person, he was sliced in half with a vertical cut from top to bottom.

    ¡°Be careful with that monster!!¡± Said other soldier, before being hit in the stomach by another person who didn''t even notice he was there.

    Touch_Me appeared, already angry with all the killing due to the greed and violence initiated by the invading soldiers, making Death Knight stop with the use of a world champion ability. His shiny white armor made him very eye-catching to everyone on that field. "You! Damn invaders, what do you think you are doing here!?¡±

    ¡°W-Who do you think you are, palad-?¡± Before a soldier could respond, the said paladin decapitated him with a quick approaching movement.

    This scared several of the invading soldiers, it would not be an exaggeration to say that some of them urinated in their pants. "Who am I?! I''m someone who was passing through and saw the depressing situation this place was in! Being attacked by soldiers, a village full of simple peasants!! You make me sick! You shouldn¡¯t have armor as clean and pure as the ones you wear!!!¡± His voice showed complete anger about the situation, not a single word was false.

    ¡°Some random guy wanting to protect a village he doesn¡¯t even know?...¡± One of the soldiers said, shaking with fear.

    ¡°No¡­ I''m in a group¡­¡± When Touch_Me said that, he looked up, revealing the fact that Momonga had arrived in the moment, but floating and watching from above, next to him, was the completely armored Albedo.

    ¡°From today onwards, this village is being protected by my guild, Ainz Ooal Gown!¡­ And I want everyone to know that¡­¡± Momonga¡¯s voice was very intense, using the skill [Despair Aura I], to cause fear in what''s left of the invaders. ¡°If you attack a place as fragile as this again, without any mercy we will destroy you¡­ perhaps death will be something you will be begging for a long time!¡±

    Soon, all the enemies ran away in great fear, while the 3 new visitors stood there, standing still and turned against the villagers who seemed relieved that the danger had passed. Touch_Me was about to say something, but ended up being interrupted by Momonga, who clearly spoke over his head, so that his friend wouldn''t get in the way.

    "Of course! We helped you, but we will want something in return. I would like to speak to the village chief to see how much we can receive¡­ of course, we will not ask for excessive things, it would be hypocritical.¡± That''s what the Overlord said.

    Thus being taken to a hut together with the paladin and the Floor guardian. Arriving there, he noticed that the chief of that place was a very elderly person, which made him want to appear calm, so as not to scare anyone there with the way he spoke.

    ¡°I''m sorry if I said something wrong, we didn''t want to create suspicion among the other villagers... We are a group that decided to live excluded from everything and everyone inside some deep forests and dungeons, with the aim of training and reaching the pinnacle. So what I ask of you is just information, not money.¡±

    Touch_Me was surprised by the idea that his friend was having, in fact, it was the best possible, so he wanted to add it to make it more truthful. ¡°Exactly, he, I and our companions ended up meeting in the middle of forests, and because our ideas were similar, we formed what we could call a group, or even a guild, given the number of people. Unfortunately, we don''t know much about things other than studies and techniques that we learned on our own. Could you tell us where we are exactly or even about neighboring areas?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I see, I can understand your strange clothes now. People who try to live in seclusion from everything and everyone possibly need a lot to survive, you must have walked from forest to forest without ever interacting with other people, right?¡± An old lady beside the chief asked, both the paladin and overlord agreed.

    The old man took some kind of map that he had in his closet and placed it on the table. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re here, in Carne Village.¡± He pointed to a point on the map and then went on to point to other points and border lines. ¡°And we are in Re-Estize Kingdom, we are completely surrounded by other nations like Baharuth Empire to the east, Slane Theocracy to the south, Roble Holy Kingdom to the southwest, and Council State to the northwest.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, anything else important to add?¡± Touch_Me said, looking closely at that map.

    ¡°I think the most important thing to say is about the problems we are having with the Baharuth Empire¡­ They and Re-Estize are two nations that have been at war for some time due to the fact that they were initially one¡­ at least they are civilized enough that battles between them occur annually in a specific field near E-Rantel, the closest large city to Carne.¡± Said the little old woman, who pointed to a marked Re-Estize city very close to the limits of Baharuth Empire and Slane Theocracy.

    ¡°So today¡¯s attack was caused by Baharuth¡¯s soldiers?¡± Momonga questioned.

    ¡°Well, they were dressed in Baharuth soldier uniforms and I noticed that their archers were dressed in Holy Kingdom military uniforms, but that''s not something they would do... unless they are doing it without following the orders of their respective commanders. ¡­¡± The mayor said, stroking his own chin as he thought. ¡°I would say this sounds more like something done by the Slane Theocracy to cause chaos¡­ they are known by some as the nation that mostly does things in the shadows just to their own benefit.¡±

    ¡®Shit¡­ we should have captured one of them to get information on who really ordered the attack.¡¯ Touch_Me thought, letting out a sigh and leaning against the wall.

    ¡°The situation we are in seems to be really quite intense¡­¡± The overlord said, taking something from his own pocket. ¡°I would also like to ask you something, if it¡¯s not a problem¡­¡± He showed a gold coin, extremely common in YGGDRASIL, placing it on the table. ¡°My friends and I ended up finding this type of coin in several dungeons that we explored within several deep forests¡­ for some reason they all seem to be the same type¡­ but are they valid here?¡±

    ¡°A coin that was left hidden inside deep dungeons, you say¡­¡± The mayor took a balance next to a small weight, taking the coin and leaving it on the tool, seeing that it was well balanced. ¡°It actually seems to have a good weight, but to answer you, no, I have never seen this type of coin circulating around.¡±

    ¡°Some of my friends used coins as ingredients for magic spells that required pure gold to occur. So it¡¯s definitely made of gold.¡± Momonga tried to create an excuse, that was an item from YGGDRASIL with the description of being gold, so it obviously turned into real gold.

    ¡°If this is the case, perhaps it can be replaced, but I doubt it won¡¯t cause some problems out there.¡± The mayor returned the coin.

    ¡°Thank you very much for your honesty. That''s good to know, we might have to go to E-Rantel to do a little swap. Enough to buy the basics.¡± Touch_Me was the one who said, trying as much as possible to pretend that he was a nomadic paladin.

    ¡°Anyway, you may or may not already know this. But this area we are in is well known for having ogres, goblins and orcs, so I recommend not walking too much on roads that pass through forests.¡± The village leader gave another message. ¡°The closest adventurers here are from E-Rantel¡¯s guild, so there¡¯s even a chance you¡¯ll see some of them fighting these monsters.¡±

    ¡°Adventurers? Is it a large amount in this city?¡± Touch_Me raised his head to speak.

    ¡°I don''t know exactly, but I think I''ve seen at least 4 groups of 6 adventurers each... I''m sorry if I can''t give you more information.¡±

    ¡°No, this is already perfect, since this is a village of farmers and carpenters, everything you told us was more than enough information. I thank you again for that.¡± Momonga bowed slightly, the paladin did the same as a sign of respect for the elder.

    On the other hand, Albedo was almost having a fit of hatred at that sight. She knew for sure that the Supreme Beings were trying to blend in to find out more about the situation they found themselves in, without being so noticed, but bowing?!? This was such an absurd exaggeration that she even wanted to kill those inferior beings. However, she took a deep breath, there was a chance that they would be extremely angry with her, since she realized that Momonga didn''t allow her to attack the useless girls at the beginning of this whole argument.

    As time passed, and the two Players continued in that village to see how things were going, towards dusk, it could be seen that one of the hills on the edge of Carne Village was being used as a cemetery for all those who died in today¡¯s attack. There weren''t that many, but considering the size of the small village, it was a considerable number.

    They watched the two girls from before, crying in front of two graves that had been placed very close to each other. It was obvious that these were their parents''.

    Touch_Me looked at this with a calm expression, he wasn''t angry, just depressed. As a police officer on Earth, it was quite common to see people crying for their dead family, but it never left a good taste in his mouth, no matter how many times saw them. Momonga, on the other hand, kept thinking if he could have done something more, after all, in case of emergency, he had an item under his big robe, a staff with the property to reborn players who had just died in combat. Using the same logic, he could also revive those who died there, but he didn''t do it, not only because he didn''t want to take away the respect and willpower that those who sacrificed themselves had, but also because of how the information, that there is someone who revives others, could turn against him in the future.

    For now, the first interactions with the people of that New World seemed simplistic, it wouldn''t be good to bring an insanely extravagant power...

    Time passed, and the evening became obvious with the orange sky. There was no reason to stay there any longer, so they decided to leave the village. However, the paladin ended up hearing some worried villagers talking to their chief, drawing his attention and approaching him.

    ¡°Was there any problem?¡± He said, with Momonga and Albedo still next to him.

    ¡°Oh! Mr. Toucha, I''m sorry, but some villagers who stay in the hills ended up telling us that there is another group of knights approaching, they don''t seem to have the same uniform as the previous ones, but you never know¡­¡±

    Touch_Me even raised an eyebrow, ¡®Toucha? Okay, that sounds like a good nickname¡­¡¯ He thought about that name, but then, he returned to speaking to the villagers. ¡°Okay, I recommend that everyone go back to their houses and take cover in case an attack is coming. We and the village chief will be seeing what exactly they want¡­¡±

    As requested by one of the rescuers, everyone nearby went to their homes. So the 4 of them went towards the entrance to Carne, observing the approaching knights, all of them were riding horses, with white armor and red details, with only one of them not wearing a helmet, a man with very short brown hair, a serious expression on his face.

    That same man stopped his horse in front of the beings at the entrance. ¡°I am the Chief Royal Warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. I have received orders from the King to hunt down the knights of the empire that have been wreaking havoc in this area by visiting all the villages.¡±

    ¡°Royal Head Warrior¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh. You must be the chief of this village¡­ Who are the ones standing beside you?¡± Gazef questioned, still maintaining a serious stance.

    ¡°Oh, this one is¡­¡± The man was soon interrupted by Momonga.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nice to meet you, Royal Head Warrior. My name is Momonga, I''m a magic caster that came to help this town while it was being attacked. These ones on my side are Albedo and Touch, two warriors that I have always with me.¡±

    The warrior soon got off his horse, approaching them, surprised and apparently happy with the magic caster''s words. ¡°Thank you for saving this village. Mere words cannot fully express my gratitude¡­ the last two villages that we went to help¡­ all of them were destroyed and without survivors, before we were able to reach them.¡±

    ¡°Head Warrior!¡± One of the knights said, running towards Gazef. ¡°Unknown figures have been spotted around this area. It seems they have surrounded this village and are approaching as I speak!¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hide and see the situation better for a surprise attack, there is a chance they will think there are only villagers here.¡± Everyone agreed with Gazef''s ideas, including the Players.

    This way, everyone entered houses close to the limits of Carne Village, due to the command given previously, those houses were very empty, that was perfect. It took a few minutes for the enemies to appear, they appeared to be wizards, each having a creature floating at their sides, they were surrounding the village at equally spaced intervals.

    ¡°Who exactly are they?¡± Momonga questioned, standing next to Gazef, watching the enemies through a window.

    ¡°Only the Slane Theocracy, of all nations, could send out this many magic casters at once.¡± He replied, sighing. ¡°And they look to be part of the special ops unit directly under their Head Priest. It must be one of the six scriptures.¡±

    ¡°They, the ones who attacked earlier¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Touch. They were dressed as soldiers from the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, but obviously they were just acting and all are part of the Slane Theocracy.¡±

    ¡°So our suspicions were correct¡­¡± Momonga spoke calmly, looking down.

    ¡°Does this village hold that much value for this level of attack?¡± The paladin questioned, extremely confused by the level of the situation.

    ¡°Mr.Paladin, if you have no idea why they are attacking¡­ then there is only one reason they are attacking this place in such power¡­¡±

    ¡°We are strong, but they would need days to move this type of military power to here after finding out about us, if we were the motivation¡­ That means¡­¡± He was a little thoughtful, until the answer came. ¡°Woah¡­ It looks like you are quite despised by the other nations, Head Warrior.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is a problem¡­ To think that even the Slane Theocracy is after me¡­ They really see me as something else¡­¡±

    Momonga and Touch_Me soon took a closer look at the floating beings alongside the enemy Magic Casters, noticing something very important. Those were [Archangel Flame], a monster from YGGDRASIL. Did this mean that they really weren''t the only ones who were teleported within the game? Were there others out there? And they were on the side of Slane Theocracy? Many questions arose in their minds.

    ¡°Sir Momonga, Sir Touch.¡± Gazef''s words made the players snap out of their thoughts. ¡°I know it may be a selfish thing to ask, but please, I beg you to help this village once again. I beg y-¡± Before the royal warrior could kneel for that, Touch grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

    ¡°We will do it, don¡¯t worry¡­ We will, in the name of our guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, as a seal of this promise.¡± The paladin said in a simple voice, wanting to give the human strength.

    ¡°Great, I will fight our enemies without having to worry about the safety of the village itself.¡±

    ¡°Then, please take this.¡± Momonga said, taking out a little item from inside his robe.

    ¡°A gift from one such as you? I will accept it gratefully.¡± He took the item and only gave a slight bow. ¡°Good Bye.¡±

    ¡°We wish you luck in battle¡­¡± Both players said, watching the warrior leave that hut.

    They left the hut only to see Gazef and his group heading towards the enemy. Albedo followed them, being very confused, then questioning. ¡°Why did you promise something so simple using the guild name, Touch_Me-sama?¡±

    He took a moment to respond, searching for the right words. ¡°Why, even though humans can seem weak and even cowardly sometimes. There are moments when they show greatness, honor and strength so admirable that even beings like us must respect such qualities.¡± He sighed. ¡°That human, Gazef, reminded me a little of how I was when I was training to become the paladin I am today¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t understand some of your logic¡­ but I can understand the fact that it felt similar, even though yours was obviously greater.¡± The answer Albedo gave wasn''t exactly what the paladin wanted, but he let it go.

    ¡°Lord Momonga.¡± The village chief approached them. ¡°Why is the head warrior leaving?¡±

    ¡°Apparently, this whole mess was made so that Mr.Stronoff would appear and become an exposed target¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, should we stay here like this?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± The paladin interjected. ¡°He will cause a tremendous situation, enough for everyone to run away¡­ We would have to do this at the exact moment a passage is created for us.¡±

    Ahead, Gazef and his soldiers headed towards the enemies, the plan was simply to draw attention to them so they could be kept away from that village. He was ahead of everyone, taking a bow that was on his horse and constantly shooting arrows, but the magic casters managed to create shields with just one hand, which defended them, while with the other hand, one of them managed to destabilize the royal warrior''s horse, who was forced to jump from it to avoid being thrown to the ground.

    "Look out!!" One of the knights exclaimed, giving Gazef enough time to react to defend himself from an attack.

    It was one of the Archangel Flames, which was advancing towards him, trying to hit him with a blade of pure flaming energy. Gazef managed to attack the enemy, trying to cut him in half, but the Archangel''s regeneration was superior, forcing him to throw the enemy away instead of injuring him.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it will be, huh?¡± He sighed, holding tight to his sword. ¡°[Martial Arts¡­¡±

    The archangel was approaching quickly, but that was what he wanted. ¡°... Focus Battle Aura]!¡±

    Before the enemy approached, the head warrior slashed through the air. Hitting the Archangel, splitting it into two like it was nothing, slowly disappearing as countless yellow lights appeared in its place.

    As planned, the enemies were just focusing on them, as if they forgot the existence of the village. Unfortunately, the number of warriors beside him quickly diminished, with the Archangels killing them with ease.

    ¡°If that¡¯s it, I just need to at least attack the one in charge!¡± He said, noticing the only one on the enemy side with a different uniform, running towards him.

    Several Archangels appeared to get in the way, without patience, Gazef again used his techniques to destroy them in seconds.¡°[Martial Art, Six Fold Slash of Light]!¡± 6 slash-shaped beams of light emerged from his blade, destroying them.

    That didn''t stop the Magic Casters, who sent more of those monsters at Gazef. ¡°[Martial Art, Instant Counter!]¡± The monsters were thrown away, giving him space to make a big jump.. ¡°[Flow Acceleration]!¡±  His body rotated like a pawn while holding his sword, causing countless cuts, which disintegrated those angels again.

    That kind of thing was what made Gazef such a great enemy. His actions inspired and raised the morale of the soldiers on his side, who continued to fight with all the strength they had, there were several of them for just one or two of those same monsters.

    ¡°Impressive¡­¡± The enemy general said. ¡°To have mastered that many attack skills¡­ But it¡¯s not enough¡­ Summon the next set of angels! Focus your magical attacks on Stronoff, ignore the losers there.¡± He asked for some magic casters that were on his side, and so they did.

    Slowly, the situation was becoming ugly. The great Head Warrior was being hit by several magical attacks, pushed by several of those monsters. It never seemed to stop. He ended up with most of his soldiers fainting or dead, and him being the only one standing, bleeding profusely, panting, with all his face showing the tension of still be there.

    "Do not underestimate me!!" He shouted in fury, even some of the dust on the ground rose up thanks to his aura.

    ¡°Heh¡­ Gazef Stronoff, what can you do in this state?¡± Said the enemy general. ¡°You are taking our precious time here¡­ Once you die, we will eliminate all villagers there, and finally go back home. Stop this futile resistance and fall quietly. Maybe, as an act of mercy, I will make sure your death is painless.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± He started to laugh.

    "Eh? Lost your mind already?¡±

    ¡°Fool¡­ there are people stronger than me in that village¡­ I¡¯m happy that no matter what you try to do, you are the one that will fail¡­¡±

    The general smuggled ¡°A bluff? Angels. Kill Stronoff.¡±

    The head warrior closed his eyes before any attack was made against him, but in just one breath, everything around him changed. He was now surrounded by the villagers, and not only that, he seemed to be inside the large hut that everyone was hiding in. Without him being able to fully understand how this happened, his body relaxed, making him faint right there.

    "Who are you?" The general said, without expressing much emotion.

    In the center of the battlefield were now Albedo, Momonga and Touch_Me, the item they had given to Gazef was a single-use teleporter. It was practically already planned that they would switch places with him, in case something happened.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, people from the Slane Theocracy¡­ We are Ainz Ooal Gown¡­¡± The skeleton started to speak, still wearing his mask. ¡°We have a bit of a relationship with that village.¡±

    ¡°So, Have you come to beg for the lives of the villagers and that stupid warrior?¡± The general said, with a smug again.

    ¡°No¡­¡± the paladin was the one to reply. ¡°We overheard your conversation with that head warrior¡­ You have too much stupid courage, don''t you? You announced that you would massacre the villagers that we saved, while we were only passing nearby¡­ I cannot imagine anything more offensive.¡±

    "What?! Offensive?! Big words for just two warriors and a magic caster! So, what will you do about it?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you surrender, we will just kill you without pain¡­ However, if you refuse this, you will die painfully and in despair for your foolishness, screaming for the gods that you believe, asking them why you were so stupid and didn''t choose the peaceful way¡­¡± that time, Momonga was the one, using his deep intimidating voice.

    ¡°Angels! Attack!¡± The general exclaimed.

    The Archangels advanced against Momonga and Touch_Me, completely ignoring Albedo as she was just standing there, observing the situation. To react to the attack, Momonga stood still, receiving it, while the paladin just raised his shield forward, without much movement. The skeleton didn''t even seem to take any damage with two energy blades passing his body, while the angels that attacked the shield were repelled and evaporated in an instant.

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    ¡°It must be some kind of trick!!¡±

    The magic casters screamed in panic upon seeing this situation, but it was soon explained to them that ¡°tricks¡± were used.

    ¡°[Great Counter of Low Versus Power]... or just simplified as [Great Counter Low-Tier]... It allows me to defend myself from any attack or low level monsters, in the case of summons, instead of just defending myself, it also kills them instantly.¡±

    ¡°[High Tier Physical Immunity III]... It''s a passive skill that completely nullifies the physical attacks of low-leveled weapons and monsters, or we could say, from below level 60¡­¡± Momonga said this while holding tight to the shoulder of the Archangel that attacked him, pushing and knocking it down so hard against the ground that he destroyed it right there.

    Everyone looked amazed at such demonstrated strength, but he didn''t stop talking. ¡°I want to know why you all can use the same magic and summons as Yggdrasil, the place where we came from¡­ But I¡¯ll put that aside for now. Since it¡¯s our turn¡­ Prepare!¡±

    ¡°Hurry! Angels! Kill these bastards!!¡± The general finally started to panic.

    ¡°Albedo, stand back. A lady like you doesn¡¯t need such problems.¡± Touch_Me commented, as the Floor Guardian simply took a huge leap back.

    ¡°Good¡­ [Negative Burst]!!¡±Momonga released a large dark aura that destroyed all the Archangels upon being touched.

    ¡°Wh-Wha..? Impossible¡­¡± The general couldn''t believe the situation was getting worse for him.

    The last words Gazef said even appeared in his mind... That was never a bluff! Likewise, all the Magic casters began to panic, using every spell they knew.

    ¡°[Holy Ray]!¡±

    ¡°[Poison]!¡±

    ¡°[Shockwave]!¡±

    ¡°[Fire Rain]!¡±

    ¡°[Confusion]!¡±

    ¡°[Charge of Stalagmite]!¡±

    ¡°[Open Wounds]!¡±

    ¡°[Fire]!¡±

    The two players continued to take the attacks without moving much. With Touch_Me having the shield raised, while Momonga was just receiving it without any problems, due to his passive skill of [High Tier Physical Immunity III], guaranteed to him precisely by the Racial Class of Overlord.

    ¡°Yes¡­ all of those are spells from Yggdrasil¡­¡±

    ¡°Who taught them that!!!¡± Touch exclaimed, making the sword glow.

    The enemy general was filled with fear, looking at the angel at his side. ¡°Principality of Observation! Attack the Magic Caster!!!¡±

    That Archangel quickly approached to hit a large glowing mace on Momonga''s head, he being the target due to the general''s view on magic casters being the weakest physically. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong, the Player managed to hold off the attack without too many problems.

    ¡°My, My¡­ Touch-Sama, my friend, I would say that there isn''t motivation for all this power of words that you are having now¡­ But, it seems now I have to counter-attack¡­¡± He said pointing his finger in the direction of the angel.¡°[Hell Flame]¡±

    From the tip of the finger, a small dark spark appeared, which, upon reaching the angel, enveloped it in a tremendous black flame that devoured it completely. This left all the enemies with a look of terror on their faces, in their minds, there was no way to destroy a being as powerful as that with just a single hit. After all, he was a High level angel!

    ¡°Captain Nigun! What should we do?!¡± One of the magic casters exclaimed to the general.

    ¡°Let¡¯s summon the highest level angel possible!!!¡± He exclaimed with a maniacal smile, taking out a large blue crystal from a bag. ¡°You will see the shining form of the highest of angels!!¡±

    ¡°Touch_Me, Albedo, I recommend y¡¯all to stand your shields up to defend me¡­ this one seems to be really something else.¡± With the Overlord''s words, the Floor Guardian and the paladin did as asked.

    From the glow of the crystal, a grand angel appeared, with 3 pairs of wings, a large scepter in his hands, emitting an almost divine blue glow, being more than 5 meters tall. All the soldiers looked enchanted at that divine scene, while the others just watched.

    ¡°This angel is your strongest trump card¡­?¡± Momonga asked.

    ¡°Yes! And I see that you are worthy enough to die for this!!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ speechless¡­¡± The paladin commented, lowering his shield.

    ¡°Oh! I see! You finally are feeling the fear of something so great! You are all-¡±

    ¡°This is fucking stupid¡­ Literally child¡¯s play¡­.¡±

    "Eh?! What are you talking about?!?¡± The general seemed desperate with those words.

    ¡°Do you want me to do it, or you do?¡± Touch_Me questioned his friend.

    Without patience for what they were going to do, the general ordered. ¡°Use [Holy Smite] ! Now you will feel pain! This is a seventh tier magic that no man can go against!!!¡±

    The two players stared at each other for a some seconds, while that being was undoing his own scepter and creating an immense beam of light that rose from the sky to reach them all. Or at least that''s what everyone thought they saw. Touch_Me, had once again raised his shield, creating a holographic copy of the equipment a little above with the help of [Flying Aegis], meanwhile Momonga raised his hand, speaking in a monotonous voice.

    ¡°[Black Hole]¡± The angel was simply sucked in by a small black dot that appeared on its body.

    All the enemies were shaking with fear, even the captain seemed to be urinating in his own pants. A sharp sound of breaking glass could be heard above everyone right after that event.

    ¡°W-What is this?!?¡±

    ¡°It seems that your nation was watching everything and my attack ended up disturbing the view of the place... I think it''s time for us to take you.¡± the Overlord said, with a wave of his hands, all the enemy soldiers were paralyzed, and the paladin, seeing this, made a simple horizontal sword movement, causing a sonic wave that made everyone faint, with the exception of Nigun.

    That general''s eyes filled with tears, watching those beings getting closer and ready to take him to some place unknown to him. Those beings had no difficulty at all, they were even disappointed by the power that Slane Theocracy had, by the power of a 7th tier spell being so small. The panic was so great that he passed out.

    Perhaps this will be the last time that the so called ¡°Capitan Nigun¡± will be seen alive, walking through the fields of that New World.

 Chapter 21 - Holy Reunion I

    An awakening!

    Gazef Stronoff woke up inside a small cabin, more specifically, it looked like he was using someone''s bed to sleep there. He slowly got up, carefully, because his mind was still confused. Looking around, he noticed that his armor was positioned close to the ground, in the most tidy way possible, while his sword was at his side, so he also realized that he was just wearing the common clothes he normally wears underneath his armor.

    ¡°Argh¡­¡± He put his hand on his head as he sat on that bed, trying to remember correctly why he was there.

    Yes, he came to save villages. Yes, he had finally gotten to one before an attack. And yes, he had entered into battle against magic casters.

    Slowly he remembered having appeared inside a hut, surrounded by villagers, before passing out. His confused memories about what happened were sorting out, soon, he remembered who did something for him.

    Had those three individuals planned in advance that he would fail? No, possibly it was just a pure precaution¡­

    Finally getting out of bed, he went to the window and opened it, finally seeing that village, it was the same as before he arrived, there were some people walking nearby, with them noticing that he had woken up and waving. He waved back, with a sigh of relief.

    ''So that group managed to keep their word and protect this place¡­ Ainz Ooal Gown¡­ I owe you one¡­'' He thought, observing the clear morning sky, before putting on at least the leggings of his armor and being greeted by the owner of the hut he was in, this being the Village Chief.

    The two chatted a little, while the wife of the owner approached, offering the head warrior some food and drink. He normally wouldn''t accept that due to his ethics, but he didn''t refuse after his stomach growled, revealing that he was hungry.

    After a few more hours of rest there, Gazeff left that hut, going to meet part of his group that had survived the attacks. Some of them were awake at the time he was teleported, but were too injured to get up and get involved in the rest of the fight. They told the head warrior what they could see.

    ¡°Is this serious? Those three were actually able to destroy so many angels and resist the magical blows without any difficulty?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain! They barely moved as they fought, not even the white warrior, who was among them, moved, he just used his sword and shield.¡± One of Re-Estize''s knights commented, his eyes wide. ¡°And those spells¡­ Really, they are something I have never seen before, I almost fainted from the amazement.¡±

    ¡°You guys are talking a lot about the magic caster Momonga and the warrior Toucha, but that warrior in black armor?¡± Gazef asked, none of the knights knew if she did something or not. "I understand. We are very lucky that people, who can stand up to a surprise attack from Theocracy, are friendly and good-natured¡­. But wait, what about the survivors of the attacks?¡±

    ¡°The surviving enemies? We have already handcuffed them all, the Village Chief asked to leave the weakest of them here, to pay for the harm caused through forced labor.¡±

    ¡°And that general of theirs?¡± Gazeff got straight to the main topic, as the most important person in the attack was not mentioned.

    The knights in front of them seemed a little nervous about something, but soon one of them responded. ¡°That warrior in white armor, he caught the enemy captain to obtain information¡­ He told us that, when he obtains everything the enemy knows, he would communicate with us through this magical artifact.¡±

    The Royal head warrior received from one of the knights a type of rectangular and metallic artifact, with golden details on the ends. There are two protuberances that appear to be buttons, both had things written in a language that no one there understood, but there were symbols below, one representing negation and the other, even though it was also unknown, the logic was easy to understand.

    ¡°For them to take an enemy from battles of this level¡­ could cause some problems, let¡¯s pray that we can get him again and use him as a bargaining chip for something.¡± He sighed, not knowing well the new allies he had obtained, but from what he noticed in the simple conversations they had, at least the magic caster and the white warrior, they were both sincere and humble.

    It didn''t take long for the warriors to head towards E-Rantel, taking with them most of those captured. They would take advantage of the fact that that large city was close to the southwestern edge of the kingdom to organize things there, in addition to using the help of some adventurers.

    While this was happening, Enri Emmot, the girl saved by the Ainz Ooal Gown group, was having some thoughts about her village situation. That''s when she remembered the items Momonga handed her, that lich had told her that the item in hand summoned obedient and protective goblins.

    It might even be an exaggeration to use an item as powerful as that, but after much thought, she activated it, with the intention that, if these goblins are obedient to the point of participating in suicide attacks, perhaps they could be their meat shields or even builders.

    And that''s how it was done...

    <hr>

    [1 week after]

    ¡°Ah¡­ I think this is good, thank you very much.¡± Enri said with an adorable smile.

    ¡°No problem, Miss Enri.¡±

    "Equally!"

    ¡°I think we can help you more!¡±

    On her side, there were 3 goblins summoned thanks to the item [Horn of the Goblin General]. Different from ordinary goblins, they seemed to have more human uniforms, in addition to not showing savagery. Everyone was very friendly, with her saying there was nothing they needed to do now other than stay on guard. And so they do.

    Not only were there those 3, there were 7 more of them walking around Carne Village, all trying to help as much as they could, as they had received orders to ''Help with the defense of the village and with problems between the residents.'', trying to cover the work of those who had died, at least until someone from the village itself wanted to do that job. It was clearly a great choice.

    Obviously, there were villagers who didn''t want those monsters there, due to the danger that their race represented, but denying help at a time like that was out of the question. At least all the extra work wasn''t just done by the goblins, as the prisoners were also taking care of some specific things, while they were locked in huts, chained. There was no need for an absurd level of guard over them, since the ones that were left were the weakest and didn''t even seem to have offensive or defensive skills, they had been used in the attack just to make their group look bigger, nothing more than that.

    Enri was putting the clothes to dry outside her house, which now seemed a little bigger and empty, as she only had her little sister with her. However, she didn''t seem so depressed, the world can be sad and cruel, but it can also be happy and calm. This was the life of a peasant who lives close to forests. The girl hummed as she continued her tasks.

    The hours passed, until she realized that she didn''t have much water at home. Making her a little upset, as she was going to get ready to make stew for dinner. Because of this, she took a large bucket and headed towards the village well, observing the surrounding scenery.

    Carne Village was being surrounded by wooden walls, an idea proposed by the goblins, which was widely accepted, even by the human elders. As for construction, only the eastern side and part of the northern side were complete, but no one thought that another attack would happen, as the previous one had occurred almost 1 week ago. Besides, if the reason for what happened really was Stronoff, they would attack E-Rantel instead.

    ¡°Yo!¡± The little sister tried to attract attention by waving as she played with other children around the village.

    ¡°Nemu! Don''t get too dirty, understand? I just put the clothes to dry at home. And dinner might take a while to get ready!¡± She said loudly so that the little girl could hear clearly, and so she started walking towards the well again.

    It was already afternoon, the sky was starting to show small signs of orange-like color, Enri was doing what she always did, waiting for some people to fill their buckets, so she could be the last one to do it. During this, a person and one of the summoned goblins began to be seen, both running into the village, crossing the improvised entrance gate. The man went towards the Village Chief''s hut, while the goblin went towards the young girl. It seems that, even though he was told who owned the place, the little monster saw the girl as his real leader.

    ¡°Ms. Enri! Ms. Enri!!¡± The goblin said, running towards her.

    ¡°Huh? Did something happen?" She asked, very confused by the little summon''s hurried manner, she was still taking the bucket out of the well using a crank.

    ¡°Knights, all in white and blue armor! There don¡¯t seem to be many of them, but the appearance and aura they emit seems to be that of some advanced group.¡± The goblin''s words left her frightened about the possibility of another attack.

    ¡°Finish pulling that bucket of water, go to my sister, Nemu, and leave her safe inside our house. I¡¯ll take a closer look so the other goblins don¡¯t mess up.¡± Enri ordered and that little goblin accepted without question.

    Even though she was not considered very important in Carne, she was still the summoner of a small group of obedient monsters, the situations would be intense if that group of knights saw those beings without a context of why they were there. She noticed the Village Chief approaching slightly behind her as they walked to the entrance.

    There it was possible to see a group of at least 10 people arriving on horses, all of them were either armored or wearing a type of long, bluish robe. They seemed to be led by a woman who wore white, blue and black robes, and had very long brown hair that didn''t look messy due to a white hairband.

    On that woman''s sides, she had two blonde people with fierce gazes. On the left, a woman with short hair, carrying a sword at her waist and a silver bow on her back, large enough to be noticeable but not exaggerated, wearing simple armor and a black cape over it. On the right side, a man with long hair, his fierce gaze seemed slightly empty, wearing clothes more reminiscent of a wizard than a knight, being blue and black, with almost unnoticeable details of white, he also carried a sword on his waist, but having a very long scabbard.

    The symbol on their uniform was visible the closer they got¡­

    ¡°Are you villagers from this place?¡± The woman in front of everyone questioned, stopping her horse and looking around. One of the eyebrows raised when she noticed what would be a small trio of goblins with shields in front of Enri.

    ¡°Y-Yes, we are inhabitants of this humble village. What brings you here, visitors of the Holy Kingdom?¡± The Village Chief asked.

    Yes, those symbols on their clothes were slightly familiar to Enri. They were the main brands of the Roble Holy Kingdom, but what were they doing here?

    The woman stared at those goblins, wondering why they would apparently be raising shields to protect a human, ending up ignoring the question asked. Therefore, the person speaking was the man with sadistic eyes who was next to her.

    ¡°There are several reasons why we are walking here. I think the simplest thing would be in relation to a report, that there were people pretending to be soldiers from our Kingdom, attacking and destroying places here in Re-Estize to tarnish our name, in addition to the name of the Baharuth Empire.¡± He said that with a calmness that was in no way similar to his look, but suddenly that expression of fury also disappeared. ¡°If it¡¯s not inconvenient, it would be better to talk in a more closed area.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you can come with me¡­ Enri, you can come with us too if you want.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she your daughter or something?¡± The brown haired woman questioned.

    ¡°No, she is the daughter of a friend of mine who died in the attack last week. But she¡¯s as thick-skinned as he was, so we were thinking of her as my successor.¡± Enri was slightly embarrassed by the Village Chief''s words, but she doesn''t seem to say otherwise.

    This way, 4 knights stayed there at the entrance to rest while the other 6, including the leader and the young man, would go to the village leader''s hut. Entering there, his wife seemed to enter another room, this made some of the knights there sigh, as they thought she was traumatized by the symbol on the armor.

    ¡°Well, you gentlemen barely introduced yourself¡­¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, I just became interested in something I observed in this place... I am the High Priestess of the Roble Holy Kingdom, my name is Kelart Custodio.¡± The brown-haired woman said, making the eyes of the two inhabitants of Carne Village go wide-eyed.

    ¡°And I am her apprentice, my name is Letyan Baraja.¡± Said the man with long blond hair.

    ¡°A High Priestess came here with paladins?...What are your other reasons for coming here besides the attacks?¡± The Village Chief went directly to ask about it, someone with so much importance there was something unthinkable.

    ¡°To the point, you seem like the type who doesn¡¯t like to travel too far into too much information.¡± Said the boy as he tried to return to the beginning. ¡°But do you at least have any idea who was responsible?¡±

    ¡°According to the Re-Estize head warrior, Gazef Stronoff, they are all possibly from Slane Theocracy, due to one of the attacks being composed of several magic casters and summons.¡± Enri was the one speaking, as she sat on a chair. ¡°I didn''t see the battle itself, but according to the head warrior''s reports, their summons were all related to angels.¡±

    Kelart took out a kind of small notebook and began to note while the villagers spoke. Letyan also sat in a chair while talking to the two people responsible for the place.

    ¡°Slane Theocracy¡­ I even understand that they want to speed up this war between Baharuth and Re-Estize since¡­ this kingdom will lose the war¡­ the nobles here just postpone things¡­¡± He seemed to speak honestly about that and gave a sigh with that thought. ¡°But to think that they would try to frame us as offensive, when we are completely neutral in this war¡­ They are crazy who think they can do anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s pray that the fact that someone as famous as Gazef Stronoff, knowing that we have nothing to do with this, can help us not have our trade agreements destroyed.¡± Kelart made that little comment, still holding the small notebook.

    ¡°If you want, later, you can go to some of those involved in the attack yourself, the weakest among the invading knights were kept here to do forced labor and supply part of the destroyed workforce.¡± Enri commented, making the two leaders of that group from the Holy Kingdom nod, agreeing to follow this plan.

    ¡°Can we get back to the subject of ¡®other reasons¡¯?¡± The old man asked.

    "Oh yes! An accident occurred in the middle of a battle that I was present in, in the territory of the Holy Kingdom, and this accident is related to this thing here.¡± He said, taking that sword out of its sheath and putting it on the table, it had a large blade with several engravings.

    "A sword?" Enri asked curiously, but when she tried to touch it, the item seemed non-existent, a mirage, passing through her hands, making it impossible to touch. This left her wide-eyed, pulling her hands closer to her.

    The boy laughed lightly and shook his head. ¡°That''s right, after we used this item that fell from the heavens to defeat our enemies at the moment, it became untouchable to everyone except me... It has an immense charge of energy considered evil by our best clerics.¡± He said this, pointing in a friendly way to his mentor. ¡°Like this one.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what this has to do with us.¡± The chief replied.

    ¡°It''s just that the sword seemed to come from the sky, but in fact it seemed to come from somewhere... After we had permission, we were traveling in a straight line, going to look for nearby villages to look for information and see if there were any sources of negative energy, like that of the item. However, the vast majority of those from Re-Estize had been destroyed, and that''s how we heard about the rumor of our and the Empire''s soldiers working together.¡± The boy said calmly, looking at the sword there on the table. ¡°And when we got close to here, we felt a similar or even stronger negative energy¡­ So I wanted to know if you have any idea where this negative source would be¡­¡±

    ¡°Negative source?¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, clerics, but I''ve been living here since my birth, and no one has ever told me anything about evil charges here, the most I can think of are the monsters that appear on the paths from here to E-Rantel.¡± The Village Chief said.

    ¡°I understand, you seem to have a simple enough life to not understand these matters well, I forgive you for your ignorance.¡± The boy said pointing at Enri, more specifically, the item around her neck, that horn. ¡°Then I will give you an example, that on your neck is an item with a negative source, not as intense as the sword, but it is similar.¡±

    ¡°If you have no idea about this, then can you at least tell us where you got such an item?¡± Kelart returned to the conversation.

    Enri and the Chief looked at each other for a bit before they spoke, the girl starting. ¡°There were two attacks that day, one in the morning and at dusk, the head warrior only helped us in the nightfall fight, in the morning fight, a strange trio appeared and saved us all¡­ It was a man in loose and dark robes who gave me this item. He told me that it was used to create obedient goblins, who would even kill themselves if it meant protecting whoever summoned them.¡±

    The old man continued. ¡°Yes, that trio was essential in defeating the magic casters of the Slane Theocracy, one of them said he was a magic caster, while the other two were warriors.¡±

    ¡°Giving an item like that away so easily¡­¡± They could hear the blonde girl with fierce eyes and short hair, she spoke very quietly, as if she was in her own thoughts.

    ¡°Yes, sister, either the person has too much of that, or they are a benefactor.¡± Lentyan completed the girl''s thought.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be lying¡­ Do you have the names of these people?¡± the high priestess asked, still looking really calm, but ultra curious.

    ¡°Yes¡­ The white warrior is called Toucha and the magic caster is called Momonga.¡± The old man replied. ¡°As for the female warrior with them, I don¡¯t remember hearing her name.¡±

    ¡°I ended up hearing when they saved me outside the village, from what I understand, her name is Albedo.¡± Enri added.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right¡­ and they said something about¡­ being part of a nomadic group of people who isolated themselves from the world, called Ainz Ooal Gown¡­. I think it''s the only identity-related information we know. Sorry if it¡¯s not much¡­ so far we¡¯ve only interacted with them that day.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ never heard of people like that.¡± Kelart commented while resting his palms on the table.

    ¡°Neither do I, these names don¡¯t make me think of anyone¡­ And you, Letty?¡± The girl questioned, approaching her brother.

    He seemed very thoughtful, with one hand stroking his chin as he observed the ceiling of that room. ¡°Hmm¡­ I feel like they might be the source of the sword I received¡­ But we would have to confirm it somehow¡­ Do you guys know where they are?¡±

    ¡°They said they would be keeping an eye on the village, as their base is currently close to here, but they didn¡¯t say exactly where the base is.¡± Enri replied, scratching her own hands.

    ¡°So we will have to make rounds around this place to find out something related to this group¡­? Heh¡­ At least we won''t have to walk aimlessly in a straight line. It''s already something." Kelart tried to think about the positive aspect of this, even though she really wanted to return to the comfort of the Holy Kingdom as quickly as possible.

    ¡°Okay¡­ But I don''t think we should appear aggressive or anything like that, maybe they''ll appear on their own when they realize we''re here, due to the previous attacks. So we could just settle down and set up a little hut¡­ for a maximum of 10 days, what do you think about that, master?¡± The boy asked the High Priestess, who just sighed.

    ¡°I agree, if we try to look around for people who can defeat surprise attacks from Slane Theocracy, they could end up having a bad idea about us¡­ Let''s follow your plan, if it doesn''t work, you won''t have access to the laboratory or the library for 1 month. What do you think about this?" Kelart gave an adorable smile, but to the young Baraja it was sinister.

    ¡°A-Alright, we¡¯ll do it like this!¡± He replied, sweating a little with anxiety, but soon looked at Enri. ¡°Can I come and talk to you privately for a bit? I will take advantage so you can better explain what happened to you.¡±

    And so it was it¡­

    The Holy Kingdom group made a small tent next to the entrance to Carne Village, while other members of the group were talking to the inhabitants, as well as trying to get information from the prisoners. During that moment, the High Priestess'' disciple was walking with Enri, both alone, it seemed to be a friendly conversation.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I know what a life like that is like, in the Holy Kingdom I also had a lot of trouble protecting my sister.¡± he said with a laugh.

    ¡°Oh? Really? I thought that people who live in capitals have a more prestigious life.¡± The resident of Carne commented without many details.

    ¡°It really depends, even though I''m the youngest, I always had to interfere in other people''s fights that they wanted to make against her. It doesn¡¯t matter if our father is of some high importance, people still judge us by our appearance.¡±

    Enri seemed to give a slight sigh and look down. ¡°I think I ended up having the same impression when I saw you arriving at the village.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you have plenty of reasons to think so, and also, it¡¯s not every day you come across someone who is intimidating just because of their neutral face.¡± He was laughing again, as if that irritating topic was so common, that he decided to ignore the negativity in it.

    They walked a little further, eventually moving away from the village and entering the forest. The boy appeared to look back to confirm he was not being followed and appears to have a slight smile on his face.

    ¡°Great, is this where that magic caster came from?¡± He asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little further ahead, when we arrive I¡¯ll let you know.¡±

    Slowly they were surrounded by more and more trees, until they reached a kind of dead end, with the trees being so close that it looked more like a natural wall than part of a forest. The boy carefully observed that, while he also seemed to observe the ground, there were still signs of several footsteps, as if the place had been untouched since the Emmot girls escaped.

    ¡°It was more or less around here¡­ But tell me, why did you ask me to come here, right after telling your companions to wait for our saviors to appear?¡± She asked confused, after all that was hypocrisy.

    ¡°I have a feeling that the situation would be much more absurd and difficult to control if my companions were here¡­ Due to the religious level within the kingdom I live in.¡± He commented as he raised his hand, a kind of magical circle appearing in his palm.

    ¡°But they didn¡¯t seem this nervous before.¡±

    ¡°It''s because, unfortunately, my mentor doesn''t have a magical sensitivity as good as mine... If she could feel what I feel... it would be more likely that she would attack your village, thinking it was the base of some demonic group.¡± Letyan''s words ended up scaring the peasant woman, who took a few steps back.

    ¡°I-Is this serious?... A-And what is this floating circle?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is the type who would order to kill, even though she is a person who normally seeks information first and foremost¡­ And to answer your last question¡­ It is a magic I created to identify the surroundings¡­¡± Letyan said as he undid the magic and walked away, turning to Enri. ¡°I think I found something¡­ I would like you to return to the village. If my sister or anyone else asks about me, tell them I went to meditate¡­ It''s something I do a lot, so they might end up believing it.¡±

    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She said, still scared by the option of being attacked because of being near negative energy, or whatever that means. This made Enri think, if this energy was so great, that a person would attack mercilessly upon noticing it¡­ Was this really related to her saviors?

    ¡°See you later then, Miss Emmot.¡± He said before going deeper into that forest, climbing one of the trees to get through it.

    Being alone now, Letyan Baraja continued to walk along the top of those large trees, until he noticed something that looked like a slightly flat and more open area. The sight of that landscape really made it seem like the trees were planted there to act as great walls, instead of being natural.

    There were already stars in the sky when the boy came down from those trees and entered that separate area. It was possible to see something a little in the distance, it was very reminiscent of an entrance to an underground dungeon, they were rare, but not impossible to find, according to his research in the Holy Kingdom. However, something so well built, which seemed to be made by ancient humans, was the most unthinkable.

    He began to walk slowly towards that entrance, not appearing to have anything with him other than that strange item on his waist. Suddenly, a purple energy appeared in mid-air, forming a kind of portal nearby, making him just look in the direction, without much extra reaction.

    From within that portal, a man with a large red and gold mask appeared, with curved horns appearing to come out of his head, and between them a black top hat. His uniform was black, with a cloak used as a cape, with the internal colors being red, a rose on the left shoulder was one of several eye-catching things. His legs seemed to be covered by a fabric the same color as his clothes, preventing them from being seen, while his hands were covered with golden gloves that had sharp claws at the ends.

    He was not alone, another man was there, a being with tanned skin, as well as long ears like an elf, white and opaque glasses and a red uniform that could be considered more formal, but even less elegant than the uniform the first has. And on the other side, a woman with equally tanned skin, red hair, bright yellow eyes, as well as a uniform like a maid and a small black hat on her head.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Two knights and a lady magically appearing as I approach some sort of dungeon¡­ I must imagine that you are from that group called Ainz Ooal Gown, am I correct?¡± It was strange to say the least, but Letyan didn''t seem that surprised, he was just in a defensive state.

    The man with the top hat laughed lightly. ¡°Exactly, we are members of this group that you spoke about¡­ I just noticed that you ordered your group to stay in the small village to the south, while you came here alone¡­ May I know the reason?¡±

    ¡°So you have eyes and ears even in that village?¡± He asked, but soon a loud voice came from the man in the red dress.

    "Silence! Don''t see that you were asked something? You should just respond!¡± His voice seemed very powerful, but it had no effect on the blond-haired boy, who just shook his head instead of doing the order.

    That ended up making the man in red clothes observe the people who were with him. Showing complete confusion, was something supposed to happen?

    The man with the top hat also seemed confused by the reaction, but he sighed, seeming to observe it well. ¡°My son, you shouldn''t interrupt people like that, we are the youngest in these lands, and from what I saw, he seems to be important enough to ask questions instead of just answering.¡±

    ¡°But, fath-¡± The one with glasses tried to justify himself, but was silenced by the one with the top hat.

    ¡°No ¡®But¡¯s¡­ well¡­ now¡­ to answer your question, yes, we have eyes, but not ears, at least not very attentive ears¡­¡± He said this looking at the young man in blue clothes.

    ¡°Thank you very much for your consideration.¡± He smiled and grabbed the handle of the sword, pulling it out of the sheath and releasing it, causing the blade to stick into the ground, as if its gravity were absurdly intense. ¡°There are several reasons for me to come here alone, one of them is this¡­ This item was what caught my attention and made me know about the existence of something powerful nearby.¡±

    The man in the top hat stared at the item, slowly approaching it and then looking at the man in red. ¡°Son, could you see if this is really the sword?¡±

    As requested, that well-dressed man also approached, summoning a kind of glass in mid-air, placing it between one of his eyes and the sword, as if he were analyzing it. After that, he just nodded and kept changing his vision between the item and the person who brought it.

    ¡°Before the important questions¡­ May I know your name and title?¡± The man in black approached the item, trying to touch the handle, but he ended up going through it, it looked like a mirage.

    ¡°My name is Letyan Baraja, some call me the ¡®Craziest Priest¡¯ or just ¡®The Insane Gaze of Angels¡¯¡­ there are other titles, but generally, people know me by that¡­¡± He said with a small laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can touch the sword either¡­ Don¡¯t worry, for some reason, everyone also has the same surprise¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± He seemed to adjust his golden gloves. ¡°My name is Ulbert Alain Odle¡­ A nickname I have among my allies is ¡®Demon of Great Disaster¡¯¡­ But since you have a title related to angels, I think a title related to demons is not that unusual.¡±

    ¡°It really depends on the religion of the place¡­¡± Letyan commented, laughing again, he had a slight smile on his face. ¡°So, I have questions about the item.¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, but I don''t know if I can answer such questions... to tell you the truth... seeing this sword having this effect of not allowing others to touch it makes me sick... this was... belonging to a great friend of mine, can you understand?¡± Ulbert said, moving away a little, without taking his eyes off the sword there.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault if it flew towards a battlefield and ended up syncing with me¡­ can anyone be to blame for that?¡±

    ¡°Only if it was your goal to do such a thing.¡±

    ¡°Creating paranoid theories? Well, I was just in a fight and this came up, there¡¯s nothing to explain beyond that.¡± Letyan soon picked up the sword again, but something happened¡­

    Suddenly the maid there advanced towards the boy, taking a large mace from under her skirt and swinging it to hit him. ¡°ULBERT-SAMA SAID HE DOESN¡¯T WANT PEOPLE TOUCHING!!¡±

    "Lupus! What are you doi-?" Ulbert was going to complain, but a not so common sight appeared in front of him.

    That boy was still leaning down a little, so he could grab the long-bladed sword, but he had also raised his hand to block Lupus'' attack, which was aimed at his head. The mace was full of thorns, and one of the thorns could be seen going through the boy''s hand, causing it to bleed, but even so he was holding the item, it didn''t even seem like the attack had been made with the maid''s full strength.

    The boy slowly raised his face, looking at the attacker''s face. Her look of astonishment was tremendous, she perhaps thought that young man was weak or too slow. He just sighed, slowly turning his eyes towards Ulbert, who seemed surprised by what the situation had become.

    ¡°If they attack me, I attack, you understand?¡± That''s what the boy said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The three ended up speaking at the same time.

    Letyan held tight to that mace, with a thorn still piercing his hand, he then let go of the sword''s hilt, a strange glow appearing beneath his clothes as he spoke. ¡°[Lapiste]¡±  A magic circle appeared beneath the maid Lupus, before she could react, something appeared from the ground, launching her into the air as if she was a rocket. There on the ground, all that was left was a large stone with an arm-like shape and a fist at the end.

    ¡°Simply an Uppercut on a sassy maid, to make her tame¡­ I don''t like this type of violence, but I''ll do it if anyone wants my harm.¡± The boy said as he cracked his fists and looked back at Ulbert. ¡°This was all just an accident and someone running around without orders, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I didn¡¯t expect her to attack someone so directly like that¡­¡± He stared at the scene and saw the Maid starting to fall from the height she was thrown. ¡°My son, you better catch her before she hits the ground.¡±

    ¡°Okay, father.¡± The man in the red suit said as two scaly wings appeared on his back and he took flight to help the maid.

    While Ulbert''s two assistants were away, Letyan just laughed lightly and shook his head, walking towards the dungeon entrance. ¡°We¡¯d better talk to others, Akatsuki.¡±

    Ulbert stood there, just observing the situation, he shook his head too and ran towards the human there. Holding tight to one of his shoulders. ¡°Where did you get that name?¡±

    ¡°Just think, little goat.¡± The human responded with a slight smile. ¡°According to the locals who live nearby, Suzuki and Masato are also here¡­ And I don¡¯t think they would like to see me feeling the cold in the middle of the night, would they?¡±

    Ulbert seemed to be completely amazed by what he heard, to the point of taking off his own mask, revealing his goat-demon face. His eyes were wide open and his jaw was down, as if he was trying to say something but couldn''t, just seeing the human entering the dungeon with nothing in his hands other than that sword.

    ¡°H-Hey! Ulbert-Sama, why are you letting him in?¡± Said the maid, being carried by the demon NPC to his creator.

    He remained silent, just staring at the dungeon entrance, as if he were inside his own thoughts. This made the girl want to run inside to try to attack that human again, while the demon in red clothes stared at his father, watching everything.

    ¡°Father, you seem to be very still, are you suffering from some paralysis effect?¡± was asked.

    The demon player just shook his head and spoke again, still in disbelief. ¡°Demiurge¡­ My son¡­ I want you to warn some of the Supreme Beings to gather on the 9th Floor¡­ we have an incredible guest¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand, father, is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°. . . If possible, take Lupusregina with you, I feel like she will end up in a near-death state if she attacks that human too much¡­¡±

    ¡°That is an unknown human, who, in my opinion, managed to throw Lupusregina Beta, in addition to surviving her attack without showing pain. Father, did you find out about that human secretly and research him by chance?¡± Demiurge''s words revealed an honest questioning of the demon, in his mind, it was illogical to see such an inferior being seen as an ''incredible guest''.

    ¡°We were right¡­¡± He said, not responding to his son, but to his thoughts. ¡°Using the guild name would really help us find more players¡­ but I didn¡¯t expect that¡­¡±

    <hr>

    [Letyan Baraja¡¯s POV]

    I was having a simple, busy, and even a very interesting life¡­

    Son of a father who is among the most famous people in an entire kingdom, son of an incredible mother, very tough, but fantastic, who has been in battle and led groups. Younger brother of a sweet girl who just wants to become someone in life, to show pride, even if our parents don''t understand why she really wants that...

    I still remember the moment I was born, with all the words and seconds recorded in my mind. It was a room inside a medical house of the Prime Estate, in Hoburns, the capital of the Roble Holy Kingdom, intended only for high-ranking warriors.

    I remember the moment my mother and I locked eyes, her smile, her tears. From my father arriving late to see my birth, as he was trying to make my sister tidy enough to enter the place. And my sweet and sensitive sister looking at me with a big smile.

    After a while, I came to understand that my father and sister''s eyes are considered horrendous, psychotic, scary. I had those eyes too, but I managed to force my face to look more friendly, something that became natural over time. That, anyway, never changed the fact that I saw through their looks and the almost expressionless face my father always had. Few can actually tell when he is smiling, depressed, or even confused, and apparently those few people are just me and my mother, my older sister is not lucky enough to understand that face.

    I remember the problems I ended up causing by wanting to help others, I remember the crazy and insane situations that made my existence noticed by the large circles of the kingdom I protect... I remember the day the royalty called me as one of the three pillars for them, my mentor and her sister being the "twin wings" of the magnificent and only Holy Queen Calca Bessarez, while I''m unofficially seen as the ¡°Halo¡± of your majesty.

    And yet¡­

    I never expected to find that katana, my instrument in that world of leisure...

    I never expected to return to this place, which I thought was a distant memory of a past moment when I just wanted to have fun and enjoy life... When I imagined that everything would finally end happily for me...

    I was now entering one of the initial rooms on the 2nd Floor¡­

    It was just as I remembered it, as if the layout hadn''t changed since my unfortunate departure. I felt the presence of the undead, more specifically, the skeleton warriors, who were below the ground, just waiting for me to approach them to be activated. I could see the long suspension bridge in the distance, which separated the common area on that floor, from the Floor Guardian area there.

    ¡°What was her name again?¡± I ended up talking to myself as I walked a little further, the ground shook in certain parts, with skeletons slowly appearing. ¡°It was ¡®Shall something¡¯¡­ Hmm¡­ Shallian? Shallcry? Maybe I''m confusing it and it''s ''Chair something''... knowing the mind of that bird-headed pervert... it''s even possible..."

    The monsters made a lot of noise and approached me, wanting to hit me with those swords, but I just started dodging them. In fact, it didn''t even seem like a real attack...

    From the moment I re-obtained [Kuwoi-Muramasa], I started to feel my body lighter¡­

    Since the days I saw magic being done in my new life, I noticed how strangely similar to YGGDRASIL''s skills they were. I even tested using them, but every time I used a skill, I felt my body bleeding inside, vomiting and headaches that could leave me in bed for days. The negative effects decreased the more I increased my stamina and physical training, but they still occurred, however now, with my katana in hand, I could use those skills again without having much backlash, but this only went to those from tier 6 and below.

    Anyway, I was very used to the improvised method I created to return to using skills from that game...

    ¡°[Ignis]!!¡±

    I felt the energy from the environment enter my body and quickly go to the palms of my hands, becoming fireballs almost immediately. There were only three projectiles, which meant I had to move both my arms, as if I were throwing repeated punches, but with my palms open, thus creating bursts of several fireballs that hit the skeleton warriors, knocking down most of those who weren''t raising their shields in time.

    ¡°Did you like the heat? Well, now we''re going to have a blizzard! [Grando]!¡± Instead of the fire projectiles, a thick spike of ice was now formed, heading towards the enemies, in the same way as I did with my own fire magic, I needed to use both hands repeatedly to create a volley of several of them.

    There weren''t as many projectiles per shot, but the intensity of the attacks was stronger due to the rigidity. This time, I could see the projectiles hitting the shields and the impact was destroying the monsters right there. Making me give a satisfied smile as I start walking on that bridge.

    ¡°Wow... it seems much more difficult to walk... was there some automatic movement system on bridges in the game, and I didn''t know?¡± It was my first comment, it was very wobbly and loose, it was impossible to imagine 3 people walking in it at the same time, that''s how I remembered it, at least.

    ''Maybe they changed it while I wasn''t there. Yes, it was a more acceptable alternative¡­¡¯

    That area was actually two bridges connecting the two ends of the floor with a central platform where there could be limited battles. But just as I remembered, when I arrived at the central platform, nothing happened, the trap was people''s paranoia waiting for something to appear.

    I started walking through the second part of the area, until I felt a strong tremor in the ropes, as if they were breaking apart. Making me run to the other side, but it didn''t seem to help, because the moment the rope was destroyed, the whole bridge was falling down.

    I held on to the wood that formed the floor of the suspension bridge, and prepared myself for the impact against the strong wall. Now using the bridge as a ladder to climb that perpendicular structure, arriving at the entrance to an underground church.

    ¡°Argh¡­ Was this something expected and different from before? Or am I too heavy?¡± I ended up talking to myself again, standing up and observing the dark immensity behind me.

    In the game, it was a deep hole, but there was a bottom, which was actually a large portal that led to other areas. Did it still work like that? Maybe, but knowing some possibilities of places I could be taken made me shake in agony.

    I don''t even want the chance to fall into the cockroach room...

    Looking ahead again, I opened the gates of that underground church, seeing a magnificent landscape. Stained glass windows all over the side walls, emitting colorful lights that left the place illuminated in certain parts, while others were bathed in darkness. A could see rows of benches at the ends, leaving a large central space.

    And on the other side of that church, a grand altar with an oxidized bronze statue, trying to imitate any religious symbol, non-existent. In front of that, there were 5 women with dark hair, extremely pale skin, almost gray, and white clothes that covered part of their body, but leaving their curves and more striking parts of the silhouette very relevant.

    ¡°Vampires¡­? Hm¡­ true, I think the Floor Guardian here is a Vampire¡­ or True Vampire¡­ It doesn''t matter¡­¡± I said quietly, again to myself, as I slowly walked towards them. ¡°Are you here to fight, beauties?¡±

    One of them looked at my eyes, they all had red irises, but that one in particular had a brighter look, with a slight movement of her arm as if she was calling me. It was too obvious to know what was going on, unfortunately, I know some people who would fall for it.

    ¡°You are really using the skill [Charm]? How cute¡­¡± I laughed, adjusting my uniform and removing my robe and shirt so as not to damage it too much during the battle, putting it inside the new inventory space that came together with my katana.

    My body was covered in countless self-made tattoos, all of which were circular glyphs. This was the type of magic that I used more often than common skills, ritualistic symbols that suck energy into my body and then the same energy was used immediately, not even giving time to my physique be affected.

    ¡°You shouldn''t do that, if you knew I was compromised, miss¡­¡± They looked at me angrily, making noises as if they were territorial beasts wanting to scare off some invader. Well, that wouldn''t work on me.

    The 5 of them ran towards me, I just ducked, touching my hand to the ground. Two glyphs began to glow on my body, one of them was the level 1 enhancement symbol, [Vol], and the second was the ice symbol, [Grando]. And so I spoke out loud. ¡°[Vol Grando]!!¡±

    Ice clusters appeared from the ground, hindering and even hurting the Vampire Brides who almost managed to touch me. Being protected there, I already thought about my next form of attack. I wanted to have fun, test what that dungeon was like after seeing it as something real, but using the katana would take away the fun. Therefore, the level 2 enhancement and sickle constructor symbols both shone.

    ¡°[Melio Falcis]!!¡± I exclaimed again, a large 2-meter golden sickle with a dense blade appearing in my right hand.

    With a strong movement from right to left, along with a firm hold using both my hands, I managed to create a horizontal slash that went through the ice walls I created, cutting it. I could notice that one of the vampires had been cut in half by the attack, it seems that she was trapped in the ice spikes instead of being expelled away.

    That monster''s body was lying on the ground, with a kind of black blood flowing out of its open parts. It was very viceral, more so than the game I remembered... Well, that was real now, I shouldn''t expect everything to be exactly like a virtual world, in there.

    I watched as they continued to growl and try to attack me again, two of them used physical attacks, while the others seemed to raise their hands towards me as if they were casting some spell. I felt a tremendous force hitting my body, it was some kind of invisible shockwave that knocked me to the ground. One of the vampire brides jumped on top of me, trying to devour me right there, and with my high speed, I lifted one of my legs, kicking her hard in the stomach and throwing it against the ceiling.

    ¡°[Melio Scutum]!¡± I used another set of glyphs, thus creating a large floating shield that covered the front part of my body, preventing the second vampire bride from trying to attack me there.

    With that little time now, I pushed my legs to get off the ground. I realized that the other vampires were using that shockwave again, but thanks to my large shield still being active, it seemed to have no effect. That made me smile, already thinking of another way to destroy them.

    ¡°[Luminatio]!¡± From my left hand, a small light appeared, and when launched, it divided into two spheres, which began to rotate and increase in size as the seconds passed, heading towards the furthest enemies.

    One vampire bride managed to dodge, while another wasn''t so lucky. When touched, her pale body seemed to burn, as if she were under a scorching sun. Even with passive regeneration, it would take a while for her to be able to fight effectively again.

    Undoing the shield, I was able to use my right hand again, stretching towards them and releasing the opposite of the previous attack.¡°[Umbra]!¡± A kind of specter came out of the magic circle in my palm, it wasn''t humanoid, just a line of negative energy. It crept through the air quickly, leaving a putrid trail, managing to pass through the bodies of the two closest vampires. Not physically attacking them, but it seemed to be a consistent stun.

    ¡°Now I want to test¡­ [Torpor]!¡± I used it with both hands, creating a yellowish crystal in each.

    Launching the crystals towards the vampires, when they were hit, they seemed to paralyze right there, with the crystal quickly covering their bodies, as if it was a tomb of golden ice. This honestly made me smile slightly, since I had created that skill, I had just tested it on nothing stronger than goblins or orcs.

    ¡°Good¡­¡± I observed the remaining vampire there, she seemed to understand the situation she was in, slowly taking steps back as she leaned against the wall. ¡°Hmm? Do vampires feel scared too?¡± I ended up saying, having a dark smile out of habit.

    Seeing that pathetic situation made me just sigh, looking at the vampire bride who was still cut in half there, she seemed to still be ¡°alive¡±, but she was unable to regenerate, in addition to her movements being slow and weak. I know they were vampires, but testing my skills there, without being afraid of being reprimanded by Kelart, made me realize that I was well above their level, with surprise attacks being the only things that could hit me at the moment.

    ¡°Am I really sorry for a vampire?¡± I questioned myself, it wasn''t so many times that I fought against rational beings, and the times I did, I was defending my home, but now I was invading, just for fun and curiosity.

    I pointed one of my hands against the one that still didn''t seem so affected by the last attacks. When suddenly, a purple portal appeared in the middle of the room, making me turn my face, but not move out of position.

    From inside that portal, a woman of small stature, with a small parasol, pale skin color, red eyes, hair as white as her skin, and a very chic red and purple outfit, came out. Next to her, there was a being that could pass for a human, if he had the aura of one, he had a butler''s uniform, but with an appearance that I could only describe as a wise martial artist.

    I could remember that they were NPCs, and important ones, but I couldn''t remember their functions at the exact time. However, being able to connect some dots, that little one should be the Vampire Floor Guardian.

    "What do you want?" I questioned them without much delay.

    ¡°The Supreme Beings were watching this battle, human¡­ Your abilities have made them curious enough for you to be called to them at this very moment.¡± Said the small woman, in a voice that I found irritating.

    ¡°No, thanks, I''m facing the dungeon precisely to get there without any shortcuts.¡± I responded, but it didn''t seem to have left them satisfied, at least the little girl was the only one to react, while the butler remained silent, observing.

    ¡°Did I say you had a choice?¡± She said in a serious tone. ¡°You were called to go to them¡­immediately. Nothing was said about you having a choice.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Wait a bit then. As they say, ¡®after playing you have to clean up the mess¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re saying?!¡± She exclaimed, but decided to ignore it.

    I approached the vampire cutted in half, she clearly tried to attack me, but I ended up slapping her in the face to keep her quiet. Bringing the two halves of the body closer together, I raised my hand, using [Greater Transfer: Undead Constitution], a form of Healing for undead, and so she seemed to regenerate and connect instantly.

    For the one that was burned, I just bit my own wrist until blood came out, aiming my bitten hand towards it, I threw blood at it, using a [Quadra Saint¡¯s Blood Pool]. The blood that touched her was undoing the effects of my light attack, making her regeneration return to normal.

    I turned to the two who were waiting for me near the portal, walking towards them, while snapping my fingers, breaking the golden ice crystals that trapped the last two remaining vampire brides. I noticed that they looked at me strangely, the vampire was extremely confused by what she saw, while the butler just raised an eyebrow.

    "What? Have you never seen an enemy healing someone?¡± I said going through that purple spiral.

    On the other side, there was what I could call a meeting room, with several chairs there, but only 3 were being used at the moment. Observing who was there, I still couldn''t really understand the proportion of the situation, that the friends I made in my last life were really here, at least some of them. I ended up smiling a little, walking closer to where they were, noticing the symbols behind the chairs. I couldn''t forget my symbol, because I had remade it in this world as my signature.

    So, I started to pull out my old chair to sit down, but before I could do that, I noticed someone raising their hand, as if asking me to stop what I was doing. This person was in full armor and looked much more superior than the paladins I always observe on the training grounds. He got up and walked towards me calmly, touching my shoulder, his hand was heavy, but his attempt not to appear aggressive was noticeable.

    ¡°Masato¡­ it¡¯s been a long time huh?¡± I was the first to break the silence inside that place.

    He stared at me, seeming to look at my appearance from top to bottom, before touching my shoulder with his other hand. ¡°Keiko...Is it really you?...¡± His voice sounded like he was holding himself back from crying.

    I simply took my katana from my waist and placed it on the table. ¡°Of course, does anyone know your name?¡± I tried to create one of the very obvious reasons for them to know my identity, but really, I didn''t even know if they told others their human names, I was just guessing, since the villagers from Carne used their IGN.

    ¡°Hm¡­ Just extra care. Tell me about the life of that one.¡± And then he pointed to the Brain Eater sitting there.

    I just gave a soft smile, almost a smirk. ¡°Fuyuki Yamamoto¡­. The last time I saw him, he was around 37 years old and worked as a physical and online literary restorer of 20th and 21st century content... However, he would be cheap if the subject of the book was related to horror or purely with ¡®fear of the unknown¡¯ as its theme. He only lived with his father, as he didn''t have money for his own house, in addition, he has a black cat that is only his because his family took care of the kittens for two generations, you gave him the same name as Lovecraft''s cat. ¡± Everyone had a scary look, I mean, the demon player had, while the insectoid and the brain eater were difficult to read due to their facial equipment.

    ¡°SO IT IS REALLY YOU?!?¡± The three spoke loudly, with Masato soon starting to hug me very tightly. I was lucky that my body was minimally resistant to something like that.

    ¡°Yes yes, it¡¯s me, now can you stop this? I was walking for a few weeks until I got here and yet I didn''t get a good rest.¡± It was a lie that I was too tired, but it was a truth that I could barely relax during my trip.

    He soon walked away, while the other two approached... That''s when I noticed something interesting...

    ¡°I see Masato, Akatsuki and Fuyuki¡­. As far as I know, Satoru also came here¡­ where is he?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ We arrived in this world a little more than a month ago¡­ And we were interested in things here, as it reminds us of those isekai anime¡­ But we decided to stay inside as a safety measure until we understand more about this new world.¡± Tabula tried to explain. ¡°And it''s kind of¡­ Suzuki got bored and decided to go out for a bit, infiltrating the city of E-Rantel as a novice but very rich adventurer.¡±

    ¡°. . . You are in an unknown world for 1 month and let someone with mild social problems leave here without many countermeasures to problems?¡±

    ¡°No, we gave him a [Scroll of Return], in case there is any problem, and anyway he is with one of the battle maids, Narberal Gamma.¡± Ulbert was the one who answered me, but my confused expression made him describe who he was more so I could remember. ¡°It¡¯s a Doppelganger, level 63, with a focus as Close Battle Magic Caster.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that seems appropriate for the situation¡­¡± I replied, sitting down in my old chair.

    We talked a little longer, mainly with the topic being about our lives while I was away from them. We went little by little, each one counting in parts and taking our turns. Until they mentioned Haruka¡­

    Haruka¡­ A girl really different from the conventional, but adorable and sweet after getting to know her for real¡­

    And to think that my parents in my last life would have tried something like this...

    I mean, I made a will and stuff, not giving them anything, because our family was already very rich, plus, knowing Haruka, they could visit her and even see some of my personal items, if they wanted something as a memory record. There was no logical reason to give them anything after my death. And even so, they tried to intervene and prevent my will from happening¡­

    ¡°What a bunch of mother fuckers¡­ If I could show up there during this moment, the first thing I would do is tell her everything is fine¡­ and then beat those greedy old bastards to the point where they couldn''t even breathe.¡±

    ¡°W h a t! This is very aggressive. Aren¡¯t they your parents?¡±

    "They were." I reminded them. ¡°And even if I were alive in that world and saw them doing something like this, I would still go up to them and beat them until they were forced to call security.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve always been the type to say ¡®fuck¡¯ when you¡¯re really angry?¡± Tabula was the one who said, laughing. ¡°I would never expect that from you.¡±

    ¡°It''s just that in my past life, no one ever crossed the line that makes me really angry... Here in this world, on the other hand, I''ve already crossed that line a few times... No one died, of course. But everyone runs away in fear... because of that, one of the stupid nicknames they created for me is ''The angel with the face of a demon''... "

    TouchMe rubbed his chin a little against his own helmet. ¡°The people of Roble Holy Kingdom really like the angel theme, right?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Do they have something like Christianity in this world?¡± Ulbert was the next to ask, clearly because he was a demon now.

    ¡°It''s confusing to explain... after some research and finding out about YGGDRASIL items in this world... I created some theories... There''s a good chance that you''re not the only ones from within the game who came here.¡± Their eyes filled with surprise again, and they remained silent for me to continue speaking. ¡°In this world there are some religions, and the way they talk about the deities of each of them, it is clear to think that they are all Players¡­ The oldest recorded thing is related to 500 years ago, and it is also the time when one of the first of these religions were created... so there are other theories related to these gods or players having destroyed all information about what this world was like before the interference with YGGDRASIL.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, this is very sinister¡­¡± I saw Tabula getting up, going to a mirror in that room. ¡°I think it¡¯s best to talk about this kind of thing when we¡¯re all together, so that no one is left out of this information.¡±

    ¡°I agree... With Keiko being an inhabitant of this world, and especially someone in contact with high-ranking people, we can use him as the main source of our basic knowledge... Of course, if it''s not a problem for you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind sharing information with you, especially since you¡¯re new to this world and I know y¡¯all, guys.¡± I replied, also getting up. ¡°I still have some time to stay here before people get worried about my disappearance, I think I''ll spend the rest of the time with Haru-¡± Something happened unexpectedly, my stomach started to growl loudly, making the others to observe me carefully.

    ¡°Do you want to have dinner at least? We can call her here.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Masato¡­ that¡¯s a really good idea¡­¡± I replied, feeling slightly embarrassed about it.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± he got up and went to the door. There seemed to be a maid on the other side, but I could still hear him. ¡°Miss, I would like you to bring us a decent meal, I also want you to call Bukubuku if it¡¯s not a problem.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, TouchMe-Sama! A-anything else?¡± I could hear the soft and shy voice of that maid, Masato looked at me, as if he was asking the same thing.

    ¡°A fruit dessert, if that¡¯s not too much to ask for.¡± I replied.

    ¡°We also want a dessert based on fruit foods¡­ Ah! And due to our visitor here, say that the food has to be something edible for the non-undeads¡­ something that¡­ you would give to the 6th Floor Guardians¡­ Ah! And invite them to eat with us too.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, TouchMe-Sama¡­¡± She said, still very shy and Masato closed the door.

    ¡°Hehehe, this is going to be a nice family reunion.¡± Ulbert said as he seemed to slightly stretch his body, as if doing basic exercises in the same place.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I understand calling Haruka¡­ but why call our NPCs?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you must have noticed while talking to me and Demiurge before, but to clarify¡­ apparently, the vast majority of NPCs treat their creators as parents or masters, depending on whether there is some information like that in their Settings¡­¡± Ulbert explained as he continued to do the exercise, I could hear some of his bones cracking. ¡°And you may not remember, but you and Haruka made jokes and wrote in your own NPCs¡¯ Settings that they were your children.¡±

    Upon hearing his words, I just facepalmed.

    I had barely returned to seeing friends from a past life, but how did I become a father right away? I ended up whispering, expressing my concern. ¡°Neia will go crazy if she finds out about this¡­¡±

 Chapter 22 - Holy Reunion II

    [Haruka¡¯s POV]

    "Hihihihi! Aura, you look so cute in this uniform!!"

    "M-mommy... W-Why do I have to wear this? I-It''s too shameful..."

    "Mother always dresses us in the best things, Mare! Don''t complain so much!"

    I laughed, having a lot of fun with it.

    I was inside the big tree on the 6th Floor, the home of my two children. In front of me was Mare, my dear and adorable little doll, super cute! He was dressed in one of the Idol uniforms I made him wear before the whole situation happened.

    It was a white uniform with dark green and gold accents, having a mini skirt that covered up to half of the thighs, gloves and long socks that were completely white and pure, greenish flats, and a tiara containing an emerald. I can''t forget the most eye-catching thing about that outfit, a big green and gold ribbon that was on the right side of his waist.

    Oh my god! This outfit so cute and shimmering makes me want to squeeze and bite his elf cheek for hours!!

    "You''re so cute... It reminds me of that old time... Do you remember that?" I asked, curious to know if they had memories related to when I used them as extras in my shows.

    To my surprise and happiness, I saw both of them nodding in agreement. Oh my god, they did it at the same time!! HOW CUTE!!

    "M-momm-my, you always asked us to d-dance some songs with you..." Mare said, hiding his face.

    "Yes, and father was always playing some instrument or holding some kind of black box... but I still don''t get it... Why did we do that?" Aura asked curiously and looking directly at me.

    Remembering Keiko wasn''t usually a good thing, but these memories of the concerts and live streams were the cutest and most fun we had together. It even gave a nostalgic feeling...

    Oh wait.. I can make it even more nostalgic...

    "I''ll talk, but only if you put on your uniform too~"

    My sentence made my lovely Aura blush completely, she was clearly embarrassed to wear it in the same way as her brother, but she didn''t complain and soon got dressed in front of me. The uniform was very similar to Mare''s, with the difference that the large ribbon was on the left side, and everything that was green on him was red on her.

    But before I could speak, I noticed someone knocking on the main door of the tree. It made me move closer and open up, revealing that idiotic, perveted vampire created by my brother.

    "What do you want here, Shalltear?" I asked, as she had interrupted my moment.

    She seemed to bow before speaking. "Great Bukubuku-sama, Demiurge asked me to call you up to the 9th Floor. From what I understand, Ulbert-sama has found a human who may be of interest to the Supreme Beings, and he is allowing it here in Nazarick."

    "A human? Describe it."

    "He seems to be a boy with blue clothes and blonde hair... according to Demiurge, Ulbert-sama called this visitor an ''incredible guest''... I, on the other hand, could not understand what an inferior being like that could have to be called ''incredible''..."

    ¡°. . . Tell them I won''t be there. I''ve got better things to do!"

    "Yes, mom has better things to do now!" Aura spoke loudly behind me, making Shalltear notice her uniform.

    The idiot vampire started laughing at that, while I, changing into a humanoid slime form, stared at her. "Are you laughing at the outfit that I, a Supreme Being, made and chose for my children?" Both my sentence and my tone of voice ended up making that vampire shut up, bowing as if begging for forgiveness for having laughed at it. I kept quiet, making that idiot vampire break out in a cold sweat and slowly come out of the tree.

    I could feel that she even pissed in fear while running away.

    "Argh... What an idiot... She can''t read the situation unless we write it down for her..."

    "Heh, in this case, she''s pretty similar to my brother." I said with a slight laugh. "By the looks of it, that stupid guy injected some of his idiocy into her." We both laughed as Mare stayed there, sitting on the bed in a super well-behaved way.

    "Okay, back to the subject from before..." I returned to where we were, sitting down in a small chair that was there.

    "I''ll explain to you... your mommy here worked with things related to give life to beings manufactured with my own voice~ Your dad realized that this job was wearing me out too much, so he helped me to be a celebrity~ the ''black box'' was an item he had, which allowed all my fans to see and hear me. You were practically there as my assistants~" Their swarthy faces seemed almost pale, with their cheeks and ears mega reddened.

    "I...wait... that is... That every time we were dancing... were we also being seen and interacting with other beings outside of Nazarick?" Aura asked, trembling a little, while Mare fell silent.

    "Hehehehe. Yes~ We even recorded some of the shows we did together~" They were both shaking with embarrassment, while I started laughing a lot.

    Oh my, it''s so fun to tease them.~

    That time was super fun, talking, playing and teasing those two little elves had become my favorite daily task. Ever since they became real, that''s pretty much the only thing I''ve been doing all the day.

    "Mother! Mother!" Two voices came up near where I stood, with a very familiar face rising from the wall, it was my dear poltergeist. "Mother! Everyone is calling you for dinner on the 9th Floor. They said it was special and that both you and we should be there."

    "Hm..." I was thoughtful, after all, being a slime, the amount of food I needed was very small, and I could eat even tree branches and feel refreshed. However, since my three darlings would go there too...

    "Okay! I stood up and used my special ring to create a portal, which the four of us walked through.

    Arriving on the other side, we were in front of a table full of food, there were hamburgers, pancakes, roast meat, and even what appeared to be a cake with pieces of fruit exposed. Seated at the table were all the members present... And someone else?

    He was a boy with long blond hair, shirtless, with several symbols tattooed on his body, which by the way seemed to be a strong one... Looking closely at him, I noticed a look that seemed to penetrate my body the moment he noticed my presence, giving a kind of mocking smile.

    Wait a minute...

    "W-What does a human do here?! And why didn''t anyone warn me to wear a disguise?! AND WHY AREN''T YOU WEARING DISGUISES?!?" Those were the first things I could say.

    They stared at me for a few seconds and then started laughing like crazy! Even that guest did the same!!

    "HAHAHAHAHA! Relax Haru! This one is an important and amazing person! I don''t think any disguise of ours would work against him!"

    "Yep! HAHAHA! And to think that you would be in shock just because a human is seeing our true form! How hilarious!"

    "O-of course my concern makes sense! Did you see that idiot we captured?! It is comparable to a maximum of level 12! On top of that, the ''most powerful beings'' he had access to was an Archangel Flame! It''s child''s play to kill that!!" I tried to make excuses for the mini panic I had. "So of course beings like us would scare anyone!"

    "No, the folks at Slane Theocracy are really a bunch of crazies who focus more on the power of an item than the power of the person themselves..." The young man said getting up and then approaching me and my children. "I mean... There are powerful people with them, but it''s an extremely small amount... Anyway... You''re Haruka Aoki, but you''d rather be called Bukubukuchagama recently, wouldn''t you?"

    His words made me a little distressed, someone gave him my real name??? BUT WHY?!? ARE THEY STUPID ENOUGH TO SAY THEIR NAMES SO EASILY?!

    "H-Haruka?" Mare questioned, still standing by my side.

    "It''s her name from before she became a member of the Ainz Ooal Gown." Said the young man, now bending down a little to be at my son''s height. "You''re so... Adorable, especially in this cute uniform. You must be Mare Bello Fiore, aren''t you?"

    Eh?! Does he already know his name too?!

    "And with this logic... You, young lady, must be Aura Bella Fiore, did I get it right?"

    "Hm... Yes, but what''s important to know about it?" Aura questioned, seeming not to care about the man, as she sat down in a chair, grabbing a burger that was on the table.

    "Well, that''s pretty serious information, since no one is supposed to know but us... This includes your mother''s old name, as only we, the Supreme Beings, have access to that." That idiot brain eater began to explain.

    "Then how does he know that?" Mare questioned quite a bit of confusion, when suddenly, not only his eyes, but mine and my daughters'' eyes also widened.

    That tattooed boy placed a large katana on the table with the blade painted red and blue. The item seemed to vibrate gently, giving a tense sensation that I could feel, but it didn''t seem to affect me due to some passive protection ability I had.

    That didn''t change the fact that I felt something more about it...

    He knows our names...

    He seems to be relaxed, even with our appearances...

    And he''s got that katana...

    I ended up not being able to stand it!!

    My body instinctively returned to an amorphous form and jumped against him, enveloping him with my whole being!

    It was like a tight hug, I wrapped him all up! I don''t want him to go away! I don''t want this to be some mistake!

    "KEIKY!!" I exclaimed loudly, my imaginary tears streaming down my entire body.

    He was here!! He''s with me!!

    I have my adorable kids! I''ve got my love back!!

    I am the happiest woman in the worl-

    "Haruka! You''re suffocating him! Release it!!" The voice of the knight of justice made me wake up from my thoughts.

    I had actually swallowed him, his body was floating inside my body, it wasn''t being dissolved, but he seemed to be getting short of breath. Quickly, I let go of him, causing him to fall to the ground, completely honeyed with my pink slime liquids.

    I''M SUCH AN IDIOT!! I ALMOST LOST HIM AGAIN!!

    "Aaah... I''m fine! I''m fine!" He said as he stood up slowly, coughing up some of the slime that had entered his mouth and nostrils. "Argh... I''ve been attacked by slimes before... But that was pretty intense... I mean... They''re slow and it would take them 10 minutes with my body standing still to do that damage..."

    "So there are slimes in this new world too? Good to know..." I could hear Ulbert commenting as he annotated on a holographic page.

    "I''m really sorry! I didn''t want to do that! I was just so happy and wanted to hug you!!" I tried to explain myself, but he just laughed and nodded, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

    "Eh?" The joint voice that did this was from my dear children, I watched them, the three of them were extremely confused.

    "Mommy... apologizing to an inferior being...?"

    "No! Don''t call him inferior!" I was soon correcting my beautiful dark elf femboy. "And don''t treat him like that either!" I pointed to Aura and Mary.

    "You called him Keiky, mother. Is he an acquaintance of the Supreme Beings?" Mary questioned soon after.

    "Ohohoho! He is much more than an acquaintance, he was also part of our group!" Tabula spoke as he picked up a plate of roast meat. "I think he''d better introduce himself properly to the three of you."

    The look on my children''s faces became one of extreme confusion. Maybe it''s because of the way NPCs think about guild members... This makes them unable to connect the dots so easily, since we are seen as deities to them...

    Keiko stood up, grinning widely. "You Nazarick NPCs should know me better as Hikari, Nazarick''s Only Human!"

    They seemed to be extremely paralyzed by this revelation, the ghost being the only one to move, standing in front of him and soon seemed to pass through his body as if it were nothing. Her dead gaze became full of life, staring at him.

    "Ush! What a cold feeling!! Don''t cross my body so casually!" He exclaimed, giving a glimpse of his body shaking.

    "Father..." The ghost said in a doubled voice as she floated around him, as if she were in an orbit.

    "I-Is this serious?" Mare asked as she stood up and walked over to the man, who just laughed and nodded.

    "Oh my god!! But how could that be possible?! Our father died in the great incident of the Absolute Guild War!" Aura was the one who exclaimed, dropping the burger she had in her hand.

    "Heh... Reincarnation exists, in a way... I think it was pure luck to be here with you..." He said, quickly watching me. "I can give a short or long summary while we have dinner."

    "Short, but without leaving out the important parts." I replied, finally sitting down in my chair.

    We started chatting as we ate, it was hilarious to see his expression mold with each bite, as if the food was so good it was hard to stay serious while talking. But the things he said, little by little, became very tense and confusing to understand...

    He had memories from his whole life, from when he was a baby, which was already bizarre to think about, but he also had memories about what it was like after death...

    Dark, pure darkness, the non-existent perception of time. The sheer agony of being in emptiness...

    It''s torturous the way he described it so casually, as if it was normal... At least the other parts of the story seemed more normal and simple to think about.

    "This... It was intense... You didn''t tell us about that initial part."

    "I''m sorry, Akaty. I ended up not mentioning it because there was no point in talking about it when more people were going to show up. I hate repeating myself over and over again with the same people, you all know that." His words reminded me of all the little parties we had... He never really said anything of great importance to a few people.

    "Anyway..." He yawned, looking like he had a full belly. "I think I''ll go back to that village. My sister and mentor must be worried waiting for me for nothing... And if I''m right, in a few hours it will be dawn."

    "Are you sure you don''t want to stay here, Dad?" Mary asked, her eyes big and fluffy.

    Unlike Aura and Mare, Mary seems to have absolutely trusted that this was Keiko, or in this case, Hikari. However, my little dark elves were still suspicious, Mare was expressionless about it, while Aura seemed to observe him as someone inferior by the way she spoke and gestured to him throughout the conversation at dinner.

    I''ll have to punish them later... But do they really deserve it? YES!! They deserve it! If one of their sisters says something and even my friends and I agree, there''s no reason for them to be in doubt!

    "I''ve been out there for a lifetime, plus I''m very important in my group, so being missing like this can cause a lot of problems..." He sighed and soon observed me closely. "I can show up tomorrow... From what I understand, Momonga is undercover as a rookie adventurer and is going to do a mission related to going to that village, isn''t he?"

    "Yes... While he doesn''t arrive, you keep coming here at night with the excuse that you''re looking for the ''group of heroes'' or something, and then when he arrives for real and finishes his little mission. Then we can show up and start acting a lot." Tabula was the one to say it and it seemed that Touch and Ulbert accepted that too, I felt annoyed, but I also decided to accept that idea.

    So we left him at the entrance of the dungeon so he could walk to that village...

    I hope to make the most of this second chance...

    <hr>

    [3rd Person POV]

    "Ah... This place is really interesting..." Said the Overlord, who was now lying on a simple bed while wearing a large black armor that covers his entire body. "And to think that we''d end up meeting someone like that kid around here on our first journey..."

    The skeleton referred to Nfirea, a boy who had made a request so that he could be escorted towards Carne Village. The human was impressive, due to an ability that Momonga was able to identify while talking to people around, the human seemed to have the passive power to use any equipment, unaffected by the restriction of the same. Something that even YGGDRASIL players would dream of having, since it was very expensive and laborious to do something like this, and even then, it would be impossible to access ALL requirements of any of the items.

    "Momonga-sama... I don''t understand why he didn''t attack an insect with such power." Said the woman who was standing next to him, looking at the skeleton. This was Narberal Gamma, a Doppleganger, more specifically one of the Pleiades, at this moment being in super simple clothes that made her look like a mage of peasant origin, using "Nabe" as a false name.

    "I''ve already told you to call me Momon when we''re undercover, no matter if it looks like we''re alone or not." He said with a sigh, even though he had no lungs. "And we''re here as simple adventurers, disguising ourselves as humans, I even used illusion magic to create a human face when I was asked to take off my helmet."

    "But to answer you correctly... It looks interesting, plus it has some connection to the village that Touch and I saved... Which makes it so that maybe we can have him as an ally without really forcing him into anything." He realized that the doppleganger didn''t understand what he meant, due to the blanker-than-usual expression, causing him to have to find another explanation. "Humans work and are much more productive when they do something by sheer choice and not because they''re being forced... Sure, we could push someone, but if there''s a chance for them to do it themselves, it''s a lot more efficient." Her expression changed almost imperceptibly, nodding her head in agreement.

    It took a few minutes without anyone saying anything, with Momonga trying to sleep, while Narberal was just polishing her master''s sword, until they finally got into another matter. "Nabe, tell me your opinion on the information we received this afternoon, in relation to the report we received from Nazarick. What do you think?"

    "I find it astonishing that there is any human who has managed to enter Nazarick and receive the sympathy of the other Supreme Beings... Momon-sama, do you have any other information than what I hear?" Narberial said non-stop her work of polishing the items.

    "Hm..." The skeleton was uncomfortable with her calling him ''-Sama'', but he still had to get used to his new life. "I haven''t been told a big deal, only that I''d love to meet this guy, and that we''re lucky we''re going to Carne Village on this first mission as adventurers..."

    The thoughts of Momonga, or more specifically, Suzuki Satoru, were floating around in countless alternatives. He had already been inside that body for a few weeks already, and had to adapt to the point of view of all the subordinates, the NPCs. They were all heteromorphs, with one or the other who was considered "Human" by the game system, but not by the actual situation. They were full of ego, related to superiority, not just of his creators, but of Nazarick as a whole. There was also the problem they faced, related to groups of humans having access to YGGDRASIL items and summons, and the fact that the only ones they''ve seen so far, were definitely of bad character.

    But, for now there to be a new human emerging, catching the interest of his player friends, and not showing any negative response, even if everyone there is heteromorphic?? The situation itself already made the skeleton mega curious, so meeting this person was perhaps a highlight for the beginning of the whole adventure.

    ''But why didn''t they tell me anything more than that?'' It was one of Suzuki''s thoughts the most. Was it some stunning surprise? Unfortunately, with everything that had already been through in a short time, the answer to this question could be absolutely anything.

    And so the night passed, allowing the ''newbie adventurer'' to observe the sun''s rays while a group was waiting for him. The escort mission would not be done only by him, besides him and Nabe, there was a silver rank group, composed of 4 adventurers, known as the Swords of Darkness.

    Originally, that group and Momon were going to venture together on a monster-hunting mission, however, due to a slight problem that led to the young Nfireia''s interest, now the situation had changed, with them escorting the boy, while also subduing monsters along the way. The use would be absolute, since the mission of killing monsters would be done in that same passage as they would go. To avoid further problems, Momon and Nabe would earn 75% of the total escort reward, while Sword of Darkness would earn 25%. On the other hand, the group of adventurers would earn 80% of the subjugation reward, while the two ''newbies'' would earn the other 20%.

    "Oh... Did you sleep well, Mr. Momon, Miss Nabe?" Said one of the members of the Sword of Darkness, he was a very robust man with blond hair and looked like some kind of powerful barbarian, but in fact this was a lie, as he was just a kind and friendly druid.

    "Good morning, Dyne... And yes, we slept well, the beds here were much better than the sheet beds we usually make when we travel." Momon lied when talking to the druid, just following the roleplay of his disguise, like a strong old guy who decided, well after expected, to enter the life of an adventurer.

    Nabe didn''t answer, causing the group''s Ranger to chuckle slightly and try to call her. "Come here with me, Miss Nabe, a woman like you should be sitting and not standing." The man was very thin, blond, wearing leather armor and trying to flirt with the ''newbie''.

    Obviously, his goal was flawed, with her expression not even changing, making some, even Nfirea, frown at the pseudo-womanizer. "Lukrut, better stop this, since yesterday, in the mission room, it''s obvious that she doesn''t like it."

    "Well, she''s not even reacting, meaning she may or may not have liked it and we don''t even know!" The ranger, Lukrut, said this as he sat in the wagon they were going to use to go to Carne Village.

    "I thought it was repulsive." Nabe spoke at the very moment she got into the wagon with Momon, that answer was so direct and dry, that everyone could hear the imaginary noise of Lukrut''s heart breaking, as if it were the most fragile glass in the world.

    "I told you to stop it..." Ninya was the person to say that, he was a spellcaster with very short brown hair who, if it weren''t for the way he talked, would think he was still a child, due to his soft face and pale skin.

    "No more idle talk, we do this in the middle of the trip." Spoke, the last member of the Sword of Darkness, the leader of the group to be exact, another blond man, named Peter, besides being the leader, he was the swordsman of the quartet. "Nfirea, have you taken everything you''re going to take? Basically, we always have our wagon ready the day before."

    That young man, an alchemist, nodded his head to the question, carrying a bag full of flasks, basic instruments, and other empty bags in case he needed more of them. In this way, their journey began, going all out in the direction of Carne Village, with a few stops when they saw monsters, in order to destroy them, which was made easy by the presence of Momon and Nabe.

    <hr>

    "Master Letyan, please, I''ve already told you, it won''t be problem for us to train together a little far from the village, you yourself say that it''s better to always have weapons in hand than relaxed." One of the guards, that were always close to the Baraja brothers, said, while the other two nodded intensely.

    "I know, the problem is with Kelart, you know very well that she mess with me every time the three of you get away from the main group, even if me or Neh are watching you." Said the young spellcaster, who would only be brushing his long blond hair.

    They were now in one of the houses, which had been abandoned in Carne Village, after the strange attacks that took place. Neia was serving breakfast for her and the guards, as her brother had eaten something earlier, along with Kelart and her personal guards, in a separate hut.

    "Well, girls... This is really going to be a slight problem... Last time she took advantage of the fact that you caused an uproar, so that my brother had to do some favors and clear your names." Neia said that, putting the guards'' plates in front of them. "Or are they going to tell me you forgot?"

    "We just need to don''t take off our helmets and our cloaks." One of the guards said, in a smiling voice.

    "You said that last time... Hm... But maybe I''ll allow you to do that if we train in a slightly remote area. Now the problem itself is letting that annoying old woman get the idea... After all, we are in a village that was almost destroyed and was lucky to have people nearby. The chances of bumping into someone are extremely low, but not zero." The boy said that while stealing a loaf of bread from his sister''s plate and taking a light bite.

    "Hey!!" The older sister complained, but soon received the rest of the bread in her mouth, leaving her silent.

    That kind of situation was quite normal between them when they were alone, in a more casual and simple moment, with no one but them. The guards just stood there, quiet and eating breakfast, until one of them started shaking her head strangely.

    "Master Letyan, Master Neia, I''m with that problem..." the one, who was a little agitated, said, while the other two next to her seemed uncomfortable with something as well.

    The boy looked around, seeing that there were no windows open, so he just went to the door and closed it as well, now making sure no one was seeing them. At this moment, he went to that guard and took off the cloak and helmet that was underneath, thus revealing a large pair of ears that were not human at all.

    Not only the one in particular, but the other two were also demihumans, more specifically, two had wolf-like characteristics, while the last one had characteristics more of a fox. This was why Kelart never allowed those three out of her sight, even though they were personal guards of the Baraja brothers, they were from a race that was at war with Roble Holy Kingdom. Aside from Kelart and the Baraja, only their queen, Calca Bessarez, knew about the existence of this secret.

    But why were the three demihumans with them?.... That was a complicated story...

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "You''re really lucky that we found an empty house in this village to stay in..." Neia was talking as she finished her coffee, just watching her younger brother cleaning the fuzzy ears of one of the demihumans, using a light and soft cloth.

    "Is it better this way, Raven?" He asked finishing helping the black wolf, in response, she gave her master a big hug, and he just headpatted her.

    During that moment in the morning, a few thoughts flowed through the boy''s mind, causing him to have a soft smile. Unfortunately, the three demihumans weren''t used to seeing that, as that smile was scary and intimidating in the eyes of others, it made them tremble a little.

    "I think I know of a place where we can do a light workout without worrying about you being seen..." He said, now watching his sister. "Neh, yesterday during my meditation, I found an area that is basically an arena covered in extremely dense trees. From what I''ve seen, the only way anyone can get in there is by climbing the trees..."

    "Hmm..." Neia took her sword from under the table. "So it would be easy to see if we are being watched by the people of the village or not... Perfect... Mom keeps complaining about you always exploring places without the permission of others... I see that as an advantage." The brothers were just smiling pleasantly, but it was still too scary for anyone who saw it without knowing the context.

    It wasn''t long before they were able to leave the village, and they were forced to talk to Kelart so that there wouldn''t be so much trouble when they found out the five "paladins" were missing. They just said they were going to walk around to exercise their legs, an excuse that fit like a glove, since the Baraja''s father, Pabel, was known to always put his children in extensive training, on a regular basis.

    Letyan led his older sister and the three demihumans to a dense set of trees, which seemed to prevent the passage of any kind of animal. The boy had to use wind spells to lift them all to the top of the trees and, after walking very carefully along that path of branches, finally reach a kind of large clearing.

    "Woah!!" The werewolves were surprised by the size of the flat, grass-filled area.

    "This... it looks too perfect... How come the village next door didn''t use such a place to put even a woodcutter''s house?" The kitsune asked, leaping down from the great trees, the werewolves followed.

    "Maybe they think this is just an extremely dense forest and not something like that..." Neia said, being carried by her younger brother so that she could land on the lawn safely.

    "Anyway, who''s going to want to train first and with whom? I was thinking of letting the three of you have fun while me and Neh just watched you." Letyan quickly commented as he lay down on the ground, using his own cloak to get comfortable there.

    "I''d like to train with you, young master." Said the Kitsune.

    "Okay, Junko... Come on... The training will be the same as always. I''m not going to attack directly, but you have to try to hit me." The boy said standing up, leaving the cloak there on the floor and taking off his shirt, leaving his numerous tattoos exposed. "Ready?"

    The orange-furred Kitsune just removed her disguise, throwing it to the others to keep, remaining only with her simple clothes that she had underneath the armor and with a sword, which she kept holding by the mouth as she positioned herself to advance. With a soft laugh from her master, she moved forward directly, walking wildly with her legs and arms propelling her.

    He decided to be almost hit when, at the last second, he made a smooth, almost superhuman movement, dodging the charge by spinning on his own axis. So, they were both doing that training, the demihuman trying to attack with her claws, sword and her 3 tails, while the human kept dodging, rarely using his sigils to cast spells that served mainly as obstacles. The two werewolves watched the scene happen, seeming hyper concentrated, and Neia sat there, combing the hair of one of them.

    But it wasn''t just those 3 girls watching the workout...

    In the distance, hidden due to an illusion magic, were 3 NPCs from Nazarick, Demiurge, Lupusregina and Aura. They were there with the main goal of leaving the entrance to the great tomb hidden, but as a secondary goal, they wanted to see the boy that the Supreme Beings believed to be Hikari. There were still doubts in their minds about the veracity of this information, but since their own creators said that, they had nothing to do but see it as a higher truth.

    "Those girls with him... Who would they be? I couldn''t imagine Hikari-sama being around any other women besides Bukubukuchagama-sama." Demiurge was the one to ask, quite curious as he cleaned his glasses, revealing his eyes made of pure diamonds.

    "Hmmm... From what I understand from the conversation he had with our mother... He was having a whole new life here before we arrived..." Aura was the one to respond, making the demon and the maid interested in the situation.

    "That really sounds like a great thing to figure out..." Lupus commented, walking towards them, but was soon grabbed in her clothes by Demiurge.

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    "Going to see them up close... I believe that these women are Hikari-sama''s servants, so why be afraid?"

    Demiurge heard that comment and soon began to reason more and more about that logic. Only the boy knew where the guild was, and he brought with him a group of women. There was a possibility that the Lost Supreme Being wanted to show his servants to Nazarick. "It makes sense... Possibly he wanted to demonstrate the dominance he had while he was not present with us."

    Before Aura could even question that slightly strange logic, the three of them realized that they had been discovered. Junko seemed to have stopped training with her master, while pointing in the direction of the NPCs.

    ''How did an inferior being manage to detect us?'' That''s what Demiurge thought, until he remembered the logic his creator, Ulbert, had taught him. About never underestimating the beings around them, until their true strengths are shown.

    He felt like a fool for forgetting these words of wisdom for a moment.

    Letyan decided to go alone to see what Junko had felt, but the kitsune didn''t seem to want to let go of him. The situation was a bit out of the boy''s control, as he didn''t expect the NPCs to be there, so it turned out to be inevitable.

    "Eh?! Were there other people here?!" Neia was the first to exclaim, quickly putting the helmets on the demihumans, but Letyan stopped her.

    Taking a long sigh, he began to say, after the Nazarick Citizens were exposed. "Don''t worry, Neh... These guys are with the group we''re looking for."

    "Wait, have you found the group that saved this village?! But why didn''t you tell Kelart right away?!"

    "It''s complicated... but the idea was for me to take her here tonight or tomorrow morning..." The boy scratched behind the back of his neck, uncomfortable. "Anyway... Uh... These are the servants of the group... Their names are Demiurge, Aura, and.... Lupus, if I''m not mistaken..."

    "You are completely correct, Hikari-sama! And I assume that these ladies next to you are your servants, aren''t they?" Demiurge spoke grandly, but this confused everyone, while Letyan just facepalmed.

    "Hikari?" "Servants?" These were the questions that arose from the girls.

    "For the gods... Demiurge, they are not my servants... And I thought the others had told you to call me by my current name..." Letyan said that, disappointed, but it only added to the confusion of the girls who were with him.

    "Current name?" Neia asked, her voice showing how lost she was in the subject.

    It took a while for things to be explained to the four of them, they were still confused, but they seemed to understand the context a little better. Letyan had made a slight lie so that the situation would be less complicated than it already was. He had said that the special katana had actually come from that group, but that it had chosen him because his soul was similar to the original owner''s soul, and, because of the way the katana worked, he had received the memories of that person. The reason the three of them called him "Hikari" was because that was the name of the original owner.

    As for the explanation to give to the NPCs...

    "They are not my servants... argh... I''ll introduce you all to each other in an easier way..." He said, giving a slight cough to clear his throat. "This one is Neia, she''s my biological older sister... and these three here are Junko, Raven and Kathleen, they are demihumans that we saved from an illegal scheme that was going on in our kingdom, they call me master just out of habit, but we actually consider them to be friends."

    Soon, he turned to the girls, thus explaining now about the NPCs there. "I''ve already said their name, but not what they are... Demiurge is the son of one of Hikari''s friends, his job is to be a strategist and the guardian of one of the floors of the dungeon they use as a base. This is Lupusregina, she''s one of the maids at the base, and she also works as a bodyguard and battle priest."

    "And this one..." He said now pointing to Aura, trying to think of what to say so as not to look too awkward. "It''s Aura Bella Fiore, she''s a dark elf and Hikari''s daughter, she''s a beast tamer and guardian of another of the dungeon''s floors."

    "Is this dark elf the daughter of this Hikari guy? But you said you got his memories when you got the cursed sword, didn''t you?" Junko questioned.

    "Yes... It''s weird for me too, but theoretically I''m her father if you take into account my mental state..." He shook his head as he said that.

    "So they''re the sister and friends of our Hikari-sama...? Understand... In that case, you''re welcome to come into our dungeon, if Hikari-sama agrees with that, of course!" Demiurge was the one to say, sounding very interested and positive about what happened.

    "Actually, it would be nice for us to have a say in that, wouldn''t it?" The voice ended up startling everyone, even the NPCs, who knew very well who the person was before they turned around.

    Behind them, Bukubuku and Ulbert had emerged through a portal, but at least they were wearing disguises to appear more human. Ulbert remained wearing his normal uniform, but it was tightly closed and long so that nothing about his demonic part would be exposed. While Bukubuku had used her slime polymorphism, to look like a more mature version of the body she had on Earth, with the glaring difference that her hair was pink and not black.

    The three demihumans seemed to be preparing to attack with their claws, while Neia was picking up the sword that was at her waist, without removing it from its scabbard, but it seems that they calmed down a bit, as she heard the boy talking to them.

    "Guys... Don''t arrive like that suddenly, you might end up scaring others..." Letyan commented, before Bukubuku moved closer to him and immediately observed the girls there.

    "We were seeing the whole situation actually... And we''re just pissed off at those two idiots over there having ruined it by trying to get close to you." The slime pointed in the direction of Demiurge and Lupus, the two of whom were surprised by the way they were described.

    "I agree... my son, I know your abilities are incredible, but apparently, the slight movement you made out of the illusory barrier, even if it was to pull Lupus, was enough for your energy to be exposed and that fox to notice you... You should be ashamed that you''re not hiding your own aura at times like these." Ulbert made that comment, leaving the red-suit demon incredulous, but soon the player noticed the kitsune. "And you, it really struck me that someone from Letyan''s group could see a difference in ambient mana, even for a second."

    "Thank you....?" Junko was confused by that quality.

    "So... You are part of the group that helped the nearby village... And also the same group from which the cursed sword came?" Neia was the next to speak, making the two players there nod.

    "Yes... As your brother said, he had already met us yesterday and we interacted a bit... The idea was to introduce ourselves when one of our own returned..."

    "And since he''s the official leader of our group, it would clearly be bizarre for us to have a conversation with a superior from another kingdom, without him present..." Ulbert completed his friend''s words. "By the way... My name is Ulbert Alain Odle, it''s a pleasure to meet people who were in our friend''s life while he was... asleep, we might say..."

    "And my name is Bukubukuchagama... but you can call me Bukubuku. I''m the person with the Tank role in our group" She said as she got closer to Neia, the girl moved a few steps away. "You..." She held her hands gently. "Thank you so much for being with him... Seriously, I''m glad that someone like you is a trustworthy person for our friend... even if what is there are parts and not the whole."

    "Thank you...?" Neia responded confused by the situation, causing Letyan and Ulbert to laugh slightly, as she almost copied the way the kitsune responded before.

    "Anyway, would you like to come into our house for a bite to eat? Or maybe to train?" Ulbert was the one to give the options. "After all, you came here in a slightly remote area so that the demihumans could train without any problems, didn''t you?"

    "Yes! We even have a kind of huge indoor garden, and a room for indoor training. Of course, if they want to do that." Bukubuku continued.

    The eldest of the Baraja children watched her younger brother, as if she wanted him to answer, but he just giggled, he was fine if he was going to train inside or outside, so the decision should be hers. "We can come in... but from what Letty said, your base is a dungeon, isn''t it?" She finally answered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

    "Yes, it''s a very complex situation to explain, but to answer directly, we had a lot of very powerful members, with them, we took over a dungeon and decided to make it our home, but we still improved the traps and dangers, a way to protect the floors that we officially use as a true base." Ulbert said, pointing to the portal still open. "If we get through this, we''ll go straight to a safe floor."

    "Using a hostile environment as a safety gate to one''s own base with powerful beings... That''s very clever, but I don''t see it being used constantly." Raven gave her opinion as she approached the portal.

    "Well, it''s because you have to be more powerful than the traps themselves so that you don''t succumb to what is supposed to protect you..." Letyan answered the obvious and entered the portal without delay, causing the demihumans to follow him.

    Neia seemed very uncomfortable with the idea of suddenly being invited to enter the place they were looking for, especially with the conversations they had made before. Meanwhile, the NPCs and Ulbert followed behind the others, but the pink slime noticed how the girl felt and smiled in a friendly way.

    "If you want, I can take you to a great place, from what your brother said, I think you would love to see the ''gardens'' that my colleague mentioned. But I warn you, not to get away from me, okay?"

    Neia could see how worried the pink-haired woman seemed about the way things were unfolding, but what else did she have to lose? Her younger brother and the people she considers her best friends had already entered through the portal. So, she ended up getting in there as well.

    <hr>

    ¡°Warrior Momon! That was incredible!!!¡±

    ¡°I agree, you managed to destroy those low ogres so easily¡­ Are you really not some bounty hunter in disguise?¡± Ninya commented on that, causing one of the companions to cover her mouth with his hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this comment doesn¡¯t affect me. And no, I''m just a man who ventured too much without being registered as an adventurer.¡± Momon said that while watching Nabe cleaning his sword, which was very dirty with blood.

    The adventurers were still in that wagon, traveling together and talking a lot about recent events. Apparently, they had been ambushed around 3 times by some monsters that decided to emerge from within the forest that was always close to the road. It was a happy time for someone like them, as they managed to face something like this and continue their journey almost uninterrupted, allowing them to approach Carne Village in record time.

    There were already signs of dusk in the sky, and according to the contractor himself, Nfirea, they could be much closer to their destination than expected. This made the boy bow to the adventurer Momon, because without him, they would possibly have to camp during the trip.

    And as predicted by the new circumstances, the village could be seen in the distance. However, there was something that surprised the contractor. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were putting up wooden walls around it¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Mr. Bareare?¡± Ninya questioned.

    ¡°The last time I came here, they didn''t have that, and I also never imagined seeing them closing themselves off like that¡­¡± he replied, still confused by the landscape he saw.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this information is of much help¡­ But I heard of some villages that were attacked by bandits, maybe they were preparing for the worst?¡± Momon made that comment, filling their minds with knowledge. Apparently none of them knew about the attacks that took place.

    ''The rumors had reached Gazef''s ears, but not those of the nearest town? Maybe it was some confidential information so as not to cause panic...'' Suzuki thought that, just observing and continuing to act.

    ¡°Ooh! What is that?" Peter exclaimed, pointing in a direction, where some very strange things could be seen.

    The first was the existence of two tents close to the entrance, it seemed to be something done professionally, but temporary, there was even a fire nearby and what seemed to be some horses and people in armor talking. The second strange thing were small, greenish beings also close to the entrance, they seemed to be standing there, with some kind of spears, with the way they behaved reminiscent of a guard doing his job. The two groups seemed to stare at the carriage the adventurers were riding in, as if they were analyzing it to see if they were a source of trouble.

    Momonga seemed very confused when he saw that kind of scene, after all, he remembers what the armor of those who previously invaded that village looked like. And those goblins, did that mean that girl he met a month ago had used at least one of the items? Apparently a lot of things happened without him even knowing, maybe even his friends already knew and decided not to tell him?

    "Hold on!" One of the goblins said as the carriage got even closer. ¡°What would be your motivations for coming to this village?¡±

    Everyone seemed in shock to see that situation, a monster talking as if it was a human?! This was unthinkable for them.

    So, for the goblin be left with an answer, Momon was the one to speak. ¡°Good afternoon, we came here because my contractor wants to explore the forests nearby in search of alchemy ingredients such as herbs and the like¡­ There is also the fact that he told us that he has a house within this village, so it would be safe to make some stops here while looking for what he wants.¡±

    ¡°Humf¡­ I can understand your logic, but you won¡¯t be able to enter yet¡­ Hooketre! Call the lady and the boss of the place so they can authorize their presence!¡± That same goblin spoke, turning to another of his race who was also using a spear, that second little monster walked quickly to make the order.

    ¡°Eh¡­ Adventurer Momon¡­ aren¡¯t you accepting talking to a goblin too easily?¡± Lukrut questions, always keeping one hand close to his bow.

    ¡°Life can have countless surprises and unexpected things¡­ just act with the union of instinct and reasoning. My instinct says these monsters are either civilized or tamed.¡± That was the only answer he could think of at the moment. Inside he was dying, because it was much more cringe than he thought.

    It didn''t take long for someone to arrive, the disguised player expected to see the girl he saved, since she was the person who had the item to summon goblins, but he ended up not believing the scene he saw right after. The girl ran to Nfirea, pulling him out of the cart and hugging him, almost lifting him off the ground, as she was taller than him.

    ¡°Ulala~ Apparently our employer already had a wife without us knowing~¡± Lukrut made that comment, making everyone in the wagon look at him, as if they were already begging him to stop the flirtatious conversations.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ I think we¡¯ll make a camp nearby so tomorrow morning we can go with you to get different herbs.¡±

    "Oh yes! It''s a good idea! I recommend staying in the eastern part of the city, that¡¯s where we will go.¡± Nfirea spoke while being hugged more by the girl, looking super happy to see him.

    ¡°Due to the cultural customs that I mentioned during the trip, Nabe and I will be walking around, just to see if we can find any monsters nearby, like the ones we saw along the way¡­ If during our search we feel too tired, we will return here, if our energy is still full, we will make a camp further away. Is it okay to do this between just the two of us?¡± Momon was trying to make a slight excuse so he could go visit Nazarick.

    ¡°Ooh! So you want to be alone? Are you guys dating by any chance? I was sensing that.¡± Lukrut tried to speak in that irritating way of his again, but ended up getting an unexpected answer.

    When mentioning that Nabe would be dating the warrior Momon, the woman became extremely scared, starting to shake her head and explain herself as crazy, to the point of almost ending up mentioning Albedo''s name in the confusion. However, Momonga managed to get her attention to shut up.

    The player understood that beings like Narberal saw him as a god, and that they spoke of the existence of Floor guardians as the most powerful beings among NPCs, but he did not expect that the maid would end up having a panic attack of this level. Perhaps it would be necessary to train her or future companions more in the art of acting in the absence of this hierarchy.

    After that awkward moment, the two left, heading towards the west of the village, the most random direction possible. Arriving close to a forest near the road, they walked together until they realized that they were already deep enough with the trees covering a lot of the view.

    ¡°I think this is good¡­ Narberal¡­ after we finish our roleplay as adventurers, I will teach you how to act better.¡± Momonga said, still in the black armor, but extending his hand to create a portal.

    Narberal seemed to tremble with fear about that, even though her master didn''t speak in an aggressive tone, she imagined that she had made an extreme mistake just by saying that. This was completely noticeable to the skeleton, who just sighed and ordered her to go through the portal first, and then closed it.

    On the other side, he was in the main hall of the 9th Floor, watching Narberal running to get back into her standard uniform, she seemed panicked about the punishment she imagined. Some homunculus maids who were passing by noticed the Battle maid''s panic, but Momonga took off his helmet, telling them that everything was fine, and that there seemed to have been some misunderstanding.

    During the walk to his room, one of the homunculus maids approached the overlord, looking a little rushed. ¡°Momonga-Sama, I''m sorry for the inconvenience, but the other Supreme Beings are requesting your presence.¡±

    "Eh? Do they already know I¡¯m here?¡± He asked, confused by that, the woman just responded by nodding her head. ¡°Well, tell them I want to relax a little before anything happens¡­ and tell them that if they need me that urgently, come to my quarters, and I won¡¯t complain.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Momonga-Sama, your will I obey, Momonga-Sama.¡± The maid said before walking down the corridor, disappearing from the skeleton''s sight.

    After that, he entered the room, even though his body was that of an undead, he still felt tired, due to a placebo effect from his old life as a human. However, something else appeared to interrupt the little rest he wanted, and that something was called Albedo.

    The Overseer was lying on the guild leader''s bed, aggressively hugging the pillow that was there, rubbing herself against it in a way that made Momonga''s emotional suppression activate almost instantly due to how much it took him by surprise. He had to give a light cough for the succubus to realize that someone was in that room besides her, apparently she was too focused on those perverted and imaginary acts to have noticed the sound of the door opening and closing.

    They stared at each other for a few minutes, until the skeleton finally said something. ¡°Albedo¡­. I would like to know¡­ why did you invade my room? Why did you take my pillow? And why are you naked in my bed?¡± His voice was very monotonous, due to emotional suppression.

    And before she could respond, he interrupted her. ¡°Wait... I don''t want to know why this is... just... get out of here, and one more thing... I''m forbidding you from entering any room of the Supreme Beings, without the permission of them!!!! You understood?"

    ¡°B-B-But Momonga-Sama! I-I came here because I was asked to investigate the existence of items that could be considered weapons in the rooms of all Supreme Beings and take notes... H-However, I-I couldn''t help myself when I smelled the scent of our great leader!! Waaah!!¡± She said looking shy, but the way she moved said otherwise, it was pure lust, she didn''t even try to cover herself when she got up from the bed.

    This type of action made Momonga put one of his hands on his face, trying to think how to handle the existence of that pervert. ¡°Look¡­ Just get dressed appropriately¡­ And get out of here¡­¡±

    Those orders were enough for Albedo to behave normally and get out. It was impressively bizarre how that crazy woman acted like a complete pervert and after a second she acted like a respectful and normal lady.

    ''Even after these weeks of living in this new world... I can''t stand beings like her... When will I get used to it? Will I ever get used to it?¡¯ Were Suzuki¡¯s thoughts, as she used some magic to sterilize the entire room and lay down on the bed, now only wearing ¡®Momon¡¯s Uniform¡¯ from the waist down.

    It took some time for someone to knock on the door, if Suzuki was still human, that short period would not have been enough, but with that skeleton body, it was just necessary. He got up, still dressed just like that, without having put on his common overlord uniform, and went to the door, opening it, he could see in front of him the great vigilante of Nazarick, wearing his famous white armor, without helmet.

    ¡°Masato¡­ Hello¡­ what time is it?¡±

    ¡°If we were to compare it to ¡®our¡¯ hours, around 8 pm at the latest.¡±

    ¡°So I just hibernated for two hours?¡­¡± Suzuki lightly scratched his jaw bones before continuing to speak. ¡°Anyway¡­ why did you come here? Is it related to that surprise you wanted me to see?¡±

    ¡°Yes, actually it was just to warn you about wearing a full uniform, there is not just one human here, and it was recommended to hide our heteromorphic races for now.¡± His words were blunt as he watched his colleague who was basically showing his ribs.

    With those recommendations, the overlord snapped his fingers, with the standard uniform appearing above him, already wearing it. ¡°I understand¡­ but knowing you, you wouldn¡¯t come to me just to give those warnings.¡± He continued to speak while putting on the commemorative mask.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that I would take you to where this special guest is.¡± TouchMe commented as he started walking down the hallway, Momonga following close behind. He continued talking. ¡°I hope you are extremely pleased with what we found, we were quite a lot.¡± That only raised the overlord''s level of interest, who followed his companion to a slightly distant room on the 9th Floor.

    The room had an appearance reminiscent of a large dojo interior, it was one of several areas on the 9th floor created for roleplay and some inside jokes. At the entrance of the place were some Floor Guardians who seemed quite curious about something, but they were afraid to enter the room directly, that sight made Momonga raise an imaginary eyebrow, curiosity made him want to take a closer look at what was happening. And it was a situation he didn''t really expect to see under any circumstances.

    The butler and unofficial head of the Pleiades, Sebas Tian, ??was fighting a human. Both were shirtless, with gauntlets and boots being used as their only weapons. The ones that Sebas used were clearly part of his draconic body, as this was his race class, the human wore boots that seemed to be made of ice, while the gauntlets had a firm and crude appearance, as if each one were a big stone.

    Sitting on the side of the dojo, was Bukubuku, accompanied by 4 girls, three were demi humans that Momonga didn''t recognize, and one human who seemed to have similar characteristics to the human who was fighting. The demihumans seemed extremely happy and with their eyes shining watching the fight, while the human seemed more in shock and fear than anything else.

    ¡°[HEEL DROP KICK]!¡± Sebas'' voice could be heard with intensity, making Momonga look back at the fight that was going on.

    That Skill used Ki instead of Mana, another form of energy from YGGDRASIL, in addition to magic, the description of the Skill was to allow a large attack with extreme weight. And just as expected, the butler quickly raised his right leg and descended towards the human''s head.

    ¡°[Vol Suctum]! [Magic Integration]!¡± That''s what the human exclaimed, almost as a reflection for the butler''s skill.

    His two gauntlets suddenly gained an extra layer that resembled a bluish metal. Using that to defend himself from Sebas'' attack, by raising both arms above his head. The impact was intense enough to make a strong wind emerge from that closed room, shaking the fabrics of the clothes of those present there.

    "What''s going on here?" The overlord said, trying to attract attention, but strangely the majority were in the focus of that fight, with Demiurge being the first to notice his presence.

    ¡°Momonga-sama. It is wonderful to be in your presence, did you come here to see Master Hikari?¡± The strategist demon''s words ended up destabilizing the skeleton, to the point that emotional suppression was activated again that day.

    ¡°Hi-hikari?¡±

    That name was something Suzuki didn''t expect to say in that context. Looking at the young man, he didn''t seem to have characteristics that reminded him of his friend, nor the real appearance or the appearance of YGGDRASIL. But if Demiurge called him that, if the others were there, interacting as if it were natural for him to be there, it gave a strange hope to feel.

    After a few seconds, Momonga was finally noticed by the others. With his colleagues waving, the NPCs bowing gently, and the visitors seemed scared by the size that the overlord seemed to have, due to his uniform, with the exception of that boy who was fighting with Sebas. He approached the guild leader, with a wide smile and stretching his hand towards him.

    ¡°Long time no see, Suzuki.¡± That sentence seemed to break the overlord.

    He kept shining repeatedly with a green aura, with the passive skill constantly trying to hold back his emotions. He looked at the paladin, who just nodded, confirming that this was not an illusion. So, the disguised skeleton approached and hugged his colleague, who had finally returned.

    ¡°Keiko¡­ b-but how?¡±

    ¡°I was just reborn here¡­ there¡¯s not much to explain about it¡­¡± He replied, gently patting one of the overlord¡¯s shoulders, comforting him. ¡°But it would be good to have a more appropriate conversation later¡­ about another context¡­ An appropriate context for a leader.¡±

    The fact that the cancellation of emotions kept being activated repeatedly made Suzuki calm down, understanding the situation well, now asking something else important. ¡°And who would these be? I never saw those demi-humans and that human must have come with you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Letyan called the girls, and when they approached, it was obvious that they seemed scared, perhaps due to the natural aura that the overlord emanated. ¡°These here are Kathleen, Raven and Junko, they are demihumans that I found on a mission I was doing a while ago¡­ they treat me like a master, but they are more part of the family than they think.¡± They blushed at that statement, but the boy continued. ¡°And she is Neia, she is part of my biological family, being my older sister.¡±

    "Older? But seeing the two of you and taking everything out of context, you seem to be the oldest, Hikari.¡± All the Players laughed at Suzuki''s statement, making him confused.

    ¡°Eh¡­ everyone said the same thing¡­ but that¡¯s just because he matured too quickly¡­¡± Neia replied, with complete shame about that, even though she thought that now her brother had the memories of someone older, it didnt change the way she saw the family situation as a whole since she was a child.

    After a few minutes, the players went to the meeting room, followed by a few trusted NPCs and the visitors who were present there. There, a conversation began, revealing some important information to the Overlord, who became very thoughtful.

    ¡°So¡­ tomorrow you want us to be in Carne Village to introduce ourselves as a group that wants to ally with the Holy Kingdom?¡± The skeleton''s phrases made some people aware of the entire conversation that took place there.

    ¡°Actually¡­ I would like it to be today, even if it were in the early hours of the morning or at night¡­ the saint whose job is to watch me, Kelart, really wants to get back there as soon as possible, and I wouldn¡¯t want a meeting like that to happen with her angry¡­¡± Even with his status, Letyan, together with Neia, trembled a little, not in fear of Kelart herself, but because of the fear of what consequences she would cause, as she was a great friend of the queen.

    ¡°And to think that you want to do something like that¡­ but why, Hikari-sama? I don¡¯t understand why you would want us to ally ourselves with such insignificant insects.¡± Demiurge said that, causing the Players to facepalm at the same time, regretting letting beings like Demiurge go see the meeting.

    ¡°You seem stupid sometimes, I don''t know how you are Ulbert''s son¡­¡± The words of the human supreme being hit the demon as if his heart exploded with regret for the words. ¡°You don¡¯t remember or perhaps you don¡¯t know the real reason our group was created?¡±

    ¡°I-I might not be aware! Please, Great Hikari-Sama! Enlighten me with your knowledge!¡± Demiurge said bowing... If it weren''t for the context of Letyan being an ancient supreme being, this scene would be the most impossible thing to exist, it would even be more logical to believe in pigs that turn into grasshoppers, than this.

    Ulbert gave a slight cough at the way his ''son'' was acting. ¡°Eh¡­ well¡­ When we created Nine Own Goal, the group that originated Ainz Ooal Gown, our main objective was for us to be a kind of peacekeeping team¡­ Where we would try our best to find allies and only destroy those who were bums and PKs¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, and from what Keik-... Letyan said... the Kingdom he lives in has a queen who also appears to want a situation of peace and mutual correlation, where each being uses the other, in a healthy way, for a immense prosperity¡­ Am I wrong?¡± Momonga was the one to say it.

    ¡°Yep, you''re completely right, that''s the logic I''m having. Since Ainz Ooal Gown and Nazarick as a whole now find themselves in a new territory, there is nothing better than looking for beings with similar ideals... Even though they may look weaker than us, an increase in the number of companions is essential.¡±

    The NPCs present there were still confused by that logic, but they accepted, thinking that there was something more to that plan that they did not perceive due to how greater a supreme being can be. The players were relieved that the NPCs'' doubts were no longer exposed, their human side was grateful for that...

    ¡°Eh¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but what are Pi-Kayss?¡± Neia questioned, after thinking carefully about the conversation there, after all she didn''t understand those terms

    ¡°Oh, it''s a term used to categorize Players who kill other Players¡­ It''s hard to explain¡­¡± Touch_Me replied.

    ¡°Let''s say that Players are super powerful beings, and that we, the Supreme Beings and leaders of Nazarick, are also players... Normally there is no need for us to fight each other, but there are stupid and greedy people who want to become strong by killing other players. Generally PKs are from the human race, who use the classic ¡®Humanity is good and the rest are totally evil¡¯ as an excuse, so they can kill Players who have a little non-human blood.¡± Tabula was the next to invade the conversation while had a disguise, trying to be as direct as possible so that the girl from that new world could understand.

    ¡°Hm¡­ so does that mean that most humans are considered PKs?¡± Junko questioned, confused.

    ¡°How can we explain this¡­ eh¡­ Hikari, help me here.¡±

    ¡°Simple¡­ Neia, I¡¯m going to use a kind of scale to help you understand the situation¡­¡± He said that with his eyes shining, seeming to be analyzing something. ¡°Players are beings who can reach a level of power just by battling and killing enemies, without anything else stopping them, other than the delay in achieving this. Let¡¯s say that level is 100¡­ unfortunately, people like our own father can be considered to be in the area of ??level 30, on that same scale.¡±

    Everyone from his new group was shocked to think of something like this¡­

    ¡°Wait¡­ but father is very powerful, he can easily kill enemies just using his magic bow¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I''m not saying that he''s weak, just that Players are beings categorized as something¡­ very advanced. So PKs would be beings advanced enough to destroy other average players.¡±

    ''A group made to destroy and fight against such powerful beings? This being a group whose main objective is a harmonious situation?¡¯ These questions passed through Neia¡¯s mind, making her swallow hard and think more. ''I can''t conceive of the situation as a whole, even with these explanations... but something is certain... If beings like these become your majesty''s allies... Maybe that will shut up the opponents... No... Maybe it will shut up anyone opposed to the holy ideals.''

    ¡®Such power¡­ perhaps it will bring justice.¡¯

 Chapter 23 - The wise shows up

    Inside Carne Village, more specifically inside one of the cabins, Kelart, one of the angelic wings of Holy Kingdom¡¯s majesty, was reading a book among the others she had brought with her on that trip. It was a book about magic that, normally, she would not be reading of her own free will, having picked it up just to see what her apprentice¡¯s notes were like. There were unknown symbols, but everything was written in an extremely specific way, if she didn¡¯t know the owner of it, she would think it was complete gibberish from some mage who is always reclusive with his ideas.

    ¡°. . . This boy¡­ how did you find out about this¡­?¡± She wondered as she picked up a random sheet of paper and drew one of the symbols, and just by inserting a little mana into it, it transformed into a floating luminous sphere, which vanished after a few seconds.

    This was a question she always asked herself when she had access to his writings. No matter how much time passed, it was still something unbelievable. ¡°Really¡­ something I had never seen back then¡­ And he¡¯s still the only one I¡¯ve ever seen who managed to do that¡­ that crazy guy really covered his whole body with symbols¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like to express her emotions so much about that subject. She even felt a certain disgust, revulsion, almost a huge taboo, which, if it weren¡¯t for Queen Calca showing interest, would have caused that boy to be arrested and his entire family to be persecuted.

    ¡°How can someone who is the son of Pebal and Leticia¡­ be so crazy like that¡­¡± She said to herself, still not knowing how to understand that, even after 6 long years of having that boy as her apprentice.

    Pabel, the Platoon Sergeant of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s Army and member of the Nine Colors, and Leticia, former leader and mentor of some groups of Holy Kingdom¡¯s paladins¡­ They were very well spoken of and seen as a powerful couple, at the time that Leticia was still working as a paladin. And to think that that couple would have, among their two children, an insane boy with an illogical situation¡­ a boy who can''t use skills without completely injuring himself, and just because of that, he had the motivation to create a new method of using magic, like a sorcerer¡­

    ¡°Saint Kelart!¡± Someone called out to her as they knocked on the door, but without actually entering, due to the woman''s privacy. ¡°The Baraja Duo is back, and it seems they brought with them a group of people¡­ Some locals are saying that two of them are the ones who protected this village before.¡±

    The woman just gave a long sigh, thinking about the information while she put her hand over her face, gently squeezing the area between her eyes. ''Even though he said to try to wait, did he go to them? Or maybe he found them by accident...? Argh... if it''s the first option... He''ll have to deal with me...'' She thought, a little irritated, because the idea of ??waiting until they appeared was her disciple''s! And he himself went after them?! How illogical and selfish, in a way...

    Without delay, she stood up and put on her clothes over her light armor. Leaving the hut to see the starry sky with the moon not having passed its absolute peak, possibly in less than 3 hours the Sun would begin to show signs of existence. And a little ahead, there were a few village guards and some goblins, all huddled together and observing what seemed to be a group of 5 people, and together with this group, there were the Baraja and the 3 known demi-humans. Near Kelart, but a little behind her, there were two paladins who were the only ones awake at the moment. The situation was not intense enough to have to wake up all the paladins in the village, at least, that was the common thought. And so, she watched the new faces approaching and when they were close enough, they made a slight bow as a sign of respect.

    Although ¡°new faces¡± would not be the appropriate term, since they were all wearing masks or helmets, not as if they were just battle clothes, but as if they were some kind of everyday clothing. Two men with suits and masks that vaguely reminded her of some species of feral demi-humans style of outfit, one wearing gold ornaments and the other with several belts around his waist and arms. Two other men in wide clothing, one appearing to be a sorcerer with a red mask, and the other a paladin with armor that definitely looked like one a warrior from the Holy Kingdom would wear, if it were 100% directly sponsored by Calca Bessarez. And lastly, a woman in a long-sleeved dress with a skirt, with gloves that looked like velvet and a narrow mask, being the only one to reveal her hair, which was pink.

    ¡°So¡­ Letyan and Neia¡­ could you tell me what exactly is going on?¡± She asked, just to be sure.

    ¡°We were training in the area I had found and ended up having our paths crossed with the group that saved Carne Village. I took the opportunity to confirm about the cursed sword, and they really are the originators of it.¡± The disciple answered, trying to be as direct as possible.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it means that our objective here is complete¡­ I will report to the queen and would like to ask you a few questions.¡± She said, now looking at the masked men. ¡°My name is Kelart Custodio, I¡¯m the Holy Kingdom¡¯s High Priestess.¡±

    ¡°My name is Momonga, these are Bukubuku, Toucha, Ulbert and Tabula.¡± Said the one with the red mask. ¡°My friends and I were surprised and interested after hearing some things from the boy, and we would like to talk about it.¡±

    Kelart accepted that, the 5 guests went with her to the cabin she was using, and soon sat down to actually ask what was needed¡­

    ¡°About the sword itself, the main item¡­ why did you throw it in the middle of the battlefield we were on? And¡­ I would like to know why this item seems to have stuck to my disciple, besides it seems to have a large volume of negative energy, according to our research¡­ Everyone, especially the queen, was frightened by the presence of something like this just appearing out of nowhere.¡± She was direct, in her own way.

    Ulbert gave a light cough, clearing his throat, while the others either sat in chairs, or with their backs leaning against the walls. ¡°Well, to begin with¡­ we didn¡¯t throw anything¡­ After we arrived in this region, that sword simply¡­ threw itself. It flew and even hurt me when I tried to catch it¡­ It was bizarre to say the least¡­¡±

    Kellart¡¯s eyes widened a little at that statement. ¡°A sword that simply flew towards us¡­? But why now? And what did you mean by ¡®In this region¡¯? If what you say is true, something must have happened for these things to occur.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something much more complex than that, your disciple also asked these questions and we answered them honestly, due to the fact that the sword accepted him, but we realized that the situation is confusing and can be seen as something that should be kept locked away beneath a mountain¡­¡± Tabula spoke as she adjusted his mask a little. ¡°So, we were thinking that, if we¡¯re going to talk to someone about this, it has to be with a person of high rank who can also be super trustworthy to us.¡±

    ¡°And about it sticking to your disciple¡­¡± Touch spoke, taking off his helmet, revealing a face that matched his voice and height, but with some bandages on specific parts of the sides and neck. ¡°That sword belonged to a friend of ours¡­ a person we all considered the best at what he did. A Jack-of-All-Trades, so to speak. The item was made in a way that it could never be touched by another, so because of that and due to some data we collected while your boy was in our house¡­ We discovered that¡­ his aura and that of our former friend are very similar¡­ and by that logic, it is one of the reasons we believe the sword flew to you.¡±

    Bukubuku interjected, speaking dramatically. ¡°The evil energy that that item generates¡­ comes from the extreme amount of lives that were defeated by our friend, when he was alive¡­ heh¡­ he even made jokes, saying that inside the sword there was a powerful demon, when in fact, it has some special crystals inside the sheath, which allows the item to be fortified when in contact with blood.¡±

    The High Priestess was still surprised by those words, it was hard to believe, but they were explanations at least, and it didn''t seem like they were lying, but the fact that there was some very secret behind it, made her have a slight chill and an expected distrust... But why would they say something that would obviously arouse distrust???

    Soon, she realized a detail. "Wait... did you collect... data?"

    "We just asked a few things in the middle of friendly conversations, and among our faithful assistants, we have some who can analyze people with their gaze... nothing special..." The mage answered this very casually.

    Kelart flinched a little. Saying something like that so casually? People with the ability to analyze just with their gaze??? That''s not ''nothing special''! That''s quite rare! Even if it was a figure of speech, and these people used spells, it was quite advanced for someone to be able to analyze aura in such detail, to the point of trusting a complete stranger.

    Meanwhile, Letyan was walking around the village, curious about something Momonga had said when they were updating him on what they had done so far. More specifically, the situation of him infiltrating as an adventurer to see the situation outside of Nazarick''s eyes.

    Honestly, he thought the idea was good in a way, after all, the skeleton still has a human conscience, and being forced to see things only from the point of view of other monsters could cause some misunderstanding. But what he managed to discover was something that the young Baraja had never imagined could exist in that world.

    ¡°[]..¡®Yes, you may find it bizarre, but apparently there is someone with an innate ability to use any equipment without having the class requirements! And that person is literally in our garden right now!¡¯..[]¡± Those were the words that stuck the most in the human''s mind.

    ¡®Someone of that level living nearby? And what''s more, living in E-Rantel? A city very close to the border between Re-Estize and Slane Theocracy¡­¡¯ Letyan thought as he walked towards the house of the village¡¯s goblin mistress.

    ¡®Better to keep someone like that safe, maybe somehow having the NPCs of Nazarick watch over this boy would be the best option¡­ Those supremacist lunatics might not know about him yet or worse¡­ they might already be plotting something¡­¡¯ He felt an intense chill run down his back as he continued within that mental monologue.

    That kingdom would do anything for the good of humanity, even things that are seen as inhumane or genocidal. The famous phrase ¡°The ends justify the means¡± can be used to immensely categorize people with political power there.

    ¡®And he knows that girl I talk to sometimes¡­ Coincidences are making my life easier, I don¡¯t know which god to thank¡­¡¯ That was the last thought he had before realizing that there was someone outside the cabin, and from the description given by Momonga, it was the boy in question.

    He was carrying some large leather bags, as if he was getting ready to leave, but soon he noticed the young Baraja approaching, scaring him a little, since some of the candles that illuminate the streets had already been extinguished by the action of time. But that didn¡¯t matter, because soon he came out of the shadows, with the light of the torches near the house illuminating him.

    ¡°Good morning, I hope I didn¡¯t scare you. The place really needs torches that last much longer.¡±

    ¡°E-eh¡­ I agree¡­ you¡¯re one of the people from the Holy Kingdom¡­?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh! I wasn¡¯t there when you arrived because there were things to look for around here.¡± He said, extending his hand after getting very close. ¡°My name is Letyan Baraja.¡±

    ¡°N-Nfirea Bareare¡­¡± He replied, accepting the handshake.

    ¡°Want¡­ some help with the bags, Nfirea?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ a-actually I¡¯d appreciate it¡­ I¡¯m going to the forest nearby to get some herbs, so I need to have all my equipment with me¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared¡­¡±

    After that brief introduction, the sorcerer helped the alchemist pack his things, with not much conversation, just questions out of pure curiosity between the two men. Nfirea seemed to be quite a shy guy when it came to meeting someone new, but his shyness quickly disappeared, as if he was getting used to the conversation, or maybe Letyan was just really good at creating a friendly atmosphere.

    ¡°Ooh¡­ you came with a whole group of adventurers just to gather herbs? You really do prepare yourself well for the situation.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big group, it¡¯s just a team of 4 members and a duo of really good adventurers who were really cheap for me to hire.¡±

    ¡°I understand, but you really got lucky¡­ a swordsman and a mage destroying monsters without you having to stop the wagon. Are they really Bronze Badges?¡±

    ¡°They are, but only because they signed up recently¡­ To be honest, the more time passes, the more I¡¯m interested in those two¡­¡± Nfirea said as he finished cutting some fabric with scissors into a rectangular shape, putting it inside one of the leather bags.

    ¡°Oh? Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± He looked around, as if trying to see if anyone was listening, and then continued speaking. ¡°A girl came to my family¡¯s shop to sell a potion¡­ This potion was something I never thought I would see in my life. A healing potion red with blood¡­¡±

    ¡°Red as blood¡­? Isn¡¯t that the description given in stories about the gods¡¯ potions?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not religious, but yes, I believe it is¡­ and not only that, it was a very ornate bottle, as if it were something only a noble could have¡­¡±

    ¡°And what does one thing have to do with the other???¡±

    ¡°This girl told me that the potion was given to her as a way of paying for a problem that was caused¡­ and the people who had this item were precisely the Bronze Badge adventurers who came with me.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ you asked them to escort you out of curiosity?¡± Letyan asked and the alchemist nodded.

    ¡°But something else happened¡­ actually¡­ a set of information¡­¡± Nfirea rubbed his eyes a little. ¡°When I arrived here in the village and met an acquaintance¡­ she told me how the people who rescued this place had given her a healing potion¡­ red as blood¡­ and¡­ she kept the bottle of the potion because it seemed very expensive and valuable¡­ I saw the item¡­ and it¡¯s identical to the one I have¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡­ That really is suspicious in a way¡­ I¡¯ll be honest.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already started to think that these adventurers might be connected to the group¡­ but¡­ then some names were mentioned¡­ My friend said that one of them is called Momonga and a woman close to him is called Albedo¡­ and just yesterday, there was a discussion with the adventurer Momon¡¯s duo¡­ and in the middle of that conversation, the name ¡®Albedo¡¯ came up¡­¡±

    ¡°So¡­ two of the adventurers who came with you¡­ are part of the group that saved this place¡­? Huh¡­ really, that seems too fitting to be a coincidence¡­ they¡¯re now with my boss, they apparently came here of their own free will.¡± Letyan spoke with his head slightly down, but mentally he was pulling his own hair.

    ¡®Satoru¡­ you¡¯re really unlucky¡­¡¯ was his thought.

    ¡°Yes, and from what I heard they did when they saved the village¡­ I¡¯d say they¡¯re on par with an Adamantium adventurer, or even more advanced than that¡­ a heroic class group¡­ but well, I hope I helped¡­ I heard you guys were trying to find them¡­¡± Nfirea said, leaning his back against the wall.

    ¡°We were actually looking for the origin of this sword here.¡± Letyan explained the situation better as he stabbed the blade into the ground. ¡°And then we associated the direction the item came from with the fact that your girlfriend had an item with a similar aura.¡±

    Nfirea¡¯s face turned red as a tomato as he shook his head. ¡°G-Girlfriend? D-Dude, don¡¯t joke about that!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Sorry, I just said that to tease you a little. She also told me about you a few times while I was walking around the village with her. I mean, she only talked about having an alchemist friend, but she always smiles when she talks about it.¡±

    ¡°Wait, so you already knew me?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I just heard about, you really do seem different from what I expected, but in a good way.¡± Letyan commented as he sat there on the ground, also watching the sky.

    Nfirea felt a little uncomfortable, changing the subject ¡°So¡­ The necklace Enri received¡­ is similar to this sword, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no. The energy is similar enough for me to say that they both have the same origin, but¡­ if we¡¯re talking about intensity level, what she has is a grain of sand, while this is a tsunami.¡±

    ¡°Woah¡­ but what she received allows her to summon goblins. That¡¯s already very useful.¡±

    Letyan gave a slight smile. ¡°I said ¡®intensity¡¯, not ¡®usefulness¡¯. A magic that allows one to cast a beam of destruction is intense, but only has the utility of destroying, while a magic that allows one to create a small sphere of fire is much more useful, but less intense.¡±

    Nfirea seemed to understand the analogy. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ll call the group that¡¯s going with me after I have breakfast¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, if the forest you¡¯re going to is really close, don¡¯t be afraid to call for a little help.¡± Letyan said as he walked towards the cabin where his sister was.

    ¡°Ah, you forgot your sword here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, relax, it just flies to me whe-¡± Letyan turned around as he said that, but soon fell silent.

    Nfirea had managed to get the sword off the ground and was now giving it to its owner. The former player¡¯s eyes widened at the sight, picking up the sword and soon having an idea. ¡°Nfirea, if this situation we talked about before is really true¡­ I recommend not talking about it to anyone else. If someone in their group decided to disguise themselves, there must be some reason¡­ like perhaps¡­ self-security.¡±

    ¡°Self-security?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s safer? You being someone powerful, walking around and being recognized to the point of perhaps gaining a target on your head? Or you, being someone powerful, deciding to hide so that your achievements don¡¯t affect the way everyone reacts to you?¡± Letyan¡¯s words easily entered the alchemist¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Oh my god¡­ you¡¯re right¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have sai-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me knowing about this¡­ I¡¯ve already been invited by them to see some things in exchange for knowing why the sword is with me¡­ I think I¡¯m the limit of people you should trust with such information¡­ but I recommend asking the warrior Momon to confirm it and for him to be aware that you know this, there may still be the slightest chance that it¡¯s all a sickening coincidence. Never take something as fact, until the real fact is shown.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay! A-again, thanks for helping me with the bags!¡± Nfirea lowered his head.

    ¡°No problem¡­¡± He said, now walking back towards the hut where his sister was. With some thoughts in mind. ¡®Okay, it looks like it¡¯s not just class requirements that he can bypass¡­ interesting¡­¡¯

    <hr>

    A few hours passed, it was already around 8 in the morning, Nfirea was at the exit of the village, waiting for all the adventurers of the escort. The Sword of Darkness group had arrived first, with the duo Nabe and Momon arriving soon after. It didn''t take long for them to be close to the entrance of a forest that existed nearby.

    ¡°Okay guys, we''re entering the forest. I''m counting on you¡­¡± Nfirea said, observing the adventurers.

    ¡°Well, I''m sure we''ll be fine, since we have Momon-san with us.¡± Peter, the leader of the group, spoke with a smile on his face, possibly remembering how the swordsman with them managed to defeat the monsters on the way.

    ¡°Speaking of which¡­ Momon-san¡­ I''d like to warn you that, if we encounter The Wise King of the Forest, I want you to focus on scaring it away and preventing it from approaching us¡­¡± Nfirea explained that detail. ¡°It is believed that this being is the reason why monsters do not come out of the forest to attack Carne Village, since this part of the forest is its main territory.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ yes, it would be bad if this great monster were to be killed in this context. But I consider it impossible for it to be frightened, even if Momon-san is in combat.¡± Lukrut, the archer of the group, spoke with disbelief.

    ¡°I understand, I will keep that in mind.¡± Momon replied with this, causing the archer to be shocked.

    ¡°Eh?!? The opponent is a legendary magical creature that has lived for hundreds of years!! How can you say something like that?!¡±

    ¡°Only those who are strong are allowed to have such an attitude¡­¡± the barbaric-like druid, Dyne, spoke with a slight smile on his face, having already seen an example of strength coming from the swordsman.

    ¡°Well, since the enemy is so powerful and legendary¡­ I have a suggestion¡­'''' Everyone fell silent to hear Momon¡¯s words. ¡°Nabe knows a magic that makes a lot of noise, she can use it to be an alarm¡­ and I would also like both of us to check the area around.¡±

    ¡°For me, you can do that, but it wouldn¡¯t be good if you stayed away for too long¡­¡± Nfirea commented, looking at the forest.

    Momon accepted the alchemist¡¯s words and entered the forest with Nabe. The place became denser and denser with each step they took, and when they reached an acceptable distance, he began to speak.

    ¡°Okay, you can leave, let¡¯s go hunting!¡± Momon¡¯s voice seemed much more powerful than when he was with the humans.

    ¡°What hunt¡­?¡± Nabe asked, confused, and upon sensing something nearby, she turned around ready to attack, but soon stopped when she realized who it was.

    Aura Bella Fiore was on top of a thick tree branch, with a big smile on her face. ¡°So is it time? Perfect!! I really want to see this Wise King of the Forest that the humans were talking about.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Aura-Sama! How long have you been here?¡± asked Nabe.

    ¡°I entered the forest at the same time as you.¡± She replied with a smile, possibly excited about the legendary creature that did not exist in YGGDRASIL.

    ¡°And I just followed her because I was interested in the flora around us¡­¡± Another voice came from between the trees, making Nabe feel a shiver all over her body, and when she turned around, she could see one of the supreme beings, Tabula.

    ¡°Well, anyway, it seems that this legendary being is the protector of the village in our backyard¡­ but with our presence, it is not entirely necessary for that function¡­ So I would like to use it in another way¡­ In order to increase the reputation of this alter-ego called Momon¡­ Yes¡­ If the other adventurers see such a legendary beast being defeated by me, I will gain more fame as an adventurer.¡± Momon said, observing the elf girl who was now swinging on the tree branch. ¡°Aura, with your Tamer skills, can you find and obtain it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Momonga-Sama!¡± she saluted. ¡°I think I may have even seen this creature.¡±

    Nodding, Aura jumped from branch to branch, moving away from the group to do as she was told. Nabe still seemed quite confused by the situation, and after much trembling with fear and respect, she finally found the courage to ask.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Momonga-sama, Tabula-sama¡­ what¡¯s the point of all this?¡­ Why gain fame as an adventurer when we have so much power¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, you and the others may not understand this, due to our supreme nature, but it is actually a method of high disguise.¡± Tabula said with a laugh. ¡°If our nature as heteromorphs is revealed to the world, those who are highly racist against monsters will see Ainz Ooal Gown as a group that should not be made friendly with. Therefore, it is best for us to create human identities so that we can use them in case of a plan B.¡±

    ¡°And people will trust these human identities even more if they are known and talked about a lot¡­ right now, we are increasing the fame of the adventurers ¡®Momon¡¯ and ¡®Nabe¡¯¡­ and if we become extremely important, we can use the trust we have gained to create human identities more easily for other guild members¡­¡± Momon commented as he looked back. ¡°And I think 5 people being witnesses to us OHKO¡¯ing goblins isn¡¯t enough.¡±

    Returning to Aura, she was running through the forest, but she wasn¡¯t alone, as her two pets, Fenn, the Fenrir, and Quadracile, the giant chameleon-like beast, had followed her and were now serving as mounts, going in search of the legendary creature. This action lasted for about an hour, with Aura finding a sort of cave attached to a small mound of earth.

    ¡°Oooh¡­ this seems to be the place, I feel it¡­¡± She said, trusting her instincts and asking the two pets to stay at the entrance while she went inside.

    Taking slow, gentle steps, the little dark elf got closer and closer to the back of that cave, managing to hear a loud breathing sound that was becoming more intense. With a few more steps and extreme care, she began to see the creature, clearly sleeping and with its back turned to the passage. The only thing visible on the creature was a brown fur, along with a scaly tail that would be much more appropriate for a snake than for a mammal.

    ¡°Uh¡­ I wanted so much to have this as a pet¡­ I hope Momonga¡¯s great powers don''t destroy it¡­¡± Aura said while still wanting that creature so much, but orders are orders.

    Taking a deep breath of the air around her, the dark elf began to blow purple smoke from her mouth. It was a skill called [Nature''s Breath], which allows the control of the emotions of living beings that were nearby. This skill was something that all elves have, but the fact that she had the High Tamer job class made it really effective on beasts.

    The monster seemed to be affected almost instantly, making irritated noises and with its fur standing on end. The elf knew she had done all the work possible, so she ran away from there, riding on top of her fenrir and hiding so that the focus of the creature''s fury would not be on her.

    The creature swayed a lot as it ran like crazy out of the den and this caused a tremor to occur in the surroundings. This tremor was felt by the adventurers and Nfirea, who were already carrying some bags of medicinal herbs. This was clearly worrying.

    ¡°Huh?! What was that? Maybe it¡¯s the Wise King?¡± Nfirea said, showing astonishment.

    Lukrut lowered his head to the ground, as if trying to understand the tremors on the ground, and then stood up, stating with certainty in his voice. ¡°Something big seems to be coming towards us. It seems to be one creature and not several.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Leave it to us, I think I can hold it.¡± Momon was the one to speak, positioning himself while Nabe remained beside him.

    ¡°O-Okay, we¡¯ll be at the entrance of the forest!¡± Ninya said as he helped Dyne carry some of the bags.

    ¡°Please be careful and don¡¯t fatally injure him¡­¡± Nfirea said, believing in Momon¡¯s strength and running off with the adventurers.

    ¡°Shit! Weren¡¯t we supposed to have them as witnesses to the plan??¡± Tabula said this mentally to Momonga, having been hidden nearby all this time, due to the pure curiosity of the fauna.

    ¡°Yes¡­ but it seems they thought quickly when it came to running away from a legendary creature¡­ I won¡¯t judge them, survival is paramount. Maybe cutting off one of the limbs and leaving it in a non-fatal state is the best option¡­ keep an eye out and don¡¯t get close yet¡­¡± Momon replied, with one hand close to the side of his head to be able to use the communication skill.

    A strange aura appeared in the place, it was the feeling that the challenge of increasing Momon¡¯s reputation had arrived. But it wasn¡¯t just through sensations, as it was possible to see smoke appearing in front of them and quickly approaching, as if the creature¡¯s footsteps caused a lot of earth to scatter.

    Momon took out the two greatswords he had and prepared for the fight, but the creature seemed to have realized that it had been found and because of that, it made a long-range attack. Stopping abruptly, the dust rose even more, hiding a lot of the creature, and from within the smoke of earth, a long tail made of scales approached, trying to stab. Momon was faster, managing to use both greatswords to block the attack. Since that wasn¡¯t a skill or anything like that, the dark swordsman was forced to take a few steps back.

    The creature spoke, having disappeared from their sight after that attack. ¡°You managed to block my first attack completely. Extremely admirable, I say¡­¡±

    ¡®Does he speak the human language of this world¡­? Or maybe it¡¯s the passive translation skill affecting me¡­¡¯ He thought, intrigued by that voice that echoed through the trees.

    ¡°Well then, invaders of my incredible territory¡­ If you decide to leave now, I won¡¯t pursue you out of respect for such a strong defense¡­¡± That voice continued, making it difficult to identify which side it was coming from. ¡°What action will you take?¡±

    ¡°What a foolish question! Don''t you show your face because you lack confidence? Or maybe you are shy?¡± Momon taunted the legendary beast, and through the mental connection, Tabula, who was far away, laughed, loving that scene, as if he were watching a show.

    ¡°Such oppressive words¡­ If you want that so much, then feast your eyes on my form and tremble in fear!!!¡±

    The words of the powerful entity appeared while some trees were clearly pushed due to the force, causing Momon and Nabe to look in that direction, preparing for the attack. The being was slowly showing itself, large teeth, a brown bristling fur, countless runes shining beneath its fur and a large reptilian tail..

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± Momon commented, looking up, since the creature seemed taller.

    ¡°Are¡­. are you fucking kidding me¡­?¡± Tabula spoke through the mental contact.

    ¡°That¡­ I feel the disgust, fear and dread beneath your helmet, dark warrior.¡± The creature said, thinking itself powerful.

    ¡°Let me ask you a question¡­ Your species is not known as¡­¡± Momon said, approaching the creature.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a fucking¡­¡± Tabula also commented.

    ¡°Djungarian hamster?!¡± They both said at the same time, while Tabula seemed to scream in sudden astonishment, Momon said it as if it were a sincere question, with curiosity in his voice.

    ¡°W-Wait¡­ what do you mean?! You know my species?¡± The creature said, being completely exposed to the light that fell between the trees.

    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ how can I put it?... An old acquaintance of mine had a pet that looked like you¡­¡± Momon said, a little embarrassed, as he didn¡¯t expect something like that to be called the ¡®Wise King of the Forest¡¯.

    ¡°HA! HAHAHAHAHHA!!!¡± Tabula laughed out loud in the mental connection. ¡°My god!! If Saori were here, she would turn it into an adorable pet full of bows!! HAHAHHAHA¡± He seemed to be unable to hold himself back and if it weren¡¯t for the tentacles holding him tightly, he would have fallen from the tree he was hiding in.

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Nabe was super confused, because it was something she had never heard of.

    ¡°Wow! If there are others of my species, I make a point of meeting them! See, since I don¡¯t have offspring, I¡¯m a failure as an animal¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Momon tried to answer the creature. ¡°It would be impossible because of your size¡­ the ones I know are usually the size of a closed fist.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ so I¡¯m a failure as an animal because I¡¯m too big¡­ humu¡­¡± The creature said with his head down.

    ¡°Eh¡­ I¡¯m sorry about that¡­¡±

    ¡°No!¡± the monster shook its head. ¡°Let¡¯s end these useless games and fight for our lives! That¡¯s right! Now be defeated by me and become my food!!!¡±

    Momon just tapped the tip of his sword against the ground a few times. To some he might have seemed paralyzed by the situation, but in reality he was trapped in his thoughts, extremely disappointed. ¡®Gaining more fame by defeating a GIANT HAMSTER?! What a disappointment!! How is something like that a legendary animal?!¡¯

    ¡°Huh? Paralyzed?! Come on, don¡¯t tell me you gave up before we started! We have to have a fight for survival!¡± the animal shouted, already prepared to advance.

    Heaving a long sigh, he raised one of the swords towards the giant hamster, speaking with boredom in his voice.¡°[Despair Aura I]¡±

    The Wise King of the Forest looked confused, until he felt the skill hit him. Pathetically, he fell to the ground on his back, shivering in fear. "I surrender! I lost! Please don''t hurt me!!"

    "It... is just some beast..." Momon said, facepalming.

    "What a stupid situation... I was excited for nothing, is this serious, Suzuki? Am I delirious by any chance?" Tabula commented through the mental connection.

    "Oh! So you''re going to kill him, Momonga-Sama?" Aura''s voice appeared, revealing that she was nearby watching everything. "If so, I was thinking about skinning him. I feel like his skin would make excellent clothes for Mother."

    The creature heard that and began to cry like a child wanting its mother, causing Momon to let out another disappointed sigh. If that monster was so easy to defeat, there was no reason to kill it... and that''s when the idea came. ¡®Maybe showing others that I managed to tame it is much more impressive than showing the corpse¡­¡¯

    And so it was done. It didn¡¯t take long to make the creature stop crying and take him to the entrance of the forest. The group of adventurers were there with Nfirea and could observe the great beast that the duo managed to obtain.

    ¡°The Wise King of the Forest?!¡± Everyone exclaimed when he explained about the creature.

    Momon nodded. ¡°But please, go easy on him¡­ He is now under my control and will not be violent.¡±

    ¡°Yes! It is as master said. The Wise King of the Forest will follow master¡¯s path. I will not cause you any trouble!¡±

    ¡°Amazing! What a giant magical beast!!¡± Ninya spoke while everyone else was speechless.

    ¡®Eh¡­?????¡¯ Momon was confused by their reaction.

    ¡°I sense great strength and wisdom coming from him! Splendid!¡± Dyne spoke with a proud smile on his face.

    ¡®Great strength? Wisdom? This creature?!¡¯ Not only Momonga, but Tabula was thinking the same thing, still hiding nearby, inside the forest.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already achieved so much, Momon-san! Now I can understand why you¡¯re taking Nabe with you.¡± Lukrut commented, quite excited.

    ¡°We would have been massacred if we fought against such a creature¡­ As expected of Momon-san. Incredible¡­¡± Peter seemed to speak with immense admiration.

    ¡°Eh¡­ Nabe¡­ what do you think?¡± He asked extremely confused as he couldn¡¯t see any importance in that animal.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t count its strength, its eyes seem to shine with power.¡± Nabe answered sincerely.

    ¡®Are you kidding me?!?!¡¯ Momon thought.

    ¡®This is sick!!!! If this is powerful, I think even one of Kazuma¡¯s burps would be destructive here!!¡¯ Tabula spoke mentally, completely incredulous.

    ¡°Wait¡­ Momon-san, if you take this magical beast with you, won¡¯t Carne Village be attacked by monsters?¡± Nfirea asked worriedly.

    Momon looked at the hamster, wanting confirmation from him, and he said. ¡°It¡¯s possible. Not an absolute certainty, but it could happen.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Nfirea seemed to be getting even more worried. ¡°Wait, Momon-sama! I would like to join you!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Everyone was confused.

    ¡°You are someone extremely powerful and on top of that you know several tricks that might be of interest to me! I would like you to help me, in exchange I can work for you for free and even carry equipment!!¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me that you want my help to become a powerful mage?¡± Momon asked to confirm.

    ¡°Yes! I want to be powerful and learn ways of defense, not for myself! But to help this village that I love so much!¡± The alchemist¡¯s words seemed extremely sincere and desperate, but they were answered with a laugh.

    The laughter seemed mocking, but it was quickly explained so there would be no misunderstanding. ¡°I¡¯m not laughing at your dreams, however, I cannot allow you to be present with me at all times¡­ But that doesn¡¯t prevent the fact that I can help you defend this village from time to time¡­ and honestly, I would also accept your help at times¡­¡±

    ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Nfirea smiled widely at that.

    But after a few hours, just before they prepared to return to E-Rantel. The alchemist called Momon to talk, being a little away from everything and everyone as it seemed to be something private, Nabe and The Wise King were not there as they had been ordered to stay close to the wagon.

    ¡°Momon-san¡­ I would like to confirm¡­¡± He spoke, a little embarrassed by the small possibility of being wrong. ¡°Are you Momonga? The one who helped this village?¡±

    Momonga wasn¡¯t that surprised by that, early in the morning, when the sun finally rose, Letyan had quickly visited him to talk about it. About how the Alchemist seemed to have connected the dots due to several factors, in addition to the fact that he had been able to touch the sword with ease. This was one of the reasons why he had shown greater care and accepted the things he had asked for previously, the human in front of him could become a tremendous ally, besides, it would be an absurd waste for such a talent to be killed to keep the secret even more.

    ¡°So¡­ What gave me away?¡± He acted well for that, trying to seem like he was disappointed in himself for hiding things.

    ¡°Similar names¡­ Potions¡­ things like that¡­ And from the spells Enri told me you used¡­ I already knew you were someone who should only receive the best of the best¡­ A powerful mage¡­ hiding as a swordsman¡­¡± Nfirea praised him and spoke softly, as if he was intimidated by the grandeur in front of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you told me to be careful not to kill that creature, instead of being careful not to be killed myself¡­ I see¡­¡± He adjusted the red cape over his shoulder. ¡°Well, really, if you found out like this, I feel like it was fate, so I won¡¯t complain and accept the fact that I was discovered by you.¡±

    ¡°And I would like to apologize¡­¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Momon was now confused, could it be that he had told someone?!

    ¡°I¡­ I hired you because I found out about the healing potion¡­ and I really wanted to learn how to make it¡­ I¡­ I was being selfish¡­¡±

    ¡°No, Nfirea¡­¡± He put his hand on the human¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re an alchemist, you were curious¡­ curiosity and the desire to fill yourself with knowledge is something your job constantly demands¡­ Blaming your desires by saying they¡¯re selfish factors isn¡¯t good for you¡­¡±

    ¡°O-Okay¡­ you¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry to bring up things like that¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway¡­ since you already know that I¡¯m part of an interesting group¡­ there¡¯s no reason for me not to tell you about this¡­¡± Nfirea was confused by Momon¡¯s words, until he resumed speaking. ¡°Among my companions, I have an alchemist. We already have a stock of items like that healing potion, but he can do more than that¡­ you said you wanted me to help you become better at your job, maybe he¡¯s better than me at that¡­¡±

    Nfirea¡¯s eyes widened, a smile appearing on his face. ¡°I-Is that serious?! A-An alchemist who knows how to make more of that potion?!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh! But I would have to see if he would accept someone like you as a disciple or even a trading partner.¡± He gave a light laugh. ¡°Then don¡¯t get 100% excited about it. Okay?¡±

    Seeing the human agree, Momonga could breathe a deep sigh of relief. ¡®Yes, the more we keep him with us, the better the situation will be¡­¡¯

    And so things began to settle down...

    The trip happened soon after that, causing Momonga to once again move away from the "Garden of Nazarick" to continue disguised as an adventurer. He remained mounted on top of his new beastly companion with Nabe, while the others continued to use the wagon. This way, the weight of the vehicle was lighter, making it easier for the horses to pull it faster, arriving at E-Rantel faster than on the previous trip.

    During the trip, Momonga took the opportunity to have a conversation with Tabula through the mental message skill, wanting to get ahead and know if he was available for that crazy idea. Surprising the overlord, the brain eater seemed to be super excited and happy with the idea of ??having that human as a disciple, mainly due to his innate ability to use items without restriction, he could be of great help and could do some experiments with the excuse of being part of the study method.

    The sky had already darkened, both the entrance to the city and the streets were already covered with the weak light of some lit candle-lamps, but before entering deeply, one of the guards at the entrance asked about the animal that Momon used as a mount, not explaining much beyond the fact that he had just tamed it. He was advised to register the creature at the guild, so as not to have any more problems.

    ¡°Ooh, so we have to go to the guild first?¡± Lukrut asked a little disappointed.

    ¡°Eh¡­ I was hoping we could celebrate the fact that we got 6 times more herbs than we expected.¡± Ninya said with his head down.

    ¡°Of course we can celebrate. You guys can take Nfirea and his luggage to his house, while I go register the Wise King. I¡¯ll go straight from there after. I hope there¡¯s some great booze at your house.¡± Momon said with a laugh as he looked at the alchemist.

    ¡°Well, we managed to earn a lot more than I wanted, thanks to you and Wise King of the Forest¡­ so I¡¯ll make sure you get to drink the best alcohol my grandmother has in the store.¡± The alchemist said with a big smile and a wave.

    And so they walked away, each heading to their own destination¡­

    Momon still felt extremely embarrassed about his little adventure, still riding the giant hamster. Soon he got caught up in his thoughts again.

    ¡®Should I really be proud? I look more like a child on a toy horse¡­ How embarrassing!! FUCK!!!... argh¡­ but I still need to think of a name¡­ Hamusuke? NO! Daifuku sounds good too¡­ right?? Well, I¡¯m the one who found him, so I should be the one to name him without help from others¡­ but it was because of Aura that he was drawn to me¡­ So who has the duty to name him, her? Or Haruka? ARGH!!! No! I¡¯d better think of a name myself¡­ but which one to use?!¡¯

    It didn¡¯t take long for the registration to be completed, and even so, several people stood near the guild entrance, observing the grand creature that was now there. Apparently, no matter how much Momon saw that animal as a simple pet, anyone else, especially from that region, would see such a creature as something impressive.

    ¡°There! Now your official name is Hamsuke, got it?¡± He said, petting the hamster.

    ¡°Oh, a simple and direct name instead of a big title¡­ I like that! Thank you very much, master!¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    Several people were surprised at the same time after hearing the creature manage to speak. It seemed like they were talking among themselves to find out who the man in the dark armor was. Momon could even hear some of them saying that maybe he was a noble and mega famous adventurer and that he shouldn¡¯t be a bronze badge, it seems that having that hamster as a companion was the wisest possible choice to achieve fame quickly.

    ¡°Hey!! You there. Aren''t you one of the adventurers who went with my grandson?¡± A voice approached him, making him see who it was, simply an elderly woman and quite short. ¡°I''m Lizzie, Nfirea''s grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Ooooh! You! Yes, yes, it''s me¡­ You can call me Momon¡­ the one next to me is Nabe, and this one here is-¡±

    ¡°My name is Hamsuke now!¡± The hamster interrupted, feeling proud of his name.

    ¡°So¡­ you really are the Wise King of the Forest?¡± The elderly woman asked curiously and the creature just confirmed it while seeming to think itself superior.

    With the information about who the creature was being confirmed in that conversation, people began to gossip more among themselves. That was something they had never imagined seeing with their own eyes before.

    ¡°I ended up meeting him in the middle of the mission your grandson requested¡­ I''m going to see him at your store right now, so I can get my reward and party a little.¡±

    ¡°Party? What do you mean by that?¡± She asked curiously.

    ¡°It seems that the amount of herbs we got far exceeded expectations, so he wants to pay a bonus on the reward through a small party.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ Can you take me with you? I was already heading to the store anyway.¡±

    Momon agreed with the idea and let the old woman climb on top of Hamsuke so that they could go together to the desired place. But when they got there, something seemed wrong¡­

    The little granny went to open the door with the key, but strangely enough, it seemed to be already open. ¡°Strange¡­ Nfirea never forgets to lock it¡­ did he come in in a hurry?¡±

    And so they entered while Hamsuke remained outside. The Overlord already began to feel something very familiar approaching as he saw the woman calling for her grandson, but without any response. This made him already pick up one of his swords and walk to where that feeling took him.

    ¡°What is it? Why are you going to the storeroom?¡± The old woman asked as she followed them, but was stopped from getting too close when he gave an order.

    ¡°Nabe, keep her safe¡­ I smell blood in the air¡­¡±

    The words left the old woman frightened, and when they entered the storage room, they saw something very unpleasant¡­ Blood all over the floor and extremely injured bodies thrown around. The old woman screamed in fear and asked for her grandson, but clearly, he was not among the victims in that place.

    ¡°How unpleasant¡­¡± Momon said to himself as he walked among the bodies, but ended up realizing something.

    Ninya¡¯s body was thrown with his back against a closet, blood had stained his mouth, torn clothes and body, but it was possible to see his chest moving extremely weakly. Along with that, it was possible to notice a small detail about him¡­ or should be said¡­ ¡°her¡±.

    ¡°We have a survivor here!¡± Momon exclaimed to warn the others about that, but before he could carry her out of there, one of the bodies began to move on its own and stood up with a face full of cuts.

    ¡°ZOMBIE!!!¡± The old woman exclaimed.

    Without delay, Momon managed to decapitate the one who stood up with relative ease, and was able to identify it as being Dyne. But soon the corpses of Lukrut and Peter also began to rise, already taking up their blades to attack him.

    With their back to the old woman and Nabe, the magician raised one of her arms, pointing at Peter and using a [Lightning] to effectively damage him. It was one of the few skills she could use, since she was forbidden from using things higher than 3rd tier spells during her disguise. In any case, Peter''s head ended up exploding, with the electric current reaching his entire body. As for Lukrut''s corpse, Momon kicked him in the leg, making him lose his balance, and during the fall, he used his greatsword again, making an upper-slash that severed another head.

    It took a while for them to be able to take a deep breath and reason what had happened there. Ninya was being treated with the help of one of the emergency potions that Momon had in his inventory, while Nabe was with Lizzie, trying to understand what had happened. ¡°How?... Why¡­ Why is this happening to us¡­?¡±

    ¡°It depends a lot on the factors¡­ because they didn¡¯t take anything from the adventurers or the things he had brought home¡­ It really is as if Nfirea was the only target, whoever it was¡­¡± Momon thought about the situation a little more, now looking at the corpses. ¡°And to make matters worse¡­ it was probably a tier 3 mage who could create corpses of this category¡­ but to leave them completely abandoned¡­ There¡¯s a high possibility that it was someone who doesn¡¯t care about being discovered, or who thinks that nothing can stop him¡­¡±

    ¡°In other words¡­ my grandson was taken by dangerous people because of something that only he has¡­¡± Lizzie took a few seconds to realize. ¡°The innate ability¡­ to be able to use equipment¡­ That¡¯s the only thing I can think of.¡±

    ¡°To be honest¡­¡± Momon spoke as he went back to tending to Ninya¡¯s wounds, who was unconscious. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that a kidnapping of this level hasn¡¯t happened before, given how important this ability is. So, to do this only now¡­ It must be something last minute¡­¡±

    ¡°Last minute¡­?¡± Lizzie questioned.

    ¡°Yes¡­ From what I heard, there was some trouble recently in another region near here and the culprits were arrested a few weeks ago¡­ There is a possibility that, between the time of the arrest and now¡­ the real people in charge have organized a plan B¡­¡± Momon spoke in that way so as not to give so many irrelevant details to the woman, he didn¡¯t want to worry her even more.

    The conversation was interrupted by a loud scream, followed by several coughs. It was Ninya, she had woken up and seemed to get up in complete panic, almost casting a spell, but Momon was quick enough to cover her mouth. It took her a few seconds to realize who was there.

    ¡°M-Momon-san!!!¡± She exclaimed loudly, starting to cry. ¡°S-She was a crazy snake!! So s-so fast and¡­¡± She soon stopped talking when she noticed that there were 3 bodies covered in cloth on the ground. She already knew who they were, with tears streaming down her cheeks more intensely.

    ¡°Take a deep breath¡­ We just got here¡­ and saw¡­ this situation¡­ Can you tell us what happened¡­ or maybe you know who took Nfirea¡­?¡± Momon asked.

    ¡°N-Nfirea?! S-she wanted him! Ah.. AH! To control the Undead with some item!¡± No matter how much he tried to calm her down, she was in extreme shock at the moment, but at least she could get some information.

    ¡°A woman appeared and kidnapped him to use him as a tool to control the Undead¡­ is that it?¡± Nabe butted in.

    ¡°S-S-She said that he can¡¯t really c-control them¡­ But with him¡­ she can order where they¡¯re going to attack¡­¡± Ninya said that with difficulty. ¡°E-Rantel is the first target¡­.¡±

    ¡®Controlling the Undead to attack E-Rantel¡­ if it¡¯s a large group and it really is their plan B¡­¡¯ Momon thought, but soon asked, this time to Lizzie. ¡°Is there a place where there might be a lot of corpses nearby? If they want to use the Undead to attack E-Rantel, it¡¯s most likely a place nearby with enough people to have an army.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a cemetery a little away from the urban area¡­¡±

    ¡°Great¡­ and by the way¡­ Lizzie, I know this may seem rude, but as an adventurer, I would like to be compensated for this new job¡­¡± Momon¡¯s voice turned a little cold.

    ¡°I-I see, how much will it cost to hire you to save my grandson¡­?¡±

    ¡°Quite a large sum actually¡­ but seeing as how you and your grandson run this large shop¡­ I feel like a reward could be¡­ giving me everything you have here.¡±

    ¡°E-Everything?!¡± She exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°Are you a demon by any chance, wanting everything I have to rescue my grandson?!¡±

    ¡°Rescuing your grandson will actually be the consequence of preventing E-Rantel from being attacked by an army of undead¡­¡± He said as he took a few steps forward. ¡°Do you think everything you have is excessive for something of this level?¡±

    ¡°M-Maybe we can notify the guild¡­¡± Ninya commented, getting off the table and still seeming to feel pain in the stomach area, where the stab wound was deepest. ¡°Depending on how serious the situation really is¡­ the guild might give a reward for helping with the defense¡­¡±

    ¡®Hm¡­ she¡¯s a good enough girl that she doesn¡¯t want me to do something like that to this woman¡­ well¡­ what she says makes sense¡­ and in theory I would have even more fame if the guild itself compensated me for part of the work¡­¡¯ Momon thought about it even more and soon made up his mind.

    ¡°Okay¡­ you¡¯ll pay me by being one of my main suppliers then¡­ Anything I buy from this store, I¡¯ll get a 90% discount. What do you think?¡± Momon¡¯s proposal had been made and, unable to fight the situation, she just accepted.

    In this way, they left the store and, since the guild was on the way to the cemetery, they ended up stopping by so Ninya and Lizzie could go and explain things. However, it didn''t take even a minute after they arrived there, and screams could be heard in the distance on that street, causing the adventurers present to get up from their chairs to see what was happening.

    In the distance, it was possible to see a group of skeletons and even zombies running down the street, attacking some villagers who were outside their houses, while others tried to break down some doors. It was a frightening sight that made everyone there freeze in fear, until Momon advanced, going to attack.

    ¡°WHAT IS THIS?!¡± Said a woman who was watching the scene, she was one of the secretaries of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Wina¡­ they look like¡­ Undead?... Someone explain this situation to me, now!¡± The next to exclaim was the guildmaster, Pluton.

    ¡°Pluton-Sama¡­¡± Ninya said, getting off Hamsuke. ¡°Someone from the city has been kidnapped and is being used as an energy source to control the dead¡­¡± She soon receives help from Lizzie to walk around there. ¡°We came here to warn you about this before anything happened¡­ however¡­¡±

    ¡°For some reason, they were very fast.¡± Nabe commented over the top. ¡°The kidnapping happened not even an hour ago, and they¡¯ve already managed to create several undead that have already entered E-Rantel.¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­ An undead attack?! This is extreme! Wida and Theo! I want you two to try to organize the adventurers present here so that they can protect E-Rantel! Let''s start with the areas closest to the Cemetery!¡± Pluton shouted to the receptionist and the magic caster guildmaster.

    He then looked at another receptionist from the guild. ¡°Ishpen! I want you to go tell the Innkeepers to prepare all the adventurers who are with them for defense! On the way, tell as many people as you can to stay in this area, because we will focus completely on protecting the surroundings of the Guild until the whole situation calms down!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, boss! Heh, I''ll need 2 adventurers with me for security¡­¡± She spoke to those who were there and apparently two were willing to help her.

    Meanwhile, Pluton could see that the adventurer Momon was managing to destroy those undead with relative ease, but even so, it seemed that more could be coming. He soon ran to him. ¡°Hmm¡­ Since you guys found out about this problem and it seems like you can handle it¡­ I¡¯ll allow you to go deeper to burn it out from the root!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your permission!¡± Momon said while whistling, Hamsuke ran towards him with Nabe already on top of the hamster.

    ¡°If the situation seems to get even worse after two hours, you can bring more adventurers to help!¡± Momonga didn¡¯t need help, seeing the level of the undead he had faced so far, even so it was better to say something like this, so that the guildmaster wouldn¡¯t create his own ideas.

    Pluton just nodded and Hamsuke started running towards the cemetery, running over some of the undead he saw in front of him, Nabe helped using [Lightning] several times at the corpses in front of her, while Momon threw his greatswords, which stuck in the ground after destroying some skeletons, and he was soon able to pick them up without having to get off the hamster. It wasn''t possible to destroy all the undead that were in the way, but at least he had given the adventurers a greater help.

    As they got closer to the objective, more undead appeared and they looked strange. Some of them could withstand more than one of Nabe''s basic attacks, and they also seemed to have a black slime running through their bodies in an abnormal way. Not even YGGDRASIL had something like that.

    In a somewhat surprising way, one of the skeletons managed to throw that bizarre slime through its ribs, as if it were a slimy and corrosive tentacle. Momon had to quickly get off Hamsuke, grabbing the large hamster from below and throwing it upwards so the animal could dodge the attack.

    ¡°AaAAAAh!! Master?!?¡± The poor hamster said, crying in fear at the throw.

    After that, to defend himself, he actually used the greatswords as a shield, being thrown back a little by the impact, but damaging some of the blade in the process. Meanwhile, Nabe remained on top of Hamsuke, taking advantage of the fact that he was thrown high into the air, to use more [Lightning], damaging more of the undead with excellent headshots.

    ''My blade... is this slime corrosive at this level?'' Momon thought as two more undead that had that strange slime approached to attack him, with the greatest care he could, he was throwing the damaged greatsword at one and destroying the skull, but he also took care of the other two using the blade he still had.

    "Momon-sama, be careful!!" Nabe shouted during yet another kill that Momon performed, and as he looked ahead.

    He saw what appeared to be a large amalgamation of bones, with more of that black slime running through them. It was as if the union of several skeletons had created a sentient union. In addition, there were two creatures next to it that seemed to be zombie mutations, with claws and more than one pair of arms, each.

    ¡®More of that extremely corrosive stuff? That¡¯s dangerous¡­ but I feel like I can still defeat it without using my real skills¡­¡¯ That was Momon¡¯s thought as he saw that blob of bones rolling at an abnormal speed towards him, with something that seemed to be a monstrous face emerging from the surface.

    The moment an attempt to counter was about to be made, a great and powerful thunder occurred, making Hamsuke scream in pain, as if his eardrums were almost burst by the loud sound. And in front of Momon, that slime seemed to be already dead, while the two mutant zombies seemed paralyzed, as if their instincts from when they were alive told them to run.

    ¡°NARBERAL!!¡± Momon exclaimed, ¡°I warned you not to use any spells above the 3rd tier without my permission during our missions!¡±

    ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t me¡­ Momonga-sama¡­¡± She seemed terrified after the supreme being yelled at her like that.

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you¡­ who shot the lightning!?¡± Momon exclaimed as he pointed and looked at the Bone-Slime, which seemed to be melting as if something was sucking it in, which caught the overlord¡¯s attention.

    After a few seconds of melting, it was possible to see what was sucking in that slime, a sword. The sword was stuck in the ground, with its blade completely black due to that corrosive slime, but it seemed to continue absorbing the acid.

    ¡°Oh! Sorry Suzuki! Did I take too long?¡±

    A familiar voice came out, and when he turned around, Momon saw a man with clothes as blue as the sea, shiny golden hair, angelic wings on his back and a halo floating above his head... but when he saw the man''s face, he could see that he looked hurt, with that same black slime dripping from his eyes that seemed dark like the void, and half of his left arm was missing.

    ¡°AAAH! MASTER!? WHAT IS THAT?!¡± Hamsuke screamed in fear when he saw that being.

    ¡°Keiko... what the hell happened to you...?¡±

    ¡°I''ll explain later...¡± He said, approaching and observing the two mutants in front of him and the sword completely covered in slime.

    As he picked up the sword, the slime on the blade quickly crawled to the former player''s body, and began to regenerate the arm that he was missing. He sighed heavily.

    ¡°But I have to say... the situation looks more irritating than I expected¡­¡±

 Chapter 24 - The Sexy, The Putrid and The Ugly

    In the initial areas of the E-Rantel cemetery, there were 3 individuals and a magical beast, all facing the approaching undead. There were some of the undead that passed by them, but it seemed that they didn''t care that much, as they had one goal in mind above all else. It would be an unnecessary waste of stamina if they tried to fix everything at once.

    Besides, the adventurers in the city had already been warned about what was happening. The heroes should swallow their pride and believe that the adventurers could hold off a little from the residual enemies.

    The human with the appearance of an angel observed the enemies ahead, being two mutant zombies. He, without any problem, waved his hands while reciting a spell, making his arms glow.

    ¡°[Melio Luminatio]!!!¡± From the palms of his hands, small, luminous spheres emerged, growing at an absurd speed, until each one was the average size of a head.

    Without delay, those spheres were launched, the Zombies tried to attack the projectiles with black slime that came out of their mouths, but the spheres of light destroyed the slime in the middle of the path and stuck to the enemy''s bodies. Letyan snapped his fingers 4 times with each hand, and in response, 4 luminous trails emerged from the spheres, connecting the enemies to each other. The trails were like ropes that wrapped around the bodies of the undead, burning them deeply until they evaporated right there, but the only thing left was that strange slime.

    ¡°So, first of all¡­ why the hell are undead starting to appear here and head towards the city?¡± Letyan questioned, really wanting to know the situation.

    ¡°Ah¡­ someone kidnapped Nfirea, and is using him as a battery for an item that revives the undead.¡± Suzuki answered that while swinging one of the greatswords at some skeletons that were approaching him. ¡°Now explain your situation to me. Why are you using Dracul? And how did you end up dirty and without an arm?¡±

    Letyan laughed as he continued to move forward, using his sword to attack the closest enemies, while hitting the more distant enemies with the use of fireballs created from the [Ignis] glyph. His friend had easily been able to read why he had wings and a halo, it was actually the skill [The Guardian Angel Sacrifice] from Belindo Dracul, one of the Nazarick¡¯s NPCs.

    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say there¡¯s something bad about using my player skills¡­¡± Letyan said as he cut two zombies in front of him in half without any problems. ¡°Actually, this has been going on for a while¡­ Using these skills can create a random chance of me getting hurt.¡±

    ¡°Your body can¡¯t handle your power, is that what you mean?¡± His friend said, also fighting some undead that were running towards him, the strong swing of his sword was enough for weak beings.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I ended up using a tracking skill after sensing something bizarre in this place, just to know exactly where I should go, which resulted in my eyes basically overflowing with this black stuff.¡±

    It was at least strange, the boy said it very casually. If it were anyone else, the situation would be one of despair and agony. But why was he continuing that conversation as if he were just talking about the day?

    ¡°Wait¡­ did you sense something here?¡­ weren¡¯t you in Carne Village?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­ I¡¯m hypersensitive to an attribute¡­¡±

    ¡°What attribute?¡± Momon asked in confusion, until he saw more of those mutant undead approaching and launching that corrosive black slime.

    Letyan jumped in front of that attack, extending his hand as if to cast a spell, but he didn¡¯t seem to be chanting any skill at the moment. Surprisingly, those slime attacks now seemed to change targets in mid-air, hitting the boy¡¯s hand, which seemed to calmly absorb such corrosive element.

    Turning his face to the overlord, he had a smirk on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll explain better when it really matters¡­ I think the conversation is enough for now.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ things seem really difficult¡­ Normally these undead wouldn¡¯t be attacking me, because I¡¯m one of them, in practice. Even so¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not normal undead, at least not in your category!!¡± the human said, quickly cutting through some zombies and skeletons that were advancing towards him, all with that slime pulsing around their bodies. ¡°I¡¯ll need to clean up the whole situation¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ If you want, I can call some summons that I have access to¡­¡± Momon said, slicing through some of the skeletons again. It seemed that most of the undead were deciding to gather around them.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need them¡­ never use your cards unless you¡¯re cornered¡­¡± He responds by attacking with more flurries of katana slashes, in addition to the use of [Ignis].

    ¡°And speaking of summons and the undead¡­¡± The boy continued to speak, now looking at Hamsuke. ¡°Narberal! The fact that we have a non-undead with us is making them not focus on me to attack. Could you levitate him high up?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Hikari-Sama.¡± The doppelganger understood the order, firmly grabbing the belly of the great hamster and carrying him a few meters off the ground.

    ¡°Ah!! AAAAH!!!! N-No! It¡¯s too high!!¡± Hamsuke screamed in fear due to the height and humiliating situation he found himself in, but neither Momon nor Letyan seemed bothered.

    ¡°Great, I didn¡¯t want the poor beast to be affected¡­¡± With a wide smile, Letyan put his hands up and exclaimed. ¡°[Vol Fulgur]!!¡±

    A large amount of lightning came out of his palms, reaching the undead around him and electrocuting them right there, to the point that some skeletons had their bones turned to ash. It seemed to also affect Momon, but his armor protected him against this AoE attack.

    And so the two continued to go deeper into the cemetery, attacking any undead that tried to stop them, while Nabe and Hamsuke floated above them, observing the whole scene better. But after getting close to the center of the place, they noticed a large mausoleum, where there was a group of mages talking in front of them, clearly human.

    ¡°Leave Hamsuke somewhere safe and follow us, Nabe, the situation is going to be interesting.¡± With Momon''s orders, the giant hamster was left on top of a tall tree nearby. He complained, but he couldn''t do anything, because it was something ordered by his master.

    ¡°Khajit-sama¡­ it seems someone has arrived.¡± One of the mages spoke, seemingly talking to one of them who had a more flashy uniform.

    ¡®Hm¡­ saying the names of their companions in a situation like this¡­ what stupid people¡­¡¯ Momon thought, before striking a pose, stopping walking and drawing attention. ¡°Hello. What a beautiful night, Mr. Khajit¡­ Isn¡¯t it boring spending the night doing boring rituals like this?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯m the one who decides which night is perfect for a ritual¡­ adventurers¡­?¡± The apparent chief mage said, standing in front of the others as he observed who was coming. A woman in simple clothes, a man in fancy black armor, and a¡­ boy with wings and a halo? An angel? That didn¡¯t shake him so much, as he was confident in his power and wisdom. ¡°Besides¡­ who are you?¡±

    ¡°Us? Just heroes on a quest, looking for a boy¡­ We don¡¯t need to say his name, do we?¡± Momon¡¯s words made the mages slightly startled, after all, the situation had barely begun and they had already been easily discovered.

    ¡°And besides¡­ Is one of your allies possibly a woman with a piercing weapon?¡± Momon continued, now pointing one of his swords at the mages. ¡°Did you plan to go unnoticed? Or are you just cowards who love to hide?¡±

    A laugh arose from a little behind the mages. From inside the mausoleum, a woman emerged, her hair was medium-length and blonde, her skin extremely pale, her voice was high-pitched to the point of being both attractive and irritating at the same time, and her clothing was a black cape covering her body, with a shiny bronze bikini armor underneath.

    ¡°Hahahaha! It seems you analyzed the bodies very well, big guy¡­ And it seems you figured out the whole plan, so why should I hide?~¡± She walked with a wide smile, her purple pupils shining in the moonlight in a way that could be possible to see a little of the red from her own blood. ¡°But what surprises me is that you discovered that I was a woman. How?¡±

    ¡°There was a survivor among the people you attacked¡­ you should have made a double take¡­¡± Momon replied dryly.

    ¡°My record for flawless attacks was broken? Oh¡­ what a shame~¡± She was still smiling, but her smile soon seemed to grow wider as her eyes left the black-armored adventurer.

    ¡°Oh¡­ what is the Holy Kingdom¡¯s research doggy doing here?¡± Her voice had a more seductive tone than usual.

    Momon was confused by that speech, looking at Letyan without having to move his head much, making out the clear expression of anger on the boy''s face. It wasn''t extreme anger, but something like some kind of irritation...

    ''Does Keiko already know her...?'' he thought, as he spoke again. "Anyway. We came here to get the boy, I recommend you surrender before your faces are buried in the mud!"

    "Hahaha! Do you think we would do something like that? Very well~ We have countless tricks to finish off weaklings like you." The woman said, still laughing. "Fortunately, the surprise of seeing you here, Holy Doggy, is equivalent to the surprise of an undead created by pure accident~ And I think it will be perfect for you. Boys! Release the seal!"

    ¡°B-but miss, we don¡¯t even know the extent of this monster¡¯s pow-¡± One of the mages tried to justify himself, but the woman looked at him as if she would devour him at any moment, making him sigh and do as she had ordered.

    ¡°Clementine, you half-baked whore, what have you done¡­?¡± Letyan revealed the woman¡¯s name, while a strong tremor could be felt coming from the ground beneath them.

    A large amount of black slime appeared behind the mausoleum, this slime was stuck to countless parts of corpses and skeletons that were coming together, forming a kind of large undead golem. The creature¡¯s skin was incredibly dark, being around 6 meters tall and with a classic physique of a brute.

    ¡°Oh~ Nothing much, this just appeared while we were starting the procedure~ The boy seems to be really special.¡± Clementine said with that smile that never left her face, provoking immensely.

    ¡°Shit¡­. Momon¡­ that damn thing seems to be made of that same attribute¡­ it¡¯s going to be dangerous for you guys to face that¡­ I¡¯ll take the fight away from here and you guys face the rest¡­¡± Letyan said, putting the katana back in its sheath and letting out a long sigh.

    ¡°Can you explain to me how you know that woman at least?¡± Momon asked, still in shock about that information.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I had to sweep up the ashes of some orphanages she set on fire¡­¡± He answered that as he advanced, taking a big leap towards that slimy golem.

    ¡°[Grando]! [Lapiste]!¡± With those two glyphs, a large fist of ice was created that emerged from the ground, throwing the golem away, and without delay, the boy followed the creature to the new battle area.

    ¡°Well¡­ if we¡¯re really going to see a fight here¡­ Clementine! You seem like someone who loves a solo battle¡­ If there¡¯s going to be any deaths¡­ let¡¯s move away so no one gets in the way¡­¡± Momon said this, trying to reason out the way that woman was acting, and luckily, he was right.

    ¡°And Nabe, fight with the remains¡­¡± He spoke quickly and the doppelganger accepted.

    ¡°Hm¡­? Okaaay~ Let¡¯s finish this quickly? Or are you going to be a good toy?¡± Clementine said with that mischievous smile.

    Without answering her about that, the black warrior walked in a direction and the blonde-haired woman followed him. In this way, she left Nabe alone with the mages that were there. After a few seconds, Khajit just chuckled, looking at the plainly dressed adventurer. ¡°So¡­ It¡¯s just a battle against this woman? Hehe¡­¡±

    Without much expression, Nabe began to activate her magic, with large charges appearing from her palms. ¡°[Twin Maximize Magic!...¡±

    ¡°Eh?!?¡± All the mages were surprised by that, maybe they had never seen an amplified spell?

    ¡°...Electrosphere!]¡± The charges turned into spheres of electricity that were thrown at the enemies.

    The charge was so bright that it completely blinded everyone and everything in that area with an immense flash. But unfortunately for Nabe, she realized that only Khajit was standing, while his companions were thrown on the ground, with large burns exposed on their bodies.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ that seems like nothing¡­¡± The chief mage smiled with some rotten teeth showing.

    ¡°Wow¡­ You should be crushed easily like a caterpillar¡­¡± Nabe commented, disappointed that the inferior being in front of her could withstand a simple magic for her.

    ¡°Well, you are a fool who can use tier 3 magic¡­¡± He gave a light laugh.

    ¡°Fool? A mere insect like you calling me a fool?¡±

    ¡°Is it wrong to call an imbecile who tries to thwart my plans a fool?¡± He said, revealing a crystalline sphere that was under his cloak. ¡°And you are entering the land of the dead without knowing the power of the strongest! Fill your eyes with this Supreme Jewel!¡±

    The jewel began to shine brightly in a purple color. Nabe was confused and thought that it was just a toy, but soon a mental warning was given. It was Momon, mentally warning her that there was something in the sky. And so she noticed the existence of a large dragon made of bones, which almost hit her, but she managed to dodge it without the slightest problem.

    That dragon seemed to be much larger than the undead golem that had appeared before. Its appearance made the mage laugh victoriously. ¡°Hehehe!!! I don¡¯t know what special ability that extra monster we created by accident has! But this here is a Skeleton Dragon!! It is immune to magic!!! Mages cannot fight against such a terrifying enemy!!¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­. Since that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Nabe firmly tied the scabbard to the sword he had, looking like he was going to use it as a club. ¡°I¡¯ll beat this until it dies¡­¡±

    The mage was extremely confused by that statement and could see the woman not being afraid! Nabe ran towards the dragon, taking a grand leap and swinging her sword, ending up hitting the enemy in its head and knocking the dragon to the side as if it was nothing.

    ¡°B-But what?!? W-What are you?!¡± He exclaimed, noticing the creature trying to get up. ¡°You¡¯re a Mythril-class adventurer. No, you¡¯re an Orichalcum-class adventurer?¡±

    ¡°The term ¡®lower life form¡¯ suits you well because of your nature¡­ You dung beetle.¡± Nabe commented.

    ¡°Damn you¡­ I won¡¯t let you! I won¡¯t let you do this!!!¡± He exclaimed, seeing the dragon standing up again, he raised the crystal sphere and cast.

    ¡°[Ray of Negative Energy]!¡± Slowly the parts of the bones that were broken began to rebuild themselves, a regeneration of the Skeleton Dragon, which roared with desire.

    ¡°[Shield Wall]! [Undead Flame]![Reinforce Armor]! [Lesser Strength]!¡± Khajit exclaimed, giving the Skeleton Dragon buffs.

    In response to this, Nabe also began to buff her body.¡°[Protection of Energy Negative],[Shield Wall], [Reinforce Armor]. ¡±

    With the wizard''s signal, the dragon tried to attack Nabe again, this time using its tail. She, on the other hand, jumped, not only to dodge, but also to reach its head, in an attempt to repeat the previous attack, but she was stopped, with one of the undead being''s claws hitting her body and throwing her away. If it weren''t for the protection magic, she might have been affected by the effects of [Undead Flame] , a spell that sets anyone who touches the being with this buff on fire.

    ¡°[ACID JAVELIN]!¡± The wizard enters the situation again, casting magic against Nabe, but it doesn''t reach her, due to the union of the shield wall and her YGGDRASIL Level.

    ¡°[Lightning].¡± As a counterattack, she unleashed a burst of lightning towards the wizard, who was protected by the dragon, nullifying the damage. ¡°Hmf¡­ I¡¯m the one who¡¯s fed up with this, Insect. Why don¡¯t you stop hiding behind that toy and fight once and for all?¡±

    ¡°Toy¡­?¡± He says irritably, sighing. ¡°There¡¯s no way around it¡­ You¡¯ll see the absolute power of the Supreme Jewel then!!¡± He exclaims, with the crystal shining again.

    The ground seemed to have a great tremor, along with the creation of cracks, from which a new being emerges, it was another Skeleton Dragon! However, the jewel stops shining, losing its crystalline appearance and becoming just a purple sphere.

    ¡°It seems that I used all the negative energy stored, but after killing you and your friends, and leading that entire city to death, it will certainly be full of power again.¡±

    Without thinking much, Nabe ran towards that Skeleton Dragon that hadn¡¯t received any buffs, with the same plan of taking a big leap to hit it in the head. However, that one seemed to be quicker to understand the situation, attacking her with one of its claws and pressing her to the ground. Khajit even smiled with satisfaction, but his expression changed to fear and confusion when he noticed that this adventurer, who should be a mage, was managing not only to hold the attack, but to push those claws away.

    ¡°Who are you?! How can you have so much physical strength without using Martial Arts?!¡± She exclaimed with fear on her face.

    ¡°I was created by the Supreme Beings who are more powerful than God.¡± Nabe simply spoke the true facts.

    ¡°Are you mocking me?!¡± True or not, that sentence made the mage more angry than scared.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even understand the truth that is in front of you¡­ You planarian.¡± Nabe replied, still expressionless, but with her eyes showing that she was already irritated by that.

    <hr>

    {Meanwhile, with Letyan¡­ on the beginning of the battle¡­}

    The putrid slime creature was being thrown away, but before falling to the ground, the young ex-player exclaimed, while moving one of his hands, as if he was making a right uppercut. ¡°[LAPISTE]! [PNEUMA]!¡±  Once again a large hand emerged from the ground, this time made from the rocks below the cemetery, with the addition of a large gust of wind, throwing the enemy straight up.

    Soon after landing on the ground, right below the creature, he concentrated more [Pneuma] on the soles of his feet, while activating another of the runes. ¡°[VOLATICUS]!¡± The angelic wings he had thanks to Dracul''s skill became longer and blacker, like those of a crow darker than the night.

    With the use of that combination, he managed to be launched at high speed into the air, being close to reaching the enemy, he pressed his palms together while spinning on his own axis, ready to use another spell, or in this case, a double set of the same glyphs.¡°DUO [MELIO FALCIS]!¡±

    Melio being the tier 3 amplification rune, Falcis being the scythe summoning rune, those two runes, being used in both hands, would normally make him have two large scythes. However, the union of the palms at the moment of materialization, created a 5 meter rod, with the curved blade being created, on the verge of 7 meters. The attack hit the monster full on, the constant rotation made it work like a circular saw at high speed, dealing constant damage in that area, with the objective of reaching the possible core of the creature. Unfortunately, even after managing to pierce the enemy and seeing it being divided in two, there was no sensation of having broken anything, other than the rotting bones and muscles. That type of being would normally be generated with a physical core, the part of the body that functions as a heart and brain, but apparently, that corpse slime... didn''t have that?

    To confirm, when he reached the height limit of that thrust he had made, he got rid of the large scythe, using [Melio Macir] in one hand, to create a large hammer, and [Vol Luminatio] in the other, to inject the sacred holy attribute into the item. Taking advantage of the force of gravity, he quickly went to the ground, striking with all that energy against the enemy.

    The result of this was that a large part of the slime and remains of corpses were crushed and torn apart. But it was no use, parts of the slime, even the smallest ones, seemed to still move towards a single point to reform into the monster.

    ¡°What the hell¡­ this shit doesn¡¯t have a core¡­ each part of it works as a core in itself¡­¡± He said, panting a little and noticing the halo above him, which began to blink, while the wings lost their dark color. ¡°And there goes Dracul and Volaticus¡­ it seems they will be on cooldown¡­¡±

    After the monster formed, it tried to attack the boy with a projectile of corrosive and very solid slime, however, he managed to defend himself by taking his katana and cutting the projectile. With it in hand, he was slashing as fast as he could with the blade, without using the skill [Blood Rush], but it seemed that the creature continued to reform itself without stopping.

    While the monster was forming, Letyan tested several ways to see if he could destroy it. Slash and strike weapons had stopped working, not even with an increase in the sacred attribute. He used fire, wind, ice, stone, thunder, darkness and even curse attributes, realizing that only thunder and curse seemed to have an acceptable effect on it. However, the only curse attribute magic was not compatible with being fused or improved, and thunder magic would not be able to achieve the expected result of destroying the monster completely in one go, so as not to give it a chance to regenerate. But that was only if he counted on the glyphs tattooed on his body.

    ¡®Dracul is already fading away, I¡¯m going to take A LOT of damage if I use a player skill and end up getting screwed in this shitty ¡®coin flip¡¯¡­¡¯ He gritted his teeth and took a long jump back when he realized a large fist of slime was trying to hit him. ¡®Okay¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just go with my luck as always¡­¡¯

    Before he could make any counterattack, the halo disappeared, and a sudden pain appeared in his body while a kind of small floating sphere came out from his back, it was the NPC Dragon Maid, in recharge mode.

    ¡°Me and my big mouth¡­¡± He complains as he dodges more attacks, these being tentacles with fists on the ends and acid projectiles, at least managing to catch the floating sphere and put it inside his own inventory, giving safety to the NPC.

    In an attempt to at least push the enemy away, he used the only curse attribute rune. ¡°[Morbus]!¡± From the palm of his hands, a pulsating, blood-red sphere emerged, floating in a spiral trajectory until it reached the enemy.

    The rotten slime seemed to realize what it was, withdrawing to become extremely dense. As a result, he was pushed back, and seemed to have suffered little damage, regenerating after a few seconds.

    Seeing this gave the boy an idea. ¡®So¡­ he learned that that attack really affects him and withdraws to survive¡­?¡¯ A smile appeared and he soon began to launch more of that same attack. As expected, the creature behaved the same way, each time becoming denser to tank the damage, although it did not decrease much in size, as it remained over 3 meters.

    During one of these moments, instead of using a rune spell, he bet on a player skill. ¡°[Triple Expansive Magic! School of Wild-Thunder!...¡± Letyan¡¯s mouth began to have an internal, reddish glow. ¡°¡­ZAKERUGA]!!¡± A great red lighting beam began to be released from his mouth.

    The creature was being hit, but instead of being truly affected, it became denser, now reaching only 1 meter in height, and walked towards the boy. The continuous attack was almost interrupted by a powerful tremor that occurred in the cemetery, but he managed to keep going, seeing the little golem not stopping walking.

    The creature''s body was falling apart as it tried to become denser to withstand the attack, however, a few centimeters before finally touching Letyan''s body, the creature had been completely vaporized. The result of that fight left a great trail of destruction in that area of ??the cemetery, in addition to a completely broken jaw, deep cuts in the cheek regions, and almost exposed veins, pulsing fiercely under the boy''s skin, who was in extreme pain.

    If he lost his willpower, even for a second, he was sure he would faint. His legs were shaking, too weak to get out of the position, but at least he managed to stay standing¡­

    And his thoughts? There was nothing, because he was really focused on staying awake¡­

    <hr>

    {Returning with Momon, in the beginning of the battle¡­}

    ¡°Hehe¡­ come to think of it, those I managed to kill in the store were your friends?¡± Clementine said in a voice almost humming. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re mad that I killed them?¡± And it got even more annoying, followed by her laugh.

    ¡°Oooh the cries for help after I weakened them before their death¡­ it was so hilarious, you know? They thought you would arrive in time to stop me right there~ Sorry for ending them~¡± she continued to laugh mockingly, following the black warrior.

    ¡°No need to apologize.¡± Momon replied without much emotion.

    ¡°Really? What a shame¡­¡± She seemed to be a little bored by the lack of emotion of the warrior in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s funnier when I beat up someone who says things like: ¡®You killed my friends!¡¯...¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you angry? That¡¯s sooo annoying. Ah¡­ maybe they weren¡¯t even your allies?¡± She questioned until she noticed the warrior stop walking.

    ¡°Depending on the situation, I would probably have done something like that¡­ So¡­ reproving you for that would be hypocritical. However, those people were tools to spread, not only my name, but my future glory¡­¡± Momon¡¯s words made the assassin feel confused as she continued to listen to him.

    ¡°Your existence is offensive, for having interrupted my plans!¡± Momon turned around, now firmly gripping both greatswords, ready for a fight.

    ¡°Oh¡­ really?¡± Clementine smiled again, looking for another way to provoke her enemy. ¡°That beauty you came with isn¡¯t a magic caster? She won¡¯t be able to defeat that mage if that¡¯s the case. Just like she wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me either. And not only that¡­ that doggy you brought along¡­ I almost killed him back then, if it weren¡¯t for the paladins who were with him at the time~... I bet he won¡¯t be able to handle anything from that monster. I know that¡­ he must have used up a lot of energy just to fight in a safe area~¡±

    ¡°Even Nabe would be able to defeat someone of your level. And that kid, I don¡¯t know what really happened between the two of you¡­ but, nowadays, he would definitely behead you before you even noticed his sword was out of its sheath.¡± Momon spoke facts, facts that the assassin didn¡¯t believe.

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot~ I would easily cut and stab a magic caster! Just like I almost destroyed that doggy¡¯s legs and arms! It always ends like this~¡± she had a huge smug face, laughing a lot.

    ¡°There are few who can fight on equal terms with me in this country~ One from the Blue Roses and another from the Red Drop~ The only others would probably be Gazef Stronoff and Brain Unglaus?¡± Clementine commented, seeing herself as superior.

    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s good to hear¡­¡± Momon said, now knowing for sure what Clementine¡¯s level was likely to be compared to YGGDRASIL¡¯s. ¡°Then, I will give you the upper hand. THIS will be my revenge against you.¡±

    ¡°EH¡­.?!¡± Clementine exclaimed, disgusted by the arrogance she felt from the warrior, a wide smile appearing once again. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of ugly face is behind that helmet, but this inhumane Miss Clementine, who has already stepped into the domain of heroes, would never lose!!¡±

    ¡°And that is why I will be giving you the upper hand¡­. No matter what, I will not fight seriously¡­¡±

    Clementine quickly ran, kicking up dust from the ground to try to block Momon''s view, trying to advance on him with several hidden attacks. As said before, the warrior just took the attacks and defended himself, using his greatswords as a shield. This went on for so long that Clementine finally took a great leap, moving away from him and with her usual mocking voice.

    ¡°It''s true that you are very strong. And of course you want to brag about it! But know this¡­. Are you an idiot? You''re just a strong sucker waving those swords around.¡± Her voice showed how bored the situation was to her. ¡°Are you mocking the real warriors?¡±

    ¡°Then come on and keep trying to attack me¡­ I told you, I''m giving you an advantage¡­ Where is all that confidence you seemed to have before¡­?¡± Momon commented, without much emotion in his voice.

    The ground began to shake a lot, causing Clementine to look in one direction, and Momon did the same. From there, she could see the two beasts fighting Nabe, but not only that, there was also a large pillar of reddish light that appeared a little further away.

    ¡°Hihihihi! It looks like your little friend is already fighting two Skeleton Dragons¡­ and I bet that beam of light is that incredible golem destroying that doggy~¡± Clementine said with a giggle. ¡°Do you understand why I said that your little friend would be defeated because she¡¯s a mage?~ Magic doesn¡¯t work on those dragons, they¡¯re the absolute enemies of mages~¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know what they are. And that¡¯s why Nabe won¡¯t be able to win?¡± Momon said, not seeming to be worried, especially since he could sense that the presence of that undead golem had been erased.

    ¡°Of course~ It¡¯s impossible for her to win~¡± She smiled confidently.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ let¡¯s get back to our game¡­ can you at least actually hit me or leave me with no room to breathe¡­?¡± Momon asked, challenging her.

    In response, the assassin removed her cloak, revealing the entire set of bikini armor she had, making one specific detail much clearer. Her armor wasn''t made of Bronze for nothing. Momon could clearly see that in fact every piece of that armor was made of countless bronze badges of adventurers. Basically, her outfit was a showcase to demonstrate how many newbie adventurers she had already killed.

    She crouched down, almost in a way that resembled a feline, holding tightly onto one of the small swords she had at her waist. With only the strength of her legs, she managed to advance, dodging an attack from Momon and staying right in front of him.

    ¡°[Invulnerable Fortress]¡± Using Martial Arts, she managed to defend herself from the attack that Momon would make with the other sword, making him retreat for a moment.

    She tried to strike his neck, but he managed to defend himself by putting the shoulder of his armor in front and then attacking her with a horizontal slash. Just like before, she made a great leap, moving away from Momon again, realizing the real durability of that equipment.

    ¡°Wow, it really is a tough armor¡­ But it¡¯s okay~¡± She sighed, still with that arrogant smile. ¡°That just means that next time, I have to attack thinking about a weaker place. I wish I could cut you little by little until you couldn¡¯t move anymore, that would be more fun.¡±

    ¡°So you weren¡¯t really aiming for my neck¡­ You knew I would use my shoulder to defend myself.¡± Momon said, readjusting his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m learning a lot here¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m going to attack!¡±

    She positioned herself as before, making Momon immediately go on the defensive. And as expected, she made the same movement of advancing with everything to attack. Momon tried to hit her with a first blow, but she used that same martial art again to defend herself. Having already predicted this, the other greatsword was coming from behind, as if trying to trap her.

    ¡°[Flow Acceleration]¡± Using that skill at the last minute, she managed to dodge the attack, taking a small jump and passing completely between the two greatswords.

    When she landed on the ground, it didn''t take long for her to jump and go all out in an attack on the armor''s helmet, but her expression became irritated, after noticing that there didn''t seem to be any damage when the blade entered lightly into one of the joint holes. She was forced to take another jump away.

    Even so, she continued to have that smile, feeling superior again. "Stop giving me an advantage. If you don''t fight seriously, you''ll end up dying!"

    "Yare yare... I''m really learning a lot from this fight... The existence of Martial Arts and the importance of balancing your attacks."

    "Huh...?? Why are you only saying that now? You''re a terrible warrior. But why weren''t you hurt by that last attack?" She questioned herself, licking her blade. "Was it a Defensive Martial Art skill?"

    ¡°Well, I just saw how much I still have to learn¡­ I¡¯m grateful to you, but we¡¯re out of time.¡± Momon¡¯s words left her quite confused. ¡°The game is over.¡±

    ¡°Narberal Gamma! Show the power of Nazarick!!¡± Momon exclaimed, leaving Clementine even more confused by that man. He immediately stuck both greatswords into the ground and continued speaking. ¡°Attack me, fully prepared to die¡­¡±

    Clementine had reason to not understand such words¡­ Because they only made sense on the other side of the cemetery¡­

    Nabe was already a little out of breath, having resisted several blows against the Skeleton Dragons, but never managing to deal any real damage to them due to the magic limitation ordered by her master. Khajit was laughing at how much that woman was suffering for never advancing in her efforts.

    ¡°If you surrender, I might spare you.¡± He said with a victorious smile on his face.

    ¡°Inferior being¡­¡± Her voice showing disgust ended up scaring the mage. ¡°Don¡¯t get all cocky, trash.¡±

    ¡°If you still have the strength to say that. Skeleton Dragon! Crush her!¡±

    One of the two dragons began to move towards her to do as ordered, until Momon¡¯s voice finally reached her ears, making her smile proudly. ¡°As you wish¡­.¡±

    Heaving a long sigh, she looked at the mage. ¡°Now I must no longer fight as Nabe, but as Narberal Gamma¡­.¡±

    Those words didn¡¯t stop the dragons from trying to crush her, but she simply disappeared from there using [Teleportation]. The mage didn¡¯t even notice the magic used, thinking that she had finally been defeated, but when he looked up a little, he noticed that she was flying right above them.

    ¡°Does she know flight magic?... But how did she dodge that attack¡­? Wait¡­ despite being able to use flight magic, she¡¯s not running away from the Skeleton Dragons. Does she have a chance of winning against their immunity to magic¡­?¡± Khajit said that to himself, trying to understand what was happening now.

    ¡°Hm¡­ There are countless ways to win¡­ but first¡­¡± She took off her cloak, and with a quick swap, appeared already wearing her Nazarick uniform.

    ¡°Rejoice, lowly being. Loyal to the absolute rulers of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Supreme Beings known as the Ainz Ooal Gown guild, I, Narberal Gamma, of the Battle Maids Pleiades, will be your opponent¡­¡±

    ¡°Maid¡­?¡± That distracted him a bit, but he quickly tried to order. ¡°Skeleton Drago-!¡±

    His words were interrupted when he felt a stab in his shoulder area. When he looked back, Narberal had appeared there in the blink of an eye, removing the blade from his shoulder. He tried to attack her with his staff, but she disappeared and reappeared up high. He now understood how she had evaded that attack earlier.

    ¡°Teleportation?! So your trump card was to teleport to me and kill me!¡± He was now sweating coldly.

    ¡°No, I just demonstrated that I can end this fight at any time I wanted.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?!¡±

    ¡°Despite you being a flea, what kind of response is that?¡± Narberal questioned. ¡°You really don¡¯t know how to use your head to know what¡¯s best for you. Anyway, it would be rude of me, as a servant, if I left Momonga-Sama waiting.¡±

    He watched her create electricity with her hands, being a huge beam that was concentrating. ¡°Wait! They are completely immune to magic! What do you think you¡¯re going to do with that?!¡±

    ¡°Completely immune is a very stupid and false statement, this type of dragon is immune to magic that is below tier 7.¡± The amount of electricity was accumulating more and more, it was even becoming difficult to see Narberal. ¡°In other words, as long as I use higher-level magic, they won¡¯t be able to nullify the damage.¡±

    ¡°You crazy fool! It¡¯s humanly impossible for someone to use a tier 7 magic!! Attack her!!¡± He exclaimed to the dragons who began to flap their wings, but it was there that he realized something¡­

    ¡®What if she¡¯s not a human¡­?¡¯ That thought left him speechless, making him scream in panic. ¡°No!! All my efforts in the last 5 years! Will they be destroyed in such a short time?!?¡±

    Nerberal smiled, pleased with the terror in those eyes ¡°[Maximize Dual Magic! Chain Dragon Lightning]!!¡±

    Two intense blasts came out of her palms and headed towards the enemies. The tips of that attack took the shape of dragon heads, which opened their mouths and completely swallowed the two undead beings who disintegrated instantly. The same could be said of the mage, who when hit, his screams of despair seemed to echo loudly, until nothing was left but ashes.

    A strong smell of burning appeared in the air, with the battle maid taking a deep breath. ¡°Oh¡­ even insects smell good when roasted¡­ Hm¡­ roasted insects¡­ maybe that would be a great snack idea for Entoma¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Hm¡­ since I¡¯ve already given Narberal my orders, I think I should end things here¡­¡± Momon said, watching Clementine laugh and get irritated with him.

    ¡°Oh really?? Are you serious, damn you? You looked like you actually have some Martial Arts and yet you think you can defeat me?!¡± Her pupils were already very small and her eyes wide open, with a clear tremor in her voice, as if she was already crazy to destroy someone. ¡°There is a limit! An INCREDIBLE LIMIT for my patience in a situation like this!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive when the weakest one raves like this.¡± Momon¡¯s words made Clementine start to have a twitch in her right eye.

    ¡°Well, we agree on that¡­ you sick raving fool!! Do you really think you¡¯re something?! I¡¯LL FINISH YOU!¡± She exclaimed, already getting into position and starting to fill herself with buffs. ¡°[Pace of the Wind], [Greater Evasion], [Ability Boost], [Greater Ability Boost]!¡±

    After she finished activating those skills, she charged at Momon with all her might, but he didn¡¯t seem to move. This caused a tiny doubt in her mind, but she ignored it, shouting with all the force of her lungs. ¡°DIE!!¡±

    Managing to hit her blade through the helmet¡¯s visor, the equipment began to produce an immense amount of shock. That would already be fatal for an ordinary human, but she laughed madly and stuck her second blade into his visor as well, this one producing an intense attack of flames, which made Momon¡¯s helmet look quite like the oven of a steam train.

    Her laughter was interrupted when she suddenly felt one of his arms firmly hold her. Causing even greater confusion after realizing that, even with two blades stuck directly in his eyes, he still spoke in a monotonous manner.

    ¡°I see¡­ There wasn¡¯t a weapon like that in Yggdrasil¡­ a pair of small blades that explode electricity and flames¡­ how charming¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh??? Eh?!?!? No way! Impossible!!!! Why don''t you just die?!" The voice and eyes were no longer those of someone confident, they were those of someone lost and starting to despair.

    "Heh... My turn to reveal things..." With the use of quick swap, all of Momon''s equipment changed, now using his base clothing as the leader of Nazarick, Momonga.

    "An undead?! An ancient lich?!?"

    "You''re practically right, congratulations. But tell me, what was it like fighting all this time against a magic caster who only used a sword?" That sentence seemed to completely break Clementine, who screamed like crazy and tried to escape from there, swinging a lot and hitting Momonga''s skull.

    "Don''t underestimate me!!! How is this possible?!?!" She couldn''t escape in any way, even holding only one arm, a being that shouldn''t be focused on physical strength, managed to completely trap her.

    "That''s why I gave you the advantage. There¡¯s no reason to fight seriously against someone of your level¡­¡± Momonga tried to explain, even as she swayed like crazy to get away. ¡°You said that Captain Gazef was on par with you¡­ And I studied him a bit¡­ if we¡¯re talking about power levels¡­ He would be 30, while I¡¯m 100¡­ But in short, it¡¯s not even worth using magic against you.¡±

    She continued to scream, curse, trying to get away, but Momonga remained standing and just watching everything. Feeling a slight discomfort, he removed the blades that were stuck in his eye sockets and threw them to the ground.

    ¡°Well, how about we start?¡± As soon as he said that, he began to hug her tighter, making her panic completely as if her torso was being crushed. ¡°Death by sword, by broken bones, by crushing¡­ It doesn''t make any difference, because at the end of this beautiful dance, what you will have is death..."

    "Yes... what wonderful despair... was that how your victims felt at the end of their lives? You thought it was a lot of fun, didn''t you? Do you think it''s fun now?" Momonga continued his monologue, as Clementine gave up on answering and tried at all costs to get out of there, even going so far as to hit her own head against the Overlord''s skull, only to end up having her teeth and nose broken. "Then, I would like to have fun too... being very slow... calm... and loving. Like a true reaper should be..."

    Without much warning, he quickly used his other arm to squeeze her, with a truly tight hug, to the point where he could hear her bones breaking, destroying part of her vertebrae, along with some organs, such as her heart and lungs, which were pierced by some ribs. She vomited a lot of blood and was soon released on the ground, her body limp like a doll, lifeless and with her eyes rolled back, the expression of despair and pain etched on her face.

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I said it as if I was going to dance with you for even longer¡­ I¡¯m quite the hypocrite¡­¡± He said this as he floated towards the large central mausoleum of the cemetery.

    When he got there, he noticed Narberal¡¯s presence right at the entrance, she bowed before starting to speak. ¡°Momonga-Sama. I came down to see how the situation is, the boy is there, alive, but I noticed that there is a lot of that corrosive slime, which Hikari-Sama warned us to be very careful about, around him¡­¡±

    ¡°So¡­ Will we need Hikari to fix this?¡±

    ¡°Most likely, Momonga-Sama.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ stay here and keep watch so there¡¯s no chance of someone breaking in¡­ I¡¯ll look for him¡­ I can feel him, but his vital essence seems weak.¡± Narberal agreed with Momonga''s order, and soon went to where he thought the boy was.

    It wasn''t very far, but he ended up getting scared when he found him. It was such a genuine scare that he ended up activating the passive skill of nullifying emotions. Letyan was still standing, still like a statue, with many veins standing out under his skin, dark cracks over a large part of his head and neck. The most grotesque feature of the scene was his jaw, which had not only been dislocated, but was almost completely ripped off, still connected to the rest of his head due to a few muscles, a lot of black goo and blood mixed in.

    "It seems you lost in some ''coin toss'' again..." The overlord said, carefully using one of his hands to lift his friend''s jaw, at least leaving it a little in place.

    With the other hand, he took an HP elixir from inside his cloak and slowly tilted it towards Letyan''s mouth so he could drink it. Even with a little bit of it running down the holes in his jaw, it seemed to be working, with a soft greenish aura covering his body. He now seemed to be able to move his body a little better, but to completely connect his jaw, the boy ended up kneeling down and touching a bit of the bizarre goo that was there. The goo went up his arm, continuing to his neck, where it fixed what it needed to, leaving a mark like a seam line.

    ¡°And worse¡­ it was just a ¡®coin toss¡¯, it wasn¡¯t even several¡­ I was trying to contain myself¡­¡± He answers, his voice still a little hoarse.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use your katana? Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I didn¡¯t try? That thing was immune to slash damage, and don¡¯t forget that its main offensive ability is actually a Skill too¡­ Until we solve this problem, my only absolute certainty that it works are its passive abilities¡­¡±

    ¡°And where would Belindo Dracul be? You don¡¯t have the buffs from having her aura inside your body¡­¡± Momonga questioned, but was soon surprised to see Hikari opening a kind of holographic screen titled ¡°Inventory¡± at the top. ¡°Do you have access to an inventory of that kind?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± the human asked, walking towards the mausoleum.

    ¡°Well¡­ we can¡¯t access an inventory of that kind¡­ But we have another type of inventory¡­ it¡¯s more mental than visual like a screen¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it¡­ But what about Nfirea? And Clementine?¡±

    ¡°Clementine died, Nfirea is still inside the mausoleum, according to Narberal, there¡¯s a lot of that goo around him.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m glad she thought of that detail and listened to me, even though I¡¯m no longer a ¡®Supreme Being¡¯ completely¡­ And secondly¡­ That bitch being dead is just a paperweight, she being alive on the other hand would be much better.¡±

    ¡°Well, just revive her with one of my spells and-¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Letyan interrupted Momonga, with a smile on his face. ¡°I have a better idea¡­ but let¡¯s go save the boy right away, we don¡¯t know if more undead will appear just because he¡¯s locked up there.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for the two to meet up with Narberal and go down the stairs of that place, arriving in a large space where Nfirea would be. The alchemist was naked, covered by a thin layer of fabric on his body, with several blood stains on his face, but the thing that truly caught everyone¡¯s attention was the tiara on his head. The tiara had greenish and red jewels, with several points having black slime that pulsed as if they had a life of their own.

    ¡°Eh¡­. this item is full of !@8V7¡­¡± Letyan commented as he gently touched the tiara, but that strange word sounded as if his entire voice had bugged.

    ¡°Excuse me. What did you say???¡± Momonga questioned.

    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, I ended up using the primordial term of this attribute¡­ I meant¡­. hm¡­ I think the closest word to it would be ¡®Corruption¡¯.¡± Letyan commented as he slowly seemed to remove the tiara from Nfirea¡¯s head, without any apparent problem. ¡°And this thing here seems to be some kind of World Class Item¡­ It¡¯s a bit rotten due to the injection of the attribute¡­ But it should still be possible to use¡­¡±

    Momonga just watched that scene, while Narberal held the body of the alchemist who seemed to have lost his balance, being completely unconscious. There were a few questions in the overlord''s thoughts, most of them related to this special attribute that Keiko had talked about, but one question that really confused him was ''How the hell was the original word for this thing not translated for me? Was it some kind of flaw in the passive skill?''. But thinking better of it, he decided to wait a moment outside to ask such questions.

    Carrying Nfirea out, what was left now was Clementine. Approaching where he had left her body, Momonga also watched what his colleague was going to do with her.

    "Great... except for the face, it doesn''t seem to have suffered any external damage..." Letyan commented, but he soon did something that was unexpected, putting that same tiara on his own head.

    "Is this safe by any chance? This thing was being used to summon an army of undead and left Nfirea unconscious on top of it all..."

    "It''s just a test drive, relax..." he smirked and began to remove the upper part of Clementine''s bikini armor. ¡°Okay, as direct access as possible to the heart and brain¡­ let¡¯s see if I still remember how to do this..¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! You already had done something like that before??¡± Momonga¡¯s questions were ignored for the moment.

    Touching her forehead with one hand and her left chest with the other, the human began to breathe deeply, with the jewels of the tiara lighting up and his eyes changing color repeatedly. That goo with an attribute associated with corruption emerged from the ground and began to cover that corpse, and after completing that part, it began to divide, entering deeply through the ears, mouth and nostrils.

    Having completed the process, it was possible to notice her chest rising and falling slowly, showing that she was breathing.

    "And that''s how you revive someone without necromancy skills or class. I told you everything would be fine, didn''t I?" Letyan turned to Momonga, with two thumbs-up, but in an unfortunate and comical way, the tiara that was on his head fell apart, turning to ashes. ". . . . . . . Damn¡­ I thought we¡¯d have more than just one use¡­¡±

    ¡°You told me there was something good about having her alive¡­ Can you tell me what it is?¡± Momonga questioned the reason for all this.

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s a criminal who deserves to be punished, and as we say in Nazarick, Death is Mercy!¡± He said those things in a strangely cheerful manner. ¡°But also, I¡¯d like to take advantage of the fact that there are some in the Great Tomb who want to experiment on beings from this world. They could do that, while at the same time torturing her to get some information¡­ After all, this bitch here was a former member of one of the main groups of the Slane Theocracy.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­? Is she that important??¡± Momonga leaned in, observing that face with its teeth and nose still broken.

    ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand her level of importance, what I¡¯m talking about now is one of the very few things that the Holy Kingdom¡¯s analysis group managed to obtain.¡± He spoke as he put that piece of armor back on her. ¡°So for that exact reason it would be good to take advantage of it to get something from her¡­ By the way¡­ do you have any rope?¡±

    Narberal took the cloak she wears when disguised as Nabe and handed it to the human, who tore it into pieces and used it to tie the assassin¡¯s wrists, ankles and other parts. ¡°Great¡­ I hope you don¡¯t need it back¡­¡±

    ¡°Her losing such equipment is completely acceptable, since we were on a mission here, and she is limited to tier 3 spells when disguised.¡± Momonga answered for Narberal.

    ¡°Okay, I think we¡¯re ready¡­ I¡¯ll take her to Nazarick and¡­ hm¡­ I¡¯m still having trouble communicating with them, could you do that for me?¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Momonga put two fingers close to where his right ear would be. ¡®We will now have a test dummy for some experiments and information extraction. Hikari is asking for a teleportation to take this dummy. I would like Aureole Omega to clear the way for him to use his [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] freely now.¡¯

    ¡®Of course, Momonga-Sama, your order is my pleasure.¡¯ Albedo was the person on the other end of the message.

    After a few seconds, the ring Letyan had began to glow and a portal was created in front of him, which he entered as he spoke. ¡°See you later, Warrior Momon.¡± Momonga nodded back, remembering to return to use Momon¡¯s equipment, in the same way that Narberal returned to dressing as Nabe, but now without a cloak.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take him home now and see how the situation is in E-Rental¡­¡± The dark adventurer spoke as he walked and observed the large Hamster that had been left high up in a tree, it seemed to be terrified with fear.

    ¡°Hamsuke, is everything okay there?¡± He asked, curious.

    ¡°M-Master! W-What was all that?! Extreme brightness! Huge auras¡­ and I think I saw skeleton dragons in the distance!!¡± Said the hamster, trembling with fear and being put down on the ground with Nabe¡¯s help.

    ¡°It was¡­ just an interesting fight¡­¡± Momon commented, putting Nfirea on Hamsuke¡¯s back, to make it easier to carry the alchemist.

    ¡°I-I see¡­ and that angel? You seemed to talk to him as if he was an old acquaintance!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ You mean about that boy? He¡¯s just an old friend¡­ nothing major¡­¡±

    And so they walked back to E-Rantel, where they could already hear and even visualize the situation in the place. It didn''t seem like they were up against powerful undead, but it was clear that it hadn''t been an easy battle, especially since the ground and houses along the way were quite worn, possibly due to acid attacks.

    Arriving near the main base of the E-Rantel adventurers'' guild, there were some chairs and tables outside, where some adventurers were sitting or even lying down, receiving medical attention from Healers and possibly people who knew a thing or two about first aid.

    "Oh! Hey! You''re those adventurers who were going to the cemetery!" Momon heard someone''s voice calling for attention, it was Pluton, the guildmaster. "The undead seem to have stopped coming! Have you managed to solve the problem?"

    Approaching the man, Momon made a movement with his arm, making the guildmaster''s gaze go towards the person who was on the back of the large rodent. ¡°Yes, it was indeed a group of mages playing necromancy¡­ we finished them off and recovered the kidnapped boy¡­ He seems to be fine, but I recommend that a healer come and see him, if possible.¡±

    ¡°The undead were indeed decreasing, but some pessimistic adventurers kept saying that there was a chance of more appearing at once¡­ It¡¯s good to be sure that the problem has been fixed.¡± Pluton commented as he whistled to one of the guild employees, who quickly picked up Nfirea and took him inside.

    ¡°But tell me, did you at least get any items from the enemies?¡± The guildmaster continued speaking.

    In response to that, Momon picked up a set of bronze badges that had fallen from Clementine¡¯s armor during their ¡®warm¡¯ embrace. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get the items from the mages, there were several undead with the acidic slime and it ended up destroying most of their traces. But I managed to get this. Apparently, the person who kidnapped the alchemist was a bronze adventurer killer, she had several of those stuck to her armor.¡±

    Pluton looked closely at those medals and sighed. ¡°Yes, that could be enough as proof. Sorry if it seems crazy to ask for proof after we had an attack like that¡­ Nobles usually only care about things like that when there is something concrete¡­ I¡¯ll ask some adventurers to go there and look for possible traces that you didn¡¯t notice.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Momon agreed, nodding. ¡°For your information, they were in a very large mausoleum.¡±

    ¡°There is only one considerably large mausoleum in that cemetery, it will be easy to search for more remains, thank you very much again, Black Knight Momon¡­¡± He bowed slightly, but soon spoke more quietly. ¡°Right now it won¡¯t be possible due to the paperwork I will have to sign, but thanks to these efforts and the feats that Miss Nina told me you accomplished, you will have a rank-up. At the very least in a week, you can come and get your new badge.¡±

    Momon nodded silently this time, but mentally he was jumping for joy. The plan to infiltrate and advance in ranks as an adventurer was actually working faster than expected. Even though bad events, such as the invasion of the undead and the survival of only one of the Sword of Darkness members, had made everything better.

    ¡°Boss!!¡± A person outside seemed to catch Pluton¡¯s attention. ¡°The bizarre goo that affected one of the adventurers, began to completely necrotize his arm even with healing magic!¡±

    Hearing this, Momon began to give the information he had. ¡°During the battle, I noticed that my companion¡¯s electric attacks worked very well against this slime¡­ I recommend using magic of this element to destroy any trace of this thing, it could be very harmful if something unknown like this affected everyone like some kind of epidemic.¡±

    Pluton looked at Momon after he had said something of that level and then looked at the staff member. ¡°Separate the affected adventurers from the ones who were just injured! I want you to ask Theo to give them shock treatment! In this specific case, if the arm is already at the point of no return, cut it off!¡±

    ¡°Okay, Boss!!¡± said the man, running into the guild.

    ¡°I hope this information is of some help.¡±

    ¡°It will be, it will be very helpful¡­ Some mages tried to use fire magic during the invasion and it didn¡¯t seem to do anything¡­ If we know of anything that even works, we¡¯ll use it.¡±

    ¡°Okay. As for Nfirea¡­¡±

    ¡°His grandmother already told us that you wanted compensation¡­¡± Pluton quickly looked at one of Momon¡¯s damaged greatswords. ¡°And you really deserve it¡­ but look, it¡¯s already morning, so at noon you can come here and you¡¯ll receive a share of the reward. I recommend resting in the place you were yesterday, and if you weren¡¯t planning on using the place right now, we¡¯ll pay you for the day.¡±

    Momon was very happy with that, accepting the whole situation and a sort of paper signed by Pluton. In this way, they walked to the place they were staying previously, still able to see signs of slight destruction on the streets and walls of the houses, with guards and adventurers patrolling. Arriving at the Inn, Nabe was ordered to stay with Hamsuke in the stable area, so that the fearful hamster could sleep, while Momon went to the designated bedroom, sitting on the bed and stuck in his thoughts, not really needing to rest, his skeletal body was great in this sense.

    ¡®Suzuki, are you still around?¡¯ A voice appeared in his head, it was Masato, or rather, Touch_Me. He was using the message skill to communicate.

    ¡®Oh¡­ Toucha! Yes, I am. What should I be thankful for hearing your voice?¡¯ Momon replied, putting two fingers close to his right ear to speak in his thoughts.

    ¡®Nothing much¡­ just to let you know that the plan will go as expected. Their queen has given permission for a visit so that we can get to know each other. She is especially curious to understand the situation with Kuwoi-Muramasa, and how we are related to the katana¡­¡¯

    ¡®And as we agreed, you would be the person to go with Keiko, due to your level of karma and the fact that you are a paladin.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, yes, we will do that¡­ but just to let you know before you hear from the others. That mission we gave Sebas and Solution seems to be going as expected as well¡­¡¯

    ¡®The one about infiltrating the capital as a pair of noblewoman and butler?¡¯ Momon questioned.

    ¡®That¡¯s right! Sebas contacted me a few hours ago to tell me the status of the situation. I still find it impressive how they managed to get there so quickly.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t be impressed, friend. Given your attributes, I bet you could get there faster than that.¡¯ Momon could hear TM¡¯s laughter on the other end, but he returned to the important matter at hand. ¡®Did Keiko manage to explain the situation to you guys better?¡¯

    ¡®The one about him bringing an almost dead assassin here? Or the fact that he has stitches under his jaw?¡¯

    ¡®Both¡­¡¯

    ¡®Yes, he already gave you some details here¡­ He told me he¡¯s going to leave this assassin with Ulbert and Demiurge to find out what they need. As for the side effect of his attributes as a Player. I think we managed to resolve a bit more than was necessary, but we¡¯ll talk about that another time¡­ Anyway, tell me, how¡¯s the situation there in E-Rantel? Do you need any reinforcements?¡¯

    ¡®Apparently none. It seems that the adventurers here are strong or strategic enough to survive the amount of undead that passed through the waves of attacks that Keiko, Narberal and I fought. At least we¡¯ll get a great compensation, besides having increased my rank and now having that alchemist completely in our hands.¡¯

    Masato could be heard giving a pleasant laugh. ¡®All¡¯s well when it ends well¡­ You won¡¯t meet personally with me again until I resolve my situation. I¡¯ve already ordered Sebas and Solution to inform you and Tabula if anything happens.¡¯

    ¡®Alright, my friend. I wish you a great business trip.¡¯

    ¡®I say the same to you, I wish you a great promotion in the company.¡¯

    They both laughed internally at the references to their lives on Earth, until the skill was turned off, leaving Momonga alone again with only his thoughts.

    Giving a imaginary smile, he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. ¡®I hope everyone is having fun.¡¯

 Chapter 25 - Out of the Comfort Zone

    It was morning, a few hours after Letyan had returned to Carne Village, in order to begin the journey back home. The huts of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s paladins had been dismantled and everyone seemed ready to leave according to plan. In fact, there were 2 groups of paladins that had been separated this whole time on this adventure, one of them was with Kelart, in which they had continued their journey in search of information related to the katana, until they reach Carne Village, the other had been left in one of the villages that had been attacked a month ago, as a way of investigating the situation, since they had found traces of amateur pieces from their kingdom and could not let even a single piece of evidence pass by. This second group was the one that had the carriages necessary for longer journeys.

    But they were not going alone¡­

    ¡°So¡­ are you sure it¡¯s okay for us to take it¡­?¡± The paladin of Nazarick questioned his friend, Tabula.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s okay¡­ you¡¯ll need an extra horse since you¡¯re going with them¡­ and we don¡¯t want to show off your extremely high stamina, it might scare them.¡± The Brain Eater replied, even laughing.

    They were near the entrance to Nazarick, talking about the fact that, given the number of horses the Holy Kingdom group had, there would be no space for the World Champion to go with them, and due to the nature of his attributes, he could not simply walk the entire journey without stopping, until they reached the first stopping point. Because of this, they decided to borrow one of the mounts that existed in the Great Tomb.

    The most obvious answer would be for him to use Aura''s pets, right? Yes, but they were very large and could be considered divine beasts...

    The only mount-type animal, which seemed the most normal, and which was available, was a horse, an interesting species of horse...

    "Albedo! You can summon it."

    From that order, The Overseer blushed, with a perverted smile that disgusted the paladin and the human, but not her creator. "Of course, Father!~ I will bring the best of the best for Touch_Me-sama, even if I don''t think it will be great enough."

    "The idea is that it doesn''t look great, anyway." Masato commented, watching the succubus summoning that being.

    It was a fairly large and robust horse, with a dark body along with the fur, having attractive and respectable armor. But the obvious characteristic of that horse were the two horns on the sides of its head, which pointed directly forward. That type of horse was called Bicorn.

    ¡°War Bicorn Lord¡­ You have been chosen as a temporary mount for a Supreme Being! Be honored!!¡± Albedo called her horse, which¡­ strangely seemed to refuse, not moving¡­

    ¡°Eh¡­. did something got wrong?¡± Masato asked as he saw the animal slowly move to eat some grass, ignoring its owner.

    Tabula stared at that situation for a few seconds, until he noticed a small detail, which made him hit one of the tentacles hard against his own face. ¡°Impressive¡­ this can only be a joke¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Letyan¡¯s voice showed curiosity.

    ¡°Weeeeeell¡­ an impressive problem happened that I had forgotten¡­¡± Tabula said and then looked at the paladin. ¡°Get on the Bicorn.¡±

    A little confused, the World Champion in shining armor just did as he was asked, but when he touched the animal, it used both of its back legs to hit him. The paladin didn''t seem to have taken any damage, thanks to his armor being a World Class Item, but it only raised more questions, which were answered by Tabula soon after.

    ¡°I had forgotten about that... Bicorns are beings that are related to Unicorns, they feel purity. But they only accept impure beings to climb on them.¡±

    ¡°Impure?¡± Letyan said, observing the scene.

    ¡°Yes, normally it would be impurity in the sense of not being a virgin and such¡­¡±

    ¡°. . . But I¡¯m not a virgin, I even had a daughter.¡± Masato spoke facts, being quite confused.

    ¡°On ??Earth you weren¡¯t a virgin¡­ But on YGGDRASIL and in this New World¡­ yeah, this body of yours is a virgin.¡± Tabula said that with a long sigh. ¡°That¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t seem to be obeying Albedo. She might have on her flavor text the fact that she¡¯s a prostitute and thirsty succubus. But she would still need to actually lose her virginity.¡±

    Letyan raised another possibility while staring at the animal. ¡°Is there any chance it could be because of the extremely positive karma? I mean¡­ isn¡¯t Masato at the maximum possible for a Player?¡±

    That also made a lot of sense.

    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have to look for some other animal option¡­ that¡¯s going to take a long time¡­¡±

    ¡°Nope, no it won¡¯t. You can use my horse.¡± Letyan answered the paladin.

    ¡°But the horses you have are the kind that can only support one person, since they are focused on speed instead of carrying a lot of weight¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you use mine, and I¡¯ll use this one.¡±

    ¡°Watch out there, you idiot! Didn¡¯t you notice that this animal attac-¡± Tabula exclaimed, but soon fell silent when he saw something he hadn¡¯t even believed.

    The human boy had climbed on top of the bicorn, and it didn¡¯t even seem to stop him, in fact the horse seemed to neigh happily.

    ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Was everyone¡¯s thought there, even Albedo.

    ¡°Have you lost your virginity, man? Aren¡¯t you only 21 years old in this world?¡± Tabula questioned.

    ¡°N o p e, I haven¡¯t. And anyway, if I had had sex, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem, since in this world, you¡¯re considered an adult when you reach 12.¡±

    ¡°Then how the hell are you riding that?¡± Touch_Me was the next to question.

    ¡°Hm¡­ Well, you guys mentioned impurity and such. So I thought¡­ Since I get along well with an element that represents absolute impurity, maybe I would get along well with a being that likes impurity¡­ and it seems I was right.¡±

    ¡°War Bicorn Lord¡­ being used by a human¡­ who is also a virgin¡­¡± Albedo said those things with an obvious tone of disgust, but soon she received a whip from tentacles on the back of her neck.

    ¡°Albedo! Have you forgotten who that human is? Don¡¯t talk to him like that! I thought I raised you well to be a loyal servant of us, Supreme Beings!¡± Tabula spoke, with his classic roleplay voice.

    The succubus seemed to remain very silent after that, looking down so that her bangs made it impossible to see her large yellow eyes.

    ¡®So there are still those who absolutely do not trust¡­? Well¡­ it was to be expected after they came to life.¡¯ Masato questioned himself mentally, now looking back at the human. ¡°Okay, you¡¯ll use the bicorn until we reach the meeting point with the other group. Then you¡¯ll use the collect ability to turn it into a temporary item in your inventory.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I was planning on doing that. It would be dangerous to ask it to run back to Nazarick after we arrive at the meeting point. You never know if it could be intercepted by someone.¡± Letyan said, petting the bicorn, who seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.

    Albedo was still incredibly in disbelief in the scene, even though her expression was not exposed, her body language revealed her deep emotions.

    Tabula watched all of this, remembering something and taking some small sticks from his pockets, handing them to Letyan. ¡°Let¡¯s take advantage of the fact that you came here. I think you need to have these items back.¡±

    The boy looked confused, still on top of the bicorn. Picking up those sticks, he noticed a kind of ribbon on them and pulled one of them, creating a great light that was almost blinding. However, when that light disappeared, in place of a stick, there was another, reddish and longer like a staff. The boy recognized it immediately.

    ¡°Laevatein¡­ Wait... if you''re giving me this back..." The boy gave a mischievous smile and pulled the other ribbons, making new items take shape.

    In front of him were things that were quite nostalgic to him in a way...

    A pair of gauntlets, both containing small round shields near the wrist areas...

    A very beautiful longbow, with accessories and crystalline parts, changing color like a rainbow¡­

    A golden halo, a complete cosmetic that worked as a headset to listen to music...

    Several of the equipment that were in his inventory before his fateful death... including...

    "Man... I don''t think it''s a good idea for me to have this right now..." Letyan said with Yamato-Kowaidasai floating beside him, as if begging to have his hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s in case of emergencies¡­ We already obtained many powerful items during the period you were away from us. So you can keep it.¡± Tabula said with a light laugh.

    The innate power of that item seemed to cause some kind of ¡°error¡± in that human¡¯s body, with his hair floating towards the katana, and his right hand seemed to deform, as if it was trying to forcefully touch the item. Before that could happen, he managed to open his inventory and put that world item inside.

    After seeing that, Tabula seemed a little worried, swallowing hard. ¡°True¡­ it¡¯s better if you keep this inside your inventory and only use it when it¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡±

    ¡°How bizarre¡­ why were you affected like this¡­?¡± The paladin asked.

    ¡°This item is alive, if we interpret the description very well¡­ and due to my special case of a player in a ¡®non-player¡¯ body¡­ I think it¡¯s really dangerous..¡±

    Everyone accepted that and decided that they would now leave, but unexpectedly, another person appeared from within Nazarick and ran towards both of them. That being was CZ2128-Delta.

    ¡°What are you doing here, little robot?¡± Letyan was the one to ask.

    ¡°Bukubukuchagama-sama and Ulbert Alain Odle-Sama asked me to accompany you.¡± The robot maid said that in her neutral voice.

    ¡°Why exactly¡­?¡± This question was said at the same time by the 3 players there.

    ¡°They told me that my duties would be essential to be able to remain as a traveling companion, and they also said something about needing to bring more things to thank Touch_Me-sama for being there for the trip.¡±

    ¡°But we can easily achieve that if we use teleportati- Oh¡­ I see!¡± Tabula was saying that with a slight laugh. ¡°We don¡¯t know how far the guild¡¯s teleport system can work. So it really is best to take the gifts there right away.¡±

    ¡°What¡­? What gifts? You didn¡¯t tell me anything about that.¡± Letyan asked with a serious look on his face.

    ¡°They are things like some potions considered extremely basic, some gold and some of our food, since we discovered that Yggdrasil¡¯s food is infinitely tastier than the food produced here.¡± Tabula explained the situation. ¡°Masato, for example, only has gold stored in the extra item slot, right?¡± Touch_Me agreed with the statement.

    ¡°Argh¡­ let¡¯s pray that Kelart doesn¡¯t get angry with the fact that there is another person coming with us¡­¡± Those were Letyan¡¯s last words before they definitively left the outskirts of Nazarick.

    The situation was even stranger, having to explain to the paladins that another person would be going with them, in addition to the appearance of that bicorn. Luckily for the boy, his boss seemed to be in a good enough mood to accept the conditions, but of course she would have to know what this new addition to the special group was about.

    ¡°Oh¡­ I have a Maid role, but I can also work in long-range defense.¡± CZ replied to Kelart as they were already riding their horses.

    The formation of the journey to the meeting point was simple. Kelart was in the middle, Letyan and CZ were sharing the bicorn, both on the right side of the high priestess. Touch_Me was on the left side, and the rest of the paladins were a little behind.

    ¡°A maid and long-range defense?¡± Kelart asked curiously, without taking her eyes off the path they were taking.

    ¡°She has some variations of Hand Cannons, I was thinking about taking advantage of the fact that she¡¯s coming with us to maybe try to recreate them using glyphs.¡± Letyan butted into the conversation.

    ¡°Oooh¡­ Hand Cannons¡­? They¡¯re a very expensive type of equipment, both to obtain and to have ammunition. And to think that your role is to be a maid¡­¡± She said that and then looked at the paladin of justice. ¡°You and your group really seem to live in some kind of luxurious place beyond any common sense¡­ I would never see someone like that being a maid.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated¡­ Her father was an enthusiast of weapons like these.¡± He replied trying to find excuses. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone as fanatical as him.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yes! From Hikari¡¯s memories, Garnet really was quite fanatical about this¡­ He even tried to create twin pistols, with the excuse being that each member of the group had a pair.¡± Letyan commented with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Hm¡­ to say ¡®was¡¯, it means that he is currently no longer in the world with us¡­ correct?¡± Kelart questioned and they both agreed, making her look again at the girl behind her disciple. ¡°What a situation¡­ I hope this conversation isn¡¯t getting you down¡­ Shizu? Is that your name?¡±

    CZ just nodded at what was said, it was a pronunciation close enough to accept. ¡°Garnet-Sama was an extremely addicted being, he always made upgrades so that I could become better at every moment.¡±

    ¡°Upgrades?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ sorry about that, Miss Custodio. It¡¯s just that her father talked so much in technical terms regarding equipment, that she ends up saying it that way when she actually means that she was trained by him.¡± Touch_Me once again made up an excuse, which apparently was easily believed.

    The midday sun had already set for an hour or two, the group continued to ride their horses at full speed, but they soon noticed something strange in the surroundings, due to some fallen trees in front, which forced the horses to slow down. And to confirm the situation, CZ¡¯s eyes began to glow between green and red repeatedly.

    ¡°There are some beings with intentions to hurt us nearby¡­ on the other hand, their level of danger seems irrelevant.¡± She commented, still lightly holding Letyan so as not to fall off the bicorn.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re saying that in comparison to the people of Nazarick, but please say that kind of thing in comparison to the average power of everyone here.¡± Touch_Me commented on that while appearing to break out in a cold sweat.

    He was surprised by that, he could feel that there was a little danger nearby, but only because of the fallen trees. It seems that his power level made weak monsters go unnoticed by his own unconscious senses.

    ¡°I¡¯d say the danger level is average, if we don¡¯t count Hikari-Sama¡¯s abilities.¡± CZ replied without delay.

    The boy just turned around, lightly tapping the automaton¡¯s head, luckily there was no noise related to metal to destroy her disguise. ¡°Shizu! I already told you! I¡¯m not Hikari! My name is Letyan! And you don¡¯t need to use ¡®Sama¡¯ with me, my personal guards are enough!¡±

    ¡°Alright, Hikari-Sama¡± Letyan facepalmed after hearing her saying that once again.

    Ignoring that part of the conversation, Kelart began to give orders for everyone to prepare for what might be coming. A surprise arrow appeared from the middle of the trees from the forest to their right.

    Thanks to a silent enchantment by her disciple, a medium shield with religious symbols had appeared, protecting her from the attack that would hit her shoulder. The boy then exclaimed, going a little further ahead, accelerating with the bicorn, so that everyone would follow him and move in the green fields to the left, as it was a more open area.

    They did so, with the horses accelerating, following the path a little to the outside to get away from that forest. When they finally saw a smoke signal ahead. As they got closer, it was a wooden wagon that had derailed, with fire coming out of it and some horses killed by arrows. They could see some people fallen from the accident, with their uniforms drawing attention.

    ¡°Let''s see if any of them are alive, the rest stay prepared and with your shields raised!¡± Touch_Me was the one to give the command as he approached the place, with his shield raised and activating a skill so that both he and the horse would have temporary immunity to arrows.

    ¡°Damn¡­ Masato¡­¡± Letyan complained to himself in a low voice and followed the paladin, speaking again at an acceptable volume. ¡°Is anyone alive there??¡±

    ¡°No! But it seems they were from Baharuth Empire!¡± When he said this, Kelart rode closer to them, incredulous at his words, wanting to see the proof of it.

    ¡°Shizu! Point in the direction of any enemy and attack! Prioritize those with a bow and arrow, if you finish them all, you can start shooting at the closest ones!¡± With Letyan¡¯s orders, CZ immediately jumped out of the bicorn, taking out from under her skirt a set of three items that easily assembled into something that looked like a sniper rifle.

    Luckily, everyone else was focusing more on protecting Kelart, so none of them seemed to notice the pink-haired girl setting up her gun right there and firing a few shots in the direction of the woods. Apparently the gun had a built-in silencer.

    As they got closer, the situation became much clearer. The carriage was a bit burned, but it was possible to see the symbol of the Baharuth Empire on the inside of one of the doors. When identifying the bodies, they all had symbols carved into their waists, a symbol that was known to be the mark used to identify slaves of nobles from that place.

    ¡°What madness is going on here? What would a carriage carrying Baharuth¡¯s luxury slaves be doing in these areas?¡± Neia asked, her shield raised as other soldiers went to attack the enemies, who were ogres and some goblin archers.

    ¡°Knowing how rotten Re-Estize is. I bet 900 credits that they were means of communication between corrupt nobles.¡± Letyan said now, looking in the direction of the monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the maximum performance formation, you guys will only help if you see that an ally has fallen!¡±

    The personal guards and Neia understood the message and so the boy jumped over the carriage, going to face the monsters together with the other paladins who were on standby there. Touch_Me just watched the way they were organized, with improved ease, as CZ was killing most of the goblin archers before they even left the trees.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the situation to be over, with all the enemies dead, and the journey continued to a ruined village with a few tents made, all marked with the symbol of the Holy Kingdom. Some of the paladins there got off their horses, greeting and hugging the companions who had remained in that region.

    Masato analyzed everything, still impressed. It was the first time he had actually been outside the regions of Nazarick, so to see that battle, and then a reunion between acquaintances? It was as if subtle battles like that were the most normal thing in that world.

    Slowly his mind returned to memories that happened on Earth, thoughts of his old job as a police officer, being called to solve problems, occasionally getting into dangerous situations requiring a firearm. All of this to later receive a pat on the shoulder, a ''thank you very much for your service'' from his boss, and finally, a hug from his daughter, kisses from his wife and a warm bed to sleep in.

    If he were to delve deeper into that thought, it was as if the ordinary life of a traveler in this world was the same as a busy day, back when he was still doing field work.

    The player''s thoughts were soon scattered when he heard fingers snapping close to his face. It was that same boy, his old acquaintance.

    ¡°We won¡¯t take long, we¡¯ve already told everyone about our trip and everything, the plan is that you, me, Neia and CZ will go inside one of the carriages. From the moment the moon reaches its highest point, that¡¯s when we¡¯ll stop to rest. When everyone wakes up, we¡¯ll have training on odd days, while another part will train on even days, we¡¯ll continue like this with the exception of possible rainy days, for breakfast we¡¯ll have fruit and some freshly heated coffee.¡± He explained how the trip would be. ¡°And if any soldier needs to rest more than usual, random carriages will be chosen for this soldier to switch places.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking like it¡¯s a very long journey, aren¡¯t you?¡± Touch_Me asked, curious.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t stop too much, we eat most of our necessary meals while we¡¯re walking, the horses don¡¯t get too tired while we¡¯re awake, and there are no problems with the weather or monster ambushes¡­ I¡¯d say we¡¯ll reach the edge of the Holy Kingdom in two weeks.¡± He replied, soon laughing. ¡°That¡¯s being very optimistic.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­ seriously? I mean, Sebas and Solution were able to reach the capital of Re-Estize in just 1 day.¡± Touch_Me said this, looking around to see if anyone else was listening to the conversation.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because Sebas used some draconic ability to propel himself there, even taking into account that the mission you gave them was supposed to be hidden, getting to that place from where Nazarick is¡­ is an absurd speed.¡±

    ¡°That situation makes me wonder¡­ how fast did your katana have to fly to get to where you were?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ it created a large crater and a sonic boom effect when it hit the battlefield¡­ So I¡¯d say it was an extremely violent speed.¡±

    ¡°Guys! Let¡¯s go!¡± Kelart called their attention, being a little far away and inside her own carriage.

    ¡°What do we do during this time of travel?¡± Touch_me asked again, he had never had to travel for so long.

    ¡°You can stay with the guys and tell some of your interesting stories¡­ or decide to sleep so that when the others go to sleep, you can stay awake for our protection.¡± The boy just said facts as he walked to a wagon where Neia and CZ were already waiting.

    The paladin player, before getting into the wagon, tried to look for the bicorn, but when he remembered that it had possibly been transformed into an item inside Letyan¡¯s inventory, he just facepalmed.

    In this way, a long journey was really about to begin.

    <hr>

    Dark, terror, fear...

    These were three of the first words that a being, in the midst of the void, could think...

    But who could this being be?

    The being could not remember its own name, its own form, its own thoughts, its own desires.

    The being could not feel touch, it did not seem to see anything, it did not hear anything and it did not feel any feelings.

    But little by little the being could actually see something, a distorted light, it could barely be considered a light because it was so dark. It was some kind of darkness that was different from the void¡¯s one, but it was impossible to tell the difference with the eyes, it was more of a sensation.

    Slowly, from that new darkness, something else emerged. This something held the being firmly in that floating space, revealing to it the true form of its body. And along with this, it was possible to see something really coming out of the darkness, something visible, something with shape, color and sensation.

    The being soon began to remember things as it saw that thing taking more and more shape. The sadistic smile, the violet eyes, the attractive curves that would make any woman envious, the pale skin, and finally, the blond hair, which floated in the darkness, being very messy.

    ¡°W-What?... No... N-No!!! NO!!!!!¡± The being finally remembered what had happened, its last seconds before arriving in the world of emptiness.

    The pain in its ribs and vertebrae, the teeth and nose that had broken, the blood gushing from its forehead, the anger mixed with fear of having finally met death...

    But if she had met death... why could she feel something like this?

    The natural thing in the world would be for a person to demonstrate choice in deciding whether or not to fight for a second chance. She didn''t know this naturally, but she could feel in every millimeter of her body that this should be the true natural path.

    But what was happening now wasn''t natural, not even in the divine sense¡­

    It was aggressive... Manipulative... Absolute¡­

    Finally, that copy of her naked body, without any apparent imperfections, began to laugh. She knew that laugh well, she always laughed like that when she saw someone in despair.

    Vibrant violet eyes appeared everywhere she could see, with smiles made of pure blood being made, all producing that same sadistic laughter sound.

    That copy held her shoulders tightly, laughing louder and louder, with a blood-red slime coming out of its eyes, nose and mouth.

    The fear only increased, but it didn''t seem like it would stop easily¡­

    Soon the face of that Clementine was above her soul, laughing, with the slime forcibly entering her body. It was terrible. It was as if her entire being was being invaded, violated and dismantled.

    Finally¡­ she managed to open her eyes¡­ but perhaps she wished she had never opened them.

    It took a few seconds for the assassin to feel something real. The sensation was an extreme burning sensation on her back, as if that place was pure without skin, exposed to the strangely humid air of the place. But what was that place?

    She was handcuffed at the wrists and ankles, hanging from the ceiling. Beside her, she could see a small table with equipment that would normally be seen in the rooms of the most orthodox healers of her home kingdom, Slane Theocracy. Immediately making her scream in fear, it brought back memories that she hoped she would never relive.

    ¡°Oooh! She¡¯s awake, my son! How impressive!¡± The voice was strong, powerful, and slowly it was possible to see a kind of demon with a goat¡¯s head that wore strange clothes, but that suited an aristocrat. ¡°She can scream and move after a situation like that.¡±

    ¡°AH?! W-WHAT IS THAT?!? D-DEMON!!!¡± Clementine seemed to still be in complete panic.

    In a situation against any human, she is extremely confident, but when it comes to demihumans, her confidence begins to fade just a little. That being said, seeing a demon in front of her that had an aura that made her shiver was enough to fill her with fear and with the wish to be saved like a stupid, dumb and weak princess.

    ¡°Shut up. The great Ulbert-Sama was speaking just now, don¡¯t interrupt with your screams, insect.¡± Another being appeared in her vision, it was a man with a red suit and a metallic tail¡­? No, that was definitely another demon.

    She tried to scream, but it seemed that the demon¡¯s order had an effect on her, managing to open her mouth, but no noise was produced¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t treat her like that, my son¡­ After all, our great friend brought her here to get some information~¡± The goat-headed demon said with a mischievous smile, his bright eyes staring Clementine up and down. ¡°Hm¡­ I noticed something interesting¡­¡±

    ¡°What would be interesting, father?¡± The demon in the suit asked.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°The craziest women have several qualities¡­ They can be the most beautiful, or they can also be the most resilient.¡± The malicious smile seemed to become more evident. ¡°Before the interrogation, I would like you to remove more of her skin, just to be sure.¡±

    When she heard those words, Clementine tried to scream and beg them not to do it, but her voice still wouldn¡¯t come out of her throat. And slowly, she watched that other demon holding her naked body tightly, using an extremely sharp knife for the skinning process.

    She began to cry a lot with the pain, lifting her face and screaming without being heard. After a few minutes, she felt the goat-faced demon¡¯s clawed hand firmly holding her chin and ordering her to speak again. At that exact moment, her voice could be heard, but he slapped her cheek hard, leaving a mark and blood running down her face.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get to the interrogation¡­ But we can¡¯t leave you like this during our conversation~¡± He smiled sadistically, pouring a blood-red potion over her body.

    Her body burned when it came into contact with the potion, the raw areas being regenerated with the skin. She ended up not being able to bear it and fainted from the pain¡­

    <hr>

    While the terrors were happening in the depths of Nazarick, something much more interesting and friendly was happening outside the Great Tomb. Two hours after Touch_Me left, Tabula was setting up an interesting area a little inside the forest.

    With the help of 3 of his NPCs, Citrinitas, Rubedo and Nigredo, a simple rustic wooden hut was built. Around it was a garden composed of various flowers, in a way to show the 4 main colors of alchemy, being red, black, white and yellow. In addition to the flowers, there were some decorative totems, which referenced alchemical symbols and space beings from Lovecraft''s stories, and a path of compacted earth that connected the entrance of the place with the area that had been configured to be a teleport destination. And this was necessary, because apart from everything that had been mentioned, the place was surrounded by a dense forest, not being physically connected to any other place.

    ¡°What a beautiful landscape¡­¡± Tabula admired the new area he had created.

    ¡°It looks just like I would imagine a well-kept cabin in the middle of the forest. But something is still missing¡­¡± He stared at the entrance to the cabin, until he remembered what was missing: a sign!

    That area was actually being made for when the human alchemist, Nfirea, would willing to become the Brain Eater¡¯s disciple. There was no reason for there to be a sign to inform what the place was, but he wanted to give it some charm.

    But why was he doing all this, even though the boy hadn¡¯t actually confirmed it? Because it was impossible for him not to take advantage of that opportunity!

    It was extremely obvious how much the alchemy from this new world was inferior compared to the knowledge from Earth and Yggdrasil combined, and from the conversations Momonga had with the boy, it was a fact that he really wanted to improve in the profession. Even though he had only seen the boy once, and had yet to actually interact with him, the Brain Eater was extremely excited to have someone as an apprentice! Of course, he would continue with the roleplay of the situation he found himself in, and, most likely, would take advantage of the boy''s ignorance to talk about cosmic horrors, as if they were otherworldly truths. And all of this made the context more fun, with the various tentacles on his face constantly moving to reflect his emotions.

    ¡°Father, I''ve finished fixing the inside.¡± Someone came out of the hut, it was Rubedo, her golem automaton body, being almost a living furnace, made her perfect for carrying several things at the same time.

    ¡°Perfect!!!! And what about the door frame?¡±

    ¡°I finished fixing this a few minutes ago after a conversation with Aureole Omega!¡± Another person came out of the cabin. It was a woman with orange hair, very thin and with an attractive figure, but who wore a shirt like a madhouse uniform. Her name? Citrinitas.

    ¡°Very good! I think we¡¯re done for today. Until the boy comes, we can use this place for tea parties!¡± Tabula said happily, approaching two of her daughters and caressing the tops of their heads with his tentacles. They seemed extremely happy and pleased with their creator¡¯s reaction.

    The ¡°Door Frame¡± that Citrinitas was referring to was a kind of portal. It was impossible to put so many things related to alchemy in that cabin, and it would also be irresponsible to leave advanced equipment outside of Nazarick. Therefore, a portal was created that connected that place with the 9th floor, more specifically, with the alchemy laboratory. In other words, the cabin itself would be just a facade, a place where Nfirea, or any other guest, could use to have a period of rest, away from anything else that would get in the way of their studies.

    Even with his daughters saying those things, Tabula decided to enter the cabin to check if everything was according to the plan he had with Ulbert''s help. That place had a living room with just a sofa and a bookshelf; a simple kitchen, having taken as a reference the kitchens of Carne Village so as not to overdo it with technology; two small bedrooms with each one having a bed, closet and study table; a room in the back, with a large table in the center, where they could practice more basic alchemy; and that was where the portal was, having been in the shape of a simple door, with the difference of having a golden handle and a lock.

    "This is so stupid." He said this while looking at the lock, seeming to hold himself back from laughing.

    That was actually a trap in case someone broke in and tried to break down the door. The real way to open it was by having a special ring on your hand that touched the doorknob. The trap itself was a spell of spontaneous combustion, which would turn the victim into a barbecue, with the limbs being the only thing that had a chance of remaining. There was the idea of ??possibly taking advantage of the poor and stupid souls that activated such a mechanism, to feed some of the NPCs who hunger for cremated meat.

    While he was watching the door, it opened. Coming out of it was Nigredo, the ghoul among the daughters of Tabula. Unlike the huge scissors that she normally carried at all times, she was hugging a brown teddy bear, quite adorable and full of ribbons. Her hair, as always, covered her face of exposed muscles, her beautiful blue eyes were the only thing visible.

    ¡°Father, Tabula-Sama.¡± Nigredo said, approaching the brain eater. ¡°We received a message using a scroll¡­ Apparently, the human who was seen as being important. He said that he wants to participate.¡±

    The brain eater stood still for a few seconds, until he exploded with excitement, with his tentacles moving frantically. ¡°That¡¯s great! Right at the moment we finished the cabin of my ¡®school¡¯!!! That¡¯s perfect!!¡±

    ¡°I would like to add, Father, Tabula-Sama. He also wrote that he would like to initially have a period of conversation, so that he could get to know better the one who will be his teacher.¡± Nigredo continued to speak, but only after her creator had calmed down.

    He completely understood the boy¡¯s logic. After all, the only thing he had possibly heard about the brain eater was the fact that he was trustworthy, that he was an alchemist, and that he knew how to make potions considered divine in that world. But now the essential question arose¡­

    ¡°Do I show myself with a disguise? Or do I show my true form?¡± He wondered aloud.

    Of course! He could always be in disguise, but he had also seen the reaction of one or another human who had seen his real form, and neither of them seemed to despair upon learning that the ¡°monster¡± was a good person inside.

    He soon thought of a perfect answer to that, but before he could complete that thought, Rubedo spoke, not having realized that her father¡¯s question was rhetorical. ¡°Father, you are a Supreme Being, if you are really teaching an inferior being like a human, and you want him to learn your grand thoughts, the best way would be to show the truth and understand if the inferior being is really willing to learn looking at the pure wisdom.¡±

    ¡®You saying that makes me feel embarrassed¡­¡¯ he thought, but in theory that was part of the logic he could use¡­ In fact, that excuse could be used by all Supreme Beings, if the heteromorphic appearance was really a problem.

    ¡®We were once human, but we ended up achieving so much power that our bodies changed.¡¯

    Yes! That would be a super acceptable excuse! Because it was also true!!! So if there was someone in that world with the power to detect lies, that would be the best choice!

    ¡®Maybe I should start by showing myself in disguise, ask him if he¡¯d be willing to see what happens when he reaches the absolute level of an alchemist, and finally, use that excuse to no longer need to be in disguise¡­ BRILLIANT!!!¡¯ Tabula thought, with his tentacles agitated again.

    Realizing that he had ended up not answering Rubedo, he spoke again. ¡°I understand, I think I know methods of doing this without my absolute appearance scaring him. That way, we¡¯ll see if he¡¯ll be willing to learn my pure power, without my appearance being a factor in distancing him. Since, honestly, I¡¯m a little ugly.¡± His final words made the NPCs get agitated.

    ¡°You would never be ugly! You are a Supreme Being!¡± Nigredo spoke on impulse.

    ¡°Those who do not understand the true beauty of a being like you, Father, are just ignorant of a majestic existence!¡± Citrinitas exclaimed as he waved his arms around, with the excessively long sleeves of his straitjacket making the situation even comical.

    ¡°Human beings are just foolish inferiors who see beauty in strange things, honestly.¡± Rubedo commented as she pointed at Nigredo. ¡°Look at our older sister, only her face is beautiful, her body only serves to attract stupid human prey.¡±

    ¡°H-hey! Don¡¯t talk about your sister like that!¡± Tabula exclaimed as well. ¡°I know I created her like that to attract unsuspecting players. But human beauty is also seen as charming by us.¡± He sighed, cringing at the phrase he was going to say. ¡°Because the true beauty of a person lies in their intentions and motivations. Your motivations are related to pleasing me, a supreme being, so you are all beautiful!¡±

    Their creator¡¯s words made them blush extremely, with Rubedo making a three-charcoal noise, smoke coming out of her ears. ¡°T-Thank you, father!!¡± They said at the same time.

    ¡°Now enough talking about beauty! Send the human a message to go to an empty place in 10 minutes, so I can teleport and get him personally!¡± Tabula ordered and Nigredo bowed slightly, returning inside Nazarick to arrange this.

    ¡°As for you two¡­ if you want to see the whole scene after I bring him, or if you want to come with me to keep me company¡­¡± He stared at Rubedo for a moment. ¡°Rubedo, my dear, due to the fact that you are a golem automaton, I think you might scare him at first sight, so please remain hidden or return to Nazarick.¡±

    The grand redhead accepted the idea and walked through the door to return to the base, but as for Citrinitas. ¡°Your appearance is human enough that there should be no questions about your race. You can stay here, come with me, or go to Nazarick.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Father! I¡¯m eager to know what this human who has caught the attention of the great Supreme Beings is like.¡± She replied happily.

    Before teleporting, Tabula began to get ready. All the tentacles on his body wrapped around each other and around his limbs, so that he wouldn¡¯t look extremely thin. He wore clothes with very long sleeves and pants that went to the ends inside boots, so that nothing was exposed, and to be on the safe side, he put on a large cloak, before finally putting on an illusion mask over his face.

    When the time came, Tabula received the scroll that was being used to maintain contact. With the item in hand, he managed to use the union of the [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] and his large amount of mana to create a portal to where the messages were being sent. Aureole Omega played a big role in this situation, because of her connection to the portals of Nazarick and the rings of the guild members, she was able to keep that temporary portal open long enough for them to go and bring the human in.

    Stepping on the other side, the brain eater noticed that he was inside what seemed to be a warehouse, full of ingredients and various things. He seemed happy to enter another alchemist''s workplace, but soon a thought arose, a thought that all the products there were of the worst quality and rotten¡­

    ''Wait... Did my character setting make me have this kind of thought?'' It was the first time that this had occurred to him, perhaps due to his job class together with the fact that he almost never left Nazarick during all the time. Anyway, he looked around to see the human, his blond hair hiding part of his face.

    Nfirea was astonished to see that being appear through a portal, but not only that, he had been accompanied by a woman with an appearance that made him want to take a few steps back. It wasn''t like that, but that look reminded him of the adventurer killer, Clementine, who had kidnapped him not even two days ago. Other than that, she just seemed to be a woman who wore belts on all parts of her body.

    The human soon came out of his thoughts when he heard the voice of who would be his new mentor, it was a voice that sounded like a man in his prime. "Baeare... Nfirea Bareare... Did I get your name right, young boy?"

    "A-Ah!! Y-Yes! Excuse my surprise, sir-"

    "Oh! No need to start with the honorifics, boy. We are alchemists, beings hungry for the pleasure of discovery from nature..." He said with a laugh, but soon approached the boy, speaking softly. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself later, but for now¡­¡±

    He walked away, speaking normally again, laughing a little. ¡°My name is Harry Pandemonium Lovecraft! But you can just call me Harry, Lovecraft, or Mr. H.P.~¡±

    It took a while for the human to process the situation, until the thought arose. ¡®Oh! Just like The Black Warrior Momon is a separate identity from Spellcaster Momonga, his friends must also be wanting to do the same¡­ to do something like that¡­ Do they really not want to be identified?¡¯

    After realizing that he didn¡¯t answer anything, he finally spoke. ¡°O-Of course! Thank you very much, Mr. H.P.! I¡¯m happy that you accepted me as your disciple.¡±

    ¡°Alright, kid, I came here to pick you up, but from the little conversations I had with my colleague¡­ You only live with your grandmother here in the city¡­ right?¡± with the confirmation of Nfirea, the being who at the moment called himself Harry, continued. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go and talk to her first. If she questions me, just say that you heard about me back in Carne Village¡­ which isn¡¯t a lie.¡±

    So the two of them left the basement to have a chat with Nfirea¡¯s grandmother, who luckily wasn¡¯t serving any customers at the moment, leaving the orange-haired woman there next to the portal. The conversation was slightly defensive, as Lizzie was still a little affected by the fact that her grandson had been kidnapped recently, but after mentioning that Harry was an acquaintance of Momon, that they would be staying near the Carne Village, and especially that he was the person who gave Momon that special healing potion, she seemed to relax a little and accept the idea.

    Maybe because he owes the Black Warrior Momon a huge debt¡­

    But when she asked how the man got there¡­

    ¡°W-What?! A portal??¡± The old woman said that in astonishment as she walked to the basement, she saw that woman in strange clothes, next to what seemed to be a small floating sphere.

    ¡°Yes, I made this portal with the help of my daughters. It¡¯s just a few alchemical runes on a magic scroll¡­ many may find it complex, but after doing it at least 4 times, it becomes something that any experienced alchemist can do. Of course, it requires a large amount of Mana to create the item itself¡­¡± Harry said that with a slightly embarrassed voice at the end, but continued. ¡°If you want, I¡¯ll leave another one of those magic scrolls with you in case he wants to visit you before the time.¡±

    It takes a few seconds for Lizzie to be able to reason what she was hearing. ¡°So¡­ actually¡­ If I accept this Magic Scroll¡­ would it be as if he were still here?¡±

    ¡°More or less like that.¡± Harry said, handing her the magic scroll he was talking about. ¡°You can write with any type of ink on this item, and that way Nfirea will be able to receive your messages. If you have used too much of the paper, just do the command, [Limpusty], so that the scroll becomes empty and you can write more. Drawings and drawn figures will also be transmitted.¡±

    The woman soon sighed and seemed to accept those conditions, with cold sweat running down her face as she returned to the main area of ??the establishment. Nfirea knew that his grandmother was still very worried, but he promised himself that he would at least send her a message a day, so that she would know how he was.

    After packing some of the things he would need in a backpack, the human said he was ready to go. Thus, the brain eater in disguise touched that floating sphere, causing the portal to reopen. They both passed through it, with Citrinitas being the last to enter and also close the portal.

    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Nfirea looked surprised, but not in the way he expected.

    He thought the place he was going to was extremely fancy, like a small nobleman¡¯s house. That was the image that came to him, due to how impressive that potion was. However, he was now inside a wooden hut, with very simple items that one would normally see in a rural village.

    ¡°Welcome, Young Nfirea! You are in a place where you can rest during your studies! My daughter, Citrinitas, will show you around. Since I am free most of the time, you can call me whenever you want for help, from the moment the sun rises, until the moon is at its peak!¡± He spoke happily. ¡°So that you don¡¯t end up saying my real name by accident, I recommend that you use my ¡®adventurer¡¯ name. But if u are curious, the real is Tabula.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, Mr. Lovecraft!¡± the young disciple said, holding tightly to his backpack. But he soon looked at Citrinitas, who just chuckled and began to take the young man with her so he could get used to the ''dorm''.

    Entering the room, Nfirea put his things on the bed, still observing all that architecture, it was too simple, but there was something that left him slightly intrigued. However, he could not identify what it was.

    "So... Miss Citrinitas... Mr. Lovecraft called you his daughter...?" He questioned the girl, out of pure curiosity.

    "Oh yes! I am one of my father''s newest creations!" She said proudly.

    "Creations?" He was confused by the choice of words, until he thought about it a little more. ''Harry-sama... or rather, Tabula-sama, is a great alchemist who can make blood-colored potions. Could it be...''

    "Yes! I was created from the great powers of my great father!" Her answer confirmed the human''s suspicions.

    ¡®A being great enough in alchemy to create other living beings???? Never heard of it!! Maybe it¡¯s some forgotten knowledge? I should question him about it as soon as possible¡­¡¯ It was one of her many thoughts, her eyes wide as she spoke, trying her best not to show the internal panic she was having. ¡°Are there more beings created by him¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± She smiled, very excited. ¡°There are 4 of us in total! Me, Rubedo who is the youngest, and the oldests, Nigredo and Albedo!¡±

    That last name made the alchemist astonished to the point of taking a few steps back. ¡°Excuse me for asking¡­ but¡­ would Albedo be a woman who wears black armor?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! She has beautiful armor, black as night!¡± Citrinitas said excitedly. ¡°She is very lucky to have received that armor! It is very special, as it can nullify any damage 3 times before breaking.¡±

    ¡°Impressive! So one of Mr. Lovecraft¡¯s daughters helped defend Carne Vill¡ª Wait what?¡± He heard the second thing mentioned. ¡°¡­ Nullification of any damage?¡± The orange-haired girl nodded.

    ¡®W-Wouldn¡¯t that kind of equipment be something to be placed on the Royal Treasure¡­?¡¯ Nfirea wondered, his eyes still wide with astonishment.

    That group¡­ Ainz Ooal Gown¡­ had an alchemist who could create living beings, equipment considered treasures for kingdoms, and potions the color of sin that had only been heard of in religious texts¡­

    Nfirea was¡­ getting scared¡­

    No¡­ he was already scared, he was already terrified by the intensity of the situation he found himself in¡­ He only realized now¡­ His happiness at having a mentor above the level of a Wise Sage had made his conscious mind blind and ignorant to the primordial feeling of all human beings¡­

    F E A R¡­

    ¡°That¡­ is impressive¡­ I would like to know more about it by asking him¡­¡± Nfirea tried his best not to show that feeling, but it seemed he was failing.

    The woman with messy hair had a smug face, which soon spread, becoming a smile, in which sharp teeth stained with something green were clearly visible. ¡°You¡¯re not going to chicken out now, are you? The Alchemy Supreme Being accepted you¡­ do you want to miss this opportunity?¡± Her voice became empty, an incredible contrast to before.

    He stared at her for a few seconds, feeling a tremendous cold filling his body, as if his instincts were telling him to run away from there, but he was so scared that he ended up paralyzed.

    It was even difficult to think about that situation¡­ The young Nfirea was getting confused, unable to understand why his body was like that¡­ How had the situation gotten like that in such a short time¡­

    ¡°HEY! STOP DOING THIS TO THE BOY!¡± A voice came, making him wake up from that strange trance.

    It was Tabula, still disguised. He approached and slapped Citrinitas on the back of her head. ¡°I could feel you releasing that aura of yours from the other room!! Don¡¯t scare my disciple!! He barely arrived and you¡¯re acting like this with him!¡±

    ¡°Ha?! B-But father! I didn¡¯t do anything! I was just-¡±

    ¡°You were using your distortion aura!¡± Tabula interrupted her. ¡°Beings like him can¡¯t handle this at all! You¡¯re AT LEAST 30 levels higher! This could cause after-effects!!¡±

    ¡°B-But-¡±

    ¡°NO BUT! I¡¯ve been waiting sooo long for this! And you want to ruin it like this?! Get out of here, now!!! Until further notice, you are forbidden from entering in this hut or in my laboratory when he is there! The one who will be allowed to help me in here instead will be Rubedo or Nigredo!¡± Tabula''s voice ended up unintentionally affecting the human alchemist a little, who seemed to be shaking a little more.

    The woman with messy hair had a sad look on her face, her expression having completely changed. She ran away from there, heading straight for the door that connected the cabin to Nazarick.

    Tabula sighed, putting a hand on his head and then looked at Nfirea. "Kid... breathe a little... and... take this..." He handed him a small white sphere. "It will help repel the aura she left in the room... just bite it."

    With that item in his hands, and still shaking, Nfirea slowly put it in his mouth, still trusting the player. It was an item with a sugary taste, which when bitten, released a kind of viscous liquid with an extremely bitter flavor. Even with the expression of disgust at the sudden change in flavor, it seemed that the moment he felt that taste, the dizziness and confusion disappeared almost instantly. The boy was still staring at the great alchemist, who, even wearing a mask, managed to show concern by the way he was moving, as if he was careful not to do something that could make the situation worse.

    ¡°She¡­ why did she do that?¡± Those were the first words he said after calming down.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that¡­ She¡¯s not used to people like you¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not used to real people?¡± The boy asked, sitting up in bed.

    Tabula¡¯s expression changed slightly for a few seconds, until he spoke again in a calm voice. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°She ended up accidentally talking about the fact that she was fabricated.¡± He answered honestly, but looked at the floor. ¡°I ended up getting curious and thinking I heard wrong¡­ but she started saying how you managed to raise her and your other daughters, as if they were experiments and not living beings¡­¡±

    ¡®Damn¡­ she was more open to questions than I thought¡­ Maybe she didn¡¯t like his curiosity and started doing this¡­?¡¯ Tabula thought, but ended up saying what was on her mind. ¡°That only gives me more reason to punish her¡­¡±

    ¡°Punish her for talking too much?¡± Nfirea asked. ¡°Was that¡­ some kind of secret, like the fact that Momonga can use high-level spells?¡±

    ¡°No, kid¡­ I was going to reveal some secrets to you, due to the nature of our work¡­ and it¡¯s because of that very nature that I was going to punish her more.¡±

    ¡°Nature?¡± He questioned again.

    Tabula then sat beside him, his gloved fingers intertwined on his lap. ¡°Nfirea, do you know what the nature of an alchemist is?¡±

    ¡°Nature¡­? You mean things like creating potions for any possible occasion? The bottle holder¡­¡±

    He liked the answer, but that wasn¡¯t it. ¡°I mean the feeling of searching for something more, for the truth.¡±

    Nfirea was a little confused, so he spoke again. ¡°Kid¡­ The true nature of an alchemist is the search for the truth of the world, of how things work in the most detailed way possible¡­ it¡¯s the search for more and more until it¡¯s impossible, not in practice, but in theory, for anything beyond that to exist. It¡¯s the path taken to understand your real and individual Magnum Opus, the masterpiece that is destined to be found by each alchemist, which will represent all of their skill and creativity to the world.¡±

    ¡°So, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡± He raised his face again, now staring at Tabula¡¯s mask.

    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, boy! In fact, you were expected to question non-stop, until you felt satisfied with your answers that day, than you would have enough to organize your thoughts, and thus have more questions to be asked the next day.¡± The mentor said that with his voice showing excitement.

    There seemed to be no lie, not even exaggeration, in those words.

    ¡°Tell me, what else did you discover with your questions today?¡± He spoke while adjusting his mask a little.

    ¡°That one of your daughters was one of the people who were with Momonga to save Carne Village¡­ I would like to send something, to show how grateful I am.¡±

    ¡°Hehe! No need, boy. Unfortunately, only one of my daughters seems to be friendly with living beings outside of Ainz Ooal Gown¡¯s base, while another is neutral. And the one who helped your friend¡¯s village is one of the ones that don¡¯t like so much.¡± The answer he received made Nfirea understand, the Albedo had only followed orders.

    ¡°I see¡­ Another thing I discovered is that you¡¯re called the ¡®Alchemy Supreme Being¡¯¡­ or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ that detail¡­¡± Tabula seemed to cough lightly, as if he was embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s just that my guild is located inside a dungeon, in which we have many, many servants, servants who we save from strange and bizarre situations, and there are cases of servants who were created¡­ Because of that, and a few other things¡­ They call all of us, original guild members, as ¡®Supreme Beings¡¯¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing, but I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand why they act like that.¡±

    ¡°So, they¡¯re so grateful that they¡¯ve become fanatics?¡± Nfirea tried to gather his thoughts, and his new mentor only confirmed it by nodding his head. ¡°Okay, I think¡­ I can understand the situation better¡­ But¡­ wait¡­ If you have four daughters, and only one is friendly with people outside the guild, why didn¡¯t you bring her?¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! It¡¯s just¡­ she doesn¡¯t have a very nice appearance¡­ I mean, she¡¯s very pretty and all, the problem is that she¡­ can easily scare people if her face is exposed.¡±

    ¡°In what sense?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ when I ¡®made¡¯ her¡­ There ended up being a miscalculation, which caused her¡­ to have no skin on her face¡­¡± He said those things while scratching the back of his neck. ¡°Her face is practically exposed muscles, and since she was ¡®born¡¯ like that, at least they aren¡¯t covered in blood or anything of this level, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that it could make someone run in fear, if they¡¯re not used to that kind of sight.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you try to help her?¡±

    ¡°Because her job is to help defend the guild.¡± He was direct. ¡°Most of the servants of Ainz Ooal Gown are tasked with defending our home¡­ It¡¯s a large dungeon, full of floors, but we only use the last two as a base. Her appearance even helps to deceive people who are invading, so that she can scare them later. It was a case of ¡®Failing Successfully¡¯.¡±

    ¡°When the mistake becomes a greater advantage compared if there had been no mistake.¡± Nifrea said that calmly, Tabula confirmed that this was the case, snapping her fingers. ¡°I understand, since you warned me about this, I think I¡¯m prepared if your daughter shows up here.¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll let her know about it¡­ and¡­ well¡­ I was thinking that if you do well in your activities here, you might be rewarded with a tea party. What do you think? Is there a specific tea you like?¡±

    ¡°Tea¡­ huh?...¡± Nfirea thought for a bit, before finally answering. ¡°I don¡¯t have a preference, but I do like drinks that are a little bitter.¡±

    ¡°Perfect! I¡¯ll ask the kitchen staff to start checking if we have anything like that in stock.¡± Tabula stood up and walked to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll ask one of my daughters to bring you some books that are appropriate for starting your alchemical journey, as well as perhaps some stories and mythological tales from my native land, so that you can be inspired in your search for knowledge!¡±

    ¡°Tales?¡±

    ¡°Yes, strangely enough, even though they are stories in books, most of them have been proven to be true since ancient times, well beyond the time recorded in other places!!! They are considered mythological, due to the level of surrealism you need to have, to understand them! But I warn you! There is a rule in alchemy that not only alchemists must follow, but any Scholar must be aware of it!!¡±

    Nfirea was taken aback by the last sentence, listening attentively. ¡°Even if you are searching for the absolute truth, you have to know your own limit and how much you can improve in a given time. If you exaggerate too much¡­ something about you can change¡­¡±

    He was going to question what he meant by that, but soon saw Tabula remove his glove, revealing smooth, rubbery skin, with suction cups along the fingers. ¡°I say this from experience, boy. And so, I will guide you so that you do not end up like me.¡± He put the glove back on.

    ¡°Did your body change¡­?¡± Nfirea asked in fright.

    ¡°...¡®One should never fly too high¡­ the sun may burn you or incinerate you¡¯¡­ This can be translated to, ¡®Do not seek the light of knowledge in an exaggerated way, you may blind yourself, and this blindness may be permanent¡¯...¡± His voice was serious at that moment. ¡°I was¡­. but I am no longer considered a human¡­ None of us are¡­¡±

    He stared at his mentor in a frightened manner, swallowing hard to question. ¡°What do you mean ¡®None of us¡¯?¡±

    ¡°All the original members of the guild ended up doing experiments, tests, trying to improve themselves as much as possible, all to achieve our desire for knowledge, whether it was out of pure greed, pride, or even the feeling of wanting to protect others, without caring about yourself.¡± He kept his voice serious. ¡°Most died trying to achieve their own goals, disappearing¡­ If you want, we can talk more about this later, but right now¡­ I feel like you really need to rest, maybe sleep or sink your mind into books, so you can absorb the circumstances you find yourself in. If you want something to eat, the kitchen already has some appropriate foods, everything is in jars and boxes, but they all have labels that tell you the contents.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay, Mr. Lovecraft¡­ I understand¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ get some sleep and wait for your daughter to bring the books.¡±

    ¡°Very well! Oh! And you can leave the cabin if you want, for now, you can only stay as far as the flowers in the garden, and also with my permission, okay?¡± Nfirea agreed with the requirements. ¡°Great¡­ I wish you have a good time with us, Mr. Bareare.¡±

    Nfirea was now left completely alone in that cabin, breathing deeply, using that time to calm down and organize things¡­ But it was unsettling¡­ To the point that he got up after a few minutes and went straight to the kitchen, taking with him his notepad and one of the ink pens that were in the room.

    He sat at the kitchen table and began to write down the things he discovered about those people there, initially making it as if it were a family tree, but giving up and putting only specific names and main points of each. It might seem absurd, but it really helped him. But it didn''t stop there, because he noticed a pot that was on top of one of the shelves, it was an adorable wooden pot with a lid decorated with bows, with a piece of paper stuck to the front that said ¡°Chocolate powder¡±.

    ¡°Chocolate¡­? My god, these people must be really rich¡­¡± He said that, but then immediately gave a facepalm. ¡°Of course they are rich, they can get ingredients to create living beings¡­ argh¡­ Well¡­ if they left this in the cabin that only I am staying in¡­ maybe I can try it?¡±

    Standing up, Nfirea approached that pot, opening it and seeing an extremely fine brown powder. He passed it on the tip of his index finger, curious about the flavor, and put it in his mouth. His eyes widened, it was very sweet! No! It wasn''t just sweet, there was something more! But the human couldn''t decipher it.

    The boy had tasted chocolate before, but it was only once, on a day when he had to make an exhausting trip to the capital of Re-Estize Kingdom. He remembered the taste of that extremely expensive and exotic item¡­

    ¡®That was great¡­ but compared to this¡­¡¯ Nfirea thought, completely dumbfounded. ¡°It¡¯s like the chocolate of the nobility was the worst dirt¡­ H-How is that possible?!? M-Magic also makes something like that?! O-Or maybe it¡¯s alchemy???? I-If it¡¯s alchemy, and I can reproduce it¡­ M-My god!!!¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to notice that there was another pot there, identical to the one with the chocolate, but with the label ¡°Milk powder¡±. If this wasn¡¯t real life, Nfirea would have a giant question mark over his head.

    ¡°Milk? Powdered?? Is that possible?¡± He picked up the pot, noticing that there was another piece of paper behind it, and read what was written. ¡°A small spoon for medium cup of water¡­ Eh?? I-Is that serious?¡± The day was already completely strange, scary, and awesome all at the same time, so there was no harm in blindly following the instructions.

    {3 Hours Later . . . }

    Nigredo was leaving Ashurbanipal, the Grand Library located at the 10th Floor. She had a cart full of books with her. The vast majority of them were part of her father''s personal collection, consisting of stories about cosmic horror, players¡¯ novels that mix alchemy and the world of YGGDRASIL, and of course, copies of books about alchemical research both from Earth and other fictional worlds, most of which came directly from the virtual library of Fuyuki Yamamoto (aka. Tabula IRL Name), since he worked as a restorer of books of this kind.

    ¡°Nigredo-chan!¡± Someone caught her attention, it was Bukubukuchagama, who was heading towards the library, followed by Mare Bello Fiore.

    ¡°A-Ah! B-Bukubuku-sama! Lord Mare!¡±

    ¡°H-Hello.¡± The dark elf said in a timid voice, with one of his arms wrapped around a tentacle created by his creator.

    ¡°What are you doing with so many books?¡± The slime asked, picking one up to see what it was about.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take it to my father¡¯s disciple.. The books were handpicked.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Cthulhu¡­ that¡¯s just like that brain eater¡­¡± Bukubuku said, putting the book back in the cart. ¡°I heard that this boy has an innate ability to use any item without class restrictions. I don¡¯t want to hear about him being mistreated or anything like that, a being like that is extremely unique and could cause us trouble if he sees us as hostile.¡±

    ¡°O-Of course, Bukubuku-Sama. I understand that¡­ As Tabula-Sama¡¯s firstborn, I will represent him in that dormitory, when he can¡¯t be there.¡± Nigredo said that way, hiding her face under her long hair.

    ¡°Okay, sorry to bother you, but I would like to know something. While you were there looking for those books, did you see any of my hidden data-videos? I came here to show little Mare how cute he was in our old presentations!¡± The slime said excitedly, while the dark elf¡¯s face and even ears turned extremely red.

    ¡°Hm¡­ actually, I think I almost accidentally grabbed one of those data-videos, because It was very close to one of the books¡­ I think it¡¯s in area E, corridor 3.¡± Nigredo replied and watched the slime drag the dark elf with her.

    With no one in the way, she went back to carrying the books, having to go up to the 9th Floor, to get to the wooden hut using the portal that connected the two places. When she arrived, she slowly tidied up the place of the books, until she noticed the disciple. He was face down on the table, with a wooden mug in his hands and with the area around his mouth completely dirty, by the smell in the air, it was easy to identify the chocolate drink.

    ¡°Oh¡­ How interesting¡­ he even looks like Lady Aura when she finishes eating her dinner¡­¡±

    Having finished putting the books in the requested areas, she returned to the kitchen and tried to gently shake the boy¡¯s shoulder so he would wake up. And when he woke up, he seemed to be drunk with the sleep sensation, looking around, until his eyes met the beautiful blue eyes of Nigredo, who had his face completely hidden in the middle of that big hair.

    ¡°AAAH!?¡± He was startled by the undead¡¯s sudden and close presence, causing him to jump out of his chair. And only after a few seconds, he managed to make the connection. ¡°Oh¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was having such a good sleep¡­ uh¡­ You¡¯re Nigredo, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard about the trouble my younger sister caused¡­ I¡¯ll be responsible as the cabin¡¯s caretaker¡­ I just took the books to the shelves in your bedroom and living room¡­¡± She handed him a book.

    The book in particular was gray, with a central figure of a man being embraced by several tentacles, skull decorations around it and on the bottom of the cover it said ¡°The Classic Fears, Collection n.1¡±. And curiously, he opened it just to see the summary, with the first story being called ¡°The Alchemist¡±.

    ¡°Oh.. Thank you¡­ I assume this is one of the stories my mentor had mentioned¡­ to keep me creative and open-minded¡­¡±

    ¡°Correct¡­ If you need anything, don¡¯t be afraid to call. The laboratory next door has an ornate door, next to it there¡¯s a kind of bell, click on it to call me.¡± Nigredo answered that, while her hair swayed a little, revealing white teeth with valuable pearls and some red muscle fibers.

    That scared the boy a little, but he just looked away, thanking her again. He decided to go read that book to occupy his mind a little. Giving a light and somewhat shy wave to that woman, who soon disappeared from his sight.

 Chapter 26 - How I Met My Mentor

    {5 days after the start of the trip . . .}

    "OI! Letyan! Dinner is ready!" One of the paladins exclaimed while others were finishing a small mound of dry wood that would serve as fuel in case the large fire began to disappear.

    The boy in question was lying on top of one of the carriages, watching the stars while getting caught up in some thoughts of his own. The environment that this group was in, was a small clearing, 200 meters from the main road they were using to go to Holy Kingdom. The night seemed extremely gloomy and dense, but the lights created by the moonlight and the flames, caused an incredible and relaxing sensation.

    He once again observed the moon, which was at the highest possible point, and then jumped, reaching the ground and walking towards the fire. That large fire had some side supports, which the paladins used to heat some skewers and two pots, in which he could see a bubbling liquid. The sound of the bubbling and the flames dancing with the light wind was the perfect union so that anyone could feel safe and comfortable.

    Next to the fire, there were some fallen logs on the floor, so that everyone could sit down while enjoying dinner. Those who have dined before, or who will not eat until later, were standing and on their guard, shields and swords in hand. Among that sight of some paladins sitting and talking, there were two beings that gained a lot of attention, the paladin with the most polished armor of all and the maid who was accompanying him.

    "Hmm... Raven, can you fill a bowl for me?" The boy asked his demihuman helper, who was hiding her wolf features.

    "Okay!" She affirmed with a smile and did as she was told.

    Letyan sat next to his old friend, Masato, who was without his helmet, with bandages hiding the parts of his cheek that could reveal him as half insect. He stopped drinking from the bowl he had in his hands, giving a faint smile.

    "Finally decided to come to us? I thought you were going to be admiring the stars all night." Masato said that, laughing and putting the bowl on top of his own lap.

    "Hm... It''s okay to observe the natural beauty sometimes, right?" Letyan''s question made his friend take a long sigh and confirm, after all, he had come from a world where such a simple action was impossible.

    Raven brought the bowl of soup to the young man, who drank it without needing a spoon. But after a few long sips, he stopped to listen to his friend again.

    "So... You didn''t tell me much about how your life was going... I''m curious how you got caught in Kelart''s clutches." The sentence of that paladin made the others sitting there start laughing, while the High-Priestess herself, who was sitting inside a carriage with the door open, only looked away due to the choice of words.

    "OOh!! Well, it''s a pretty silly little story actually..."

    "Silly little story?" One of the other paladins stood up, laughing again. "You did what no one here has ever done! And I say as one of those who were present!"

    "Yes! I wasn''t there, but from what I was told, all the commanders of each sector of the Paladin Order were incredulous and in a cold sweat when they heard about it!!" Someone else had expressed their opinion.

    "Ooh!! So was it something impressive? Come on, you can tell us!" Masato patted the young man lightly on the shoulder.

    "Eh... People are exaggerating... I mean... I was just trying to get my sister accepted as a paladin."

    "Hmmm..." Neia lowered her head a little when she remembered that day. "It was... pretty intense actually."

    "Ah! Let''s go! Tell him now, before he finds out from ''her'' words!" Kathleen commented over. "I myself love it when I can hear that story again."

    "You only say that because Remedios isn''t good with you." Letyan pouted as he said that, but soon gave up. "Okay okay... I''ll tell you then... But I think it''s better... starting from a special day of a certain girl...."

    <hr>

    {9 years ago. . . . . Hoburns, Roble Holy Kingdom''s Capital}

    In the middle of the streets of the Prime Estate, or more specifically, on top of the buildings... A boy was running across the rooftops, with agility and flexibility above the average. The sky was still beginning to clear with the sun, giving a beautiful tone to see, when the boy stopped at the top of a large building.

    "Nothing is better than a landscape like this in the morning." Said that boy, who soon after admiring such a situation, began to go down to the streets, using the walls of some alleys as a safe means of doing it without being noticed.

    He wore a crimson red robe, with a hood that was tightly fastened so that little part of his face was exposed. Having leather gloves and boots, in addition to being around 155 centimeters tall, with blond hair flowing out of the hood, on both sides. If it weren''t for his voice, he would clearly be mistaken for a young girl.

    There was a small shop near where he got off, and as there seemed to be a sign indicating that it was open, he was already entering the place. The store itself was a bakery, there were only 3 employees at the time, and two of them, when they observed the customer, already seemed to recognize him.

    "Good morning, Letty! What brings you here so soon?" The owner of the place said that while he was behind a display with several large and warm loaves.

    "No big deal, Alphonse. I just wanted to pick up the order I asked you about 4 days ago." Said the boy, revealing his face now. "Also, get me some of the 10 freshest breads you have at the moment, I haven''t had my breakfast yet and I want the people at home to wake up already having something very good."

    "Of course! Do you want anything more than that?" Said another of the employees as he walked to the back part of the bakery.

    "Nothing more than that, thank you." He responded, receiving a small cake inside a paper package, and a paper bag with bread, in exchange, he gave some coins to the owner. "You can keep the change."

    Leaving there, Letyan quickly went to a nearby alley, grabbing a strange leather bag from inside his pocket and opening it. Inside it seemed to be nothing, just a strange glyph stuck in the bottom. Activating the power of the glyph, the bottom of the bag became dark as night and he managed to put all those items he bought without any problem inside it, as if that bag didn''t obey Newtonian rules.

    "Great, I thought I had forgotten my [Bag of Holding]..." He sighed and closed the bag, climbing the walls and adjusting his hood to sneak towards his house.

    The Baraja house was a two-story place, with a garden at the rear and some balconies. One of these balconies had a direct connection to the boy''s room, which made it easy for him to sneak out like that. But when he arrived at his bedroom, there was already a person standing who was waiting for him, her feet beating rhythmically against the wooden floor and his arms crossed.

    The boy just gave a silly smile as he walked through the window and snapped his fingers. "Good morning, mom..." He had a fake smile in the direction of the woman who was there, her name was Leticia.

    "Letyan Baraja, what do you think you''re doing leaving as a thief? Didn''t I already tell you not to do something like that?" The woman''s voice was rigid, like a commander''s, but that was to be expected, after all she was not only a former paladin, but also the former leader of one of the orders of knights.

    "Well, dad is always leaving and showing up like this when he''s called to work." The boy tried to answer, while putting his magic bag on the small table in the room. "Besides, I took the opportunity and went to buy bread. I had woken up before and noticed that the ones that were stored had moldy at dawn."

    The woman stared at him, her eyes almost closed, focusing right on the boy''s face, but soon sighed, shaking her head, as if she was denying something that had gone through her mind. "The maids warned me just now that the bread we had really got moldy, you''re lucky." And so she left her son alone.

    With a raised eyebrow, the boy removed the items he had bought from the bag and took them to the kitchen, which was practically under his room. There he saw two maids who were preparing some coffee, as well as setting the tables. They were two slightly old women who had previously had the same function in one of the houses for paladins, but had been taken here because of Leticia Baraja.

    "Young Mr. Letyan, did you arrive with some goods?" Said the oldest of the maids, she had a sweet and gentle aura, she looked like a granny, even so, that good feeling was not enough to hide the fact that she was still a very competent maid.

    "Yep, Doroth can put the loaves on the table and.... hmm.. Hide this cake here until my sister comes down for breakfast." He said handing over what he had bought.

    "Oooh, it''s so simple but adorable... I honestly would love for Young Miss Neia''s birthday cake to be something more flashy, but knowing her... This one you brought really must be the perfect choice." The maid said with a laugh and kept the cake inside one of the kitchen cabinets.

    "It''s... I had taught her a while ago. Besides, you know very well why she can''t get a giant cake right now." He said this as he watched the two maids, who just turned their faces away from looking at him.

    That was a common thing to happen, at least when that subject was raised inside the house. And what was this subject? Simply that of Neia following in her mother''s footsteps.

    Ever since they were both little, Letyan remembered very well how Neia always wanted to achieve the same level of honor and respect that their mother had, that of being a paladin. And this desire inside her was further intensified, as a way to counteract the scary look they both received for their father''s genetics.

    ''If I''m a respected paladin, my damn gaze will be ignored.'' That was the girl''s logic to motivate even more in that desire. However, this came with a lot of criticism from the parents themselves.

    Pebal had that fierce and murderous look since he was a child, and used that genetic situation to scare his enemies and get better chances in fights. Hearing that his own daughter said that she hated having that look, ended up hitting him like one of the arrows he uses, but over time he began to understand that the girl didn''t want to follow an extremely violent path like his.

    Leticia, on the other hand, couldn''t see her daughter as competent enough to be a paladin, and one of the excuses she used was that if Neia couldn''t accept herself the way she was born, she would be mentally weak enough to endure anything during training. But there was one more reason why the mother did not want her daughter as a paladin, and this reason was called Letyan.

    The son of the family seemed to be so mature, intelligent and genial even during some training sessions with his father, that he himself ended up becoming the comparison of what would be someone perfect to carry that mantle. This same boy realized that, and because he felt guilty, he was always trying to help his older sister achieve that goal, even though his mother always scolded them for this.

    Today, it was Neia Baraja''s 16th birthday, and not only that, it was also the time to fulfill an old promise...

    Promise that involved her being recognized by her father, through hard work before the age of 16. If that happened, she could participate in the registration test to join the Holy Kingdom''s Paladin Order. And luckily for her, this had been accomplished a month ago.

    Letyan got stuck in those thoughts as he ate a piece of bread, just waiting for the moment, which took less time than he expected.

    Neia was entering the kitchen, her hair messy, wearing a basic blue and white outfit. Her tired gaze stared at her little brother, with a faint smile forming when she saw him getting up and approaching her. The boy hugged her tightly, and gently stroked her hair. The age difference was 4 years, but the height was almost the same.

    "Happy birthday." The little brother said, giving a kiss on his sister''s forehead, while moving away from the hug. "Are you ready for this week? It''s going to be crazy."

    "I know you''re going to be watching me on the day, silly. I want you to give me all the luck in the world." She was still smiling gently.

    "You don''t need luck. And you know it yourself..." He said while poking one of his fingers on her forehead.

    It didn''t take long for the saved cake to be exposed to the girl, who had a few laughs. It was a small, simple and lovely cake, with a basic decoration of flowers on the edges and wings in the center, made from slices of fruit.

    "Hmmm... Why these wings?" She noticed that, asking very curiously.

    "Just a symbolic thing, I wanted you to be able to grow wings to get out of trouble, in the same way that a bird can go to the place it wants." Letyan responded by sitting next to her, watching his sister take a piece of the cake and bring it to her mouth. From her face, it looks like she loved the taste.

    <hr>

    {Returning to the present¡­}

    "So... Did you have this type of family problems?" Masato questioned, now looking at Neia.

    The girl sighed, looking at the bowl of soup that had already been finished, replying without even looking at the extraordinary paladin. "Yes, it wasn''t a nice situation, but I''ll be very honest, it wasn''t the worst situation I could find myself in... I feel like I''d be lost without him giving me strength sometimes... Our father barely got into these situations related to what I wanted to be, it was my brother who had to give a little push in the family conversation."

    "I just love pushing people to understand that you shouldn''t stay as a viewer. Any problem with that?" All the companions from the Holy Kingdom laughed at that phrase.

    "You push everyone in any context, kid." One of them said that, making all the others agree and the boy himself reacted with a simple gesture of hiding his face with his hands.

    "The story is about how Hikari-sama joined the royal group of the Roble Holy Kingdom." CZ began to speak, remaining next to Touch_Me. "But so far, the whole story told has only been about the sister."

    "Hey, I already told you, my name is Letyan... argh... It''s just that this story is completely connected.... Let''s get a little ahead of the story if you''re a little bored, Shizu." He said, finishing drinking the soup he had in hand.

    <hr>

    {9 years ago... Paladin Order''s Headquarters, Hoburns}

    It was the 6th day of the Upper Wind Month, 5 days after Neia''s birthday and 2 after Letyan''s. Due to the boy now being 12 years old, he could accompany his older sister on that event.

    {A/N: Translating the New World calendar into ours, taking into account Neia''s canonical birthday and that I made Letyan have the same birthday as Keiko, respectively the dates would be April 1st and 4th. Yes, they have literally almost 4 years of difference.}

    Which event? That of enlisting and joining as a member of the Paladin Order.

    To get in was even simple in a way. The person has to demonstrate dedication, willpower and a minimum amount of physical state, so that they can pass the exams that were proposed. Many would think that there would be written exams, but this was a confusion that sometimes occurred among outsiders, because those who took the written exams were the scholars who after a while would become royal priests and researchers.

    Since the boy wasn''t the one who was enlisting, he just sat in an area where family members could see how people were doing, there weren''t as many people, even though the number of enlistments today is considerable. Unfortunately, or fortunately in the emotional aspect, Leticia and Pebal could not be there at the moment. The family''s mother had said that she would be organizing some things for a party that Letyan would still have, while their father would be on a mission pointed out by the other members of the group he works for, the Nine Colors.

    And speaking of the Nine Colors, one of the instructors to observe the exams was none other than Remedios Custodio, a woman who was one of the commanders of the Paladin Order, as well as participating in the same group as Pebal. In this case, the father of the Baraja family was represented by the color Black, while Remedios was the opposite, represented by the color White.

    Letyan knew about some of that paladin''s mannerisms. He never actually interacted with her, due to the times at which he could visit his father during work. At most the only interactions with the Nine Colors that the boy had were with Orlando Campano, the leader of the squad, and with Isandro Sanchez, represented by the color Pink and also another being within the Paladin Order.

    What he knew about Remedios, was the fact that she was an absolute monster in terms of combat, even classified as a Genius among Paladins due to her great strength. An honorable woman who cares about the members of the Kingdom she is sworn to protect. However, on the other hand, she has a very limited mind in terms of social intelligence and understanding of things outside combat, being a musclehead, in addition to classifying in an extreme way what is seen as good or bad.

    In other words, a kind-hearted woman, but still an idiot with extremist ideas, which are only harmful if you stop seeing things the same way she does.

    He continued to observe his sister in those exams, Remedios had been put to check the group in which Neia was. There were practical things related to running all over the yard until they were told to stop, times when they had to stand still with shields raised, so that others would try to knock them down with sword attacks, and even situations where they had to carry heavy items from one place to another in the shortest time they could.

    He just kept smiling seeing all that, the older sister seemed to be getting tired little by little, but compared to the group that was taking an exam with her, Neia seemed to be above average, only 2 other people out of the 20 seemed to be in a better state than the girl. The hard training they had was worth it, after all, this was just the beginning. To really work within a group of paladins, that would make her really blossom into that world she wanted to enter.

    However, the boy ended up noticing something a little strange...

    The way of acting that Remedios had was completely different with Neia, she was harsher and strangely did not seem to recognize the fact that the little girl was doing well. And this was blatantly obvious when Neia completed another exam related to carrying items, she had been quick and received only one head confirmation of Remedios, but when a person who was a little late performed the same feat, the paladin seemed to smile and clap her hands lightly to encourage.

    ''Wait... Is it because my mother was a paladin and that''s why she expected more from my sister?'' It was one of the thoughts he had.

    That might be true, but what was happening was more... Frustrating.

    When all the exams were over, the sun was already showing signs that it was going to set, even with the sky still clear, the torches and the luminous stones that were glued to the walls, all were lighting up. The candidates were in a line, next to each other, and slowly the instructors of each group were talking about whether the person passed or failed. In case of failure, they seemed to give hints, saying what they lacked to be accepted, whether it was more determination in their gaze, or perhaps more physical training.

    However, for Neia...

    "Neia Baraja. You have failed the practical exams. In all of them I saw that you were missing something. In addition, you were the one who got the lowest score in each category." Remedios said that while staring at the paper in hand.

    That made even some candidates who were in Neia''s group in shock. There were those among them who knew they did worse than the girl with the scary eyes, but for her to be called the one with the lowest score? Did that make any sense?

    "B-B-But"

    "What do you have to say? I''ve already said, you failed, I hope I don''t see you here." Remedios'' words directed to Neia, made the younger brother have an understanding of what was really happening.

    He stood up from where he was, leaning in and talking loudly. "This is Wrong! I wish someone else would come and rate her exams!!"

    His voice caught the attention of the people in the courtyard, who seemed to turn their faces completely towards the boy. Neia was embarrassed and scared by what was happening, tears were already starting to come out of her eyes due to those harsh words.

    "Eh? Who do you think you are to order something like that??? Am I not trustworthy to talk about the grades of a failure?" The words that came out of Remedios'' mouth made the other instructors look at her, but then return to look at that boy, who was practically invading the courtyard.

    "Me? I''m the brother of the one you just gave the wrong grade of all!" He exclaimed and then spoke, also looking at the other participants. "Sorry if I sound rude in saying this, but being extremely honest..."

    He looks back at Remedios. "I''ve been watching the whole process! My sister ended up passing several during the practical exams! Even though she wasn''t the best in the world, she was at least above average! Many were complaining, but she swallowed any discomfort and focused on the goal! And you, with that stupid face, come to tell me that someone like that was the worst grade?!"

    "L-Letty, please, you don''t have to-" Neia tried to intervene so that her brother would stop trying to defend her in that aggressive way, but her voice was interrupted by Remedios.

    "So you''re against the words of a paladin?! And yet there is such a lack of respect?!" The White of the Nine Colors exclaimed, looking at that boy from above.

    "Someone who does what my mother asks just to destroy my sister''s dreams, doesn''t have my respect even if they point a knife at my throat."

    "Let-...W-What do you mean by that?!" That paladin failed a little at the beginning of the speech.

    It seems that the boy had got it right.

    "I know all too well how respected our mother was and still is here at Paladin Order, even though she retired earlier than expected! So don''t try to hide the fact, that it is as clear as the SUN, that she must have asked the favor of not approving my sister!!"

    After that logic was exposed, the courtyard seemed to have fallen silent, with such a dull noise being broken by Remedios herself. "She is someone trustworthy. If she says that even her own daughter can''t take it, then it must be true, after all, she''s the mother."

    ¡°. . . . Trusting someone else''s words, instead of seeing with your own eyes the real information...? What stupidity do they teach the paladins in this shitty place?" Letyan''s speech seemed to give a more aggressive intention, but now maintaining a volume considered normal for a conversation.

    "Letty..." Neia tried again to get attention to him to stop talking, so that nothing would get worse.

    "Not only me, but our father, Pabel Baraja, The Black of the Nine Colors... YOUR FUCKING SQUADMATE!!! HE TRAINED HER! AND HE EVEN GAVE HER PERMISSION TO COME HERE, SAYING THAT SHE WAS READY!! And you come to say that just because our IDIOT MOTHER doesn''t want her here, then my sister doesn''t deserve a chance that she does?!" It looked like the boy was having a kind of tic in his left eye, now being sarcastic. "IT''S AWESOME!! How can someone like you act that way!!!"

    Remedios seemed to be silent, as if she had never expected a situation like this to happen in front of her. That child, who had barely grown up in the eyes of the kingdom, was lecturing her??

    "I expected a LOT from you!! I heard so many good things! I felt that finally my sister would be treated fairly when I saw you being the evaluator!! That the fact that she is insecure would become insignificant, because she is here, after she has worked for so long while listening to her own mother disapprove of her dream!!"

    "I''ve been by her side this whole time!! I had to be her support, until the moment I can talk to our father to help her in training!!" He was stomping the ground still approaching, looking like his filter had disappeared. "Do you know why Leticia thinks my sister is no good??? Because she created expectations in me, she PUT ME as the perfect comparison.... And I, being the SHIT of comparison, overshadowed the great brilliance that my sister can have!! That''s why I''m saying YOU should never trust that BITCH!!"

    Calling her own mother that way, he made Neia start to cry a little more, as she approached her brother. "P-Please... S-Stop... Mom doesn''t deserve this hatred..."

    "She deserves it the moment she destroys your dream without a logical reason." He answered dryly to his sister and then looked at Remedios. "But... actually... what you did disgusted me... Anyway, I think she really should leave here with me... But not because she ''failed''.... But why would I... now I see... that if such a well-spoken champion is such a person, who blindly trusts a request without any flexibility... So my sister would become a fifth-rate woman instead of achieving her dream... Just by following your orders."

    Some of the candidates and the other evaluators looked at the whole scene with astonishment, some even seemed to pray that that boy would not die after saying such things. But Remedios still seemed to keep quiet, looking him straight in the eye and realizing that he really didn''t seem to be afraid, or maybe he was an insane person to say something like that under the circumstances.

    "Let''s go then... I''d rather teach you the ways of cavalry myself, even if I¡¯m not one officially, than let you be close to that woman with the rotten shield." Letyan said that while holding his own sister by the wrist, pulling her hard, everything in that scene was unbelievable to see because it seemed so crazy. "Honestly, it''s such a rotten shield for the kingdom that I don''t think It could even beat me."

    The engrossing silence lasted only a few seconds, until Remedios'' voice emerged. "I couldn''t beat you¡­?" Her voice sounded calm, but it had an aura that frightened the vast majority.

    "Yes. You heard me well." And so the boy turned his head to face that woman again, now a little further away.

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    "How confidently do you say that?"

    "With the same confidence as why my sister ends up being overshadowed."

    "Then I bet." Remedios said in a more serious tone.

    "Bet what?"

    "Leticia... Baraja..." She sighed before continuing. "She told me a little about you... a genius child who should always be on a podium... She told me that, if you were going to enlist, approve immediately... But it seems that you will never do that, due to a stupid tantrum for not wanting to outshine someone... So... Let''s make a bet... Did you say I''m rotten to the point of not being able to beat you? Not being able to beat a child?... If you prove it to me... So I allow your sister to come in... No... I will go more than that... I will personally apologize and kneel down to deliver such a request to you, in front of the door of your family''s residence..."

    The shock everyone had at that moment seemed to multiply 100-fold, with some gaping at what they heard.

    "What if you can defeat me?"

    "You''re going to get a prison sentence for disrespecting the authority of the paladins, and depending on how the people above me interpret everything you''ve done... maybe be exiled."

    The dread on Neia''s face only increased as she stared at her brother, as if her naturally creepy eyes begged him not to do something stupid. However, everyone knows the answer that was given.

    "I accept... Let''s go here and now... Is there anything in the rules that I should know?" Letyan replied nonchalant.

    Remedios ended up being a little shocked by the fact that the boy had actually accepted. ''Leticia... Do you call your son a genius? He''s more like a suicidal madman...'' She thought, but soon answered the question. "How good do you think you are... You just can''t attack with the intention of killing or permanently harming... otherwise, a battle for honor, only a sword and a shield for each. Apart from these details, can you show me what you are capable of, ''boy prodigy''..."

    "Remedios... I understand that the boy has gone over the limit a lot, but are you sure you''re going to do that?" One of the fellow paladins approached, whispering to her as everyone moved away to make room for battle.

    "I will show a lesson about respecting adults and authorities. This is a place to transform rebellious into towers, right?" She answered as she was given a sword and a shield, both made of wood.

    On the other side, Letyan was receiving the shield and sword that were being used by today''s recruits. With a big smile on his face, he raised that sword completely upwards. "Remedios! Do you know why my mother calls me a prodigy and wanted me here so much? I''ll show you!"

    She looked intently at that while that other paladin moved away so as not to disturb that mock battle. But what everyone ended up seeing made their eyes wider than before.

    ¡°[Vis Fio]!! [Fortis Fio]!! [Felicem Fio]!! [Rapidus Fio]!! [Refectio]!!!¡± He exclaimed, a bright glow rising from under his shirt.

    Magical figures began to emerge floating above the boy. The first was a triangle with a cross in the center. The second was another style of cross, more robust than the previous one. The third was a figure that resembled a horseshoe for minotaurs. The fourth was shield-shaped with thunder around it. And the fifth, created a large halo above the boy''s head, with an inverted cross in the center. With the exception of [Rapidus Fio], all the others emitted an almost divine glow. This glow circulated the boy''s body rapidly, until it was absorbed by him. The exception, on the other hand, created a greenish aura around the body, which seemed to disappear after a few seconds.

    "What was that?" Remedios asked, holding tight to her sword.

    "I am a suffering child... Since I was a baby it was discovered that my body cannot hold back the power used to activate magic or martial arts... So, I had to innovate..." He responded by smiling. "I''m a prodigy, for having secretly created a new style of Skill!! What you just saw is my way of buffing my defense, attack, and speed... besides other things that I don''t think deserve to be mentioned..."

    "It seemed so... divine..."

    "That bright light... Wasn''t that a technique taught to mid-ranking paladins?"

    "He had a halo on his head for a few seconds... Then wouldn''t it be a new level of priest?"

    The people who were there began to gossip, now seeming impressed by him. Before it was a situation of complete disrespect against a paladin, but now it was a demonstration of someone who achieved something equivalent to paladins without the help of others.

    Remedios was swallowing dry her words, but her pride was greater than the feeling of being impressed. ¡°[Fortress]¡± She said, holding more tightly the sword and shield, using that Martial Art to amplify the defense against physical damage.

    The two stared at each other for a few seconds, until the first move was made by Letyan. The boy began to run towards the paladin, with his shield raised, but his sword lowered. However, his increased speed thanks to the [Rapidus Fio], was a little more greater than the woman expected, making her response against it to be to raise her shield, seeming to prepare for a surprise attack, with the sword positioned close to her waist.

    Being now very close, Remedios took off her shield and swung her sword in order to make a horizontal slash. Her idea was to try to hit him by surprise, since he might have thought she would be only defensive at first. But the boy was no longer in front of her.

    During that moment, when Remedios lowered her shield, Letyan had jumped, passing over the paladin in a pirouette motion, hitting the wooden sword on the back of the woman''s head. Even with the use of [Fortress], she felt that blow that made her take a few steps forward, while the boy repositioned himself behind her, now waiting for her to do something.

    ''How did I not see him jumping? Wait¡­ He was too close to perform such a jump!! What?!'' That was the thought of Remedios, who turned quickly to try to attack the boy.

    There was something very wrong with that. It is unknown if it was due to his stature compared to the paladin''s, or if that speed skill was actually more powerful than it appeared. The boy seemed to be able to dodge the blows with some ease.

    Remedios tried more and more to swing the wooden sword, but it didn''t seem to be able to reach him. On the other hand, Letyan also tried to attack, but the paladin was able to defend herself using that shield. So she was fast enough to defend but not to attack?

    Being unhappy with herself in that situation, Remedios decided to appeal against that child.¡°[Flow Acceleration]!¡± Another Martial Art, aiming to use so finally could land some blows.

    The attack hit the boy''s shield, and taking advantage of the momentum of that attack, he jumped back, gaining more ground. His expression kept calm, even giving a laugh. "I find it impressive how only now one of your attacks has connected with my shield. Maybe my speed skill is really too much for you to have to use yours in a really close combat scene.¡±

    Without responding to that provocation, Remedios stepped hard against the ground, propelling herself to return to the sequence of blows. Now really starting that battle.

    Everyone could feel the intensity of the swords against the shields at all times in the air. Unlike the first time, Remedios'' attacks didn''t seem to move the boy when he defended himself, this was all thanks to Glyph [Fortis Fio], which added a high constitution increase to the user, an increase that seemed to resist any form of knockback related to strike damage. It was even possible to see the boy''s legs gaining a slight glow, as if they were sticking to the ground.

    No matter how anyone saw that scene, everyone in that audience was just completely amazed by it all. A great paladin and a child prodigy were withstanding each other''s attacks. There was a chance that they thought she was going easy on the child for obvious reasons, but the expression she made showed some difficulty.

    "He can last against her so quietly... I think in training mock battles that happen randomly with Remedios, she can usually knock people down..." One of the instructors seemed to talk to himself, but soon looked at Neia, the reason for that fight being happening. "Your brother... He must have trained a lot."

    The Baraja''s firstborn just kept her head down, seeming to be one of the few who didn''t want to see the fight. After all, who would want to see their younger brother in such a situation? And not only that, she was depending on him again. It was a bad feeling in her heart, but she decided to try to ignore it with the thought that he who threw himself into it, she hadn''t asked for help.

    "Actually... how can I say..." She was trying to answer that instructor. "My brother clearly trained, but he trained to keep his body in shape. He, me, and my dad do some spars, but he seems to have a good Battle IQ from the start..."

    "So he doesn''t train the situation of battling other people so much and still can handle Remedios? Is he really such a young boy?"

    "He turned 12 not even 1 week ago." Neia''s answer made the instructor even more impressed.

    "I can see why your mother wanted him so badly to become a paladin... I heard loud and clear what he was saying before the fight started... Really, a guy like him being used as a comparison of what you need to be minimally... It''s crazy. His indignation has a valid motivation. I also didn''t expect that any of the Custodio Sisters would decide to trust someone''s words more than what they are seeing... unless this someone is Our Majesty, of course."

    Neia was silent for a few seconds, until she finally asked something she really wanted to hear. "You were evaluating the group next to mine... from what you saw me doing... I would have..."

    "Yes, you would have passed the exam without any problems." the instructor''s words made Neia tear up a little. So would she be recognized by someone who wasn''t her family? That was all she ever wanted to hear.

    "Aren''t you worried about your little brother?" He finally asked the most obvious question to ask.

    "Being honest with you... He''s using only the basics of the basics he knows how to do... I myself am really impressed more that he is using back to back¡­ and that he''s not using all of his skills in a battle like this..."

    "Wait... he hasn''t used everything he has in a battle against Remedios???" Another person joined the conversation, it was a young man who was also there for the exam.

    "How could I say... Against my father, who is also one of the Nine Colors... My brother trains with air strikes and from a distance... If this fight didn''t have the rule of damage being done using shields or swords... He might have ended the fight much sooner by casting fists all over the ground, or maybe using countless ice shards... Or electric spheres..."

    The people who were listening to that seemed to be horrified, so was that a fight that the boy wasn''t taking seriously? Or was there something else besides that?

    That''s when that same instructor noticed something. "He''s holding himself as a sign of respect... Even in the depressing situation of before, he still shows respect for the fact that Remedios is one of the most important people in the Kingdom."

    Soon, everyone''s attention returned completely to the fight, when they heard Remedios scream. This time it wasn''t a Martial Art, but a paladin skill. ¡°[Holy Strike]!!¡± The wooden sword she used shone brightly and was giving one more attack.

    Letyan noticed the danger in this, so he decided to use the sword to try to redirect the attack instead of defending. Instead of his plan working, during the contact of the two wooden swords, an explosion was provoked, destroying both in the process, in addition to throwing the boy a little away.

    He soon landed on the ground, at that distance he realized that just like him, Remedios was without a sword, that item was too fragile to withstand the skill. It was noticeable to see the boy looking towards the stand with other wooden swords, starting to run in that direction to get another equipment. The paladin wasn''t going to let him have that chance, again using [Flow Acceleration] to advance to the front of that stand.

    However, this was the trick...

    ¡°[Pneuma]!!¡±.He exclaimed, using the glyph of the wind attribute to propel himself to the opposite side of the one he was running, gaining more space to be able to think, in addition to having made the paladin spend more of her stamina to run in that direction from before.

    "Time to get my true sword! Let''s go! [Secare]!!" From the right palm that was open, a glyph emerged, and from it was summed a sword with a metal blade.

    The fight had to be with swords and shields. At no point did Letyan need to actually receive someone else''s sword. There was nothing in the rules related to ''not summoning a sword'', it just had to be a sword and that''s it.

    "I was holding on to just Buffs. But since you used that skill... Now it''s my turn to use something similar to balance..." Letyan said that with a laugh.

    He decided to do it dramatically instead of going straight to the point, just so that Remedios could at least get other equipment. "Oh Grandiose Dios!! Show me how pleased you are with me! Demonstrate your power! Even at night, show me your light!! [Vol Luminatio]!!¡±

    A luminous sphere appeared above Letyan, with its glow becoming more intense and trails of that light floating around the boy as if they were tentacles. Those trails touched that sword, thus fusing the glyphs of [Secare] and [Vol Luminatio], causing the item to change its appearance, becoming a beautiful and almost golden sword. A holy aura surrounding it, after all that elemental glyph had the attribute that could be considered as "sacred" in this world.

    Throwing that wooden shield on the ground, the boy only had that sword in his hands. "You can not beat me." And so he repeated the requirements for him to win the bet.

    Remedios would now be holding appropriate equipment that wasn''t just for training, but clearly wasn''t the sword or shield she always carries in super serious battles. there could be seen in her eyes a slight mixture of feelings, fear and surprise.

    To see a boy like that doing things on this level, she knew he must be a prodigy according to the words of an old companion, but that was much more than expected. Summon a weapon in the middle of nowhere and imbue the item with holy power? At 12 years old? She was now understanding why the boy had been so angry about what had happened before.

    Put him as a comparison of the minimum necessary to train as a paladin? That was pure insanity... One should not compare such a prodigy to anyone! To do so is the most absurd thing of all!

    Even now she understood that she was the wrong one in all this, she still wouldn''t go after the word she made and would continue with the bet.

    The first to make some movement after all that... It was him.

    ¡°[Ignis]! [Rapidus Fio]!!¡± Letyan propelled himself with great speed, his body gaining a green aura around him as flames shot out from beneath his feet.

    ¡°[Fortress]! [Strong Strike]!! [Holy Strike]!!¡± Remedios saw the attack coming at full speed, deciding to try to stop that sword using her own.

    When the two swords came into contact, a great burst of light filled the eyes of everyone there, preventing them from seeing what was happening. But when the light went out, it was clear to see the result of that.

    Remedios was kneeling, leaning on her sword to try to get up, but failing, a little amount of blood flowed under her hair bangs. Around her was a kind of defense sphere made with holy energy.

    Letyan didn''t look very well either, the boy was standing, but with his body shaking a lot. The sword he was using was now falling apart in mid-air. In front of him was a grandiose floating shield with figures unknown to many, all surrounding a central cross.

    "May I know what''s going on here?" A female voice emerged in the distance, being somehow sweet and calm.

    When everyone who was watching the battle looked in the direction of that voice, they immediately began to kneel as they realized who that person was. Neia clearly did the same, with her face being hidden as a form of respect for the great being.

    The woman in question was slowly walking towards the center of the courtyard, where that betting battle had taken place. She had white and well-cared skin, to the point that looking at this detail in a strange way could be considered a sinful crime. Her hair was long and blonde, with a golden hue that was evident even though the sun had already set. The clothing was elegant, being completely white, with tiny details in cyan and gold, her eyes being a similar cyan. And on her head, a simple-looking crown, appearing to be made of slightly bluish silver.

    Next to her, another woman with long brown hair. She dressed in a black and blue uniform, with a second layer of fabric on top of the white color. Using white gloves and headband as accessories. This specific woman seemed to have a calm and composed look, but it was possible to notice that one of her hands was showing some kind of irritation.

    The Paladin, who was previously talking to Neia, approached the two women, kneeling again as a sign of respect. ¡°Your Majesty, Queen Calca Bessarez¡­ We were carrying out the exam procedure for the creation of new paladins¡­ However, a problematic discussion ended up happening.¡±

    ¡°A problematic discussion?¡± Queen Calca questioned while taking a good look at the situation, becoming quite intrigued by the floating shield to the point of touching it.

    ¡°I will send a report, Your Majesty¡­ But in a summarized form, as far as I can understand. It was a battle of honor. I may not see myself as someone who deserves to say something like that, and I apologize if what I say seems in bad taste. But I see that Paladin Remedios was the person in the wrong initially, with the blame for the mistake being shared between the two combatants when things got heated.¡±

    Remedios just sighed, slowly nodding her head, her face kept towards the ground.

    ¡°Boy, I know this shield looks magnificent, but I want you to lower it, the fight is over.¡± the woman next to Queen Calca ordered.

    ¡°I can''t¡­ It''s the only thing that''s keeping me standing¡­¡± Letyan spoke, his voice trembling like his body. ¡°I exaggerated a little¡­¡±

    ¡°So¡­ while you¡¯re standing, young paladin. Could you tell me your name... and show me your vision of things?¡± The queen said, stopping touching that shield and walking a little to the side to see the boy''s face.

    ¡°Baraja¡­ My name is Letyan Baraja¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ son of Pebal the Black¡­ incredible to know that someone like you wants to join the Paladin Order.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your majesty¡­ but you misunderstood¡­ I¡¯m not here for the recruitment exam¡­ My sister is.¡± He sighed, trying to catch his breath. ¡°This battle originated from an argument¡­ an argument related to the paladin, Remedios Custodio, being unfair and completely disqualifying my sister. She even admitted that she did this at the request of an external person... In other words, it didn''t even matter if my sister was the best, Remedios would disapprove and remove her from the training field.¡±

    His words made the queen and her loyal friend look at the paladin for a moment and give a heavy sigh. It seemed to be something that occurred or perhaps something that was quite possible to happen, fully knowing Remedios¡¯ personality.

    ¡°Okay young boy¡­ you can relax then¡­ I will ask them to take you to the nearst hospital to take care of your condition.¡± The queen said that in a sweet voice while carefully touching the boy''s hair.

    Letting out one last breath, thicker and more tired, Letyan passed out right there, not falling to the ground because he was held by the other woman, Kelart.

    <hr>

    {Present times¡­}

    ¡°After fainting, I was taken to the infirmary, where they used [Low Heal] and [Mana Giver] on me, until my body looked healthy¡­¡± Letyan spoke while shaking that bowl of soup with just his index finger.

    ¡°Ish.. what a situation huh¡­ But why did you get tired so easily?¡± Masato questioned, really intrigued by that story, he would never find a real example from Earth that he could use to compare, it was really something that would happen more in films.

    ¡°I told you how my Glyphs work.¡± the boy continued, with his eyes analyzing everyone around the fire. ¡°It''s a magical system that I created because it absorbs external mana, which passes through my body and is then released in the form of the chosen magic. Due to the fact that I have the Katana, I now have access to mana that can stay inside my body for long periods of time, before I had nothing, and it was a direct conversion.¡±

    ¡°Hikari-Sama drained mana from the environment much faster than the process of mana reestablishing itself in that environment.¡± Shizu commented on her boredom.

    ¡°Yep, it''s like trying to fill a bucket with water that has a hole in the bottom. If the hole is very small, it will be able to hold water for a while. If the hole is bigger, there will barely be a chance of the bucket being half full of water.¡± Letyan decided to use a more practical and easy-to-visualize analogy.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ Remedios did what she promised, approving my dear sister, going to our residence, with her forehead kissing the floor and having a signed apology in hands.¡± Letyan''s smile of satisfaction made some paladins there laugh and others even scared because it was almost sadistic.

    ¡°Not only that, but she gave him a request from Majesty Calca herself, for him to go to the palace to sort out a few things.¡± Kelart chimed in, smirking. ¡°It took me, I think, 3 months for us to make an agreement for him to stay working at the palace. Seriously, what you used back then was already too much for my own mind¡­ When I find out that you had a lot more of those glyphs¡­ I felt like my mind was going to break.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t overdo it.¡± He replied to Kelart and then looked at Touch_Me. ¡°It actually took around 2 weeks. The rest of that time she said was just for them to get the items for my lab.¡±

    ¡°True¡­ you mentioned before that you had a laboratory¡­ I really can¡¯t imagine something like that.¡±

    ¡°Well, Touch. It¡¯s just what you can imagine in something like the Tabula Laboratory, but not as impressive.¡± The way Letyan spoke made the Player Paladin understand the situation, but on the other hand, everyone else around had a scared expression.

    "Excuse me?!? Your lab is impressive!!¡±

    "Yes! I went there recently to deliver an order of ingredients to you! That place is huge!!!¡±

    All the other paladins started to argue, Neia and the disguised demi humans had already gotten up and gone back inside the carriage so they could sleep. Kelart, on the other hand, also had a look of astonishment on her face, a drop of cold sweat dripping down her forehead.

    ¡®Tabula? That guy with the bizarre mask and outfit full of belts? Does he have anything more impressive than the laboratory it took us so long to meet our prodigy''s requirements?'' the HighPriestess was having these thoughts, while using a small handkerchief to wipe her face.

    After everyone had dinner, the vast majority went to sleep, with Letyan, Touch_Me and 3 other paladins being responsible for the group''s safety during the night. The 5 walked around the improvised camp, 3 going counterclockwise and 2 going clockwise.

    Touch_Me was taking advantage of that moment to train a little sensitivity against dangers. It was obvious how much the ordinary monsters in that world were absolutely nothing to him, and this created a disadvantage that didn''t affect him, but worried him slightly. They were nothing to him, to the point of being almost invisible to his senses, if he wasn''t focused on looking for such dangers. It seemed that being a World Champion and Lvl 100 Player, had made that heteromorphic body''s instincts not understand weakness.

    ''It''s as if my body thinks it''s superior, even though I''m someone simple... Hm... Karma and Settings affecting our minds and habits... I remember Ulbert strangely getting used to seeing humans almost killed... I mean... I killed too, of course... but my vision was still getting used to all this being real... However... will I be affected that quickly? Or maybe, this isn''t as fast compared to the others?'' These were the thoughts of the Half-Insect Paladin, who decided to increase the range of the area he was protecting, so that the others would have a better chance of having a relaxing morning.

    A few hours passed and it was time to wake up. Letyan would be sitting next to the fire that had been rekindled, preparing meat skewers and a pot of tea for everyone¡¯s breakfast, the black under his eyes being very noticeable. Touch_Me at that moment would be next to his friend, helping him stay awake through conversation. And the other 3 paladins? They had gone directly into the carriages only to pass out from sleep the moment they saw the others waking up.

    And that kind of scene was not something abnormal, it was what happened every morning since the trip began, and it continued in this same way over and over again each day. Different people were those who took care of breakfast, controlling the horses they had, and keeping watch during the night, each time it passed.

    Every two days, Touch_me tested to see if I was still able to make contact with Nazarick, either through [Message] or some magic scroll, and apparently the radius of effect of those methods were much larger than expected. A tremendous luck for those who were very used to being in contact with others quickly and easily at all times.

    Time passed, and after another week of that same routine, it was finally possible to see the Great Wall, an immense barrier created to protect the eastern borders of the Roble Holy Kingdom. They were very lucky, as up until that point, there had only been 2 times that they had been intercepted by monsters, and none of the roads were affected by the weather.

    ¡°Oooh¡­ What a magnificent entrance! It looks huge! It¡¯s hard to even see the end properly using my keen vision.¡± The Player Paladin was impressed, with his head close to the window.

    ¡°Hehehe I¡¯m glad you liked it, this is the Great Wall¡­ one of the many wonders created by our kingdom.¡± Letyan spoke with pride. ¡°It¡¯s almost equivalent to the Great Wall of China.¡±

    He was so amazed that he took off his helmet, his eyes extremely wide. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Kekekeke!!! Well, the way it works seems to be, I''m exaggerating about the length, this one is 100 kilometers long... as I remember, the great wall was 10 thousand kilometers long or something like that..."

    CZ and Neia were also with them, with the human having extremely wide eyes while the robot looked super confused. ¡°What is this wall?¡± they both asked, one just curious and the other in disbelief.

    ¡°It''s a very long and super old wall that existed a looong time ago, currently there are no remains or proof that it existed, only in very old books.¡± Masato tried to create an excuse, since that information was about Earth, and both girls were unfamiliar with that world.

    ¡°And to think that something like this existed in the past¡­ To have been destroyed¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it was much thinner compared to our Great Wall.¡± Letyan was being honest in this case, and the answer came to fruition.

    Nazarick¡¯s Paladin was recovering a little from the shock, even if it wasn¡¯t as extensive as that Earth¡¯s historic monument, still 100 Kilometers of a fortress was a lot for a world with a Medieval Setting. But attention was soon drawn to the carriage door that received a few knocks. Letyan opened it and saw border guards, who already seemed to recognize the boy just by looking, but even so, he went through the formal process.

    ¡°Good afternoon gentlemen, I am Letyan Baraja, Quadrant 043 of the Paladin Order¡¯s emergency battalion, currently being just a Royal Scientist¡­. Eh¡­ with me are Neia Baraja and two people from outside.¡±

    ¡°Oh Letyan-san and Neia-san, great to see you back. As for the two extra people¡­¡± One of the guards said while holding a scroll.

    ¡°We already have permission from Your Majesty. You must have received permission a few days ago under the codename ¡®Touch¡¯. The other person is one of his personal maids.¡± Letyan said, pointing to the people respectively. ¡°The maid was someone who came at the last minute, apparently she really wanted to see our beautiful landscapes.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, the name ¡®Touch¡¯ is here.¡± The guard said as he opened a letter he had left inside the scroll. ¡°Alright, since she is being brought by your group and High Priestess Custodio¡¯s, I think there is no problem. Anyway, I¡¯ll write it down just so my superior doesn¡¯t get angry with me¡­ What would the girl¡¯s name be?¡±

    ¡°Well, the name is Shizu, but you write it with the letters ¡®C¡¯ and ¡®Z¡¯.¡± Touch_Me responded.

    ¡°Hm¡­ A name made up of just two letters?¡­ Ah! It must be a codename, just like yours, sir. I can understand... Anyway, welcome back Baraja Brothers, and to you two, I hope you have a great time¡± The guard walked away and closed the carriage door, now allowing them to finally enter the sacred territory.

    ¡°That man was very polite and friendly. Are all guards like that?¡±

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re lucky.¡± The two Baraja responded in sync.

    ¡°I think this particular entrance hasn''t suffered any Demihuman attacks in almost a year, so they''re in good spirits.¡± The boy responded to his old friend.

    ¡°Attacks occur frequently?¡± CZ asked.

    ¡°It largely depends on how desperate they are or if it¡¯s a disguised attack by the Slane Theocracy.¡± Neia responded, letting out a sigh. ¡°But a large part of the population is quite paranoid, as this line of defense may be perfect against humans, but for demi-humans who have special abilities or can fly¡­ It becomes a battlefield in itself. For example, the attack that most traumatized the entire kingdom¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the Long Rain¡­ It was one of the events that most maddened this kingdom¡­ seriously, Monsters that climb walls, become invisible and can attack people with lethal poisons that come out of their mouths. There was a lot of loss¡­ There was REALLY a lot of loss¡­¡± Letyan looked at the ceiling. ¡°Compared to things in Nazarick, it might even be something dangerous at one of the intermediate levels, but for the common people¡­ it was a massacre.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­ I guess this wasn¡¯t caused by Theocracy.¡±

    ¡°No it wasn¡¯t, in fact the Long Rain was the creator of the paranoia that the Theocracy takes advantage of in the hidden attacks they carry out.¡± The boy continued to answer his friend while taking a type of cigarette with purple crystals from his pocket, putting it in his mouth and lighting it with a [Low Ignis] on his fingertip.

    ¡°Do you smoke?¡± Masato seemed surprised by this.

    ¡°Oh really, I hadn¡¯t smoked until now, right? This is just for relaxing a lot... smoking during a reconnaissance and exploration mission, or even on a long trip like this, would be irresponsible... As we are already passing by the Great Wall, I don''t think Kelart will complain.¡± He offers one to Neia, who also seems to accept it.

    ¡°And is it safe?...¡± His question made a lot of sense, after all he came from a world full of pollution.

    ¡°The smoke turns into ambient mana after 10 seconds exposed to the wind. It''s something I''m developing together with some other Priests who live in the capital, it can be used in this way or as incense. The smell reminiscent of vanilla with chocolate and strawberry is perfect for both children and adults. It doesn¡¯t have much of an effect other than calming the person if the smoke is inhaled directly from the source.¡±

    Letyan even gave the paladin a try to smoke. Putting it close to his mouth, he drew a lot of smoke and¡­ Nothing happened. It seems that his paladin''s build, along with his current level, meant that the relaxing effects of that smoke were not felt. Possibly Touch_Me¡¯s Player Body associated that with some kind of small Sleep Debuff.

    Puzzled by the failure of that, he handed it back to the boy while he was curious about one more thing. ¡°How long does it take to get to the capital?¡±

    ¡°If the weather stays good. We should be home tomorrow afternoon¡­¡± Neia said, yawning and adjusting herself there in the chair, starting to sleep. Her hair ends up touching CZ''s shoulder, who doesn''t seem to mind so she doesn''t even take her away.

    ¡°Is today going to be the last outdoor dinner? Wow, it was looking cool.¡±

    ¡°I hate to disappoint you, Masato. But the last one was yesterday, today we might have dinner at a bar in one of the small towns on the way to the capital.¡±

    "I understand¡­. You¡¯re going to pay, right?¡±

    Letyan looked in his eyes, deadpan. ¡°I will only pay for the first round, if you want to repeat some food, beg Kelart.¡±

    The two stared at each other for a while until they started laughing. Neia didn''t wake up and CZ just looked at the two ¡°Supreme Beings¡± having fun.

    Those two weeks had really passed peacefully for them¡­

 Chapter 27 - The Beautiful Lady

    ¡°...I''ve been out there for a lifetime, plus I''m very important in my group¡­¡±

    A slime was thinking that phrase over and over again as she watched her object of desire leave the front yard. She used one of the spy mirrors to perform this act, while being in the comfort of her own room.

    ¡°hmmm¡­ You were here for two decades¡­ and you say something like that? Didn¡¯t it change too quickly?¡± She said this due to her own selfishness, it was clear that he would gain a new life, new responsibilities, in the context he found himself in.

    But she hated thinking that way.

    For her friends, it had only been 5 years, however, since she almost never left YGGDRASIL, her perspective was that she had also been away from him for 20 years.

    The same period of time, but he''s gotten used to it and she hasn''t?

    Well, it wasn''t HE who had to see his loved one dead in front of his own eyes. This was certainly an important factor.

    ¡°. . . . ¡± She remained silent, remembering another conversation she had had with him a few days before he leaving.

    ¡°So, I at least hope that you can come here to visit your children and your wife after we connect some portal in the kingdom you live in.¡±

    ¡°Wife and children¡­. huh? Well, of course I can come visit. But as I told you before, I have already made my own life in this new world.¡±

    ¡°For you to say it like that¡­ are you already married?!¡±

    ¡°No, of course not... But I already have a loved one... She uses me as emotional support, and I help her with some other things... I''ve known her since I was little, but we only started dating 2 years ago.¡±

    ¡°T-then break up with her, that¡¯s simple!!!¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, this will not be possible. She''s someone who helps me maintain my status, and if I break up with her out of the blue, it might even affect my plans to guide you all to an essential ally. Making her shed a single tear could cause extreme trouble for me, actually¡­¡±

    A cup of tea that Bukubuku carried was broken into pieces by one of her tentacles that served as hands. That memory made her angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.

    ¡°My husband was snatched from me by the jaws of death¡­ He was given to me by pure luck¡­. and now it¡¯s being ripped away again because of some important slut?!¡± She said that while her tentacles swung aggressively, knocking some of the things off the shelves. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this bitch is! But if my man was stolen by her... I just need to kill her and change places with her! Yes! I just need to train my shape-shifting and copying skills!!!¡±

    She was laughing a lot, almost hysterically, but as she tried to get more tea, she finally realized that she had destroyed the cup. ¡°Argh! It''s the third time in just one week¡­¡± One of her tentacles goes to a button near the door, clicking it.

    After a few minutes, one of the 9th floor maids appeared, smiling, but also showing nervousness. ¡°Bukubukuchagama-Sama! To what do I owe you the honor of being called to your chambers?¡±

    ¡°I would like you to bring another set of glasses and some tea so I can drink¡­ This time you can bring sturdy glasses, it doesn¡¯t really have to be a fancy mug.¡± Her words seemed serious, making the maid tremble a little.

    ¡°O-Okay, Bukubukuchagama-Sama! Tea will be here soon!¡± The maid said, leaving Supreme Slime''s quarters.

    While waiting, she took a strange black box that was in the room, positioned the item on the bed and then took a type of data crystal, putting it inside the box. It didn''t take long for a holographic recording to appear in front of her, being from one of the shows she did with Keiko, one of the first shows, being more specific, with the background scene being on the 6th floor, in the middle of the dense forest.

    Seeing that, she didn''t even notice the maid returning with what had been ordered. She left the items on the coffee table and left the room to leave that Supreme Being alone. However, soon another person opened that door to come in and see how the slime was doing.

    It was the demon player.

    ¡°Haruka¡­ I finished doing some tasks with Demiurge¡­ I was hoping you were available so we could do something together.¡± He said that, arranging his top hat.

    ¡°Akatsuki, I already told you that when I¡¯m watching old recordings, I don¡¯t want any interruptions.¡± The slime used that player''s full first name, making him understand the seriousness of the statement.

    ¡°I understand that, but I think it will be even better for you to interact with others than to be locked in your room. Or are you going to deny that you were watching the footage of those two walking away from here?¡±

    ¡°Argh¡­ What do you mean by that, Ulbert?¡± She went back to using the name of the player character who was now in front of her.

    ¡°It''s just that Tabula is having fun with his disciple, while I''ve just finished doing some sessions with that woman called Clementine, in addition to having gotten more information that Keiko wanted. And Momonga just went out with Lupusregina and Shalltear to get fake identities for the two of them. So I was thinking that you better at least do something healthier¡­ because it¡¯s pretty obvious that you were just looking at footage from the past.¡±

    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±

    ¡°You''ve been basically crazy this whole time in pure delirium, and then your fantasies come true, but not absolutely everything is as you expected... basically it seems like something a character from an old anime would suffer.¡±

    The slime made a noise, as if she was sighing, even though she had no lungs. Ulbert gently caressed the top of her body and then continued speaking. ¡°That won''t be healthy for your slimy body. Okay? We could do something together, break out of your strange habits... Until now, you''re always stuck with your children, as if nothing had changed.¡±

    ¡°I understand¡­ So could you tell me some of the things we could do together?¡± She asked with a tone of voice that clearly shows bad humor.

    He laughed, adjusting his clothes again and creating a portal using his guild ring. ¡°I was thinking about showing you one of the things I managed to do with the help of my son... I haven''t spoken to the others yet, but I''ve been experimenting with a theory called... forced race change~¡±

    ¡°And you used that tangerine head as a lab rat for this?¡± She was soon answered, with Ulbert showing some images.

    The slime looked like this with a smile forming on her gooey body, with a perverted laugh emerging. ¡°Ohohohoho!!! That''s what I expected from my brother! You really are a perverted sadist!!!!¡±

    Ulbert continued to smile, he seemed proud. ¡°What can I say? That woman had many characteristics¡­. just like those of a feline~¡±

    <hr>

    The bluish sky was clear and free of clouds, as if the wings of a divine being had removed any possible trace of rain. The sun was shining, having already passed its absolute peak, with pleasant sounds of some sweet animals, such as birds, being heard.

    The landscape was that of a large city, with countless buildings of light and pure colors, with their roofs made of a special bluish wood that would make it almost impossible for any resident to complain about leaks, an architecture that largely remained the same throughout that time. That entire landscape was far below the vision of a beautiful lady, who could see a little of the green lawns that went beyond the limits of the capital.

    A soft knock on the door drew the attention of the beautiful lady, who was in a soft trance watching everything from the balcony of her bedroom. She didn''t take long and went towards the door to open it slowly, keeping a smile on her face.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± She asked, keeping an innocent look.

    ¡°My Majesty¡­ We have received information of the arrival of the High Priestess¡¯ group. They passed through the entrance gates no more than 2 minutes ago.¡± The one speaking was one of the castle''s maids, who was bowing while delivering the information.

    ¡°Thank you for informing me¡­ I hope the reception for their arrival is already prepared.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. The reception was almost completely ready two days ago, the internal and external guards of the castle must have already been warned to stay in position as requested by Miss Remedios.¡±

    "Perfect. You can leave, I¡¯ll be finished to be ready.¡± And so it was ordered, with the maid disappearing from sight while the queen just went to the mirror in her room, a smile forming on her face as she brushed her own hair.

    ¡°I hope this news is great.¡± She said to herself, remaining relatively optimistic according to the information given by the people she trusts most.

    Meanwhile, on the main street of that capital, the carriages were attracting a lot of attention due to the symbol on them, with several commoners passing by, noticing their level of importance. It was even possible to hear some whistling and random gossip going on.

    Masato watched everything through the window of the carriage, giving a soft sigh. ¡°This is all better than I expected.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Letyan questioned.

    ¡°The appearance of the city and the people who would walk down these streets¡­ I know we are in a capital of a magical world, in a religious kingdom¡­ Yet, not even the images we got before look as attractive as this." The paladin expressed himself, speaking this way because at the moment, Neia was sleeping against CZ.

    ¡°Well, the reference you had so far was Re-Estize¡­ and those guys are pretty rotten¡­¡± Letyan spoke honestly. ¡°Whereas, in Hoburns, we have the best academy for paladins in the entire known world. In addition to our most powerful political figure, the queen, she is also our most important religious figure, with the function of a saint, for the religion we see... 4 Players as gods... eeeh let''s not take that little detail into account... But anyway, it was something based on values ??of something similar to Christianity. So taking all this into account, I think seeing the main streets of the capital like this would be the least that would happen.¡±

    Masato thought about it carefully, laughing ¡°Yes, taking that into account, I was actually a bit stupid to think that it wouldn''t be something so clean and grand.¡±

    The paladin continued to observe the landscape carefully, while Letyan slowly woke up Neia with light slaps on the cheek and a gentle shake. ¡°Neeeeh¡­ You can wake up. You¡¯re going to get out of here before us.¡±

    It took a few more attempts at those methods to wake her up, she would have drooled on her own face and a little on CZ''s shoulder, making even Masato laugh softly when he saw the scene. The girl on the other hand kept wondering why she should wake up now, perhaps still too drowsy to remember.

    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to go to the castle, so Kelart said you should get out of the carriage halfway, even Kathy said she would go with you.¡± After that information was exposed, it took a few seconds for those naturally frightening eyes to open completely, small pupils, as if some divine revelation had been spoken in a casual moment.

    ¡°Ah-Ah?! Y-Yeah!¡± She said, rubbing the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the drool off her face, opening the glass part of the carriage window, her eyes went in search of Kathleen, the white fur demiwolf. When she found her, being a little behind, she gave a characteristic whistle.

    Even beneath that helmet, upon hearing that, her ears tried to perk up at the familiarity. Noticing Neia there, Kathleen made her horse go a little closer to one of the doors. The girl soon opened the door, waving to Shizu, Touch and her brother, before jumping onto her horse and moving away from the main group.

    ¡°As I remember, she said at dinner yesterday that she would go to your residence.¡± The paladin states, almost like a question, as he closes the door, Letyan nods. "Understandable. Anyway¡­ The queen here¡­ You and the others said about her in a way, which gave me the impression that she was the most caricatured form of an innocent saint¡­ is she really like that?¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­ You¡¯ll soon see¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s so literal in this example, but she can really make people think about it if they don¡¯t know her determination¡­¡± Letyan sighed as if his head was in the clouds by have such thoughts. ¡°What a lovely woman¡­ Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for the context of her being the queen and saint of our kingdom, I think I would squeeze her cheeks whenever I could.¡±

    ¡°So she¡¯s this kind of woman¡­ hmmm¡­ should I act in my exaggerated way?¡±

    ¡°I think your exaggerated roleplaying style is perfect for your meeting with her¡­ just don¡¯t shout ¡®JUSTICE¡¯ like a Chunibyo¡­ Please.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it then¡­ Should I imitate how they do it in fantasy and isekai anime?¡± The question made Letyan laugh and confirm.

    ¡°And what should I do? How to act? TouchMe-Sama¡­ Hikari-Sama.¡± CZ immediately joined the conversation.

    ¡°Oh, I recommend not talking too much, but if you are forced to talk, use the story we have fabricated about you.¡± Letyan answered her while wiping off some of the saliva that his sister had left on the automaton''s shoulder with a tissue.

    "Understood. Using the story that I am a human, daughter of a deceased member of the guild, and who now works as both a maid and a shooter in moments of danger¡­. And when I use my name, I have to say it¡¯s spelled as ¡®S h i z u¡¯¡­ is something I said wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nope, everything is fine, we don¡¯t want problems like what happened with that guard finding it strange that his name was just two letters¡­ so let¡¯s take advantage of Kelart understanding it that way and use it as your human name.¡± Touch said with a slight laugh, but soon he had a thought. ¡°Wait¡­ what about me?¡±

    ¡°I thought you would want to use your player name as your codename and use your real name as people should know you as a human. No?" Letyan said this while looking at a small piece of mirror that he had inside his cloak, he seemed to be checking if his face was clean or presentable.

    TouchMe thought for a while before finally responding. ¡°True¡­ I''m already used to this name, so it shouldn''t be a problem¡­ If there are too many questions and I''m forced to say my real name, I''ll be honest and give the name Masato Senju, if I can''t say it, I will continuing to be known as Touch¨¢¡­ seems more coherent than TouchMe¡­ like the name of a paladin in this world.¡±

    ¡°Masato? Senju¡­?¡± CZ questioned.

    ¡°Oh¡­it was my name before I became a member of Nine Own Goal and Ainz Ooal Gown¡­ You may have heard our friend here calling me that.¡±

    ¡°Yes... I understand... I was more surprised by the ¡®Senju¡¯...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my last name. Nothing else." He answered that, thinking too much about that last name... with his daughter and his wife appearing again in his head...

    Staying inside his mind for so long made the paladin not realize that they had arrived at their destination, with Letyan having to poke his helmet to awaken him from that trance. He shakes his head, symbolizing that he is awake, and so he waited for the human to get out of the carriage first and then follow him.

    The view was what he expected, a large castle was ahead, with guards stationed at the entrance, which was formed by a small flight of stairs. Looking back a little, Masato noticed that they were in a kind of front garden, very simple and with some flowers to decorate, possibly structured like that just to have space between the walls of the entrance and the castle itself.

    He was following Letyan, with CZ being right behind them. A little further on, Kelart was talking to some guards, in particular, a woman who looked a lot like her, but with short hair and stronger armor. Only this appearance made Masato understand who she was, through the descriptions given during the trip.

    The woman soon approached them, initially looking at the boy, with a smirk on her face. ¡°Kiddo.¡±

    ¡°Medios.¡± Letyan was also smiling, doing a fistbump with her.

    ¡°And you two must be our guests from so far away.¡± She said, looking closely at the new paladin in place from top to bottom. ¡°What beautiful armor, I don''t know much about magic, but I can feel from afar that it is full of passive defensive barriers... even with my ignorance of the subject... It must have been quite a find.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ thanks¡­ eh¡­¡± He seemed uncomfortable with a slight detail.

    "Eh? Did something happen?¡± She questioned, but soon her answer came... and it was one she didn''t want to hear.

    ¡°Oh, it was no big deal, we were telling stories during the trip and apparently¡­ we talked so much about you and your moments of impatience, that apparently he thought you were a brute.¡± The voice came from Kelart, who seemed to be smiling mischievously.

    All the paladins who were on that mission, including Letyan, seemed to be paralyzed by that speech. Cold sweating when they saw Remedios'' look... The famous look that everyone could read as ''We''ll talk about it later.''...

    Masato also seemed to understand that look, as being one that even his wife made at times when she was irritated with him focusing more on work than on family. This made him swallow his words along with the others and they went back to what they should do, enter the castle.

    Walking through the entrance hall and corridors, it was possible to notice how much the structure closely resembled that of the Renaissance era, or at least what Masato remembered studying, due to his fascination with knighthood and paladins. Everyone was uniformed with that white color and blue symbol in the center, with few wearing black instead of white, maybe it was a second version for the same outfit.

    Upon arriving at a large double door, after a long flight of stairs, Remedios was the first to enter, and then allowed the others to enter. That was the throne room, in parts Masato saw that and thought of Nazarick''s throne room as the most similar thing to what he had ever seen before.

    It was a tall room, around 5 to 6 meters high, there were some chairs that were obviously only there so that the noble guests could sit... and speaking of them, there seemed to be a considerable amount, around 10 nobles on each side of the room. Still on the sides, it was possible to see two rows of guards in each, one of paladins and the other of what appeared to be clerics, as the attire closely resembled Kelart''s.

    But something else caught their attention, besides the decoration inspired by a Renaissance copy. In front of everyone, at the end of that large hall, a throne stood there, with a small throne next to it. On the small throne, a man with a good jawline, long blond hair, who looked like he had his eyes always closed and a simple smile that didn''t reveal any emotion.

    On the central throne, a beautiful woman, very long blonde hair, a silver tiara and a completely white garment that almost covered her feet while sitting. She kept her hands on her lap, with a sweet smile that seemed to become a complete ray of sunshine when she saw everyone approaching her. Everyone knelt when she raised her hand, Masato copied that and pulled CZ''s head so she could do the same.

    ¡°My great knights. I am happy to welcome you after such a journey¡­ which for the most part, was kept a secret, but due to the results, such a secret was told to those closest to you¡­¡± She then looked at Letyan. ¡°And you¡­ Oh¡­ my champion¡­ I hope the results are more productive than what was reported to me by the communicators.¡±

    ¡°Of course they were, my majesty¡­ I feel that a new era will prosper from our results. And may this possibly silence your opponents in the south.¡± Letyan responded, kneeling down. His words seem to make all the nobles present there interested, with the man next to them holding tight to the arm of his throne.

    ''Wow... She really looks incredible... all the compliments weren''t an exaggeration.'' Masato thought when he saw the whole scene, but soon he was drawn to attention, with the queen calling him.

    ¡°Toucha, is this your name? Or am I wrong, guest?¡± She spoke very softly, it seemed to be her base voice.

    He soon stood up, nodding his head. ¡°This is my codename as a paladin, Queen Calca, but yes, I accept being called by it.¡±

    ¡°Good, outsider Paladin. I''m curious about your origins and would like to hear from you why you were invited here. I trust the words of my halo and left wing, but I would like to hear your sincerity.¡± She got straight to the point.

    ''She seems to be sharper in her words than I thought... Of course she would be like that, she is a queen.'' He thought carefully about the story he was going to create, it had to be something related to his life so that she wouldn''t feel so many lies, so he said. ¡°About my origins, I lived far from the big cities that your lordship may know, my parents were simple and poor people, living only on what the surroundings could provide in the middle of the forest... I heard about paladins during times when my father''s acquaintances appeared to tell stories... So that''s why I decided to become what I am today..."

    Everyone seemed to listen to that attentively, some nobles didn''t seem to buy the idea, since it was very simple for someone to end up having such beautiful and powerful armor. But no one decided to argue the point, as it was a response to a direct question from the queen.

    ¡°As for why I was invited, I think it is also part of my trajectory as a man. After some time, trying to be a paladin through just my own knowledge and training, I ended up joining a group of people who were recluses either by choice or by exile. Thus creating a kind of guild¡­¡± Masato sighed, having some good memories of YGGDRASIL and when he ventured with Hikari, continuing. ¡°Among all of us, there was a great man who tried to be a little of everything, to always complete the group, in case someone died or was too sick for our survival tasks. This man is currently dead... However, a sword that he had cursed for only him to touch, ended up being taken from us... and is now in the possession of your champion.¡±

    The nobles seemed to have their eyes wide open, some who were at the back of the room were whispering among themselves. Letyan gave a slight smile, taking the sword out of its sheath, just to illustrate what had happened.

    ¡°In short¡­ One of the main reasons for me to be called here is that my guild is extremely connected with the appearance of this item, full of negative energy, in this sacred area¡­¡± he finished part of his answer.

    ¡°Yes, paladin Toucha, that was partly what I also heard, but you said it was one of the reasons you think you were called here¡­ Could you tell me the others? And¡­ please¡­ remove your helmet, if that¡¯s okay. I''m so intrigued, I want to hear your words looking into your eyes.¡± She said giving an excited smile as she slowly stood up from the throne.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, Queen Calca.¡± He sighed and removed his helmet, carrying it in one of his arms. Thus, showing a pale face with some bandages on the sides and neck, short dark hair with some white strands, but in general, he looked like an adventurer in his prime, with no exposed injuries.

    His face made the way the nobles saw their visitor change. Some tried to hide the fact that their mouths were open. Even Remedios was a little affected, making her blush slightly, while her sister seemed used to that face due to the expedition.

    ¡°There may be several and several reasons that can be discussed, in addition to what was said previously... But I feel that only two are main enough for me to mention here, in the presence of others.¡± He gave a slight twitch to adjust his voice before speaking. ¡°The most important thing of all, for me to have accepted this, my group and I knew the real objective that your highness wants to achieve during your reign. The idealization of peace between species, a concept in which humans see themselves as equal to all beings born from the same origin, the world itself, where we can use them to our advantage in some areas, and they use us in others... An environment of balance and support with each one focused on their best¡­ And such peace would also bring great strength, because if something tries to cause chaos, everyone would already be accustomed and prepared to face a common enemy.¡±

    This caused several nobles to start gossiping more among themselves, and with good reason, since Calca''s ideology was seen by many as something to repudiate, it was no wonder that this was used as one of the motivations for the disapproval of all the southern region of the holy kingdom. There was so much talk that Remedios was forced to hit the floor hard to make everyone quiet so that the new paladin could continue talking.

    ¡°Well¡­ my colleagues and I are very powerful if we take into account what we know about the common sense of this world. And our goal as a guild is the same. During all our travels around the world, we encountered beings of different races and species, we saw those who were friendly, and we also saw those who only wanted to cause harm, and of course, we, humans, also have the power to cause harm or be friendly... We don¡¯t have the act of ''humanizing'' them, but rather protecting those who are weak and have good intentions, no matter their race. So, we wanted to take advantage of your champion being chosen as a user of my colleague''s sword, as a way of creating an alliance with similar interests.¡± The queen listened to all that with an even brighter smile, had she never heard anyone speak that way other than herself, and especially, a paladin saying all that? This was incredible and made her have a slight hope for her entire kingdom.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Hey! Sorry for the question, but why do you call yourselves powerful?! Do you think Queen Calca couldn¡¯t achieve this with the strength of the Paladin Order?¡± A nobleman decided to meddle and at the same time step on a small problem.

    ¡°Well, dear noble¡­ I''m not trying to diminish anyone, I''m just providing support in case something happens. And I¡¯m not exaggerating when I said that.¡± He smiled slightly, turning towards the man, but without leaving where he was. ¡°My guild really has many powerful people¡­ Among them, currently alive, we have 4 main members apart from me, their roles being, a tanker, an alchemist, and two mages, one focused on fire magic, and the other on necromancy. The tier of magic considered the maximum, humanly possible, is 6th tier... The two mages I mentioned can use spells of this tier with ease... And according to the reaction of several of the companions I had on this trip so far, I assume that it is extremely rare for there to be two 6th tier magicasters, especially these being people who taught themselves, starting from the basics.¡±

    ¡°U-Unbelievable!!¡±

    ¡°Is this serious?!¡±

    ¡°Woah?!¡±

    Many seemed to be quite surprised, with the main faces being the queen, her brother, and Remedios. But there was still one more thing to talk about¡­

    ¡°And now, the third reason that I see as essential for me to have come here on this visit, to create a contact between Guild and Kingdom... Crops!¡± His voice made everyone silent with the last word, leaving everyone confused and the royalty more intrigued. ¡°We brought some vegetables and fruits that we have in abundance being produced within my guild base, I showed them to High Priestess Kelart, during our trip, and she confirmed that they are S-Grade items, with your crops in this comparison being of B-Grade.¡±

    ¡°Kelart.¡± The queen caught her friend''s attention.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t lie, nor can I understand, but they have access to very high quality plantations.¡± she replied, making all nobles there in shock.

    ¡°And as you noticed while I said it, we make them grow within our guild. So one of the trades we would like to make would be to give you priority access to these items, while you will provide us with land to plant and organize. There will be other exchanges that will be of advantage to both sides in the future, obviously, but I think what I said now would be THE essential for an acceptable alliance.¡±

    The queen seemed quite happy listening to all that, as if she was satisfied. ¡°Oh yes! That would be incredible! I will ask for a conversation with our sector responsible for this part, to get the opinion of people completely specialized in crops. Other than that¡­ an alliance with mutual agreements and a similar objective¡­ yes¡­ perfect! But we will see some details in a more private moment, so that our thoughts are not influenced by other nobles.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much for your consideration.¡± TouchMe bowed.

    ¡°Now, to finalize our formal meeting. Letyan Baraja, could you tell me what was discovered about this sword, besides the fact that it came from the paladin Toucha''s group?¡± Calca now looked at the boy.

    "Of course. It appears that the item has some sort of blood-related ability. The negative aura that we discovered in it¡­ is actually some kind of stone used in the composition of the blade, which allows the user''s strength and speed to be increased if blood is constantly delivered, regardless of the blood type. Furthermore, it seems that the more I use it, the more techniques arise in my mind regarding blade mastery, possibly related to the fact that this item has some connection with the late owner.¡±

    The information impressed everyone, including the queen, not because of the skill with blood and fortification, but the fact that it gives knowledge. An item that can tell the user how to use it¡­ this has never been written before, not even in the holy books. And with that said, everyone there was dismissed, leaving only the two visitors, Letyan, the Custodio sisters and the royalty members.

    ¡°So... You must be tired, after all, you arrived from a trip and came directly here... Remedios, can you take them to appropriate rooms for them to stay... And Letyan, I would like to stay with you for a personal conversation with me and my brother , if you are not busy.¡± Calca spoke, walking towards the group after they had been alone for a while.

    ¡°I don''t see any problem. . . .¡± Letyan was speaking calmly, when suddenly his voice stopped, with him looking around.

    "Eh? Baraja? Any problems?¡± The prince asked.

    ¡°Caspond¡­ How long were we out of here anyway?¡± The question was a little strange to ask, in the prince''s opinion.

    ¡°Eh.. 2 months, you weren¡¯t here for two months¡­ But why-¡±

    ¡°Remedios, when was the last exchange of maids and butlers?¡± He interrupted the prince, this would be seen as extremely rude, but his expression showed too much seriousness for this point to be raised.

    ¡°This happened a few weeks after you left¡­ 14 maids came here who were at the Bessarez¡¯s beach house and 6 more who were hired through our contacts with the aid program for families in need and I myself was there when they arrived ¡­. Why are you asking that?¡±

    He walked slowly towards the throne, passing it and walking towards the curtains that were behind it. ¡°Uhm¡­ I felt something not so inviting here¡­¡± And then he moves behind the fabric, showing that there is a kind of circular device there. ¡°. . . . And that¡¯s what I was feeling.¡±

    Everyone looked at it, with Touch approaching. ¡°And what would that be?¡±

    ¡°According to the engravings on the part that faced the room¡­ As well as other things¡­ This here seems to be some kind of recorder.¡±

    ¡°H-Have we been heard by that the entire time?¡± Caspond questioned.

    ¡°Like I said, it appears to be a recorder, they must have designed it that way so that there wouldn¡¯t be the sensation of mana waves traveling from it.¡± Letyan sighed. ¡°I''m sorry for the inconvenience, Touch. But it seems that there are some undesirable insects that infest themselves here in the castle... I will sort it out, so I won''t be able to stay with you for the afternoon.¡±

    Calca kept her hands close to her mouth, unable to hide her surprise at the situation, while Kelart looked at her sister in disappointment. ¡°And apparently you didn¡¯t do a proper search while I was gone¡­ Argh¡­ Letty, do you want me to help you at least call all the employees?¡± the High Priestess asked.

    ¡°Yes, you can do that, say that you want a meeting with them, in the main hall of the second tower, to find out about our visitor¡¯s preferences¡­¡± Letyan snapped his own fingers, a sound that made everyone there shiver. ¡°I will try to resolve this as quickly as possible¡­ My queen, you already know very well what I am going to say, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°If the tea party really takes place, I will have to allow only the maids best known to me to attend, I know that. Don¡¯t worry and solve our little time problem.¡± She smiled softly as she watched both Kelart and Letyan leave the throne room.

    Soon she looked at the visitors and Remedios. ¡°Since they don¡¯t know that we have knowledge about that recorder¡­ You don¡¯t need to worry about me, I¡¯ll stay in my brother¡¯s room with him.¡±

    ¡°B-But, Queen Calca-¡± Remedios tried to give her opinion, but Caspond interrupted her.

    ¡°She''ll stay in my room until it''s time for our little private party. May you guide Sir Toucha and his friend to the appropriate rooms they will use.¡± Caspond''s voice didn''t show a command, just a statement.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to stay together for protection in case the person who put that recorder ends up doing something impulsive?¡± Touch_Me tried to give some safer idea.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I can feel that you are someone of high caliber, but at the moment you are a stranger.¡± Remedios commented as he walked out of the throne room. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    And so Nazarick¡¯s paladin and the automaton battle maid were following the paladin order chief. The queen and her brother soon left, heading in the opposite direction.

    <hr>

    Masato was sitting on a bed, looking at the scenery from the window in front of him, he was stuck in some kind of thoughts of what happened just now.

    He had barely arrived in the capital of the kingdom, and he had already discovered that there could be possible spies there. Of course he trusted Keiko to fix the problem, but it made him uncomfortable taking off the bandages that hid the parts of his body that showed him as a heteromorph. CZ was still with him, due to the way she was programmed and other details, she tried everything possible to make Remedios let her stay in that room with the Supreme Being, and obviously she succeeded.

    But there were also other small details that had occurred between his arrival and now¡­

    After arriving in his room, he tested the shared guild skill, [Message] and managed to discover that it still worked there. Symbolizing that after seeing the details with the queen, he could create a connecting portal between Horburns and Nazarick.

    While using the skill to keep up to date with what was happening, he ended up hearing that Sebas Tian, ??his beloved NPC, ended up getting into some problem related to a black market group in Re-Estize... The paladin wasn''t able to get that many details, but from what he understood, apparently that kingdom is actually more governed by shadow organizations than by royalty, and it was because they were everywhere in the capital that Sebas ended up getting in their way.

    It was as if Sebas was a normal person trying to step on a square of hay that was full of needles. It would be impossible not to notice something wrong, especially with the butler''s high karma level.

    ''When I finish things here... I think I''ll go to Re-Estize myself to annihilate these vermin...'' He thought, his paladin side completely agreeing with the cop mindset he still had. ¡°Really, now I understand why Keiko said how rotten that place is¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you say, Touch_Me-Sama?¡± CZ questioned, making the paladin realize that he ended up exposing the last part of his thoughts.

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal¡­ I just received a report from Sebas about how things are going in the capital of the kingdom that Nazarick is in¡­ Apparently the place is actually dominated by a mafia hidden behind the nobles.¡±

    "Impressive. So two neighboring kingdoms are so contrasting.¡± CZ expressed her opinion, making him give a slight smile.

    Indeed, the kingdom he is in at the moment at least appears to be the absolute opposite.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting news.¡± He looked at CZ. ¡°Apparently another of your sisters is also creating an identity as an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ and who is it this time?¡± She left her face tilted to the side.

    ¡°Lupusregina. Apparently it will be her and Shalltear joining Naberal and Momonga''s group¡­¡± He smiled imagining this. ¡°I wish I could be doing something like this now¡­ But well¡­ important things come first than fun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, Touch_Me-Sama.¡±

    The lively conversation was soon interrupted by someone knocking on the door. CZ went there and opened it, revealing Remedios who was not entering the room. She was there to announce that preparations were ready for a small, friendly, private meeting with the queen. Without much to say against it, the duo followed the paladin chief, but they were interrupted along the way, upon seeing a shocking scene.

    ¡°GET BACK HERE, YOU SHITTY BITCHES!!!! [VOL BRANDO]!!![TORPOR]!!!¡± It was clearly Letyan''s voice, which was soon followed by a crashing noise a few corridors ahead.

    The three ran in that direction to see what had happened, and when they arrived, they noticed a corridor covered in dense layers of ice. In the center of that area was the boy, while, a little further away, there were 4 maids who were now inside large spiked cubes of yellowish ice.

    He turned to those who had just arrived, smiling and saluting Remedios. ¡°Spies arrested! In addition to these 4, there was a butler who I managed to freeze in the room we were all in.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡± she looked at those maids, recognizing them from the day the exchange took place. ¡°Anyway¡­ The little tea party and private meeting will take place now¡­ You can leave it to me and I will take these spies to the dungeons¡­. Take visitors to the room you know very well.¡±

    Giving a smile, he accepted, but first he at least separated the ice on the floor from the yellowish ice cube that the maids were trapped in. Waving to the paladin chief before leading the others.

    ¡°Your work was very quick¡­ finding 5 spies after just 2 hours inside the castle¡­¡± Touch commented, unable to hide the fact that he was impressed.

    ¡°I have several techniques¡­ But I used the most obvious of all. Asking general questions to everyone in the room, and in the midst of these questions, saying things that they shouldn''t know under any circumstances... This way, the spies end up losing focus and thinking it was common information.¡± Letyan smirked.

    ¡°I think I did something like that when I was a guard. No wait¡­ I actually saw one of my colleagues doing this a lot when I was focused on fieldwork.¡± Touch_Me said that, laughing, as if he was remembering great times.

    As soon as the boy arrived in the room with the two visitors, it was possible to see that it was a kind of small internal garden, with several white, blue and gold flowers, at the top, there was a glass roof, providing natural light while it was daytime. There were also common walls, with few glass windows, but at least they were painted in a very attractive and elegant style, it was as if that internal garden was a complete art painting.

    The queen, Calca Bessarez, was sitting in a chair, with a pot of tea and a plate full of biscuits in front of her, above a table. "Welcome to my private garden... Feel comfortable and sit in the chairs~" She smiles when she notices that Letyan has really come. "If you''re here... It means that you completed the little trouble we discovered before."

    "And seeing as how Caspond is not here, I imagine he got busy with something all of a sudden." he replied, closing the door after Touch_Me and CZ had passed by.

    CZ had decided to stand between Touch and Letyan, leaving one side of the table vacant. With Letyan being the only person sitting in a chair next to Calca and Touch_Me facing the queen.

    "First... I wish I knew your real name, rather than just your codename." Calca began, while taking a sip of the tea. "After all, you already know my name and codename by which I am also known... If you want to make a kind of agreement where we are equal, we must have this confidence."

    "You''re right, Queen Calca." He answers, taking off his helmet so he can put some tea for himself, but CZ interrupted, and the one filled the cups of the two men there.

    After also taking a sip of tea, he continued. "My real name is Masato, Masato Senju, it''s really a pleasure to meet you." He gave a small nod of his head, since he could not bow in the position he was in.

    Even so he was holding back a lot of expressions not to be disrespectful, since that tea looked garbage and very plain, dull, compared to Nazarick''s teas. He was aware that the outside food was crap compared to the one at his new home, he knew it from the first time he tasted the stews during the trip, but there was something this time that made the annoying taste more concentrated.

    "I say the same, Sir Masato Senju... I hope we get along very well... Would you like cookies?" She says smiling, offering a small plate.

    "No thanks." He replied as he saw Letyan accepting the offer and eating it. ¡®Yeah, his taste buds must be extremely accustomed.¡¯

    Having eaten all the cookies that were on that small plate and had her first cup, Calca returned to her questions. ¡°As for the secret about your guild¡­ And the origin of the sword¡­ why did it only want to come to my champion now¡­ Could you answer that?¡±

    ¡°Oh well¡­ this really is something intense.¡±

    ¡°I heard¡­ Kelart told me that you all said nothing to her¡­ So, could you respond?¡± She said with a calm smile, but soon her look showed strangeness when Letyan and the paladin stared at each other. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ my queen¡­ How can we start this¡­ hmm.. You remember the ancient legends, don¡¯t you? Especially those who formed the Temple of the Four Great Gods¡­¡± Letyan would start to help.

    ¡°Yes, of course I know the legends and stories related to the creation of our religion.¡±

    ¡°Can you remember the name the gods used to refer to themselves?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± She was thoughtful, as it wasn¡¯t a part of religion that was talked about much. ¡°Puh-lyahn¡­? No... Puh-Lers?... I remember it was ¡®Puh¡¯ something... but what¡¯s relevant about th-¡±

    ¡°Players.¡± Masato responded, ending up interrupting. ¡°The correct term is Players¡­¡±

    Calca looked at the paladin for a moment before looking at Letyan again. ¡°Uh... Yes... but I think the pronunciation is still wrong...¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s right, this is actually the real pronunciation.¡± The boy replied, giving a long sigh. ¡°He¡¯s one of the best people to talk to about Players, actually¡­¡±

    ¡°Nothing better than talking to someone about themselves, right?¡± Touch said looking at the princess, who seemed to have a silly smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to make jokes like that, you know?¡± She said, still smiling at them, but little by little she started to get a little scared, noticing how serious they both looked on the subject. ¡°It¡¯s a very bad joke¡­ And I¡¯m sorry for seeming disrespectful¡­ but¡­ Are you telling me that¡­ this paladin is like our gods?¡±

    ¡°In addition to the memories of how to use the sword, I also gained general memories of what the life of the former user of this item was like¡­ So I can say without having any fear of divine punishment¡­ He is a player, Calca¡­¡± Letyan did not use the honorific of ''queen'' to demonstrate the seriousness of it.

    She stood there, staring at her champion and then the paladin in front of her, her vision going from one to the other again and again as her mind tried to comprehend what had just been said. Her mouth remained slightly open, as if her brain was completely focused on the current situation.

    ¡°Are we having a god as a guest¡­?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call myself a god¡­¡± Masato tried to explain himself, but soon CZ entered the middle of the conversation.

    ¡°Touch-Sama is not just any Player, he is a Supreme Being.¡± The automaton''s voice remained cold and direct.

    ¡°Supreme Being¡­?¡± Calca''s gaze showed shock and confusion.

    ¡°Ehh¡­ it¡¯s the way the NPCs in his guild call members who are players¡­¡± The boy was trying to help his queen to understand. ¡°And NPCs are¡­ the beings that are created by the players themselves¡­ I think we call them ¡®En-Pi-Sees¡¯ in the religious books.¡±

    ¡°Anyway¡­ I don¡¯t see myself as a god. Where I come from, we are the common inhabitants and we have beings above us... You only see Players as gods, because you are very weak in comparison... Not wanting to seem rude or threatening... But it''s the same as if an ant was always getting a sugar cube you gave... the ant would see you as a goddess for having the ''power'' to bring delicious food so easily.¡± Masato tried to explain in an understandable way, using a combination of the comparisons that the Nazarick NPCs and Keiko had made a month ago. ¡°But returning to the reason why we are telling you this, Queen Calca¡­ You asked why your champion has only now been found by the magic sword¡­ It was because¡­ we only recently arrived at this place.¡±

    Calca remained silent until she had the courage once again. ¡°So¡­ Were you somewhere else?¡±

    ¡°Another world. Yes¡­ A completely different world than this.¡±

    ¡°A world where Puh-lers are so common¡­ that they are not seen as close to a divine being¡­.?¡± Her question received a confirmation from the paladin. ¡°But¡­ why now?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know either... Your champion was able to speak calmly to me and my group, due to the memories he obtained. And he explained to us how other Players had appeared in this world before, but why my guild only arrived here now is a complete mystery, we have some theories, but they are not that precise to say.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ why would a group of gods, whether newly arrived or not¡­ want to ally with me?¡± And finally Calca asked the most obvious question in that context, still showing a little nervousness.

    ¡°One of the basic reasons was our friend here.¡± Masato looked at Letyan for a moment and then returned to talking to the queen. ¡°But I already told you the reason in the throne room¡­ my group and I believe in a world where all races could interact with each other in a harmonious way¡­ There were problems like this in the world of Players, which we call¡­ Yggdrasil ¡­¡±

    ¡°Yggdrasil¡­. Hm¡­ This name¡­. It has already been¡­ spoken of in some ancient books and scriptures¡­ But recently it was discarded, as being a translation error of the word ¡®World¡¯ by those who had transcribed legends about the gods¡­¡± The queen seems to have become much more thoughtful after hearing that word. ¡°So it was the correct word¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Yggdrasil was an immense universal tree. In which each leaf was a realm, small worlds where each one had its own geographic and demographic diversities. But this level of information does not lead to the case now¡­¡± Masato tried to take some air before continuing.

    ¡°We were hunted by humans, elves, dwarves, these types of races seen as ¡®close to humanity¡¯, just because we were different. We were threatened and often robbed of our glory, for being seen as villains and wicked monsters... So we decided to create our guild as a way of finding harmony where everyone could have fun and not be afraid to be who they are. Queen Calca... you look for the same thing as us, and you are a being on the side of humans... it''s like we are two different sides of the same coin, and how can I say... you know the value of the coin, no matter which side it is on.¡±

    ¡°I can understand¡­ you guys really want the same- wait¡­ you said before that everyone from the other world is a Player, but you still used the term ¡®humans¡¯ to differentiate¡­ so¡­¡± Calca finally noticed that detail.

    "Yes. I was a human, all the players were, but due to circumstances, we ended up having our bodies transformed.¡± Masato sighed, having to use the excuse that Letyan and Tabula helped plan. It wasn''t a lie by any means, it just wasn''t being told completely.

    ¡°So you were and stopped being¡­.¡±

    ¡°Yggdrasil''s situation was precarious, to the point that all residents were forced to be of a race other than human. I won¡¯t go into the details completely, but that¡¯s more or less the context.¡± He sighed. ¡°I may look a lot like a human, but that''s because I''m a Half-Insectoid.¡±

    Masato removed his glove, demonstrating how his hands had no nails, it was all a pure exoskeleton. ¡°Among my companions who are here, we have a young actress who turned into a Slime, a book fanatic who turned into a being made of tentacles¡­ A big fan and connoisseur of Magic, who ended up taking the form of a goat man¡­ And a companionable, friendly and sentimental man, who ended up having the misfortune of turning into a skeleton... I mean... every time he has an ounce of excessive emotion, his body cancels it out, it''s to be pitied, really....¡±

    He said those things, using his words to make the queen consider them as good people. Of course they were, even with each one''s flaws, all of his companions were friendly, always helping not only each other, but talking and interacting with other guilds when they proved trustworthy. Still, nothing was excessive at that moment¡­

    He was talking and trying to convince a queen, a saint, a faithful follower of a religion that could be comparable to Christian, with countless paladins and even problems with races that were minimally different from basic humans. So demonstrating the human side that everyone absolutely had, before transforming into their characters, was the best option.

    ¡°We want to establish an alliance with someone trustworthy, someone who is sweet and can understand our suffering, someone who doesn''t just care about appearance. As far as I know, a pure saint who wants unity and peace for all beings is the best option... and honestly, I was a guard, someone who tried to seek and fight for justice, even if there was corruption in my home... I would love to have you as an equal, someone to talk to, someone who knows what is right¡­¡±

    She looked at it very well, the confusion and fear seemed to have gradually disappeared as she heard those requests. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sugarcoat so much to gain someone¡¯s favor, overdoing it can cause problems.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I like to start a card game with my initial hand completely facing the opponent.¡± He responded calmly.

    ¡°No need to turn the cards the other way¡­ I accept the alliance between your guild and my kingdom¡­ Player Masato.¡± She gave a slight laugh. ¡°I could feel the pain and frustration in your words as you spoke about the injustice you suffered and how you became.¡±

    The queen''s last words were like a nail in Masato''s chest, as if he was remembering how he was suffering for possibly leaving his wife and daughter alone. But he took a deep breath to compose himself. ¡°Yes¡­ It was painful¡­ Isn¡¯t that right, Hikari?¡±

    Letyan smirked. ¡°Yes, it was awesome, I can access the memories of this friend of yours, you two had a lot of problems, right? You and the whole guild¡­ What a great family you were. And yet they were the best.¡±

    "Best?" Calca asks, curious.

    ¡°Due to the fact that we were all from races considered monstrous and diverse, we all occupied different things that became more and more than something common. We ended up being seen as the greatest monster guild that ever existed.¡± Masato laughed lightly remembering the good times. ¡°We even have an impressive amount of world items.¡±

    ¡°World Items?¡±

    ¡°These are items that existed in Yggdrasil, in which they were so powerful, with such absurd effects, that many players also called them ''Balance Breakers''... Ainz Ooal Gown, the guild we are allied with, has several of them... But I can¡¯t say with certainty how many, as something may have changed after Hikari died.¡± Letyan spoke calmly.

    ¡°Yes, exactly, these items threatened Yggdrasil''s balance of power so much, that there were only 200 of them in the entire great universal tree. The guild with the most of these items, apart from mine, only had 3. We have more than 10 of them.¡± Touch_Me took some tea to drink, even though he didn''t like the taste, he needed to hydrate his throat. ¡°So basically, we were the most powerful that existed¡­. But that''s what I would say, if there weren''t some other guilds that beat us in terms of number of players. Ainz Ooal Gown had 41 members, and of course there were those that had 100 members or much more than that.¡±

    ¡°I think the existence of these giant guilds was insane.¡± Letyan was biting into a cookie. ¡°It was extremely complex to organize things¡­ I think the maximum limit that Punitto Moe accepted was 50 members.¡±

    ¡°Exactly¡­¡± The paladin was thoughtful, but noticed a small detail and looked at the queen. ¡°Ah¡­ Punitto Moe was one of our companions, the combat strategist¡­ We currently have someone else doing this job.¡±

    ¡°I can understand¡­. eh¡­ Is there anything else that¡­ would be good to talk to me about in this meeting?¡± The queen''s question made them both very thoughtful, until they remembered a small detail.

    "Oh yes! We were thinking about creating a portal between Nazarick and here, it would be a method for us to have better connections for meetings... Besides... in a way, it would serve as an escape method if you needed to quickly leave the kingdom... or even urgently needed to go somewhere outside the kingdom. Because currently our guild is close to the eastern border of the Re-Estize Kingdom.¡± Letyan commented on this, looking at his queen.

    ¡°The idea would be to do this in an external area¡­ The most responsible thing is to create some kind of hut in which the portal will be. This way, your paladins can still guard the new ¡®border¡¯ without many dangers.¡± TouchMe added.

    ¡°You''re already thinking of ways to bring us closer together, while still making us comfortable with safety... And I can understand the logic, possibly your guild members must be too important for you to be forced to leave some here to take care of the idea of plantations that we talked about¡­¡± Calca commented, already able to see the logic of it all. ¡°So it would be more appropriate for us to put this portal in the same place where we will let you have control over the crops.¡±

    ¡°Exactly¡­¡± Letyan gave a slight smile. ¡°And I already know the perfect place for it¡­ What do you think of Kalinsha?¡±

    ¡°The Fortress City in the east?¡± Calca asked just to confirm and the boy agreed. ¡°Yes.. it would be perfect, from what I know the surrounding area has a lot of green fields, you could use the fields to the west of Kalinsha.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so we have already agreed on several of the things and information we needed to deliver¡­ Queen Calca, you would still like to meet the other members in person, correct?¡± The paladin''s question was met with a smile and a nod from the queen. ¡°Great, I will see who is available at the moment, and also present the possible candidates to be responsible for the planting area.¡±

    ¡°How soon can this be done?¡±

    ¡°Well, we can have the base of things ready in 5 days.¡± The paladin''s response made Calca''s eyes widen.

    ¡°5 days?!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ Ahn¡­ We, players, have methods of doing things very quickly¡­ so the cabin and the teleportation portal can be made in less than 2 days, the other 3 days are just for us to fix the bureaucratic part and do the choices of who should be presented to you¡­¡± He gave a slight cough as he spoke. ¡°I understand how the whole situation is emerging all at once, so in addition to choosing someone based on their mentality, we will also choose based on their appearance, so as not to scare you too much.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration¡­ But if you say things like that¡­ does it mean that there are many who could, just by their appearance, cause chaos and confusion?¡±

    ¡°We are a very diverse guild¡­ We have demons like basic Imps and Succubus, we have undeads of different categories, some demi-humans¡­ And even¡­ The being that I created and consider my son, he is a dragonoid.¡±

    ¡°A dragonoid¡­? This is incredible¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was thinking about maybe we can also form an alliance with Dragon Kingdom and Argland Council State. With Masato¡¯s ¡®Son¡¯ being one of the possible chosen to represent Ainz Ooal Gown, along with one of my daughters.¡± Letyan''s words make Calca scared.

    ¡°An alliance between two other kingdoms¡­ I mean, making a peace situation with Argland would be the best option, since we are neighbors¡­. wait¡­.Daughters? Do you have daughters?!?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Sorry! Player Hikari''s memories end up making me say this, but well... he has 4 children, and one of them is a mix between dragonoid and angel, so she''s another candidate for us to do this new search for alliances. And well¡­ we are first making an agreement between AOG and HolyKingdom, because this is my home and I want you to have an advantage in this, Calca... But if it weren''t for that, I think I would have asked them to make an initial alliance with Dragon Kingdom. Because¡­ you know¡­ helping a nation that is on the verge of collapse, and that has dragons as leaders, would be the best option.¡±

    After some time thinking, Calca was able to realize that Players would actually gain more by allying themselves with dragons, like how happened in the ancient texts from 200 years ago. And yet they had decided to make that choice, instead of just answering the questions when they were in Re-Estize Kingdom, they had decided to come to see her.

    And all because of Letyan¡­

    ¡®You really do everything for me¡­ love¡­¡¯

    And so that meeting was over, everything was already organized to happen and even Calca was prepared to make a real speech that would make that union official, and of course, she wouldn''t mention the secret of those charitable souls being players and heteromorphs, that should be something they themselves should disclose if necessary.

    But¡­ Unfortunately, everything is not a bed of roses.

    This is called Karma¡­ But some might call it Chaos¡­

    It is an ancestral order, older than time¡­

    The bigger one side gets, the more the other evolves.

    However, the question to ask is, which side is getting bigger now?

    And who is a participant on each side?

 Chapter 28 - New Farm, be Happy

    The surrounding scenery was intense and aggressive, just by observing it was obvious to understand what was happening there¡­.

    A dark room with an absurd amount of red stains, there were several stretchers and what looked like butcher''s hooks on the walls. On top of one of the stretchers, a woman with orange hair who didn''t seem to blink, but her chest moved rhythmically, showing that she was still breathing. Her gaze was empty and her expression neutral with her mouth slightly open. And in terms of clothing, she wore nothing other than the blood marks on her pale skin, which hid parts of her body.

    ¡°[Get up].¡± A powerful voice could be heard approaching that room.

    The woman did as ordered, as if she had no will of her own, or perhaps her conscience was turned off. She seemed to have a slight difficulty standing up, as if there was something different in her muscle memory, but she soon managed it.

    More voices could be heard approaching the room, the door was open, so it was only up to one of the beings to get to the front of said room, to be able to see the woman. ¡°Woah!!! She looks sexier up close! That holographic image didn¡¯t have that many details!!¡± Said one of these beings, this being Bukubukuchagama.

    ¡°To me it looks identical to the photo¡­ Maybe my eyes have a problem perceiving details like that?¡± Ulbert spoke as he also entered the room, but instead of approaching the woman, he went to a nearby mirror to check her eye condition.

    ¡°Father. We cannot help but think about the possibility that Lady Bukubukuchagama-Sama sees beauty in person with much more impact than beauty in images.¡± And the one speaking now was Demiurge, also being the owner of the voice that ordered just some seconds ago.

    ¡°Hmm! Only one woman can recognize the beauty of another!¡± The slime exclaimed while looking at the woman in front of her. ¡°But I can¡¯t say you guys did a bad job.¡±

    The slime was talking about the small details that were changed in that woman''s body. Her ears were removed, and in their place they placed two receptors that resemble feline ears, a little above her head. The eyes seemed to be slightly larger, as if they had changed her eyeballs and during the process this impression was created. From the knees down, it looked like she had feline feet, full of orange fur that matched her hair, and the same could be said about both forearms, with her hands looking like a perfect and anatomically acceptable mix between feline paws and humanoid hands, with long nails projecting outwards. And finally, a kind of feline tail in the same orange color, which at the moment was still and slightly curled.

    ¡°What was the name of that tangerine again?¡± Bukubuku asked while observing that specimen, and even without being in a humanoid form, it was obvious that she had the look of a complete pervert, analyzing the woman as if she were an extremely expensive pornographic action figure.

    ¡°Her name was Clementine¡­ And well, that tangerine apparently caused a lot of trouble for Hikari¡­¡± Ulbert commented, leaving his top hat on the table next to him. ¡°We didn¡¯t gain as much information as we expected, but maybe it¡¯s the perfect amount to tell him.¡±

    ¡°So this cutie probably had great info? You can say what you got~¡± She used one of her famous seductive voices.

    Ulbert didn''t seem to be affected in the slightest, perhaps due to his mentality like a demon, but he soon answered her. ¡°It seems¡­ She was the 9th Seat in an incredible and powerful group on Slane Theocracy, called Black Scripture¡­ She was kicked out after stealing the item that she used against Tabula''s new disciple before¡­ And probably was being hunted by another Scripture group¡­ She said that it was probably called Sunlight or Windflower¡­¡±

    ¡°If I remember right¡­ that group we captured a month ago is called Sunlight Scripture¡­ And how they were focused on hunting that human warrior. Possibly the ones hunting our experiment was the Windflower Scripture.¡± Demiurge gave his opinion on that detail.

    ¡°Yes, it is more logical to say that it is this group¡­ And speaking of them, apparently what Hikari commented before was very correct, the religion of our ''neighbors'' to the south, are related to believing that 6 players were gods¡­ While the religion of His kingdom believes there were only 4 players instead of 6.¡± Ulbert commented now, changing the monocle he was using.

    ¡°And these religions seem to have been incredibly influenced by Christianity¡­ it was the most accepted religion at our time, even in Japan, so it¡¯s obvious that they would use that to put themselves on the pedestal as gods.¡± Bukubuku commented, caressing that feline body in front of her. ¡°Any other information that would be good to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Besides the fact that this woman destroyed a total of 10 orphanages in the Roble Holy Kingdom? I don''t think so. Demiurge already wrote most of the stuff in a report anyway.¡± The demon player said that without seeming to feel resentment or any emotion regarding that fact, he was scared by how his mind was being affected, but he did not express it.

    They continued talking normally, with the slime observing this new creation even more, until they received information via [message]. The demon player''s smile was evident, while the slime player alternated her gelatinous body a little, getting the closest appearance to the human body she had.

    <hr>

    [Meanwhile¡­]

    ¡°Oh! This little adventure is going great for us to start your careers.¡± Said the incredible Overlord, who was using his disguise as Momon.

    He was deep in the west part of The Great Forest of Tob. A little ahead of him were Shalltear Bloodfallen and Lupusregina Beta, the two were attacking some high-Orcs who had hidden in the region.

    But why were they there? Simply the great black raven warrior, Momon, had received a quest from E-Rantel''s guild. This mission was limited to helping one of the nearby cities, E-Lyttonel, with a serious problem they were having in relation to collecting medicinal herbs, which are normally found in the Great Forest of Tob. Momon thought the quest was simple enough, but also important enough to use as a stepping stone for the adventurer identities he was creating for those two NPCs.

    Tabula had already created his own identity, but it would be more focused on being a scholar instead of an adventurer. Momonga and Narberal had their adventurer identities as Momon and Nabe, respectively. Adding two more NPCs to that ¡°fake family¡± would be the best idea possible, with the two being a pair of Battle Clerics, one focusing on stealth attacks and the other on direct attacks.

    ¡°It¡¯s still something to laugh about when you think that they both have the Job Class Cleric.¡± Momonga spoke to himself while fixing his helmet and polishing his sword. He was sitting there on a fallen tree trunk, just analyzing and seeing if he was necessary or not. ¡°But it''s still interesting to think that these Orcs were in the region... Maybe it was because of them that no one from E-Lyttonel was able to get medicinal plants? Hm¡­ I will take their ears as proof that we defeated them¡­¡±

    Stopping his monologue, he drew the attention of the two who had just destroyed the skulls of the last High-Orcs there. ¡°Santia and Lucia Bonaparte! You can put the herbs inside the bags I gave you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Momon-sama!¡±

    ¡°Of course, Knight Momon! I will do as you ask, arinsu~¡±

    The two responded, clearly with Lupusregina still having to get used to not using ¡°-sama¡±, while Shalltear seemed to be managing to interpret her role well, with the slight difficulty of continuing to use that effect word at the end of most sentences.

    Lupusregina had her red hair very loose, wearing a uniform more appropriate for a nun than a maid, a black dress that reached just below the knees, but was wide enough to guarantee mobility and even to hide knives. There was a small cloak above her head, which served to hide her lycanthrope ears.

    Shalltear had used illusion magic to turn her white hair with a little yellowish color, turning into a common shade of blonde, which remained loose like Lupus''s. The biggest difference was the choice of uniform, a completely white dress that would be seen in the Victorian era on Earth, with a large madame hat, also white, all of which covered her skin well, preventing the sun from touching her. Not that the sun would kill her, the contact would just make her a little weaker than normal due to her race.

    Their identities were chosen as Lucia and Santia, respectively. This idea came from Bukubuku and Ulbert, as they both noticed how Momon and Nabe were slightly similar names to Momonga and Narberal, so to match it would be interesting to choose slightly similar names for Lupus and Shalltear. The choice of the surname Bonaparte was a joke that Tabula made, as both of their surnames began with the letter B, Beta and Bloodfallen. However, everyone who was present at the time ended up accepting it, as there was a great chance that it was an extremely rare or even non-existent surname in that new world. As Momonga was the one who came up with the idea of ??the two being with him, he was forced to create a backstory for the two adventurers, it was not as complex as one would imagine.

    The story being that the two were orphans, adopted by a priest from an unofficial church, in a small village. They were raised as sisters for a long time, being forced to fight monsters that came close to the church''s surroundings. Unfortunately, a monster that was too powerful had appeared, leaving the two so desperate that they fled with permission from the priest. Finally, the black raven warrior Momon would have found them and helped them, with the excuse that they were not with him and Nabe previously, being that both were taking vows of hunger and could not leave a camp for pure safety.

    ''I still can''t believe I was inspired by a video game story for this...'' Momon thought, seeing the two approaching with the bags, they were wearing masks just for safety, Shalltear having a full face mask and Lupus having a mask that covers the nose and mouth.

    ¡°Do we have an acceptable amount of herbs, my dear clerics?¡± Momon said getting up.

    ¡°Momon-sama, the amount we found is around 3 times the amount requested by that guild¡¯s quest.¡± Lucia commented with her ears bouncing slightly beneath her accessory. ¡°Will we gain anything extra from this?¡±

    ¡°Possibly we will earn something extra, maybe even more with these ears.¡± He commented, going up to the orcs and cutting off each of their right ears with extreme ease, it was like cutting butter with a hot knife.

    During the way out of that forest region, we noticed the presence of the sky at dusk. Sensing no living beings around with his passive skills, Momonga used the [Gate] skill to create a small portal that was used by him and the two NPCs, with the other side of the portal leading to an area full of rocks much closer to E-Lyttonel, so they could enter the place on foot without causing any suspicion.

    Arriving at the guild in that place, The Black Warrior Momon showed his and his companion''s badges, so that there was confirmation that they had accepted the quest and were now completing it. The two women working at the front desk seemed extremely surprised to see triple the amount of herbs, making them question how they got so much. However, their expression became more astonished when they saw the number of orc ears that were in another bag.

    ¡®By the looks of their faces, they must have already known about the Orcs and yet they didn¡¯t mention this detail on the mission paper¡­¡¯ Momonga thought about it for a while, if he had eyes, they would now roll from one side to the other. ''I know I''m a high-tier adventurer at the moment, but what if I were just a random newbie adventurer? Wouldn''t they have warned you the same way? Hmm... either they are too disorganized, or they don''t really care about these quests...''

    He felt his emotions being repressed during those thoughts, due to his race¡¯s traits. That would make the old Satoru angry, not that he hasn''t already suffered some comparative injustice on Earth, quite the contrary, he suffered too much. But to see something like that in a fantasy world that was obviously much better than his own? This made him more disappointed in the human race.

    Or maybe he''s just unlucky?

    In any case, that opinion would change quickly, with him receiving a notification through [Message]. He had to sit in one of the chairs at the front of the guild, with Santia and Lucia still inside to receive all the rewards. He could now rest one of his shoulders on the table and place his two fingers on the left temple area, thus successfully accessing that notification without it looking strange.

    ''What it was? Did something happen?¡¯

    ¡®Hello Suzuki-kun! I have news for you!¡¯ It was Masato¡¯s voice, making the overlord feel calmer due to the paladin¡¯s mood.

    ¡®And what would it be?¡¯

    ''I already warned the others, Sebas had warned me that you were going to have more adventures, so I thought about leaving you last in this so as not to get in the way.''

    ¡®Speak out, old friend. Considering how happy you are, it must have been something good... in fact, how is your visit to this Holy Kingdom?¡¯

    ¡®Well, everything is going really well here to tell you the truth. But what I was going to say is that the royalty here accepted a possible partnership, an agreement of mutual benefits between both parties.¡¯

    ''Perfect. Anything about the deal that I should know now?'' Suzuki asked with the suppression of emotions getting to him a little, not to celebrate.

    ''Well, the holy queen of this place wants some kind of meeting, this time interacting with all of us. After an agreement we made with Keiko as the intermediary, we saw that it is a better idea to do it this way, and to show confidence, it would also be a good idea to take some NPCs with a close-to-human appearance.''

    ¡®Hmm¡­ that¡¯s interesting¡­ anything else?¡¯ The Overlord asked, intrigued.

    ''As we said before the trip, in the plan options, we will create an agricultural area, using YGGDRASIL items, so that we can improve the culinary items for them. In exchange for this, this same cultivation area will be used as a separate section of Nazarick. With Letyan¡¯s help, we have already arranged a simple structure to be the improvised hut where the connection portal will be located.¡¯

    ''I understand, this is within our planned possibilities, I just didn''t expect it to actually happen...''

    ''Yes, and one more detail so that you understand the situation, only the queen knows about us being Players and Heteromorphs, but during an initial discussion I had, I only revealed about our servants being monsters... you know, to impact and show the idea that we have ideals similar to hers of the union of species.''

    Satoru received that message and sighed, accepting the fact. ¡®Yes, to show that we have good ideas, we also have to show that we are already making good progress on this. Classic method of winning a client in business.¡¯

    He mentally smiled as he remembered the small, almost non-existent moments he celebrated for doing something great at work. But that hypothetical smile disappears when he takes a look at the list of NPCs who were chosen as mandatory to go. ¡®. . .  Why Pandora¡¯s Actor?¡¯

    ¡®Haha! This was Keiko''s idea. Apparently to show a better example of connection, it is important that NPCs who are considered our children come too. Is he not your creation? And when I went to see him to pick up some things for the trip, he mentioned you as ''Vather''.''

    ''For the love of all that is most sacred...'' The suppression of emotions hit Momonga with intensity, just thinking about that NPC and the stupidly embarrassing German accent... ''Okay, I''ll go to Nazarick now and get ready for this visit. When will it be?¡¯

    ¡®I asked the others and Keiko, apparently tomorrow at noon is a good time.¡¯

    Right after that, the [Message] skill was deactivated. With the skeleton now slightly affected, not only with the idea of ??appearing in front of a holy queen of that world, but of having to introduce his NPC to someone!

    ¡°Momon-san! We have already finished receiving the rewards. Apparently they already had everything ready, as if they knew we were going to defeat the Orcs. Arinsu~¡± Santia was the one who caught attention.

    ¡°That was possible to happen¡­ anyway. We need to go home, we will get ready for a meeting with our new sponsors.¡± Said Momon, getting up and walking out of E-Lyttonel, when they were at a safe distance, he used [Gate] again, this time the destination being Nazarick.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are things okay in Nazarick, Touch_Me-sama?¡± CZ was the one asking, while sitting next to the great paladin.

    ¡°Yes, everything seems to be going well and in order¡­ I think I''ve finished informing everyone about the meeting we''re holding tomorrow¡­¡± He said this, taking a cup of tea and drinking it, having managed to find a way to turn off his sense of taste, after training his mind for this so much.

    The two were sitting in front of a wooden hut that they had been building for the last 5 days. There was a small table on the balcony where they were having a tea time. In front, they had a large green field almost completely flat and with some rivers nearby, it was the land promised by the queen.

    This land, on the other hand, wasn''t that empty. There were some carts and horses nearby, in which paladins were tasked to come and assist with anything they needed and next to them, Remedios Custodio had come along to take a look at the situation as a whole. As the basics were already arranged, now they were just having fun on the field, some were just having fun resting and lying on the grass, others were doing exercises to keep from losing shape, and there were those who wanted to spar between themselves.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ CZ Delta¡­ If we consider those humans to be lvl 15 players¡­ what do you think of their development?¡± Touch_Me asked, having to create a comparison close to reality, to have an honest answer and without prejudice to the fact that they are human.

    The automaton''s gaze focused on the training that was taking place in the distance, her expression neutral as always. ¡°I would say they are average¡­ they all seem to have the same combat build, which means that multiple attacks with the same skill can be made from different angles. Without the assistance of other nearby builds to compare, I can''t get a more appropriate reading.¡±

    A few minutes later, Remedios came out of the cabin and observed the situation alongside the two. ¡°You guys really didn¡¯t decorate the place that much¡­¡±

    ¡°We told you that this cabin will initially just contain a portal to where our base is, and after that, when we have the cultivation area ready, then we will transform this cabin into a habitable place for visitors.¡±

    ¡°Fair Point¡­ But how did you build the portal in there so quickly.¡± She questioned something very acceptable.

    Touch_Me didn''t know what to answer, the reality was that he used a magic scroll that contained [Perma Gate] to create the portal, and then asked to connect with Aureole Omega''s teleportation system. So he tried to answer with the first thing that came to mind.

    ¡°This is an exchange secret. I will tell you how to do this if you give a secret about Roble Holy Kingdom. Furthermore, with the things we will bring here, the way we make the portal in these few days, it will be the least important information of all.¡±

    She stared at the paladin for a few seconds, her eyes showing clear distrust, but then sighed and sat down on a nearby chair, giving up asking about it. ¡°Okay¡­ I accept your answer¡­.¡± Remedios said, grabbing some tea for her, a smile instantly forming on her face. ¡°Nothing better than a Laumpor tea.¡±

    Touch_Me looked at that scene, not being able to believe that that flavor actually made her smile. Really, differences in customs and culinary culture can cause many things¡­.

    The paladin returned to observing the training taking place ahead. Letyan was wearing custom paladin armor, or at least that was one way to describe it, as several parts had been removed to allow full mobility. He fought with several disadvantages, the first was that the battle was against 3 other paladins at the same time, the second was that he had limited himself to using just one magic glyph, [Lapiste], and the third was that he only had one physical glyph in each of his hands, a bastard sword and a kite shield. And on the other hand, paladins could only use 2 skills during the entire training.

    Even though it was in a fantasy world with magic and things like that, seeing a 21-year-old young man managing to withstand that and even almost defeating his enemies, was something that left Masato impressed. This ended up reminding him a little of some moments he had with Keiko on Earth and Yggdrasil, the young man also did impressive things without much effort.

    ¡°Oh¡­ seeing this¡­ did my son get into trouble this time for you to punish him like this, Remedios?¡± Another voice appeared, making the Paladin Order Leader startle a little, while CZ and Touch_Me seemed to have felt that presence, but didn''t decide to speak or react because they thought it was someone from the paladin group.

    Noticing Remedios'' slight fright, the two turned to see who it was. A blond man who wore a mask covering his mouth and nose, his clothes were dark and close to his body, revealing a thin but strong silhouette, the thing that stood out most about him was a sinister and aggressive look, which was much more highlighted thanks to the fedora on his head, making his eyes the only thing visible.

    ¡°Pabel!! Argh! Don''t scare me like that! I was having tea here!¡± She seems to be angry, but then takes a deep breath, taking a large sip of the tea in the cup. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I was going on a request when I ended up receiving news from some guards that my boy would be here after a long trip¡­ Can''t I visit him while I''m on my route?¡± The man called Pabel commented, now looking at Touch_Me and CZ. ¡°Hm.. I didn¡¯t know that paladins were now getting flashier armor than before¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh no¡­ They¡¯re not from my platoon.¡± Remedios didn''t delve too deeply into the answer and began to introduce each other. ¡°Sir.Toucha, this one is Pebal Baraja, known as The Black¡­ He is a very skilled archer who works in the same special group as me. And as you can hear, he is Letyan''s father... Pebal, these are Shizu and Sir.Toucha... they are visitors who came here to make a deal, your children, together with my sister, who brought them here.¡±

    ¡°Oh! So you are Neia and Letyan''s father? They talked a lot about you during the trip, it¡¯s an honor to meet the sharpest eyes in the kingdom.¡± Touch_Me spoke, standing up and extending his hand.

    Pabel accepts the handshake. ¡°I''m happy to know that my children speak very highly of me. And I hope they didn¡¯t cause too much trouble.¡±

    ¡°In no way, it was actually rewarding to interact with them, especially for one specific detail, but I don¡¯t think I have the right to say that¡­ just know that it¡¯s not negative at all.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± The archer raised an eyebrow and then looked at Remedios. ¡°Am I allowed to break up your people¡¯s training over there, Meathead?¡±

    ¡°If no one is hurt in the process¡­ Since they were the ones who came up with this idea, let them sort it out.¡± Mr.Baraja gave a slight smile beneath his mask, after hearing the woman''s response, now taking his bow and aiming at the people there to shoot.

    Both player and NPC could see that bow, with a quick glance, they felt that it was not a common item. Clearly when he shot an arrow, he was using the lowest possible force so as not to activate any skill imbued in the item, and it was clear that even so, the arrow went at full speed in the middle of the fight. The paladins ducked in fear when they noticed the surprise attack, however Letyan, who at the moment had just planted the bastard sword in the ground, ended up catching the arrow in the air. His eyes followed the path made by the arrow until he reached his father, making him smile from corner to corner of his face.

    ¡°Old man! How is everything going in The Wall?¡± Letyan spoke loudly so he could be heard, placing the equipment he was using on the ground and taking a few jumps to get very close to the hut.

    ¡°It''s going very well actually, no surprise attacks that require my assistance. And you? I heard from someone that you were very busy and that''s why you didn''t go home for two whole months. Was it because of your trip?¡± Pebal asked, lowering his mask and giving his son a soft smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s more to it than that, like some experiments we had to do in the laboratory¡­ But yes, the trip was one of the things.¡± Letyan responded by lightly tapping Touch_Me''s armor. ¡°As you can see, I brought Your Majesty a mine of gold. Tomorrow a new era will emerge if everything goes well. An era where you can at least stay at home for 1 month uninterrupted.¡±

    Pabel''s gaze changed between his son and the new paladin, with the smile becoming wider, Remedios even feels uncomfortable with his face. ¡°If that''s the case, I hope the same happens to you.¡±

    ¡°For that we would have to see Kelart¡¯s goodwill¡­ try to see if your friend can give me a little help.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Remedios was a little annoyed by that conversation and looked in another direction while talking. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault if you caught their interest.¡±

    They both laughed at the situation while the boy went back to talking to his father. ¡°Anyway, are you staying here tomorrow or not? There will be a more formal meeting between the leaders of this new paladin¡¯s guild and our royalty.¡±

    ¡°I won''t be able to, unfortunately I only came here because someone commented about you being present. My intention now is to go to the Nine Colors Headquarters.¡± He replied, headpatting his son. ¡°But if what I know is true¡­ maybe a special someone will come.¡±

    Both said goodbye, with Pabel calling a horse that was a little away from everyone to use on his way. Touch_Me was thoughtful there, having observed the whole scene and letting out a slight sigh. ¡®I wish my daughter had acted more freely with me...¡¯ He thought, but then shook his head, remembering the circumstances of each family.

    Night arrived, covering everyone''s bodies with moonlight. Touch_Me, CZ and Letyan stayed inside the cabin, while the others decided to sleep outdoors. Nothing unusual happened at that time, however, with dawn, people were already getting ready, with the arrival of some other carriages around 10 am.

    Queen Calca was getting out of one of the carriages, together with Highpriestess Kelart, both seemed slightly surprised by the existence of the cabin, which had been built so quickly, but seemed to be well made. With them there seemed to be a total of 5 priests, there was no need for so much security for the queen, as Kelart was there anyway.

    Inside the other carriages, the presence of some powerful men could be seen, one of them a little short, who wore a helmet with horns and accessories that can be described as being of Viking origin; another wore a uniform with the brand of the holy kingdom, but with the colors being focused on a darker blue rather than something light; and finally a slightly tall man, with the same uniform as Remedios, but with pink ornaments on the wrists and collar of his shirt.

    The important people were there, with Calca approaching them to thank them for their presence. The three men just bowed to the queen, showing what an honor it was to be called to something, which had been described to them as a diplomatic meeting. It didn''t take long for the man in Viking clothes to notice a specific person in the distance, close to the hut, walking in that direction.

    ¡°Hahaha!!! Boy! It¡¯s great to see you here!¡±

    ¡°I say the same, Orlando.¡± The one to respond was Letyan, who had woken up a few hours ago, but had decided to stay inside the cabin until that moment.

    ¡°And I can say it¡¯s a surprise to see you two here. I didn¡¯t expect you to come out of the water, Enrique.¡± Letyan continued to speak after seeing the others approaching as well.

    ¡°Just because I work in the kingdom''s navy doesn''t mean I only interact with The Green.¡± The man in blue clothes responded, but looked a little to the side, noticing that Remedios was there, but she hadn''t gone to talk to them because she was busy. ¡°And I didn¡¯t expect her to be here, since they called Isandro.¡±

    ¡°I say the same, she hadn¡¯t told me that she would participate in the meeting too¡­.¡± The next to speak was Isandro, the Paladin Order¡¯s Vice Leader.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I heard it would be a diplomatic meeting, but for them to call 4 of our group¡­ It''s going to be something bigger than I expected¡­¡± Orlando sighed and then had a long smile. ¡°And who was that man there? He seems to be strong.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    All 3 of them looked to where Orlando pointed, where a paladin was coming out of the hut. This made young Baraja chuckle slightly.

    ¡°That''s one of the reasons we''re having a meeting soon¡­¡± The boy turns to him. ¡°Hey! There are some great people here for you to meet.¡±

    ¡°Ooh¡­ and who would they be?¡± The paladin player was approaching them.

    ¡°They are part of the Nine Colors, the same group as my father and Remedios. Isandro, the Pink; Enrique the Blue; and lastly and very important, Orlando, their leader.¡± Letyan started the introductions.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Masato, but my paladin nickname is Toucha or Touch Me.¡± He extended his hand to Orlando, who accepted, but gave a strong grip with his hand, with the paladin there reacting and squeezing with similar strength.

    ¡°What a strong hand, really what I expected from a paladin with armor like that. But may I ask.. why ¡®Touch Me¡¯?¡± the nine colors¡¯ leader asked with curiosity.

    ¡°Touch Me If You Can.¡± Masato responded with a dry and threatening voice, but in reaction to this both Orlando and Enrique gave a hearty laugh.

    ¡°I liked this guy.¡± The two even responded together.

    ¡°You''ll find him even better if you do some training with him. But I think that should be left for a few weeks from now.¡± The boy commented seeing them happy.

    "I understand." Orlando said before looking at Masato again. ¡°Being Letyan¡¯s godfather. I trust his judgment a lot, I will look forward to the moment when our schedules allow for friendly training.¡±

    Masato''s eyes widened a little when he discovered that there was this degree of familiarity between those two, but he soon gave a confident smile. ¡°It could be a training session with all the members of Nine Colors.¡±

    ¡°We sometimes have a little party every 5 years to celebrate the existence of the group¡­ This year there will be one¡­ we could do something like that on that day.¡± Isandro was the one who proposed.

    "You? Proposing something like that?¡± Masato was in shock seeing that Letyan, Orlando and Enrique spoke that phrase at the same time.

    ¡°And is there a problem with me proposing this?¡± He laughed lightly, adjusting the pink accessory on his wrists. ¡°He is a paladin just like me and Remedios. I would be honored to know his power compared to ours.¡±

    ¡°Ooh¡­ Okay, that makes sense¡­ Well I''ll talk to Your Majesty for a bit. You can do whatever you want.¡± The boy then walked away to meet the few women in the group.

    The minutes passed, small retractable tables had been brought to be used in the event that would take place, but the paladin said that this would not be necessary. That answer was justified the moment the sun reached its peak in the sky, a slight tremor was made, originating from the cabin, the portal that was inside it had finally been turned on.

    The front door was opened, revealing a slightly tall being wearing an elongated mask, a top hat and red clothes with gold accessories. Behind him came a dark-skinned man wearing a red tuxedo, a woman with pink hair and two blonde dark elf children. They looked around to identify the location, with the man using the red tuxedo finally being the first to speak.

    ¡°Good afternoon, human beings. [Look to me].¡± His voice was so powerful, that everyone there seemed to be forced to look at him, everyone except Letyan and Masato. ¡°My great leaders, the Supreme Beings, have decided to accept a meeting with you, in favor of creating an alliance. Here I present to you.. Lady BukubukuChagama-sama and Lord Ulbert Alain Odle-sama!¡± The two who had been listed bowed slightly to be identified by the strangers.

    ¡°Due to the precarious situation, which was notified to me in advance by Lord Touch_Me-sama, we will bring a more appreciable environment suitable for such an event!¡± He continued to speak, while the two elves went behind the hut, opening a large gate at the back.

    With that back door open, they could see three giant beings coming out and carrying a long curved table to the front garden. The beings exuded an extreme evil aura that made everyone who had swords put their hands on the hilts. But Masato raised his hand, as if silently warning that nothing would happen.

    Among the reactions, Calca was the one who seemed the least scared, she had been warned in advance that the beings from Nazarick could be considered frightening or even enemies of humanity, because of their natural characteristics. Considering that she knew about the ¡°Supreme Beings¡± being Players, she had actually expected a large frightening demon with immense horns and an aura that would make even Remedios urinate in fear. Those beings, the Death Knights, were far below what she had prepared for, at least that''s what they appeared to be.

    Following the Death Knights, there were some women in maid uniforms who were bringing chairs so that everyone could sit, with 6 of these chairs being much larger than the others, 5 being placed on one side of the table and only one on the other side. They looked at the people there with an expression of complete indifference and seemed to guide everyone to sit down in their seats.

    Some members of the Holy Kingdom whispered among themselves, but because it was a matter of diplomatic interests, they decided not to express themselves much other than pointing out facts.

    ¡°Elves? Do they have dark elves?¡±

    ¡°That woman seems to have really fluid hair.¡±

    ¡°The man all in red¡­ what¡¯s that voice? And.. What is that behind him? A metal tail?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ no need¡­ let her sit down¡­¡± Letyan was the one who spoke loudly and clearly at that moment, seeing one of the maids guiding him to the separate large chair. Instead of him sitting on it, he pulled Calca to be the person to sit down.

    ''I know clearly that this chair was mine because I am seen as a Supreme Being thanks to the katana¡­ But the superior person next to me is Calca, not me¡­'' He thought about that logic as he adjusted the chair for the queen and decided to sit down in the chair to her left.

    Orlando, Isandro, Enrique and Kelart followed and sat down on the side where Calca and Letyan were, with Remedios deciding to stand between her sister and the queen. On the other side, there were Masato, Bukubuku and Ulbert, with two vacant chairs, but not for long, because before anyone could ask, two more beings were leaving the front door, a man with a uniform that resembles that of a masked scholar full of belts, and the last was a being that could only be described as a rich sorcerer, with a red mask covering his face and a large purple robe with flashy adornments on his shoulders.

    ¡°I present to you! Lord Tabula Smaragdina-sama and, the Leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga-sama!¡± It was announced by the owner of that powerful voice, as those two sat down at the table.

    Momonga, being in the central chair on the Nazarick side, was face to face with the queen of the Roble Holy Kingdom. ¡°It is with joy that we will start this meeting, which for many may be something small, but for us it is of extreme value!¡± He held his hands up as he said this. ¡°Demiurge! While we¡¯re talking, could you bring in the people on the list?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Momonga-Sama!¡± Demiurge said, entering the cabin again.

    ¡°Well¡­ by the looks on all of your faces¡­ I imagine you¡¯re full of questions¡­ But talking enough without getting your mouth wet a little is something I won¡¯t allow at this table.¡± Ulbert commented as he raised his hand, snapping his fingers.

    A maid appeared coming out of the back door of the hut, she carried a tray with 3 jugs of juice, with such ease. Behind her came other maids with trays holding glasses. Upon seeing her, some were even surprised to note that the maid who brought juices looked completely normal, with the exception of having a dog''s head.

    ¡®Paladin Masato warned that they had non-human servants. Still, why do I feel weird watching this?¡¯ Kelart thought.

    ¡°Good afternoon, I bring you a citrus fruit juice, I hope you like the taste. Woof!¡± The dog-headed maid said while the others approached and placed the glasses for each person sitting.

    ¡°It''s a great choice, I missed the drinks from Nazarick.¡± Masato commented with a slight smile and saw his glass being filled with juice. ¡°Thank you very much, Pestonya.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for the beautiful words, Master Touch_Me. Woof!¡± She replied while filling everyone¡¯s cups one by one.

    ¡°So, Mister Momonga¡­ I think the first thing we should ask is everyone¡¯s position here.¡± Calca spoke calmly.

    ¡°So that everyone is aware of their responsibilities. Sir.Masato and Letyan warned me that it was better to bring some people of trust and power, as a way to equalize ourselves a little.¡± The words seem to make the maids there look with a kind of extreme disgust at Calca by trying to compare them to supreme beings, but soon they stop expressing themselves like that when Momonga raises his hand to speak.

    ¡°No problem¡­ You are important people of an entire kingdom¡­ we are seen as more than important due to the way we raise and care for our servants¡­ I think speaking like this makes it easier to understand why Demiurge called us ''Supreme Beings''...¡± He was already clearing some of the doubts as he lowered his hand. ¡°In short¡­ My friends and I are what¡¯s left of our guild, and because of that there have been some job changes¡­ But if we¡¯re to speak in a very general way¡­¡±

    He then started pointing to each of them as he listed them. ¡°Tabula is our alchemist, he takes care of potions and other things related to creating homunculus and manufacturing magic scrolls¡­ Bukubuku is our shield, she has impressive skills that make her absorb an immense amount of damage without problems, currently she takes care of part of entertainment and leisure within Nazarick... Ulbert is our scientist so to speak, he experiments and tries to make discoveries on the offensive magic field, he is very proud of magic that can cause a rain of fire to the heave-¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is very impressive to see the sky turning red¡­ it takes a lot of practice, but over time you can even make all the flames focus on just a single point on the ground!¡± Ulbert ended up interrupting because he was excited, but then he fell silent a little and crossed his arms as if he were slightly ashamed of having said that.

    Momonga coughs a little to regain the others'' attention. ¡°Well... Touch_Me is not just our paladin, he is the strongest among all of us, if we consider destructive and defensive power. He has the most important function currently, using his positivity so that we don''t end up making some wrong decision without realizing it... He was the former leader of our guild, but due to some problems, he decided to give that title to someone else... I ended up being chosen to become the guild leader Ainz Ooal Gown, with the aim of ensuring the best environment for everyone within Nazarick, however, first and foremost, I am a necromancer, which means I can support my servants and allies with hordes of obedient zombies, if necessary .¡±

    Some had their eyes wide open listening to this, but again the queen was the one to speak for them. ¡°So those undead who brought the table, are they your creation?¡±

    ¡°Exactly¡­ from what some of you may know, beings like those normally require several sacrifices¡­ my efficiency as a necromancer is great enough to create one of those beings only needing a corpse¡­ So I guess I can boast about being an excellent necromancer. It might be justifiable- eh¡­ is everything okay?¡± He was responding to the queen when he noticed that one of the people in the other group seemed to be looking at the glass of juice in disbelief.

    ¡°Oh!! Y-Yes, I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ but how can this be so good?!¡± The one who said this was Orlando, who raises his glass in the air. ¡°Is that juice? Natural juice without any potion?!¡±

    Kelart, Calca and Letyan laughed lightly, while Remedios gave an irritated sigh before speaking. ¡°Orlando¡­ We are here precisely because one of the things that will be built is a planting area with fruits, vegetables and others, which are of an extremely higher quality than our best farms.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about my colleague¡­ we came here with the idea that this was a meeting for a diplomatic agreement. We had not been informed of the specification, if he had known, he would clearly have contained the reaction a little.¡± Enrique was the one speaking.

    ¡°I see, I still have people to introduce, but they haven¡¯t arrived from inside the portal yet, so I can talk about that later¡­ now, could you introduce me to these people, Queen Bessarez?¡±

    The queen continued with a slight smile, adjusting her back a little in the chair. ¡°You can call me Calca instead of Bessarez, Mister Momonga... and well, as you already know, I have the role of both the queen and the saint of my kingdom... You may also have already met Kelart Custodio and Letyan Baraja , both work in the magical part of the royal laboratories, being Highpriestess and Battle Sorcerer, respectively. The others here are 4 members of a group recognized by the nobility, named Nine Colors.¡±

    She did the same thing Momonga had done before, pointing to each one she listed. ¡°Remedios, Kelart¡¯s sister, titled The White, is the Paladin Order''s Captain, being the strongest of all... Isandro Sanchez, titled The Pink, works with Remedios as Vice Captain, who takes care of the paladins'' strategies outside of the battlefield.. Enrique Bellse, titled The Blue, he is our Marine''s Leader... And finally, Orlando Campano, the person who leads all Nine Colors, in moments when we need all groups together. The other members were unable to appear, either due to current health problems, or because they were too focused on their tasks.¡±

    ¡°Impressive, so we are in the presence not only of the queen, but of the leader of her armies who work on land and sea? I thank you for bringing these that your trust¡­¡± Ulbert soon noticed that Demiurge was walking back to the table, accompanied by some other floor guardians. ¡°And taking advantage of my dear son returning¡­ I must ask¡­ Have you placed the pillars on the edges of the territory that we will be taking over?¡±

    Oh! Yes, as the organized territory is rectangular, we only placed pillars at the southwest and northwest ends.¡± Letyan responded after drinking some of the juice, not reacting like the others.

    ¡°Perfect¡­ Demiurge, Albedo, I would like you to fly in the indicated directions and then return so that we can ascertain the exact size of our small cultivation territory.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ulbert-Sama.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Father.¡±

    The two opened their wings and flew in each direction, the scene was surprising to say the least for the inhabitants of the Holy Kingdom. They had clearly noticed the wings on the hip area of ??the woman who had just arrived, but the appearance of reptilian wings on the back of the one wearing a red tuxedo was something that was not predicted by the vast majority. It didn''t take minutes, and they were already back there, talking to each other and then Albedo whispering something in Ulbert''s ear.

    ¡°Hm¡­ Due to the real size of the land, we will need to carry out plan C, Momonga.¡±

    ¡°Plan C?¡± Kelart questioned. ¡°Did you already have ideas about how you would use the place depending on its size?¡±

    "Exactly!" Tabula exclaimed, getting up from his chair. ¡°Being Plan C, I think it will be something interesting to say the least... We will divide the cultivation area into 5 parts, two of them being underground and the other three being self-regenerating sectors in cycles.¡±

    ¡°Excuse my ignorance¡­ but did you say underground?¡± Isandro seemed curious.

    ¡°Yes, among our servants, we have this little guy here, he is an excellent Forest Mage.¡± Ulbert said, pointing to Mare, who was standing a little behind Bukubuku.

    ¡°Can a child do this work? I understand that he is a dark elf, but still, isn¡¯t she very young?¡± Enrique commented, observing the dark elf.

    "He. Mare is a boy.¡± Bukubuku spoke with a slight laugh while some were confused, after all he clearly wears women''s clothes.

    ¡°She forces the boy to do crossdressing, just like his sister.¡± Letyan said, getting up and walking around the table to get closer to Bukubuku and her children. ¡°I trust that judgment, but it¡¯s better for you to demonstrate what you can do so they take you seriously, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Mare started to receive a headpat from the young Baraja, the dark elf was obviously shy, his cheeks gaining a slight blush and his eyes staring at the ground. ¡°Y-Yes. I think it would be a good idea to show what I-I¡¯m capable of¡­ Mother?¡± He than finally looked at Bukubuku.

    ¡°Of course, you can do that¡­ But¡­ I recommend something that is related to the task you are going to do.¡± She was thoughtful.

    ¡°How about you create an area that is a little elevated and hollow inside? As if it were two floors of land¡­ An area of ??100 m2 could be a good choice.¡± Letyan continued to headpat the ultra shy dark elf, who strangely gave a smile.

    ¡°O-Okay!!!¡± He seemed willing to do that and was walking a little away from the table.

    All the Holy Kingdom members who were there decided to stand and watch what would happen from now on. It was obvious by their expressions how Kelart, Remedios and Orlando seemed the most skeptical about this, due to the elf''s appearance and manners, making him seem like an ultra fragile boy. Calca was watching with that slight smile on her face, finding it adorable that Letyan would be there, motivating the child.

    ¡°Come on, Mare! You can do it! Show them like you did before when I went to Nazarick!¡±

    ¡°B-but I didn¡¯t do anything that time¡­¡± Mare whispered just for her father to hear.

    ¡°I know, but we need to have an excuse for why I trust you, without showing that I was a member of AOG, silly.¡± He responds in a low voice, lightly squeezing the elf''s cheeks, who appears to have a redder face. ¡°Now, show everyone what you can do, compared to them, you are very powerful, just try to impress with that suggestion of mine.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ a raised floor of 100 m2 is very little, father¡­¡±

    ¡°No problem, just do it, I promise that next time we¡¯re together, we¡¯ll be able to play a lot.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay! Here I come!!¡± He exclaimed, his voice now being heard by everyone at the table. Holding his staff, [Shadow of YGGDRASIL], high, he was cast. ¡°[Earth Surge]!!¡±

    A small earthquake could be felt in the area and in front of Mare a large piece of land began to rise 6 meters into the air. Arriving at the ideal height, the edges of that large piece of land, that connected with the ground level, would solidify as if the material was compacting repeatedly. That done, the dark elf swung his staff again and hit it against the ground, creating an entrance hole in that small mound.

    ¡°Wow¡­.¡± Those were the words that came out of the mouths of those who didn''t know the little one''s strength.

    Everyone got closer to it, while Mare received a light pat from his father and a pat on the back from her sister. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like your best work, but I think it¡¯s worth the expense.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that, he did an excellent job.¡± Letyan said to Aura, pulling one of her ears for saying that as if it were nothing. He only did this because the others were busy taking a closer look at what had been created, instead of looking at his direction.

    ¡°Impressive¡­ and there¡¯s still grass here¡­¡± Enrique commented as he stepped inside the structure, it was practically a floor of a house, only bigger and made purely of earth with perfect grass carpet.

    Calca said, touching the concentrated walls of earth. ¡°I have never seen anything like this being done by a child, his talent is magnificent.¡±

    ¡°Well, he is one of our servants whose job is to protect one of our guild base floors, being that talented is the mandatory requirement.¡± Tabula commented with a deep breath, even after more than 2 months in that world, he was still surprised by this kind of thing. ¡°If I remember correctly, he is powerful enough to be the top 4 power in this role.¡±

    ¡°And who would be in first place?...¡± Remedios asked, still incredulous at what she saw.

    ¡°A vampire who can¡¯t come at the moment. She is tired these days and just wants to sleep and drink tea for now¡­¡± His words made Calca intrigued.

    ¡°A vampire¡­? You guys have it all, it seems.¡± The queen wondered what other races there might be in Nazarick.

    ¡°I think we have such great diversity that it¡¯s difficult to make bets on what doesn¡¯t exist there.¡± The brain eater laughed a little, while fixing his disguise a little.

    ¡°So, can you explain to me what you said besides the part about it being two stories underground?¡± Calca asked, really curious, as she had never heard about it before.

    ¡°Okay, ¡®Self-regenerating sectors in cycles¡¯ means that, when one of the plants is ready for cultivation, we will swap them places with each other. It is a method for the soil to remain rich in nutrients... During this cycle, there will be a moment when the soil must have no plantations, so that it receives all the nutrients from the sun, rain and some organic compounds that we will use... Our group doesn¡¯t know very well how this region behaves during¡­. Upper, Middle and Lower Water Months... so we have an idea of ??creating, separately, a kind of area completely covered with a glass roof, so that we can still have crops during the cold weather.¡± Tabula responded, almost forgetting the name given to the winter months in this new world.

    ¡°That seems like a much more efficient idea than what the nobles, who observe the local farms, had given me.¡± Kelart entered the middle of their conversation. ¡°And as for the information you need, I will try to get the harvest reports, from the last 5 years, delivered directly here. It will be a little complicated to get the reports from the southern region, but you should wait 1 to 2 months to have the papers in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I understand, but you won¡¯t talk to me about that, but rather to Demiurge.¡± The brain eater pointed in the direction of the demon that was currently talking to its creator. ¡°And speaking of which, we haven¡¯t even talked about who the members of our group will be responsible for, right? I think now would be a good time.¡±

    In this way, everyone left that structure created by Mare, and he started to cast other spells to force the terrain to become plain as before. The meeting was almost over, and there was now a line of beings from Nazarick, all side by side to introduce themselves to the queen.

    ¡°It is a great experience being in front of you, Queen Calca Bessarez.¡± Demiurge spoke, for some reason having an aura that made the queen tremble a little, but he continued to speak. ¡°As my father must have said. My name is Demiurge, I am the second in command of the strategic section of Nazarick, and the 7th Floor Guardian¡­ I will be one of those responsible for the bureaucratic part of our entire plan in this field.¡±

    Next to him, there were some of the battle maids, but only one of them spoke. ¡°My name is Yuri Alpha, I am the second person responsible for the bureaucratic part and the probable workers to come here. I will do my best to ensure that the expectations of the Supreme Beings are met here. While the territory and the undead assigned to be here, are being tidied up, some of my sisters will be here making rounds to protect the place.¡±

    ¡°By the great Supreme Beings¡­ My name is Albedo, I am the Overseer of the Floor Guardians. I will be coming to your capital periodically as the main representative if none of my masters are available.¡±

    "Hello! My name is Aura Bella Fiora! I''ll be here helping to prepare the land, using my magic beasts to do it... And you''ve already met my brother, Mare! He will do the same, only using his magic.¡± She said holding Mare by the back of his uniform.

    ¡°H-Hello¡­.¡± he says shyly again.

    ¡°Well, these are everyone you needed to kno-¡± Momonga was speaking when he was suddenly interrupted by a well-known voice.

    ¡°Vater!! Warte auf mich!!! Dont forget dein wundervoller Sohn!!¡±

    ¡°Am I hearing german?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, you are¡­¡± Momonga replied to Touch_Me and looked behind him.

    The being who arrived late had just passed through the portal and was now in front of the queen, saluting. ¡°Nice to meet you, beautiful lady! My name is Pandora¡¯s Actor! I am the son of the great leader of Nazarick, Momonga-sama!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­. eh¡­ nice to meet you¡­¡± Calca was speechless at what she saw, it was basically a being with a face made up of 3 holes, with a strange military uniform, long fingers and that moved in a theatrical way.

    Kelart, Remedios and Isandro looked at the scene with a certain strangeness, greater than before, it was as if they were saying ''Is that the leader''s son?'' with just their faces. While Orlando and Enrique seemed to hold back from laughing, Letyan couldn''t help it and ended up letting out a laugh that soon ended at the same speed it started.

    Giving a slight cough, he even started to say something. ¡°Oh, Pandora¡¯s!! Sch?n dich zu sehen! Ich freue mich so, Ihnen unsere K?nigin vorstellen zu d¨¹rfen! Aber k?nnten Sie erkl?ren, warum Sie hier sind?¡± But his speech was in German¡­?

    The look on everyone''s face was one of extreme confusion, even among the Supreme Beings. ¡°Wait a minute, can you speak German?¡± Tabula asked incredulously.

    ¡°Oh! Of course! I ended up forgetting about that, thank you, Mr. Letyan.¡± Pandora¡¯s Actor replied to Letyan, quickly adjusting the cape of his uniform. ¡°My job in Nazarick is to be the Treasure Guardian¡­ and here it will be the same! I am responsible for taking care of the finances and security of the items inside the warehouses we are going to build!¡±

    ¡°Oh.. I see¡­ And do you have any idea how you¡¯re going to do that?¡± Kelart asked, seeming to recover from what she just witnessed.

    ¡°To store the organic items, they will remain within a stasis spell so that there is no decomposition, at least in here... And I''m thinking of storing 80% in warehouses that are available to your royalty, and 20% in warehouses within Nazarick, where Tabula-Sama can go and take the crops for tests and experiments, in order to see if our plants are doing what we expect or not.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I was actually going to talk about that¡­ thanks for accelerating the process¡­¡± Tabula commented, still a little stunned by the scene from before.

    ¡°No problem, Tabula-sama! My level of organization and proactive thinking is enough that none of you need to worry about my part of the work!!! Ohoho!¡±

    ¡°Seeing how experimental items will be¡­ I think this conversion is even better than we imagined¡­¡± Kelart was the one to say this, now looking at Letyan. ¡°And how did you know this guy¡¯s language?¡±

    ¡°It was automatic, perhaps it is due to the knowledge gained by the katana.¡±

    ¡®We didn¡¯t even know you knew German back than¡­¡¯ All the players seemed to be thinking the same thing.

    After some further conversations about the positions and possible resources that would be needed, that meeting was finally concluded, with the members of the Holy Kingdom leaving the area with the horses, just resting the members of Nazarick plus Letyan there. The boy would remain there just to guide some things that would be interesting, such as the shape and aesthetics that the official hut, warehouses and other structures should follow.

    All of this lasted until the end of the afternoon, the sun had just said goodbye, and phosphorescent flowers, created by Mare, were the only light source in the area outside the cabin. Letyan was sitting on the lawn, having a picnic with the two dark elves and the poltergeist, Bukubuku was approaching from behind, still maintaining her humanoid form and bringing everyone there a bottle of juice and some glasses.

    ¡°I''m glad you can stay here a little longer¡­¡± She said smiling and sitting next to Aura, who was eating a hamburger.

    ¡°I have to be in the capital before 9 pm¡­ I have some things to do in my laboratory that need to be delivered tomorrow afternoon¡­ and as you know, I spent a whole week here, in the middle of the woods, with Masato. ¡± He responded by taking the jug of juice and filling two glasses, taking one for himself and handing the other to Mare, who was sitting on his lap.

    ¡°I can understand¡­¡± She laughed lightly and remembered something. ¡°Oh... speaking of the laboratory, Ulbert finished the brainwashing project, on that woman you and Suzuki brought, yesterday, if you need her to come to you to do an investigation, just ask.¡±

    ¡°Perfect¡­¡± He drank the juice in one gulp, and teased the boy there. ¡°And you¡­ why are you and your sisters so cute? Can you tell me?¡±

    ¡°E-eh?! I-I¡¯m not cute¡­¡±

    ¡°I made you to be cute, so don¡¯t say you aren¡¯t!¡± The slime gave a theatrical laugh, making the two elves feel a little embarrassed.

    That moment was peaceful and very comforting¡­ until a certain gorilla appeared¡­

    "Eh? Has some problem, Albedo?¡± The human player asked, seeing that the succubus NPC was staring at them.

    ¡°I want my Lord Bicorn back¡­¡± Her voice seemed slightly trembling, as if she was frustrated at not being able to ride her own pet, but not being able to do anything about it.

    ¡°Father got to use your precious horse, and you didn¡¯t~¡± Aura teased, with a smug face.

    The two parents just let out a long sigh in sync as they saw the succubus and the dark elf start to fight with each other there, exchanging barbs between one and the other. They decided to just watch and butt in if the situation escalated enough, but at the end of it all, Letyan returned Lord Bicorn to Albedo.

    ¡°Okay, I''m going¡­¡± He stood up, giving the two dark elves'' cheeks a squeeze and a kiss on the poltergeist''s forehead. ¡°As you will be here these days, you can call me and I will come as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, father!¡± ¡°Okay, dad.¡± ¡°I understand, father.¡±

    ¡°Hm.. have a nice trip¡­¡± Bukubuku said with her slime hair wrapping around young Baraja as if it were a tight hug.

    ¡°And I hope you guys have great days here¡­ In fact, I think the surrounding environment looks a lot like the virtual environment on our second tour, don¡¯t you think, Haruka.¡± She laughed a little when she heard what her ex-fiance said.

    ¡°Yes, it seems. I think I¡¯ll watch the recording of the shows in the early hours of the morning.¡±

    Keiko started to whistle the chorus of one of the songs that were most played on that tour, and Haruka started whistling along too. The couple''s children seemed to be a little embarrassed by how tacky this seemed to be, but this was short-lived, as after that, he ended up launching himself into the air with the help of one of Mare''s spells, putting on a union of [Volaticus], [Rapidus Fio] and [Pneuma], to fly at incredible speed towards the capital.

    He managed to get there safe and sound, but unfortunately a little late. How did he know he was late? Simply, when he landed on the balcony of his own room in the castle, he noticed the existence of a certain saint, who was sitting on a chair and with her cheeks full of air.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Hello honey¡­ eh¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask why it took you so long¡­ I bet they kept peppering you with questions about things they couldn¡¯t talk about during the meeting¡­ Still, you¡¯re not one to be late, I was worried.¡±

    ¡°It was more of a situation of confirming things and such, we don¡¯t want a very flashy structure after all¡­¡± He was undoing [Volaticus], with those large raven wings disappearing into the air as if it were fog.

    ¡°But what that little elf showed is already very eye-catching.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ so you can see that I really needed to spend a lot of time with them there to limit those eye-catching things.¡±

    Calca gave a sweet laugh. ¡°Yes yes¡­ well, I was just waiting for that¡­¡± She said, getting closer, placing a soft touch between her and Letyan''s lips. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you gave me a goodnight kiss.¡±

    "Okay. You already know I have work to do, so I¡¯ll see you tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Maybe before breakfast¡­ What do you think?~¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t promise anything! At most, you will have to ask someone to bring me food to the laboratory.¡± He said, raising one hand and walking to the door.

    ¡°Okay, good night, Letty~¡±

    ¡°Good night, Cal.¡± He was leaving the room, taking a deep breath and now walking towards the east tower of the castle.

    Some thoughts began to organize themselves in young Baraja''s mind as he walked. He had just seen his soulmate from his life on Earth, and now he had kissed his girlfriend from his current life, something like that happening was impossible for him to imagine, even that Nazarick was found in this world.

    But what can he do?

    He had already been secretly dating Calca for a long time after being recruited, and it had been a relationship that progressed slowly and smoothly, a sense of her curiosity turned into interest, from interest turned into companionship, and from companionship turned into passion. Being kept secret just because he wasn''t officially a noble, and since she already had a lot of problems related to rumors, he didn''t want to cause anything excessive.

    Well, he already made up his mind anyway, he would continue with his life there as if Nazarick was not a fundamental part, and as for interactions with his former flame, he would be kind, caring and reasonable, without exceeding the limits. With these ideals, thoughts soon became few, until that slight and tiny problem became exactly that, irrelevant to him now.

    Entering his laboratory, it seemed extremely clean, full of vials and some artifacts on the tables and hanging on the walls. A sound of something metal falling was easily noticeable, making the man simply head in that direction. A double-door closet was there, with several glyphs drawn on the door.

    ¡°[Magnes], [Morbus], [Acerbatus]..¡± Using a magnetic glyph and two with curse attributes, the door seemed to open by itself, revealing that it was not just a closet, but rather an entrance to a separate part of the laboratory.

    Unlike the common area, that secret part seemed not to be washed very well, with red stains on the walls and on the stretchers. On the shelves, instead of only to potions, it was possible to see jars with strange contents inside, such as hearts, eyes, severed brains and broken claws, all floating in a transparent and viscous liquid. The noise had been produced by a hacksaw that had fallen from one of the stretchers, next to it, a demihuman, a kitsune, was lying on the floor in the fetal position.

    ¡°Junko¡­ I already told you not to come here without my permission¡­¡± He said, approaching her and helping her sit on one of the stretchers.

    ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t take it¡­. The pain¡­ it is more intense than the last time¡­¡±

    "Pain¡­? Has the medicine stopped working already?... It was supposed to last 6 months at least...¡± He said that thoughtfully as he went to a drawer, taking out a syringe and a bottle with a black and pink potion. ¡°The other two bodies¡­ are you feeling the pain in them too?¡±

    ¡°Kathy and Raven? No¡­ the pain is only in me¡­¡± The orange-furred kitsune had red eyes from crying, staring at the one she saw as her master, as her father, as if begging to give her the medicine quickly.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± He lifts her hair, leaving her neck exposed to inject the medicine, in response to this, her eyes rolled back and she seemed to faint immediately. ¡°There, little one¡­ hmm¡­¡±

    He was now looking into nothiness, or more specifically, something beyond that laboratory. Looking at the being who is reading these words, he just gave a slight smile, bringing his index finger to his own mouth, as if asking for silence against the reader''s curiosity. After all, he didn''t know that a third person PoV would show this side of him.

 Chapter 29- Alchemical Duo

    Two cauldrons had their fireplaces lit, a pleasant sound of liquids bubbling could be heard quite easily. This caught the attention of the young man who was there, stopping what he was doing to see how the things he was preparing were going.

    A slight smile could be seen forming on his face. ¡°Woah¡­ I think I got it right this time¡­¡± He said as he observed the various colors that were in the cauldron to his left, and using a large dark wood spoon, he started to mix everything until it was homogeneous.

    Seeing a color that was a mix of blood red and royal blue, he seemed satisfied, turning off the fire in that cauldron and going to take care of the other one nearby. It seemed like he didn''t need to do anything with that one, so he took three herbs that were already on a counter, squeezing their leaves and letting the little oil inside them enter the container. ¡°Perfect¡­ I hope that Professor likes this¡­¡±

    Without waiting too long for it to cool down, he went to a nearby drawer and took out some potion bottles. With a kind of long tweezers, he picked up the bottles by the tip, one by one, he sank them into the cauldron on the left and took them out when they were full of that content. He carefully placed the bottles in the center of the wooden table nearby, on top of a red velvet cloth.

    He sweated a lot during the process, having to be very careful, repeating the task until the entire cauldron was emptied. And when he finished, he let out a sigh of relief, as if it were something great for him. However, he soon remembered the other cauldron, and instead of bottles, he seemed to grab a large glass jar and some mugs to be filled.

    A door slamming made him lose focus a little, almost knocking over one of the mugs. Looking at the nearest door, it gained a slight glow on the sides and when it was opened, it was possible to see a tall woman, wearing very dark clothes, with equally black hair covering her face. In front of her, there was a small table on wheels with some laboratory ingredients on top, in addition to other more mundane items.

    ¡°Good morning, Miss Nigredo. How has your morning been?¡± The alchemist asked with a slight smile. It seems that the period of almost two months there had made him completely accustomed to the NPC''s appearance.

    ¡°Hm¡­ good morning, alchemist, I''m fine¡­ nothing unusual happened.¡± She answered, leaving the ingredients near the table, but soon she noticed what was on top of the table itself. ¡°I see you finished the stamina potions that Father asked you to train¡­¡± She picked up one of the vials. ¡°The shade of purple is very close¡­ not completely, but enough for amateurs to absolutely believe.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I was also preparing some other energy drinks that cannot be considered potions, as they have a lesser effect than a potion itself.¡± Nfirea showed the mug full of the contents of the cauldron on the right, placing it on the table.

    Curiosity arose in the NPC, who slowly picked up the mug and brought it closer to her face, smelling a scent that was quite pleasant for Nazarick''s standards. As she took a sip, she reacted by turning her face to the alchemist, the potions on the table and the mug in her hands. "You made a chocolate drink with 20% of the expected stamina potion''s effect..."

    "Yes, in this case I''m making this so that it''s something I drink as first thing in the morning so I can train more and more throughout the day without getting tired."

    "Impressive logic... I''d like to take this to Nazarick to test something, if you don''t mind..."

    "No problem, Miss Nigredo! I can, after today''s training, make another cauldron full of this."

    Nigredo was thoughtful as she placed the mug on the table. She didn''t want to say this in front of the human, but it was a bit rare to create a mix of common meals and potions. In her mind, the only other person who could do something like that without using skills was Clavu, the myconid created by the supreme being BluePlanet.

    She shook her head slightly as she picked up a watering can she had brought among the mundane items, as she had been ordered by Tabula to water the plants. However, she was stopped before leaving the kitchen by Nfirea asking. ¡°Did Professor Tabula say anything about my permission to visit Carne Village?¡±

    Nigredo took a few seconds to answer, as if that kind of thing was useless information to her, so she had to try hard to remember. ¡°Yes¡­ Father said you can visit the village¡­ tomorrow, I imagine¡­ And that will be considered a day off¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for telling me about that!!¡± He exclaimed happily, and soon Nigredo continued his task.

    After finishing tidying up the kitchen, Nfirea began to train other potions that had been taught during that month, such as healing potions, physical resistance, fortification and antidotes for poisons in general. He did this with everything he had access to inside the cabin, taking a few hours to do it, only going through the special door to Tabula¡¯s Laboratory, at a time when he needed to use some of the equipment there that was not possible to move from one place to another.

    The laboratory was large, full of shelves with various potions, two central tables with space between them for mobility, with some devices on top of them or even attached. At the moment, there were some homunculus maids cleaning things, they seemed to ignore the human, or at least that was what Nfirea thought.

    Unbeknownst to him, when they noticed his existence in the room, they had an expression of disgust and horror that such an inferior being was there. Apparently, even if a supreme being says that there is an acceptable or incredible human, the vast majority of NPCs will still have a vision that this is an insect that should be killed.

    The young man soon took the basket that contained the vials with liquids that he prepared, and started using some machines that were there. One of them served to spin a vial that was full of herbal tea at high speed, separating the liquids inside it by density. Another he used to heat the contents of one of the vials at a heat above what he could achieve with the cauldrons in the cabin, allowing most of the contents to become gas and what he wanted to remain there as liquid.

    Tabula had barely spoken the names of those machines, and had told the boy that he didn''t need to know their names, just how they worked and what they accomplished as a final product. Nfirea had accepted this without any problems, after all, he only used those things when he reached the point of production where he was hindered by his previous knowledge. It was practically the final step to ensure that the item was truly at the level of a ¡°supreme being¡±...

    While he waited for the equipment to finish, he was crushing some of the herbs that had been given to him in the morning, adding an acidic liquid during the process, making what was there become a thin and slightly sticky residue of a yellowish color, which was actually one of the things that impressed him, since the herbs were naturally purple and red. However, something made him startle while he was wondering if it was good to put it inside one of the potions, it was a touch on his shoulder that seemed to be quite heavy.

    ¡°Oh¡­.. Hello¡­ I see that you are not having any problems¡­. good, very good¡­¡± It was Rubedo, she was staring at the boy, without showing much emotion and then she looked at the equipment. ¡°I see that you are decanting and evaporating the impurities of the plants in your region¡­¡±

    ¡°H-Hello, Miss Rubedo¡­ sorry, but when did you come in here?¡±

    ¡°I came in a few minutes ago, you were already doing your work when I arrived¡­¡± Rubedo only answered the facts.

    Nfirea had an expression of fear hidden behind his long bangs, after all he hadn''t heard that an incredibly heavy and tall automaton had arrived. He interacted with Nigredo the most out of all of Tabula''s daughters, and there were a few times he interacted with Rubedo as well, but this was the first time he realized how imperceptible that walking furnace could be.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ may I know why you''re here¡­?¡± He was really curious.

    ¡°Father told me he needs a potion from you, to be more specific, an antidote for poison and paralysis¡­¡±

    The eyes behind those bangs widened. A potion? Tabula, a super alchemist, was asking for a potion for his disciple? That didn''t make the slightest sense in the young man''s head.

    Luckily, Rubedo noticed the human''s confusion with that, she herself found something like that absurd, she understood that it was truly something impossible to believe, but it was a fact that she began to explain. ¡°Father said this is a surprise test for you¡­ You will be taken in about 1 hour to a place where we will have a patient who needs this potion¡­ He wants to test to see how efficient you are at the moment¡­ You don¡¯t need to worry about the pressure of having a life at risk, after all, Father obviously already has some potions for this, your only pressure is the time to make the product.¡±

    The boy seemed to completely understand the situation, now being more objective in what he asked. ¡°Miss Rubedo, you only said ¡®poison¡¯ and ¡®paralysis¡¯¡­ is there any specific information about that?¡± In response to this, she gave a slight smile, but shook her head negatively.

    ¡°Then I have to assume that it¡¯s a mid-level poison and paralysis for Nazarick¡­¡± Nfirea muttered to himself, asking another question. ¡°What is the maximum level of these effects known to Nazarick, and what is considered ¡®normal¡¯ for you guys?¡±

    ¡°The maximum level we have access to is considered something at tier 8. What we consider normal and simple is something at tier 4.¡± she replied, nonchalantly.

    He had a slight understanding of what those ¡°tiers¡± were from one of the books he had studied in the cabin, one called ¡°Buffs and Debuffs of the Yggdrasil Tree for Newbies¡±. Tier 4 corresponded to things that could leave permanent damage if some medicine was not given, something that is literally impossible for the body¡¯s system to recover naturally by itself.

    Coming out of his thoughts for a moment, the alchemist returned to the wood cabin, going to get some ingredients, and then return to start producing the potion. It was clear from his expression during the process how confident he was in the individual part, but to combine the potions into one and maintain the same effectiveness? Then his confidence almost completely dropped, after all, there had never been a need for him to do something like that before, since it was always more profitable to sell both things separately.

    With only a few minutes left until the deadline, Nfirea had to think about putting some theoretical knowledge into practice. Imagining the finished potions as basic ingredients for another potion, he tried to use some methods to make the same one he would make to effectively extract the healing properties of two different herbs. At the end of it, he had, inside a spherical container with flames heating below, a purple liquid that was gradually becoming homogeneous with the yellow of one of the potions.

    The boy smiled, seeing that it at least seemed to have worked. Testing its full efficiency was something that there wouldn''t be time for. However, he managed to do his best and hoped that Tabula would be able to notice this in Rubedo''s reports.

    ¡°Yoholoooo~¡± A very recognizable voice filled the laboratory, making everyone there, even the homunculus maids, look in that direction.

    The supreme being scientist had just arrived, he was already dressed in the disguise of his human alter ego, Harry Pandemonium Lovecraft. He walked around the laboratory, looking at Nfirea for a moment and then at the finished potion. ¡°Looks like I arrived at the best time! Perfect!!! I hope the test wasn''t that complicated, since it was something last minute. What''s your honest reaction to this?¡±

    ¡°Professor, the test was more of a tough thing to do rather than a complicated one¡­¡±

    ¡°Tough?¡± The brain eater showed some curiosity with his choice of words.

    ¡°I ended up having to do some things I¡¯ve never done in my life and that there was no information about in the books¡­ I don¡¯t know if you don¡¯t know this, but it¡¯s really super unusual to make a potion that has more than one effect.¡±

    ¡°A potion with two effects is super unusual? And there was no information about it in the books?! But I had given you at least 4 books that were generic, but had chapters about merging buf-¡± Tabula soon stopped talking when he remembered a slight detail¡­ ¡°I forgot to create a translation for you¡­ Argh¡­ Okay, I¡¯m sorry, my precious disciple, I ended up leaving you blind¡­¡±

    Rubedo and the maids there were wide-eyed when they heard those words. A supreme being, a god to them, just apologized to a simple human? ¡°N-No problem, Professor¡­ I hope my grade takes that detail into account¡­¡± Nfirea seemed a bit confused by all the reaction around him.

    ¡°Yes¡­ that will be taken into account, my young disciple! Anyway, let¡¯s go, I want you to take the equipment I gave you last week¡­ According to what I was informed, this person will have to receive a potion directly inside their body.¡±

    Nfirea understood what was requested, returning to the cabin and then being presented with a kind of large bag, which he carried by putting the strap on his shoulder. There was already a temporary portal waiting for him so that he and Professor Lovecraft could disappear from Nazarick. The other side of the portal was a medium-sized entrance hall, with decorations that were more normal to see.

    In front of the two, a butler stood, bowing slightly. He had short white hair and a well-groomed beard, and was dressed impeccably, almost as if he were the ideal image of what one would expect from an experienced butler. Even with that uniform, Nfirea could tell that the butler also had a great physique, given the size of his torso and arms.

    ¡°Tabula-Sama, it¡¯s a pleasure to have you here¡­ I hope I didn¡¯t get in the way by having you come here.¡±

    ¡°No problem, Sebas¡­ Nfirea, this is Sebas Tian, ??he¡¯s one of our NPCs, an impeccable man with incredible attributes to say the least.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ don¡¯t say that, Tabula-Sama¡­ I know my qualities are nothing compared to the Supreme Beings¡­¡± Sebas said, straightening his posture.

    ¡°And Sebas, this is Nfirea Bareare, my disciple. The reason I said I would come here was so we could take advantage of the situation and do a little test for him. Don''t worry, if there''s anything wrong, I''ll intervene myself." Sebas nodded as he heard Tabula''s situation.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Tian..." Nfirea said quickly, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "Could you show me where the patient is?"

    Without delay, the butler led the two alchemists to a room, where they saw a blonde woman dressed in noble clothes that left her cleavage very exposed. She was sitting on a chair, and next to said chair, there was a sofa. This sofa was being used by a maid with more vivid blonde hair, who, by the expression on her face, didn''t seem to be doing well at all.

    The one sitting on the chair stood up when she saw the presence of the alchemists, walking and bowing to the Master among the two. ¡°Tabula-Sama¡­ it is an immense honor to be in your presence¡­¡± She quickly looked to the side, at Nfirea, with an expression of disgust, but she did not dare to speak.

    ¡°Hello Solution, I hope my disciple here is not causing you any problems¡­ after all, I was the one who chose him for his incredible abilities¡­¡± The brain eater noticed how the situation was, he understood that the NPCs of Nazarick had, for the most part, problems with humans, but to demonstrate something like this in this context? Unacceptable.

    ¡°No problem, Professor¡­¡± Nfirea intervened. ¡°Miss Nigredo explained to me a bit of the story about how¡­ humans always attacked your guild¡­ I can sense when I¡¯m not so welcome.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, you ARE extremely welcome, so I can consider the fact that some of them acted like this towards you as an affront to my choices.¡± Tabula¡¯s words made Solution look surprised, her eyes wide as if she had committed a grave sin and only now realized it. ¡°Anyway, go and help the girl already.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Nfirea walked over to the sofa. ¡°Hm¡­ excuse me¡­ I¡¯ll have to see your arm here¡­¡±

    Carefully, Nfirea lifted the sleeve of that maid¡¯s uniform, until her forearm was completely exposed. Taking a cloth and some alcohol, he began the process of cleaning a little above her wrist, thus preparing her body. Inside his bag, he took out a small, cubic device with a thin tube and a needle at the end.

    ¡°Okay¡­ different from the usual¡­ in your case, I¡¯ll need to put the antidote directly into your blood, okay?¡± The alchemist was being kind and always waiting for the patient¡¯s permission.

    When the maid weakly nodded, he slowly put the needle into her arm. That done, Nfirea took the potion he had produced and poured the contents into the machine through a hole in it. That potion was then processed and then injected into the maid¡¯s body. It was a slow and continuous process that made her sleep, now all that was left was to wait for the machine to finish injecting everything.

    ¡°Excuse me for asking, but I wasn¡¯t told what actually happened, just what she had suffered¡­ Sebas Tian, ??can you tell me about it?¡± The boy asked while sitting on the floor, next to the machine.

    The butler waited for Tabula¡¯s permission to speak, and when he received such permission, he explained. ¡°We were doing a common routine that we have here in the capital, when we received a noble¡­ This visitor was looking for this maid, Tuare, because she was being sold as a sex slave before I took her in¡­ Let¡¯s just say that this noble didn¡¯t like the fact that she wasn¡¯t in his market very much, and apparently he poisoned her somehow before he left, when I wasn¡¯t looking¡­¡±

    ¡°A noble?... What a situation. Knowing that you are part of Ainz Ooal Gown makes me slightly relieved, but if you weren¡¯t, you would be in serious trouble¡­ not just you, but her as well.¡±

    ¡°I understand your concern, young disciple Nfirea, but I am afraid I can say with confidence that there are only 41 beings that I would not be able to defeat under any circumstances.¡± Tabula gave a light laugh at Sebas¡¯ comment.

    The two alchemists decided to stay there while they waited for Tuare to recover, with Sebas bringing some cookies and Solution present, just silently observing how carefree that human interacted with a supreme being. This scene could only be represented by the words ¡°insanity¡± and ¡°insolence¡±, in her view.

    ¡°The taste of these cookies is incredible. Are you sure you didn¡¯t use ingredients from Nazarick?¡± Tabula exclaimed in wonder.

    The food that Fuyuki, Tabula¡¯s old name, had access to on Earth was horrible, passing for dry cookies, food tubes, vitamin pills, and only on celebration days, would he eat something simpler and more expensive like hamburgers, soda and beer. The food of Nazarick, from the time when Yggdrasil mimicked flavors through the Neural Link, even at the time when they entered the new world, where everything became real, was delicious and magnificent, something that would be expected for a supreme king. As for the food native to that new world, it was a middle ground between the two other experiences.

    Even so, Nazarick''s food was so good that the middle ground was often considered trash. It''s no wonder that one of the first official things they did was to form an alliance with the Holy Kingdom to set up farms using resources from Yggdrasil. Given all this, it was to be expected that the Brain Eater would be immensely surprised and happy to eat those cookies that were of excellent quality, even if they were still below the level of the guild''s food.

    "At most, I used some of the basic utensils I brought with me for aesthetics. Maybe that''s enough to raise the level of the food." Sebas replied as he glanced lightly at the maid lying there. She seemed to be a little better already, so he helped her to at least sit on the sofa, also handing her a plate of cookies and a glass of juice.

    "And it looks like our patient can move now? Perfect." Tabula smiled beneath her disguise, adjusting her top hat.

    "T-thank you... uh... for taking care of me... I don''t know what to say, I don''t feel like I deserve something like that..." She looked super embarrassed, with her cheeks slightly red and her face turned to one side. From the angle, it was obvious that she didn''t have the courage to look in Sebas'' direction.

    "It''s okay, Sebas Tian told me a little about you...I am happy to know that he found someone of your caliber." Tabula only said that to provoke more reaction from the poor maid, but he soon looked at Pleiade who was there. "Solution, analyze her body and give me a comparison of the state before and after."

    Without even thinking twice, the servant who had disguised herself as a noble did as she was asked. Approaching that maid, she touched her shoulder, giving the girl a very cold feeling. After that, Solution spoke in a monotonous manner. ¡°The effects of Paralysis and Poison have been drained. There is still some poison in her body, but it is so minimal, that I would say that in 3 hours her body will have no traces.¡±

    ¡°Perfect¡­ So¡­ Nfirea, if we are to take into account the surprise test¡­ you got¡­ 95 points out of 100.¡± Tabula said happily and slightly ruffled the young alchemist¡¯s hair. ¡°Good job.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± He smiled and then looked at the maid. ¡°And it¡¯s good to know that everything is fine now¡­ Anyway, my name is Nfirea Bareare. I am an alchemist in advanced training.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ an alchemist rather than a healer? I didn''t expect that... but... I''ve never seen you around the capital.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it''s just that I live in E-Rantel and I only walk around the surrounding area- Wait, capital?¡± The boy quickly looks at his master. ¡°Harry... you teleported me to the capital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we''re in the capital now... why do you ask? Have you never been here before?¡± The mentor saw his disciple shake his head, making him laugh. ¡°If that''s the case, I can ask Sebas to give you a quick tour around here, but only to places that are wide open and safe.¡±

    ¡°That would be great... I never thought I''d be here.¡±

    ¡°Wait, teleport?¡± The maid seemed quite surprised.

    Sebas sat down next to her, placing his heavy hand very carefully on her head, as if arranging her hair a little. ¡°My real masters are people with this level of skill, but it''s a little complex to explain.¡±

    She nodded, and soon returned to the previous conversation. ¡°Hm¡­ you introduced yourself¡­ so nothing could be simpler than doing the same. My name is Tuareninya Veyron¡­ until now I worked as¡­ eh¡­ let¡¯s say that now I work as a simple maid in this house.¡±

    Nfirea didn¡¯t seem like he was going to question the work part that much, as he already understood the difficulty of the situation from what Sebas had said earlier. However, upon hearing the name of that maid, it was as if a burst of thought had arisen, making his eyes widen beneath his bangs, a hand on his chin, deepening the idea even further.

    ¡°Excuse me for asking¡­¡± It took him a while to actually speak, since he would be a little embarrassed if his idea was wrong. ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t you happen to have someone in your family named Ninya? Eh¡­ She¡¯s a very young spellcaster, a little shorter than me, brown hair, blue eyes like yours¡­¡±

    Tuare had a very astonished expression, to the point of covering his mouth. ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know about being a spellcaster¡­ but other than that¡­ it seems like you¡¯re describing my little sister.¡±

    Tabula was interested in this conversation, so he listened. He remembered that there was a Ninya among the adventurers who were with Nfirea and Momon, but he didn''t know any other details. It was interesting for the brain eater to hear the story from his apprentice''s perspective.

    Then the disciple began to tell a little about the context in which he met Tuare''s sister. The sister herself listened to all of this with astonishment, a few tears running down her face, but they quickly disappeared, since Sebas was there to wipe the girl''s face with a handkerchief.

    They continued to talk, with the supreme being there deciding to leave the two alone, calling the NPCs to go with him to talk about a separate matter. Now they were in the corridor outside that room.

    ¡°Sebas, I managed to understand how much that woman seems to be, in some way, a method of affectionate relationship in which you are learning not only the idea of ??living with humans and understanding their customs, but it is also a way for you to express everything that our fellow paladin did when he raised you¡­¡± He said as some tentacles came out from under his overcoat, as if he were stretching a little, after all, he was always wrapping the tentacles around each other to maintain that disguise.

    He soon spoke again after putting the tentacles inside his overcoat again. ¡°Because of this fact, because she is apparently being targeted by attacks and because she is a relative of someone Momonga trusts¡­ I think it is better to take her to Nazarick to live and work there.¡±

    ¡°But, Tabula-Sama¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be absurd?! A human living among us?¡± Solution seemed quite affected upon seeing that kind of situation.

    ¡°I have my own disciple who is a human, the reason I have him is to see the possible limits for humans in this world, in addition to the fact that he has a special ability, which allows him to use any item without the prerequisites¡­¡± He reminded them of that fact and continued. ¡°And as I said, this girl has her roles that seem to be essential to improve and see the situation of coexistence between us and humans. AND¡­ Even if you weren¡¯t there that day, we recently held a meeting with the neighboring kingdom, to acquire the status of allies, with the ultimate goal of generating a healthy coexistence between all sentient species.¡±

    The brain eater gently touched the shoulder of the predator slime, who had her eyes wide open and vibrated slightly because she was afraid that the greatness next to her was angry. ¡°Can you understand¡­ how much your racist views are going against not only our current goals¡­ but the goals our guild had in our early days?...¡± His voice was also very serious.

    ¡°Sebas¡­ tell her the primary goal of Ainz Ooal Gown. She seems to have forgotten¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Tabula-sama. From what I¡¯ve been told, the goal of the great Supreme Beings guild, long before our creation as their servants, was to be a grand and powerful group that not only attacked those who wanted to cause chaos, but also helped friendly players, regardless of their race.¡±

    ¡°Yes.. that¡¯s right¡­ You are the creation of our group¡¯s initial leader, I expected no less from you.¡± He seemed pleased with Sebas¡¯ answer and then looked at Solution again. ¡°If I or anyone else makes a plan, I appreciate that at least you and the others have your own opinions¡­ but at the moment when it¡¯s obvious how much you¡¯re hindering our preparations¡­ I¡¯d like you to keep quiet, stare at the fucking wall and think very carefully about whether or not there¡¯s an advantage to our goals¡­ Tell me now¡­ Can you understand the advantages of having that girl?¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Y-Y-Yes, Tabula-Sama¡­.¡± Solution continued to tremble a little, as if she was a jelly in the middle of a weak earthquake

    ¡°Then tell me to my face what the advantage is, so we can see if you really understand¡­¡±

    ¡°T-The advantage is that¡­ Ainz Ooal Gown is looking for methods to create p-peaceful alliances, having her with us will gradually get us use-used to the existence of Humans n-near us¡­¡±

    ¡°Perfect, you understand. Great.¡± He sighed in relief and adjusted his top hat. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Pestonya or Yuri to be her mentors so she can understand how things work in Nazarick¡­ but before all that¡­ Sebas, ask her if she really wants to be with us, in exchange for more security and even a calmer life¡­ Don¡¯t mention at any time that we¡¯re heteromorphs, at most tell her that the people in our group are of different races who live together like one big¡­ family. She will only be allowed to know about our true nature if she accepts, and the person to tell her about our true nature has to be one among us supreme beings¡­ is that agreed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Tabula-Sama!¡± The two replied, with Sebas entering the room to have the conversation.

    A few minutes passed and the butler approached the supreme being again, showing himself present before reporting the situation. ¡°She accepted the idea for her safety and for my sake¡­ Apparently the young disciple Nfirea helped her understand a little about the context in which we live.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did he say?¡± the brain eater asked curiously.

    ¡°Things like ¡®The place is full of various races¡¯, ¡®Humans who were invited receive protection¡¯, ¡®The owners of the place are understanding with people like us¡¯¡­ That last part, I interpreted as being ¡®chosen people¡¯.¡± Sebas said that, but soon after bowed again. ¡°I thank you again, for allowing this idea of ??her being brought to Nazarick.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, no problem, I think Touch_Me will love to know about thi-¡± The brain eater¡¯s tentacles wiggled inside his clothes for a moment. ¡°Hm... Did you feel that? Upstairs¡­¡±

    ¡°It must be the people from the group that attacked Tuare before¡­ We were surrounded by anti-sound magic at the time, in preparation for your presence. The silence may have made them think there was no one home.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Sebas, tell those two to enter the portal and for Tuare to stay in my disciple¡¯s cabin just for now¡­¡± Tabula seemed to be activating some skill, as a blue aura surrounded his disguise. ¡°Solution, help me knock them out¡­¡±

    ¡°With all my pleasure.¡± She smiled broadly and followed the brain eater.

    As ordered, the two had to go through the portal, with Sebas still remaining in the mansion. Nfirea helped her to at least sit on one of the chairs in the kitchen, asking her if she would like a drink, which she refused.

    Time passed, without much conversation happening in the cabin until it was obvious, looking out the window, that it had gotten dark. The young alchemist continued to be careful with his guest, offering her a cup of coffee and some cake, which she finally accepted.

    ¡°So¡­ Where exactly are we?¡± She seemed to be trying to feed her own curiosity as she drank her coffee.

    ¡°We are in the Great Forest of Tob, to be more specific, near E-Rantel¡­ We can say that we are on the other side of the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Impressive¡­¡± Tuare now looked at the ceiling and then at some of the shelves there that had books. ¡°Why are there books in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Some are recipe books that the inhabitants of Nazarick have, others are instructions for potions that I keep here, since I also make some of them in the kitchen¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ I know you talked to Mr. Sebas before, about what Nazarick is¡­ but could you be more specific?¡­ I mean¡­ what kind of place is it¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh. Of course! It¡¯s basically an underground dungeon that serves as the base for the Ainz Ooal Gown guild. My mentor is one of the founders, those two, Sebas and¡­ I think the other one¡¯s name was Solution¡­ they are workers of those founders.¡± Nfirea tried to find ways to explain that she would understand. ¡°They mentioned you working there as a maid¡­ From the way my mentor and his daughters explained to me about Nazarick¡­ you will probably be staying on the 9th Floor.¡±

    ¡°9th Floor¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s basically where the DUNGEON itself ends, which serves as protection, and where their true guild¡¯s base begins. And I¡¯m sorry if I can¡¯t answer everything¡­ I don¡¯t know that much about the place as a whole, the most I know is about the floors where my mentor¡¯s daughters work¡­¡± A sort of strong wind sound appeared near them, Nfirea didn¡¯t need to turn his head to know what it was. ¡°And apparently one of them has arrived¡­ Good evening, Miss Nigredo.¡±

    ¡°Good evening, young master Nfirea¡­¡± The NPC walked through that door carrying a tray that had some jars of sweets. ¡°Father informed me that we had a visitor here, and that she would be working with us, so I asked to bring some sweets to welcome her.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­? You never call me ¡®master¡¯¡­ did something happen?¡± He asked, taking a candy from the jar.

    ¡°Father told me that he did a surprise test and that he was extremely pleased and impressed with you¡­ To impress someone like him, I imagine that you deserve this title, being his disciple.¡±

    The young alchemist laughed, a little embarrassed about the way she said that. Meanwhile, Tuare watched that woman with a look of shock, having noticed, in the middle of that long hair, a face made of muscles and no skin. The apprentice had to explain to the new member that this was something normal within Nazarick, and to add heat to the situation, Nigredo ended up slipping out the fact that Solution is a slime and Sebas is a dragonoid.

    The two humans there seemed to be in extreme shock. Solution being a Slime was understandable, since they both saw her smiling absurdly, as if her face was stretching, but Sebas being a dragonoid was something important. After all, dragons are believed to be almost divine beings in that world, due to several tales, myths and legends surrounding their existence.

    ¡°A dragon was taking care of me¡­?¡± Tuare looked like he was going to faint at any moment from the surprise.

    ¡°Not a dragon, a dragonoid¡­ It¡¯s a hybrid species¡­ and from what I was able to understand during Father¡¯s conversations with other supreme beings¡­ The dragons from the place where we come from are not the same as the dragons here.¡± Nigredo was explaining, she herself decided to take one of the sweets she had brought and taste it.

    ¡°You say it as if you were from another place¡­¡± The maid spoke confusedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s complicated actually¡­ I also couldn¡¯t really understand the situation¡­ But it seems like it¡¯s something related to a place so far away, that the things that affect the kingdoms around us don¡¯t even seem to affect where they were.¡± Nfirea tried to ease the situation.

    ¡°Yes, we came from a very distant place and our home was teleported here completely¡­ The supreme beings themselves say they don¡¯t really understand what did this, and we are now trying to understand our new environment¡­ That¡¯s why Solution and Lord Sebas were in the capital, it was a mission to mix with the common people and understand the state of this kingdom¡­¡± The NPC was arranging her hair with her fingers.

    ¡°So it was a meeting by pure luck¡­¡±

    Tuare was thinking about her situation, after all she had been taken from her home and used as an object of pleasure for a long time, until a stranger saved her, treated her like a living being, and what¡¯s more, would she have a chance to meet her little sister? It was as if the stars were aligning for her, even though these said stars didn¡¯t know of her existence.

    It was decided that Tuare would spend at least some time there in the cabin until a place was ready for her. And so the night went on, with her using Nfirea''s room, while he stayed awake doing things in the kitchen, preparing various treats and different foods. When dawn broke, the alchemist would be lying on the sofa in the living room, with his face buried in a pillow. On the small table next to the sofa, there were some bags full of things he would take to Carne Village.

    ¡°Is everything alright, young master Nfirea?¡± Tuare asked, already dressed in her maid uniform.

    ¡°I''m fine¡­ resting a bit¡­ And why do you call me ¡®Young master¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Lady Nigredo called you that before, and since I''m going to work as a maid in Nazarick, I imagine you''re far above me¡­¡±

    It took the alchemist a while to understand those words, rubbing his hands against his eyes. ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­ no need to call me that, Tuare¡­ you¡¯re basically the older sister of someone who was protecting me¡­ it makes me feel weird¡­ Anyway¡­ have you had breakfast?¡±

    Tuare shook her head, making Nfirea get up and go make something simple, a cup of chocolate milk and a toast with red fruit jam for each of them. The maid tried at all times to stop Nfirea from doing that so that she would do it instead of him, but he refused, even though she was a maid, she was still the guest there.

    The breakfast, which was incredibly tasty, didn¡¯t last long, because someone knocked on the front door, drawing the attention of the two. The girl decided to get up and open the door, revealing a woman in a nun¡¯s uniform and a war mace on her back. Her eyes were a vibrant yellow that seemed to look deep into the maid¡¯s soul.

    ¡°Huh¡­? Where¡¯s Tabula-Sama¡¯s disciple?¡± the nun asked.

    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m here!¡± He was returning to the main room, his mouth slightly sticky with jam.

    The nun smiled broadly as she watched the scene. ¡°Hm¡­ My name is Lupusregina, but my adventurer name is Lucia Bonaparte. I¡¯m one of the Battle Maids of Nazarick, Pleiades. I came here to pick you up for your visit to Carne Village.¡± She soon looked back at the maid there. ¡°And you¡­? I wasn¡¯t informed about you¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a person who¡¯s going to be trained to be a new maid, her name is Tuare¡­ Uh¡­ Professor Tabula said that, and that he would send a maid named Pastyona to train her.¡± The alchemist explained himself, creating a friendlier smile on Lupusregina¡¯s face.

    ¡°Her name is Pestonya Shortcake Wanko, she¡¯s the Head Maid of the 9th Floor.¡± The werewolf corrected some facts, giving a light laugh and looking at Tuare. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be working with the homunculi, huh? Your appearance seems to be perfect enough to blend in with them¡­¡±

    When Lupus raised that point, Nfirea kept looking at Tuare. ¡°Huh¡­? She¡¯s right, you look a lot like some of them.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I just need to take you, not her.¡± The Pleiade said, moving away from the door.

    ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll keep things clean here, we¡¯ll see each other¡­ tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the idea is that I¡¯ll stay a whole day in Carne.¡± He was picking up the bags with the food.

    After Nfirea left the house, Lupusregina suddenly grabbed him, carrying him on her back. This made his face extremely red as he was taken out of the cabin¡¯s territory. Tuare was just standing there watching the situation, but then she finally noticed the very colorful and beautiful flowers there in the garden, her first job would be to water them.

    <hr>

    [Returning to the Capital. . .]

    Some guards were walking down the main street of Re-Estize, they seemed to be talking to each other about the training they had recently. But why would they be talking about it so much? Gazef Stronoff himself, the Warrior Captain, was with them the whole time, the conversation was about him giving tips and ideas for future training.

    ¡°Mr. Stronoff, do you really think doing this will be a good idea?¡± one of the guards, blond and a little short, asked, quickly shaking his head. ¡°Not that I¡¯m doubting your wonderful ideas, but we would have to get permission from other high-ranking guards.¡±

    ¡°No problem, Climb. I¡¯ll check with them about that¡­ you¡¯re not incredibly talented right now, but you show enough aptitude for me to see potential in you¡­¡± Gazef seemed to yawn a little, even though he was completely awake. ¡°The style used in official training is really something that doesn¡¯t let you show where you really shine. The idea of ??soldiers fighting each other during training, instead of training resistance and solo sword cuts, will make a large part of them understand where each one has talent¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ was that how your master taught you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he was very strict, the training was done only with him present in the room, half of it involved preparing to hold the sword well and concentrate, the other part involved battling against him, with the objective being to cause some cut in tissues that we used in the vital parts of our bodies.¡±

    ¡°Woah¡­ That sounds interesting to do¡­ Hm¡­¡± Climb looked around the streets for a bit, remembering an event that happened a few days ago. After waiting for the others to leave, he asked curiously. ¡°Mister Gazef¡­ What would be your opinion on the groups that work in the shadows around here?¡±

    The Warrior Captain raised an eyebrow, confused. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±

    ¡°I recently saw a really strong guy, he was fainting and scaring some guys who seemed to want to kidnap a young lady¡­ He did it with his own hands as if it were nothing.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ kidnappings you mean¡­? Well, I don¡¯t usually get notified of these kinds of things because I¡¯m so busy in the castle being the king¡¯s guard¡­ It amazes me that you manage to find time to know about these things, after all you are Princess Renner¡¯s guard.¡± Gazef seemed to be thinking. ¡°But for you to ask that¡­ how often does this kind of thing happen?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see it happening directly, that was my first time, but I heard some reports saying that it was quite common, especially for that group, the Eight Fin-¡± Climb¡¯s answer was suddenly interrupted when they saw a man being thrown a great distance and hitting his back against the ground.

    Looking at the person in front, it was possible to see another man with white hair and beard, a butler¡¯s uniform, and a gaze that would make anyone fearful. Gazef felt that bizarre aura emanating around that man, it seemed like a completely oppressive will.

    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s him¡­¡± Climb commented, while waving his arms. ¡°Mister Sebas! Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Do you know that man?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the guy I said saved a lady from being kidnapped.¡± Climb replied.

    Looking in the direction of the person who had been thrown, he had a very clear mark of a punch, delivered directly to the nose, blood running down his nostrils as he tried to say something, completely frightened. One of his arms seemed to be broken, and next to it, a blood stain was appearing under his clothes.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Good afternoon, Young Climb¡­¡± Sebas said with a slight bow.

    ¡°Can you tell us what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s easy to understand¡­ The house I¡¯m taking care of was invaded by this man and a few others¡­ They tried to use poison darts and things like that¡­ I just decided to throw the ¡®trash¡¯ away, as you can see¡­¡± Sebas adjusted his gloves, showing no sign of fatigue from this so-called battle.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I can¡¯t ignore this, where exactly is your house?¡± Gazef was asking, but Climb soon began to speak a little over the top, showing concern.

    ¡°They invaded where you live and tried to kill you?! Why? Is that girl okay?¡±

    Sebas could tell the difference between the two men. One seemed more practical, while the other was worried about the weakest link he knew about himself. The butler kept his eyes closed, thinking about what he should say, and after a few seconds, he answered them.

    ¡°My house is at the end of the street, the only one with a fountain in the front yard. And young Climb, that girl is fine. We had taken her out of the city some time ago, but apparently the invaders thought she was still in the mansion and waited to attack us and try to get her back.¡±

    ¡°People are really trying to capture that girl¡­ What is she, that they are causing so much trouble?¡± Gazef asked as he walked towards the house, Climb following.

    ¡°A brothel slave.¡± Sebas answered dryly.

    The idea of ??people trying to invade such a fancy house, just to capture a brothel slave, was absurd. Normally the risk would be much greater than the reward, even if the slave was the sexiest woman in the entire kingdom, it wouldn''t be worth it.

    Unless¡­ the ones who want her are the Eight Fingers. Yes, they do things in the shadows and are seen as great in the criminal world. Being the biggest parasites in the kingdom, they would not be afraid of anything, and that also makes them like spoiled children. When they want something, it is not about being able or not being able, but rather WHEN they will get it.

    ¡°She being a brothel girl¡­ I would never have expected it¡­ she seems so innocent¡­¡± Climb said to himself, until he realized something. ¡°Wait! So you and the noble lady you take care of, are not in extreme danger!?¡±

    Sebas seemed to give a slight laugh, as if the situation was not even serious. ¡°I am very strong, as you may recall¡­ My Lady is also very skilled in self-defense techniques, focusing on blades¡­ and, at the moment, we were being visited by another, very powerful person¡­¡±

    Arriving at the house, a group of 5 people could be seen, all thrown against the ground in the front garden, with another who seemed to have fallen from one of the windows on the second floor and been impaled by the mansion¡¯s iron fence. Upon entering the garden itself, it was as if their ears were being blasted, as the sounds that could not be heard were now available, and among those sounds, those of bandits groaning in pain and something heavy being thrown to the ground inside the mansion.

    ¡°That¡­ really seems intense¡­¡±

    ¡°It seems like you really didn¡¯t need our help in terms of combat¡­ but if you want us to witness the event for you, I think it will be fine.¡± Gazef continued speaking, a little incredulous when he noticed one of the people on the ground.

    This person had an androgynous appearance and masculine clothing, but the fact that a bit of the shirt was torn, it was possible to see a bit of the shape of the female breasts. The Warrior Captain had to rub his own eyes to believe what he was seeing, that person, along with a broken rapier nearby, revealed who it was.

    ¡°Who was it that managed to destroy Lubelina?¡± he asked, while deciding not to look too much at the corpse, after all, its neck seemed to have bent abnormally.

    ¡°That was me.¡± Sebas answered still as if nothing was serious. ¡°And to think that someone would advance for a direct attack like that¡­ it seemed like an amateur¡­¡±

    Approaching the door, the butler knocked and then opened it, still acting as if an invasion was not happening. ¡°Professor Lovecraft, we have a visitor, they said they will testify what happened on our behalf.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!!!!¡± It was possible to hear that loud voice from afar, and it didn''t take long for the owner of the voice to appear, adjusting his top hat and looking at the two visitors, his clothes slightly stained with blood. ¡°Hello~ I hope the situation isn''t scaring you... My name is Harry Pandemonium Lovecraft, or you can call me Professor Lovecraft... I''m a scholar. ohoho~¡±

    ¡°Eh... is everything okay now?...¡± Gazef asked, unsure of how to react to that situation.

    ¡°Ohhhh, yes, everything is fine actually, we just finished off the last guy who was here¡­ I feel like someone who looks like that should be a problem, but he ended up falling quickly with one of my potions.¡±

    After a period of silence, they asked if they could go in and check out the situation and without delay, the mysterious Professor agreed. The house inside seemed to be quite destroyed, but they were led to the only room that was untouched, the guest room. There they stood, watching the residents of the place sitting on the sofas and drinking tea¡­

    ¡®Is getting into trouble like this normal for Mr. Sebas?¡¯ Climb thought, feeling that heavy aura, as if he were going to be killed at any moment, and this made him hold tightly on his sword¡¯s hilt.

    Gazef remained serious in that situation, now seeing that it seemed that the problem had really ended. ¡°Eh¡­ again, I apologize for the intrusion. I heard from Climb that you¡¯re new around here. My name is Gazef Stronoff, and I¡¯m the captain of the capital¡¯s royal guard.¡±

    The aura of the place changed almost immediately, with the Professor clapping his hands happily. ¡°Gazef?! Ooh, so it¡¯s you!!¡± He quickly stood up. ¡°Some of my companions worked with you before, and they told me a lot about your great personality!¡±

    ¡°Your companions worked with me¡­?¡± He tried to think of who these people could be, but slowly the answer came to his mind, as he remembered the last completely intense case that had happened. ¡°The spellcaster Momuny and the paladin Touch¨¢ki? Are you one of their companions?!¡±

    Climb was confused, those were the wrong names. But it was probably said like that, to confirm that this guy really knows them.

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s them!¡± The Professor gave a big, joyful laugh, almost exaggerated. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with them a few times. But you got the names wrong, it''s Momonga and TouchMe.¡±

    Now, confirming that he really knew them, he smiled. ¡°If you''re on the same level of extraordinary as them, now I can understand how all this happened. Anyway, if it''s not a problem, I''d like you to help me bring all the bodies to one place, so I can make a report on how many people broke in and who they might be.¡±

    They agreed to this and so it was done. Inside one of the destroyed rooms, all the invaders were there, some unconscious, others obviously dead. Lady Solution, the strange and rude noble lady, ended up informing that one of them had disappeared, and when she described the person to Gazef, he seemed to not recognize the missing person, as if he were a complete John Doe.

    During the reconnaissance, it was noticed that one of the corpses belonged to another very important person from the Eight Fingers. This made the Warrior Captain impressed and scared by the whole situation.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ You were attacked by a super dangerous trio. Zero, Succulent and Lubelina¡­ I never get into these situations, because the king says that I must focus completely on the safety of the castle and especially his own. But I know that they are dangerous people for any amateur. Only professionals or talented people could have a chance against them.¡±

    ¡°Did they have a bounty on their heads?¡± Lovecraft quickly got to the best subject.

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s an open value, because no one would believe that people like that could be captured or killed by someone outside the groups allied with royalty¡­¡± He was being honest, putting the cloth back over one of the corpses, disgusted to see that face almost crushed.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, I¡¯d like you two to just report this to the royal family and not let the matter out in the open¡­ We don¡¯t want to be the focus of these criminal groups¡­ at the very least, start a rumor that these people were attacked by several guards in moments of surprise¡­ I think this will serve to cover our tracks a little for now¡­¡± Lovecraft adjusted his top hat again and took a gold coin out of his pocket for each of them there. ¡°This will be my token of gratitude for doing this for us.¡±

    ¡°It seems to be a very expensive token¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s made of gold, but it can¡¯t be used as currency in these regions, unfortunately. If you don¡¯t want to get involved with us, you could even melt it down and sell it for the price of the gold material. I don¡¯t mind what you do, since we have plenty of those.¡± The Professor said as he left the room.

    The two warriors looked closely at that token. It was a kind of gold coin, with a symbol of a tree on one side and a kind of rune on the other. On the thin part of the coin, it was possible to see the number ¡°1000¡± repeating itself a few times.

    Looking at the mess in the hallway, that mysterious being just let out a long sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll have to clean up a lot here¡­¡±

    For the rest of the night, Climb remained inside that place while the captain went out to call for help. Such help appeared in the form of some castle guards, coming to that place with some covered carriages. Carefully, the corpses were placed in one of the carriages, while the survivors who were still unconscious were handcuffed and placed in the other carriage, with their heads covered with clothes.

    ¡°If you find something that we didn¡¯t notice before, during the cleaning, I recommend that you go to the adventurers¡¯ guild and ask the receptionist to call me.¡± Gazef handed over a kind of badge. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t take you seriously, show her this, it¡¯s one of the symbols I use to let people know that you know me. I live in a house close to the guild, so she can leave and call me quickly.¡±

    ¡°Do you live close to the guild? There aren¡¯t many impressive houses like that around there, unless you live in your old master¡¯s SwordSchool.¡± Climb seemed very curious.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to answer something like that, Climb.¡± He gave a weak karate chop in Climb¡¯s head, who just fake cried as they went outside of the manor.

    Gazef walked away from the young knight when he arrived at his house, turning a few streets to throw off anyone who was following him, until he reached a place where he put a rag of very simple clothes around his body so as not to look like someone important. Normally he would go home in his ordinary clothes, but because of the situation he ended up in, he was wearing his basic armor, which would make many recognize him.

    In reality, Gazef lived in a very simple house, with only two floors, each with only two rooms. The house was located almost directly in front of his former mentor''s school, which allowed him to visit him on his few free days. Entering there, he took off that old rag and hid his armor under clothes, below the central table.

    Seeing what he had in the kitchen, it was just a basket with bread and some jars of jams that some castle employees gave him from time to time. It made him realize that he had forgotten to buy something a while ago, rubbing his hand over his face. He had to remind himself to order something the next day, at least there was something to eat, but dinner at that time? Normally he should already be asleep to wake up very early.

    Speaking of time, returning to that mansion, it took a while for a clock to ring on Tabula''s wrist. He raised the sound shield around the place so that they wouldn''t be spied on and with an order, Solution began to clean all the blood that was there from the floor and walls, after all, she was a slime.

    Sebas took all the broken furniture to a specific room, so that the pieces of wood wouldn''t get in the way of the slime Pleiade. Soon after, he approached the great alchemist, bowing.

    "I''m sorry, your visit here ended up being more full than we imagined, Tabula-sama."

    "Yes, it was problematic, but I feel like there were good moments... After all, we discovered that those weaklings were actually considered very dangerous bandits... This helps to understand even more the power level of the people of this world..." He answered, taking off a bit of his disguise, as if it hit his body hard, after all, his shape isn''t so human-like.

    He continued to speak, with the tentacles on his face swaying a lot. ¡°Furthermore, I was able to meet this Gazef guy face to face. According to the information we have, he is the strongest warrior in this entire kingdom. His personality seems to be exactly as Momonga and TouchMe said before. Since he knows about your existence, Sebas¡­ I can say it would be a good idea for you to be friendly with him. That way, over time, we can find out what this great warrior wants most, and we can use that to attract him to us¡­¡±

    ¡°This is part of the plan for peace between races, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sebas made that light comment.

    Tabula was thinking like a Brain Eater at that moment, having imagined that warrior as a kind of prize that would be excellent to have inside a hypothetical jar. But curious about what Sebas meant, he asked him to explain what he had understood.

    ¡°The idea of ??a union between species could cause some internal problems, related to the trust that each species will continue to exist. After all, there are very powerful beings on many sides, with Nazarick being able to represent the Heteromorphic beings¡­¡± Sebas was being honest, adjusting his tie before continuing. ¡°With this in mind, humans need to have strong enough representatives to remain confident that humanity will not be killed during the alliance¡­ And for that, you, Supreme Beings, are always keeping an eye on humans considered powerful, to ease the tensions that could be created in our peace agreements.¡±

    The Brain Eater was impressed by how his words were interpreted in such a way. This made him smile and agree with what Sebas said, but internally, he was thinking about it a lot. ¡®I hadn¡¯t imagined that something like this could happen if we don¡¯t have many powerful humans¡­ Indeed, asking NPCs¡¯ opinions on such matters is extremely important¡­ I should inform others to do this from time to time¡­¡¯

    Returning to the subject of broken furniture, Tabula created a portal and had homunculus maids transport some of it to replace the old ones, with the debris being taken into Nazarick to be used as raw material for fireplaces. He took advantage of the portal there, saying goodbye to the two NPCs and returning to the guild base.

    ¡°Yoooo! How was your day out there?¡± Bukubuku was the one to ask, jumping on top of Tabula to scare him, but he managed to dodge easily.

    ¡°It was, for sure, A moment, without a shadow of a doubt¡­ We were attacked by a group of criminals, but we¡¯re fine and the situation has been concluded, so we left the capital guards to sort out some things¡­ By the way, I¡¯d like to tell you some interesting news¡± He was commenting, after seeing that Touch_Me and Momonga were also present there in the hallway.

    ¡°And what would the news be?¡± the three asked.

    ¡°Masato¡­¡± He paused dramatically before speaking. ¡°It seems your NPC is in love with a human~¡±

    The three of them stood there in silence, staring at the brain eater, hoping that this was some kind of joke, but when they saw that he was serious, the paladin slowly raised his hands, as if he was still thinking, only reacting when his hands were completely raised, completely happy.

    ¡°I WILL HAVE A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW!!!!!¡±

    Tabula continued, laughing lightly. ¡°Well, this ¡®daughter-in-law¡¯ was the reason why Sebas and Solution¡¯s house was attacked in the capital. Apparently your NPC saved her from some guys who were trying to capture her, and later they found out that she was a brothel slave, the brothel owners being associated with the most powerful criminal group in Re-Estize Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°So Sebas was conquered by a sex slave?! I didn¡¯t expect that from him!¡± Bukubuku joined the conversation, trying to lighten the seriousness with her comments and perverted voice.

    ¡°She looked a lot like one of our homunculus maids. And since Sebas wants her protected and close to him¡­ I sent her to stay with Nfirea for a while. My idea is to ask Pestonya to train her so that she can pay for her security, by becoming a maid here in Nazarick.¡±

    ¡°Another human associated with Nazarick at this rate¡­ Aren¡¯t you doing things too quickly without asking us first?¡± Momonga tried to show more as the leader. ¡°Nfirea, I understand, he has a special ability and is an alchemist, which makes it possible for us to tie him to you¡­ But this girl, she¡¯s just a nobody¡­ Even if Sebas seems interested in her, I think this should be something he himself would have to be responsible for and not involve us in it.¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s involved with you in some way¡­ or should I say she¡¯s slightly involved with Momon?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± If the overlord had eyebrows, one would obviously be raised.

    ¡°After a little chat between her and Nfirea, we found out that she¡¯s the older sister of the spellcaster from the Sword of Darkness group¡­ That girl who was the only survivor you managed to save.¡±

    Momonga now understood where this conversation was going, and with a deep sigh, he changed his uniform right there, becoming Momon! ¡°I¡¯ll go to E-Rantel tomorrow and ask them to call Ninya over there¡­ Or do you think it¡¯s better if I take this girl with me directly to the city?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better call the adventurer to Carne Village and we¡¯ll have this family reunion there¡­ Do you remember who was after her? That group might have ears in E-Rantel and we don¡¯t even know it.¡± Masato said, still trying to contain his joy at what he¡¯d heard before. ¡°Sebas found someone¡­ I hope I can meet her later¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a while for her to get used to here, we don¡¯t want to do those anime scenes where the father scares his son¡¯s girlfriend.¡± BB made that comment and soon walked to the bar on the 9th floor. ¡°By the way¡­ what do you think about sending sweets to that cabin? Just a treat to help her relax a bit.¡±

    All the supreme beings there accepted the idea, so they would send Nigredo to do that job. Meanwhile, Momon would now have to see if Shalltear, Nabe and Lupus were free to do the adventurer roleplay.