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E-Rantel Warehouse District

The heavy rain crashed down onto the eroded stone tile streets. Each passing drop shined through the moon's silver lining. By no means was this a harsh night, but it wasn't relaxing either. The winds and weather made the conditions of sleeping harder for the peasants and commoners lined up the sides of the buildings.

Each person here belonged to a group of the lowest in the Kingdom, lower than commoners. They were homeless. They had no place to go, nowhere to shelter in, but what made them the lowest was that they had no place that belonged to them. They owned nothing, and they were nothing.

Such was the way in Re-Estize.

Children who haven't turned ten, were huddling together, trying to keep the warmth in. They held their torn tunics against their skin, hoping for the heat to accept their invitation.

Mothers were nowhere to be seen. If someone were to ask why, anyone would be able to answer them.

The mothers were out working the nights, trying to gather a couple coins for the following day.

While life was tough, nobody cried. These people already knew this as the norm, and even if they said it was unfair, no one would listen and help them. They were truy alone.

A man wearing a thick set of clothes and long coat over it, could see each and every face as he passed by. He had grey gloves on, and held an umbrella that kept the rain from touching him. The clothes he wore shed light to his place in society. He was either a low noble, or a high ranking person in the city.

Each step he took was calculated to dodge the potholes of water on the ground. He moved with speed and precision. That's because for Cliff, details were everything. He noticed the little changes in the wind and the ripples in the water in order to judge how deep and far it goes. Nothing escaped his eyes.

Cliff was a man of precision and accuracy. He would wake up the same time every day, and follow the same schedule he always had. Every minute he spent, was calculated.

But today was different.

He was in a rush, trying to get to his destination as fast as he could. Today's schedule wasn't his usual one. Today, he had an important meeting with people in the organization.

He glanced up to look at the Warehouse number on the building nearby.

104

He had to hurry and make it to Warehouse 101. Cliff picked up his pace and danced through the rain, paving a way through. Going as fast as he could, he heard the night bells ring.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath.

The night guards had two shifts, switching at midnight. The first bells rang 5 minutes before midnight, giving the guards enough time to set up and change positions. The next set of bells would ring directly at midnight, signaling the start of a new patrol.

Now that he knew he was going to be late, Cliff gave up on his clean pathway. He ran straight across the puddles, not caring about the soaking pants he now bore. Running at his top speed, he reached the end of Warehouse 102 and continued to the one he needed to be at. But-

When he reached the end of Warehouse 101, he couldn't find a door. He turned back and ran, retracing the wall to see if he missed it rushing forth. But he didn't. There was no door on that side.

Cliff reached the edge of the building and went along the side, trying to find a way in. When he found it, he stopped to catch his breath and fix his clothes. The water was entrapped in the cloth because in order to make it on time, he had to put his umbrella down.

After he made his clothes as nice as he could, he let go a long exhale. He raised his right hand and knocked on the door 3 times. He waited, and there was no response. After 5 seconds of nothing, he used his open palm and slammed it against the door, creating a dull sound that revertibrated through the inside.

When he did this, the second set of bells rang and the door opened simultaneously. Just in time. The doors didn't open all the way, but it was enough for him to enter with no problem. He noticed the man who opened the door, and took note of his messy beard.

The man had dirty blonde hair that was cut short, and wore leather pants and a short leather shirt that showed the chainmail underneath it. Cliff noticed the way it shimmered and the coloring it had when reflecting the light.

Silver?

Chainmail wasn't odd to see, especially for mercenaries. And the sword at the man's hip told Cliff all he needed to know about to understand what this person's purpose was. Which was why he was confused when he confirmed the silver chainmail.

Normally people would buy it made from iron, because it was easier to repair and cheaper than silver. While silver was lighter, it was only used by highly paid people or those that had a strong backing.

Cliff's eyes widened when he realized the man before him had the organization's backing. He was either personally selected, or someone who was valued enough to invest in.

He wasn't as deep into the organization as his colleagues, but he was in, and that was all that mattered. Once you're in, you can't get out. Which was why he set up traps and favors, so that when the day he decided to back out came, he would be free.

Tonight was supposed to be that day. He was asked to bring a package to the warehouse to discuss a deal, and all he had to do was hand it to the buyer. Something so easy would have been the last task he did for them.

But seeing the people present, he had to rethink everything. If they send stronger individuals as guards, then they were probably dealing with a highly ranked person. If that was the case, he would need to find who it is, what they're getting, and how to leverage something against them.

The other option for why the guards were there, was to kill him. Unless his planning faltered, nobody should have known he was planning on leaving. He guessed that someone high up was the buyer.

Cliff noticed the surroundings on the inside. There wasn't much to the place. It was bare, with storage lockers lined up in rows and columns. But in the middle of the room, there was a table and seats for people to use.

He walked towards the center, and looked around for the other party and guards. Hmph, I guess they're late. And I made such a big deal about being on time…

As he thought this, he sat down in one of the chairs. He breathed in the air and prepared for what's to come. The longer he waited, the more anxious he got. Everyone knew the dangers of standing up to the organization, so he too knew what it meant if the other side didn't show.

Nobody was stupid enough to plan this and back out. If they did, they'd run the rest of their lives fearing their shadows. This only made Cliff more nervous and wondered if he was a target.

If there was no other party and he was there to be killed, there had to be a reason. He traced back all his actions from the past month and anything that would have stood out. But he couldn't find anything. There was no purchases, no arguments, no conflicts. There was nothing that made him a person to get rid of.

Full of fear, he turned back to the person at the door, and hollered out. "Hey! Where's everyone else?" He had to make it sound like he was an impatient person and not let his true goal stand out.

The man looked at Cliff and then shrugged.

This sent a shiver down his spine. Should I leave? Make a run for it? Even if I did, where would I go? My house? They know where I live. Another City? They have the whole region in their pocket. A different Country? I wouldn't make it to the border before I die!

Amidst his thoughts, he failed to hear the footsteps approaching him. Only when the man was a couple meters behind him did Cliff turn around in panic.

The man stopped when Cliff turned. "You have been on our list of people to visit." The man said. When he finished the statement, his body began shaking. Ripples throughout his skin spread like waves in the ocean. Everything about him screamed he was melting. But-

He was shifting.

His form revertibrated between the boundaries of reality and fantasy. Cliff could only watch in horror as the man's form changed completely. His eyes widened at the sight and his jaw hung unhinged. The process lasted a couple of seconds, but to him, it felt like eternity.

W-W-What is that!? He thought.

The man who let him into the warehouse was no more. Now, standing in front of him was a monster with four long fingers and an egg shaped head with three holes. He wore clothes that didn't stand out; if this was a human, there would be nothing special about him. He could even pass as a middle-class citizen.

"Well, now that I'm out of that mess, we can begin our introductions." The egghead said. He walked to the chair opposing the Cliff, and with every step, the shadows around the lockers closed in on them, with Cliff at the center.

Cliff didn't let his eyes blink or leave the being in front of him. "W-What are you!" He asked

The egghead tilted his head in confusion and scratched it. "'What am I?' That may be hard to explain… but all you need to know is that your position is important enough for our master's plans."

"W-what? W-wait a minute, I'm not-"

"You are the financial advisor of the Merchant's Guild, correct?"

Cliff gulped when he heard his job perfectly called out. He wasn't the director, leading the financial board in the Guild, so he didn't draw much attention. Everything he did helped his superior and made him look better, while Cliff didn't get much praise. He wasn't mindful about it, as long as he got paid then he wouldn't care.

He nodded in affirmation, not thinking at all.

"Ahh, I'm so glad… You see, when we first arrived, all those other guys denied it, so I was forced to take care of things. But now that you're here, my job's a lot easier. Oh! I should probably introduce myself. I am…" The being leaned forward in his seat, full of excitement.

"Nobody!" He exclaimed happily.

"I'm just a side-character you'll never see again. So I'm irrelevant. But you won't be…" He brought his hand up and pointed at Cliff, then changed to slightly behind him.

When Cliff traced those fingers, he turned to see where it was pointed at, and saw the shadows crawling on the floor. Each one was moving at a pace that made his skin sweat with anticipation. But what gripped at his heart was the bodies of men they dragged along. Dozens of men were dragged across the floor, moving towards him. All of them were dead.

Am I going to die? Is this it? Everything I did, was it all in vain?

Then-

"Don't worry, you won't end up like them. Like I said before, we have a purpose for you. But if you mess up, you'll wish you were one of those other fellas. From now on you'll be working for us. We'll even be nice and give you a partner to keep you company. Go ahead, choose one." The egghead man brushed the air with his hand, as if to tell Cliff to hurry up. He gestured towards the 12 shadows on the ground, each one now rising up and gaining a third-dimension.

"Hurry up and choose your partner, I don't have all day. But be careful, once you pick one, you'll be stuck with him the rest of your life."

Cliff understood the circumstances, and raised his hand to point at the shadow that held the body resembling the man who let him into the warehouse. He didn't know how, but the body was a perfect match of what the eggheaded dude looked like before he morphed.

When his finger landed and stopped on the shadow, a cackling sound echoed in the room.

Is it… laughing? Cliff widened his eyes in fear, swallowing his dry throat.

"Ah! Ronda! Congratulations on being chosen, I hope you enjoy your time with this man. Perhaps you'll find him a suitor?" The egghead said gleefully. Cliff heard this and wanted to throw up.

There was no way he would make out with that shadow. Then he realized it had a name. Ronda? It's a girl? How can you even tell?

The shadow named Ronda dropped the body it was holding onto and slithered to meet Cliff. She reached out and touched his skin, sliding down his leg, into the ground where his shadow lay.

Cliff froze, well, he was already frozen so he froze x 2. He felt the shadow crawl against his skin and his skin couldn't stop shivering in fear. He watched as she cloaked herself in his shadow, and the only thing that told him she was there was the two red eyes looking back at him.

After he watched the eyes for a bit, they flickered and went black. The egghead walked up to where he was facing. "Now that you have officially joined us, Ronda over there... " He pointed to Cliff's shadow. "...will give you your instructions. Complete them with perfection and no harm will come onto you… Fail, and of course, a punishment is needed to flush out any disobedience."

The egghead shifted back into the human he looked like when they first met. He walked to the door and was about to leave the warehouse, when he turned around to get one last look at Cliff. "Ah yes, do have a good night…" He lowered his head like a gentleman and shifted his gaze to the shadows on the floor. "...C'mon let's go. We can't be late to meet the others."

As soon as the egghead said that, the shadows consumed all the bodies on the floor, pulling them into the abyss. They shot out at a lightning speed that Cliff's eyes couldn't follow. They headed to the egghead, appearing as if they were trying to attack him.

But they stopped and dove into his shadow. When the 11 shadows settled in, 22 red eyes looked back at Cliff and a shadowy hand raised out of the ground, swaying back and forth like a goodbye wave.

And then they left. The monsters walked out the door like they were at a late night poker game and nothing went wrong.

Cliff's eyes drifted down to his shadow in horror, and only thought of one line said by the egghead.

There are others?

E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild

The following morning, people went on their days like they normally would. Citizens walked the bustling streets like any other day, and business went on as usual. Adventurer's lined up early by the Guild to get a grasp of the quests to choose for the day.

Inside, the two receptionists - Ishpen and Wina, were sticking parchments onto a cork board. They were finishing up updating the quest board, hanging up new ones and tearing down those that expired. While on the surface it looked like they were working hard, their inner thoughts betrayed that notion.

Ishpen kept glancing at the door, waiting for two people to arrive. She would help the other adventurers when they needed it, but her heart was somewhere else. She would only give half-hearted replies, forcing them to ask the other receptionist for a better understanding.

Wina was angrily glaring at Ishpen. How many people did she have to help because her partner was doing a crappy job? Ever since yesterday, she's been acting differently. Although she didn't know the reason, she didn't care enough to ask. But right now? It was affecting her and she wanted to know more.

When they retracted back to the reception desk, Wina looked at Ishpen to study her face. "Ishpen, did something happen yesterday?" She asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Ishpen lightly replied.

"You're not as focused today and you seemed off… Well, whatever it is, I don't care, but do your job so I don't get overloaded with your leftovers."

Ishpen smiled and didn't respond. She knew what Wina was referring to.

The doors to the Guild opened and the two people she was waiting for arrived. "They're here." She said to herself.

Wina heard her but was confused. "Who?"

"My rivals."

Wina looked up to see who walked in, only to see two new adventurers who registered yesterday. Isn't that… the person all the commotion is about? She remembered hearing about them arriving in the city with the Warrior Captain, but she didn't learn much about it until later that day when she got off work. So she didn't know they were the hot topic when they came to register.

She was shocked to see who Ishpen's 'rivals' were. But she was more shocked at how fast Ishpen left her seat and ran towards them. She handed them two little pieces of metal, their adventurer tags.

"With these, you can accept any quests on the board with a copper plate stamp." She said.

Momon looked at her and then at the metal piece resting in his hand. To Ishpen, it looked like he was expecting something from her, so she wryly smiled and took the tag. She untied the string and put it around his neck for him.

When she finished, she went back to her desk. To think your weakness would be using your fingers. She let out a giggle thinking about it.

Momon was quite confused about why she helped him, it was like she was a doting mother who couldn't bear to see her son do anything, making sure to do it for him.

Well, she's probably just nice. Now that I think about it, she did help us out a lot yesterday. I feel bad about taking her money like that, and she's only a receptionist too. It'd be bad if she were to suffer because of her kindness… I'll tell Demiurge to keep an eye on her.

He didn't see humans as anything special. Although he used to be one, when he came into this world, he lost all attachments to his old race. Currently, humans are like little puppies. They were nice to watch and look over, but he wouldn't go out of his way to adapt every one.

He would only help the ones that caught his attention - showing talent or skill that perked his inner collector - or if he was in debt to one. He couldn't forget the old lives humans used to live, so he always made sure to pay forward the kindness shown to him with kindness.

While the girl only helped him and gave him things of little value compared to items from Nazarick, she helped him and it was a boon overall.

What a strange person. If only there were more people like you...

Momon looked back to the copper plate in his hands and whispered his thoughts. "Copper, huh?" He didn't expect to be given the highest rank, but when he learned what adventurers actually do, the excitement he built up previously vanished like a candle at the end of its wick.

"Such a pity…"

"Momon-sa-an, is there something bothering you?" Nabe asked. Her question pulled him out of his inner thoughts and hardened his resolve to rank up fast, in order to avoid wasting time on such a boring job.

"Hmm? No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking that being an adventurer is really dull." He said. It was ironic, he claimed this as someone who just joined the Guild, and in the Guild Building itself, surrounded by eager adventurers nonetheless.

Nabe's eyes narrowed and scanned the room. "Should I exterminate these pests for making you do such a dull job?" She asked. In reality, she had no idea what he meant by 'dull', but she caught traces of disappointment when he spoke. If these humans had disappointed her master, she would rid them all and erase the failure they brought him. The failure of not being 'dull'.

Momon jolted back in panic when he heard her say this. "N-no, no, no. There's nothing wrong with it. Don't take things the wrong way Nabe."

Nabe relaxed her posture a bit. But for someone who stood ready at all times, the difference wasn't noticeable.

Haaahh, I forgot I can't talk to them like I normally would. How careless…

Momon looked around to see a way to get to the quest board without having the most interactions. He was worried Nabe might 'accidentally' trip and stab a couple humans here and there. After his stunt at the inn, he couldn't rule out the possibility that she picked up on it and would use the same tactic to rid this place of 'insects', as she called them.

He let out a sigh, seeing that there was no way with little to no people. Every path he could take, he would come across a lot of people. Well, it was to be expected. It would be weirder if this building with at least a hundred people had no interactions when moving around.

They both walked straight to the quest board. Momon made sure to keep his peripheral vision with Nabe in it, so he was prepared to step in should she trip. But-

To his surprise, the people noticed him walking forth and stopped moving. Talking simmered down, whispers vanished, and movements going to the board halted. People stared at the duo as they walked forth, and they created a path for them like the two copper plates were royalty.

He didn't mind this, in fact, he was thanking them from the bottom of his bonny chest where his heart would have been.

When they reached the board, he looked at all the parchments, taking in all the information and details it presented.

Everyone didn't think much about this, except for one person - Ishpen. She gasped in astonishment when she saw Momon and Nabe carefully scan each parchment.

Hmph! So that's what it was! You sly dog, and here you had me thinking you were handicapped. Not being able to put on your own copper plate my ass! You were just mocking me! Well, as expected of my rivals. To think you'd learn to read in one night.

She could only sigh in defeat. Two times she lost, and in two days in a row. This made her feel down, but it also ignited a fire for more. She found two people who could keep her entertained and would find a way to out maneuver them once and for all.

However-

Two people were staring at the board, clueless as to what was going in her head. Momon and Nabe were indeed studying the parchments, but to say they knew the Kingdom's language was a hyperbole. Who could actually learn a language in one day? And one that hadn't existed until a week ago, when he came to this New World? Certainly not Ainz.

He was looking at the parchments, trying to find any clues or symbols that may be of use. Stamps, writings, formats. Everything he could gather would help him understand human culture better, and further aid his plans.

He glanced a look at Nabe to see if she could read the parchments. Her face was focused as usual, but traces of light sweat starting to form out of her pores could be seen.

I guess she can't read either.

He could take out a pair of [Translation Glasses], but then that would show more cards than necessary. Momon was thinking of ways to spin this in a way where he could rank up faster, possibly cheating the system.

He didn't like cheaters or people who stepped on others to advance their position, but he had the power to back it up. It would be an utter waste of time if they were to spend years to rise through the ranks.

Finding a random parchment, he tore it off the board and headed to the reception counter. People gasped when they saw what quest he took.

He went up to the girl he was familiar with, hoping she would be more lenient. "Umm, I'd like to take this quest."

Ishpen picked up the parchment to read, and her eyes showed her shock. "T-this is an Orichalcum ranked quest…" She muttered to herself. She knew her rivals were special, but even this was insane to choose.

"I know." He said firmly.

Ishpen gulped her dry throat. "M-Momon, the highest ranked adventurers in E-Rantel are Mythril ranked…" When she spoke, there were traces of weakness in her voice. "...I don't doubt your ability, but you and Miss Nabe have only registered yesterday…"

"I know. My partner and I have the skill to complete it." He said. Momon leaned over the counter getting closer so only Ishpen could hear what he would say next. "She is a Magic Caster who can use 4th tier magic. And I am a warrior on par with her." He whispered it softly, trying to keep people from hearing. But-

"4TH TIER!?" Wina, sitting next to Ishpen heard and shouted in her shock.

"4th tier of magic? No way!"

"She's so young…"

"I bet she can only use 2nd Tier, maybe 3rd."

"4th tier is the realm of heroes…"

"...Impossible…"

The crowd of adventurers started to discuss amongst themselves about this. Most of them were doubtful. How could a girl so young master magic above the highest level. While 4th tier wasn't the magic humans could use, 3rd tier was the most any normal person with talent could attain after a lifetime of studying.

There were people who could use higher tiers, but those individuals were people born lucky and only seen once or twice every century. Most people who used magic could only use 2nd tier at best.

There was no way this girl could use 4th tier.

But-

Ishpen didn't doubt his words. She knew that if anyone could do it, it was these two people in front of her. Her only regret was that she was an ordinary person. Perhaps in their eyes, she wasn't even worth being considered a rival. But it didn't matter, she would strive to compete with them anyways.

That was the type of person she was. She wouldn't let something like a vast gap in ability demoralize her.

But still…

"I'm sorry, you can't take on this quest. Even If you had the ability to complete it, by breaking the rules, the Guild would set a bad example if we were to let it go. If we let you take on this quest without showing proof of yourself, then the Guild would have to let the next person to claim something similar take on their quest too. With something that holds the fate of lives, we cannot make an exception to this rule." Ishpen said resolutely. Her personal feelings weren't going to affect this matter. Like Wina pointed out, she let her personal feelings affect her partner and Wina was swamped with more work. How much of a bigger scale would it be if something like this passed by and she let it occur?

"I understand. Then can you give us the most challenging quest for our rank?" Momon asked.

Ishpen smiled like she knew he would ask this. "Of course." She said, and went to scan through a stack of papers on her desk. She was looking for something befitting her rivals.

After she turned to look through the papers, Momon and Nabe stood there waiting for her to finish. But a young man with blonde hair approached them.

"Hello! That was quite the entrance you made there pal." He said.

Nabe narrowed her eyes, thinking whether to kill this maggot or not. But to the young man, it looked like she was dissatisfied. He felt sympathy for her, after all, the whole Guild basically doubted her strength as a Magic Caster. While he would feel the same, the duo he was trying to talk to already have features they might never get - Gazef Stronoff's approval.

"I heard you could use 4th tier magic? That's a huge accomplishment." He tried to flatter her, but Nabe only looked indifferent. As if she didn't acknowledge 4th tier as something to be proud about. In her case, it wasn't. Everyone in Nazarick thought so too.

"I'm Peter Mauk, leader of Swords of Darkness." He continued on. "To be honest, I wanted to ask if you were interested in taking on a joining quest with our group?"

"That is an interesting offer, but what would we gain from it? As far as I'm concerned, looking at your plate, your group is only an Iron ranked team. While that is a higher rank than us, our goal isn't to make friends here. Our goal is to reach Adamantite as soon as possible."

Hearing Momon's claim, everyone burst out laughing. How could this person seriously think that they could reach Adamantite? That level was for only people who are in the realm of heroes, or those who stepped halfway through that door at least. There was no way a nobody copperplate could become one. Even the highest ranked adventurers in the city wouldn't claim something like that.

The realities of the world were cruel. But it was needed to understand that in this line of business. If not, you would only die for your foolishness. Momon and Nabe had become the laughing stock in mere moments of their arrival to the city. People were even placing bets on when they would go in over their heads and die.

Nabe was furious and wanted to kill everyone. Her killing intent was seeping out a little, but not enough for the people to notice in all their laughter. Momon knew, and placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head 'no'. Nabe composed herself again and returned to her cold, stoic expression.

However, there was one person who wasn't laughing with the crowd. It was Peter Mauk. He had some doubt about this duo's claims, but if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that they were special. Something about these two newbies wasn't like the rest of them.

"That's a good question. To be frank, you're right. There isn't much our group can offer you. But if your goal is to rise through the ranks, then the one thing you should know is that in order to accomplish this, you'll need two things." Peter said. He stepped closer to the counter to allow his voice to be heard by them easier. But it was pointless, because Momon had his undead hearing, and Nabe didn't make any decisions for their group.

"The first is power. This one's obvious. You need to have power that stands out to the Guild and the people. And the second is a name. You need your name to travel far and wide, so wherever you go, your reputation is known in every land… After all, the Adventurer's Guild is an international organization. It isn't weird to see some adventurers who originated from other countries working inside the Kingdom."

"What my group can give you is one of those two. We are only an iron ranked team, but our reputation is solid. If we were to witness your features during a joint quest, we could vouch for any claims you've made. It's not like 4th tier magic is any less of a tier when vouched for by an Adamantite ranked team, or a simple Iron one."

Momon was thinking to himself. That's true, if we could have him speak on behalf of our strength, the Guild would easily promote us. But there are two other things he didn't mention. The first: The type of quest he wants our help with will determine how much of our power we can show; if it's a simple carriage guarding task, then it's a complete waste of time since it won't guarantee that we'll find anything to show our might with. The second: what does he gain? There's something he wants to achieve through this quest by working with us… Until I figure those two factors out, we can't risk working with them.

When Peter saw Momon think, he grinned internally. He knew that as long as he thought about the offer, he would want to inquire more, and that's when he could secure a joint quest. "So, are you interested in it?" He asked.

"Yes, actually. I find your proposal beneficial to take. But I'd like to learn more about the task you had in mind for both our groups." Momon said.

"Of course. My team is upstairs in one of the meeting rooms. If you want, we can meet them and we'll debrief you on what we plan to take on as a quest."

Momon nodded in agreement and the three of them left to go upstairs.

Listening in on their conversation, a lone Ishpen shed imaginary tears. Momon, why'd you have to do this to me again? Do you know how long it took to find the best suitable quest for you? And then you don't even hear me out about what it is… you just leave to join some other team. Haaah, as expected of my rivals….

She put the quest parchment she chose into the stack by her workplace, keeping it close in case they came back to take it. She smiled to herself and became more motivated.

...