Staying Behind

by ErlanggSIOC

When the worlds ends many instantly abandon it. But more than one stays behind, choosing to face the inevitable end to live until the very last second. This is the story of an Overlord, a Great Spirit. And their children consisting of an entire guild. No one ever says being a parents would be easy.

10. Chapter 10

Brain Unglaus.

Originally a farmer, he was gifted with what could only be described as a God-given talent in the mastery of the sword. Coupled with his natural talent, he had never lost with a weapon in hand. Even on the battlefield, he was a genius whose worst injury was a scratch.

Having never known defeat with the sword, he had always walked a path of victory.

Everyone around him believed it, and he never doubted his skill. However, a dramatic change came into his life at a tournament held in the Kingdom's palace.

It wasn't as if he joined to be the champion. He simply wanted to show his skill to the rest of the Kingdom. He believed that they would kneel to his strength. But the result, he faced an unbelievable situation.

Defeat. His first loss since he first held the sword, no, possibly since he'd been born.

The one who defeated him was a man named Gazef Stronoff. He was now serving as the Knight-Captain of Re-Estize and known to be the strongest man in the surrounding nations.

Both men had won all of their battles almost instantly, but the fight between them was long and drawn out as if they had been saving all of their time for this one battle.

In the end, Gazef finished the battle using his martial art 「Fourfold Slash of Light」. A battle that was still talked about to this day, no one questioned how a man of the lower class rose to the position of Knight-Captain. It was a fight on a scale where even the nobles who disliked Gazef had to admit that he wasn't weak.

The victor was showered with glory, but to the loser, it was as if everything Brain had built up to that point had come crashing down. Although the battle was close, Brain realized that his confidence in being the strongest was only a delusion born from the narrow-mindedness of a fool.

For one month, he locked himself away in his world. A normal person would have drowned away his sorrows in alcohol, but Brain threw his despair aside and pulled himself together.

He rejected countless offers for employment from nobles and sought strength for the first time.

In pursuit of strength, he trained his body.

In pursuit of magic, he gathered knowledge.

A prodigy was working hard as an ordinary person.

His defeat had elevated him to a new level.

The reason he had rejected offers from nobles was that he didn't want his skills to rust away. For him to train his skills to the utmost limit, he needed opponents. Since he didn't train himself just to show off, Brain needed work that provided ample opportunities to experience real battles while also bringing in money.

It was possible to earn a fortune as an adventurer, but that path was closed to him. An adventurer's work offered little to no opportunities to fight against other humans. Cutting down monsters wasn't bad, but Brain's ultimate goal was to defeat Gazef. For that, he needed human opponents.

With his options limited, he chose to work as a member of the "Death Spreading Brigade." But in truth, any mercenary group would have suited him just fine.

He had only one goal. To wipe clean his past shame, to turn his defeat into victory.

To gain the strength to accomplish his goal, he needed a weapon. He was willing to throw away everything else for the weapon of his desires. Magic weapons were expensive, but the one he truly wanted wasn't any ordinary magic weapon.

Further south, past the Kingdom—was a city in the middle of a desert. Amongst the goods that occasionally flowed out from that city was a weapon that, even unenchanted, far surpassed the cutting ability of ordinary magic weapons. It had a price to match, so much so that people's eyes would pop out of their sockets upon seeing it. That was the weapon he wanted.

And then, he had finally managed to obtain a 「Katana」.

Right now, Brain's strength had reached the limit of human potential. He was confident that he could easily defeat Gazef. Nevertheless, he had never once allowed that confidence to get to his head and continued to train diligently every day.

When he closed his eyes, even now, he could see it clearly, the image of Gazef during their great duel.

He had easily dodged Brain's attack that no man before him could and counterattacked with four simultaneous strikes.

He could no longer remember his appearance the moment he lost. Instead, what burned in his memory was the image of the victor who defeated him.

That's right. No matter who or what is it he is fighting, the goal he wishes to reach and the peak he dreams of surmounting remain unchanged. And Brain will never stop until the day their second duel comes.

This fight too was merely another stepping stone for that fateful day. One that reveals just how wide and unpredictable the world he lives in is.

A vampire capable of using magic. He expected adventurers who had caught wind of their presence and was commissioned to take them out, never in his wildest dream expecting to square against bloodsuckers who are the disciple of an unknown evil god.

Vampires. With abilities ranging from high-speed regeneration, charm, life drain, spawn vampire minions, resistance against weapons, cold, and et cetera. The one in front of him, appearing as a beautiful yet pale woman had exhibited the first two of those abilities.

His mind easily overcomes the latter of the pair, but in the face of her magic Brain had no choice but to be cautious. The swordsman can easily read her movements, enough to dodge her initial arcane attack unscathed. Yet, it doesn't change the fact that his skill in dealing with magic wasn't on par with his skill in armed combat.

The vampire had realized that it was a mistake to underestimate him as a lower life form. While Brain simply couldn't predict what she would do next and had to rethink his plan of attack.

The result was a stalemate where both sides glared at each other, waiting for an opening to strike. One that was broken not by either of them, but instead by the sighing girl who had grown weary of the situation.

Her movements were fast and Brain bets that the lesser vampire hadn't seen it coming. He had a hunch the identical vampires were mere underling from the way they carried themselves around 'her', but their ringleader's appearance was more than enough to put that conjecture into question. That's just how out of place and fragile-looking she was.

A dress-wearing child whose attractiveness transcends her age. She was the one who led their charge here and commanded one of the vampire brides to fight him. Her body was skinny and contrasted oddly with her swollen chest and her arms looked frail enough for Brain to easily snap like a twig.

But despite all that, she had singlehandedly ended their bout. Literally at that.

There was no blood spilled, but even without that and sympathy Brain knew that she was in a state of pain so intense that would not allow even a whimper to come out.

But even more than that, he knew from her expression that she was afraid above all else.

"Didn't I tell you that failure is not an option?"

The difference in strength between a leader and an underling should be that of heaven and earth, and the display before him lived up to that exact measurement.

She had gone in and run her arms through the vampire's chest. Brain was able to make sense of it with his own to eyes because his vision can keep up with her speed, something that he knows not many warriors can do.

"You have disappointed us for the last time. Now begone!"

Without care she pulled the appendage out, allowing the vampire to fall into the ground and crumble away. It all happened so fast that even if anyone witnesses it, the question of 'did it really happen?' will still be voiced.

She simply stood still before waving her arm. As if cleaning off specks of dust that accidentally gathered. Inevitably her gaze then fell to him.

Even when given such an opening, he did not take the opportunity to attack. Instead, he shifted his attention to the girl and stared searchingly.

"Butting in during a fight. You really got no taste don't you?"

Provoking an enemy stronger than the one that forced him into a standstill was certainly foolish. But Brain was confident that he can keep up with her physically, more so because he was able to keep track of that single strike of hers.

If that was her peak strength and speed, then his chances of victory were already assured.

"That again?" She grumbled with obvious annoyance "Honestly, can't you see that I just did you a favor? It was clear that the fight was going nowhere."

"Is that so? Guess you really don't get it then…"

The stalemate only happened because Brain didn't expect his opponent to use magic. But now that he knows what they are capable of, he would not be caught off guard twice.

"What are you yapping about?" This time, It looks like he had lit her fuse. "You warrior types are simply the worst…"

Brain's face broke into a smile. She hadn't declared it out loud, but the fact that she would boldly interrupt his fight to take out one of her own no less means that she's confident to get her hands dirty.

'She doesn't seem to be the type to fight using summoning. Another vampire, then.'

Judging by her behavior, this one must be a higher level than the other vampire. You can never judge a monster by its appearance. It wouldn't be strange for her to be even stronger than the one before, especially since she decided to step in after seeing how strong Brain was.

'The master feared by its vampire servant… she's strong, someone I can't take lightly.'

While keeping the girl in his sights, Brain furiously racked his head trying to figure out her identity.

'A vampire's master, is she a vampire lord similar to the ones from the legends? If I recall correctly, one of the more famous vampire lords was 「Landfall」, who destroyed a kingdom… I heard it was killed by the thirteen heroes.'

If the past heroes managed to do it, then it wasn't impossible. Grasping his katana with renewed vigor, Brain readied his stance.

"I am Brain Unglaus."

Having stated his name to the strong opponent, what came back in response was a look of confusion. Feeling the awkwardness in the air, Brain asked her:

"…Your name?"

"Oh! You're asking for my name? Cocytus would have stated his already, but I didn't see you as an opponent so I was slow to notice. Please forgive me. You should've just said so."

The girl grabbed the skirt of her dress, and, like asking a man for a dance at a ball gave her greeting.

"Shalltear Bloodfallen. Allow me to enjoy this."

With a weapon pointed towards her, the girl gave a graceful bow. Did she think he wouldn't attack? Or maybe, was she confident enough to block his attack completely even if he did? The answer was clearly written in her expression, it was the latter. As if to say, you are not a threat.

'—I'll break that composure of yours.'

Brain glared at Shalltear with a look sharp enough to frighten even the most hardened warriors. Honestly, he didn't like her relaxed attitude, but a part of him welcomed it.

The arrogance of the strong.

It was one of the weapons humans could use to defeat monsters whose physical abilities were far above and beyond their own. In the past, Brain had multiple encounters with such creatures where he won by using this opening.

Most of all— he could mock them after defeating them, teaching the fools that there were opponents in this world you shouldn't underestimate.

"Well then I can't waste too much of my time dealing with you so do please get this over quick. I have objectives that I must complete after all."

"Oh, and what is it that is so important that you can't afford to stick around for even a bit."

"Isn't it obvious? Unlike you who can afford dilly-dallying around, I am on a very important mission."

That only gives rise to Brain's disfavor further, but before he can set it forth, Shalltear suddenly recalled the content of her mission and surprisingly threw a question at him.

"Oh, that's right. You seem to be a bit stronger than the rest of the rabble here, would you happen to be capable of using martial arts?"

—Martial art.

Throughout a warrior's training, they push themselves to the limit and learn special skills that draw out all of their strength. Martial arts create unexplainable phenomena that are drawn from the warrior's own aura. It is the use of magic through weapons.

Against an opponent vastly larger than yourself, 「Fortress」 would allow one to shrug off powerful attacks and fight him head-on.

By channeling your aura into your blade and releasing it in a powerful blast, 「Severing Blade」 would allow one to take down strong opponents in a single attack.

If the opponent was heavily armored, using 「Heavy Blow」 with a crushing weapon would prove effective.

Or, by simply strengthening yourself with 「Ability Boost」, one could grasp victory with just their physical body.

Martial arts allowed one to prepare for many different situations, as such, warriors trained to learn various skills and master them to truly make them their own. This was especially true for adventurers, who faced dangers far above the norm.

As for Brain—

"Hmph. I won't need it against someone like you."

Shalltear only squinted her eyes, looking annoyed by his disobedience. Looks like that answer came from both his confidence in himself as well as his disfavor for the vampire.

But Brain was not so foolish to let his personal feelings cloud his vision. He was simply intelligent enough not to reveal his hand before the battle.

Brain slowly exhaled while lowering his body, and returned the katana to its sheath. His feet planted firmly. His breath; narrow and long.

He focused his consciousness to a single point, and upon reaching its limit, released it in an enormous wave. He had created a world where he could sense sound, space, and presence. It was the first of his original martial art— 「Field」.

A range of three meters, despite its short reach, it was a martial art that allowed one to instantly perceive everything in their surroundings. It would be easier to describe it as a skill that raised one's accuracy and evasion to the limit.

When combined with Brain's trained body, this martial art became incredibly powerful.

Even if a thousand arrows were to rain down on him, he was confident that he could instantly perceive and deflect the ones that would hit him, walking away without a scratch. What's more, his body was capable of movements precise enough to split a grain of wheat at a distance.

But what he prides the most of the ability and the aspect which he honed above all else was none other than the art of killing with one strike.

All life ends when their vitals are cut. That was all he needed and that was what he perfected.

Instead of learning versatile skills, it was better to focus on just one aspect; a step faster than the opponent, a fatal attack that will always hit. Born from those ideals, was his second original martial art— [Instant Slash].

Even after achieving a high-speed slash that was nigh impossible to avoid, he did not stop.

'Difficult' didn't even begin to describe his training. He practiced his 「Instant Slash」 hundreds of thousands, no, millions of times, until the calluses on his hands hardened. Until the katana's grip resembled the shape of his palms.

In the endless pursuit of the limit, a new skill was born.

A slash so fast that not even a drop of blood remains on the blade, 「God Slash」, a skill he felt was bordering on the realm of the gods.

Once the blade left its sheath, it was impossible for the enemy to even see it coming.

These two martial arts; an absolute awareness and a godlike slash, an unavoidable attack combining both 「Field」 and 「God Slash」 formed to create his trump card.

A single strike aiming at the vitals. While the neck is the ideal target, it was versatile enough to be repurposed and redirected at any other major area of a living being's body. Making it a technique effective even against those who knew of its nature.

Of course, Brain was confident that no one would ever survive this technique without knowing about it beforehand.

This was his Hidden Skill— Wind of the Great Forest. It was named after the sound of blood sprouting shortly after severing the neck.

Even if the vampire didn't bleed, cutting off her head would secure his victory.

"Well whatever," Shalltear sighed. "I guess I'll just find out whether or not can you use martial arts by gauging your strength. Now then hurry up and begin, I don't have all day after all…"

She even clapped her hand to incite him further. But Brain wouldn't fall for it.

"Heh. I'll make sure that you'll eat your word."

Instead, he countered with barbed words of his own. And again, more than anything, Shalltear was vexed rather than angered.

"Good grief, you just don't get it, do you? Regardless of whether or not you are capable of using martial arts…"

In front of Brain, in his imposing silence and sharp breathing, Shalltear merely shrugged her shoulders in boredom.

"—I'm still going to crush you either way."

She would normally take pleasure in declaring such a message, but right now, above all else, she was deathly serious.

'Hm… I'm really lacking in details, but just how strong is someone using a martial arts would be?'

It sounds completely irresponsible of her to even ask such a question at this point, but this mission was issued to answer such a question, to begin with. So it simply cannot be helped.

Martial Arts was a completely foreign concept to her and every other denizen of Nazarick. Something that seems to be completely exclusive to this world and was absent in theirs.

Thus, capturing individuals capable of such a feat would extremely be beneficial for them. Should they be able to reverse engineer and master its learning process, it will easily increase their fighting capability.

This was an important task entrusted to her. And with the chance of making up for her past misdeeds, Shalltear Bloodfallen goes forwards with both resolution and precision she would rarely exhibit.

'For now, I should just set a criterion. Level 50 should do.'

It was a reasonable compromise after taking into accounts how weak the humans of this world are. It might be only halfway to the level cap, and thus shouldn't be anything worthy of their notice but this situation was a peculiar one. And for Shalltear of all people to showcase such attention to detail proves just how serious she is.

'Maybe I should have asked whether or not he is the strongest one around. That really would save me a lot of trouble…'

If he really is the strongest one around then everyone else bellow him would either worth her time or are all completely worthless.

Judging from all that has happened it's likely that he is indeed the 'strongest' specimen this sample group can provide. He did clash equally against the vampire bride whereas others only end up as their food.

But maybe he's only one of their higher-ups? And there might be three or four more examples on the same level as him with one or two having an even higher standing?

She'll have to figure it out later. It'll become apparent which is which once the human revealed all of his cards after all.

With a parameter settled, Shalltear focused her attention on the bandit in front of him. Intending to break his legs and capture him should he reach the expected height, and disposing of him quickly should he fail to do so.

Meanwhile, Brain was murmuring an internal monologue of his own.

'Keep talking while you can. Let's see if you can keep that composure after I separate your head from your body.'

Brain didn't say it out loud, if he opened his mouth, it felt as if his concentration so far would be wasted.

Shalltear, with the lowest modicum of solemnity, approached him. She walked completely defenseless as if she was walking down the street. Seeing his opponent so full of openings, Brain fought to keep the smirk off his face.

Foolish, would be the only way to describe it. Nevertheless, he won't give her the chance.

While activating 「Raise Stats」, Brain waited for his adversary to enter his 「Field」. He concentrated everything to the moment when she would enter the range of his blade. These foolish monsters that think they're the strongest, they're all the same. They think that humans are weak, that our bodies are fragile, our abilities nonexistent.

'But I will teach you how dangerous it is to underestimate us.'

Brain swore in his heart. Martial arts were created so humans could fight enemies far beyond them. And this is the rare occasion where the determination of a single man shall get the better of the racial barrier that classifies human as the weakest of them all.

After this kill, he would have undoubtedly taken another step closer to the pinnacle he desperately tries to reach.

'—I'll kill her with one attack.'

The prouder they were, the more desperate they become once cornered. If he couldn't kill her with the first attack, she would no doubt order her servant to join the fight. Then the situation would become two versus one, and even Brain couldn't be confident against those odds.

That's why he had to settle it in one blow.

His face unmoving, Brain silently ridiculed her.

Approaching without care, she didn't understand that she was walking towards a guillotine. Just three more steps, two steps...one.

And then—

'—your head is mine!'

Thinking so in his head, Brain put everything into his slash.

"Tsuu!"

His breath was sharp and short. The katana exploded from its sheath and cut through the air towards Shalltear's bare neck.

The speed was like a flash of lightning. So fast that by the time the light entered your vision, your head would already be falling to the ground.

And then-

XxX

Staying Behind

Chapter X: Development

XxX

"A school you say?"

"That's right Adventurer-Dono! In truth, we are rather shocked when the daughter of our savior announces that she would build something like that! Of course, we are more than happy for such a thing!"

"Hm…" Momonga nodded rather indifferently, trying to act as if he doesn't care about the matter that much.

But in truth? His Undead racial passive was the only thing preventing him from declaring out loud that it was his daughter who had envisioned and is currently proceeding with such a groundbreaking endeavor.

Looking down from the hill which allows for an unobscured view for the entire Carne village, two particular locations catch his attention.

One was, of course, the site where the aforementioned school, created by his amazing daughter, will soon stand. It is currently a construction site in every sense, buzzing with activities related to building in general. Even if it is outdated by several centuries from his point of view.

The people involved were extremely invested in it, and Momonga is pretty sure he'd be able to tell so without his enhanced eyesight from this distance. That's just how eager they are.

Not only that, but he can also see several children skirting around the plot. Clearly waiting for the same day he is anticipating. Some even carry pieces of paper and pencils with them, something that should be a commodity in this world.

Looks like everyone here is eagerly awaiting the day the school is finished.

'But that's only natural…'

After all, Minerva had been the one to come up with the idea and was personally taking part in realizing her own design.

The villager whom he had enquired about it eventually left after continuing for another minute or two, and once he was out of both his earshot and vision, Momonga couldn't help but to fold his arms and puffed up his chest in pride.

They have only been here for a short time and his daughter had already made such a leeway here. Better yet, she's also sympathetic enough to plan for the future and better the village's livelihood.

'Looks like our fear of her being inhumane was for naught…'

Though in truth he was more worried about her not being able to make friends rather than her race affecting her treatments towards humans. Nonetheless, this kind of development was most certainly a welcome one.

'Ah… I really want to take pictures and selfies… But doing it now will raise suspicion…'

He now understood the feeling of his coworkers who would show off their children's craft at works. From barely comprehensible macaroni arts to oddly shaped clay bowls with handprints on them. No matter how terrible and badly made it is, the nature of any parents will push them to exhibit the craft with the utmost of their gratification.

Which is why Momonga felt extremely bad for being the wrench in her plan.

It is his fault that Minerva couldn't be here today, thus why the work was much slower as he learned from the same person he probed earlier.

As it turns out, Minerva would do much more than just give vague ideas to the villagers, taking care also of designing the blueprint for the school, preparing the material that will be taught beforehand, and just generally prepping everyone by convincing them about the merits of education.

Not only does he felt terrible for being a snag on her road, but the fact he did so while 'playing adventurer' only worsen his guilt.

'Now that it has gotten to this I can't screw up. I gotta complete this quest at any cost and quickly build up a reputation.'

Because while posing as 'Momon the adventurer' was a play of make-believe, it would also grant them numerous benefits should he successfully advanced his image enough. For that purpose, he'd have to make this debut of theirs as successful as possible.

'Depending on how things go I should consider 'capturing' the wise king of the forest…'

It was a beast of great knowledge and even more prestige after all, so should he be able to coerce it into serving under him then Momonga will be able to utilize it as a source of information, measurement of power in this world, and lastly, a device to quickly boost his acclaim as an adventurer.

Of course, some eyebrows would be raised should an unknown character like him accomplish such a feat out of nowhere. Overnight at that. But as he had seen first hand, this world simply values power too much to bother with such a thing. People would most likely come up with wild deductions of their own, but at the end of the day would still treat him as an extreme commodity.

He had inquired the Sword of Darkness about Adventurer teams with the highest rank earlier this morning, and they were more than eager to answer his questions for whatever reasons. And as he had expected, they are treated as national assets by whatever state they happen to occupy or hail from.

With privileges like that Momonga is more than willing to stand in the limelight. Moreso because of the Adventurer doctrine of staying neutral in regards to trans-national conflict. In other words, he'd be able to gather information in many countries without having to start long-term relations with any of them.

As long as they issue quests then he'd be able to easily travel there. In fact, he might not even need quests at all. With the powers being the one to seek him out due to his renown.

'Umu… all that's left is to make that image a reality…'

Deciding to focus on his current endeavor, Momonga nodded to himself before turning away from his daughter's enterprise and towards another part of this village that has gathered his interest as mentioned earlier.

And unlike the former, this one manages to do so without the aid of his rose-tinted-glasses.

"Oh──" He unknowingly let out loud at that particular sight. One that incited his admiration no less.

In an open field where come scarecrows had been erected on one side, one of the goblins summoned by the horns of Goblin Generals was giving a lesson in archery.

There were many different villagers all standing in a line. Men and women, old and young, they were all there. There were Some forty-year-old plump women looked like mothers, there were also youths whose age looked around ten years old.

They all listened intently to the instructions given to them. Being so serious to the extent that they appeared hostile. No one was fooling around.

A few moments later, the lined-up villagers slowly picked up their bows. They were simple short bows and judging by their shape, they were probably self-made. After fully drawing the bow, they aimed at the scarecrows some distance away.

The goblin probably issued a command and the villagers fired in unison. The bows might look simple, but the arc of the arrows was beautiful. Everyone hit the scarecrow, no one missed.

"Not bad." Momonga praised.

"Is that so?" Narberal asked doubtfully, standing behind him.

From her perspective, she probably wouldn't understand why a technique of this level was worthy of praise. Compared to the archers in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this was child's play.

He understood how Narberal felt and smiled bitterly under his helmet.

"You're right Narberal, their skill with the bow may not be that amazing. But just ten days ago, they couldn't even use a bow. They aren't passively hoping their spouses, children and parents won't die in another tragedy, instead, they're actively taking up arms to defend themselves whenever necessary. Isn't the technique they learned with this courage worthy of praise?"

"My apologies. I hadn't thought about it so deeply..."

"It's fine, no need to think too much, Narberal. Their technique isn't worthy of praise anyway."

What was praiseworthy, was the hate that pushed the villagers to this extent. Something that he can sympathize with and understand.

'If the same happens to me… I'd blindly go about and destroy everything…'

And Momonga wasn't exaggerating. Not one bit.

The idea itself scares him more than anything. Of losing his loved ones to this world with so many unknown in-between. He never paid it much heed, but it became much more apparent now that establishing power might be the only way to keep him and his family safe.

The hierarchy in this world had long since been established. Where humanity impossibly reigns supreme while demi-human and heteromorphic races suffer under them. For such an order to exists convinced him that there are forces just like 'them' roaming in this world. Otherwise, it should have been the other way around.

Momonga could say so with such nonchalance because he was no longer human, even if the statement was only half true. But his unique conditions aside, the fact remains that unless he challenges the very foundation of this new world, neither he nor his family will ever be completely safe.

For that, he would need power. Physical and political ones. And as he drowns himself further within those thoughts while watching another volley of arrows being loosed and hitting their targets, a question finally surfaces.

'How strong would they become? How strong could I get?'

In YGGDRASIL, Momonga had already reached the level cap of 100 for both of his accounts. His experience points were at 90% of the limit when he came to this world. This was just a hypothesis, but since his other abilities were still intact, the level system in this world should be the same.

The problem was whether he could obtain the remaining 10% of experience points and reach level 101.

Considering this question, he could guess the answer. Momonga couldn't get stronger. He had already reached the peak of power. He was strong, but he won't get stronger. But the villagers were weak and might become unexpectedly strong.

If the people in this world didn't have any limit to their growth, they could exceed the level 100 peak in YGGDRASIL. If that happened, Momonga and his underlings in the Great Tomb of Nazarick wouldn't be able to match them.

But this won't happen… Or will it?

"It might happen though…"

Momonga thought it could be possible that the Six Gods of the Slane Theocracy were players. He didn't know why the time of their appearance was so far apart from his, but if the Six Gods were from heteromorphic races without a limited lifespan, or if they had lifespan-specific class, there was a high probability that they were still alive.

No, the fact that they would support humans implies they are of that race also. But that doesn't automatically means that they are dead. From the sound of it, some items originally meant to ward off temporal based attack has developed other abilities according to their flavor text. Some proclaiming to grants its wearer 'freedom from the passage of time'.

If it really was capable of doing such a thing then ironically, it will only be a matter of time until he encounters other players.

Back to the Theocracy, If the Six Gods were still hiding in there, then during the last 600 years there might've been those who used the strength of the Six Gods to power level—gaining experience faster than normal through the help of powerful players. It wouldn't be surprising if someone over level 100 showed up.

Then the reason Slane Theocracy didn't rule this world would be due to another existence with a similar level. Or maybe level 100 was nothing impressive here.

When he thought about that, Momonga's non-existent stomach started to cramp. If the Six Gods were players, he had to try his best to get on their good side, even if the information gathering wasn't complete. But according to the survivors of the Sunlight Scripture, the Knights of the Empire who attacked the village were imposters from the Theocracy, which would mean that saving this village was the same as opposing the Theocracy.

"Maybe it was a mistake to help them…No."

Just as his wife put it, they can't get along with anyone who preaches Human primacy. The Great Tomb of Nazarick consisted almost completely of Heteromorphics after all. So unless they are open-minded enough, which is unlikely considering their limited information, a collision was inevitable.

"Not that our chances are that bad if it ever happens…"

If there were only six of them, and if their level-cap is the same as him, then Momonga is confident that he would be able to take them all on. Not because he's that confident in his PvP capability, though that's five percent of it, but because he has something that they likely do not.

That is the Great Tomb of Nazarick. In other words his family.

He knows that his guild was strong, and even with the setback that is the loss of income leading to the dysfunction of some of their traps, it was easily counterbalanced by the presence of their new allies.

Itsuki, Ranmaru, Fuitchi, and Torihiki. Each of them was a considerable addition to their already powerful force. Not only that, but their top NPCs were more than capable of fighting against an entire party on their own in the first place. And with proper support, their capability can easily surpass that already high ceiling.

So long as he could get a grasp on the enemies' capability he and Kyoko alone might even be able to beat all of them. Granted they will still need to pick them off one by one, but as long as he can make that scenario a reality or forces them to fight within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, then Momonga is confident that they could come out on top.

'No, I can't be too optimistic about this kind of thing. But being paranoid will only hinder our progress…It's really troublesome...'

He'd have to figure out a way to slip under their radar for a while, at least until they have gathered enough knowledge on just how strong each sovereign near them is. Then they'll be able to move for real.

He needed to gather more information after all. And Momonga will do his best to make 'Momon' the first step in accomplishing exactly that.

'Should we start with the Kingdom first or the empire? Well, we'll definitely be keeping away from the Theocracy until the last possible moment. Or maybe we don't need to fight them? If we can just turn all of the kingdoms nearby against them…'

While Momonga was preoccupied with such thoughts, he noticed a young man running towards him. The eyes, which were normally covered by hair, were visible as his hair swayed in the wind. He was staring straight at him. Seeing Nfirea's behavior, Momonga got a bad feeling. It was the same look of panic he had seen in the village chief.

"What's the hurry? Is there another emergency?" He tried to ask in his most caring tone.

Nfirea was panting, and his forehead was drenched in sweat, causing his hair to part. It revealed his serious expression, looking at him and Narberal. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, not sure how to speak. He finally made up his mind and asked Momonga:

"Momon-san, are you perhaps related to sir Ainz Ooal Gown and Lady Palas Domina Gown?"

This sudden question dumbfounded Momonga. The correct answer should be no. But could he say that? That was the name he and his friends created. Even though it was one of his monikers right now, could he deny it?

This period of hesitation was the best proof, and Nfirea went on.

"So you are their emissary. Thank you for saving this village and Enri."

The pure gratefulness in his voice allowed him to recover, and though he wasn't able to come up with a proper response, the Overlord does manage to let out a reply.

"No. It's just one thing that leads to another. Besides, helping others in need is common sense after all."

For some reason, Nfirea seems to feel thankful to him for saving the village. So if he continues to play the good samaritan, there's a chance that he'd be able to bank on his gratitude and push Nfirea to keep his mouth closed.

Hearing those words Nfirea's expression turned even brighter, and Momonga instantly knows that he had made the right choice. Letting out an inward sigh of relief.

"I understand you're hiding your identity for some reason, but I still wanted to thank you for saving this village— no, for saving Enri. Thank you for saving the girl I like."

He felt like an old uncle, thinking that 'like' was a word only used by youths. For a moment he allowed himself to reminisce the past while thinking about other, more important things.

Nonetheless, he felt as if he can relate to the young man in front of him, lovestruck or not. And his businessman instinct tells him that it would be for the best to keep honest with Nfirea.

"That's enough bowing now don't you think? Please lift your head."

He hasn't figured out yet that Momonga himself was 'Ainz', so depending on how things turn out he can simply play the role of a follower.

"Yes, Sir Momon. Also, actually… I've been hiding something from you."

Now that part he had known.

"Understood, then follow me. Nabel, stand by here."

After issuing the order to Narberal, he brought Nfirea to someplace further away. This was to prevent Narberal from hearing anything strange and getting agitated. After getting some distance away from Narberal, Momonga turned around to face the youth.

Nfirea gulped nervously, then made a determined face.

"Actually… the potion you gave to the woman at the tavern is impossible to create using normal methods and is very rare. I wanted to know what kind of person owned such a potion and the method to brew it, that's why I requested you for this job. I am very sorry."

This time around Momonga was able to keep calm, having known all of this beforehand thanks to Fuitchi.

He pondered around for a bit while thinking of the best way to capitalize on the current setting. Momonga seems to have the upper hand here, having Nfirea's appreciativeness for saving the village and also the secret to the potion that Nfirea desperately desires. As long as he has those two things, asking Nfirea to keep his secrets will be easy.

Question is, how can he make a profit out of it?

'For now, I should just ask him how did he manage to put two and two together.'

As it turns out the girl Nfirea had talked about was the same girl that he and Kyoko had rescued. Momonga had altered Enri's memories so that she will forget his race, but apparently, she manages to remember about the low-level potion they had given her.

The same potion that draws Nfirea towards Momon in the first place.

Connecting the dots, Nfirea concluded that Momon was related in some way to the mysterious Gown pair. And decided to come clean in the hopes of starting an honest relationship with them.

After hearing his explanation Momonga couldn't help but be baffled.

'Rather than a leak of intel from carelessness, it's more like a series of unfortunate events right…?'

None of this would have happened had the girl Nfirea likes wasn't the one they had saved personally. True it was his fault for giving away a second potion thus leading to Nfirea figuring it all out, but the other half of the puzzle was so utterly random that Momonga was convinced that fate itself had been the one pulling the strings.

Deciding to instead try and make the best of the unavoidable, Momonga decided to return Nfirea's gesture in full.

"Nfirea-san, your guess was right on the mark. I am none other than Ainz Ooal Gown, the one who had saved Enri."

He intended to take advantage of Nfirea's affection for Enri. Because surely someone who is in love would obey the words of the one who protected his loved ones.

"What! Momon-san is… Ainz-san!"

Although the boy was surprised, gratitude quickly replaces astonishment. Momonga had yet again made the right choice it seems.

"Why so surprised?"

"No… It's just that…. You are a swordsman who has reached Adamantine level… And not only that… You are also a magic caster as strong as Nabe-san…"

The weight of Nfirea's praise was lost to him, and Momonga simply continues.

"Anyway, the request this time was made to build a relationship right? So there should be no problem because we can still benefit from each other. With that said, I must ask. If I tell you how to make the potion, what would you do with this information?"

His reply caused Nfirea to yell in surprise, and after muttering 'Sir Gown is really forgiving…', he answered after pondering shortly.

"I didn't think that far. I'm driven by curiosity… My grandmother is probably the same."

"I see. That isn't a problem. It would be different if you were planning to commit some felonies, but it's fine if you don't plan to do that."

"How amazing. No wonder… she idolizes you…"

The mumbling youth's hair had dried in the wind and covered his eyes once more. But Momonga could see his envious eyes. They were the eyes of a youth who is looking directly at a pro of a field that they desire to make their own.

He couldn't help but smile. Back then, he would have the same eye whenever someone else try and get close to Kyoko. And it was then that he knew what kind of Person Nfirea was.

He was like him and his comrades who were rescued after being PKed repeatedly: those who are in awe by the strength of a savior. Determined to do their best to return the favor and get stronger. An honest person who just wants to be stronger for the person they love.

Momonga felt as if he sees a bit of himself in the young man.

The feelings of embarrassment surfaced and were suppressed. Nfirea's attitude affected his heart, surprising him a bit, but he recovered immediately and took action. He had to find out something first.

"By the way, are you the only one who knows I am Ainz?"

"Yes, I didn't tell anyone."

"I see, that's great."

Momonga thought about how he should proceed. He had no clue how to go about it, so he requested directly and simply:

"... Right now I am an ordinary adventurer called Momon. I would be grateful if you could remember that."

"Yes, I thought you would say that. I know it would cause Momon-san a lot of trouble, but I can't help wanting to express my thanks to you. Thank you very much for saving Enri and this village."

With serious eyes, Nfirea sincerely expressed his thanks to 'Ainz'

"There's no need to be so formal. I simply happened to be passing by."

"But even so, there was no need to give that horn as a present."

"Oh don't worry, it wasn't much. Also, once the job is over, I would like to talk a bit more in detail regarding the potion."

For the third time, Nfirea's face beamed brightly. And after thanking him earnestly for saving the village once more he returned to the position of a client and inform him that they would head into the forest in an hour.

Before he left, however, Momonga one last thing to say.

"Nfirea-san."

"Oh, what is it A-Momon-san?"

"Actually, it's about Enri."

Nfirea understandably tensed and shuddered while waiting for the rest of the sentence.

"W-what about Enri… Momon-san."

The Overlord Chuckled causing the young man to froze even further. Momonga then leaned over to him and whispered to his ear.

"Don't worry about the competition. I'm a married man you see, so I understand the feeling. I was once like you after all."

With an uncharacteristic shriek, Nfirea jumped backward. His jaw slacked and his eyes wide, the reaction only furthers Momonga's amusement and sympathy.

"As long as you stay true to yourself and keep at it, I'm sure that she'll realize her feelings too eventually. That's why don't give up. 'That day' is a lot closer than you think. By the way, I'm also speaking from experience."

It was truly words of encouragement, coming from the person he admired the most no less. Embarrassment mixes with joy and hope. Not knowing how to react to such a thing, Nfirea turned around and ran as fast as his legs can take him while shouting:

"THAANK YOU VERY MUUUUUUUCH!"

As Momonga watches Nfirea's figure running away while chuckling inwardly, Narberal came before him and bowed.

"Ainz-sama, I am very sorry!"

"Hm, for what? Anyway, people are watching, so raise your head."

Once Narberal did as told he only shook his head before speaking lazily:

"Is it about him figuring everything out?"

"Yes! That mosquito must manage to do so because I foolishly blurted Kyoko- I mean! Pallas-sama's name. I know it will not make up for anything but please allow me to atone for my crime with death!"

She didn't sound like she was kidding.

Everyone in the Grand Tomb of Nazarick was like that, treating the 41 members of Ainz Ooal Gown as the Supreme beings, the absolute authority, and took glory in serving them. It was a bit heavy for him, but it wasn't bad if the NPC he created served him happily. That was the fate of all creators. And his fellow players, his wife especially, seem to have little to no problem in living up to their new pedestal.

Narberal was an NPC like that. If she were jokingly ordered to commit suicide, she would oblige immediately. She was seeking permission because of her sense of absolute duty to her master since she saw her life as the property of her master.

"It's not like that Naberal Gamma. All things considered, this was truly an unprecedented coincidence leading to an unexpected outcome. There's no way any of us could ever see it coming or prevent it…"

Because Nfirea was a potion maker. Because they saved Enri. Because he had given a potion to an adventurer. Those were events so small that they shouldn't have connected. Yet, they lead to this compromising leak that endangers them.

'No...Wait… it's actually not that bad, right?'

Thinking about it carefully doesn't he now basically has Nfirea in the palm of his hands? He can easily use the knowledge regarding his potions as leverage to get him, and most likely his grandmother, to do his bidding.

But he might not even have to resort to that. The boy clearly adores him for what he had done to this village, and if he plays good enough as a matchmaker, he might even be able to convince him to stay full-time if Nfirea ends up marrying Enri.

'Well that's last thought is a bit pushing it. But who knows…'

Bottom line is, this situation ends up rather favoring them. All that's left now is to figure out how to make the most of it.

"Cosmic conspiracy aside, if you felt that you're at fault then use this as a chance for self-introspection. Just work hard and avoid failing again. Diligently labor step-by-step and don't make the same mistake. I won't pursue this failure further, Narberal Gamma."

"I am very grateful! I will take care of myself and not make the same mistake next time!"

"Umu, that's exactly what I'm hoping for. Don't take it too hard. Because the adventurer known as Momon—this disguised identity isn't a complete failure yet, just be careful next time."

"Understood! I will do my best not to squander your kindness! Ainz-sa—Momon-sama!"

The Overlord could only chuckle at her antics. Maybe he was taking things a bit too lightly, but right now, that was the best he could do.

"Anyway… let's just see how things turn out. We should also get Fu since it's about to start. Do you know where he is? Nabe?"

"Yes! Fuitchi—I mean—Fu-sama is playing outside of the village. He wanted to play music without endangering the villagers or the adventurers."

"That's surprisingly considerate of him. Well, let's pick him up then. It's almost time to get to work, after all. Lead the way, Nabe."

"Yes! Then please follow me."

Trekking behind the beautiful magic caster, the dark warrior strode forward.

XxX

Mobile Guild. It was yet another expansion to YGGDRASIL that gave out. An addition that fails to catch on and inevitably fell into obscurity.

In its smallest size, the variation appear as nothing more than a Recreational Vehicle. And at its largest, it will become as large as an ultra-class two-axle mining haul truck. Additions and modifications can also be made, the final shape limited only by its designer's imagination.

It retains other features of the contemporary guild, such as the capacity to spawn goods as well as POP-NPC. Possessing also several levels that can be allocated to create an NPC.

Albeit much smaller in scale when compared side by side with its original version, the merit of mobility is one that opens up new avenues within the game itself.

One could design a mobile fortress should they be dedicated enough. A true juggernaut that would be unstoppable with the correct coordination between the guild's size, defense arsenal, and the race as well as the skill of the NPC that comes with it.

Or they can adopt the exact opposite tactic. Creating a stealth-based means of transport to navigate behind the enemy line and launch a surprise attack. Either way, the intention of the developer when concocting this particular inclusion was clear.

That is to add more to the game to avoid stagnation and ensure continuation.

It was groundbreaking in its own way. And just like the developers had planned, it was enough to drive players to experiment with the newly introduced system just as they did with the game itself.

The process of earning the right to create a mobile guild and a normal one was one and the same, but the difference in effort needed for the next step was where it branches out. Moreso because it allows for the creation of guilds even with only a handful of players with minimal resources. In fact, even an advanced lone player can create their own with enough savings.

Keeping a guild building's existence a secret during the manufacturing process is an integral part of establishing a proper union. And in the case of regular ones, strategic planning for the initial sites and plans of expansion must be thoroughly made beforehand. Otherwise, the guild in question will be risking being destroyed before having the chance to grow.

A mobile guild's signature portability is thought to would circumvent this particular problem, usually being the hardest one needed to be overcome when forming a guildhall. With a much shorter assembly time, the guild could simply 'move away' once completion is reached, leaving any danger in the dust.

It is slightly more complicated for those aiming to create a moving fortress. But the solution is still applicable even if it requires a slight increase in planning. Usually by camouflaging them according to the nearby area. It will buy enough time for the guild to prime their offensive and defensive means.

For yet another content impulsively added into the game to bank on ongoing trend, the Mobile guild was easily among the ones with the highest potential to grow and overturn the game environment established in YGGDRASIL.

So the question was, what went wrong?

The answer to that came in two parts, one surrounding several elements of the gameplay itself, and the other, originating from the players.

The first was how mobile guild on its own doesn't perfectly click with YGGDRASIL's theme of Role Playing Game. It began as mere complaints of how 'vehicles' clashes with the mythical plus natural background the game rooted itself on, but soon enough, a large wave of aesthetic defender rose to the scene. A hypocritical point since the automaton race exists in the game, but one that gained traction nonetheless.

In conjunction with that, is how in contrast to developing a regular guild constructing a mobile one comes with an enhanced amount of perill. While its merits had been mentioned earlier, it also risks itself to environmental hazards that are naturally spawning enemies.

Avoiding one danger may inadvertently lead to running onto a bigger unavoidable one should one be careless enough with their environment, this was how many mobile guilds met their end. And while the guildhall can be restored completely should it comes to the worst it was one of those things where the costs outweigh the benefits.

In purely numerical terms contemporary guilds dwarves mobile guild's capability when it comes to resource production and NPC creation. Side by side, it is shown that the proportionate comparison between a regular guild and a mobile guild is 9:1, a gap that is wide enough to make the trading it off with mobility simply unreasonable.

Soon enough, players managed to gather solid data regarding the comparison. And everyone quickly realizes how risky the premise of a mobile guild is and how little the advantage they return in the long run. In the end, only a handful of hardcore fans of certain genres utilizes mobile guild, and the numbers of those who bother to cultivate them were even smaller.

Then, what happened to that small number then?

YGGDRASIL is acknowledged to be a game that is extremely competitive and unfriendly to new players, so it was natural for any new insertion to be met with extreme prejudice. It's not about clashing with the game's lore and background, nor was it purely about contemporary guild has them beat in practical and informational value.

It is the mindset of players, old and new, to prevent and destroy any threat, no matter how small, that can theoretically overthrow the status quo. And back then, Mobile Guild was considered as one of those menaces.

The combination of not being that great gameplay-wise and the aggressiveness of the older players fueled by their defensive instinct made sure that Mobile Guilds never live-up to their true potential and resulting in their insignificance today. It was buried under so much that players wouldn't know of its existence unless they put in some effort to look it up.

In both terms of aesthetic and gameplay, it would surely morph YGGDRASIL to a drastic degree. Evolving it into a game much more than the Role Playing Game it originally was. The developer had even made plans to create ones with the capability of flight and dive underwater.

But that was nothing more than a possibility that got curbed due to circumstances. At the very end of the DMMORPG that is YGGDRASIL, Mobile Guild was nothing more than an in-game ornament known, owned, and used by players with an expanded knowledge of the game and an overabundance of resources.

One of such examples is the player named Torihiki.

"Nii-san! The Twinkies have respawned." Kuwaga stated out loud as he opened one of the compartments.

"Put it with the Herseys and the Skittles. I'm just about done counting how many Ramen we have." Kabuto replied with a clipboard in hand, staring down a box filled with the lattermost goods he mentioned.

The skin crawler insectoid twins Kabuto and Kuwagata. Those were the names of the NPCs created by Torihiki using the levels provided by his mobile guild: Pluto's Helmet.

It was an exception among exception, a vehicle that truly represented what could have been that reached an even greater high thanks to its anonymity. Named after the legendary relic that granted it's wearer not only invisibility but the capability to become 'darkness' itself.

Using something that players thought had either long since abandoned or don't know even existed, the Soul Taker acted as Kyoko's and Momonga's independent left arm. Covertly gathering intel from the nine worlds for the grand plan of the former.

An eight-wheeled vehicle appearing as a cross between a small bus and a truck. Shaped almost completely like a rectangle box colored like the darkest, smoothest, spotless, black marble with neon orange lines running across its side and upwards into its roof.

Had it not been for the windshield, which hue on its own made it barely visible alongside the vehicle's paint job, one could easily mistake it as a mass of darkness formed and molded into the travel conveyance that it is.

It's interior consists only of two sections. The driving sector with two seatings, the driver's and the front passenger', and the much larger back row being made of a sizeable kitchen counter furnished with cooking needs, a bathroom equipped with a toilet and a shower, a dining section consisting of a bolted table and chairs with fast food restaurant motive, and a sitting quarter that can be collapsed into a sleeping area.

Torihiki personally picks the design and placement of all of it, which is ironic considering since as an Undead he had no practical use for any of those features. Hell, he barely ever let go of the steering wheel before the jump (which is how he refers all of them getting Isekai'ed), and when he does, he'd be out in the open gathering info after putting on his skinsuit.

So it was Kabuto and Kuwaga who would occupy and use the living arrangement, and why the former has the chef class skill as a one-off to his classic fist assassination build. Kuwagata didn't have anything of the like, so Torihiki instead added a personality twist where's he's much tidier than he appears to be.

With their master away for an extended period, it was again up to these two to manage and maintain the condition of their 'home'. Parked behind the main Mausoleum, Pluto's Helmet did stick out like a sore thumb, but as the name implies, it is indeed a mobile guild that specializes in camouflage. With the activation of a certain skill and it will easily vanish from sight.

"It sure does feel weird that we're here just to relocate snacks. Pretty sure this is what it's like to drop by your parents' house to ask for money." Kuwaga commented out loud as he placed down another box.

"I commend you for your knowledge in the arts of words, little brother. Though your assessment is rather off the mark slightly, that I must say." Kabuto replied, eyes still glued to the clipboard.

"Hum? How so?"

"Because The Great Tomb of Nazarick is our home also now. What we're doing is akin to moving food from a depository into our primary adobe."

"So our birthplace is nothing more than a storage shed then?"

"Don't twist my word. And besides, we should be glad that our resources can be put into use rather than end up uneaten and rotten."

"Well, can't argue with you there. I just couldn't see all three of us eating all these in a month."

"Hearing that from you, we should really be grateful."

Among the asset that Pluto's Helmet generate was food. But unlike fresh resources that would need to be prepared before consumption, their eatables consists completely of instant pre-packed food and snacks with little to no nutrition value.

From assortments of sweets that would rot your teeth, ready to eat meals that forsake health in exchange for convenience, sugary drinks that grant tremendous energy boost while destroying the body also, amounting to more junk food than should be gathered in one place. Boxes and boxes of health hazards. That would be an apt description for what's surround the twins

Lazily, Kuwagata snagged one of the chocolate bars from its box. Opening the wrapper without care before happily munching on it.

"Ah~ It tastes as good as always. Still, we have too many of them that I wouldn't be able to eat them all."

"And that calculation is made while taking into accounts you devouring at least an entire box monthly. Even if it's only the sweets." Kabuto noted with a sweatdrop, to which Kuwagata only shrugged.

"Eh, what can you do? This is how Torihiki-sama made me." He said while chewing on a different candy already. Indicating that the first one had since been long devoured.

Kuwagata having a sweet tooth of the unhealthy kind was a flavor text addition from Torihiki. It was an impulsive decision from his part to add that characteristic when designing him, something that clicks perfectly with their base spawning nothing but convenience-food.

"Once we're done with the inventory we still need to move them to the kitchen. After that, it's prep work for tomorrow's breakfast."

"Hm~. Then it's clean up duty for me. We sure have settled in now haven't we."

It has been several weeks after their creator has reunited with his original guildmates and integrated both himself plus the two NPCs into Ainz Ooal Gown. Torihiki himself is already out and about. Engrossed with his share of duty that is gathering the necessary intel for their next big move.

Kabuto and Kuwagata however, are ordered to stay in the Great Tomb of Nazarick and assist its maintenance. Which they have been doing for some time now by playing their usual role albeit in a different setting.

Their creator stated that they must acclimate to their new surroundings, and as this collaboration was likely a permanent one they can't argue back. Removing the image of them being an outsider is important considering just how hostile can Nazarick be to any nonmember. So far, they're doing splendidly well.

Both dressed in the male variant of the retainer clothes the homonculus maids of Nazarick wear, consisting of black slacks, long-sleeved white buttoned-up shirt, and sleeveless vest with a necktie to bring it all together. Facemask was also present as an addition from the two used to hide a particular feature of theirs.

The two of them appear to be identical with the except in regards to eye color, hair length, and color scheme. Each has their vest and necktie mirrors the hue of their iris, Crimson for Kabuto and Navy for Kuwagata. The former sport a neatly groomed auburn hair color that reaches his chin, whereas the latter's dark brown hair was unkempt and reached his shoulders.

Looking perfectly like charming males, the two, in truth, are a pair of Inhumans whose humanity only goes skin-deep. The very same layer being the only thing that hides their true appearance underneath.

Skincrawler Insectoid. A race of heteromorph appearing as the run of the mill Bugman from fiction. They were a much tamer variant if put beside their arachnid compatriot Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, though only in the sense of resembling a human in appearance.

According to the YGGDRASIL lore, Skincrawler Insectoid was a variant of the insect people who specializes in stealing the skin of men and women. Adding a unique racial class resulting in a passive that blurs that status into that of a human. Though they wouldn't be able to use their full ability without revealing their true appearance with said 'outfit' having a live-span and must be harvested periodically.

Their disguise can be seen through with enough preparation in the game, but after arriving in the new world the two are practically indiscernible from a regular human. Torihiki would have liked to try and test how far their concealment goes but seeing as this venture was their first and also a crucial one opted to not take any risks.

"Wonder how long would our skin last? Maybe we might not even have to get them ever again?"

"Figuring that out is another reason why we are stationed here. It'd be terrible if our skin broke down in the middle of important exchange. Not to mention how hard it is for us to find new ones."

Which, while truthfully is not going to be that hard will raise suspicions should it be done carelessly. Kabuto and Kuwagata have established that they can wear any man's skin so long as it's of similar size as their true form, but the catch is that their appearance will be perfectly identical to the skin's previous owner.

In other words, every time they were forced to shed and change skin their outer appearance will change depending on the 'donor'. Something that just can't be passed off in a long-term intelligence operation.

"I hope so, cause I really like this one. I kind of wonder why do the boss's 'suit' never rots. Is it because it's one of those event limited items that only Players can obtain?"

Anticipating the question, Kabuto then began explaining to Kuwagata in great detail.

"Most likely. Though, from what I heard, it is far more exclusive and intricate than that. For starters, the event only occurs for a limited time. Taking place in a particular month and also hosting difficult quests that warrant certain types of specialization.

There is also the fact that those events will only happen once. And while our master had spoken of occasions known as Re-run or lite-version. Repetition on its own was a rarity.

Secondly, not many players ever bother to participate in the so-called event deeming the reward unworthy. Unlike our master, they foolishly let the concept of 'level' and 'power' blind them. Reaching only a shallow conclusion that overlooks many other benefits it could yield."

"Eh? Even though it's extremely useful when going undercover? Guess not everyone can be as smart as our boss. As expected of him." The praise isn't exactly misplaced, but it still carries a considerable bias.

Torihiki does use limited-time reward items to masquerade as a human. But a guild's intense recruitment policy made it impossible for him to infiltrate even a single one. In that regard, what Torihiki usually gathers are either barbed words from players who got kicked out from their guild and are steps away from quitting the game together.

It is his knack for piecing things together that allows him to connect the dots and gather concrete intel. Something that the twins are ignorant of.

As for the aforementioned articles, several items in YGGDRASIL do have the property of changing one's race. The feature itself is rather commonplace despite being accessible only to advanced players, but switching one's identity from within the three main races into another is ill-advised. The difference in race class status of the three being the reason for so.

Heteromorphic race possesses the highest amount of Race class, whereas the human race lacked them completely. The opposite of the Human Race containing more Jobs Classes whereas Heteromorphic could only obtain so many should also be considered. So a conversion would lead to losing either of them. That is why not many ever use change race out of the three specifications despite that being a feature in YGGDRASIL.

While both will return in the wake of the item's deactivation, there is simply no merit in changing in the first place. Some players do use them to create an account with two faces, but would never bother min-maxing them as they aim to create an account capable of traversing the entirety of YGGDRASIL without gaining too much attention.

Those who do, however, are likely to end up scrutinized or never simply never have the chance to use their alter ego. After all, converting between identities is not something that can be done at will, prevented by the game system outside of certain locations to keep things balanced. So cultivation for combat will be fruitless.

At least when the old laws of YGGDRASIL still apply. Now, a blink of an eye is all they need to put on the aforementioned game-changing item, and no-less is required to de-equip them. However, Torihiki had never raised his human persona, so that avatar of his currently has no use besides being a facade just like it did in the game.

In that regard, there is another feature that has undergone a similar change.

"Speaking of change, I heard that instead of using special items Momonga-sama and Kyoko-sama actually change accounts. Didn't Torihiki-sama say something like that is impossible?"

Kuwagata again asked out loud, this time, while moving one of the boxes. Rather than genuine curiosity, it looks like he's questioning things out loud to have Kabuto elaborate. Effectively avoiding an awkward silence.

"It's not exactly impossible rather than unreasonable and unheard of. Do you remember that one-time Momonga-sama visited us?"

"How could I? Torihiki-sama would still talk about it every now and again."

Kabuto nodded. He too had labeled the encounter as something that could never be forgotten. And because it involves also Kyoko-sama, even she was only talked about, it might as well be natural.

It was back in the early days where their master simply roams the nine worlds without any aim. Guided by nothing but his own whims and the occasional events. An unaffiliated in every sense who plays YGGDRASIL for its roaming feature, Torihiki was shocked when his little brother went to see him in-game while bringing along big news no less.

One that as mentioned above, centers around the woman who would later become his wife.

Momonga came to their creator to rant about his new position as a benchwarmer of a certain first-class company and how he obtained said position through the impossible excellence of playing YGGDRASIL.

Even now details, as well as the true meaning of that exchange, eludes the twins. But they nonetheless manage to come to a conclusion of their own. One that expectedly ennobles the position of their creators.

"Kyoko-sama recognizes Momonga-sama's dedication to the previous world, 'the game YGGDRASIL'. Granting him a spot in her 'office section' to fill up the number initially. Of course, Momonga-sama's mediative talent eventually made itself obvious, and the achievement they gained since then were thanks to him and Kyoko-sama's superb leadership."

As for how they can have multiple avatars. There is this device called a 'Console' and it serves as the gateway to the game. After installing YGGDRASIL in it, you can then play the game, but as we both know, one could only use a single avatar per-identity permanently."

"I don't see how those two things correlate, Nii-san."

A frown appeared on Kabuto's forehead, and Kuwagata immediately averted his glance from his older twin brother.

"I was just getting to that." he annoyedly clarified before continuing. "What most people don't know is that this limitation is not tied down to the individual but rather said YGGDRASIL exclusive console. So that restriction can be bypassed by purchasing and acquiring more than one of that object."

"Huh? that sounds simple enough. Why don't more people just do that then?"

"For that, I have no answer. But it just goes to show how rich our lords are and how insightful they are to foresee the future that is our present."

There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in his exposition. Kabuto thoroughly and firmly believes that whatever his creator had done in the 'other-side' is something of the greatest importance for that world and here as well.

Further detail on the matter actually includes Kyoko's upper-class background and frugal spending habits. She might only be a part of the lowest echelon of the rich, but her monetary capability back then was still nothing to scoff at.

It began with her sudden interest in DMMORPG in general, one which was timely followed by her encounter with an enthusiast of its most famous title at the time, YGGDRASIL. As any normal person would, she acted upon her impulse by shopping for the aforementioned needed device, the Neural Nano-Interface station.

And this is where her trail diverges from the normal buyer/new player.

After researching a bit about the game she wanted to play, Kyoko was initially infuriated to learn that the game would allow only one character per person. Restarting from scratch is the only option if a player wanted to heavily modify his or her avatar, and for someone as taciturn as she was, that is the absolute last thing she could tolerate.

Normally, she would simply change games and look for one capable of coping with her demands, short attention span, thirst for (cyber) violence, and finally, her tumultuous habit of switching direction in the middle of something. But with YGGDRASIL being the one game capable of sating those demands the most Kyoko went against her habit and dug further in search of a solution.

And she found it, much easier than she thought it would be at that.

Just like Kabuto had proclaimed there is an exploitable loophole that is the YGGDRASIL console, and any person can in truth create as many avatars parallel the number of consoles they can afford. The more consoles they can buy, the more avatar one can make, putting it simply.

But why would anyone do so? And only for the trade-off of an in-game feature in the form of a secondary avatar? Truly this solution was viable exclusively for rich people who have a screw loose or two.

If one were to mention that judgment out loud, then they better hope that they said so out of the hearing range of Kyoko Kurayanashi.

'There's a discount for bulk purchase of YGGDRASIL console. I'll just use that.'

That was the moment that led her and Momonga into possessing more than one identity. The advertisement Kyoko stumbled into was aimed towards multiple people who wanted to play the game but couldn't pay for the console on their own. With the discount increasing the more devices they buy at once.

Kyoko bought five in a single go. Giving one away to Momonga after he voiced out how his primary avatar was a Heteromorphic one and thus couldn't be used in the beginner-friendly area. That charity was also the reason why he visited Torihiki, feeling the need to tell the story for its sheer ridiculousness.

For Kabuto and Kuwagata who eavesdrop, however, it was an exchange between brothers that they tailor into a revelation of an origin story. It was another example of just how biassed and reverence can an NPC be when it comes to their master.

"Right, that's all of it then. Come on Kabuto, we're done here."

As he said so, Kabuto lifted one of the boxes with one arm. Carrying the cardboard package as if it weighed nothing. Not only that he proceeds to skillfully stack up two more on top of the first one, doing so unassisted with only his one free hand before finally filling his said with yet another full box in one swift swoop.

Kuwagata also did the same with ease, and once he did, the two trotted away as their mobile guild disappeared as if swallowed by surroundings. This was its camouflage mechanism in action.

"Kay~ Just need to drop this in the kitchen clean up a bit and then we're done right?"

"For the day. Don't even think of waking up late tomorrow."

"Hey, come on now. I wasn't dreaming about that in the slightest. You know I'd never embarrassed the boss in front of his family. That's mean of you nii-san."

"...Sorry."

And he knows that that particular jab did cross the line.

"No worries, I know better than anyone that you'd get carried away after speaking about our boss. It's funny once you get used to it, really."

"I don't think you should consider it funny as it is weird. And if you say it out loud, that'd make it sound like I'm a terrible brother."

Kabuto replied with a sweatdrop, his earlier regret all but already vanished. In response to that, Kuwagata smiled.

"Heh~ since when did you start caring about your public image? I thought you were a warrior/butler and nothing else."

"That is the truth. But, considering that we're in an entirely new domain, we should be extra careful in showing any trait that can be traced back to our Creator."

"Ehe~ is it only that I wonder~? You sure you also don't want to look bad in front of a certain someone?"

For the first time, Kabuto raised his eyebrow out of interest rather than annoyance.

"Are you talking about Entoma? If so then don't get your hopes up. We simply get along because of our race and favorite food. That said, I'm quite curious about how you'd even manage to hear about our exchange."

"That part is easy, don't underestimate the information network that is the maid channel~. You'd be surprised at how detailed and precise the info they bring for a mouth to mouth channel."

"Is that so, then that should be something we look out for in the real world as well. And I'm glad to hear that you're doing much better than I am in connecting with our fellow-servants. Even if it is to be expected."

"You know what they say, the best way to a woman's heart is their stomach, and to be honest," Kuwagata then shook the boxes he was holding a bit. "This excess supply of ours really helps."

Indeed they were the one who had been helping them in not letting their stock surplus goes to waste. The maid population of Nazarick finding the scrumptious yet unhealthy snacks to be a godsend. Although wary about their health at first, the female servants quickly prove that their stomach resilience is rivaled only by their appetite.

To a certain extent, Kabuto and Kuwagata must thank the overabundance, otherwise, they doubt that either of them would have made as much as leeway as they currently had. The maids are quite notorious for hating the outside world and anyone coming hailing from there due to the invasion, after all.

"And besides, you're not doing too shabby yourself. Everyone sees you as 'the super skilled and level headed chef'. They love your food and it's obvious that you're getting along with the sous-chef. With your interaction with the Pleiades, Entoma especially, you're basically a superstar to them."

"So the Pleiades are idols then?"

Kabuto sarcastically commented, only for Kuwagata to nod as if that was the correct answer.

"Yep, most of our talks are about them, actually. Dakimakura and other memorabilia included. And that's another thing we should thank Torihiki-sama for. Him having the affection of Solution Epsilon really help to ease our way in."

Combined with the fact of said Pleiades being betrothed to their creator, which was a subject they tend to steer away from, and the sheer absurdity of the maids' personal interests, they simply leave that part at that.

"To keep it short things are going our way. Let's do our best to keep it that way then, Kuwagata."

"Roger~. If it keeps going like this, I'm sure that things will continue to develop."

"Oi, what's that's supposed to mean?"

"It's exactly as I say. I mean, it's only natural for a relationship between two acquaintances to grow the more they interact, right? Hell, pretty sure it's unavoidable."

"That's true but your angle is aiming for something else isn't it!?"

"Eh? It's just an implication at best. Why are you being so defensive about it~?"

"Don't use my word against me Kuwagata!"

With heavy boxes that would have left any lesser man breathless on each hand, the two butlers bicker away as they head into the tomb.

XxX

Voidwalker77 here with another chapter and announcement.

TLDR, I managed to finish this chapter literally a day before college starts again for me, so whether or not will my writing schedule, which has evolved into the realm of monthly update, might experience change.

That and my personal desire to work on another project, I'm almost convinced that there won't be an update for this story for at least another month, so sorry about that in advance.

Anyway that's all I want to talk about. No need to worry about me abandoning this story because it will never happen. Keep a lookout for another story from me, hopefully I'll be able to publish it before September ends.

That's all for now. Voidwalker77, signing out CIAO!

P.S anyone knows where I can buy overlord figurines? Just installed a new shelf and I want to fill it with something. Please leave reccommendation in the comments.