Chapter 9: Dwarven Identity Crisis
Rolling off of his bed that amounted to not much more than a thin pad, Diablo groggily exited his tent, stretching his arms as he took in the sunlight.
I was worried I'd be the last one up, but look at that, no one else is awake yet…
It was the crack of dawn, but he had expected a group like the Swords of Darkness to move as soon as daylight had arrived.
Actually, I'm not the first one up… Seems like Momon is even more diligent than me on my best day…
Sitting stoically beside his tent, Momon was silently reading a book that was clasped between his still gauntleted hands.
Geez, it's as if he never takes off that armor… If not for what the others said last night, I'd have thought he was hiding some kind of disfigurement…
However, as soon as Momon noticed that Diablo had exited his tent, he quickly tucked the book behind his back, where it seemed to disappear entirely. Not before Diablo was able to get a glance at the cover, though, which he immediately recognized was written in Japanese kanji.
Well that just about confirms it! This world, just like the last, has its own distinct written language, despite the auto-translation that seems to apply to speech… Either Momon is a former Cross Reverie player like me, or this world has seen influence from players in the past… It's definitely a possibility, as I'd have expected him to recognize me if he did play Cross Reverie, but he could just be pretending…
Despite this new clue, it only served to raise more questions about whatever had brought him to this new world in the first place.
If he was a player, why did I never see or hear of him in my previous world? He definitely wasn't a top ranker from Cross Reverie, otherwise I would've heard of him… There's a very real possibility he's from a different game, as I have seen elements from other games in my previous world… Gah! None of it makes any sense! I won't mention anything for now, not until I have more data on this guy… He could be a useful ally though, if he has a world he wants to get back to, we could work together on finding a way back…
"I didn't take you for much of a scholar, Momon."
"Ah… yes… It would be irresponsible to only work on strengthening my body. Stimulation of the mind is an often neglected form of training."
The dark warrior seemed a little more unsure of himself than usual, but Diablo didn't want to let on about his suspicions, so he played along for now.
"Interesting. You may have to lend me it sometime, I'm curious what kind of literature could hold the attention of someone who's lived such an eventful life."
"It is an intriguing read so far, yet I hate to disappoint you. It's written in a language from my homeland, I don't believe anyone besides Nabe would be able to decipher it."
Your homeland huh? You have no idea…
"I am a Demon Lord, remember? I'm sure I'd be able to figure it out. Regardless, let's save our book club for another time. We've still got a job to do."
Ainz gave an internal sigh of relief, not like he had lungs to sigh with anyways. The last thing he needed right now was explaining to Diablo how he knew Japanese, assuming his theory of Diablo being a fellow other-worlder was true.
"Yes, of course. Why don't we wake the others? It's not much further to Carne village, we should be able to arrive before noon."
Nodding in affirmation, Diablo ducked back into his tent to wake Rose, before he remembered that she doesn't sleep in the first place.
I guess she took my hint about being creeped out by waking up to her staring over me… I didn't know she could be considerate like that…
"We're packing up, Rose. Let's start loading the cart while the others are still waking up."
"Leave it to me, master. Such trivial labor is above a being like yourself."
Rose immediately rushed out of their tent, and began moving the group's supplies at a ridiculous speed.
I know it's part of the demon lord persona, but I don't want everyone here thinking I view myself as above manual labor… I guess her diligence can't be helped!
Meanwhile, Momon watched on in astonishment at the movements of the magimatic maid Rose.
No wonder she was able to make such short work of the「Hanzos」, that speed and precision reminds me of some of the warrior builds from Yggdrasil, not on the level of someone like Touch Me though…
He hadn't seen what kind of skills she had access to, but based on what he had seen, as well as her slaughtering of the Hanzos, meant she had to be at least above level 90. Being in such close proximity to someone who could pose a threat to him, and especially Narberal, was anxiety inducing. Yet despite her harsh language towards the men of the group, similar to his own companion, he didn't deem her to be a current threat.
As long as she or Diablo don't find out I was the one who sent those 「Hanzos」, but there isn't a conceivable reason for that ever happening…
"Wow, you guys got everything ready before we were even up? We could've helped out too, ya know."
A surprised Lukrut was the first to greet the early risers, as the remainder of the well rested Swords of Darkness followed close behind.
"Ah, Rose insisted. She didn't want to waste time since she was already awake,"
Rose gave a "Hmph" as she looked off to the side, crossing her arms for added effect. Even with her forced uncaring attitude, everyone was quick to thank her.
"Hey, it means more daylight for our time in Carne, no harm with that! Thanks for the help, Rose."
Peter's heartfelt gratitude was met with a curt nod from Rose, as she went back to her current task.
"Alright everyone, pack your tents up and let's get a move on. The Swords of Darkness won't be known as slackers!"
…
The remaining few hours of travel were uneventful, with only the occasional small talk breaking the monotonous sounds of nature that emanated from the forest. As they made their way over the crest of a hill, Carne village finally came into view. Diablo was surprised to see it in such working order, as the damage from the knight's attack had disappeared almost entirely. More unusual though, was the crude fortifications that had been erected around the village. Nfirea, someone who had frequented the village in the past, was the first to point out this change.
"I don't remember Carne having something like this the last time I was here."
With an air of confusion throughout the whole group, they made the rest of the small trek into the village, arriving at a makeshift gate that allowed travel past the small wall that now encircled the village. They were greeted by a few men that were equipped with longswords, likely ones left behind from the knights slain by Diablo.
"What business do you all have in Carne village? Wait a minute, you're Diablo! We can't thank you enough for saving our home, but what brings you back so soon?"
All eyes were now on Diablo, who had neglected to mention his heroic efforts in Carne after his unexpected arrival in this world.
"I'm accompanying Nfirea here to pick some alchemical herbs from the Forest. He had already hired the other group with me, but I came along to see these rare ingredients for myself."
Astonished at this new development, Nfirea couldn't help but praise Diablo for his benevolent act.
"I'm sure I'll hear the details from Enri, but I had no idea you saved Carne, Diablo. You didn't strike me as a humble type of person, but even something like this you never mentioned…"
The young Bareare had already looked up to Diablo for his knowledge of potions, and general level of strength, yet now a new, more heroic side of the demon lord had revealed itself.
"It was a trifling matter, Nfirea. We can discuss it later though, let's make our way into town."
Following a friendly nod from one of the village men, the group made their way past the wall towards the center of the village.
"By the way, when did you guys have the time to build these defenses? I had assumed things would be a little run down from the aftermath of what had happened…"
Diablo's honest inquiry into the matter was met with a confounding answer, one that he would very soon be enlightened to.
"It sounds crazy to say after you showed up out of the blue, but another powerful adventurer arrived not long after you left. She got here in the nick of time when we were being attacked by some goblins from the forest, and even stuck around to train us in using swords. That excuse for a wall was a recommendation from her too, we still have a long way to go though."
Another powerful adventurer? A woman sword master? There's no way it could be…
"Did she ever happen to tell you her name?"
"Of course, although I think it may be more appropriate for her to introduce herself."
Lost in this sudden revelation, Diablo quickly realized they had arrived in the center of the village. The building they were standing in front of had been lent out to their new teacher for the time being. The man opened the door and motioned for the others to follow, where the napping form of a beautiful woman with long dog-like ears could be seen.
"She has a bit of a habit with napping in the middle of the day, but she said it was fine to wake her if she hadn't been fighting beforehand. Master Graham, we have some visitors!"
What are the chances! Sasara showed up here right after I left, and probably saved this village from the repercussions of me moving Hamusuke from his usual spot… Well, I'm just happy to see another familiar face…
Slowly rousing from her slumber, the master swordsman stretched as she got up from her bed, and quickly reached full lucidity as she saw the man standing before her.
"Diablo! I didn't believe the villagers at first when they said you had saved their village, yet here you are! I thought that getting sent to this place had only affected me, yet with you and Rose standing here, it looks like we aren't alone in this after all."
Some of the male members of the adventuring party had to consciously control their gaze, as the striking figure of the freshly awake Sasara was enough to make any person's heart flutter, and her flowing brown hair and amethyst eyes captivated everyone who glanced her way. She wore a loose-fitting white shirt that hung off her shoulders, revealing an admirably sized chest that contrasted her short stature. Along with her outfit's revealing nature, it was also distinctly Japanese, not to mention the multiple katanas that sat next to her bed. To the natives of this world, it seemed she had come from one of the countries to the south, though her physical appearance looked little like those native to the region.
"It's just as you said. I was in the process of looking for Rem and Shera when I came across Carne being attacked by the Theocracy. They saw it fit to deny my power, so dealing out their punishment was the only reasonable choice."
Well, I also couldn't stand to see innocent people getting slaughtered, but that wouldn't sound very demon lord-esque…
"Well, if you say so. After I heard about your time in town, I decided to hang around until you either came back, or when the village folk were adequately prepared to defend themselves."
Even if the people of Carne were regular humans, training from the one heralded as the Master Swordsman from his old world would allow anyone to see rapid improvement in their sword skills. Even in the few short days that had passed, she had turned a village of farmers into a competent fighting force. They still had much to learn, as well as working on overcoming their fear of combat, but she almost felt confident enough to leave the defense of the village in their own hands.
While Diablo was having his brief reunion, Ainz stood aghast in silence.
This woman… is incredibly powerful! I can't ascertain her exact level since she isn't a magic caster, but her HP is off the charts!
Having casted a 「Life Essence」 spell with the silent meta-magic, Ainz had to hide his surprise at the wealth of hit points that belonged to this unsuspecting woman. Such an amount would be reasonable if she was a tank build, but her small build and lack of armor meant that was an impossibility. At the very least, he believed her to be somewhere close to level 100. Another thing that made him pause, were the pointed dog ears that stuck out from her head, not to mention the long flowing tail that resembled a fox's. She looked like a hybrid between a beastman and a human, yet no such race officially existed within Yggdrasil. Players could take great creative licensing in how they customized their character appearance, like Shalltear having a flawless face despite being a true vampire. However, no naturally occurring race from the game looked like the woman that stood before him.
Yet another instance where mechanics from the game differ from the real world… I suppose cross-breeding like this would be possible in a world with magic, but I don't want to think too hard on how such a union came about…
"Well, I'm just happy to see another one of my successful students. This whole thing is strange though. I woke up in the mountain range to the north of here, and ran into these gross little people that called themselves dwarves. I didn't believe them obviously, since they looked nothing like me or the rest of my kind, and they laughed when I tried to tell them that I was actually a dwarf. Like I said, they were pretty creepy, so I didn't stick around very long. I was on my way down the mountain when I saw the commotion happening in the village, and the rest, well you guys already know."
Diablo was simply thankful that fate had aligned enough for Sasara to keep his mistake regarding Hamusuke under wraps. Everyone else though, especially Ainz and Narberal, looked on in confusion for a moment.
"Excuse me, Master Graham. Did you just say that you were a dwarf? The people you described in your story sounded like the dwarves I'm familiar with, and I assume for everyone else as well."
Sasara tilted her head in confusion, but quickly shrugged it off as she remembered exactly where she was.
"I guess people around here call a different race dwarves too, it's far from the strangest thing I've had to take in recently… Diablo and Rose know what I'm talking about though. Have you two ever heard of these other dwarves?"
Well of course I have… Cross Reverie's interpretation of dwarves was glorified fanservice! I can't act like I actually had a problem with it though, but Momon is right. The dwarves she described sound exactly like the typical fantasy race…
"Yes, in fact I have. Outside of Lyferia, most people would associate dwarves with long unkempt beards and mining deep into the earth. The only similar factor between you two is your height."
This unintentional jab at her height elicited a pouting frown from Sasara, as her short stature was a sore spot for her ego.
"Well, these guys were way shorter than me, alright? I couldn't even tell the men and women apart, maybe there weren't any women there at all? Regardless, I'd prefer if I wasn't compared to them, though I can't help having to share their racial namesake."
Ainz nodded along as he tallied another reason in his head for Diablo and his companions being anomalous. The idea of Sasara being a dwarf hadn't even crossed his mind, and for good reason. Dwarves were in fact a race from Yggdrasil, though their default appearance was much more in line with her description of the dwarves she had met. Even with extensive character customization in mind, in no way shape or form was the woman before him a dwarf. Yet, Diablo seemed to claim otherwise, and even had knowledge of the dwarves he was familiar with. He made it seem like a regional difference, yet when paired with his claims of being 'from another world', Ainz believed the scope to be much larger than he was implying.
Sensing the growth of an awkward silence, the Master Swordsman attempted to bring a close to their conversation.
"I can tell you guys have stuff to do, so don't let me get in the way. Why don't we continue our catch up when you're done for the night?"
In reality, Sasara just wanted to get back to her nap, but instead played it off as not wanting to interfere in the group's job. More importantly though, was the bit of information about her relation to Diablo.
"Before we head out, did I hear you refer to Diablo as 'student' earlier? Does that mean you taught Diablo in swordplay? I thought he was a magic caster, why would he pursue something so opposite to his talent set?"
Ninya was awed upon realizing that Diablo wasn't just a next-level mage, but also adept as a warrior. For most people, trying to split their time and energy between two different classes like that would be impossible, but he already recognized that Diablo was an outlier.
Ainz on the other hand had already heard Diablo claim proficiency as a warrior, although he had yet to see anything to back it up. Hearing it from this woman though, was more than enough confirmation.
So this is the swordmaster that golden idiot had mentioned… I still don't know exactly where the "limits of the races'' lines up with an exact Yggdrasil level, but if Emile was on the cusp of that, then it would be somewhere in the sixties… It didn't make sense before, but how was Diablo able to level up a warrior class when I had assumed he was a full mage build? It's clear that this Sasara Graham is from the same place as him, based on how they were talking about "arriving" here, their strange definition of a dwarf, and their past teacher-student relationship… Diablo can't be from Yggdrasil, but he also doesn't seem to be from this world either… I can't expect to understand it fully, but whatever power that brought the guild and myself from Yggdrasil, might also have brought him from an entirely different world, most likely a world like this one and not from a game… Perhaps Diablo and those acquainted with him are the key to unraveling this whole mystery, yet it seems they're just as much in the dark as I am… Ugh. This is too much to mentally deal with right now, but I'll have to get some Nazarick denizens to gather intel on all these people, maybe even some of the floor guardians…
Despite his love for the creations of his best friends, Ainz was still hesitant to entrust such a weighty task on them this early. The last thing he needed was one of them making a misstep and creating a powerful enemy with unknown abilities. Regardless of how he decided to play things, he knew that a confrontation with one of these anomalous people was probably inevitable. Which was why he needed to be even more sure of their power, skills, tactics, and anything else that could be useful data in a fight. Although it wasn't his initial intention, gathering intel on Diablo and his companions had become a top priority.
"Yup! I taught him everything he knows! Definitely my most talented student by far, it was almost scary how fast he leveled up…"
It was a longshot, but Ainz had to consider the possibility that this woman had some kind of special talent for increasing someone's level as a warrior. He would go to nearly any length if it meant being able to increase his skill set, so he decided to take a chance on that small possibility.
"Pardon the question Master Graham, but I was curious as to if you'd spar with me when we both have a moment of free time. It isn't often that I encounter powerful warriors like yourself."
Sasara let out a small sigh at having her nap time interrupted again, as she turned to look at Momon, sizing him up as she inspected various aspects of his figure.
"You definitely look tough, but you don't carry yourself like a warrior… It's odd. But as for sparring, I'd be happy to test the limits of your abilities."
"Hoh? You're assuming that I wouldn't be able to defeat you? I can't help but rise to the challenge now."
Shit! I've barely been standing here for more than a minute, and already she's clocked that I'm not actually a warrior! It'd be one thing to point it out after watching me in combat, but just from my stance alone? I'll have to talk with Cocytus or Sebas on how to appear more warrior-like with my posture and mannerisms…
"She might not look it, but this woman outclasses even my abilities as a warrior. Based on my calculations, you have a 99.89% chance of defeat. That miniscule chance of victory is based on the unlikely outcome where she decides to fall asleep during the fight."
Rose was never fond of Diablo's companions, especially given how they were almost always women, but she had come to appreciate Sasara for her abilities as a fighter. Only the best were suited to stand by Diablo's side in her mind, and even she had to admit that the one blessed as the Sword Master far outstripped her in ability.
"Oh come on Rose, I wouldn't fall asleep in the middle of a little sparring. That whole thing with the Demon Overlord was a bit of an outlier, don't you think?"
Demon Overlord?!
This bite of information had Ainz hooked immediately. He had never heard of a racial class called Demon Overlord, nor any type of boss monster of the same name. Despite that, a title sharing the namesake of the most powerful race of undead, what Ainz was himself, couldn't be a mere coincidence. Whatever it was, it had to be immensely powerful to give someone like Sasara a hard time.
"That is correct, but you yourself are an outlier. There should be no excuse for behavior like that on the battlefield when you've been gifted with such power. If not for Diablo's cunning and might, you and everyone else would've been wiped out by Modinalam."
Modinalam… I've never heard of such a name. Maybe I can ask Demiurge if he knows of a Demon Overlord called Modinalam… Assuming the lore of demons is true in this world like it was in Yggdrasil, then there should be a demon realm of some kind where he could've originated from…
"Jeez, alright I get it. Obviously I'm thankful for Diablo's efforts. But I mean, I was the one who taught him his warrior skills, so in a way I stopped Modinalam from succeeding too."
It was clear that Rose didn't want to lose the argument, but in the face of a fact like that, even she had to admit defeat.
"I suppose that is the case, isn't it? Well, as long as you continue to make yourself useful to Diablo, I have no problem with you."
"I don't know if a teacher is meant to 'make themselves useful' to their students, but yeah, sure. I already kept this village safe after Diablo had left, so I think I'm doing a fine job. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important business to tend to."
Hastily ending the conversation, Sasara turned and sank back into her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
"I guess we overstayed our welcome… Come on guys, let's start heading for the forest. First though, there's someone I have to speak to. I'll meet back up with you real quick!"
Leading everyone outside, Nfirea swiftly darted away to a house down the street, although most of the group already knew where he was headed.
"Ah, this must be about that Enri girl. Let's all wish him good luck, and pester him for details later in the forest, hahaha!"
Lukrut chuckled to himself at the prospect of embarrassing poor Nfirea, as the rest of his team groaned at his usual antics.
"Leave the poor boy alone. If he wants to talk about it, I'm sure he'll open up once we've started the job."
Trying to save the reputation of his party, Peter told off his companion as he started heading for the edge of the village.
"While we wait for him, why don't we secure the area near the forest's perimeter? Make sure there aren't any monsters around before we start heading deeper in."
Everyone agreed with the idea, and followed suit behind Peter. Ainz, on the other hand, was abuzz with questions he wanted to ask Diablo and Rose.
I'll hold off for now, as I don't want to seem suspicious about prying into their past, but I need details on this Demon Overlord… If I can get a good gauge of its strength, I can better understand the power of Diablo, Rose, Sasara, and anyone else who turns up that happens to know Diablo…
For the time being, he held his tongue, anxiously awaiting his opportunity to organically inquire about this mysterious Demon Overlord Modinalam.
…
As the group began to trudge into the forest, Diablo remembered something that he still had to do.
This whole issue with Hamusuke keeping less powerful monsters away from Carne, I hadn't thought about what would happen if I took him out of his usual territory… Well it's abundantly clear now, if not for Sasara showing up, Carne could've been wiped out! I've gotta find a way to sneak off and tell Hamusuke to go back to his original dwelling…
Before he got a chance to give some contrived excuse, Momon approached him with a question.
"Tell me Diablo, what kind of foe was this Demon Overlord Modinalam? I couldn't help my curiosity after hearing about it from Master Graham."
It was innocent enough of a question, but Diablo couldn't take anything said by Momon at face value. His entire identity was still an enigma, and whether he was truly friend or foe had yet to reveal itself.
"Where I come from, there are multiple Demon Lords that were once a single being long ago. While all immensely powerful in their own right, the Demon Lord of Insanity, Modinalam, began absorbing the other demon lords by force. He wasn't able to properly utilize all of his power, given the damage to his mind, but it was still enough to make him one of the most powerful foes I've ever faced."
This explanation didn't elaborate much on the power and abilities of Modinalam, but it still served to offer Ainz greater context, as well as some info on Diablo's homeland.
There were boss mechanics that allowed the absorption of other boss monsters in Yggdrasil, but not on the scale of something like a Demon Lord absorbing more of its kin… That could have potentially put it in the tier of a world enemy, but for Diablo to win in what sounded like a one versus one fight, it couldn't have been that strong…
Either that, or Diablo is hiding a level of power that would make him a monster even compared to the top Yggdrasil players, like those that held the 「World Champion」class…
Wherever Diablo was truly from, it was clear to Ainz that he had to be one of the top tiers in terms of combat ability. Little did he know that his actual origin was that of the top player of his time, the 'True Demon Lord' of Cross Reverie.
"It sounds like they were a fearsome opponent. However, I've never heard of these beings called the 'Demon Lords', especially not ones that used to be a single entity. Is there a chance that they were ever referred to as the Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins?"
The Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins were world enemies from Yggdrasil, and among the strongest bosses in the entire game. They were the closest thing to a 'Demon Lord' that Ainz could think of, at least in terms of them being a defined group.
"No, they weren't. I couldn't tell you their exact number, but the Demon Lords I know of numbered more than seven. They also weren't named according to the seven deadly sins, but instead different parts or aspects of the body. While Modinalam was the Demon Lord of Insanity, by the time I encountered him he had absorbed Iankaroz, the Demon Lord of the Eye, and Cardia, the Demon Lord of the Heart. There were likely others too, but that was before I had knowledge of his existence. Those two I knew for a fact, based on how Modinalam made use of both their signature abilities."
I wasn't expecting them to be the same beings as the Sins, but the way he's describing these Demon Lords is very peculiar… While it makes sense for them to be named after individual parts, given their previous nature as a single entity, their naming scheme and power creep seems eerily similar to that of a game… Why would a game have the true 'big bad' as the boss right from the start? If they're actually mere fractions of the original, it allows nearly endless possibilities of new bosses while fitting within the lore… It's entirely possible that such a phenomena could occur naturally, like how things are loosely based on Yggdrasil in this world, but given everything else I know about Diablo, it seems very 'game-like'...
"I see. Who would have thought the world was so vast that so many powerful agents of evil would be running amok unaware of each other?"
"It's as I've said before, there's no greater source of experience than fighting those who are as strong if not stronger than yourself, because there's almost always another monster out there more powerful than the last…"
Diablo's response had a double meaning that he hadn't intended. On its face it was true, and a testament to the many trials he had faced since being summoned as his Cross Reverie character Diablo. Yet his usage of the word 'experience' made Ainz think of actual experience points one would accrue through defeating enemies, and it was even more true that triumphing over those of a higher level would net a greater amount of XP.
"That just reminded me… I remember you mentioning how your magic was measured based on the level you first learned it, instead of the tier system that is commonplace in this region. How exactly are these 'levels' measured? Or how do people normally increase their level?"
It was already clear to Diablo that Momon and Nabe had some understanding of the concept of 'levels' based on their interaction with Emile, but it also seemed that they operated under a different system than the one he was familiar with.
"Well, levels are generally only used for adventurers as a way to gauge their strength, so they can be assigned jobs befitting of their abilities. For magic based classes, adventurer guilds would use a magic mirror that responds to your input of magic power. Based on how much of and how clearly your reflection is shown, the examiner can estimate your relative level. For non-magic based classes though, it's usually just determined by a high level examiner of the same class. Increasing your level is the same way one improves at anything, it's just a matter of repetition. Fighting enemies of progressively greater difficulty. I myself am a level 150 elemental sorcerer, although as you've already surmised, I've also surpassed level 100 as a warrior thanks to Sasara. There's no limit on one's level as far as I'm aware, although increasing your level get's exponentially more difficult as you approach 150. Besides Demon Lords, I could count on one hand the number of people I know with levels above 100, let alone 150. What about yourself though? Based on what you said about Emile, it would seem you and Nabe have your own scale of measuring levels."
Ainz was surprised with the sheer bulk of information that Diablo had obliged him. Part of him wondered if he was lying, especially regarding his own level, but based on what he had seen so far, his explanation seemed in line with reality. The issue now was how he wanted to play his hand at answering the demon's question. His knowledge on the existence of levels wasn't a secret, but how much he knew and how much he was willing to reveal was a different matter.
"Where I hail from, we measured strength on a scale of 1 to 100. I'm sure there exist or existed those with power above level 100, but it was the height of what could be accurately measured. The Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins that I mentioned earlier were demons with power that easily surpassed level 100, but no one knew an exact label for it. I imagine the Demon Lords you've spoken of are in a similar league. As for myself, it's been quite a long time since I was properly assessed, but I would estimate my current level to be around 90."
This explanation was filled with lies and half-truths, particularly regarding the idea of level 100 being a kind of 'soft-cap' that only existed due to a lack of means to measure power beyond that threshold. With the only exception being world enemies, no player or NPC in Yggdrasil exceeded level 100. However, such a game-like rule wouldn't make sense in a real world like this one, so he had to twist the truth ever so slightly. He didn't believe Diablo to be lying about his system having no hard cap, as based on some of his stories, it seemed that the self proclaimed demon lord had run into many enemies that potentially eclipsed him in raw power. Not to mention the fact that he was able to cross level different classes without having to worry about his level allocation. No game devs in their right mind would create an uncapped system like the one he had described, although it sounded mightily convenient, seeing as Ainz still had to abide by the same class restrictions as he had when he played Yggdrasil. He could get around this with the aid of certain spells and equipment, like his usage of 「Perfect Warrior」, which allowed him to equip warrior gear regardless of any class restrictions. Yet compared to someone like Diablo, who could freely make use of spells and warrior skills in tandem, he felt like he was operating with an annoying handicap.
If this guy actually did come from a game, how come he doesn't have to follow the rules like I do?! It's only thanks to my time playing Yggdrasil that I have access to power which far outstrips the norm of this world, but in a place where game mechanics like level and magic are made real, why must the restrictive balancing rules still apply?
Since arriving in this new world, Ainz had already confirmed that while he could still gain experience, he could not level up any further than his current peak. Based on what Diablo had said, he believed that rule didn't apply to natives of this world, along with wherever Diablo had come from. He imagined it would take multiple lifetimes for someone from this world to even approach level 100, but with the existence of non-Yggdrasil phenomena like talents and martial arts, he couldn't rule out the possibility entirely, not to mention the existence of immortal races like many heteromorphs. For the sake of securing his place in this new world, as a beacon for any of his guildmates or other players who may have been brought too, he had to find ways to improve. Whether that was through learning new skills or magic unique to this world, or simply improving his tactics as a PVPer, Ainz couldn't stay as he was while confidently expecting to triumph over every potential threat to Nazarick.
At the very least, I should have Cocytus teach me how to be a proper warrior… 「Perfect Warrior」may turn me into a level 100 warrior, but I don't have any of the skills or prowess that one would expect from such a persona… This sparring match with Master Graham will be very educational, although I hope I don't make too much of a fool of myself… Maybe I could have her train me as well, especially if someone as prideful as Diablo allowed himself to be taught by her…
"Interesting… If I were to do a rough conversion to my level system, you'd be around level 135. That's very formidable, and it makes your victory over Emile far more reasonable. Emile is probably still level 99, which would make him level 66 by your standards. I guess that means you have surpassed the limits of the races, although beating someone at the precipice of that limit like Emile is conclusive enough evidence of that already."
Ainz didn't consider himself good with math, seeing as he had never even graduated middle school. In his corporate dystopian future, most people would have no choice but to enter the workforce even at such a young age. However, the basic conversion that Diablo was using made sense to him. If level 150 was what he considered a sort of 'soft-cap' compared to level 100 being a 'hard-cap' in Yggdrasil, the two values seemed to equate to a similar measurement. All he had to do was increase a Yggdrasil level by fifty percent for an estimation of the level based on Diablo's system. Conversely, taking a level from his system and multiplying it by two thirds would give him a somewhat accurate Yggdrasil level. Unless he gained new insight on the average stats of different levels from Diablo, this conversion would have to do. At the very least, it made parsing info out of his otherworldly counterpart's stories that much simpler.
With all that in mind, it means the Demon Overlord Modinalam must be over level 100 in Yggdrasil terms, which would put him in the league of world enemies, although likely on the low end… How Diablo could contend with an enemy like that even with the support of his capable allies still eludes me… It's possible he has some kind of trump card skill like my 「The Goal of All Life is Death」, or perhaps he used a world item or some kind of equivalent? I need more information, because if he has a spell capable of defeating a being of that power, his threat level will shoot through the roof!
He recalled his spectating of Diablo's battle in Carne Village, where he made use of powerful magic, including a spell he called 《Gravity Abyss》, which while having a long cast time, had the effect of generating a blackhole which could ignore conventional durability and had a large area of effect. However he doubted even that spell could be the one he used to defeat Modinalam. The prospect of which made him think of 「Super Tier Magic」, but even spells of that magnitude would only chip away at the HP of a world enemy.
Trying to organically extract information from a guy like Diablo is exceedingly painful… Sometimes he's surprisingly forthcoming, but more often than not he'll make some ego driven dismissal of the question… Sigh… I wish I could just use memory altering magic on him and take a peek at the unaltered truth, but he's got that damn magic reflection… If a dev did design that ability, they're going straight to game-dev hell for allowing something so gamebreaking to be allowed!
It was possible that Diablo's magic reflection wasn't as broken as it currently was made out to be, as Ainz was only able to observe it reflect low tier magic, even the 「Holy Smite」 from the 「Dominion Authority」 was only a 7th tier spell. It was possible that spells of a higher tier could nullify the reflection, especially something like 「Super Tier Magic」, seeing as it wasn't the same as conventional spells and didn't consume MP. He had no way of testing these theories besides direct combat with Diablo, which was far too great a risk for the potential reward. He was still considering sending a powerful combatant from Nazarick to fight him in order to gauge his strength, but he was hesitant to use the creations of his former comrades in such a callous way. Of course, if he were to even suggest the idea to any of the guardians, they would unwittingly agree to carry out the order. Which was why Ainz was extremely careful with the things he said to anyone from Nazarick, as his word was law in their minds. It made it difficult to properly communicate with all of them, but with the chance of accidentally ordering something dumb that could lead to dire consequences, he couldn't break the image of a supreme being that all the guardians had in their head when they thought of him.
By this point in time, Ainz and Diablo had split off from the group, as everyone fanned out over the area at the edge of the forest, save for Rose and Nabe, who silently followed behind their masters. Ainz saw this as an opportunity for uninterrupted questioning, while Diablo was growing increasingly anxious as he tried to find a way to inconspicuously sneak off.
"As much as I love recounting my past triumphs, I'll have to excuse myself for a moment. I… need to use the restroom…"
Before Ainz could even manage a reply, Diablo darted off further into the forest. The dark warrior found it strange for him to so suddenly declare the status of his bladder, but he couldn't fault the man.
While this undead body is certainly convenient, some part of me misses the experience of having a satisfying piss… What am I even talking about?
He couldn't help but visibly shake his head at such a strange thought, as Rose quickly sped ahead to follow Diablo.
"Erm, Rose- I think Diablo might be expecting some privacy, perhaps you should wait with us."
Despite his reasonable plea, Rose continued forward unabashedly.
"No act is too private for me to serve Diablo, perhaps your standards have lowered given the company that you keep."
The fleeting remark from the magimatic maid left Narberal seething with killing intent as her dedication to a supreme being was called into question.
"Lord Ainz, know that if your body required such a function, I would do anything I could to assist in the matter."
This comment from his adventuring companion caused his emotion suppression to activate, as the embarrassing sentiment quickly faded from his mind. The aftertaste of that feeling continued to hang over him like a dark cloud, however.
"Your loyalty and servitude would never be called into question, Narberal. Also, let's cease this particular line of thinking, I'd rather not dwell on such a scenario…"
With the embarrassment of the situation completely lost on her, Narberal regained her composure thanks to the assurance of her master, yet her rage towards Rose did not yield in the slightest.
…
Entering the humble dwelling that he was well familiar with, Nfirea saw the girl he loved sitting across the room at a table. His entrance drew her attention, as she turned to smile at him.
"You got here earlier than I thought! Also, what was all that commotion I heard outside? Did you bring some colorful characters with you this time?"
Enri let out a quick laugh thinking about how peculiar adventurers could be sometimes. Yet the answer she got had betrayed her expectations.
"I- I guess you could say that. I hired a man called Diablo for this job, and apparently he did some great service for Carne recently, all the townspeople were thanking him."
"Diablo is back!? Where is he? I still need to thank him for saving my life, and Nemu's too!"
Nfirea couldn't help but take pause upon hearing this. If not for the actions of Diablo, the love of his life would likely be dead. He would've found out about it upon his arrival, yet instead she was still here, smiling like always.
Thank you Diablo… I don't know how I'll ever repay you, but I promise I will somehow!
"He and the others are checking out the edge of the forest before we start heading further in. I'm sure he'll be around long enough for you to talk to him, though."
Despite his admiration, Nfirea had to acknowledge the small part of him that was jealous towards Enri's savior. Who could fault her if she fell for the powerful man who prevented her from seeing a tragic end? Thankfully, the young potion-maker was able to quash that feeling. He was operating with a new sense of confidence, and he also believed Diablo wouldn't pursue her romantically.
When you're a powerful adventurer traveling the world, why would you tie yourself down with a simple village girl?
Of course, it was this simple village girl that he had fallen for long ago, but he also couldn't compare his life to that of Diablo's.
"Oh thank goodness. I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to see him again, but who would have thought you'd bring him back to me? Thank you, Nfirea."
In the face of such heartfelt gratitude, Nfirea couldn't help but blush as he sheepishly tried to avert his eyes beneath his overhanging bangs.
"Oh- uh- You're… welcome… Really, it's no big deal-"
"Oh don't be so hard on yourself. Only a distinguished potion master like a Barreare could convince someone powerful like Diablo to accompany you on such a simple job."
Enri had said this playfully, an offhand way of complimenting Nfirea, but she also meant it wholeheartedly. It was also true, as it was only thanks to his family's shop that he ever ran into Diablo. Along with piquing the demon lord's curiosity with the prospect of new potion ingredients, Nfirea truly played a key role in having Diablo return to Carne Village.
"He wanted to learn about the herbs that we pick from the Forest of Tob. You see, Diablo knows how to make potions too, and he even showed my Grandma some that made her go crazy! You've probably already guessed it, but he isn't from around here, so he wanted to see if he could substitute certain ingredients with ones from this area."
"Told you I was right! It must be nice to be able to interest someone like Diablo, I can't compare to him at all like you can."
The twinge of jealousy popped up again from this comment, and Nfirea couldn't help but act on it.
"You, uh- want to interest Diablo? Why… would you want to do that?"
Enri wasn't expecting the young man sitting across from her to react in such a way, but she quickly picked up on what he had been thinking.
"Is it not normal to want to appeal to someone who saved your life? Most people who brush against death's door never get the opportunity to be saved, I'm both incredibly lucky and grateful."
"Oh, of course that's what you meant. I would feel the same way as you if I had been in that situation…
However, at the mention of the incident that had left her mentally scarred, tears began to well in the corners of Enri's eyes.
"If only he had come sooner, maybe my parents would still be here too… I- I can't say such things, not after all he did for Carne and myself…"
Nfirea's heart sank upon learning the grisly truth of the incident that had recently befell Carne. All the while his brain scrambled for a suave way to comfort the saddened girl before him. He started to reach towards her to place a consoling hand on her shoulder, but she suddenly looked up from her downtrodden gaze, causing Nfirea to quickly pull his hand back.
"I still have my sister to worry about, though. I can't keep moping around forever, right?"
Enri said this as she wiped the welling tears from her eyes, putting on her same comforting smile that he knew her for. Although, he could tell she was straining to do so. Even a strong-willed girl like her couldn't come out the other end of an incident like this completely unscathed. It was all the more reason for him to be there for her.
"Of course! Th-then…"
"What is it, Nfirea?"
"Will you mar… No, the town, um, well, that is…"
Flustered by the sudden onset of emotions, Nfirea nearly made a massive verbal slip up, as he continued to struggle and find the right words.
"What? What's wrong?"
"T-Tell me if y-you need anything! I'll help you the best I can!"
While his delivery was shabby, he did his best to give assuring words to the girl he hoped to one day propose to.
"Thank you, Nfirea. I really am lucky to have such a great friend!"
"Ah- yeah! No, it's fine… It's just we've known each other a long time is all…"
So she sees me as a friend, huh? That just means I'm making progress, right?
And so, similar to many other men like himself, Nfirea had unknowingly entered the friend zone.
…
Greetings everyone. As promised, updates will be coming out much more frequently. I'd like to try and post a chapter every two weeks, but it could be slightly longer for these upcoming chapters as we reach the climax of this arc. Sorry if anyone felt this chapter was a little slow, it was more expositional given all the internal thought of some of the characters. I felt it was well needed though, as plenty of new information was divulged for both Diablo and Ainz. If you're not a big fan of these internal dialogue heavy chapters, fear not! Plenty of fighting will soon commence, as most overlord readers already know. I promise the payoff will all be worth it, so if you haven't already, make sure to follow and favorite so you get notified of the next update. Leave a review as well, I always love the feedback. See you in the next chapter!
