PSA: Exams are over woo. Hopefully I'll be able to upload more often now.
I did some research and found some finer details about how the gate works in the OG story. However, the original way the gate functions won't work for this story so I have an alternate in-universe (overlord) explanation of how it came to be, which may be explored later on.
I drew a lot of inspiration for this chapter from the Overlord webnovel, so I definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't already.
Steel and Sorcerers - Chapter 7
Mud splashed on Ainz's sabatons as he walked through the bustling streets of E-Rantel, the wet dirt covering the black and gold-trimmed armoured boots. It had rained the previous day, and due to a lack of paved roads, the busy streets were churned up into a quagmire. It was about noon, and the lunch rush hour saw crowds of people swarming the streets in search of a meal. Small street vendors lined the roads, delicious scents wafting through the air amidst the clamour. However, Ainz wasn't here to eat, not that he even could.
He was currently donned in a jet-black set of full plate armour with gold trim, which made a faint metallic clanking as he walked. He had the helmet of his visor firmly down, and had cast illusion magic to hide his skeletal visage, which he had learnt wasn't looked upon favourably in this world. Beside him walked a figure in dark-grey hooded monk-robes, their chiselled face lined with grey hair.
Just a few days earlier Ainz had learnt about the existence of the base located in the south of the Great Forest of Tob, populated by the individuals he had dubbed for now as the 'Japanese army'. Due to the potential threat they posed, he didn't want to spread his forces out too far in case they were isolated and attacked. This resulted in him cancelling many missions such as the plan to send Shalltear, Solution and Sebas to the capital to gather information. After interrogating the now post-mortem members of the Sunlit scripture, he had found out that they had never heard of there being a base in the southern region of the forest, nor had they ever seen anyone matching the description of the occupants.
There were however two exceptions. They had captured a pair of stragglers who had witnessed the decisive defeat of their main force and decided to retreat. But before that, they had had a conversation with a group from the Japanese army. Unfortunately, there wasn't much useful information divulged during their exchange. What one of the Japanese army soldiers said however, about them coming from Japan, an island nation to the east, seemed to lend more credibility that the unidentified soldiers did actually come from Japan.
The Sunlit scripture stragglers said that the soldiers had been travelling from the direction of Carne village. This was a troubling revelation, as it opened up the possibility that the Japanese army was in league with the members of Carne village, meaning they now knew about his ignorance of this world, and perhaps even that he came from Yggdrasil and was attempting to hide his identity. The attacking knights and Theocracy mages then could've been part of a ploy to lure him in and expose his capabilities, although this seemed unlikely since it had been established that they had been after the head warrior of the Re-Estize kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. On a positive note, if the Japanese army really was in league with Carne, then Ainz saving that village from destruction might've caused them to look at him in a more favourable light.
Ainz currently had a working theory that the 'Japanese army' were in fact a military RP guild from Yggdrasil, and that they, along with their guild-base had been transported into this new world like he had. The main reason why he thought this might be a possibility was because of the existence of some sort of portal inside their encampment, which supplies and soldiers would come in and out of. This could be some kind of gate linked to an underground portion of their guild base. This would even match the assertation that they were from Japan, since as Yggdrasil players they technically might've been before being transported here. Still, the individuals they had seen so far seemed fairly weak, and they had struggled to fight off a monster that Aura estimated to be just around level 30. Although, the soldiers seen fighting could've been low-level pop monsters like the skeletons that spawned around Nazarick, while the stronger individuals remained hidden.
Ainz really wanted to gain further information about their base, and had at his disposal a number of ways to do so, however, he also wanted to know more about this new world he had been transported into. Performing further investigations of their base beyond simple observation from a distance could provoke them into taking direct action, making expeditions outside of Nazarick far more hazardous. He didn't want to be stuck in a situation where he was forced to cower inside Nazarick, ignorant of the outside world as his defences were slowly whittled away. Thus it was pertinent that he gathered information on how this world worked, and the most reliable method he had of doing so was in person, even if it was risky. For this reason he was currently in E-Rantel.
Of course, he had taken measures to mitigate some of the risks involved with such an operation. At his side he had Sebas, a level 100 NPC of the dragonoid race on par with even the floor guardians. He was a strong CQC fighter, which complemented Ainz's own abilities as a magic caster who preferred to fight at range. In addition, legions of forces from Nazarick stood by to teleport in to his location if he were to suddenly come under attack.
Ainz and Sebas came to a halt outside a large structure. Looking up, a sign above the large wooden door read 'Adventurer's Guild'. They scraped the mud off their footwear before climbing the steps up to the door, entering the building.
They found themselves in a large open room. To their front were a number of wooden benches which faced an long wooden reception desk. To their right was a set of wooden stairs that led up to the second floor, which overhung the reception area. A noticeboard was placed next to the stairs, but since it was facing away from them they couldn't currently see what was posted on there. The area was fairly well lit, with windows allowing sunlight to stream inside and illuminate the area. It might've been because it was lunchtime, but the hall was fairly deserted, with just a few groups of individuals milling around inside.
Now that they were inside, Sebas let down his hood, and the duo walked over to the reception desk. A single woman sat there, and Ainz could detect her intense gaze looking them over as if to size them up. Although, she seemed to be more focused on Sebas. 'Was it uncommon to see older men as adventurers?' thought Ainz.
"Welcome to the adventurer's guild" the lady said, as she gave a business-like smile.
"Hello" said Ainz, "We would like to apply to become adventurers."
The lady replied, "To become a guild member, a payment of five silver coins is required each."
Ainz fished around in his armour before producing a leather pouch, from which he withdrew the required amount and placed on the counter.
The receptionist briefly glanced over the currency before sweeping it into her hand, and placed them somewhere behind the desk. "The payment has been confirmed. Now, this next part will require filling in a number of forms. If you would like, I can write for you, although that will incur an additional fee of 5 copper coins."
Although Ainz had brought along a pair of magic glasses in case he needed to translate any text, he didn't have anything to help with writing.
"Please write for us" replied Ainz, pulling out his money pouch once again.
The receptionist looked a little surprised, but accepted the money, before spreading two sheepskin parchments on the countertop and producing a feathered quill and ink. "Firstly, what is your name?"
"Momon," Ainz answered without hesitation.
"And you sir?" asked the woman, looking over at Sebas.
"Sebastian," he responded smoothly.
Everything was going according to keikaku. The receptionist filled out the forms with the answers they gave her, and wasn't asking any probing questions despite seeming to be curious about his full-plate armour. He had to admit that it did stand out a lot amongst the other adventurers he could see, who mostly wore chainmail or leather and seemed to be giving him envious gazes. However, they weren't here to blend in, but to distinguish themselves as capable adventurers and rise to the top of the ranks, where they would have better access to information. Thus, standing out like this was actually an advantage.
Sebas was proving to be an excellent partner for this venture, perfectly reciting the lines they had pre-prepared, and adapting well when asked ones that were unexpected. The receptionist lady seemed to be smiling at him a lot. It would definitely be advantageous for them to become friendly with those working within the guild, so this was a welcome occurrence. Ainz silently reminded himself to reward Sebas for his excellent work at some point in the future.
"One last thing" said the receptionist. "Since I need to record the details of your appearances, Momon, I'm going to have to request that you remove your helmet for a moment."
'Ah'. Ainz had been hoping this wouldn't be necessary due to the potential for his identity to be discovered if he were seen by someone capable of seeing through illusions, or if it were standard procedure for them to cast illusion dispelling magic.
"Is that all I need to do?" asked Ainz. He didn't want to ask too many questions about this in case they thought he was being suspicious.
"Yes. Then I will enter the details of your general appearance into your form" she replied.
'If it was just that, then it should be fine' thought Ainz. He had cast illusion magic on his head so it would look like that of a human, so as long as she didn't touch him it should be fine.
As he moved his hands to lift off his helmet the receptionist gazed up at him with bright expectant eyes.
Once he had removed it he averted his gaze downwards, as it was a little embarrassing having his appearance appraised.
"Oh…" came a disappointed sound from the receptionist woman.
Ainz's heart sank as his illusory cheeks burned with shame. 'Well,' he thought bitterly, 'That's about the same response I got back in my old life too.'
They then seemed to be finished with filling out the forms, which the receptionist deposited in a box under the desk. She then said "Now, I believe it would be a good time for me to inform you on the general rules and regulations about the guild. This won't take very long, but if you would like, we could take a seat in a different room?"
She looked over to the right, where there were a number of doors set into the wall.
Going into a confined space for a magic caster like Ainz was a big risk in a relatively unknown environment such as this, but since he had Sebas with him, who was specialised for combat in such confined spaces he answered "Certainly, that sounds like an excellent idea."
The small meeting room had two couches with a low coffee-table between them, with a small vase of flowers. Ainz and Sebas sat on the right while the receptionist sat on the left, so they faced each other. Ainz had to remove the pair of great-swords from his back, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sit down, which left him standing there holding a pair of gigantic blades, unsure of where to put them.
Thankfully, the receptionist seemed to notice his strife. "It's ok to lean them up against the wall in one of the corners if you would like."
Ainz was a bit worried about damaging the carpet with the sharp blades, but he obliged.
Once they were all settled the receptionist said, "Let's start with payment shall we." She then took in a deep breath.
"The Guild takes a 20% cut upfront for work done in investigating the request this is for the sake of investigating the request if it is a monster subjugation request the type of monster that appears and their number have been scouted out by the Guild before and if you report any errors in the Guild's information part of the 20% will be refunded however there is a chance that a different monster appears after the Guild has investigated so please take care in the event that the Guild is unable to collect sufficient information due to special circumstances such as an urgent request the Guild's cut is 5% the actual details can be negotiated with your client if you accept a job not through the Guild you can report it later in this case the Guild will not provide an investigation or act as an intermediary.
And that is the end of my explanation of rewards. Do you have any questions?"
If Ainz had eyeballs he was sure they would've flown out of his skull in shock. This woman just recited an entire paragraph of information at lightning speed like some kind of speed-rapper without taking any breaths. Surely an ordinary adventurer starting out wouldn't be expected to have understood that? Due to his past experiences as salaryman Suzuki Satoru, he had some idea of what she was saying, that the guild took a cut of the profits they made as adventurers in exchange for providing various services. However, the finer details were lost to him.
He was about to ask if she could repeat what she had just said, but he spotted a certain expression on her face. She seemed to be grinning ever so slightly. Normally Ainz wouldn't've spotted such a thing, but since he currently had a helmet on he had free reign to carefully study her facial expressions without being caught staring.
This must be some kind of test to determine his worth as an adventurer. He couldn't afford to back down here. Besides, he was sure that he could go over the finer details later.
Ainz folded his armoured gauntlets across his chest. "These terms seem quite reasonable. I have no questions" he said confidently.
The lady's brow furrowed slightly as her smile seemed to become slightly strained. "I see, that's good. The next topic is the penalties for failing requests."
Ainz wasn't sure how, maybe she had levels in the bard class, but this time she spoke at an even faster rate than before.
"Ifanadvancedpaymenthasbeenmadeyouwillneedtopayasumequivalentto1.5timesthepaymentIfone hasnotbeenmadeyouwillhavetopayasumequivalentto20(Guildinvestigationfeincluded)InotherwordsyouwillhavetoreturntheGuild'sinvestigationfeetotheclient…
…Sometimestherearedoublebookingsorotherslipupsandyourareunabletoexecutetherequestsandin suchathingnofineswillbeissuedastheyareexceptionsThereareotherexceptionsandsoifyoureporttotheGuildanddependingonthecircumstancesthefinemightbewaivedHoweverpleasedonotexpectmuch.
And that is the end of my explanation regarding fines. Do you have any questions?"
Ainz hadn't understood anything. All he knew was that the topic was 'penalties for failing requests'.
"I have no issue with these arrangements" Ainz boldly stated. "How about you Sebas?"
He simply replied, "It is as you say Momon."
At these responses, the receptionist's expression didn't change, but with his enhanced hearing abilities Ainz could detect the faint sound of the woman grinding her teeth.
'Uwaah' he thought. 'Did we do something wrong?' He had heard about superiors feeling insecure when people who had only recently joined the company began outperforming them within just a few days. 'Were we not supposed to have understood what she had just said?' Still, it was too late to turn back now.
The next topics were about adventurer levels/classes, the difficulty of requests and finally the way to accept requests. Over time, her expression changed from a pained smile to more of a determined grin. Ainz wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but at least she didn't seem mad at them.
"And with that your training is completed!" announced the receptionist. "Congratulations, you will now be officially recognised as an adventurer by the guild. Here are your identifying plates. You will of course be starting out at copper level, but I expect great things from you!"
She stood up and extended a hand across the table. Ainz looked at it for a moment before standing up and shaking it. Sebas did the same, however she also grasped his hand with both of hers, beaming up at him while saying "You're welcome to come see me any time Sebastian."
Sebas replied with a kind smile. "Certainly, I would love to."
At this she looked down at the floor, before suddenly realising something. "Oh, by the way, my name is Ishpen Ronblue, but you can call me Ishpen."
After the two had taken their belongings and left, Ishpen exited the meeting room they had been in and walked back over to the reception desk. Another female receptionist had arrived and was seated there.
"Who were they?" she asked.
"My rivals" replied Ishpen.
"Riiight…"
"Ah, don't worry about it. What's new with you?"
The expression of the lady at the desk became slightly grim. "There have been additional requests recently for adventurers to be hired for night patrol."
"Why's that?" asked Ishpen.
"There's been reports of an increasing number of attacks at night, and the culprit or culprits haven't been caught yet" explained the other receptionist.
They were interrupted when the doors to the guild opened, and a lone man entered the building. He had the black hair and eyes of those that could be found in the great desert to the south, but his skin was fairly light.
He walked up to the counter and asked simply with a practiced smile, "I was wondering if you could tell me bit about the process for applying to become an adventurer?"