Heaven and Earth is called such because it refers to a pair of Gods called Sky Father and Land Mother respectively, who according to said religion were the ones responsible for creating the world and all creatures that inhabit it. It's one of the most ancient religions of the new world, so old that every single corner of the planet has at least some variation or branch sect of it.
Eight Gods of Conquest is one of the myriads of titles that were given to those more infamously remembered in the continent as the Greed Kings. Considering how these individuals of unfathomable power appeared just 600 years ago, the religion that formed around them isn't that old in comparison, but it's still going strong nonetheless mainly because their unrelenting annihilation of powerful and oppressive races allowed weaker races to flourish in the vacuum left behind. And as it turns out, many of the races that currently live in the council state are among those who were saved from extinction by the Eight Gods of Conquest, and their adherents take great offense when anyone addresses their saviors as 'Greed Kings'.
And the Sovereign Host is an even younger religion, existing for merely 300 years as of now. However, the reason why that specific church is so prominent is that it's the only state-sponsored one. Back when the five dragon councilors were protecting and nourishing the survivors of the chaotic destruction left behind by the Evil Deities, a cult formed around them, hailing them as divine protectors of the weak. As the years became decades the cult grew by large increments, and the wise dragons knew very well that being perceived as Gods was a good way to secure control over the population, which in turn could guarantee peace and prosperity.
So as the decades became centuries, the Sovereign Host composed of the Platinum Dragon Lord, the Blue Sky Dragon Lord, the Diamond Dragon Lord, the Obsidian Dragon, and the Wyrm Dragon became as prominent as any ancient religion in the land. The fact that their divine figures were beings of flesh and blood that could physically interact with the 'lowly mortals' around them also helped that church to spread relatively quickly, in a similar way to how the church of Ainz Ooal Gown became the prominent religion of the Sorcerer Empire is just one single century.
"Well, there were many religions back in my native land, so I wouldn't be surprised. But my culture did teach me to give thanks for our food, just not to a Land Mother specifically."
"I see. I imagine you miss your home?"
That question caught Rhemurus by surprise. What could be an appropriate answer? This person has been so incredibly hospitable to him, Tanaka Ito had never been treated so kindly in his life before, so he didn't want to lie to him if he could help it. But the crude and unadulterated truth is that Tanaka did NOT miss Earth, at all.
He has so many horrible but still truthful things to say about his native world, if he starts talking about it he won't be able to stop. And without realizing it he could even make the good chief lose his appetite, he knows that because Rhemurus himself is losing his appetite by simply remembering his previous world.
- Miss my home? A world like that...is not a home.
"Actually...um..."
It was one of those moments when Rhemurus wished he could just disappear into nothingness, even the thought of having a conversation about his previous life was already exhausting. He wanted to change the topic ASAP, but luckily for him, there was no need for him to do so because it was at that very moment when he was saved - yet again - by an adventurer, the ogre who opened the large door behind him.
"We were expecting you." Calmly said Isak'nag while grabbing the napkin with his tail to wipe his mouth.
"Good sir Hakuun of Blade Cyclone, this gentleman is called Rhemurus. He would like to extend his gratitude to you."
- Hakuun of Blade Cyclone? One of the people who saved me?
Being overwhelmed with gratitude both for saving his life from the worg and for arriving just in time to change the topic of conversation, he turned around to take a good look at the demi-human hero.
He wasn't wearing the exotic armor Rhemurus saw previously, and wasn't welding the large sword either. The ogre was instead wearing something that seemed to be padded armor, like gambeson, and had no visible weapons on his person.
"Nice to meet you! Thank you so much for saving my life."
- Seriously, you have no idea how good your timing was!
"Nice to meet you as well, and you're very welcome." Replied the ogre.
"Would you join us? I can ask a worker to bring you one of the seats we made for your body type." Isak'nag invited Hakuun to accompany them, which is a great thing for Rhemurus because that means he won't have to talk about his previous world anymore. At least he hoped he won't have to.
"That would be most welcome, thank you chief."
Just two minutes of waiting later and one of the snakefolk who works in the townhall arrived with a big wooden object that Rhemurus noticed was custom-made for large humanoids to sit on. However, it was clear to see that it was designed by non-human creatures who simply took a peek at the humanoid body plan and made a lump of wood that was roughly shaped into something a primate could sit on.
So now all three were eating lunch in the meeting room, the local chief of militia Isak'nag, the adamantite adventurer Hakuun, and the mysterious human Rhemurus all had much to discuss.
"So I take it you're not from these lands, Rhemurus?" The first one to break the ice was Hakuun, going straight to business.
"No, I'm not. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure how or why I was transported to these lands, nor how can I get back to where I came from."
"Mmm, 'transported'? If you don't mind me asking, can you be a little more specific? I don't mean to meddle in your life, I simply have orders from my higher-ups to report anything unusual, and you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Yes, I don't mind."
Rhemurus was determined to be honest, but he was also going to purposely avoid using gaming terms when talking to them. Is not like he wished to hide things, it's simply that he wasn't sure if the people who live in this world would even understand concepts like 'classes' or 'levels' and things like that.
"I come from a land called Midgard. One night I was sitting at the top of a large house I shared with my fellow mages, gazing at the stars. Before I knew it, I was no longer in Midgard and found myself in a tall grass plain where I was attacked by a worg soon after."
"So, you're a spellcaster?" Commented Isak'nag with an astonished voice.
"Nothing special really, I can only cast a few 1st-tier spells."
"If you were in a place you shared with other mages, is it possible that some of them cast a teleportation spell on you, without you even noticing?"
The ogre didn't even bother to comment on the chief's remark, mainly because he already knew beforehand that Rhemurus was a spellcaster and was currently too focused on probing the human for the information he was after.
"I personally don't think so. That specific night I was actively looking for my comrades...but I couldn't find them anywhere. I was alone, I'm certain."
- Either you are correct and your comrades aren't responsible, or they were purposely hiding from you and set you a trap. This is what Hakuun wanted to say out loud, but he prevented himself from saying it because he could judge from Rhemurus' voice that he was quite fond of his comrades. If he starts making accusations based on gut feeling alone he might antagonize the human, which in turn could make the human shut off and no longer be willing to answer his questions.
He must find a different line of questioning.
"It seems your comrades had nothing to do with it then. What do you think could have happened, in that case? Is there anything or anyone in Midgard that you think could be responsible?"
Rhemurus began to think deeply, he was very curious himself, after all, even more than the ogre was. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a logical explanation for what transpired that fateful night.
"I considered many possibilities, but in the end, I couldn't find a reason that made sense. At that moment, right before the worg's attack, I came to accept the fact that I was separated from my native land and perhaps will never return."
Both Hakuun and Isak'nag were attentively listening to Rhemurus' version of the events. The ogre mage - obviously - reserved a tint of suspicion at the possibility that he was lying, the 4th-tier spell [Disern Lies] was an exclusively divine priest spell after all, so Hakuun couldn't cast it. That's why he instead had already cast the 2nd-tier arcane spell [Sense Vitals] which allowed his eyes to notice small details that he would normally be unable to. In battle, [Sense Vitals] allowed Hakuun to notice weak spots in his opponents' bodies, spots that would result in critical hits every time they were struck either with weapon or spell. In interrogations - like the one he's conducting right now - the spell allowed Hakuun to take a closer look at someone's breathing, heartbeat, and perspiration.
Meanwhile, the chief of militia felt a tiny bit of pity towards the human, being separated from your home and not being able to return sounds like the worst thing imaginable to rural townsfolk like him.
"Are you sure there's no way back? Maybe if you give us some details about Midgard, some landmarks or historical events, some of the sages in the large cities could help."
"You're very kind chief Isak'nag, but I don't know..."
"It could be worth a shot." Hakuun said confidently. "Even if we have no information here, there's an empire that shares a border with the council state, and some of the nations in that empire have large concentrations of humans among their population, apparently more humans than here in this country, so maybe someone there knows of Midgard."
- So there ARE other humans in this world, I'm not the only one. That's kind of a relief, I think. Explains how they know I'm a human in the first place, should've figured that.
"Ah yes, I think we've heard of this empire here in Dethford from traveling merchants. Apparently, it was founded quite recently, not even 100 years ago."
"You're correct. In fact, the Sorcerer Empire's first century will be celebrated in a few years from now, according to my knowledge."
"Sorcerer Empire...I'm pretty sure that such a place wasn't near Midgard, nor any other land bordering Midgard, either. But still, I'm quite curious about it."
"Do keep in mind, Rhemurus, that the Argland Council State and the Sorcerer Empire are not exactly allies. You're not a citizen of either country from what you've told us, so you're not obligated to stay in either, but you're a spellcaster. I don't know if this is the case back in your native land of Midgard, but in our lands, spellcasters are a precious rarity that any competent head of state puts great deals of effort and resources to nourish."
Hakuun speaks from personal experience. After all, he still remembers how his innate arcane talents were noticed by his native city's mayor and was aggressively scouted by sages from the capital back when he was just a boy.
"So, ahem, I could be considered a valuable citizen right out of the gate, regardless of which country I am staying in?"
Spellcasters weren't rare in Yggdrasil after all, they were the most meta builds at the end of the day.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that valuable, both the council state and the empire have mages much more powerful than you."
Hakuun's words had no filter at all, the crude truth spoken by someone who surpasses Rhemurus both physically and magically as well.
"No, rather what I'm telling you is that you should know your own value. If you want to live in a place that appreciates your talents and your abilities can be put to good use, is always up to you."
While Hakuun can't be certain of the human's intentions, if he was telling the truth then Rhemurus has nowhere to go. In that case, he can try to convince him to become a citizen of the council state, and that way his power can be put in the service of the grand councilors. Plus, any allegiance he might still have for Midgard would be slowly and steadily replaced for loyalty in the Argland Council State.
"Thank you very much for telling me all this, mister Hakuun. But would you happen to know if mages are also treated well in the Sorcerer Empire?"
A question that Hakuun predicted Rhemurus would ask the moment he mentioned the value of spellcasters, a question he has a well-prepared answer for.
"I imagine they should, the empire has 'Sorcerer' in its name after all." A logical superficial conclusion from the chief.
"What I'm about to tell you is second-hand knowledge, I have never actually visited the empire myself yet so you're free to have doubts. But from what I have been told of the Sorcerer Emperor, is not like he doesn't see any value in other spellcasters, rather other mages are just inconsequential to him, no different from another random mortal."
"Random...mortal? What, this emperor believes himself a God?"
"Not just believes himself to be one, chief. If my contacts' contacts weren't exaggerating their reports, then the Sorcerer Emperor is a spellcaster of actual myth given physical form. Are you aware how one of our dragon councilors, the Blue Sky Dragon Lord Suveria=Myronsilk, can use spells up to the 6th-tier?"
"Of course, magic of legend in the talons of our strongest leaders is a well-known tavern topic. But if I'm honest with you, some of us think that they're just folktales spread as political propaganda to make the dragon councilors look invincible."
"If the might of the Blue Sky Dragon Lord is just a fairy tale, then the might of the Sorcerer Emperor is even more ridiculous to be true; an undead creature capable of using spells up to the fabled 10th-tier, and some contacts even swear that he can use magic beyond even that."
"Wh...what!?" Replied the chief with a stupefied expression on his ophidian face.
Rhemurus, on the other hand, was silently processing all the information that the ogre just dumped onto him.
6th-tier magic is considered legendary in this world, a world where dragons not only exist and can have positions of authority, but are also capable of using the magic system of Yggdrasil. But even more concerning is this Sorcerer Emperor that Hakuun is talking about, an undead that can use 10th-tier spells and supposedly even more powerful magic than that.
- Magic beyond even 10th-tier...either this world has an 11th-tier of magic, somehow, or this emperor can use super-tier spells.
But if the Sorcerer Emperor can indeed use super-tier magic, then Rhemurus knows that it can only mean one thing.
"Alright, I will consider everything you have told me until now. I just have one more question if that's okay; does the Sorcerer Emperor has a name? Perhaps I heard a similar name back in Midgard."
Super-tier magic was unique in its nature of being used by players, and only players. No custom-made NPC nor boss - not even the world-class enemies - could use super-tier spells, only players who had +70 levels in a single spellcasting system.
"Of course, the Sorcerer Emperor is known as Ainz Ooal Gown." Said Hakuun in the most casual tone of voice.
And just like that, Rhemurus' heart skipped a beat and his body paralyzed in utter shock.
"Uh, sir Rhemurus, are you okay? Did our chef's cooking not sit well with your stomach?" Said Isak'nag out of genuine concern.
"So, you have indeed heard this name before, haven't you?"
It was so perfectly clear for Hakuun's magically enhanced eyes; pupil dilation, skin losing coloration, light trembling throughout the entire body. There's no doubt that the name of Ainz Ooal Gown caused a huge reaction in the human, proving that Hakuun's gut feeling was correct, the human was hiding something.
"A-Ainz Ooal Gown...? Why...I...I-I don't...I'm not sure..."
Rhemurus was trying his darn hardest to keep his composure. He was indeed bracing himself to receive the name of a player that he may or may not have heard before, but he definitely wasn't expecting that specific name.
"That name, is the name of a single individual rather than a group? The name of the Sorcerer Emperor. Ainz Ooal Gown...I-I think I heard a similar name back in Midgard, but it wasn't the name of an undead, less the name of a monarch, either."
What Rhemurus was saying wasn't technically a lie, and because of that, his body was slowly losing its tension. Hakuun's enhanced eyes could likewise see some stress leaving the human's shoulders, but the ogre still needed more definite answers.
"If Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't the name of an undead emperor, then what did that name mean back in your native land? It must have quite a terrifying significance if it had such a reaction on you."
- What am I, a murder suspect!? What's with all these questions?
Rhemurus still needed time to process all the new information he just received, but Hakuun wasn't giving him a moment of respite. He wanted to say out loud that this interrogation was making him feel attacked, but he didn't want to come out as rude to the one who saved his life. Luckily, the chief of militia came to his rescue.
"Sir Hakuun, with all due respect, I think all these private questions are putting too much stress on our guest. It hasn't even been half an hour since he woke up from his healing slumber, maybe we could leave the remaining questions for later?"
Normally, Hakuun would object to that suggestion because pauses between interrogations create time that suspects can use to come up with more elaborate lies. However, Isak'nag was right that the human may not have fully healed yet, and even if his body recovered, there was also his mental health to be considered. On top of a recent near-death experience, there's also the fact that the human is who knows how far away from his homeland, which not only causes huge cultural shock but also feelings of alienation and desolation on top of that.
"Mmm, you're right." Hakuun said to the chief before turning his gaze towards Rhemurus. "I don't want you to feel under aggression, so I apologize if you did feel attacked. My higher-ups did order me to make a detailed report, but that doesn't give me the right to place you in a tight spot."
"That's okay, you don't need to apologize mister Hakuun. I just need some time to process everything that has transpired and all that I've learned, and I will be more than happy to answer any question you may still have after that."
"I would appreciate that. Thank you, Rhemurus." Hakuun said with a solemn expression.
So with all tension in the room lifted, the three proceeded to finish eating their meals. And after everyone had their fill, the chief asked Rhemurus if he would like to return to the guest room upstairs and take a good nap, but the human wasn't tired at all so he was instead offered a tour around their town, a tour that he gladly accepted.
"As the town's chief I have to oversee the reconstruction effort myself after all, so I will be your guide. Follow me."
"I need to return as well, my comrades of Blade Cyclone are helping the townsfolk with the reconstruction, so as their leader I need to support them."
"The other members of your team are here? That's great, I want to thank them as well...oh, and I wonder if I would be allowed to help with the reconstruction, too?"
"You're most kind, but you don't need to worry yourself for our account, we countryside folk are a hardy bunch!"
"It's the least I could do, I want to return the kindness you've shown me. Maybe my magic could come in handy?"
"Even so, I must insist that you let us take care of our town's reconstruction. I know your intention is noble, but if you inadvertently got wounded in the process of aiding us, we wouldn't be able to live with it."
"But..."
As Rhemurus was about to object, Hakuun decided to intervene in Isak'nag's favor.
"Let them rebuild their homes, Rhemurus. You must try to understand their culture and see things from their perspective, they need only the most capable hands at the job. You said yourself that you could only cast a few spells of the 1st-tier, no? Perhaps if you could cast magic that the townsfolk's priests and adepts can't use, or if you were tremendously strong or had some form of exotic ability, then your aid may be welcome."
There is a reason the people in this town allowed the adamantite heroes to stay beyond what was originally expected. Rejecting the aid of such capable individuals would have been quite detrimental considering the current situation.
"So...I guess I would just get in the way, then. I should've figured that as well."
"We do appreciate the sentiment still." Said the chief in an attempt to make the human guest feel better.
And eventually, they reached the large townhall doors to exit the building, Isak'nag and Hakuun both were quite used to the lively sight of the town, but Rhemurus was truly amazed by what his eyes were seeing.
Bipedal squamata everywhere, the majority were snakefolk but he could also notice some lizardfolk walking among them, and when he paid closer attention he also noticed some individuals that at first glance may appear as some lizardfolk variants, but Tanaka's experienced gamer eye recognized them immediately; large-sized creatures whose bodies resembled inverted triangles, their bulky skeletons covered in corded, sinewy muscles, which were in turn sheathed by a layer of hard scales, their tails were as thick as tree trunks and their arms wider than an adult human's torso. There was no mistaking it, those creatures were dragonkin.
- So this town has some heteromorphs walking among them, reminds me a bit of guild halls, even if Yggdrasil player bases had more racial variety than this town.
Rhemurus was, after all, still under the assumption that the snakefolk that inhabit this town were demi-human. He doesn't take that as a confirmed fact, however, because there was no snakefolk race in Yggdrasil like them, he still considered the possibility that his assumption was wrong and the snakefolk here could in fact be heteromorphs for all he knew.
Also, besides the sapient reptiles, Rhemurus could spot scaled animals of varying sizes wandering around town as well, and three of them were particularly noteworthy to him.
The smallest ones were quadruped equines with brownish-yellow scales, a serpentine tail, a pair of horns sprouting from the skull, and two membrane wings large enough to give the equine creature flight. Recognizing them was also easy; these creatures were drakkennels.
But 'smallest' was relative because the drakkennels were the same size as horses, large-sized creatures big enough for humans to ride them. In Yggdrasil, they were a popular mount choice for aerial rider builds and their average level was around 35, but after a player tamed one the drakkennel could go all the way up to level 100 if said player took the appropriate advancement classes.
However, they were obviously too small for the snakefolk to use as mounts, and judging by the way the drakkennels playfully follow the snakefolk around and also how the townsfolk affectionately pat their equine heads, Rhemurus concludes that the snakefolk see drakkennels the same way humans see dogs.
- Having level 35 monsters as pets...how strong are these people?
Then a step above their size was another species of magical beast that he also recognized; huge-sized - one step bigger than large-sized - armored snakes with 12 legs, roughly 40 feet long with ultramarine scales and a pale blue belly. They had two large horns curving back over their head which at first glance may appear as natural weapons, but Rhemurus knew that the creatures only use those horns to preen their scales. They are behirs, he's 100% certain.
Behirs were level 45 monsters that had a natural breath attack weapon that took the shape of a straight line of electricity, and even if you could close the distance the behir would just either rip you apart with their numerous claws or constrict you with their coils. Quite dangerous creatures indeed.
Snakefolk would disagree, Rhemurus realizes, because they seem perfectly content with riding these dangerous creatures. Every single behir in sight has both a saddle on their back and a lead tied to their heads, and no small amount of townsfolk are either using them for transportation or are walking in front of them while holding their leads to lead the behirs around.
And finally, a four-legged creature that looked like a chunky lizard with craggy slate-gray scales, and even if at first glance it appeared larger than a behir, the creature was actually huge-sized which was the same size category, the behir simply was a huge slender creature while the quadruped lizard was a huge rotund one; a landwyrm, a monster that was usually around level 60 or so.
There were fewer landwyrms than any other creatures however, Rhemurus could only see a couple walking around with carts tied to their backs as well as immense leather bags tied to the sides of their torsos, bags filled to the brim with what he could only guess were miscellaneous items because he had a hard time imagining the appearance of tools and household items designed for snakefolk use.
- Level 60 monsters as beasts of burden...what the fuck! Wasn't 6th-tier magic legendary in this world!? What is going on? Am I, am I being lied to?
While Rhemurus was trying to make sense of his self-inflicted confusion, the chief of militia made a weird, high-pitch hissing sound with his mouth, and immediately after one of the behirs began running at incredible speeds towards them.
At that very moment, Tanaka Ito suffered an instant of posttraumatic stress disorder - PTSD - left behind by the worg attack since it was still fresh in his mind. The realization of a behir being a much stronger monster than a worg made his body lose all its strength and he fell on his back, but as he was bracing himself to resist whatever it was that the huge monster would do, the behir stopped in its tracks just at the nick of time, a few steps short of running over them.
"Good boy!" Said Isak'nag as he walked towards the behir's saddle and sat on top of it.
"No need to be afraid sir Rhemurus, Manesko here is harmless, he would never hurt a faerie dragon! Right boy?"
The domesticated behir - Manesko - let out a small but still powerful roar.
"I-Is that so? My deepest apologies chief Isak'nag, even if my mind knows better, it seems my body still believes I'm in danger."
"Oh, oh! Of course, how inconsiderate of me."
It may have been a few days for everyone else, but the human was unconscious during those days, so to him, it was literally just yesterday when he almost died.
"Take it easy, it will take a good while to fully recover from such a brutal experience. Here." Said Hakuun while offering his hand to help Rhemurus get back up.
As promised, Isak'nag led Rhemurus around Dethford to show him all the noteworthy parts of the town - occasionally giving orders to nearby soldiers and directions regarding something or another about the gathering of materials - and Hakuun was following right behind them.
If Rhemurus had to walk as fast as he could to match the normal walking speed of a snakefolk, then he now had to jog just to keep up with a behir's slow walking speed, those 12 legs weren't just for show after all. But regardless, he didn't show how straining this was for him, he didn't want to be such a burden to the individuals who have treated him so nicely.
The truth was that the town was quite mundane all things considered; the townhall they were previously at, a smithy, a library, a bakery, an apothecary, a church, a garrison, a large inn that doubled as a tavern, stables, farmhouses, the buildings you would find in any town. But from Tanaka's perspective, however, every single sight was beyond exotic. Everything from the buildings to the inhabitants, the sizes and shapes, all of it non-human, all of it alien to his eyes.
So mesmerized he was that he didn't even notice the weird stares that the townsfolk were sending his way. Not a single local had ever seen such a weird primate before, after all. Most were curious glares, but predictably there were several suspicious glares among them, with xenophobic murmurs of a spy and contagious diseases coming out of some of the inhabitants' mouths.
One particular townsfolk was even whispering about how the human was a sleeper agent of the demented gnoll that almost kills them all.
Unfounded accusations, of course, but that never stops gossip from spreading like wildfire.
"Some of the good folk here aren't even hiding their disdain for outsiders, are they? They could at least pretend to be polite, then spit all the insults and death threats they want after the outsider is gone."
The chief did overhear what the ogre just said, but couldn't even attempt to argue against those words. Countryside life can indeed create the most unified communities, but on the flip side, it can make people wary of outsiders.
"It must be quite the cultural shock for sir Rhemurus as well. We never saw a human before in our town, so I can imagine how strange it must be for a human to be here."
Hearing his name made Rhemurus snap out of his amazement.
"Ah yes, it's indeed quite shocking to me. I likewise never saw snakefolk like these people before, let alone an entire town filled with them."
"Uh...? What do you mean, sir Rhemurus?" Uttered Isak'nag with genuine confusion.
- Oh shit, did I screw up now? What did I say!?
Tanaka's anxiety returned in full force, judging by the chief's tone he definitely said something he shouldn't have, but what was it? He didn't even know if he could blame it on his native culture this time.
"Pfft-hahahahaha! You really aren't from this land after all! 'Snakefolk', you're killing me Rhemurus."
Hakuun's bombastic laugh was a huge contrast to the anxiety eating Tanaka inside, but at least the human had a vague idea of what he said wrong now.
"Forgive him good chief, it seems that the races that never saw a yuan-ti before tend to slap the name 'snakefolk' on them, even though they're a completely different species from yours. He didn't know any better before today."
As the leader of the most famous adamantite team in the Argland Council State, Hakuun not only travels around the country a lot but also knows many people who also travel a lot, as well. This isn't the first time he sees someone be totally wrong about how a species calls itself.
"Yuan-ti...so that's what your species is called! I am so terribly sorry chief, I wrongly assumed...I..."
"Of course, you're forgiven sir Rhemurus. If I'm honest with you, had I been stranded in a town inhabited by humans and I didn't know any better, I would have simply called your species 'monkeyfolk' or something like that. Ha!"
Yet again Tanaka Ito was speechless by the understanding and compassion he has been receiving so far. Back on Earth, he would've already been socially stigmatized by everyone around him, regardless if he didn't have the intention to be offensive.
"I…thank you, chief Isak'nag."
Isak'nag gave a solemn nod and continued leading the way. And after some distance between them was made, Hakuun took the opportunity to somewhat continue the interrogation that started back in the townhall.
"So Rhemurus, what type of magic can you use? You don't seem to be carrying around any religious symbols, so I take it you're not a priest. And we found no spellbook around either, so I guess you're a sorcerer rather than a wizard?"
Instead of continuing the line of questioning about Ainz Ooal Gown, Hakuun decided to instead learn more about the human himself in order to avoid putting additional pressure on him. After all, if the human turned out to not be anything special, then it didn't really matter what he knew about Ainz Ooal Gown.
He was still on a timer, though.
The construction golems that the capital was sending to this town took days to arrive because Dethford is one of the settlements in the council state that lack a transportation platform, which is basically an arcane structure built by abjurer and conjurer wizards designed to transport important cargo and even people through long distances.
Dethford is a town so rural that it lacks many technologies that other more metropolitan cities have, not to mention the resources needed to pay for the services required to make the aforementioned transportation platforms work in the first place since moving several tons of material - be it organic or inorganic - requires not only an arcane structure in each end, but also several mages channeling large amounts of mana on both sides, hence why not even Hakuun can just teleport to the capital and bring the golems with him.
However, it was in the morning of this day when Hakuun was informed through [World Message] that the construction golems will finally arrive at Dethford around noon, which means any moment now, so if they dally around too much he will lose the chance to interrogate the human anymore.
"I'm actually a druid." Said Rhemurus in response.
"A druid, really?" Replied Hakuun with genuine surprise.
"Yes, though just a lev-, uh, just an...apprentice. Apprentice druid, yeah."
"So an apprentice, you did say you only knew a few 1st-tier spells."
"Yeah, I only know three...spells...what?"
At that moment, a strange expression formed on Rhemurus' face while he touched his chest with his right hand. He was still moving though, he didn't want to make a scene in the middle of the town and put the good chief of militia in an embarrassing position.
Hakuun decided to wait a few seconds before asking if anything was wrong, so he was just staring at Rhemurus with expectant eyes.
- What is this? Are those...what I think they are?
Back when Rhemurus was fighting for his life he learned how to tap into the spellcasting power inside him, and even though it was an extreme situation, he still remembers how his 'internal spell console' felt like, his MP and his three druid spells being perfectly visualized inside him.
Now that he remembered his spells and tapped this power once again, however, it felt different inside him, it felt...bigger.
The amount of mana is definitely higher than before, and even more noteworthy still is how Rhemurus can now see three more spells inside him, a total of six spells instead of the three he previously saw back when he tapped his magical power before.
Feeling these three new spells, Rhemurus believed he had a rough idea of what these new spells were in a similar fashion to how he knew what his original three spells were, but something still felt off. These new spells weren't druid spells.
- If my gut isn't wrong, these are...arcane mage spells! But why, how.
"Are you alright?" Said the ogre mage.
"Yes, yes I'm alright. It's just that-"
Rhemurus' words were unexpectedly drowned by the sounds of a townsfolk approaching them with urgent news.
"Chief! They're here, the golems!"
A lizardfolk was running towards chief Isak'nag to inform him of the timely arrival of the construction golems, at last.
"Are you sure they're the capital's golems, Gethak? We're not being attacked again?"
"The, uh, platform carrying the golems has the flag of the council state, as well as the one leading them. Well, I think the mounted individual in front of them is leading them."
- What exquisite timing. Nothing to be done now except go back to the capital and deliver my report. Said Hakuun to himself as he lamented the fact that he couldn't learn any more about the mysterious human anymore, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
"Very well then, I will go and greet the capital's emissary. I take it it's your team's cue to return to the capital, sir Hakuun?"
"Yes. Now that the construction golems have arrived, we can leave this good town to more capable hands. It was an honor being here, chief."
"And it was an honor to have you, I wish you and your team safe travels. You as well, sir Rhemurus."
"I hope to one day pay back the kindness you have shown me, chief Isak'nag." Said Tanaka from the bottom of his heart.
"I look forward to that day." And just like that, the chief of militia turned his behir mount around and galloped at full speed, his duties to his town were far from over.
==Author's Note==
Hello again, this author's note is more like a transition to the first level sheets I wanted to show, so if you don't care much about that, you can totally ignore these and just jump to the next chapter.
Originally I intended to show the sheets of all members of Blade Cyclone here, but at this point in the prologue arc, we haven't really seen much of them besides their leader the ogre mage, so I will focus on the prominent characters we have spent the most time on so far. The other adamantite adventurers will get more time to interact with the main character in the next chapters, so their level sheets will be shown there.
I figure this way the level sheets section won't feel so bloated with mechanical info as well, which would make them easier to digest.
So let's start with the player.
Rhemurus
01 - Druid
01 - Mage
Racial Level:0 / Job Level:2
Total Level:2
[Magic Items]
- None (yet!)
When conceiving this story in the proverbial storyboard, I was wondering who could be a foil to the main character in the canon Overlord series. Not really a "perfect enemy" of any sort, but rather a player who could be considered some form of antithesis to Momonga.
Many player ideas were considered with that concept in mind; a divine caster lich, a melee warrior lich, a min-maxed meta arcane mage, an angel player, but in the end, I settled for a human player that started at level 1 in the new world. Mainly because we already have a max-level player with a guildbase filled with powerful NPC in the actual canon, and I honestly felt that doing a reskinned version of that felt a bit uninspired to me.
You may be wondering how and when did Rhemurus leveled-up, and why [Mage] instead of a second level of [Druid]. While I think I gave enough clues in Chapter 2, it will eventually be explained in Chapter 6.
Also, one last thing. It's true that Rhemurus will continue to gain levels as the story progresses, but that doesn't mean that he will become such an uber stronk being in the new world, at least not in relation to Nazarick. There are many powerful classes that have prerequisites that players simply can't meet in the new world, the most obvious ones being the classes that require a specific amount of monsters to be slain a specific amount of times, and chances are that such monsters don't even exist in the new world, and even if they do, they still can't just respawn an infinite amount of times like they do in an MMO.
Even more important still is the equipment, even the best native smiths and enchanters can't make anything close to legendary-class gear - let alone divine-class - so that's yet another thing that Rhemurus simply won't have easy access to. And yes, abandoned player guilds like the greed kings base are indeed a thing in the new world, but the chances of finding something that will be custom-made for the build that Rhemurus will eventually have are almost nonexistent.
By the way, this obviously won't be the last sheet Rhemurus will have. Just like when Neia went from paladin squire to full-fledged sacred archer, when Rhemurus gains enough levels to justify an upgrade in battle style is when I will show an updated level sheet. And considering how as a player he has a level cap of 100, I will be posting an updated sheet at least once per arc.
Gar'ago
04 - Worg - Monster Class
01 - Plains Hunter
Monster Level:4 / Job Level:1
Total Level:5
[Magic Items]
- None
Since Rhemurus was still under the erroneous impression that the predator he was fighting against was akin to a pre-generated Yggdrasil mob, he assumed that the worg was level 20 or at least higher. Gar'ago would have instantly killed him if that had been the worg's actual level because a 19 level difference is way too big, it doesn't matter if you are at death's door.
Eventually, Rhemurus will learn that the natives of the new world are living and breathing beings just like he is, and very down the line, he will also learn how the influence of Yggdrasil in the world is quite unnatural, for better or for worse.
Hakuun - The Leader of Blade Cyclone
10 - Ogre Mage - Racial Class
10 - Evoker
10 - Armored Mage
07 - Eldritch Knight
Racial Level:10 / Job Level:27
Total Level:37
[Magic Items]
- Arcane Champion (Mithril Full Plate)
- Mental Clarity (Enchanted Helmet)
- Belt of the Striker (Bludgeoning Protection)
- Amulet of Natural Armor
- Bracers of Swordplay
- Ring of Wizardy
- Cape of Deflection
- Dragon King's Fang (Orichalcum Sword)
Even though Hakuun is level 37, only 32 of his levels actually contribute to his spellcasting abilities.
As the [Ogre Mage] name implies, his racial levels count as arcane mage levels, and on top of that, his job levels in [Evoker] and [Eldritch Knight] all give him access to arcane progression as well - with the latter also increasing his combat ability and giving him access to warrior skills - but only half of the levels of [Armored Mage] actually contribute to spellcasting progression, the other half of the levels of this class instead give Hakuun the ability to cast his arcane spells while wearing the heaviest of armors and some extra warrior skills as well.
So that means that his spellcasting limit is usually 5th-tier spells, but thanks to the special metamagic skill that exists in the new world known as [Over Magic] Hakuun can choose to spend large amounts of his MP to cast a limited number of 6th-tier spells. Also, under normal circumstances, the job classes he gained after [Evoker] require at least 1 level in [Fighter] to obtain, but that was back in Yggdrasil, so as a new world native Hakuun didn't need to dip into a melee class to become a "magic knight" as a player would call him.
As it turns out, there is a special racial advancement unlocked by ogre mages who specialize in arcane magic, but because Hakuun split his abilities between magic and melee combat, he doesn't meet the prerequisites of his advancement and thus, is stuck with his basic [Ogre Mage] race.
Isak'nag - Dethford's Chief of Militia
02 - Yuan-ti - Racial Class
04 - Yuan-ti Fighter
06 - Cavalier
02 - Exotic Weapons Master
03 - General - Common Class
Racial Level:2 / Job Level:15
Total Level:17
[Magic Items]
- None (All his weapons and armor are mundane)
As stated by Rhemurus, the yuan-ti are one of the species of the new world that didn't exist in Yggdrasil, but mechanic-wise the yuan-ti of the new world are heteromorphs.
Yggdrasil - obviously - did have playable snakefolk races, but those were more akin to monstrous lamia creatures without legs, similar to the "Yuan-ti Abomination" monsters from Dungeons and Dragons, but the yuan-ti that Rhemurus saw were instead more akin to large-sized lizardfolk with very elongated necks and tails.
[Yuan-ti] as a base racial class is basically what someone may think of the innate abilities of an ophidian creature; each level in it grants harder scales for better natural armor, stronger muscles for constricting, more potent venom, better camouflage for hiding, and could also act as a prerequisite class for advanced job classes that require high focus in martial ability, stealth, and/or poison-making. Think of the advanced job classes that you could obtain if you started as [Fighter] or [Rogue], the racial levels that yuan-ti start with are a perfect substitute for either profession.
And as you can see, Isak'nag didn't unlock his first advanced race - as heteromorphs, yuan-ti have several racial advancements unlike the demi-humans who only have one - but the sad truth is that not a single yuan-ti that lives in the Argland Council State is capable of reaching their racial advancements because the favored job class of the yuan-ti is nothing like what is commonly practiced in the Yggdrasil-polluted world.
Said native job classes that didn't exist in Yggdrasil give access to a power similar to wild magic and martial arts, a power that predates the advent of players but is still alive and even thriving in the opposite end of the continent where the light novels and current chapters of my fic take place in.
[Yuan-ti Fighter] is likewise a job class that didn't exist in Yggdrasil for obvious reasons. Just like Cure Elim=Los Malvar's [Dragon Necromancer] class, this class gives a new world native a modified version of an Yggdrasil ability, in this case, is the ability to masterfully use weapons specifically designed for a yuan-ti's limbs which includes their long dexterous tail that for all intents and purposes can function as a third arm with amazing reach, as well as the ability to move at full natural speed and even make graceful maneuvers while wearing armor designed for their serpentine body.
[Cavalier] is an advancement from the base [Rider] class that is given to those who specialize in riding while wearing full plate armor. Normally, you need 10 levels in [Rider] before being able to qualify for this class, but thanks to his nature as a new world native, Isak'nag was able to obtain the [Cavalier] class without the prerequisites from Yggdrasil.
And [Exotic Weapons Master] is self-explanatory as an advancement of [Yuan-ti Fighter], because their body types and by extension their weapons and fighting styles are unique to themselves, the weapons that yuan-ti use would be quite difficult to master by those that aren't yuan-ti.
Manesko - Mount of the Chief
09 - Behir - Monster Class
08 - Racer
02 - Acrobatic Stepper
Monster Level:9 / Job Level:10
Total Level:19
[Magic Items]
- None (Mundane custom-made saddle)
Animals - either mundane or magical, sentient or sapient - are creatures that fall neither in humanoid, demi-human, nor heteromorph categories, so they don't get racial levels but monster levels instead. Likewise, they can get access to job classes that have no Yggdrasil versions as well, but as seen with Hamsuke, new world animals with enough intelligence can be trained to obtain job classes and abilities that other natives can get like martial arts.
Neither Hamsuke nor the Ankyloursus Lord got proper level sheets in the novels, and I feel like the author purposely avoided detailing their levels to cement the fact that new world animals are unique, but I think magical beasts are awesome so they deserve level sheets.
And yes, Rhemurus was totally wrong not only about Manesko's level, but about the level of all the animals that inhabit Dethford - not a single animal in that town was even close to level 30 - for the same reason he was dead mistaken about the level of the worg who attacked him; he's still allowing his preconceived gamer notions to shape his view about the new world. He hasn't seen enough of the natives to realize that there are no pre-generated creatures in this world, and if there are then it's because said creature is NOT a true native, but rather just another anti-natural creature, like him.