Chapter 2: My Fellow Floor Guardians

I teleported to a random hallway in the 9th floor to escape the eyes of the Guardians. Seriously, they have too high opinion of me! Especially Valdamir, who probably wouldn't stop praising me if I didn't stop him back then!

"Seriously… gimme a break." I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to be worshipped like that!

Though perhaps it is for the best. Better they worship and serve me loyally rather than scheming against me. Now that they're alive and… behave so similar to their creators… my friends… I don't think I could bring myself to harm them.

When they pledged their allegiance to me… I can feel their sincerity. They seriously looked up to me as a pare—as a leade—no… as a god…probably.

My past self, who was more into roleplaying… would probably a bit excited at the prospect… but I'm too tired for that now. I just… no. Now is not the time to lament about the past. I need to think of the future. Nazarick… and all its inhabitants are the legacy of me and my friends. I must protect them all. That is my duty as the Guild Master!

We've somehow been teleported to a new world and Valdamir theorized that it was probably due to World Item or similar powers. That theory holds merit but we have too little information. I've told Demiurge and Albedo to work together to gather more information about this new world but… honestly, I still have no idea what I want to do even after obtaining said information. What if the inhabitants of this world are stronger than we are? The thought would cause me to shiver… if not for this… emotion dampener that suddenly activates whenever I panic. Could this be part of my new undead nature? Perhaps it is how my in-game skills are translated to the real world? I need to test more things. I've tested that my magic and items works perfectly at least. Perhaps Valdamir could help. I've written him as a magic scholar after all.

Speaking of Valdamir… he's an NPC that I created. But his existence has always been an enigma to me even before we were transported to this new world. He often breaks the AI scripts assigned to him and wander around Nazarick beyond his floor. During combat, especially during the invasion of 1500 players… he performed better than expected… almost like a player. I've written him to be rivals with Peroroncino's Shalltear… but their teamwork during the invasion was… terrifying. So terrifying that our opponents accused us of cheating and have a player disguise as NPC or something like that. The two of them managed to deal great damage to the invasion forces in the first three floors, though obviously they were unable to stop such a huge invasion on their own.

I wonder if their teamwork still works now that they are no longer merely NPCs?

Come to think of it… how did I come up with his name? Usually I'm pretty bad at naming things but I did pretty well with him.

Honestly… he scares me. With how I wrote him, he's definitely smarter than I am… If he thinks I'm unworthy to lead him… I hope I'm just being paranoid… He's a great asset to me, especially during uncertain times such as now. I will be relying on him very often from now on. And in the meantime, I'll also watch his development.

Now then… it seems that I've suddenly been promoted from a regular salaryman to a CEO. I've never learned how to be a CEO so… I need to learn how to. If only I can still access the internet… Wait. Our library, Ashurbanipal, has plenty of books, from old books with expired copyright to more recent books. There should be a book like "How to be a Good Boss for Dummies" because I need that real quick! Alright then! Time to hit the books!


Momonga teleported away from the Amphitheater (no doubt using the infamous Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown instead of the standard teleportation spell) and it took a few seconds for the guardians to stand back up, as if worshipping the dust he left behind is mandatory too. Heh. What a bunch of simps.

"That was… scary, Onee-chan!" Says Mare Bello Fiore, the petit dark elf wearing girl's clothing, courtesy of his creator, Bukubukuchagama, who is the real life sister of Shalltear's creator, Peroroncino. He was referring to Momonga's Aura of Despair, which was greater than mine.

"Yeah. When he was with us, he was so kind and gentle. He even gave us water to drink!" Mare's sister, Aura Bella Fiora, replies energetically. Naturally she wore men's clothes in contrast to her brother and is the more dominant of the two siblings. Perhaps their creator made them this way as a way to tease her younger brother Peroroncino.

The two of them are responsible for guarding the 6th floor, which we're currently at. The 6th floor's theme is a great forest, complete with a sky above us (even though we are technically underground) that still works even though we've left the game world.

"Hmm… He. Indeed. Has. The. Power. Worthy. Of. A. Supreme. Being." Cocytus, a huge white insectoid surrounded by cold air, continues. He brings his halberd all the time, always ready for battle, even though he has many other weapons in his arsenal. He is created by Bujin Takemikazuchi, a nephilim player who roleplays a samurai, and he instills the bushido spirit to his creation.

Cocytus is the guardian of the 5th floor, a floor encased completely with ice and cold similar to Niflheim, the perfect element for a monster of ice element like him.

"I agree. I can't wait to see what he has in store for this new world." Demiurge, the demon in orange suit and round glasses and the guardian of the 7th floor, says in agreement. From my knowledge about the NPCs of Nazarick, this devil is definitely my favourite. He is a cunning and cruel demon, created to be a villain by a player who roleplays a villainous character the most out of all the Ainz Ooal Gown members, Ulbert Alain Odle.

I can simply feel the passion he poured into the character. No doubt the suit that Demiurge currently wears, which contrasts with the 7th floor's theme of burning hells and ruined temples, is inspired by real life villains that Ulbert encountered in his lifetime. Even in year 2126, real life villains still wore suits it seems, be they corpos or government, where in year 2126 they have become one and the same. Mega Corporations ruling as governments or at least with similar powers? Definitely villain material. They are already villainous since long before they became the government after all. In fact some of them have been villains since the days the European kingdoms sailed the seas to trade and colonize foreign countries.

"Hmph. Naturally. As the leader of the Supreme Beings, there is no one greater than he." Albedo continues with another praise for our lord and savior. She is a beautiful demon clad in white dress, with lustrous black hair and black wings on her waist. She is the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick, which makes her the leader of the guardians and highest ranking NPC in Nazarick, a rank only below the guild members themselves.

The fact that Momonga wrote her settings to be in love with him will be so amusing to me.

Then my eyes turn to my supposed rival, Shalltear Bloodfallen, a petit vampire clad in dark purple gothic lolita dress. She and I guards the first three floors, which matches the description of a tomb better. As an Overlord specialized in undead summoning and commanding, most of the undead in the first three floors are under my management, a fact that infuriates Shalltear according to our lore.

I wanted to see how she would react to me but… she's currently still kneeling. What is she doing?

"Shalltear? What's wrong?" Albedo addresses her, which prompts her to finally stand up with a blush on her face. I see what's going on here.

"It's just that… feeling the power of the Supreme Being himself made my underwear… went through a bit of a crisis." She says with a blush on her face. Albedo's face twitches in anger at the sentence.

"You BITCH!" Oof. Straight to the B-word, eh, Albedo? The two of them immediately got into a quarrel, mostly about who should be Momonga's wife. As amusing as it is, I will not interfere. I'll just let Momonga deal with his women. Heh heh heh.

I say that but… suddenly I feel their eyes on me.

"Hm?"

"And Valdamir! You didn't kneel after delivering your report! How could a servant like you conduct himself in that manner!?" Albedo scolds me with venom in her voice.

"Indeed! I'm starting to believe you couldn't feel how great he is just because…!" Shalltear continues, though her voice stops.

"Just because what, Shalltear?" I reply teasingly. They cannot finish that sentence and can only frown, most likely because they envy the fact that I was created by their beloved Momonga. Looks like I'm hated. How sad.

"More importantly, there's something I want to ask you all." I say, ignoring the two angry women.

"What do you want to ask, Valdamir-dono?" Demiurge say, no doubt curious of what I have to say.

"Have you guardians noticed anything different from before we were… transported to this world an hour ago?" I asked the same question I asked the butler Sebas. Said head butler, who's not a Floor Guardian but a high level NPC guarding the 9th floor, listens to the guardians' reactions closely as he still didn't understand what that question meant.

"Umm… I don't know. I don't feel any different. Do you, Mare?" Aura replies.

"No. I don't think I do, Onee-chan." Both elven siblings didn't notice, though I'm not expecting much from these 76 year old children.

"What are you talking about, Valdamir? I don't feel anything different!" Shalltear says, also not expecting much from this pervert.

"I. Don't. Think. I. Noticed. Anything. Different. Either." Cocytus gives his answer while blowing cold air out of his mouth.

Demiurge didn't answer just yet as he is still deep in thought.

"What game are you playing, Valdamir?" Albedo answers with a frown, thinking I was bullshitting.

"Hmm… I can't say that I have. Do you, Valdamir-dono?" Demiurge confesses frustratingly as even he, with all his wisdom, did not notice anything.

"I do. It seems that upon being transported to this new world, we have broken some of the iron clad rules of Yggdrasil, mainly with our newfound freedom." I explain my hypothesis, though most of the guardians still didn't understand, except for Demiurge.

"I see. I understand what you mean, Valdamir-dono. I thought you were merely given more freedom than any of us due to being Momonga-sama's creation but turns out you've been breaking the rules of Yggdrasil this whole time!" Demiurge exclaims excitedly. Even though I was being vague, he still understands completely! What a guy!

"Wh-What does that mean?" Mare asks confusedly while tilting his head.

"You see, Mare. After we were created, we have never left our assigned floors unless commanded to by the Supreme Beings, correct?" Demiurge starts his explanation, to which Mare nods.

"None of us have ever left our floors… except for Valdamir-dono, who regularly visits other floors as well even though none of the Supreme Beings told him to." Demiurge continues. The other guardians noticed how I visited their floors quite often.

"Isn't leaving your assigned post a sign of disloyalty towards the Supreme Beings?" Albedo says while glaring at me. Seriously, what have I done to warrant her hate? Not that I mind.

"Au contraire, my dear Guardian Overseer. I was doing it as my experiment. Breaking established rules are always beneficial in order to gain an advantage."

"Including breaking the laws set by the Supreme Beings?"

"Why, Guardian Overseer! I wouldn't dare! I was merely doing it for the sake of the Supreme Beings!"

"And how does breaking their laws benefit them!?"

"I wasn't breaking the laws of the Supreme Beings but the laws of the World Tree, of Yggdrasil, which gave us limited freedom and with it, limited function as servants of the Supreme Beings."

"And what makes you think that?" Albedo listens carefully as the topic of usefulness towards the Supreme Beings starts to get interesting to her, though she still didn't lose her frown.

"Have you ever spoken to the Supreme Beings or to each other before being transferred to this world? And by that I meant having real conversations, not merely scripted lines and responses… a true conversation like the one we're having now." My words gave the guardians pause to think… and after a few seconds they finally notice that they've never had real conversation before.

"I suppose you're right, Valdamir-dono. All I've ever spoken to the Supreme Beings are simple responses such as "As you say, my master." or "How may I serve you, my lord?" among other things. Now we're capable of doing so much more." Demiurge says, to which the guardians nodded.

"I. Still. Don't. Get. It. How . Does. That. Benefit. The. Supreme. Beings?" Cocytus says in his monstrous voice while blowing cold air from his mouth. As a warrior, his thinking capability is limited it seems.

"With our newfound freedom, we can already become far more useful to the Supreme Beings. Take Momonga-sama's recent orders for example. For the first time we're being ordered to do more than just guard our assigned floors. This shows that Momonga-sama noticed our newfound freedom and decided to make use of it by giving us tasks that we're previously unable to complete due to restrictions placed upon us by Yggdrasil." I explain to Cocytus, which make the other guardians nod in understanding as well.

"Is that why… his reactions in the throne room…?" Albedo mutters as she recalls Momonga's bewildered reaction in the throne room.

"Awesome! How did you… break Yggdrasil's laws before we come here?" Aura asks with her heterochromatic eyes shining in admiration of me, with Mare doing the same beside her.

"By noticing something's strange and… try to break it through sheer willpower… though now it isn't necessary anymore as we are no longer mere decorations and tools… but proper servants of the Supreme beings. Exciting, isn't it?" I say, to which the elven twins nodded.

"As expected of Momonga-sama's creation! Truly, I look forward to working with you more closely in the future, Valdamir-dono." Demiurge says in admiration of my wisdom.

"I do too, Demiurge-dono." I share his sentiment, as I too am excited to do some villainy together with him.

"Now then. Now that I've shared my thoughts, let us start discussing on how to complete the task that Momonga-sama just gave us. Guardian Overseer? If you will." I turn towards Albedo and let her lead the discussion and brainstorm on how to proceed with the plan to scout the new world before submitting the report of the plan to Momonga.


Author's Note:

Valdamir just got Sasuga'd by Demiurge! How will things go in the future? I hope to make the storyline different from canon as Valdamir gets more involved in things.

JustaPickyreader: There are quite a few stories with this premise, but those stories don't really go that far. But I'm interested in what the MC does to assist Momonga in his goals. Perhaps the MC can add a whole host of new, non-canon developments? If you're going to strictly follow canon, then it wouldn't take long to pump out chapter after chapter. This story premise feels laughably easy, honestly.

Answer: Yeah. Yellowness in particular. That one was one of the inspiration for this fanfic's premise. I do hope to create a different storyline than in canon, kinda like the Mass for the Dead's storyline where Clementine becomes a saint and there are three kingdoms alliance among other things.

vastoisshin: I like the way the mc function a corrupting and formative evil just for the sake of evil we need more of those now a days.

Answer: Yeah. Some evil doesn't need backstory. Some evil are just evil because they simply want to be.

Some1call4MR-: If I'm being honest here, and I am, it was Demiurges' fault!

In a manner of speaking, is not 'evil' he is just playing the part that Demiurge, had mostly given him!

I MAY~ have not read the source material, but from my understanding of the anime, in general,

it was Demiurge that proclaimed of Ainz' so-called desire!

As he gazed down onto the land below, from which the moon on high,

graced the land with it's near ethereal glow, Ainz had said,

perhaps it wouldn't be be so bad to conquer this world, taking all the treasure's it has for myself.

~ahem~

Yet in reality, he, Ainz, was just mumbling aloud, as he has no mouth,

he wouldn't realize that his internal monologue was being heard unintentionally by Demiurge!

So then, Demiurge confided with Albedo about said dialogue, just after the swearing of fealty,

and thus, the beginning of, Domination of the new-world, had effectively begun!

Considering the dystopian future of the 2130's Japan, and his mindset,

Suzuki Satoru, also-known-as Momonga/Ainz-Ooal-Gown...ahem,

along with the fact of his undead-overlord body, and the emotional inhibitor,

makes the former white-collar employee himself, bias to the action's of his subordinate's nowadays.

So basically you replaced Ainz' old German-speaking NPC, with your O.C character then huh?

Answer: Yeah Ainz isn't really evil and more of a callous guy. But that doesn't make him any less villainous in canon. He still knowingly approved conspiracy and manipulations and even personally massacred a lot of people after all.

And no, Pandora's Actor will not be replaced. He's still there, just haven't debuted yet.

Mr. Zeniel: Takemikazuchi was a niphilim. He made Cocytus as an insectoid because he had something like rivalry with Touch Me, whose race was an insectoid.

Answer: Ah. I got things mixed up with Touch Me. Thanks. Fixed it now.