Chapter 7: Information is Important
His skeletal arm vanished into that fracture in space he called his inventory. It was a strange moment, as if a complete list of every item inside had been written directly into his mind. Even those objects he himself had forgotten—covered in dust for years—were described with uncanny clarity by this sixth sense he had acquired.
After reading through it carefully, he realized there wasn't much of use. Player inventories were nothing like guild treasuries; they were highly limited. Players rarely stored valuable items in them for fear of being ambushed and losing everything in a player-versus-player battle.
Although Momonga's inventory was nearly overflowing with items, most of them were useless to him, and it wouldn't be a big loss if they ended up being dropped at random.
Why would a max-level undead need horns to summon low-level goblins?
The only reason these items had accumulated in his inventory was that he'd gotten them from the cash shop, spinning the wheel of fortune in search of a real jackpot. He had long lost count of how many times he'd gambled his money only to receive junk.
With a pang in his heart, he took out two scrolls and stared at them, wrestling internally with whether it was truly necessary to use them in this situation. Even if he were back in Nazarick with access to its treasury, wasting them carelessly would still sting.
"I only have one copy of each in my inventory… I hope they don't disappoint me," thought Momonga as he held the two scrolls in his hands, fully aware of the uniqueness of the items he was about to use.
Channeling a bit of mana, both scrolls began to glow with white flames, burning up within seconds. One turned into particles of light that surrounded Momonga, casting a halo around him that slowly faded until it vanished.
The other scroll, however, left behind residual ashes that gathered together, forming an eye that floated motionless in front of its thaumaturge, awaiting an order.
Momonga's nonexistent heart was clenched with anguish and pain. He truly didn't want to use those scrolls, but he knew that what was done, was done.
The "[Eye of God]" and "[Anti-Divination V]" scrolls were extremely rare and expensive—not just because they contained tenth-tier spells, but due to the difficulty involved in crafting them. The only way to create them was by having ultra-specialized divination classes, and because of their undeniable utility, large guilds would snatch them up the moment they appeared in auctions.
As the pinnacle of divination and anti-divination magic, they were like life insurance policies for players and their guilds. In large-scale conflicts, the side that hesitated to use them was automatically at a disadvantage—especially when the fight was over something of immeasurable value.
Momonga had always felt guilty for not having used them when they were hiding the crystal mine. With "[Anti-Divination V]" active, the location of the mine would never have been discovered, and Nazarick would have been enriched. He didn't want to make the same mistake again.
So, with renewed determination, Momonga looked at the floating eye born from the "[Eye of God]" scroll. This would be his eye in the sky
Feeling a bit more secure, Momonga proceeded to remove the Ouroboros Ring from his finger and replaced it with a Watcher's Ring. These rings were relatively common, and their sole purpose was to alert the wearer in case of being spied upon, triggering a pre-loaded spell.
It might have seemed paranoid, especially with the scroll's protection, but Momonga didn't see it that way. While the scroll would shield him from almost any spy, that didn't mean no one would try. That's when the ring would come into play.
Normally, such rings were charged with high-damage magic, and this one was no exception. However, there was one small difference: this was a gift from one of the most powerful archmages Momonga had ever known.
It was one of the many creations of Ulbert the Catastrophe, and the spell inside was a chain maximized explosion that made the magic of other rings seem like child's play in comparison.
It was more than enough to carve off a good portion of a tank's health and leave a lightly armored player half-dead—if it didn't kill them outright.
"That should be enough," thought Momonga, having taken every possible precaution within his reach at the moment.
He glanced at the "[Eye of God]" before sending it to the surface. He didn't know what dangers awaited him ahead, so the eye would serve as his scout. He wanted to see the horde that the supposed creator had sent. If it was something manageable, he would proceed. But if it was something beyond his control, his best option would be to hole up in the dungeon and pray they couldn't get in.
Rereading the message, he noticed a general increase in monster levels due to his new class. A five-level boost was a significant change in Yggdrasil; stats and abilities would spike—especially when comparing sub-level 70 characters to those above.
"I should also check the lower levels of this place," he reflected, turning toward the direction he had come from.
Activating magic to summon the undead, a dark tar-like substance began to ooze from his fingers, dripping onto the floor and slowly taking shape.
Within seconds, the undead had risen before him: five mid-level Death Knights and one high-level Abyss Lord.
"Hmm, they look so real now…" Momonga murmured to himself.
Their appearance in Yggdrasil had already been intimidating, but now that their bodies weren't bound by game mechanics, they had gained new levels of menace. They looked downright grotesque.
Momonga set his gaze on the Abyss Lord—a level 75 undead with incredible physical abilities. It wore black armor and held a blade made of obsidian. The light around them seemed to be absorbed into these objects, contrasting sharply with its skin, which was gaunt and sickly—pale as snow.
In contrast, the Death Knights looked like they could crumble into a pile of bones at any moment. Their flesh was so rotted and torn that it barely clung to their frames. It was a chilling sight.
"This dungeon must be low-level. Five Death Knights as the vanguard and an Abyss Lord should be able to reach the deepest levels with ease," Momonga mused as he prepared to send his entourage to explore the depths.
However, at that moment, the "[Eye of God]" ascending through the dungeon picked up something that caught his attention. A new perspective manifested, as if the summon were a part of him, revealing a small group of what appeared to be adventurers just a few floors above where he stood.
He observed them closely, evaluating their gear and appearances. Drawing on years of experience in player-versus-player combat, Momonga's deductive skills allowed him to quickly reach a few conclusions about them.
If he'd still had the ability to make facial expressions, a smile would've appeared on his face. To his eyes, those adventurers looked like open books.
"Abyss Lord, you'll stay with me a bit longer. The rest of you—head to the upper floors. It's time to test the strength of the natives," Momonga declared in a serious tone.
The Death Knights, understanding his intentions, promptly set off toward the upper levels.
Momonga felt a genuine surge of excitement—before his emotion suppressor kicked in. He wasn't sure how the Death Knights would react to his commands. Back in the game, they lacked comprehension; they couldn't even stray far from the summoner during battle. But fortunately, everything had gone just as he'd planned.
"They can understand what I want… but where's their limit? Can they grasp complex instructions? Can they learn on their own? … I don't want my own summons turning against me," he muttered as he watched the undead sprint toward the "[Eye of God," even before he'd given them its location.
"For now, let's add this to the growing list of experiments," Momonga decided. His undead would make the perfect guinea pigs as he continued to explore the limits of their capabilities.
He sighed as he watched his loyal followers depart. He was genuinely eager to see how this encounter with the local adventurers would unfold.
He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to understand the natives of this place. However, one thing was certain: beings from Yggdrasil had accompanied him. He didn't know the power scale of this world, and in any case, every possibility seemed unfavorable. If the general power level here surpassed his own, a single act of carelessness could mean his death. If it was lower, then the threat of the "Creator" might become unavoidable. And the worst-case scenario was still on the table—he might not be the only player in this world.
The infamy of Ainz Ooal Gown was well known—not just among humans and the holy races, but even among demons and heteromorphs. The great raid in which Nazarick's forces defeated over 1,500 players had cemented the guild's role as the ultimate villain for a long time. To the point where the devs had commemorated that day as one of the darkest in the game, weaving it into the official lore of the Nine Worlds.
It wasn't long before books and songs sung by NPCs began to recount that ominous event. They were the first to accomplish such a feat. The issue, however, was that those tales were told from a human perspective, which gave Ainz Ooal Gown the reputation of villains—something many guild members relished. New players avoided them like oil and water, and veteran players didn't hesitate to strike at the slightest opportunity. At least no one dared to try invading them again.
For now, he would evaluate the inhabitants of this world to see what they were capable of before revealing himself and gathering information. He hoped they'd cooperate—he didn't want his first encounter to end with him using "[Control Amnesia]" to extract answers.
The teachings of Punitto Moe had left a deep mark on Momonga's psyche—more than he liked to admit. "Information above all else" was a motto he'd adopted from his dear friend, and in this case, he wouldn't spare any effort to obtain it. If he couldn't get the information peacefully, he was fully prepared to move on to "PKing for Dummies" and take it by force.