Overlord - Prologue

Part 4

With one eye on their surroundings, the players climbed a run-down flight of stairs into the building. The interior was unexpectedly impressive, with five statues standing tall. Stone slabs were set near the feet of the statues. However, the group was some distance away and could not read what was on them. Of course, there were spells to read the writing, but nobody was in the mood for that.

Momonga had a bad feeling about this.

He had seen this sort of dungeon design several times in the past.

The enthusiasm he had up till here was nowhere to be found.

“Ah, Momonga-san, this looks like a simultaneous attack dungeon. And it looks to be the hardest kind, the sort that needs five parties to progress. Then again, we should probably be glad it’s not one of those dungeons that needs 36-man parties (a legion) and allows two guilds to cooperate on invading them. Those are just crazy.”

Momonga groaned quietly as Tabula Smaragdina’s words vindicated his sense of foreboding. There was muttering from around him as well.

Many people hated simultaneous-attack dungeons, also known as “die-by-yourself dungeons”. Dungeons like these required several parties working in unison along different routes to complete.

Of course, it was only right that everyone should work together toward a common objective. However, it was annoying to be split up.

This was an unknown dungeon which nobody had explored before.

The fact that they knew nothing about it fueled their anger at the shitty developers and honed their excitement at the idea of finding rare data crystals. If they could not stay together and share their joys and sorrow, the fun factor would be halved — no, it would be worse than that.

Although he was not the superstitious sort, he could not help but feel uncomfortable that the guild’s first activity was something like this.

Still, he could not whine about it. After all, it was his idea to delve into this dungeon, and everyone was gathered here because they supported him. Being even more wilful than this was not what a guildmaster should do.

Just then, Punitto Moe began suggesting team assignments, as though ignoring Momonga’s internal shock.

“How shall we proceed then, Tabula-san? This is a deviation from the original plan, and now we’ll need five parties.”

“Indeed. The question now is how to allocate everyone. We should probably discuss this together. Things being as they are, we should have the crafters come in as well, since it would be hard to be pressed from behind anyway.”

The basic 6-man party configuration in Yggdrasil was one tank, two attackers, one healer, one seeker and a wildcard, who was capable of adapting to changing situations.

They had to evenly allocate their manpower into five parties, which was a fairly brainpower-intensive task.

Anyone taking on this task needed to be intimately familiar with everyone’s abilities and preferences. A team that was put together sloppily would not be able to succeed. Therefore, assigning party rosters was one of the greatest challenges of such an endeavour.

The question now was how to clear this dungeon.

Dungeons like these were typically designed so that everyone would meet up at the boss room, whereupon they would face the raid boss together.

If this pattern held true, then the parties had to be balanced.

For instance, even two parties filled with the strongest members would have a hard time successfully clearing the entire dungeon. That being the case, it would probably be better to have four teams reach the boss and defeat him. There was strength in numbers after all. If there was no vast difference in individual abilities, 24 people would always be better than 12 people.

Even if Warrior Takemikazuchi — one of the strongest members of Ainz Ooal Gown — was attacked by two players of equal level, there was a high chance of him being defeated. The fact was that for every one attack he launched, he would be taking two in exchange. Of course, there were some monstrous types who could win when outnumbered two to one, but those were few and far between.

Therefore, the most important thing was to not lose anyone and reach the dungeon’s core.

Punitto Moe stood before everyone and discussed the matter of personnel assignment.

Momonga remained silent. Punitto Moe was the best planner in the group, so it would be fine to let him handle things. Most likely, everyone here would think that too. It would probably be fine even if he began giving orders.

In many games, one could not reorganize a party outside of a safe zone, or certain designated locations. However, in YGGDRASIL, one could freely change one’s party anywhere and anytime. This allowed for very flexible parties, and with a good team, one could overcome any difficulty.

However, the effects of party-wide magic and skills terminated once the party was disbanded. One had to take that drawback into consideration when regrouping. That trick would not work if used in a dire situation.

He looked around at his guildmates. Some of them were changing their gear. Some of them were briefly offline for a bathroom break, and some of them were talking excitedly with Punitto Moe.

Although they all seemed to be doing their own thing, Momonga could feel a strange sense of coordination permeating the scene.

Slowly, the Magical Attackers, Physical Attackers, Tanks, Healers, Seekers and Others were assigned to their parties.

Momonga fell into the “Other” category.

“Others” were not unnecessary. While they were uncommon for the most part, this guild — Ainz Ooal Gown — was different. To them, “Others” were challenging classes who could adapt to many different circumstances.

Momonga used the drops from PKing — the corpses of other players — to learn many different spells. Because of that, he was typically placed in this position during dungeon raids.

Of course, he was not given this position because he could use many different spells, but because he could use suitable spells for the appropriate situation.

Because he had to handle this difficult task, Momonga had priority on the corpses from PKing, as a sign of his comrade’s faith in his abilities.

In return, Momonga gave his all for his comrades, and they all felt that he could do no wrong.

Finally, Punitto Moe announced the party assignments.

Momonga’s group was comprised of:

Magic Attacker: Ulbert Alain Odle

Physical Attacker: Warrior Takemikazuchi

Tank: Bukubukuchagama

Healer: Yamaiko

Seeker: Nishiki Enrai

And Momonga was the wildcard.

Momonga gasped in surprise as he heard the lineup.

There were people in the guild who could clear a dungeon easily, and more than half of them were in his party.

First was Ulbert Alain Odle, who had levels in several classes boasting high firepower. His burst damage was unrivalled.

Next was Warrior Takemikazuchi, who had levels in offense-oriented classes like Kensei and so on. Much like Nishiki Enrai, his defense was low, but at the same time he had the highest physical damage ability in the entire guild.

Bukubukuchagama the tank was a specialized character who had maximized her defense. She had the title of “the Unsinkable”.

The healer Yamaiko was a Nephilim, who banked on her race’s ability to take two very high ability scores and three very low ability scores to maximize her spirit and endurance. In addition she was fully equipped with gear that abandoned offense to focus on defense. Combined with her regenerative abilities, she was far more survivable than even a half-baked tank class.

Nishiki Enrai was their seeker, but due to his absolute focus on attack power, he also made a good attacker in his own right. In addition, when he used his stealth abilities, he could deliver a single blow whose power could outstrip even Warrior Takemikazuchi’s.

This was a team made of members who were fully optimized for their role.

The fact was, if these members were redistributed throughout the other parties, it would not be a surprise if their survival rate went up.

“Eh? Is this really okay?”

Upon hearing Momonga’s voice, Punitto Moe turned around.

“Oh, Momonga-san, is something wrong?”

“Mm. Frankly, I think this party is a little unbalanced. They’re all good players and it seems they would be better off distributed out to groups supported by NPCs in order to shore up their abilities.”

Momonga looked around.

The people who weren’t here must have briefly returned to town to hire several NPC mercenaries. By teleporting to their allies, they could avoid having to go through the swamp and return here directly.

“I think putting Bukubukuchagama-san and Warrior Takemikazuchi-san in parties with NPCs would be more even. However, we know nothing about this dungeon. Therefore, I think it would be better to have two strong teams rather than an even distribution.”

And the members of the other team are…?

Momonga looked over to the guild’s strongest man, Touch Me, and he had his answer. He must be leading that team.

He looked at the people with him, and it was true. All the strongest members of Ainz Ooal Gown were now gathered together.

Punitto Moe understood what Momonga was looking at, and nodded.

“Thats right, it’s them. Momonga-san, if the worst comes to pass, please take down the boss with them. Although I understand that defeating a 30-man boss with only 12 people is incredibly difficult, I feel that it would be better to make preparations for that situation.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t I be better replaced by someone else?”

Momonga had faith in his skills as a wildcard, but he had his doubts about whether he could be considered a superior player.

Punitto Moe laughed and replied, “Of course not,” before explaining.

“Momonga-san, invading the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this virgin dungeon, was the result of your wilfulness, no? Therefore, it’s only fair that you clear it beautifully, oh guildmaster. Show us how it’s done.”

Waves of heat surged out from Momonga’s belly.

Punitto Moe was right. He was the one who had selfishly brought all these people here, so he could not be the one to demoralize them. How could he not do his part in clearing this dungeon with everyone else?

“Got it!”

“That’s the spirit! Plus, you’re a very good wildcard, aren’t you, Momonga-san? Frankly speaking, I think you’re the most adaptable person here, which is why I put you with them. A party of specialists can fall apart quickly if things go bad, so I had to include you and your flexibility, Momonga-san. Let me be honest with you here — your party is the best party because you are in it.”

“No, no, the others are like that, but not me.”

“There you go being weak again. Believe in yourself a little. The fact is, Nishiki Enrai the seeker is more of an attacker, so having you there is also to help with reconnaissance. So… please bring them safely to the boss, Momonga-san.”

Now that Punitto Moe had praised him to the heavens, Momonga could not show his weak side.

“I understand. Please accept my humble contribution.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

After assembling the parties, they each arrived before the stone statues. As though on cue — or rather, they had triggered an automated sequence — something activated.

“How dare you profane the Great Tomb of Nazarick, oh foolish and greedy ones.”

That was a male voice. It was followed by a female voice.

“Or should I say, brave ones.”

“Be you foolish or brave, we shall take your measure. We stand before you, the Five Rulers.”

It was a hoarse man’s voice, different from the first two. Somewhere near Momonga, Bukubukuchagama muttered, “Yes, boss.”

“You who desire this land. Defeat us, and show us your true power.”

Light appeared on the stone slabs. Taking the right actions would probably engage teleportation of some sort.

“…The last voice belonged to the Lord of Helheim. To think he came all the way out here. What a long way to go! If it’s that bearded old man, don’t you think it’s pretty suspicious? Should we kill him off with Longinus?”

“Let’s leave it at that. I was hoping they would reuse that seiyuu elsewhere. I heard they lowered the quality of rare gacha drops in order to hire a large cast of seiyuus.”

“Personally, I’m all for them hiring more people. I can use another alias to perform. There’re still some I haven’t even used yet.”

The kneeling Peroroncino looked over to Momonga. He must have heard his sister’s conversation.

“Well, let’s leave it at that. ‘You who desire this place’. Is that what it said? In any case, it’s clear that this is a guild base dungeon.”

“An unexpected bonus.”

Clearing a dungeon often yielded a variety of items, from rare data crystals to artifacts. However, clearing a guild base dungeon merely gave you owner’s rights. In addition, guilds could only own one dungeon at a time. If they wanted to claim another dungeon, they would need to relinquish their claim on their present one.

Dungeons like these were hardly an unexpected bonus if the guild did not seriously intend to claim it.

“…Would anybody want to found a guild base in a far off place like this?”

“Probably not. Besides, we don’t know what kind of base this is.”

It was unknown how many total levels of NPCs they could create. And then, there was another problem beyond that.

It was called POP bankruptcy.

The monsters which automatically spawned under level 30 had maintenance costs, depending on their type. It was zero for undead, but living creatures, in particular large creatures, had maintenance costs which increased proportionally to the size of their bodies. In other words, a guild base which only popped large living creatures would rack up a ruinous maintenance bill. If a guild base’s innate income was not sufficient to cover those costs, the guild members would have to earn that money themselves. In addition, trap activation and monster summoning were expensive as well. Being attacked by an enemy guild could incur incalculable expenses for the defenders, and might even force them into bankruptcy.

‘“We won’t know until we claim this place.”

“…Well, we could always sell the information.”

Their enthusiasm had cooled off by now. After all, even if they did take this place, they would have to either give it up or sell off the very thing the entire guild had worked so hard to conquer.

Sensing the mood in the air, Touch Me spoke up.

“Still, everyone. Don’t you think we ought to have a proper guild base? Not a rented one like we have now, but something we can change and rearrange as we see fit.”

“Well, if we’re talking about making anything we want, I’ve been thinking of settling down somewhere and then making something in earnest. However, will it be here?”

“Even if we don’t find a place to settle down, I agree with Touch-san that we need a proper guild base. I mean, we can’t leave too many things behind because we’re afraid of being attacked at any time, right? And we won’t need to be on alert after going to an empty rental place.”

He was answered by a chorus of people saying, “That’s right”.

“I think using this place for experiments in building a guild base would be a good reason for conquering it. Besides, I read up on the guild base system on the developers’ site, but it seems different from how it actually is in the game.”

“The Experimental Tomb of Nazarick, huh. So if we use this as a stepping stone, what sort of place will we use as our guild base?”

“We’ll have to think big, of course. A level 3000 guild base should do.”

“That’s too much~”

“That’s impossible.”

Everyone laughed.

Momonga laughed with them.

There were nine of these huge bases — one for each world — but holding on to all of them was practically impossible. To begin with, even if they really managed to seize control of all of them, a weak guild would immediately be embroiled in complex guild wars, and holding on to the base would be very difficult.

“Even if we did hold such a place, we’d go bankrupt from repeated attacks. That being the case, why not find a smaller place? We wouldn’t have to spend so much on maintenance either.”

“We could collect tax in a city base, which would help with the upkeep.”

“City bases don’t have a lot of NPC levels, right? The maximum is 700, I think. The shitty developers like doing it that way. Harder areas give higher levels.”

“Hmm, so could that mean this place might have an unexpectedly high number of levels? After all, nobody’s discovered it until now.”

“Well, we won’t get anywhere just talking here… let’s just do as Momonga-san says and clear this place once. We can discuss everything later. Let’s not count our chickens before they’re hatched.”

Everyone agreed with that.

Soon, they would be treading into uncharted territory, an unknown dungeon.

Clearing an unknown dungeon which was not far below the recommended level was unheard of in Yggdrasil.

This was the difficulty they faced here.

Momonga could no longer detect any lightheartedness from his companions.

In their place were serious players who could overcome any difficulty.

Momonga was filled with a baseless but strange confidence that his people could conquer a dungeon they had never seen before.

There were people who said that those who were too invested in the game were weird and gross. It was just a game, why so serious?

However, there was nothing wrong with getting into a game.

Who decreed that things like piano and ballet were high-class hobbies, while games were for commoners? The people who said this did not know that they were merely forcing their inflexible attitudes on others.

Momonga felt a deep sense of gratitude to his companions, who were earnestly discussing how to clear this dungeon.

“Say, you think we can sustain our buffs? If we could, then we could use extended buffs on ourselves, right?”

“I don’t think the developers would be that nice. Be ready to have them all stripped off you the moment you step through that door.

“Those developers are real shits.”

Someone laughed uncontrollably.

This was how much the Yggdrasil developers were trusted. Fully 100 % of players agreed that they were sadists.

In fact, they would be more worried if the developers did not put in any evil traps.

Therefore, when something unreasonable happened, there would be a great cry of “shitty developers”. In fact, calling them “shitty developers” was in its own way a form of affection.

— Although there had been numerous occasions where they cursed the developers in earnest.

“Then, why don’t we have our lovely guildmaster Momonga-shi, who suggested we attempt this unknown dungeon, come out and address us? Come, Momonga-san, say something.”

He nervously squeaked out an “Eh?” as Punitto Moe spoke, but the gazes of everyone — though their faces did not change — filled the air, and he eventually spoke.

“Everyone! I’m the newly elected sadistic guildmaster, Momonga!”

Amidst the chuckling, Momonga continued.

“This is Ainz Ooal Gown’s maiden venture! We shall conquer this difficult dungeon that we have seen for the first time! We shall make the shitty developers grind their teeth in frustration! We shall do what no normal guild can do! Everyone! Let’s go!”

Ohhhh! An overflowing cheer echoed through the building.