The Dark Warrior

by Kugane Maruyama

  “Oh yeah? Then let me cover the appraisal fees for you. And not only that, but I’ll introduce you to a top-notch place.”

  “You’d do that?” Brita’s eyebrows scrunched together. The innkeeper was a good man, but he wasn’t a softy. He had to have an ulterior motive.

  “Now, now, don’t make that face. All you have to do is tell me what effects the potion has or whatever.”

  “That’s the deal, huh?”

  “Not a bad one, is it? And with my connections, I can introduce you to the best potion maker around—the Lizzy Baleare.”

  Brita’s face showed her genuine surprise.

  E-Rantel was a place where many mercenaries and adventurers gathered, so it was home to a flourishing market for buying and selling weapons and items aimed at them. The potion business was particularly brisk, and there were many more apothecaries there than in other cities.

  Out of all of them, Lizzy Baleare was known as the best and could make the most complex potions of any of the city’s apothecaries. Once the name of the best apothecary in E-Rantel had been brought up, the offer was no longer one Brita could refuse.

  2

  The wooden door gently clapped shut.

  The only furnishings in the room were one small desk and two simple wooden beds with chests built in. Since the shutters were open, sunlight and air from outside came in directly.

  Ainz looked around the room, slightly disappointed. He knew he was at an inn on the outskirts of town and couldn’t expect the same facilities and cleanliness as at Nazarick, but this setup put him on his guard.

  “That you should have to stay in such a place, Lord Momon, is so…”

  “Oh, don’t say that. Our goal is to gain a reputation in this city as adventurers. We have to aim for the top so everyone will know my name. Until then, adopting the lifestyle of the part can’t hurt.” Ainz comforted her, showing no sign of his inner feelings, as he closed the shutters. The light that came in through the gaps in the shutters was not enough to banish the room’s darkness completely. Ainz and Narberal could use Darkvision, so it didn’t affect them, but for anyone who couldn’t do that, this room would probably be too dark to see much of anything. “…But, man, being an adventurer is more depressing than I thought.”

  Adventurer. The word had held some fascination for Ainz. They traveled the world in pursuit of the unknown. He’d been imagining it as an occupation that embodied the “correct way” to play Yggdrasil, but after talking to the receptionist at the guild, he realized it was more practical and boring.

  In a nutshell, an adventurer was an anti-monster mercenary. They did resemble the adventurers Ainz had been dreaming of in some ways—e.g., there were opportunities to explore ruins, wreckage of the country destroyed by the evil spirits that appeared there two hundred years ago, and pursue the unknown in unexplored regions—but they were basically monster exterminators.

  Monsters had various special abilities depending on their type, which is why tackling them required people with a larger variety of skills—countermeasures—than soldiers had.

  Given that, one might think that they’d be in a position like the hero in a video game, with many people depending on them…

  But that was not the case.

  The ruling classes weren’t too keen on having armed groups roaming around outside of their control. For that reason, even if adventurers were doing well enough from a monetary standpoint, their status was low. The reason they weren’t brought in to work on a national level was that countries used the same logic that corporations do: Full-time employees cost money, so it was cheaper to just hire temp workers as necessary. And just as there are some companies that get by without hiring any temp workers, there were countries where the army could subdue the monsters; in those places, an adventurer’s status was even lower.

  The lady behind the desk at the guild had grumbled that there were no adventurers in the Slane Theocracy and that the standing of adventurers in the Baharuth Empire had been falling ever since the current emperor came to power.

  Ainz cleared the faint disappointment from his mind. It wasn’t so uncommon a thing for someone to take a job they’d always wanted only to discover it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

  He waved his hand loosely, and his raven-black armor and two great swords melted into thin air, revealing his skeletal figure wrapped in magic items. Every now and then, a red target sight appeared on his thin black-mirrored shades and then disappeared. The amethyst circlet around his head was like a rose vine—the outside had a number of thorns sticking out. On top, he wore a black long-sleeved shirt with a silky sheen and, on bottom, baggy pants. Around his waist was something closer to a black belt—as in the martial arts kind—than a simple belt. He took off his unsophisticated gauntlets, and all his fingers except his ring fingers had rings on them. His rugged, red-brown ankle boots were embroidered with gold thread. Around his neck was a necklace that featured a silver plate fashioned into a lion’s face and then his crimson cape.

  Normally, Yggdrasil items were augmented by inlaying them with data crystals. For this reason, it was extremely difficult to have matching gear. But there were enough people who hated looking like a jumble of east and west that the developers released an update that made it so a player who met certain conditions could keep their stats but align the style of their equipment.

  The matching raven-black armor that had been covering Ainz’s entire body up until moments before was created with Create Greater Item, which was one of the conditions.

  The items Ainz had equipped included Direct Hit Glasses, a Crown of Psychic Defense, Black Widow Spider Clothes, a Black Belt, Járngreipr, a Nemean lion, Haste Boots, and—

  In Yggdrasil, buying and selling was often done at the data-crystal level; however, there were times when players had created a more powerful item and would then sell what they had been equipping before. The problem was that if a player created an item, they could name it basically whatever they wanted (the admins would request a change if the name contained words prohibited on TV or insults against a particular individual).

  There was an understandably strong tendency for items with strange names to be avoided on the market. The in-game purchase to change an item’s name was rather inexpensive, but there were not a lot of people who would go so far as to use one in order to buy something. For that reason, most players racked their brains when it came time to name an item. Names from myths or English words were common solutions.

  Of course, there were exceptions.

  Naming rings Ring1, Ring2, Ring3, and so on was still on the charming side. Ainz had even seen Thumb, Pointer, Middle before. One of Ainz’s friends, the Warrior Takemikazuchi, had two ōdachi that he used for different things. He named the eighth generation of one of them Takemikazuchi Style Eight.

  Ainz’s crimson cape also had one of these custom names: Necroplasmic Cape. The idea was borrowed from the dark hero of an American comic.

  This was all relic gear. That was two tiers below his usual, but he could think of several good reasons to not bring overly powerful items to this place, so he had stopped himself there.

  As Ainz rotated his shoulders and relished the freedom he felt after taking off his armor, Narberal asked him a question. “What should we do with that unpleasant lady from before?”

  “Oh, you mean the one whose potion broke? We shouldn’t have to worry about her. I mean, if something important to me got broken, I’d fly into a rage…” Remembering the changes in his psychology since he ended up in this body, he faltered for a moment and then continued, “…myself. Probably. I was careless, so of course she would blame me.”

  “But that only happened as a result of a stupid human committing so foolish an act as picking a fight with you, Supreme One. That man is surely the one to blame.”

  “That’s true, but I was the one who threw him. In this case, we should practice tolerance and forgive. Plus, we’re in this city to build reputations as Momon and Nabe, beings from this w
orld. If word got out that we couldn’t even afford a potion, we’d be off to a bad start.”

  Narberal didn’t seem completely on board with his way of thinking, but she acquiesced with a low bow.

  “Plus, she was more experienced than us. We should probably try to keep the more experienced adventurers from getting their pride hurt.”

  Momonga toyed with the other chain around his neck. These are just metal plates, so I wonder if it’s possible to counterfeit them… Well, I’ll let the guild worry about that. Hanging as it was, essentially, a dog tag.

  Plates were the proof of an adventurer’s ability level: copper, iron, silver, gold, platinum, mythril, orichalcum, adamantite. The latter metals indicated a better reputation, and higher ranks could not only select more difficult jobs but were also better compensated. The system was designed to avoid unnecessary adventurer deaths.

  Ainz had just registered with the guild, so he had a copper plate, the lowest rank, while that woman was an iron plate. Showing a minimum level of respect for superiors is one of the ways to get ahead in any society.

  “But Lord Ainz, adamantite is such a soft metal; you should be a prismatic ore like apoithakarah or scarletite. They must all be blind.” Narberal was listing highly valuable metals from Yggdrasil.

  Ainz narrowed his eyes and brought up something that had been bugging him. “Nabe, just in case, you should call me Momon while we’re here.”

  “Understood, Lord Momon!”

  “You really want to have this conversation again? It’s just Momon.”

  “M-my apologies, Mr. Momooon!”

  “Mr. Momooon sounds pretty dopey… Well, whatever. If Momon is too hard, then at least say Mr. Momon. Got it?”

  “Yes, Mr. Momon!”

  She bowed low again and Ainz put a couple fingers to his forehead. She doesn’t understand why I’m making her say Momon. I guess she’s a little slow… Well, at least there’s no one who can see us right now; I’ll let it go for the moment.

  “For now, let’s just discuss our plan of action.”

  “My lord!” She dropped to one knee and lowered her head—the posture of an attendant awaiting orders from her master.

  What am I gonna do with her? They were fine now because he had locked the door the moment they had walked through it, but he had the feeling people would talk if they witnessed a scene like this. And why doesn’t she understand why I want her to call me Momon? I’m pretty sure I explained it on the way here…

  He began to speak, half resigned. “We’re going to build reputations undercover as famed adventurers in this city. One reason for that is to obtain information that adventurers, i.e., powerful people, have. I want to put a special emphasis on rumors about other Yggdrasil players like me. Once we earn a higher ranking plate, we’ll be offered jobs appropriate to that level, and the information we’ll acquire will probably be more accurate and useful. So, for the time being, our top priority is to succeed as adventurers.”

  As Narberal acknowledged this, Ainz began to list the pending issues. “But we already have some problems.” He took out his small leather pouch, loosened its mouth, and emptied it into his hand. There were coins, not very many, with not a glimmer of gold to be seen. “For starters, we have no money.”

  There were a few reasons he had handed over a potion in the dispute earlier, but one was that he wasn’t confident he could settle things with cash. It would have been too pathetic to have to say he didn’t have any money back there.

  Narberal looked at him with a dubious expression, and Ainz added, “Well, I mean, we have money. But most of it is Yggdrasil gold. I want to only use that as a last resort.”

  “But why? Didn’t you already confirm that Yggdrasil coins have monetary value here?”

  “That’s true. When I went to Carne, the gold coins… Yeah, they told me one was worth two of their gold coins used for exchanges. But if I use Yggdrasil gold in this city, there’s no telling what might happen. If we’re not careful, it could basically be the same as announcing that there’s a Yggdrasil player here. I’d like to avoid that while we still don’t know this world very well.”

  “Players…beings with the same rank as my lord, but recalcitrant rabble who once raided Nazarick.”

  Ainz furrowed his nonexistent brow at her use of “my lord,” but he decided to say nothing for the same reason as earlier. “Yes. We need to be on our guard against them.”

  He, Ainz Ooal Gown, had reached the highest level in Yggdrasil, 100, but among players, that wasn’t such a rare thing. Indeed, most players had done it. Among them, Ainz knew he was on the higher side of mid-ranking, power-wise. That was because instead of taking only classes suited for an undead caster, he had chosen some for the role-playing element, regardless of power. Taking into account his multiple god-tier items and how many cash shop items he had, he would probably land on the more powerful side of average, but there would always be someone stronger.

  That was why he had to avoid being discovered by other players. If he rushed into the wrong battle, there would be any number of opponents he wouldn’t be able to beat.

  And players were originally humans, so many of them would probably side with humans. If players like that came up against someone like Albedo, who saw humans as lower life-forms, they might decide the Great Tomb of Nazarick and Ainz Ooal Gown in its entirety were enemies of mankind. That’s why he’d decided it was dangerous to be out and about with her.

  But I had no idea Narberal would be the same way… Ainz wasn’t an enemy of mankind; however, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them if it was necessary to achieve his goals. Still, he wanted to avoid head-on confrontations with players.

  “In that sense, it really was a waste.”

  “What was?”

  “That we lost that Nigun fellow so fast. He probably had a lot of info, but we finished him off on such a simple question.”

  Of the members of the Sunlit Scripture he had captured in Carne, only ten were still alive. The others had died during their interrogations and become fodder for Ainz’s undead summons. He recalled the info they’d forced their prisoners to cough up and laughed at himself.

  “Most players would probably back the Slane Theocracy, huh?”

  The Slane Theocracy was a religious nation that believed in the Six Gods who appeared six hundred years earlier. In the words of the Sunlit Scripture members, it was a country working toward a world where weak humans would prevail over the other more powerful races and prosper. If there were players who had retained their humanity, they might approve of the Slane Theocracy’s teachings.

  This world was not one where humans were top of the heap—here, humans were considered one of the inferior races. Yes, they had built grand cities like this one on the plains, but their living on the plains was simply a sign of their weakness.

  In fact, the plains was a dangerous place to be. There was nowhere to hide, and it was easy to be spotted by enemies. The reason they had chosen to settle there was that, for a fragile race without eyes to see in the dark, stronger legs, or better stamina, there was nowhere else besides the plains where they could build a habitat for themselves.

  There were races more physically able than humans, with superior civilizations, but they hadn’t been able to conquer the continent because when the Eight Kings of Avarice tried to rule it five centuries earlier, the ensuing struggle resulted in diminished racial power. If that hadn’t happened, humans probably would have been wiped out.

  Arriving in such a world, one would probably want to side with the humans. That’s precisely why Ainz was keeping his distance from the Slane Theocracy—he was wary of other players.

  “Anyhow, as far as money goes, I had you bring those swords the fake knights from the Slane Theocracy had because I figured we could sell them in a pinch, but…I’d like to find some work before it comes to that.”

  “Understood. So you’re saying we’ll go to the guild again tomorrow, then?”

  “Yes. Really, I’d like to to
ur the city and gain some knowledge, but that will have to wait until we earn some money.”

  “Very good, my lord. I, as a combat maid, shall provide my full support.”

  “Great. Thanks, Narberal.”

  Satisfied with Narberal’s deep bow, Ainz cast some magic and clad himself in illusion and armor. “I’m going to go have a look at our surroundings. You stand by here.”

  “I should go with—”

  “No thanks. It’ll just be a quick peek. I heard there is a huge graveyard; I’d like to see that, if possible… And the reason I’m leaving you here is in case any intruders show up. Make sure not to let your guard down for a second. So far, I don’t think we’ve made any slipups, but it’s not an exaggeration to say we’re in enemy territory. Stay alert.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “And take care of our periodic check-in.”

  Ainz left the room and Narberal heaved a sigh. She then massaged her temples up and down. Her eyes had been sharp, but now they drooped as all the tension went out of her expression. Even her ponytail sagged as though it, too, were out of energy.

  But she hadn’t forgotten her supreme master’s orders.

  She focused her senses to see if she could perceive what was happening outside the room, but as a caster, it was difficult to mimic a thief’s abilities. She compensated by using a trick of hers.

  “Rabbit Ears!” When she cast the spell, a pair of cute rabbit ears sprouted from the top of her head. They began to twitch and pick up sounds in the area.

  Rabbit Ears was one of three spells Yggdrasil players called “bunny magic.” The other two were Rabbit’s Foot, which upped the caster’s luck, and Bunny Tail, which slightly reduced the amount of enmity they generated. These spells were ridiculously popular because when a female character cast all three, her outfit would change. Narberal didn’t need the other two at the moment, so she didn’t bother.

  This was one of the few spells she had learned that wasn’t for combat.

  After listening enough to determine the coast was clear, she cast Message.