Chapter 181 ~ Adventure

Monster Slayers. Mercenaries. Heroes. Legends. 

There were a myriad of ways for someone who would hunt down monsters, provide protection for important figures, collect rare material, and many more under the request of the guild. But, they were normally called "Adventurers". 

They were a varied group of people with various races, skillset, age, and strength ranging from only being slightly more skilled with weapons or magic than a regular person, to legendary warriors capable of quelling grand calamities that would befall a nation. 

However, every adventurer had one thing in common; they were all managed by an organization called "Adventurer's Guild". 

Adventurers received and solved requests accepted by the Adventurer's guild, which served as a middleman between the people and adventurers. In exchange, they would be rewarded for their skills, granted various benefits as an adventurer, and granted protection by the guild. 

Requests accepted by the guild varied in their types and also difficulty. An easier request might pertain to collecting various herbs from the edges of the forest near a village. While a more difficult request might constitute defeating an extremely powerful monster or finding a rare herb that could only go within a harsh environment filled with monsters. 

Thus, to ensure a way that an adventurer pick a request that befit their strength, adventurers were classified by the ranked given to them officially by the guild. 

The naming of the rank followed the varying metals used in the adventurer's license plate, which was in the shape of a dog-tag like plate, with the relative rarity of the metal indicating their rank and strength. 

In increasing order, Adventurer's ranks included Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Orichalcum, and Adamantite. 

All adventurers started at Copper rank, and by completing requests and passing a test, they would be able to climb up the ranks. Of course, if the adventurer achieved a major feat several ranks above, they would be able to jump several ranks above. 

Despite its dangers, many young people dreamed of becoming a high-ranking adventurer, as it would assure better income, rewards, fame, and social position. A commoner could even be granted a noble title if they were to achieve a great feat in favor of a kingdom. And the highest ranked, the Adamantite ranked adventurers, were heroes and treated as such, regardless of nationality. 

Of course, to reach Adamantite rank was not only difficult; they were impossible for many. Hundreds of thousands have tried and ground their bones to dust just to be able to become an Adamantite rank adventurer, but in reality, there were only a handful of adventurers who reached such a rank. 

And one of the missions Yuuji, Aika, Lelouch, and Momonga had to achieve was becoming an Adamantite ranked adventurer. 

"Who would like to become adventurers?"

Immediately after the question was asked, Yuuji and Aika raised their hands. 

"I'd like to join, if possible. I've always been interested in being an adventurer in this world."

"Me too!!! I want to walk around and see this world!"

If not for his inability to smile with his skeletal face, Momonga would've smiled warmly as he looked at the two young kids before him. 

With the intelligence, eloquence, and strength surpassing himself that Yuuji and Aika normally displayed, Momonga often forgot that they were still a couple of first-year highschool students. 

But now, their eyes were filled with a rare, childish excitement that they rarely show but teenagers their age should have.

He couldn't help but feel a warmth filling his heart as he nodded towards them, like a father would to his children.

Then, he turned towards Lelouch who was, in comparison, calm. 

"What about you, Lelouch?"

"...I don't think I would join you and become an adventurer."

"Oh? Why?"

"As I said before, I plan on joining Shalltear, Sebas, and Solution in Re-Estize and posing as a foreign noble. So, I won't be able to become an adventurer as well."

"Ah, I see. I understand."

Momonga nodded in understanding. While it was a shame that they wouldn't be able to go adventuring together, Lelouch's reasoning was understandable. Moreover, he didn't seem too excited to become an adventurer as well. 

If he didn't wish for it, then Momonga wouldn't force him just for his selfish want to go on an adventure with all of his friends again. 

"I would like to go as well. So I guess it would be me, Yuuji-kun, and Aika-san that would become adventurers."

In terms of party build, the party of three seemed to be quite balanced now with a powerful warrior in the front, capable of dishing tremendous damage as well as healing while having tremendous defense as well, an extremely powerful offensive magic caster, and an adaptable and versatile magic caster who was capable of using a myriad of different spells according to the situation. 

"And to complete the party… Perhaps we can also have Lupusregina Beta come with us."

Knowing Albedo, Demiurge, and the many denizens of Nazarick, Momonga could already imagine the resistance he would face if he were to say that he, Yuuji, and Aika would go to the outside world by themselves without anyone to protect them or be their "meat shield" in case a dangerous situation befell them. 

Even going outside of Nazarick to peer into the night sky for a few moments, Momonga had to be accompanied by Demiurge for protection. And when he went out to be an adventurer, he had to bring Naberal to accompany him and protect him just in case. 

Even though they were powerful, he knew the floor guardians would never accept them going out on their own without any protection. 

'Hah…'

He was glad that his children cared for his safety immensely… But at the same time, he would've appreciated it more if they could give him a bit of room to breathe. 

Momonga hoped, by having Lupusregina accompany them as adventurers, the floor guardians would let them go to be adventurers and make them acquiesce to their request. 

"Mm, that's a good idea. And with our current party line up, having a cleric would complete our party nicely."

"Uhn~! No problems here~!"

Momonga nodded. 

"Then, is there something else you'd like to discuss about this."

"Ah, one thing."

The skeletal overlord turned towards the handsome half angel and half devil figure of Yuuji. A look of intrigue flashed within his crimson red blazing eyes.

"Momonga, since you will appear in this form when you save Carne, I think you should use your human form while we pose as adventurers. It'll be better if no one knows the relation between "Momonga" and "Satoru". Or, you can also be "Momon" and be at the front lines with me."

By casting the spell "Perfect Warrior", Momonga would be able to temporarily change his class into a level-100 warrior and benefit from being able to use certain pieces of arms and armor that will normally require specific job classes to access without penalty, including reely utilizing any weapons and its abilities. 

However, such a powerful spell would, of course, have its drawbacks. 

For one, while in his warrior form, Momonga would not be able to cast other spells. In addition, he won't gain any special warrior skills from the spell, and his recalculated ability scores will be lower than an actual warrior. 

Secondly, sustaining the transformation spell and other magic will both lower his mana and mana recovery rates to zero. 

This form would be sufficient to match blades with second-rate combatants, such as priests or other magic casters. But, he would stand no chance of winning against an opponent who had dedicated themselves as a warrior. 

If he were to use "Perfect Warrior" and become a warrior in their party, his presence and effectiveness would be overshadowed by Yuuji, who was a warrior that surpassed even Touch Me. It would be akin to having a stick-wielding child fight in battle alongside a seasoned swordmaster. 

However, if he decided to be a magic caster for his party, he would have a myriad of spells that could help his party and affect the battle more profoundly than he would as a warrior.

Moreover… With how powerful Yuuji's build was, Momonga doubted he'd need him in his warrior form to help him. In fact, he might even hinder Yuuji instead with his lackluster skills as a warrior. 

However, there as one problem…

"Hm… I agree with you. But… Can I still cast my spells in human form…?"

Satoru gained all of his magic, spells, resistances, immunities, and traits when he became "Momonga", an Overlord and the epitome of Undead beings. If he were to revert to his human form, he might lose them, or at least the useful traits he'd gain from being an Undead.

"I'll need to try this…"

Satoru closed his eyes, and for the first time, willed himself to use the skill he had bought from the Multiverse Chat Group shop before – "Double Life" – which would allow him to set one other form of himself, and alter between it at will. 

However, no matter how long, nothing seemed to change…

'Eh…? Why isn't this working…? W-Was it a scam item? Did I just got rob of 2000 GCP?!'

He clenched his eyes tighter and willed himself even harder. But nothing changed. 

Letting out a sigh, he opened his eyes… And his line of vision seemed to change. 

He was now… shorter than he was before.

"Eh?"

Looking down to his hands, he saw a pair of familiar human hands instead of the pure white bones of his skeletal form. 

He looked around his body, and finally at the reflection of himself shown through the smooth, reflective surface of the marbled table. 

"Ah, I did it…"

He didn't feel anything change at first. But as soon as he realized he had returned to his human form, he began to feel the temperature of the air around him that he couldn't feel before. 

Next, he could smell and almost taste the crips, cold air of the room through his nose and mouth. 

Although he had only turned into Momonga for less than a day, it felt almost… nostalgic, being able to feel these sensations once more. 

Satoru took in a few deep breaths before exhaling, something he never thought he'd miss doing, and focused his attention back to his original intention for changing into his human form. 

"[Twin Magic] Acid Arrow."

He raised his hands and willed himself to cast a simple first-tier spell enhanced slightly with metamagic to test if he still retained his ability to cast a spell. 

Thankfully, two glowing greenish liquid shaped like an icicle appeared before him, giving him all the confirmation he needed.

"It seems like I still retain my abilities to cast spells. Though, I think I do lose the features and benefits of being an Undead."

Yuuji nodded.

"It seems so. Are you comfortable becoming an adventurer in your human form?"

Satoru thought for a moment.

"Hm… It will be fine. I have several gears which would enhance my defense and keep myself safe. I'll also bring several magic items that would revive me automatically if I somehow die."

"Alright. Don't worry, Satoru-san, I won't let any danger fall upon you."

"Thank you, Yuuji-kun."

Satoru nodded gratefully, before he returned to his Overlord form once again. Just in case someone came to the room for whatever reason. 

While he did not intend to keep this human form a secret from his children forever, he'd hide it at least until he could convince the floor guardians that he'd be safe even if he was in his human form. Otherwise… he was sure none of the children of Nazarick would let him venture even one step outside of the tomb. 

"Alright. Then that settles it. Do we have anything else we'd like to talk about?"

"Ah, I do!!!"

Aika raised her hand up in the air, and all eyes turned towards her, encouraging her to continue. 

"Momonga, I have this ability called the [Fallen Seed of Lust]. It is an exclusive skill from my Harbinger of Depravity job class which would allow me to transform anyone 20 levels below me into a succubus."

A look of shock flashed across Momonga's expression as the crimson pyre within his eye sockets blazing brighter. 

A "Fallen Seed". It was one of the few magic items capable of changing the race of the user. However, in order to achieve this racial change, one would need to fulfill several conditions, and the change would be irreversible. Acquiring specific items are necessary in order to shift races. Within Yggdrasil, the Fallen Seed allowed players to switch their racial features to a demon by sacrificing a number of lives. 

Ainz Ooal Gown had a number of "Fallen Seeds" sitting within the treasury, having obtained them long ago as rewards from demonic dungeons. But, as no one in the guild had any use for them and they never got the chance to sell all of it, a number still sat within the treasury halls. 

From the name of Aika's spell and her description of it, it seemed to resemble the effects of the "Fallen Seed". However, he had never heard of a spell that was capable of changing another's race… Even if it was an NPC.

"I-Is that true…? Does it have any requirements aside from the target's level? Any material cost? Or a specific ritual?"

Aika shook her head. 

"No. It's just a spell I can cast and I can only use it several times a day since it's a seventh-tier spell."

Momonga could not believe it… A race changing spell that almost doesn't have any requirement, any material cost, or ritual. 

A completely free race change that can be done several times a day. 

"That's… amazing. W-What other effects does it have? Are there any negative effects?"

"Well, for one, the person I turn into a succubus will become a member of my "household" and gain an undying loyalty to me. And a fraction of the life essence and energy they gather will also come to me. 

In Yggdrasil, it simply means that all of their attacks against me will be halved and every time they do damage while I'm in their presence, I'll recover some health and mana."

If he was only looking at Aika in shock before, his skeletal jaws were now wide open as he listened to her description of the skill. 

Of course, the use of it would be quite limited in the game as he doubted any player would want to essentially be a servant to another player, except if they have a peculiar… interest in such a thing. 

But in this world… she would be able to create an army of succubus with undying loyalty to her that could constantly supply her with magic and energy. Such a thing…

Momonga had to admit it now… Every single one of the "Special Job Class and Race" the group chat had granted them was beyond broken.

"I-I see… Then, what do you wish to do with it?"

"I want to turn the maids… the 41 homunculus maids into succubi. That way, they would become more powerful than they are now and be more capable of protecting themselves just in case something happens."

"Eh?"

Silence fell as Momonga looked at her in shock. He… He truly didn't expect this to be the plan Aika wanted to propose… 

He thought she'd try it to people outside of Nazarick and use them as her spies. But instead, she wanted to use it on the homunculus maids.

"I know how you feel about leaving the legacy of your friends and guildmates as they are… But the homunculus maids are only a bit stronger than a regular human! In this new world, although we know some of the things that could happen in the future thanks to the anime, there's no guarantee they'll always be safe!

If they turn into a succubus, they'd at least gain spells that can give them the chance to run and protect themselves. Also! I think this spell will let me add the Succubus race's features on top of their original race's features! So they'll gain the best of both worlds!

But of course… I'd only do it if you let me, Momonga."

Momonga froze. His mind raced through at dizzying speed as he tried to understand Aika's words…

Firstly, he was shocked at the fact that Aika's spell, incredible as it already was, might actually add the succubus race onto their existing build, essentially giving them free level ups instantly.

He had a hard time wrapping his head around such a game-breaking mechanic from a simple seventh-tier spell. 

However… His attention immediately latched upon the fact that Aika's spell might be able to increase the strength and perhaps… the level of the 41 homunculus maids within Nazarick. 

A guild base was divided in several ranks according to its size, the dungeon difficulty prior to its capture, and various other factors. And the rank of the guild determined the amount of levels that could be distributed to the NPCs. 

If a guild possessed a castle-grade guild base, the owning guild would be allowed 700 levels to be distributed between any number of NPCs they wanted. 

This limited the amount of NPC that they could create and forced guilds to consider the balance between quality and quantity of their NPC. 

The restriction, however, could be bypassed by either spending real money in-game, using a World Item, having the Guild master complete a special quest, and various other methods. 

And Ainz Ooal Gown had done much of them to create such powerful NPCs within Nazarick. 

Still, a limit still existed. But with Aika's spell… it might be possible to break past that limit and increase the strength of their NPCs. 

If Aika could indeed add onto their existing build and make them stronger… There would be no downside.

They will gain the special benefits from being a succubus while also gaining access to spells such as [Charm], various mind-controlling spells, and the natural ability to fly. 

This would keep them safer in this new world…

'I'm sorry Whitebrim-san, Herohero-san, Coup De Grace-san…'

Momonga apologized to his dear friends; the creators of the 41 homunculus maids. However, this was a new world with plenty of unknown dangers… 

And knowing them… they wouldn't mind this change if it meant that their daughters would gain the ability to protect themselves. 

Their loyalty belonging to Aika did not bother him for a bit, as he knew he could trust her. As members of the Multiverse Group Chat who had seen each others' "story", there would be no one he could trust if he did not trust his fellow members. 

"...I'll be counting on you. And thank you, Aika."

At this moment, he was not a guild master worried for the sake of his subordinates. But a father worried for his children. 

Momonga lowered his head towards Aika, and gave her his heartfelt gratitude. 

Aika responded back with a nod and a bright smile. 

"Uhn~! I'll do my best!"

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