Another flash of green light appeared beneath the armor.
Ainz considered several possibilities.
An unfamiliar world, unfamiliar surroundings, potentially powerful enemies, and absolutely none of the information he needed.
Under circumstances like these, when faced with an Earthling who was most likely close to him in strength and clearly capable of rational thought, there seemed to be only one reasonable way to handle their relationship.
Honesty.
“Your powers of observation and judgment are remarkably sharp.” After offering that compliment, Ainz stood up and raised his right hand.
Blue light flashed across his body, and the armor vanished.
In its place appeared the voluminous robe he always wore.
Ainz straightened his skeletal frame, spreading the robe apart enough to reveal the broad structure of his upper body.
Once he had finished, he swept the robe aside and sat back down in the cramped chair, red flames glowing within his eye sockets.
“I am the Guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown and the Supreme Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
My former name was Momonga.
Not long ago, I changed my name to Ainz Ooal Gown, the name of the guild I created alongside the comrades who once fought beside me.” “That is my true identity.
Now it is your turn to show some sincerity.” “So you’re Guildmaster Ainz.
My apologies for the disrespect.” Since the other man had already shown sufficient sincerity, Lucien had no reason to keep hiding himself.
He rose slightly and removed his hat, revealing his original face and hair.
Just as Ainz began searching his memories for a player whose appearance might match him, Lucien suddenly raised the hat in front of his face and gave it a brief wave.
When he lowered it again, his appearance had completely changed.
His previously thin eyebrows became thick and defined, while his dense beard disappeared.
The weathered marks, acne scars, and blemishes on his face vanished as well.
His nose became more prominent, his eyes slightly larger, and even the shape of his face broadened a little.
In an instant, he looked more than fifteen years younger.
His appearance improved dramatically, and his entire presence changed with it.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that he looked as though he had switched to an entirely different body.
The moment Ainz clearly saw Lucien’s face, the flames in his eye sockets flared brightly.
He knew that face extremely well.
Lucien had once been an exceptionally famous high-skill player in YGGDRASIL.
From the game’s launch until its shutdown, he had always been among the first wave of players to secure first clears against every major raid boss.
And that was not all.
He frequently uploaded strategy guides and mechanical breakdowns, explaining how to counter boss mechanics and clear extremely difficult high-pressure raids without taking damage while avoiding equipment above legendary tier.
He had been extremely well known.
When it came to PvE, Lucien was unquestionably one of the five best mechanical players in the entire game.
Beyond that, he had also run paid raid groups.
In other words, players paid him to carry them through content.
And he carried every kind of high-difficulty raid.
To clear the newest and hardest raids while dragging along several paying clients who died the moment they entered and contributed absolutely nothing, or even made the fight harder, required more than elite mechanical skill.
Exceptional equipment was mandatory as well.
It was no exaggeration to say that anyone capable of carrying paying clients through cutting-edge raid content belonged to a very specific breed of player.
They grinded relentlessly, spent heavily, had both the time and skill to play at the highest level, and were so deeply invested in the game that even Ainz’s own devotion seemed casual by comparison.
“I never expected you to be Nightfall Reaper, one of the game’s premier mercenary raiders.
I’ve heard quite a lot about you.” At the mention of the overly dramatic game ID he had chosen back in middle school, Lucien smiled faintly.
Then he sat back down and casually tossed the hat into empty space on his left, where it disappeared into his inventory.
At last, the two of them lowered their initial defenses and began exchanging information.
“I’m a solo player.
I never belonged to a permanent guild.” “About half a month ago, when the servers shut down, I suddenly found myself transported to this world.
Based on my initial observations, this place seems extremely weak.” “Agreed.
From what I’ve encountered while working as an adventurer, every monster I’ve fought has been pathetically weak.” Ainz nodded in agreement.
However, he immediately raised the concern that had been weighing heavily on him.
“But I have noticed something troubling.
One of this world’s primary combat systems is magic, and the spells used by its magic casters are, without exception, the same spells that existed in our game.” “Most of them seem capable of using only First or Second Tier magic, but I suspect there may be things hidden somewhere beyond what we’ve observed.
There could be beings in this world so powerful that even the two of us together might not be able to defeat them.” Lucien thought about that for a moment.
Since arriving in this world, he had conducted many tests to estimate its general power level.
At first, he had used the highest-grade stealth ability available to his Assassin specialization to observe professional adventurers, military forces, and the private guards of nobles throughout the country.
Not once had he been discovered.
After that, he began deliberately lowering the grade of his stealth.
He went from his strongest Shadow Concealment to ordinary Shadow Concealment, then Greater Invisibility, Invisibility, and eventually all the way down to low-level concealment abilities that had been nearly worthless in YGGDRASIL.
Even then, he could have relieved himself directly in front of those imposing-looking warriors without any of them noticing.
As for the difference in combat power, there was even less to discuss.
Massive ogres that required several adventurer parties to cooperate for days at a time could not survive even one of his basic attacks.
After three or four days of careful observation, Lucien had already gained a rough understanding of his position in this world.
Since earning money through quests was too slow, he had eventually started visiting lavish estates, searching through their valuables, and taking a few bags of money from the wealthy.
After hearing Ainz’s concerns, however, Lucien considered the matter more seriously before reaching a conclusion.
“We really can’t rule out that possibility.” “Then, Mr.
Nightfall Reaper…” “Lucius Vale, just call me Lucien.” Lucien quickly waved a hand.
“Very well, Lucien.
Do you have any idea why we came to this world, or what you intend to do now?” “Originally, I was planning either to make a name for myself or simply take things as they came and spend the rest of my life surviving as a thief in the most literal sense.” “But what you just said gave me a warning I hadn’t considered.” Lucien spoke thoughtfully.
“It makes sense to remain cautious even when things seem safe.
If the people of this world can use Lightning, then there’s no reason they couldn’t eventually learn Chain Dragon Lightning, or even something like Triple Maximize Magic: Greater Thunder, abilities that could actually hurt either of us.” “Exactly!
That’s precisely what I’m worried about, Lucien!” Having finally found someone who shared his concerns, Ainz’s voice became noticeably more animated.
“My plan is to proceed cautiously.” “On one hand, I intend to gradually make contact with the stronger natives of this world, starting from the lower levels and working upward.” “On the other hand, more players like us may have arrived here as well.
There is no guarantee that their goals will align with ours.
Any encounter could conceal a threat powerful enough to kill us.” Lucien rubbed his chin and nodded.
“Thanks for the warning.
I’ll have to pay more attention to how I conduct myself from now on.
Drawing too much attention is definitely a bad idea.” The flames in Ainz’s eyes burned brighter.
“When I first arrived in this world, I discovered that the GM call function no longer responded.
However, many of the system’s basic functions still seem to remain intact.” “How about adding each other as friends?
If something happens, we’ll be able to contact one another directly, and it’ll make exchanging information much easier.” The two of them operated their interfaces and added each other.
For the first time, each of their friend lists contained a single illuminated ID.
Ainz then stood and extended his fleshless right hand.
In his previous life, he had worked in sales.
Whenever he met with a client, at least one handshake was expected.
If the deal was successfully closed, the average was closer to three or more.
This was the first time he had ever tried to express friendliness toward another player as an undead ruler, using the skeletal hand of an Overlord.
The strange sensation of flesh meeting bare bone felt equally unnatural to both of them.
“If you ever need help, contact me at any time.
May both of us find our way forward in this world,” Ainz said.
“May we both find peace in this world.” Lucien returned the courtesy.
“And may Ainz Ooal Gown prosper forever.” (To be continued.)