After defeating the floor boss, Waheela the Black Wolf, Shido and his party returned to their lodging on the 22nd floor, where the scenery was mostly lakes and forest. It was a beautiful place to stay, perfect for relaxing and enjoying a peaceful life.
It was also because of this that Rumia and Frieren took a liking to this place, especially Frieren, who appreciated being surrounded by nature. When the girls decided to stay on this floor, Shido agreed without hesitation, it was, after all, an excellent place to settle on.
The houses on this floor were all log cabins, the kind usually found in vacation spots, and they were quite spacious. The moment Rumia and Frieren stepped inside, they immediately fell in love with it. Frieren even directly leapt onto the bed without a second thought and slept, leaving Shido and Rumia speechless.
They didn't leave this world right away. Shido decided to spend some time grinding in Aincrad, leaving the affairs of his kingdom in the capable hands of Prince Zanac and Marquis Raeven.
As for Tuare and Clementine, they made up an excuse, claiming they had a mission that would take some time.
Right now, Frieren was resting in her room, while Rumia was taking a bath, saying she felt a bit sweaty and wanted to freshen up. As for Shido, he was in the living room fidgeting on the rewards he had gotten previously.
Shido tried to focus on the rewards he'd received from the system, doing his best to ignore the sound of splashing water from the bathroom. It wasn't too difficult, but he felt a fleeting urge to peek at Rumia. He quickly shook his head, scolding himself for the thought.
'Why would I even need to peek when I can see them directly?'
Shido nodded to himself, recalling how the two of them had bathed together previously.
Now, he turned his attention to reviewing the rewards he had received from the system.
The first was Conqueror's Haki, a skill capable of suppressing and dominating those with weaker wills. It could even affect stronger opponents to some extent. In addition, it could be used to enhance a weapon or an attack by imbuing it with Conqueror's Haki.
Shido had first used it during the battle in the capital, asserting his dominance and reinforcing his authority as king.
The second reward was a consumable item called the Fountain of Youth.
Fountain of Youth (S+ Grade): A sacred spring hidden within the Fairy King's Forest. Its shimmering waters grant immortality and heal all wounds. It is believed that licking the water will grant ten years of extra life, swallowing the water will grant a hundred years, and drinking it all will grant eternal life and immortality.
It might have looked simple, but its effects were truly overpowered. Shido had already drunk it before and noted that, while it tasted no different from ordinary water, he could feel something changing within his body.
Curious about its power, he didn't hesitate to cut off his left arm, causing Rumia and Frieren to gasp in shock. Yet in the very next moment, his arm regenerated instantly, earning another gasp of surprise from the two.
Shido already possessed Camael's healing factor and his Spirit Body, which accelerated regeneration. But now, with the addition of the Fountain of Youth, not only would he remain young forever, his regeneration and healing abilities were completely maxed out.
The only things that might truly harm him were soul-based abilities, but he had Soul Veil to protect his soul. Beyond that, only those capable of altering, bending, wrapping, or rewriting reality posed a real threat. Fortunately, Shido didn't need to worry about that for now, and he had the system backing him up.
During that time, Frieren grew curious about his regenerative ability and began stabbing him repeatedly, causing Shido to hide from her for a few days.
Next were the rewards he had obtained from completing all the quests in the Overlord World. First was the Spirit Spear Basquias, a formidable weapon with multiple forms. It was a legendary spear once granted to Gloxinia, the first Fairy King chosen by the Sacred Tree.
The other reward was a skill that seemed rather ordinary compared to the rest. While Business Mastery appeared dull at first, it was still incredibly useful, especially in ordinary worlds.
As for the final reward, it was, of course, Aincrad, a massive floating fortress. Made of iron and stone, Aincrad had a base floor diameter of about ten kilometers and consisted of a hundred floors stacked vertically, with each floor slightly smaller in diameter than the one below it.
Each floor contained several large cities, countless small towns and villages, forests, plains, and even lakes. Only a single stairway connected each floor to the next, and these stairways were located beyond the boss room of each labyrinth. Teleport Gates in every unlocked city were linked to one another, allowing for easy travel across the fortress.
Shido was already familiar with this reward, having watched SAO before, but seeing it in person was truly awe-inspiring.
The moment Aincrad materialized above him, the surrounding animals and monsters scattered in fear. Fortunately, Shido had anticipated this reaction and quickly teleported himself, along with Rumia and Frieren, to a barren flatland.
Rumia and Frieren, who were standing by his side, were in awe at the sight of the massive floating castle. Frieren wanted to board it immediately, but it was too high, so all she could do was look at Shido with a pitiful expression.
However, unlike Frieren, Rumia felt that Aincrad reminded her of Melgalius' Sky Castle. It reminded her of her sister, Sistine from her own world and she realized she was starting to miss her upright and studious sister. Rumia glanced in Shido's direction and opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she held it in.
Using his authority as the owner of Aincrad, Shido teleported with Rumia and Frieren, but unexpectedly, they arrived only on the 1st floor, in the Town of Beginnings, rather than the 100th floor where the control room was located.
But that was to be expected. After all, it would be far too boring if he could move freely between floors using the control room. While Shido felt a twinge of disappointment, he didn't dwell on it too much, knowing full well that it wouldn't be that easy.
Still, even though he couldn't fully control Aincrad, there were some functions of the flying fortress that were accessible to him.
The first allowed him to teleport to and from Aincrad. The second enabled him to activate a powerful barrier around the flying castle, which could also render it completely invisible. The final function let him command the monsters from each floor that he had defeated. In other words, Shido could summon thousands, or even tens of thousands, of monsters during a fight.
While there were only three functions he could access, they were still extremely useful.
After surveying the Town of Beginnings, Shido, Rumia, and Frieren began exploring the area. To their surprise, they discovered that the town was already populated with people.
After all, Aincrad was a flying fortress that was rewarded to him, but now there were humans? Upon asking the system for clarification, Shido and the girls finally understood, they weren't real people, but AI with artificial bodies, programmed to act according to their roles. A merchant, for example, would remain at their shop waiting for customers, and the same applied to blacksmiths, soldiers, and ordinary citizens.
Hearing the system's explanation, the girls nodded blankly, clearly unsure what "AI" meant. With a wry smile, Shido explained the concept to them. Rumia's reaction was fairly normal, but Frieren seemed genuinely intrigued and asked Shido more questions about AI.
In response, Shido immediately purchased a book about AI from the system and gave it to her.
As Frieren became absorbed in the book, Shido turned his attention back to Aincrad, asking the system further questions, to which it responded.