"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Hiroshi asked warily.
"As sure as I've ever been of anything in my life," Hachiman replied.
Hachiman, despite his bravado, did have some misgivings... but there was something inside him which was screaming for him to take the plunge. It was as if he was standing at the edge of a cliff and a voice inside of him was egging him on to just take a few steps forward.
A race changing item known as "Fallen Seeds" - specifically one that would allow a player to change his race to that of a demon. While all of them had been curious as to whether or not race changing items still worked, none of them had dared to try one. For one, on someone such as Suzuki who was max level, it would have been useless, and Hiroshi did not want to take the risk.
Hachiman, however, was quite willing to lose his humanity.
The only thing that gave him pause was the thought about the game's lore. A demon was a hellish monster after all- if there was a God in this world, would he be forgiven for this? Or would his immortal soul be tainted forever? Perhaps it would be better to choose an angel or a fairy as a race if he desired immortality...
"Wait..." Hachiman said suddenly. "Didn't this item also have some other requirements to it? Or am I remembering something wrong?"
Hiroshi hadn't played the game in some time, and Suzuki had no need to change his race, as such, while he definitely must have known about any requirements beforehand, it was now lost on him.
"Ah..." Suzuki said. "I believe a sacrifice is required..."
That was right. In the game of Yggdrasil Fallen Seeds were given out as a prize for a certain quest- one had to slaughter a number of people in a certain town. Of course, that was only for people who had just started out in the game- experienced people would just sacrifice summoned monsters- for example, from Armageddon Evil. Hachiman, could, if he wanted, used the POP monsters of Nazarick for the sacrifice instead.
But... he was honestly having second thoughts about this now. While he was kind of worried about what the other two would think about him given that he had been the one in the guild to most suggest that they embrace the "evil" side of their guild and how that might affect his image, the thing was that this was real life after all. It would be kind of odd if he backed off now- but on the other hand he didn't think that the other two would judge him too harshly for it.
On that note, it was probably a good think that Touch Me wasn't there- otherwise Hachiman might've gone ahead and did it because he didn't want that guy to have the opportunity to think less of him.
"You know, I'm kind of having second thoughts here," Hachiman said slowly as he placed the item back on the table. "I think for now, I'll wait on this for a while..."
"Ah, well, that's honestly probably a good idea," Suzuki said. "In the game it wasn't possible to reverse that kind of decision, and it might not be possible now either."
"Yeah, when you're dealing with an irreversible choice like that, it's best to think it over," Hiroshi added.
The two of them seemed to understand what Hachiman was thinking, and there was no mirth in their voices. That was good.
"With that dealt with then, let's move on to our second mission: the resurrection of Belllriver!" Hachiman said.
"Right, right," Hiroshi said. "So where should we look for his remains? Or is a resurrection without a body possible?"
"I think it might be," Suzuki chimed in. "With a very high tier resurrection spell- sadly I don't think anyone in Nazarick was hyper specialized into the field. I think we should also keep in mind that we might end up accidentally breaking him and making it impossible to bring him back. Pestonya has done some experiments on human revival, but I can't be perfectly sure that we could bring Bellriver back given that Hachiman says that some of the scientists he tried it on burnt to a crisp."
There was some silence as they contemplated on what they should do next.
"Hey- what about Shooting Star?" Hiroshi asked. "Didn't that thing allow a person to grant wishes?"
"Ah, right," Hachiman said. "But one thing though- isn't that limited use?"
Suzuki promptly replied, "I think a single use of it- if it can bring back Bellriver, is definitely worth it." Suzuki took a glance at his ring and activated it.
The moment he did so- he realized that this item worked far differently in the real world than it did back in Yggdrasil.
What it would allow him to do was sacrifice his XP to use in order to grant a wish. Rather than a selection of Super Tier Spells appearing for him to select from, he could instead think of practically anything, and so long as he sacrificed the necessary amount of XP, it would happen- so long as it was within reason, that was. It would not allow him to do something game breaking like raising his level cap beyond level 100, or defy the effects of a World Class Item. He could also not reverse race changing items, or change the basic settings of the guild either.
However, the possibilities regarding what he could do were certainly massive- far beyond the capabilities of Yggdrasil. Had he been back in Yggdrasil, he would not have been able to do something for which a Super Tier Spell did not exist. But now, only his imagination and the capabilities of the ring limited him.
Suzuki was focused on using the ring, and as such, he did not notice how the other two reacted.
The rings of light surrounding him made an impressive display, and the hairs on the necks of Hachiman and Hiroshi stood on end. Hiroshi was in shock- while Hachiman had a wide grin on his face.
So this is what it's like to use Super Tier Magic in reality, he thought. Aww man, if only I was in my Yggdrasil avatar, then I could see what Grand Catastrophe would look like.
"I wish," Suzuki said. "That Bellriver was returned to us!"
Suzuki was willing to sacrifice all of his five levels if that meant that his friend would return to him, and as his wish was complete, there was a large flash of light and then-
-the magical circles shattered as if they were made of glass.
"Ah," Suzuki said. "The wish failed..." He had not lost any levels, and he still had three uses of the ring, so that was good.
"Huh? Why?" Hiroshi and Hachiman asked at the same time.
"I think I know why..." Suzuki said. He explained what he had experienced while using the ring. "The thing is that I asked for Bellriver to be brought back- not the person who was Bellriver. The ring can't bring his avatar to life it seems. I think we need to go find out his real name- ah, and maybe a photo would help."
"Oh, I get it," Hachiman said. "His name was Tukuta Miyazaki. I think if we had access to a computer, we could also go ahead and see a photograph if he was on social media- oh wait, the Internet is down..."
"No problem," Suzuki said. "I think the name might be enough."
"Wait-" Hachiman said, and then paused. "Could it-could it be possible to use it to grant me the body of my avatar?"
The reason he had hesitated was that he felt it was an incredibly selfish request on several levels. For one, there were only three uses of that ring- and if he ended up using one that meant that several other people in the guild could not be granted the forms of their avatars if they so wished.
Secondly, given that they were talking about the death of a fellow guild member, it would mean that his wish just so he could have supernatural powers and look cool. If Touch Me was here, he would've most definitely pointed that out- or at least, Hachiman felt so.
"Ah, that would be worth trying," Suzuki said. "But again, I don't think it can be reversed- are you fine with the consequences? If so.." From Suzuki's point of view, it was fine to try it as he was sure that several other guild members would also ask him for the same thing. It was good to know if it was at least possible.
Suzuki raised Shooting Star and activated the ring yet again. "Grant Hachiman his body as his avatar back in Yggdrasil!"
Unfortunately, the spell failed yet again.
"Ah, I kind of was expecting that then," Hachiman said. "It's too much to expect that giving up five levels would give someone one hundred levels, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Suzuki said. "Well, let's go ahead and try to revive Tukuta Miyazaki. I think if I know his name and relationship to Hiroshi it should be enough."
"Maybe. As long as it doesn't take a person's name and face simultaneously like in that classic manga," Hiroshi said.
"Which one?" Hachiman asked.
"That one where if you write someone's name and think of their face they die?" Hiroshi said.
"Haven't heard of that one," Hachiman said as Suzuki tried to use the ring a third time.
"Bring back Tukuta Miyazaki, our friend, back from the dead!" Suzuki said.
Albedo was minding the affairs of the Great Tomb while in the Throne Room, as usual.
She had asked Momonga about what to do with Nigredo- as things were, she was stationed in Momonga's apartment because it was a nonsense assignment, but she had ended up running into Ulbert.
As such, Albedo had earlier suggested to Momonga that it might be prudent to have her reassigned to some other location for now, to which Momonga had told her, "The chances of something like that happening again are slim to none- we should keep her outside Nazarick and my apartment is the safest place to keep her isolated for now."
Albedo wanted to disagree, but then figured that if Momonga, the wisest of the Supreme Beings, willed it, then it must be the correct decision.
Meanwhile, while Albedo was thinking this, Nigredo suddenly heard a knock at the door.
"Police! Open up!" Hayato shouted. He wasn't sure what Suzuki had gotten himself into, but he guessed the most likely Suzuki was caught up in events through no fault of his own. Or at least he hoped so- though the Kenpeitai would most likely not care. Hayato had very little authority, but he would at least try to help his friend if possible, which was why he had volunteered to come here on his own. Thank god most of the people he had been paired with were too lazy to question him.
There was no response.
Hayato sighed and pulled out his badge. In the year of 2138, most doors were electronically locked. If this scenario happened a century ago, Hayato would've had to knock down the door with force. But this wasn't some ancient cop drama- since all doors were mostly electronically locked and residents rarely installed actual physical locks, this meant that a police card could override the security easily. He would technically need a warrant to do something like this, but given the Kenpeitai were behind him he didn't need to worry about such things unless he was breaking in somewhere important.
As Hayato surveyed the inside of the room his vision was filled with a horrific sight- that of Nigredo running at him with scissors. Not that Hayato recognized her in that moment, but that didn't diminish the terror he felt.
Hayato immediately swiped the card again to close the door and backed away as fast as possible.
Though he was a police officer, he had not usually been put into dangerous situations too often. There had been two notable firefights in his career, but they were over rather quickly within a span of minutes. That face however, was more horrifying than everything he had faced in all his years combined.
Now that he thought of it, what he had seen seemed familiar in some way. Where had he seen that before?
Meanwhile, Nigredo sent a Message to Albedo informing her about the new intruder.
Albedo considered the situation. Her master had told her that such a situation should not arrive- so what was the deal with this? Her master would not have made an oversight- so was this actually something he predicted? Or perhaps- yes- this was a test! In that case, she would definitely prove herself worthy of her master- and beloved.
Nigredo was asking for backup- given that they didn't know how strong this new individual was and the fact that Nigredo was not optimized for combat it did make sense to send someone there. But that raised the question- who should she send? She had to handle the affairs of Nazarick and couldn't leave for now.
Demiurge was off doing something, and Shalltear was generally a bad choice for anything- Albedo wasn't quite fond of her as it was. Pandora's Actor- Albedo shuddered at the thought of him. The Pleiades would be fine choices if they were a bit stronger but- ah! Sebas! He was present right near the throne room, and he could also blend in with humans far better than anyone else.
"Sebas!" Albedo called out and the Iron Butler presented himself with a simple bow of his head.
"What can I do for you, Albedo-sama?" Sebas asked.
"There are some people who want to intrude into the house owned by Momonga-sama himself! Nigredo is there, and I therefore require you to help her to capture these potential intruders."
"Understood," Sebas said. "Would it be fine for me to take Solution as well? She is quite skilled at capturing humans."
"Solution is busy. Take someone else," Albedo said.
"Ah, then I believe Lupusregina would be the best choice," Sebas said, and Albedo nodded in agreement. Given that Lupusregina had some Priest skills, she could be useful in a capture mission. Albedo then sent a Message to Shalltear to tell her to open up a Gate to Momonga's apartment, after handing Sebas a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown that Suzuki had left for her to give out in case it was necessary.
Sebas and Lupusregina entered through and met with Nigredo.
"We are here to provide assistance," Sebas said. With his skills, he could tell that there were other people in various other rooms in the place, and also that there was a single person in the hallway.
"I see," Nigredo said. "I don't know if I would need it- the man doesn't seem too strong, but it is possible he is using certain magic items to hide his ability."
"Are we to capture him alive then?" Lupusregina asked.
"If possible, yes," Sebas said.
Lupusregina had a crooked smile on her face. "Is it possible for me to... play a little with him first?"
"I will see," Sebas said as he motioned for Nigredo to open the door. The door could be opened from the inside without a card key or passcode.
"Uh, yeah, I need to ask for r-" Hayato was saying into his phone when he stopped. "You know, forget what I said." He hung up and took a good look at Sebas.
While he might've forgotten a lot about Yggdrasil, this was one thing that he couldn't possibly fail to recognize.
As for Sebas, as he saw the man, he was able to tell that he wasn't very powerful, but as he moved his footsteps suddenly froze. He didn't recognize the human- he had never seen him before in his life, but something in him told him that this person, unmistakably, was his creator. Touch Me. He lacked the aura that the other Supreme Beings normally had- such as that of Momonga, but there was no doubt that this person was not an imposter.
"Touch Me," Sebas said.
That snapped Hayato out of his reverie. Who was this guy? Was he cosplaying as the NPC that he had made? Wait- this was Suzuki's house, so it was possible that Suzuki had thrown this together...
...Of course that raised the question as to why Suzuki would find and hire someone to cosplay as the NPC that Hayato had created, and how he would've gotten that much money in the first place. And behind Sebas was a face that peeked out curiously at him- a face that was too perfect to be human.
"Sebas-sama, why have you stopped?" Lupusregina asked.
"T-This is my creator," Sebas said with a large trace of disbelief in his voice. "I do not know how it is true, but it most certainly is."
Lupusregina opened her mouth to object- but then she remembered Solution's creator. Could it be...?
"Are you really him?" Hayato asked. "Are you really Sebas Tien?"
"Indeed I am, Touch-sama," Sebas said and got down on his knee. "I am the NPC created by you. I was sent here to help guard the domain of Momonga-sama, but as I can only surmise, you are here to meet with Momonga-sama?"
"Momonga... you mean Suzuki? Yeah," Hayato said and he noticed Lupusregina standing behind Sebas. "Are you... Yuri Alpha?"
Lupusregina shook her head. "That is my sister, I am Solution Epsilon." Lupusregina was still standing, but after Sebas shot her a look she too kneeled. Nigredo was watching them from a corner of the room, cloaked by the shadows and keenly analyzing their movements.
Hayato put a hand to his head. So, the NPC he had created was real now. Had he not met Draudillon, he would have immediately dismissed such a thing, but after seeing what he had, he was now able to believe it. "So is Suzu-Momonga there?"
"Momonga-sama is currently in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Touch-sama," Sebas said.
The Great Tomb Of Nazarick... had that come to life as well?
"Can you... take me there? I want to meet with him." Hayato said after considering his options.
"Indeed, the Great Tomb of Nazarick would be grateful to be graced by your presence, one of the strongest of the Supreme Beings- and no doubt Momong-sama," Sebas said. He then cast a Message and asked Shalltear to open another Gate so that they could go back- with the exception of Nigredo who would continue to stand guard over Momonga-sama's apartment as she had previously been ordered to.
Albedo looked at Sebas quizzically as he returned to the throne room. "Sebas, why is this human not restrained in some way?"
"This human, Albedo-sama, is one of the forty-one Supreme Beings- my creator, Touch Me-sama," Sebas said.
Albedo might've not believed him but given she had already seen Hiroshi and Tabito, her own creator, if Sebas said so, it was most likely true.
For just a fraction of a second, the mask that she wore slipped to reveal her true intentions- though she was unsure if even Sebas managed to catch it.
Touch Me was one of the Supreme Beings she was most on guard for. He was extremely strong- arguably the strongest in the Great Tomb with perhaps the exception of Gargantua and Rubedo. Furthermore, he had once been the leader of the coalition of Nine's Own Goal. As such, amongst the forty-one, he posed the greatest threat to her master, Momonga-sama.
While she couldn't let her mask falter again, she would have to stay on guard for this person.
"It's real... it's all real," Hayato muttered under his breath as he glanced around the Throne Room.
"I will be leading Touch-sama to where Momonga-sama and the others are," Sebas said.
"Wait! Sebas, the Supreme Beings said that they did not wish to be disturbed," Albedo said. "They even refused the offer of having the Eight Edged Assassins or any of the maids stationed in the room- we should ask Touch-sama to wait for now until their meeting is over."
"This is a matter between the Supreme Beings," Sebas replied. "As such, it would be a grave sin to force Touch-sama to wait without at least informing Momonga-sama."
"Sebas we sh-" Albedo said before being cut off.
"If it comes to taking blame, I shall shoulder it completely," Sebas said. "Send a message to Momonga-sama."
Albedo frowned- this was one reason why she feared the return of the others. Many of the Floor Guardians would put the will of their creators above the will of Momonga. Conflict would now be introduced into the governance of Nazarick. As it was though, she could do nothing at the moment and agreed to sending the Message.
The person who was known as Warrior Takemikazuchi within the game of Yggdrasil was known by the name of Takato in real life.
His job was rather mundane- he was a stock analyst. Of course, given the fact that the Internet was down, he would normally have been out of a job.
That was to say- he should have been out of a job. On paper.
In reality, there were some sections of the stock market which were still working based on their own private networks. As far as he could tell, this was either done with the tacit acceptance of the government, or it was done by organizations which could rival the authority of the government, namely, the MegaCorps themselves.
In short, it was a way for the elite to get ahead with selling and buying shares while retail investors were completely locked out of the market.
Takato was well aware that he would most likely be promptly silenced if a word about it leaked outside- not that he could really do anything about it. Nothing save for the exchanges worked on this network, so he had no way of contacting the outside world.
He was seeing something he had never seen before- the market tanking considerably as various hedge funds dumped their shares, resulting in massive dips in price. In case any retail investors would actually open up their accounts when they could actually access the market, they would probably find themselves down 90-95% in their portfolios.
It was extremely odd to see this- even in the worst of situations it could always be expected that the government would prop up the value of shares by printing tons of money if necessary. The fact that this was not happening spoke of an alarming situation.
Could a simple virus really lead to something like this? It seemed as if various individuals, for some reason, had suddenly lost complete faith in the market. What kind of catastrophe could lead to such thinking? Or was it simply a case of some people being too bearish and this leading to a massive domino effect?
After China's civil war, the nation of Taiwan was able to firmly assert its independence, though 'independence' was largely a relative term given that they were under control of their own MegaCorps rather than those of any other.
The oceans of the year 2138 were so polluted that you could probably bleach you hair just by jumping in- and yet, the demand for fish, both freshwater and seawater, was as large as usual.
As such- what was a fishing village to do?
The answer was to use large scale purifying equipment combined with certain genetically modified fish which would tolerate extraordinarily polluted waters in order to create large scale fish farms.
Granted, this meant that any kind of fish would be extremely expensive, but that was only to be expected. Anything that would be considered 'real' food carried an exorbitant price tag.
Such farms were still connected to the ocean, and as such employed several workers to oversee them. Taiwan had not locked down as severely as Japan, and as such, certain crucial industries- such as the fisheries were still allowed to operate.
It was mostly boring, dreary work and as such the workers really weren't paying attention when something washed on shore.
"Hey, what is that?" one of them said. It was night, and although they were carrying flashlights it was still difficult to make out several things in the dark, but it was clear that something was flailing out in the darkness, away from what they were able to see.
"Let me take a look," one of them replied and the immediately regretted it as his flashlight lit up something that could only be called a nightmare.
It was a decaying human corpse- which while disturbing would not have been too alarming save for the fact that it was walking and moving.
He screamed to run, but as he turned around he saw something that chilled him even further- behind one of his other workers there was another one of those... things behind him. And this other person had not noticed anything at all.
By the time the man called out to issue a warning, it was far too late as the man was assaulted by the zombie.
Gazef Stronoff panted as he ran.
His entire Warrior Band had been slaughtered when he had refused to hand over the weapons which were the treasure of his country as the people of this new unknown country had demanded. The people of this strange country carried odd weapons which he had never seen before in his life. He might've been long dead had he not been wearing the treasures.
For now though, all he could do was run...
But there was a limit to that as well. His Ring of Immortality only healed wounds, not poison, and as he ran and took more of the noxious air into his lungs, he felt weaker and weaker.
No, he told himself. He couldn't die here- he was the Warrior Captain of the Kingdom of Re-Estize.
But he couldn't fight without breathing.
He eventually collapsed, and a few hours later, the Chinese authorities would recover the corpse of Gazef Stronoff.