Watching the Overlord anime from the perspective of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it's an exhilarating power fantasy, steamrolling everything in its path.
But from the viewpoint of the New World's humans, it's unrelenting despair. Nazarick's denizens are demons, world-destroying monstrosities.
Naturally, Adam felt no allegiance to either side. His fear stemmed from what might happen if he joined the Sorcerer Kingdom and his transmigrator identity was exposed.
The Sorcerer Kingdom was merely a tool for the Overlord to dominate the world. Neither Ainz nor Nazarick's Floor Guardians cared for anything beyond their tomb.
Especially Ainz. He'd obliterate any perceived threat to Nazarick without hesitation.
Even if Adam posed no danger, his transmigrator status would mark him as a threat in Ainz's eyes, leading to merciless erasure.
And during that process?
Adam was certain Ainz would subject him to torture worthy of a horror show. Before transmigrating, he was just an ordinary office worker. Forget torture, he doubted he could withstand even mild pain.
Worse still, Ainz might use memory-scouring magic, reducing him to a drooling husk before finishing the job.
Adam rubbed his cheeks hard, hoping the sting would reveal this as a dream. But the world around him remained unchanged.
What a miserable fate!
Following the lively crowd, Adam slumped against the wall of a shop in a quiet corner.
He wasn't tired.
In fact, his energy and stamina far surpassed the subpar health of his past life. Glancing at his arm, he could see defined muscle lines.
Adam had confirmed it: this was his body, reverted to its sixteen- or seventeen-year-old state, though he'd only been twenty-five before.
This anomaly was likely tied to his cheat, his "Talent"!
Adam narrowed his eyes slightly, and a status panel visible only to him appeared, split into two sections.
[Status Panel]
[Player: Adam]
[Alignment: 0 [Neutral]
[HP: 13 (1%) MP: 13 (1%)]
[Physical Attack: 13 (1%)]
[Physical Defense: 13 (1%)]
[Agility: 13 (1%)]
[Magic Attack: 13 (1%)]
[Magic Defense: 13 (1%)]
[Total Resistance: 0 (0%)]
[Specialty: 0 (0%)]
[Total: 7%]
---
[Ability Panel]
[Talent: Player]
[Total Level: 0 (No Class)]
[Experience: 0/100]
[Class: None]
[Skill Points: 0]
[Passive Skill: Item Box]
[Active Skills: None]
---
Adam focused on the Talent in his Ability Panel.
Talent: Player , Grants Player Traits. (Unobservable, Unstealable)
The description was sparse.
The status panel itself was likely a product of these Player Traits.
As the saying goes, "The fewer the words, the bigger the deal."
Adam, a seasoned gamer, could roughly guess the potential of the "Player" Trait.
Talents didn't exist in Overlord's YGGDRASIL game. They were unique abilities possessed by the New World's humans.
Their occurrence was relatively common, one in every 200 people, but most were weak, offering no combat utility.
In game terms, they were a special skill humans were born with.
Setting other details aside, the "Player" Trait allowed for level-based growth, freeing him from the limits of human biology and innate potential.
Yet, despite knowing he possessed this Talent, Adam's confusion and dread didn't lessen.
This was the New World, not YGGDRASIL's game.
Even if he leveraged his talent to reach level 100 before Nazarick's arrival, could he stand against Ainz and his ilk?
A level 100 blank slate versus Ainz, decked out in divine gear, pay-to-win items, and world-class artifacts, how could he compete?
And that's not all!
Ainz wasn't the only level 100 in Nazarick!
Because Adam knew more about Nazarick's terrors than anyone in this world, he understood the chasm between their strengths.
"All base stats at 13, huh? No class yet, but these numbers already surpass the average person in this world."
Studying his status panel, Adam felt the strength coursing through his body and the vibrant energy within, musing silently.
These weren't mere game numbers, they directly reflected his physical state!
Adam could even sense a unique energy within him, likely mana.
By this world's standards, he had the aptitude of a "Magic Caster."
The percentages next to each stat were a unique calculation method from YGGDRASIL.
If Adam recalled correctly, Ainz's total stat value was "683.6% + ?%." The question mark due to his mana exceeding the cap.
The light novel mentioned that a typical level 100 player's average mana was 1300, while Ainz's was 1.5 times the maximum.
That's the power of a pay-to-win titan!
Adam had studied YGGDRASIL's mechanics in the Overlord world.
He speculated that, excluding equipment bonuses, all racial classes had the same stat ceilings to maintain game balance and fairness.
Theoretically, each level increased all stats by 13, reaching 1300 at level 100.
But that was only in theory!
In practice, it didn't work that way.
Different classes boosted different stats. Warrior classes increased HP, Physical Attack, Physical Defense, and Agility, while caster classes boosted MP, Magic Attack, Magic Defense, and Specialty.
Additionally, beyond humans, demi-humans and heteromorphs had racial classes.
Take dragons, the New World's mightiest race, as an example: they had six racial classes (Hatchling, Juvenile, Young, Adult, Elder, Ancient), requiring 50 levels to max out, leaving only 50 for job classes.
Humans lacked racial classes, which was both a drawback and an advantage. They could dedicate all 100 levels to job classes, closing the gap with demi-humans and heteromorphs by level 100, where racial disparities became negligible.
Thus, even Ainz only maxed out "MP" And "Specialty" At 100%.
Adam glanced up at the bustling street, ensuring no one was watching, then reached into his rough clothes' pocket, pulling out a palm-sized loaf of black bread.
Though called black, it was dark brown.
It was tough and coarse but not unpleasant.
One copper coin bought two loaves, suggesting basic goods in this world were reasonably priced.
With limited funds, Adam had to be frugal.
The bread didn't come from his pocket but from his "Item Box." where he stored his original clothes and coins.
Called an "Item Box." it was essentially a game-style spatial inventory.
From Adam's observations, the Item Box had a vast but finite capacity. Otherwise, YGGDRASIL wouldn't have items like the "Infinite Backpack."
Despite its name, the Infinite Backpack also had a storage limit, serving as a supplement when the Item Box ran out of space.
Adam bit into the bread, chewing noisily with puffed cheeks.
Last night's dinner was a single loaf, and he was genuinely hungry now.
This hunger reminded Adam that "Player" was merely his Talent. This was a real, unforgiving world!
He could hunger, tire… and die.
***
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