Chapter 8: Dragon's Dream (6)
"Those traces... there's no way they were ordinary."
Monkyspanner had gone himself to inspect the battlefield where Darkness reportedly fought a vampire, after hearing from a subordinate that the remnants there were beyond his ability to comprehend.
What he found at the site—lauded as the location where a vampire had been vanquished—was a type of magical residue none of them had seen in the 200 years since being thrown into this world.
"A berserk 8th-tier spell? Don't make me laugh…"
Monkyspanner scoffed. Ludicrous. It was the kind of nonsense you'd expect from a world full of fools who call a mere 6th-tier spell "legendary." But his eyes could not be fooled.
Magic crystals do not go berserk like this. And even if they did, the resulting destruction wouldn't be so widespread or devastating. True, not many in the Divine City can cast 8th-tier or higher magic, but they aren't rare either.
He knew well.
This wasn't 8th-tier. It wasn't 9th-tier. It wasn't even a "Great Spell" of the 10th-tier.
What he was looking at was far beyond.
It was the mark of a miracle—magic that surpassed even the apex of spellcraft.
It was unmistakably the trace of Over Magic, a transcendent form of magic that exists above all tiers.
He knew this well, too. Among the Twelve Priests, there were a few who could wield such power.
The residue here was unmistakably from Over Magic.
And interwoven in that residue were threads of corruption, of death. Someone had tried to erase all the remaining magic deliberately, but a faint lingering trace remained—just enough for Monkyspanner to detect it.
At that place, a being capable of casting Over Magic had fought another being powerful enough to withstand it.
If that ridiculous vampire—what was it, Honjonyonko or whatever—had such power, there's no way it would've remained unknown until now.
Surviving or enduring Over Magic meant you were priest-tier—someone capable of conquering the world solo.
To have gone unnoticed this long was unthinkable.
And then there was "Momon" of Darkness, who, according to the guild, had arrived chasing that vampire.
Which meant… Momon was somehow connected to the vampire.
Then there was the magic crystal he used, and the Over Magic cast during that confrontation. It must've been one of the Darkness members.
Whether it was Momon or the woman called Nabe, he couldn't be sure.
The guild registered Momon as a warrior, and Nabe as a magic caster—so let's assume it was the woman.
Now the real question was: why?
Why did they fight that vampire? And why did they become adventurers?
The first question didn't have enough data yet. But the second—he had a theory.
Because they did the same.
Adventuring was the easiest, fastest way for an unknown to gain official status in this world.
Prove your skills at a guild, earn a plate, and you're acknowledged. If one had power, they could swiftly climb the ranks and gain money, information, and status.
So it was likely they had the same idea. Become adventurers. Earn prestige. Secure a position.
Then… what were they planning next?
"No helping it…"
Monkyspanner gave up thinking. This was beyond his scope.
The moment the presence of Over Magic was confirmed, the situation had escalated far beyond what an outer-world handler could manage.
There was now the possibility that beings akin to gods—or worse—had fallen into this world. Perhaps even worshippers of such a being, like themselves.
"It can't be helped."
He swallowed hard. His rugged face tensed with anxiety.
The worst-case scenario flashed in his mind—and Monkyspanner could no longer stay idle.
He couldn't afford to just wait for Blue Rose's report. He'd still take it, of course. But action was needed now.
Darkness was retracing the same path they once took. Now that they had status, they would pursue information. And before they found out the truth—before they could grow cautious—he had to act.
"No choice but to convene the Twelve High Priests' Council."
Ever since their God fell into slumber, the Twelve High Priests had ruled in His stead, each fulfilling their divine role.
But when a threat loomed large enough to endanger even the Divine City, all twelve would convene.
Their omniscient God was asleep, and so they had no choice but to wring wisdom from their own limited minds.
And yet… a crooked smile formed at the corner of Monkyspanner's lips.
"It's a special case. No one will complain if I return."
It had been 20 long years since he drew the short straw in the Random Box and had to mimic humanity.
His "lifespan" still had years left to run, but lately, all he wanted was to go home.
...
At that very moment, in the city of Re-Estize...
In the quiet of his room, the warrior of the Adamantite-ranked adventurer party Darkness, Momon, was clutching his head.
"No no no… No matter how I look at it, this is definitely that."
Several documents were scattered before him.
Momon—whose true name was Momonga—had now adopted the name of his former guild itself, Ainz Ooal Gown, and acted as its sole surviving player. That was his true identity.
After being cast into this new world alongside the guild base—the Great Tomb of Nazarick—and its NPCs, he had chosen to disguise himself as an adventurer, taking along one of the maid NPCs to gather information about this world.
Thanks to a few strokes of luck and unexpected developments, he had risen swiftly through the ranks to Adamantite-class.
The reasons were simple.
First, the overall power level of this world was pitifully low.
Second, major events like the Undead Attack and the Vampire Hunt occurred in quick succession.
It allowed Ainz to rise through the adventurer ranks unusually fast.
Still, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about it.
The Undead Attack, fine. But the Vampire Hunt? That one had seriously bothered him.
After all, the vampire in question was one of his own—a Floor Guardian, an elite NPC of Nazarick with absolute loyalty and a terrifying level 100 strength.
Yet somehow, she had been mind-controlled in this weak world.
And so, he had no choice but to step in personally and take her down.
No one could know the truth.
No adventurer in this world stood a chance against a level 100 entity, and more importantly...
Only he could end it with certainty.
He had since resurrected her and returned her safely to Nazarick, but that battle still haunted him with unease.
On the bright side, becoming Adamantite-class gave Ainz certain privileges—namely, access to information.
Sebas, who was gathering intel in the royal capital, was already doing his part.
But Ainz had suspected the adventurer guild might yield something as well.
And by sheer chance—it did.
"Monkyspanner…? That's without a doubt tied to a player."
The name itself was the smoking gun.
Ainz—once a man named Suzuki Satoru—knew that "monkeyspanner" referred to a type of wrench, a tool from modern Earth.
There was no chance such a thing existed in this feudal-level fantasy world.
A name like that could only mean one thing: a connection to Yggdrasil, the game world they came from.
And it didn't stop there.
"And Dragon's Dream? That sounds exactly like a guild name… Add in stuff like 'restraining their power,' 'protecting humanity,' and being praised as a 'Great Noble House'... This is definitely a roleplayer with a concept…"
Since arriving in this world months ago, Ainz had studied up on the legends of the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings.
He suspected they, too, were likely players.
The theocratic Slane nation held clear connections to the Six Great Gods, and their founding figures were very likely players themselves.
The Eight Greed Kings, too—one of them reportedly ruled from a floating fortress. Ainz had seen similar structures in Yggdrasil before.
Though those ancient players may have passed on, their legacies remained.
And now—this Dragon's Dream was far too suspicious.
Ainz's instincts, sharpened from his years in Yggdrasil, were screaming.
These people were definitely related to players.
The only unknown was how strong they were.
Ainz had never heard of a guild named Dragon's Dream in Yggdrasil.
They might've been a minor group, too weak to place in the rankings.
But that meant nothing.
After all, even his own guild Ainz Ooal Gown, which once held a peak ranking of 9th, now had only one member left—himself.
Even at the end of service, they had dropped to 29th.
But even then, they'd possessed immense strength.
And Yggdrasil made it relatively easy to reach level 100.
There were undoubtedly many obscure guilds that still housed powerful players.
"Could they have been involved in Shalltear's mind control…? No, that can't be it."
Ainz shook his head at the thought.
Before the game ended, the developers had officially revealed that 200 World Items had been released in Yggdrasil, with only about 120 still remaining when the servers shut down.
Eleven of those were in Ainz Ooal Gown's possession.
And Ainz remembered every single guild strong enough to own the others.
They were threats to Nazarick.
And none of them had been called Dragon's Dream.
That much was certain.
World Items were more dangerous than level 100 players.
With that thought, some of his anxiety eased.
No matter what Dragon's Dream was, they couldn't possibly rival Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz still had enough power to massacre hundreds of average 100-level players on his own.
Still, he couldn't afford to be careless.
"Alright then… what should I do?"
For the first time, Ainz had found a clear trace of another player—or perhaps someone tied to one.
And it was far too close for comfort.
He couldn't help but think: Maybe becoming an adventurer was a mistake…
It brought too much attention.
Sure, being Adamantite had benefits… but it also put him directly in the spotlight.
"To think they were this close all along…"
He sighed—or at least mimicked the act, since undead don't breathe.
Were they truly a player? Or just a local inheriting a player's legacy?
Whatever the case, Ainz resolved to avoid any reckless contact.
For now, he shelved the matter and stepped away from the storm that might yet come.
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[The Golden Monkey Who Seeks Pleasure]
Name: Monkyspanner (Primal High Priest)
Title: Ninth Seat of the Twelve Divine (High) Priests—High Proxy Authority of the Divine City (Shinshi)
Origin Priest
Residence: Private chamber within the main estate of Dragon's Dream, located in the Royal Capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Also owns the "Monkey Manor".
Alignment: Good (Karma Value: 100)
Height: 2.46 meters (occasionally exceeds 3 meters)
Total Level: 100
Race Levels:
Primal Ape – 10
Elder Ape – 10
Others – totaling 35 levels
Class Levels:
Monk – 10
Martial King – 10
Qi Master – 10
Weapon Master – 5
Other Classes – totaling 65 levels
Total Stats Score: 671
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A/N: I hope they won't block it this time. So come on, give me your Power Stone and drop a review too!