YGGDRASIL wasn't like traditional games. It imposed harsh death penalties: on death, a player would lose five levels instantly. If that dropped them below the minimum threshold, the account was permanently deleted.
To manage that risk, players had two options:
Use resurrection magic.
Carry revival items like resurrection rings or rods, usually obtained through microtransactions.
Sakeer possessed none of these life-saving items. And despite his supernatural "Player" ability, he had no reason to believe he'd automatically revive upon death in this world.
This wasn't a game. It was a living world. He needed to tread carefully.
Sitting on the ground, chewing a tough piece of black bread, Sakeer kept a hand resting on the dagger strapped to his waist. He'd purchased it with silver coins, but without Item Identification magic, he couldn't determine its properties.
Still, he could confidently say one thing: the dagger was just a mundane weapon—no enchantments, no enhancements.
He hadn't bought it just for self-defense. There had been another, more intriguing reason: touching it had triggered a job activation prompt.
[Buzz—]
[Weapon detected: Dagger. Basic job identified: Warrior.]
[Do you want to accept this job?]
The translucent status screen had appeared the moment he held the blade. After a brief pause, Sakeer mentally rejected the offer.
"No."
The prompt vanished.
This wasn't the first time he had refused. In fact, he had already declined it once before when he first purchased the dagger. This marked the second rejection. He'd discovered that by holding different weapons for long enough, he could trigger job selection prompts.
Earlier, in a weapon shop, touching a peculiar shield had activated an intermediate job prompt: Black Guard. Unfortunately, he couldn't accept it without first acquiring the prerequisite basic job: Guardian.
That revelation had thrilled him. He had eagerly tested every weapon within reach—until the shopkeeper's increasingly hostile expression forced him to stop.
Aside from the shield, however, only the basic Warrior job had shown up.
In Overlord, job classes were divided into three tiers:
Basic jobs (up to 15 levels)
Intermediate jobs (up to 10 levels)
Advanced/Special jobs (up to 5 levels)
Each job had a level cap, and with over 2,000 available jobs in YGGDRASIL, no two players ever built the same character—unless done deliberately.
When Sakeer first bought the dagger, he'd noticed the job prompt immediately. Yet he chose not to commit. Why? Because he understood one vital truth: Level 100 was the cap.
Basic jobs only went up to 15 levels. If he wanted to survive a confrontation with a force as powerful as the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he couldn't afford to focus solely on a single path—whether warrior or caster.
He needed to blend both. A balanced build: one basic warrior job, one basic spellcaster job. That alone would consume 30 levels, leaving 70 levels for further specialization.
There was no room for error. One misstep in job selection could spell disaster. He had to be strategic—ruthlessly so.
After finishing the last bite of bread, Sakeer sat in silence, brows slightly furrowed, deep in thought.
He had no clear leads on which basic job to pursue—or rather, he wasn't ready to make the choice.
If the threat of Nazarick didn't loom over him, if he only had to worry about the local powers in this world, the decision wouldn't weigh so heavily. Among native threats, only beings like the True Dragon Lords posed a legitimate danger.
But Nazarick was coming. And with it, annihilation!
If he wanted to reach Level 100 quickly, Sakeer couldn't rely on conventional methods.
In YGGDRASIL, it wasn't necessary to max out a single job to hit the level cap. A player could technically reach Level 100 by taking 100 different one-level jobs. But such a build would be incredibly weak—practically useless.
Since arriving in this world, Sakeer had been contemplating how to close the vast gap between himself and the overwhelming power of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Eventually, he identified two potential paths:
Harnessing the unique techniques of this world.
Acquiring powerful relics or securing rare job classes.
Techniques such as Martial Arts, or relics like the Re-Estize Kingdom's national treasures—the Razor Edge or Ring of Origin—could offer some advantage.
More importantly, special jobs were inherently stronger than advanced ones. They often granted unique effects or abilities that could rival even super-tier magic. Only by obtaining special jobs did Sakeer believe he might stand a chance in a one-on-one battle against Nazarick's Floor Guardians.
As he mulled over his strategy, a shadow passed overhead, shielding him from the relentless sun. The sudden coolness broke his train of thought, and he looked up.
Before him stood a timid-looking youth with golden hair shaped into a mushroom-like cut. His bangs nearly covered his eyes, and his shy demeanor was instantly noticeable.
Though dressed plainly, the boy's clothes were clearly of better quality than Sakeer's. For a brief moment, Sakeer froze—his dark brown eyes narrowing in surprise.
"Nfirea?"
The boy would one day be hailed as a Genius Alchemist, one of the few humans ever acknowledged by Ainz Ooal Gown himself. Though his appearance slightly differed from how Sakeer remembered him from the game's early storylines, he recognized him immediately.
"Hello, do you need any help?" the boy asked, voice soft and sincere.
Help? The word caught Sakeer off guard. He glanced down at the half-eaten black bread in his hand and realized how pitiful he must have looked—squatting in a shadowy corner, clad in worn-out clothes.
Do I really look that pathetic?
Suppressing the urge to sigh, Sakeer forced a neutral expression. "No."
Before Nfirea could respond, a sharp voice cut in from behind.
"What are you doing, Nfirea?"
A short, elderly woman—barely five feet tall—approached. Her white hair was tucked under a green headscarf, and her piercing eyes held no warmth.
Hearing her call the boy's name confirmed Sakeer's suspicion. This was indeed Nfirea Bareare, the alchemical prodigy.
He studied Nfirea again, now with a deeper sense of awe. The boy possessed two extraordinary job variants: Alchemist (Genius) and Pharmacist (Genius). These rare, world-unique jobs were akin to divine blessings or natural talents.
Jobs marked with "(Genius)" allowed for additional skill slots, earlier access to high-tier abilities, and significantly stronger effects.
Within a few short years, Nfirea would go on to create the legendary potion known as Panacea—or as YGGDRASIL players called it, the "Minor Healing Potion." While common in the game, such potions were priceless here, and it was no surprise Ainz took an interest in the boy.
But that wasn't all. Nfirea also possessed a terrifying innate talent—Unlimited Item Usage—which allowed him to use any item regardless of class or racial requirements. Scrolls, enchanted weapons, even guild-exclusive artifacts—none were beyond his reach.
The potential of such an ability was staggering. Even in YGGDRASIL, few players had anything close to that level of versatility. If nurtured properly, Nfirea could become a real threat to Nazarick.
(End of Chapter)