"Lord Momonga, since our arrival in this new world, Nazarick has been under constant surveillance. The intruders are growing bolder."
The Ninth Floor of the Great Tomb resembled a pristine white castle—dignified yet resplendent. Lavish chandeliers hung from the high ceiling at regular intervals. The polished marble-like floor reflected the overhead light in flawless symmetry.
The Guardian of the Ninth Floor—also Nazarick's Head Butler—
a level-100 NPC and one of the strongest close-combat fighters among the Guardians—
The Dragonoid, Sebas Tian, entered the refined yet tasteful office with perfectly measured steps.
Before him sat the Supreme Being—
Momonga.
"I see. How is the interrogation of the prisoners progressing?"
Clad in divine-tier equipment from head to toe, Momonga spoke in the tone of a ruler.
Within his skeletal skull, two crimson flames burned as he regarded Sebas—dressed in a simple but impeccably tailored butler uniform.
Sebas' neatly trimmed white beard matched his hair. His features were deep-set, almost Western in appearance. His gaze sharp as a raptor's.
Beyond his humanoid form, he possessed a complete Dragonoid transformation.
Influenced by his creator's philosophy—"How can one call oneself strong if one does not help the weak?"—Sebas was one of the rare NPCs in Nazarick with positive karma.
He even harbored doubts toward the common Nazarick belief that "humans and demi-humans are weak beings meant to be trampled."
Yet in one regard, he was unwavering:
His loyalty to the Supreme Being was absolute.
"Lord Momonga, this is the intelligence extracted. Please review it."
Sebas produced a scroll.
At his side stood one of the Pleiades Battle Maids, one of forty-one artificially created humanoid attendants. She stepped forward gracefully, received the scroll, and presented it respectfully.
"Lord Momonga, please."
"Thank— mm."
The word of gratitude nearly slipped out.
Momonga caught himself when he noticed the maid's expression tighten in alarm.
He quickly adjusted his tone, waving dismissively.
The maid relaxed instantly and withdrew.
(This is exhausting.)
(I'm just a corporate slave!)
Even after two days, Momonga still felt deeply out of place.
Every day he had to project confidence, omniscience, grand design.
In truth, he was someone who preferred clear instructions and orderly execution—not grand strategy.
Fortunately, the NPCs were masters of overinterpretation.
A casual gesture.
A slight pause in tone.
Demiurge and Albedo in particular would extrapolate world-shaking schemes from nothing.
(Is this what true intelligence looks like? Maybe real-world executives felt this same pressure…)
That thought flickered away.
He adopted what he imagined to be a leader's posture and began reviewing the scroll.
The information was vast—but concisely organized.
Even Momonga could grasp the overall situation quickly.
The Re-Estize Kingdom had fallen to the shinobi of the Ninja World.
Three great shinobi villages were currently campaigning against three neighboring nations.
The Great Tomb's location lay near the Kaz Plains—once the battlefield between Kingdom and Empire.
Flat terrain.
Open exposure.
(When adventurer corpses were first discovered on Nazarick's surface level, I chose not to have Mare conceal the structure with magic. That was wise.)
If an already discovered ruin changed drastically, it would attract attention.
As long as the underground remained sealed, the surface temple could be looted freely without consequence.
Automatically generated skeletal guards were more than enough for low-level adventurers.
(Priority remains concealment. Capture high-value targets. Extract information about the continent's true powerhouses.)
Names in the report unsettled him.
The Empire's Guardian Deity—capable of annihilating hundreds with a wave.
The Rain Village's "Walking Poison Tide," Hanzo of the Salamander.
And above them—
The Supreme Leader of the Ninja World:
Uchiha Soren.
Effortlessly conquering the Kingdom.
Launching campaigns against three nations simultaneously.
(Perhaps that is what a born leader looks like…)
Momonga felt something like envy.
He possessed the largest collection of World-Class Items in the game.
Countless powerful NPCs.
An entire library stocked with level-80+ mercenary summoning scrolls.
He briefly considered the idea of sealing Nazarick completely—
And never emerging.
Silence filled the office.
Sebas could hear even the faint breathing of the maids.
Momonga finally looked up.
(But for the crystallized legacy left behind by my friends…)
(I cannot hide like a turtle.)
(Compared to the adventurers invading Nazarick—we are the strong ones.)
(And from the intelligence gathered, these "shinobi" average around level 20 or 30. Not even equal to a Death Knight I can summon casually.)
Confidence returned.
"Sebas. Has this information been shared with the other Guardians?"
"Lord Momonga, only Demiurge and Guardian Overseer Albedo have reviewed it."
"Then inform the remaining Guardians. They must understand the world we now inhabit."
"As you command."
Momonga continued calmly.
"Have Albedo strengthen internal defenses."
"Demiurge will lead elite aerial units to scout the surrounding region. Capture powerful humans if possible."
"As you command, Lord Momonga."
Sebas bowed deeply and departed to relay the orders.
Alone in his office, Momonga raised a skeletal hand.
A circular mirror materialized before him—
a scrying device capable of observing an area spanning over ten kilometers.
Within its reflection—
Adventurers battled skeletal guards in the temple above.
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