A man dressed in a suit walked through a corridor filled with opulence and wealth. Long hallways decorated with styled and lavish artifacts, ranging from ancient vases to centuries old paintings. Each is an object of attention that contrasted heavily from the futuristic walls with glowing bluish light along its edges. And the florescent lighting that emitted from the clear glass ceiling. His footsteps echoed against the marble floor. Heels clicking and clacking with each step. And his back constantly shifting as he try and dawdle with a neck tie that he can't seem to properly remove.
Yet despite the down curl of his lips and the scrunch up his nose, his hands continued to work with diligence and care.
Finally free of the offending article, he exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding and carefully folded the tie across his hands and walk straight to the shower.
The moment the cold water cascaded against his muscled back, a sigh of relief left him. Only then did he allowed him to get comfortable enough to just toss himself down his soft and pillowy bed.
Suzuki Satoru, a former salary man that had nothing to truly live for could only wonder how things and gone the way they had.
A lucky find had turned his life completely inside out. And yet, for all the troubles it brought. The heartache of being envied so much that one his friends refused to see him. And the gut wrenching feeling he felt every time a weighty decision falls upon him and many other tribulations that came upon his way. All of it amounted to nothing but just another trial in life. Or as his friends had put it, "Just another bitter asshole who couldn't handle the fact that someone else is happy.".
He had learned to live pass it and felt nothing more than gratitude for what happened that day and after.
A discovery, a guild, and a place to call home. All in one day.
"A month has passed... I didn't think things could change so much in just a month."
"All could change in the blink of an eye." a familiar voice whispers. "You are an example of that Master. Someone who stumbled upon the opportunity and did not waste it." she said. Making him smile and relax as he laid.
"So..." Suzuki probes. "Do you think I'm ready?"
"Only one way to find out."
Excitement electrocuted him, filling his muscles with strength making him stand up immediately. With barely contained childish glee, he went for the bodysuit hanging by the nearby mirror. It was cold to the touch and as sturdy as iron yet flexible enough that it could be worn with little to no discomfort.
After putting on the skin tight suit, he put on a futuristic visor. Covering both of his eyes and the entirety of his ears. It took mere seconds before it booted, serving as a stylish version of a VR Helmet. With a little stretch he leaned himself at a nearby reclined body capsule. As the doors closed with a soft puff of air, silvery water slowly begun to pour from a nearby tubes.
He felt the familiar sensation of stings and heat rising with the liquid silver. But his attention was fixed in front of him where several scan results appeared from his visor.
Most of them were standard readings across his body. Muscle flexibility, bone structure, density, nutrients, blood flow, and nerve response and reaction speed.
The details kept piling on with numbers growing higher and higher in proportion to the rising liquid and as soon as it reach the same level as his mouth, he drank it in. He inhales it up his nose and fought the drowning sensation till a sudden flow of air left his burning lungs and calming his rapidly beating heart. Forcing his body to cool and calm down once more.
Fully submerged he watched the numbers grow in proportion to their scans and details. Completely ignoring the stinging sensation of his eyes.
87%
93%
94%
97%
99%
.....100%
"Yggdrasil."
With a flash of light, he he found himself falling several feet in the air. With an impressive display of acrobatic skill, he twisted himself midair allowing him to fall with his front facing the ground and with an arc of his back and a flex of his legs, he realigns himself. Landing on one knee and one fist planted to the ground.
He smiled as he felt it. The strain of his bones, the coil of his muscles, the shock from his nerves and the blood flowing through his veins.
His focus returns and he smiles beneath his helmet as he rose, relishing at his friends smiles and nods of welcome.
All of them feeling a sense of relief at the promt that appeared as they gazed at the black armored Overlord appearing before them.
[Momonga has logged in.]
The sound of clanking steel against the soft carpeted floor echoed against the silence of a great hall. His armor gleamed of dark blue colors against the light and sucked in the darkness as if the void itself beneath the shadows.
His fingers clenched and unclenches, feeling the black leather beneath the steel gauntlets. Gems of sapphire adorning his full plate armor shone brightly as if blue flames were contained within.
And behind him trailed a blue cloak that covered his biceps, dragging across the floor with black flames trailing where ever it touches.
His helmet shone in rich and dignified design. Adorned with curved horns protruding atop it crowned by his spiked pauldrons. And his sleek visor shone bright with light, flickering with wisps of blue flames escaping its corners.
The Guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga donned his finest armor. A full Set of Legendary Gear, obtained through his newfound riches to commemorate his new build's ascension to level 95.
And while it would have been easy to reach level 100 from his previous character, this one was a challenge he had not thought to undertake. Had he not felt for himself how lacking his previous character felt.
It was during the time when he first used the full body capsule. He at first had been excited to what such a device entails, curious as to how it would enrich his gaming experience but that excitement died down when he had realized that his Undead status was getting in the way.
Whether it was a feature or a bug, it did not matter. After all, the devs made such a thing possible and they don't really listen to players unless it was a Game Breaking Rule. Complaining that your super rich life is inconvenienced is not gonna endear him to them.
And while many of his members had convinced him that changing to a human race would not be an issue for them, he ultimately refused. Not wanting to violate the Rules their clan and now guild was founded on.
He had been willing to remain undead, not wanting to spend even more time on something he doesn't fully understand. But that only lasted a whole week before his friend Tabula suggested that he use a Doppelganger Ring.
The ring was more of an espionage item to buy materials or items commonly found at humanoid infested places and used to progress craft related classes. But what he felt that day made everything insignificant in comparison.
He could see so clearly that he nearly failed to determine if he was still in the game. He could acutely smell the lavish perfume that permeated their newly built hall. The feel of the carpet beneath his feet, and even the taste of a meal that he was actually able to bite down and swallow.
It felt so real that it was insane to think that his senses were being stimulated by the nano machines in his brain. His sensations made accurate by the liquid, while the suit that stimulated physical and mental growth and changes. A fact only made possible by the nutrients injected into his body through the nutrient cannisters attached to the capsule. Applied to him with precision that dwarfs the human body itself as the machine ensured maximum gain with little side effects or repercussions.
It was an addicting feeling. To be more alive in a game than in real life.
Suzuki was then made to realize why such a device was not common, let alone known to many. Everything about it told everyone of how far man kind have truly gone. Even more so was the reason for its creation.
According to Eliza, it was meant to accelerate human evolution. To one day grow into beings capable of resisting radiation, with hopes and dreams of one day being immune to it.
It was the main project pursued by the government, even above building the dome. And also the true reason for the world wide civil war. The dome wasn't the real goal of the conglomerates, it was the capsule itself.
A device no longer in circulation at the major market because corporations feared the day they are no longer in power, and the second most obvious reason. To hike up the prices. After all, whom amongst the old and the wealthy would not want to remain strong and beautiful for as long as possible?
But that was a feature he would only notice in his later years, not yet realizing the full extent of it.
Taking advantage of what he has, he re-created his character from scratch. This time, a combat oriented Undead following a brand new build while maintaining the role of Wildcard.
Only this time, he had a clear view of what classes he wanted. And while willing to explore his new possibilities, he was not willing to surrender [Dark Wisdom].
So with his new found Dive device and its features, he allotted classes among knights and what better choice than to restart as an Oathbreaker.
From there he diversified from his necromatic build and took classes for Death Cleric, to Cursed Knight, to Death Knight and finally Undead Warlock and the highest of the undead, an Overlord.
[Dark Wisdom] then becomes available to him as soon he became Overlord at 61 and Eclipse at level 75, and from there it was smooth sailing since all he has to do is to fill in the necessary classes to further enhance his arsenal and potency with the idea of a Dark Spell Knight in mind.
With time and effort, he actually unlocked it, at level 95, the final quest on the path he had taken. A secret and unique race of its own.
And while he is indeed excited to find out if he could actually finish the Quest. In the end he didn't feel all that invested at the class anymore. Not when he is loving his new build that made good use of his new lifestyle to the point that he is very much enjoying being Online in Yggdrasil.
This was due to Eliza introducing him to a program born of the study of 'Imprints'.
The Matrix Program.
A virtual space built for training and leisure. A powerful sandbox with the mind numbing feature to tweak with his perception of time itself. Decelerating time to the point that One hour in the real world equates to Ten hours in the Matrix.
Anything can be done inside the Matrix. One can live a virtual life of luxury. Eating gourmet food as if I was real. Swimming in the ocean as if they were clean. One can train in guns, in hand to hand combat, in swords and even mental and physical exercises. A paradise of one's own making.
The only thing it can't do was inject a person with knowledge, no. While they kept on trying, the human mind unfortunately can only handle so much influx of information before it turns to mush. And even then, the result was always a failure.
This was due to self imposed limitations. Why your fist would stop you from punching through a wall despite having the strength to do so. How a person could find the strength lift a ton at a moment of desperation. It was the reason a person could not fly despite having wings in the matrix. The mind can't fathom the possibility and even if did the mind itself tries to reason it, and inturn blocks it. Such power only lifted -even if only briefly- the untapped potential during highly stressful situations.
And Suzuki was happy to know, that he was not as bound as he thought he was. Not him, not a gamer. Someone who's mind in slowly unbound by the rules imposed by human limitations bordering on fantasy and delusion, all thanks to for the desire to escape the hellish world he once lived in.
Of course with this discovery, he made sure he was far from careless. While he studied, practice and trained, he also learned about others who had the same privilege he has. Afraid of future confrontations.
It turns out, Military Families had sorted near Super Soldier like children along their lines with the use of such a device. Men capable of actually moving in such a way that they can easily perceive their opponents actions. Allowing them to always be a step ahead to the point that they had already left their position before the person could even steady their nozzle and pull the trigger.
Under the same process, Companies had brought out geniuses after geniuses. Ancient and old families successfully passed down one knowledge of one ancestry to a successor through the Teacher's Program.
These were but a few of others with boundless other capabilities.
And he belongs to the last one. An old family with only one heir... him. And so he must do his job which is to pass it on.
And while he is new to the circle of wealth he now lives in, he was by no means a slouch. Not to the point he couldn't perceive allies and foes, from trusted to saboteurs. And with his ever rising competence, so does his enemies caution towards him. And he leaves them be, careful not to stir too much till he is high enough to do more good than he currently does.
And it was all made possible by his ever present companion.
The clank of heels and the shifting metal and clinking accessories reached his ears, and he smiled at the sound of a very familiar presence.
His face plate vanished into motes of light, revealing a handsome young man with a strong jaw and sharp features that contrasted against his pale skin. He has eyes, blazing gold and shining against his black sclera with red veins -like arcs of lightning- stretching at its edges.
Eyes now focused on the red ones that adorned a beautiful face like shimmering jewels against her ivory skin.
The two shared a smile and a nod. An exchange, though professional and curt, felt too deep for the nearby onlookers. And with the aura the two exuded, it was not difficult for everyone to speculate how close they might be.
All of a sudden, their attention shifted at the sudden announcement that rung through every single player of Yggdrasil.
[World Champion Tournament III- 99:59:59]
'Finally.'
Months had passed, yet months more had been dedicated by Suzuki. All to get this far. And with the chance to finally show what he is truly capable off right around the corner, it sent his blood bubbling to high gear. Eager to finish his Final Quest.
[Quest: Win- World Champion Tournament.]
[Reward- Divine Race]
[-'Death Himself'-]