06/17: Clattanoia [STRENGTH Rank 3]
afreaknamedpete
Blasphemer
- Location
- Above the Sequences
- Pronouns
- HE/HIM/THEY
AN: Two updates back to back, check threadmarks.
MONDAY - June 16th, 2025
Afternoon
"Hey."
You snuggle up harder against Kuma-kun, willing the voice to cease. The hospital bed is rock hard but you're just so exhausted...
"Hey!"
Your warm and fluffy bear is ripped away from you— Kuma-kun still has the imprint of your drool on his face. You grab for his warmth, but he's no longer where he should be, replaced by nothing the cold stagnant air of the hospital. There's some big plastic band jammed over your eyes that you lift over your forehead.
Shino stands next to you, holding a breakfast tray. She looks more annoyed than usual. "You look horrible. How did you fall sleep with that on? I hope you're not doing that with the NerveGear."
You set the Amusphere to the side and give a glance at the clock. It's 2PM. You've only been asleep for 5 hours or so, but it feels as if you got zero. Though your body is stiff you still feel dazed, unable to even contemplate doing anything else other than crawling back under the covers.
"The storm's over," Shino glances out the hospital window. "The roads are still pretty bad, and all the transit systems are out of service. We need to get out of hospital— and just what were you doing all night?"
"Important stuff..." you mumble.
She doesn't fail to hide her visible skepticism. "Seems super important, I'm sure. C'mon, let's get out of here."
"Gimme a second..." you close your eyes and roll over, but find yourself immediately nudged in the side. "Stop that... I'm too tired, maybe you can carry me back..."
"No. You weigh more than me."
"I do not! I've got muscles now!" Said muscles immediately betray you and stiffen in pain as soon you make a single attempt at getting up. Shino shakes her head as she brings the breakfast tray closer.
"Just... we need you at your best, alright? Between『 』and Pitohui things have gotten very complicated, very quickly. Remember the Derby is on July 13th, and we have first-semester Finals immediately afterward. We have less than a month and that time is going to pass us by faster than we think. Oh, and school's off until June 18th. I got a message assigning me homework through the break— your teachers are probably doing the same."
Good news with the bad, as always...
"Now eat up. Get changed and then we'll meet in the waiting room downstairs."
Shino grabs your blanket and takes it with her, the traitor, leaving you alone in the room with the sole stuffed animal you brought. You... should be getting back now. The AC needs to be checked, and you have to remove all the plushies from the waterproof garbage bag you put them in and—
Damnit.
The Derby. Finals. Work.
You're half awake eating tasteless slop, contemplating your pile of responsibilities and—
...
You've only reached Level 40 so far. Momonga lent you cold immunity armor and had you go on a killing spree in Niflheim, farming the Everfrost Caverns. The elemental spirits in that zone attacked solely with cold elemental damage. Usually, the zone was sucked dry by various bots but it appears even they now avoided YGGDRASIL, the one you saw in the starting zone being one its creator likely forgot was even running.
Level 15 in «Doppelganger», gives you a total of 15 forms you could switch to, provided they were monsters.
Level 15 in «Changeling», allows you to mimic player characters, though not their equipment.
Level 10 in «Greater Doppelganger», increasing the total number of forms up to 40, alongside the ability to copy lower-tiered equipment.
Momonga took you on a teleport guided whirlwind tour of all the useful low-level mobs in YGGDRASIL while walking you through your character optimization. Death Knights with their useful ability to resist one fatal attack, no matter how strong. Stone Golems for the best melee defense until Level 50. Blink Wolves, Lesser Shambling Mounds, Storm Hawks and even min maxed player classes, all duplicated from NPC Mercenaries Momonga hired from his bottomless pit of YGGDRASIL gold.
There's a capstone to your class, a hidden 'secret' that Momonga stated he believed only he knew about. The «Capgras», a final tier of the Doppelganger line that unlocked a passive build scan ability and granted you the ability to copy targets even without fighting them first. There was a dungeon in the depths of Vanaheim open to solo Doppelganger challengers, and Momonga would have you challenge it.
You glance at the clock. You were expected there in about 6 hours, right when the early evening was to begin. Prime time for GGO— for work.
...
Things can wait, can't they? Shiroe was right, Death Gun seemed strangely hesitant to act. Pitohui was content to wait.『 』would do some bullshit regardless of what you tried, so what's the point in worrying? It's just a few levels. A new ability to try, a dungeon to conquer— maybe you could go for that «World Champion» quest. Just one or two days. Just...
MONDAY - June 16th, 2025
20:32:02 YST
Your first mistake was thinking that YGGDRASIL was a game about reflexes. Even on the frontlines you were constrained by low-quality Dive signals and anything even remotely supernatural in terms of speed or strength needed to be managed through careful application of skills from a hotbar.
What was it Momonga said?
To play on the frontlines was to be at a sports meet.
You raise your hand, encased in the reinforced concrete of a Stone Golem. The faceless warrior slams its axe against your defense. You rush forth in an impromptu body check, all 500kg of simulated weight pushing you forward, knocking your opponent flat on their back.
Your second mistake was thinking that YGGDRASIL was just a game about ability rotations. You had your keyboard console open, a phantom human hand typing at the dozens of different command macros you had pinned— each changing with every form. The sheer weight of your options was overwhelming.
To play on the backlines was to be a concert pianist.
A faceless druid raises a hundred vines in the air. The tendrils wrap around your massive frame but in the next second you're a Shambling Mound and the vines are absorbed into your body for a near instant health refresh. Whatever countermeasure your opponent has prepared dies as you quick change into a simple human mage and expel a Maximized Fireball straight into it.
Your final mistake? Assuming that YGGDRASIL was a fair game.
"These shitty devs..!"
A dozen panels open along the side of the arena. A Thief, a Fighter, a Cleric... representatives from all the major combat classes all seem to have their arms raised— doppelgangers all. This was the capstone quest, a solo gauntlet through all the varied ways YGGDRASIL had to kill you. Momonga didn't mention that they'd end the fight by coming at you all at once.
The wings of a Storm Hawk lift you above the intersecting blades of four DPS units.
With the weight of a Stone Golem you slam onto the ground, smearing an Assassin in the process. You're a Shambling Mound again, and the Fighter is seized by a hundred arms straight into the incoming thunderbolt of its own ally. A Thief swings for a limb and you're a Wraith, the attack passing through you as you pass through it, taking its heart with you in the process.
To be versatile, to be everything was to be at the sports meet while playing the piano. With your feet.
A half dozen skeletons summoned by the Necromancer gets batted away by a swipe of your Ankylodon tail. You catch the Wizard mid cast and with a twist in the air you bite its throat out as a Blink Wolf.
And so it goes. And so it ends.
Your head rings as the final Paladin slams his hammer down, saturating your Death Knight form in holy light. Your HP falls down to the faintest sliver— but no more, as you ram your sword through the helmet of the NPC. Every single foe brought out to bear against you lays dead on the floor, the silvery blood of dozens of enemy Doppelgangers mixing together as you stand atop a literal silver sea of corpses.
A notification rings out in your menu.
<You have reached Level 41!>
<You have unlocked the special class: «Capgras». Equip now?>
The pool of silvery blood comes alive, squirming and flowing into a pillar that builds in the center of the arena. In what likely passes in YGGDRASIL for a pre-rendered cutscene you temporarily lose control of your avatar, shifting back into your base form, now that of a Greater Doppelganger.
The pool rises into the air, elongating and condensing until a silhouette takes shape, a creature with four limbs and long silver hair. You think you see it, the briefest flash of gold within the hollow indents that pass for eyes— your vision cuts out, a pre-recorded latin chant fills the air and then—
You open your eyes. You are in the center of the room, silvery blood still dripping off of you. Standing at your feet is your old body, a puppet with its strings cut, collapsed against the floor utterly unmoving.
...
It was a cheap effect, but you have to admit to being just a little bit impressed.
<[Momonga]: You finished it one try? It appears you truly are experienced fighting in different forms.>
The skeleton walks through the opening of the dungeon. You catch him glancing up and down your still unmoving form— nodding in appreciation. You shift yourself back into a form you're more familiar with before you're hit with an idea—
It's your new ability. You can see his Class Levels— 40 in the Skeleton Mage Racial Tree and the rest in various Necromancer-related specializations. You type in the new form into the virtual keyboard...
<Skeleton Mage Level 15, Lich Level 10, Elder Lich Level 10, Overlord Level 5—>
Momonga spams that stupid emoticon of his again. You cross your newly formed skeletal arms, and glower at him from your new height. Momonga simply holds up a hand mirror and turns it towards you.
...
Well. You suppose a buck naked skeleton isn't the most intimidating look.
MONDAY - June 16th, 2025
22:48:46 YST
The «World Tree» itself was much unlike the alabaster tower you've come to expect from ALO. In YGGDRASIL it looks much more traditional, a simple wooden trunk displayed on the far-off horizon, towering over the level, with an array of rainbow leaves all around it. The Tree itself existed only in the backdrop, there was no actual zone for it.
<[Momonga]: Touch-san suspected it was going to be added in an expansion. I think the entrance is still somewhere out there, waiting for a Player to stumble upon it. YGGDRASIL loves to keep you looking.>
It also strikes you as a super useful excuse if, perchance, the devs ran out of money. Just hide it behind some GM lock and trick players into thinking it was real, or in YGGDRASIL's case, wait for a player to design it themselves.
Momonga has brought you to Alfheim, to undertake the quest for the «World Champion» title. It was typically a long, time-consuming process, first requiring you to reach +400 Karma points. Karma could only be increased by undertaking extremely tedious quests for the NPCs of the good-aligned realms— or by simply shifting into the form of a high Karma monster.
Then you needed the honored blessings of the Fairy King and Queen— Oberon and Titania to your great disgust— but Momonga handed you two Quest Skip potions and with a flick on your console, you had two glowing signatures alongside a completed questlog. The game had most Cash Shop items as account locked, but this was one of the few exceptions and for that you were thankful. You were not interested in spending 5 hours reenacting Shakespeare for the video game equivalent of a participation trophy.
Which brings you here. A level 41 Capgras, with little more than the clothes on your back, facing the final challenge of the dreaded «World Champion» questline. Upon the foot of the «World Tree» lies a circular coliseum. It would look more impressive if you hadn't already seen this exact same building at least three separate times along Momonga's world tour.
<[Momonga]: Stop. No need to rush, we could be ambushed at any second. As a Heteromorph remember that you are always at risk of PKing.>
From who, you almost want to ask. You haven't seen a single other player all day besides Momonga. But you sigh as your companion casts a litany of detection spells— he insists on doing it practically every zone change, and you've long since given up on convincing him otherwise.
In the background, some stupid lore about the nature of the «World Champion» is being spouted off by a pre-canned announcement. You tune it out and watch the lich beside you instead.
"Couldn't you have taken this Title whenever you wanted? Does anyone even want this anymore?"
<[Momonga]: It would not synergize with my build, and YGGDRASIL bans all alt accounts. If I were to steal it, it would mean Touch-san would need to slay me to claim it again. I would not wish that to hang over our reunion.>
"Was Touch-san a friend of yours?" you ask, thankful you have a way of referring to this warrior without using his full name.
There's a moment of silence as Momonga stares at the sky and the tree off in the distance.
<[Momonga]: I do not know. I was PK'd constantly when I first started— I found the game to be an unpleasant experience until Touch-san asked me to join his clan. I suppose we must've had an enjoyable time together... to a point.>
There's a bitterness in his tone. The unmistakable truth that ultimately this Touch left the guild— that they all left.
"Did you take over «Ainz Ooal Gown» after Touch-san left?"
<[Momonga]: Once we had enough players to form a guild, everyone voted for me as the Leader, Touch-san included. That was long before they left— no, I misspoke. He did not leave, he is simply taking a break from the game.>
He says it like a mantra, but it's clear even Momonga doesn't believe it. The cutscene for the «World Champion» battle plays in the background. The two of you ignore it. "Why don't you look for him? He probably got bored or realized he couldn't afford to keep up with the money sink. That's probably true for all of your guildmates. You could still meet up IRL or play a different game—"
<[Momonga]: No... that would be... disrespectful. There was no great schism, no drama. People left because life got in the way. To join «Ainz Ooal Gown» required only two things: to be a Heteromorph and to be a productive member of society. We all promised each other that the game would be our escape from the real world, not our substitute for it. We poured our all into the game because it was our sanctuary— but the real world waits for no man.>
The theatrics are dying down. A random goddess whose name you doubt even Momonga has bothered to memorize calls for challengers to the title to step forth and face each other in mortal combat for her pleasure.
<[Momonga]: Everyone has their own lives to live. If it wasn't for YGGDRASIL we never would've met, and without YGGDRASIL we have nothing in common. So to answer your question, I would say: no. Touch-san was not my friend. We were guildmates— nothing more... and nothing less. And in honor of those guildmates, I vowed to keep our sanctuary safe, so that if anyone ever wished to return...>
There's a quiet intensity in Momonga's voice. A self-imposed burden he's placed around his own neck, though perhaps it would be more accurate to call it his shining light in the dark? You can't tell if he's broken by this game— or broken without it. MAXWELL said he was once a lost soul, chasing the promise that CONTROL would have granted him. And the freedom that he was granted brought him... here. To YGGDRASIL.
Your thoughts are interrupted. The quest line isn't about to let up— the over-decorated goddess calls out your name, and summons a weird-looking crystal. A prayer of Norse gibberish accompanies a lightshow, and a pillar of energy flows into your avatar with the fanfare of a completed tutorial quest.
And so with a wave of your hand, a notification confirms it— you are now, as far as YGGDRASIL is concerned— the «World Champion of Alfheim». Feeling the event lacks a bit of pizazz, you take out a noisemaker from your inventory and pull the tab— spraying confetti all over the floor with the sound of a wet fart.
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
Early Morning
You awaken in your own room. Your AC, rattled but still fully functional, offers a steady stream of cooling air. Some storm water seeped out of your bathroom but beyond that, your room was completely undamaged. You recreate your plushie fort and set the Amusphere next to your bed.
"...what time is it?"
Your clock says 4AM. Tomorrow, or more accurately later today, was the last free day you have until school restarts. After you claimed the role of Champion, Momonga insisted you at least level up enough to fully max out both of your prestige classes. Now that you had enough abilities to actually transform into some of the more tanky monster forms, Momonga took you along his usual farming route. You would one tap a zone boss and he would quickly deal the finishing blow with some absurd metamagic-buffed necrotic spell— still leaving you with 10% EXP off of level 80+ mobs.
Momonga claimed there was little reason to use both the Capgras and World Champion classes together, but to the surprise of you both it seemed the World Champion's equipment permissions carried over even through transformations— not that you had any high-level items to equip. An unexpected synergy that got around the Doppelganger's typical weakness of being unable to equip higher-tier items.
But even with Momonga's tricks your leveling was slowing down to a crawl. At Level 50 there was a sudden spike in both EXP requirements and penalties for death. Now the most effective way of gaining EXP was by clearing dungeons, but unlike overworld mob farming there was no quick and easy way to cheese that. Momonga claimed he still had a plan, and wanted to power level through a few dungeons tomorrow...
You glance once more at your calendar. You really shouldn't, not with school about to start, you being horrifically behind on your schoolwork, plus everything going on with GGO...
...
Ah, why the hell not? One more day.
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
18:26:42 YST
"Urgh!" Even without any functional pain sensors, the sudden lurch in your vision as you are forcibly dragged across the dungeon floor makes your head spin. The Garuda monster rears back with a piercing cry, but all you can focus on is keeping the enemy's arms trapped within your spider limbs.
<[Momonga]: Extend Magic! Draconic Might!>
The sudden surge of strength flips the stalemate in an instant. The bird monster squawks as you draw it in closer, smothering it in your arms until the thing finally shatters into pieces.
<[Momonga]: To the right! Reinforcements! Wall of Skeleton!>
A massive wall of bones covers the entrance to the chamber, giving you time to breathe and pop an MP potion. This particular dungeon in Svartalfheim was a gauntlet of sorts, with nigh infinitely spawning mini-boss monsters. Accounting for the EXP bonus you get for last hitting the opponent, Momonga's strategy was to solely crowd control and buff, while you culled boss after boss.
You've been at this for hours. You've only gained 6 levels.
"Is there any way to do this faster!?"
Momonga doesn't appear to have heard you, standing still and silent. He's been extremely distracted all day, performing every task with a noted lethargy. You caught him casting Spike Growth spells against Wyverns and miscasting buffs meant for you on himself.
You groan, shifting into a Demon Mage right as a Chimera bursts through the Skeleton Wall. You cast down a bolt of lightning only to wince as the goat head absorbs the magic.
"Tch, Momonga, can you just kill that one?" Annoyingly the worst enemies for you to fight were versatile enemies like Chimeras and magic knights, where your decreased base stats heavily negated any advantage of your Doppelganger transformations.
<[Momonga]: Found it! You want to do this faster? I have just the item.>
A strange pearl-white flute materializes in the boney hands of Momonga.
"No, wait, the Chimera first! Kill the—"
Somehow, despite his lack of lips, the clarion call of the whistle echoes clearly through the chamber. For a second nothing happens.
And then you're body slammed by a Dire Bear, two Flaming Rhinos and five different flavors of Dinosaur.
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
22:52:08 YST
Level 56. That's accounting for the 3 Level you lost dying. Because the YGGDRASIL devs really want to sell you microtransactions.
Want to level fast? There's a Cash Shop item for that!
Want to reduce your death penalty? There's a Cash Shop item for that!
Want to skip the whole goddamn game? There's a Cash Shop item for that too!
<[Momonga]: The EXP penalty is quite trivial. Even for me, I can do about 5 levels in a single day. The worst part about the penalty is losing your rare items—>
"I don't have any rare items to lose, and I don't have a day to grind!"
☮️
Momonga raises his peace emoticon, apparently detecting your anger. You're back in Nazarick's throne room, taking stock of your current build. Even with the untimely deaths you had many unassigned levels, and it was time to pick your first job class. Momonga was recommending the Craftsman class, but the Alchemist class was also...
...
Was there any point to all this?
Momonga's Persona was powerful, but was it worth spending all your time in YGGDRASIL? You can see why this game was so popular, the sheer amount of possibilities before you...
But with no one to play with or against.
Nobody but Momonga and the soulless NPCs of Nazarick.
"Hey Momonga," you ask, eyeing the succubus NPC standing statue still in the middle of the throne room. "Do these things even do anything?" The NPC was lavishly designed, in a tight ballroom dress that left little to the imagination. But its stillness and soulless golden eyes make her come off as nothing more than a dress-up doll.
<[Momonga]: They fight to defend Nazarick, though this one in particular has never seen combat, as no one has ever breached the Throne Room.>
You suppose being invited in doesn't count. As a test of pure curiosity you strike the NPC in the head with your fist. It flinches, but nothing else happens. Even then its eyes don't react— she must only be able to respond to certain kinds of inputs.
<[Momonga]: Stop that, [Tabula Smaragdina] would strike you down for that if he were here.>
"[Tabula Smaragdina]? The «Emerald Tablet»? That explains why he named her Albedo. I suppose there's a Nigredo and a Rubedo lying around here too?" If there was one thing that seemed to unify all of the various members of Momonga's guild, it was their dedication to sticking to a theme. Out of idle curiosity, you peruse the flavor text Albedo's creator inserted into her data.
...
New opinion. All the members of Momonga's guild are weird perverts.
<[Momonga]: Y-you understood the reference!?>
He seems taken aback by knowledge, and ignorant to your rapidly dropping opinion of his guildmate. To be fair you only knew this one because of its association with your Magnum Opus Persona...
"Like I said, I try to remain versatile. You pick up a few things here and there." You track Momonga's gaze up to one of the flags in the throne room, bearing the emblem of a squid. "I'm sure he was ah, uh... interesting person."
<[Momonga]: You two would've gotten along.>
You suspect you would be more likely to call the police on him than befriend him, but before you can protest Momonga waves his hand and an illusion of his old guildmate appears underneath his respective flag. Even the Albedo NPC briefly turns her head to look at the illusion of her creator.
You stare at the... squid monster in a gimp suit, are immediately struck with many questions, and then decide absolutely none of them are worth asking.
Momonga has stories to say about every one of his guildmates. Stories that ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime, painting a vivid picture of 40 people whom Momonga would never see again. He goes on a bit of a screed, talking about each individual NPC of Nazarick like a boy showing off his model toys. For months these 41 guild members lived and breathed in this world, putting a bit of themselves into each corner of Nazarick— at times spending real-life money, and always spending real-life time.
You don't know if it was love, or pride, or just simple boredom— but you were witnessing something people sacrificed for. And now it was all going to go away, with the press of a button. "Hey Momonga, thanks for showing a newbie around. I had fun here."
<[Momonga]: You enjoyed yourself?>
"Yeah. It's like speedrunning to an MMO endgame. And we figured out a new synergy between World Champion and Doppelganger classes— something to add to the guides. I would've loved to see this game at its peak. Shame it's shutting down so soon." Momonga immediately lowers his head at your words. You wince, deciding that may have been too blunt.
"H-hey, it's not all bad. What will you do after YGGDRASIL ends? There's plenty of other games out there..."
<[Momonga]: I suppose I'll do the same thing I did before. Eat. Sleep. Work. And do it all over again, until I can do it no longer. The same thing you will be doing.>
You haven't thought that far yet. You can't think that far, not with the world on the brink as it is. The world you are looking to save... is not YGGDRASIL, nor Nazarick. It's... the place where Suzuki Satoru eat, sleeps, works... and does it all over again. The world where, one day, you will do the exact same thing.
<[Momonga]: Let us call it a night. I have to get up quite early tomorrow again...>
"Again? I thought you had today off due to the typhoon?" He seemed sleepy and distracted all day.
Momonga laughs ruefully.
<[Momonga]: A surprise message from the boss. I had to go in this morning, and I'm expected to do the same next morning.>
So when you were sleeping off your overnight grind session, Momonga was shuffling through his day job, just to spend all night grinding dungeons with you. "...You didn't have to go that far. I'm not all that interested in reaching max level, so please go get some sleep. I have my own work I've been putting off as well..."
<[Momonga]: That's right, you work many jobs, do you not? It's rare to see a high school student catching the last train home. I understand, we all have our... responsibilities. It was good to meet you [Lux]. I had... fun as well.>
"It's not like we'll never talk to each other again. I'll come back to YGGDRASIL sometime. Maybe I can put up a better fight next time!"
He jerks at the words 'Next time'. The words seem alien to him. He's no doubt it heard it 40 times already, and found the words to be lies 40 times.
<[Momonga]: Yes... next time. See you next time, [Lux].>
You gave a final half-bow to the King of this Tomb. Even Momonga has to go back to work, so you can't afford to procrastinate. Kikuoka was right, you needed a break. Playing YGGDRASIL wasn't much of one, but it wasn't as painful as you had feared. There's no mind control, no Kayaba Akihiko plot, no SEED, just... a flawed and janky piece of entertainment, and the one soul that still plays it.
<[Momonga]: Wait!>
It's Momonga. He seems to have come to a decision. There's a pressure building as he looks down at you from his throne, while a golden light wraps around his fingers. It resolves into the shape of something truly unexpected— a scroll, glowing and decorated, in a manner that oozes expense.
Your gaze flicks up at Momonga. This... wasn't what you were expecting.
<[Momonga]: The Great Tomb of Nazarick is difficult to find, and its defenses are mighty. Should you log on when I'm not here, you may use the resources of Nazarick to help you level. And [Lux], I did declare that the title of World Champion to be the property of «Ainz Ooal Gown». I have already maxed out my Level, and can no longer claim the title. Another member will have to bear the burden of carrying the title until Touch-san returns.>
From the unfurled scroll falls a single ring. Adorned in Ruby with the sigil of «Ainz Ooal Gown». You don't sense any sinister plot from Momonga. The man really was who he seemed.
Just... lonely.
You put the ring on, sign the scroll and log out as the 43nd member of «Ainz Ooal Gown».
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
Velvet Room
The root of this world is diseased. A rot that transcends culture and circumstance. DEATH, LIES, CONTROL, they are not forces from without, besieging mankind's walls. They are a symptom, for at the heart of humanity now lies ennui. The belief that life means nothing, that other's lives mean nothing.
Mankind walks forward with no purpose, moved only by base fears. In every aspect except one mankind wallows in emptiness. Yes, there is one light, one true shining hope— for mankind, despite all its suffering, still dreams. Still longs for HEAVEN.
STRENGTH is a victim of this world. In his dream there will be the same meaningless lives that he sees in this one. Like a child lashing out in its ignorance he will hurt and kill but also learn. He will learn that instead of something to hoard, he will have something to lose. That instead of something to mourn, he will have something to love.
In order for this waking corpse to truly come to life, it must first shed its humanity. It must shed its ennui. And so the sleeping god shall leave his tomb, and bring with it change, destruction even... but also hope. A hope for a brighter tomorrow, a hope of conquest, of pain...
Of true meaning.
And should you disagree with his conduct? There is room aplenty for two Overlords in STRENGTH's domain.
Fuse Shokushinbutsu and the «World Champion of Alfheim» into...
[ ] Rainbow Body
You are the love that enlightens the soul and its knowledge;
You are the Effulgent Lustre that abides even in a small atom;
You fill with the ambrosia of your Grace,
Every pore of their bones, their flesh and their five senses,
And the sense organs, their breaths, the Five Elements,
That constitute the human body, the soul and its active love
That has helped to gain the divine knowledge to know you.
You are the Divine River that springs within them,
Becomes brimful, and overflows with Grace and Bliss.
-Excerpt of a poem by Tirumular.
STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank S (6 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Weakness: Elec, Psy, Instant Death Effects
Null: All Physical
Archetype [Real Deal: Transcend]: You are light, passing through this transitory world. Be not afraid, for salvation will come to those who wish for it, and those who do not in equal measure. You are narratively intangible to physical forces, and any speeches you give will naturally take on the cadence of a sermon, for better or worse.
Skills:
Hamaon: Forcibly disconnect target Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer», and destabilizes their connection if resisted. [CHT/LOGOUT]
Meditation: Your sutra will call forth true peace. Strike at the target's Fluctlight and take their karma into yourself, dealing more damage the less sure they are of their own existence. By default does 2 damage. [ALMIGHTY DRAIN]
Divine Endure: Whenever you would take fatal damage or become afflicted by an Instant Death effect, instead survive with 1 HP, provided you have SP to spare. [5 SP] [PASSIVE]
Merciful Mediarama: Generates a healing LUMINOUS element and send it into the sky. Heals all entities based on your unopposed CHT roll. [CHT/HEAL]
RELEASE RECOLLECTION
In truth there is for me no form, no sensation, no perception, no karmic formation, no consciousness, no form, no smell, no sense consciousness or object of sense consciousness and so forth; there is no self or other and no distinction of 'Buddhas' and 'sentient beings'; everything remains in the naturally perfect state of pure equality. From the depths of my heart I wish there were some way you could all be made to understand the truth in this, but you do not see it.
[Saṃbhogakāya]: No entities on the battlefield may deliberately launch a STR, MAG or weapon based attack without first succeeding on an opposed CHT roll against yourself (ties resolve in favor of opponent). Entities are not restricted from using CHT abilities or performing narrative battlefield manipulation techniques (ie, shooting at environmental fixtures, etc). [5 SP/Scene]
The root of this world is diseased. A rot that transcends culture and circumstance. DEATH, LIES, CONTROL, they are not curses raining down, they are the answer to the question, the whip that drives us forward. For at the heart of humanity lies ennui, and given the choice mankind will seek it like fireflies to the flame.
Who would not choose a dream? Who would not decide to be a god? To tear it all down and build it anew? To become a creature who has everything and can do anything— to become ennui incarnate?
He asks for the power to be granted to him, when he should instead seize it with bloody hands. He wants friends and servants to love him, when instead he should change himself— change others! Lie! Kill! Drown not in the digital wisps of a hollow dream, but in the sweat, blood and tears of the struggle!
STRENGTH does not seek death for its own sake. Yet still the corpses will pile, the rubble will fall, and all he beholds will be as ash and dust— for what reason? So that he need not be lonely. So that he can have his precious meaning. So that he may be entertained.
Fuse Shokushinbutsu and the «Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown» into...
[ ] Ash Nazg
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
-Except from Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkein.
STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank A (5 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Weakness: Slash, Fire
Null: Curse
Archetype [Real Deal: Dark Lord]: You are all-seeing, all-powerful and all too willing to play the long game. You are in control of your emotions and able to switch from a fair oration to a violent, cursed screed at the drop of a ring. You have a tendency to favor plans that are entirely too complicated for your own good.
Skills:
Starfall Crater: Imbues a blunt melee weapon or your fist with the power of an infernal forge, striking with a molten blow that shatters and deforms metal when struck. [STR/BLUNT/FIRE/MELEE]
Eigaon [Wraith Form]: Generate an UMBRAL element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. Specifically manifests as a horde of wraiths invisible to your opponent through normal means. [MAG/CURSE]
Dominate: Initiates Stage 1 Synthesis Ritual and attempts to brainwash all opponents— but with a maximum duration of only a single Scene. [CHT/CHARM]
Mudoon: Purge target Artifical Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer», and forcibly injects knowledge of the transience of their existence if resisted. [CHT/INSTANT KILL]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
[The One Ring]: Your Persona manifests as a physical Ring. You retain the abilities and stat bonuses of your Persona even when the Ring is separated from you. Your Ring can 'teleport' within your line of sight when separated (ie, you can always consider the Ring to be in range) but must be willingly picked up in order to gain its effects. An enemy that is CHARMED, MAD or in DESPAIR will almost always prioritize equipping the Ring above all else. You may also narratively attempt to trick the Ring onto others. Generally speaking, manipulating your Ring is considered a Free Action. If you switch Personas while the Ring is on another, you cannot dispel the effects until you reclaim the Ring. [Mandatory 1 SP/scene] [PASSIVE]
When Equipped to yourself [Default state]: Grants +2 Real Deal Bonus on all actions. You are IMMUNE to Mind Altering Status Effects.
When Equipped to another: Grants +2 Real Deal Bonus on all actions. They are WEAK to Mind Altering Status Effects and Instant Death Effects. They become narratively invisible to all but yourself. They are forcefully subjected to an attempted Eigaon [Wraith Form] attack and Dominate attack, targeting themselves using Kuro's stats, each Scene until the ring is removed. They may attempt to remove the Ring once per turn via opposed CHT roll with DISADVANTAGE or by cutting off their hand.
AN: The Overlord SL got away from me, so I decided just to go straight to Rank 3 that way I didn't have to think up a super move for a Persona that was going to be immediately replaced. Also lets me further tempt you all with the RD shenanigans for the endgame!
MONDAY - June 16th, 2025
Afternoon
"Hey."
You snuggle up harder against Kuma-kun, willing the voice to cease. The hospital bed is rock hard but you're just so exhausted...
"Hey!"
Your warm and fluffy bear is ripped away from you— Kuma-kun still has the imprint of your drool on his face. You grab for his warmth, but he's no longer where he should be, replaced by nothing the cold stagnant air of the hospital. There's some big plastic band jammed over your eyes that you lift over your forehead.
Shino stands next to you, holding a breakfast tray. She looks more annoyed than usual. "You look horrible. How did you fall sleep with that on? I hope you're not doing that with the NerveGear."
You set the Amusphere to the side and give a glance at the clock. It's 2PM. You've only been asleep for 5 hours or so, but it feels as if you got zero. Though your body is stiff you still feel dazed, unable to even contemplate doing anything else other than crawling back under the covers.
"The storm's over," Shino glances out the hospital window. "The roads are still pretty bad, and all the transit systems are out of service. We need to get out of hospital— and just what were you doing all night?"
"Important stuff..." you mumble.
She doesn't fail to hide her visible skepticism. "Seems super important, I'm sure. C'mon, let's get out of here."
"Gimme a second..." you close your eyes and roll over, but find yourself immediately nudged in the side. "Stop that... I'm too tired, maybe you can carry me back..."
"No. You weigh more than me."
"I do not! I've got muscles now!" Said muscles immediately betray you and stiffen in pain as soon you make a single attempt at getting up. Shino shakes her head as she brings the breakfast tray closer.
"Just... we need you at your best, alright? Between『 』and Pitohui things have gotten very complicated, very quickly. Remember the Derby is on July 13th, and we have first-semester Finals immediately afterward. We have less than a month and that time is going to pass us by faster than we think. Oh, and school's off until June 18th. I got a message assigning me homework through the break— your teachers are probably doing the same."
Good news with the bad, as always...
"Now eat up. Get changed and then we'll meet in the waiting room downstairs."
Shino grabs your blanket and takes it with her, the traitor, leaving you alone in the room with the sole stuffed animal you brought. You... should be getting back now. The AC needs to be checked, and you have to remove all the plushies from the waterproof garbage bag you put them in and—
Damnit.
The Derby. Finals. Work.
You're half awake eating tasteless slop, contemplating your pile of responsibilities and—
...
You've only reached Level 40 so far. Momonga lent you cold immunity armor and had you go on a killing spree in Niflheim, farming the Everfrost Caverns. The elemental spirits in that zone attacked solely with cold elemental damage. Usually, the zone was sucked dry by various bots but it appears even they now avoided YGGDRASIL, the one you saw in the starting zone being one its creator likely forgot was even running.
Level 15 in «Doppelganger», gives you a total of 15 forms you could switch to, provided they were monsters.
Level 15 in «Changeling», allows you to mimic player characters, though not their equipment.
Level 10 in «Greater Doppelganger», increasing the total number of forms up to 40, alongside the ability to copy lower-tiered equipment.
Momonga took you on a teleport guided whirlwind tour of all the useful low-level mobs in YGGDRASIL while walking you through your character optimization. Death Knights with their useful ability to resist one fatal attack, no matter how strong. Stone Golems for the best melee defense until Level 50. Blink Wolves, Lesser Shambling Mounds, Storm Hawks and even min maxed player classes, all duplicated from NPC Mercenaries Momonga hired from his bottomless pit of YGGDRASIL gold.
There's a capstone to your class, a hidden 'secret' that Momonga stated he believed only he knew about. The «Capgras», a final tier of the Doppelganger line that unlocked a passive build scan ability and granted you the ability to copy targets even without fighting them first. There was a dungeon in the depths of Vanaheim open to solo Doppelganger challengers, and Momonga would have you challenge it.
You glance at the clock. You were expected there in about 6 hours, right when the early evening was to begin. Prime time for GGO— for work.
...
Things can wait, can't they? Shiroe was right, Death Gun seemed strangely hesitant to act. Pitohui was content to wait.『 』would do some bullshit regardless of what you tried, so what's the point in worrying? It's just a few levels. A new ability to try, a dungeon to conquer— maybe you could go for that «World Champion» quest. Just one or two days. Just...
MONDAY - June 16th, 2025
20:32:02 YST
Your first mistake was thinking that YGGDRASIL was a game about reflexes. Even on the frontlines you were constrained by low-quality Dive signals and anything even remotely supernatural in terms of speed or strength needed to be managed through careful application of skills from a hotbar.
What was it Momonga said?
To play on the frontlines was to be at a sports meet.
You raise your hand, encased in the reinforced concrete of a Stone Golem. The faceless warrior slams its axe against your defense. You rush forth in an impromptu body check, all 500kg of simulated weight pushing you forward, knocking your opponent flat on their back.
Your second mistake was thinking that YGGDRASIL was just a game about ability rotations. You had your keyboard console open, a phantom human hand typing at the dozens of different command macros you had pinned— each changing with every form. The sheer weight of your options was overwhelming.
To play on the backlines was to be a concert pianist.
A faceless druid raises a hundred vines in the air. The tendrils wrap around your massive frame but in the next second you're a Shambling Mound and the vines are absorbed into your body for a near instant health refresh. Whatever countermeasure your opponent has prepared dies as you quick change into a simple human mage and expel a Maximized Fireball straight into it.
Your final mistake? Assuming that YGGDRASIL was a fair game.
"These shitty devs..!"
A dozen panels open along the side of the arena. A Thief, a Fighter, a Cleric... representatives from all the major combat classes all seem to have their arms raised— doppelgangers all. This was the capstone quest, a solo gauntlet through all the varied ways YGGDRASIL had to kill you. Momonga didn't mention that they'd end the fight by coming at you all at once.
The wings of a Storm Hawk lift you above the intersecting blades of four DPS units.
With the weight of a Stone Golem you slam onto the ground, smearing an Assassin in the process. You're a Shambling Mound again, and the Fighter is seized by a hundred arms straight into the incoming thunderbolt of its own ally. A Thief swings for a limb and you're a Wraith, the attack passing through you as you pass through it, taking its heart with you in the process.
To be versatile, to be everything was to be at the sports meet while playing the piano. With your feet.
A half dozen skeletons summoned by the Necromancer gets batted away by a swipe of your Ankylodon tail. You catch the Wizard mid cast and with a twist in the air you bite its throat out as a Blink Wolf.
And so it goes. And so it ends.
Your head rings as the final Paladin slams his hammer down, saturating your Death Knight form in holy light. Your HP falls down to the faintest sliver— but no more, as you ram your sword through the helmet of the NPC. Every single foe brought out to bear against you lays dead on the floor, the silvery blood of dozens of enemy Doppelgangers mixing together as you stand atop a literal silver sea of corpses.
A notification rings out in your menu.
<You have reached Level 41!>
<You have unlocked the special class: «Capgras». Equip now?>
The pool of silvery blood comes alive, squirming and flowing into a pillar that builds in the center of the arena. In what likely passes in YGGDRASIL for a pre-rendered cutscene you temporarily lose control of your avatar, shifting back into your base form, now that of a Greater Doppelganger.
The pool rises into the air, elongating and condensing until a silhouette takes shape, a creature with four limbs and long silver hair. You think you see it, the briefest flash of gold within the hollow indents that pass for eyes— your vision cuts out, a pre-recorded latin chant fills the air and then—
You open your eyes. You are in the center of the room, silvery blood still dripping off of you. Standing at your feet is your old body, a puppet with its strings cut, collapsed against the floor utterly unmoving.
...
It was a cheap effect, but you have to admit to being just a little bit impressed.
<[Momonga]: You finished it one try? It appears you truly are experienced fighting in different forms.>
The skeleton walks through the opening of the dungeon. You catch him glancing up and down your still unmoving form— nodding in appreciation. You shift yourself back into a form you're more familiar with before you're hit with an idea—
It's your new ability. You can see his Class Levels— 40 in the Skeleton Mage Racial Tree and the rest in various Necromancer-related specializations. You type in the new form into the virtual keyboard...
<Skeleton Mage Level 15, Lich Level 10, Elder Lich Level 10, Overlord Level 5—>
Momonga spams that stupid emoticon of his again. You cross your newly formed skeletal arms, and glower at him from your new height. Momonga simply holds up a hand mirror and turns it towards you.
...
Well. You suppose a buck naked skeleton isn't the most intimidating look.
MONDAY - June 16th, 2025
22:48:46 YST
The «World Tree» itself was much unlike the alabaster tower you've come to expect from ALO. In YGGDRASIL it looks much more traditional, a simple wooden trunk displayed on the far-off horizon, towering over the level, with an array of rainbow leaves all around it. The Tree itself existed only in the backdrop, there was no actual zone for it.
<[Momonga]: Touch-san suspected it was going to be added in an expansion. I think the entrance is still somewhere out there, waiting for a Player to stumble upon it. YGGDRASIL loves to keep you looking.>
It also strikes you as a super useful excuse if, perchance, the devs ran out of money. Just hide it behind some GM lock and trick players into thinking it was real, or in YGGDRASIL's case, wait for a player to design it themselves.
Momonga has brought you to Alfheim, to undertake the quest for the «World Champion» title. It was typically a long, time-consuming process, first requiring you to reach +400 Karma points. Karma could only be increased by undertaking extremely tedious quests for the NPCs of the good-aligned realms— or by simply shifting into the form of a high Karma monster.
Then you needed the honored blessings of the Fairy King and Queen— Oberon and Titania to your great disgust— but Momonga handed you two Quest Skip potions and with a flick on your console, you had two glowing signatures alongside a completed questlog. The game had most Cash Shop items as account locked, but this was one of the few exceptions and for that you were thankful. You were not interested in spending 5 hours reenacting Shakespeare for the video game equivalent of a participation trophy.
Which brings you here. A level 41 Capgras, with little more than the clothes on your back, facing the final challenge of the dreaded «World Champion» questline. Upon the foot of the «World Tree» lies a circular coliseum. It would look more impressive if you hadn't already seen this exact same building at least three separate times along Momonga's world tour.
<[Momonga]: Stop. No need to rush, we could be ambushed at any second. As a Heteromorph remember that you are always at risk of PKing.>
From who, you almost want to ask. You haven't seen a single other player all day besides Momonga. But you sigh as your companion casts a litany of detection spells— he insists on doing it practically every zone change, and you've long since given up on convincing him otherwise.
In the background, some stupid lore about the nature of the «World Champion» is being spouted off by a pre-canned announcement. You tune it out and watch the lich beside you instead.
"Couldn't you have taken this Title whenever you wanted? Does anyone even want this anymore?"
<[Momonga]: It would not synergize with my build, and YGGDRASIL bans all alt accounts. If I were to steal it, it would mean Touch-san would need to slay me to claim it again. I would not wish that to hang over our reunion.>
"Was Touch-san a friend of yours?" you ask, thankful you have a way of referring to this warrior without using his full name.
There's a moment of silence as Momonga stares at the sky and the tree off in the distance.
<[Momonga]: I do not know. I was PK'd constantly when I first started— I found the game to be an unpleasant experience until Touch-san asked me to join his clan. I suppose we must've had an enjoyable time together... to a point.>
There's a bitterness in his tone. The unmistakable truth that ultimately this Touch left the guild— that they all left.
"Did you take over «Ainz Ooal Gown» after Touch-san left?"
<[Momonga]: Once we had enough players to form a guild, everyone voted for me as the Leader, Touch-san included. That was long before they left— no, I misspoke. He did not leave, he is simply taking a break from the game.>
He says it like a mantra, but it's clear even Momonga doesn't believe it. The cutscene for the «World Champion» battle plays in the background. The two of you ignore it. "Why don't you look for him? He probably got bored or realized he couldn't afford to keep up with the money sink. That's probably true for all of your guildmates. You could still meet up IRL or play a different game—"
<[Momonga]: No... that would be... disrespectful. There was no great schism, no drama. People left because life got in the way. To join «Ainz Ooal Gown» required only two things: to be a Heteromorph and to be a productive member of society. We all promised each other that the game would be our escape from the real world, not our substitute for it. We poured our all into the game because it was our sanctuary— but the real world waits for no man.>
The theatrics are dying down. A random goddess whose name you doubt even Momonga has bothered to memorize calls for challengers to the title to step forth and face each other in mortal combat for her pleasure.
<[Momonga]: Everyone has their own lives to live. If it wasn't for YGGDRASIL we never would've met, and without YGGDRASIL we have nothing in common. So to answer your question, I would say: no. Touch-san was not my friend. We were guildmates— nothing more... and nothing less. And in honor of those guildmates, I vowed to keep our sanctuary safe, so that if anyone ever wished to return...>
There's a quiet intensity in Momonga's voice. A self-imposed burden he's placed around his own neck, though perhaps it would be more accurate to call it his shining light in the dark? You can't tell if he's broken by this game— or broken without it. MAXWELL said he was once a lost soul, chasing the promise that CONTROL would have granted him. And the freedom that he was granted brought him... here. To YGGDRASIL.
Your thoughts are interrupted. The quest line isn't about to let up— the over-decorated goddess calls out your name, and summons a weird-looking crystal. A prayer of Norse gibberish accompanies a lightshow, and a pillar of energy flows into your avatar with the fanfare of a completed tutorial quest.
And so with a wave of your hand, a notification confirms it— you are now, as far as YGGDRASIL is concerned— the «World Champion of Alfheim». Feeling the event lacks a bit of pizazz, you take out a noisemaker from your inventory and pull the tab— spraying confetti all over the floor with the sound of a wet fart.
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
Early Morning
You awaken in your own room. Your AC, rattled but still fully functional, offers a steady stream of cooling air. Some storm water seeped out of your bathroom but beyond that, your room was completely undamaged. You recreate your plushie fort and set the Amusphere next to your bed.
"...what time is it?"
Your clock says 4AM. Tomorrow, or more accurately later today, was the last free day you have until school restarts. After you claimed the role of Champion, Momonga insisted you at least level up enough to fully max out both of your prestige classes. Now that you had enough abilities to actually transform into some of the more tanky monster forms, Momonga took you along his usual farming route. You would one tap a zone boss and he would quickly deal the finishing blow with some absurd metamagic-buffed necrotic spell— still leaving you with 10% EXP off of level 80+ mobs.
Momonga claimed there was little reason to use both the Capgras and World Champion classes together, but to the surprise of you both it seemed the World Champion's equipment permissions carried over even through transformations— not that you had any high-level items to equip. An unexpected synergy that got around the Doppelganger's typical weakness of being unable to equip higher-tier items.
But even with Momonga's tricks your leveling was slowing down to a crawl. At Level 50 there was a sudden spike in both EXP requirements and penalties for death. Now the most effective way of gaining EXP was by clearing dungeons, but unlike overworld mob farming there was no quick and easy way to cheese that. Momonga claimed he still had a plan, and wanted to power level through a few dungeons tomorrow...
You glance once more at your calendar. You really shouldn't, not with school about to start, you being horrifically behind on your schoolwork, plus everything going on with GGO...
...
Ah, why the hell not? One more day.
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
18:26:42 YST
"Urgh!" Even without any functional pain sensors, the sudden lurch in your vision as you are forcibly dragged across the dungeon floor makes your head spin. The Garuda monster rears back with a piercing cry, but all you can focus on is keeping the enemy's arms trapped within your spider limbs.
<[Momonga]: Extend Magic! Draconic Might!>
The sudden surge of strength flips the stalemate in an instant. The bird monster squawks as you draw it in closer, smothering it in your arms until the thing finally shatters into pieces.
<[Momonga]: To the right! Reinforcements! Wall of Skeleton!>
A massive wall of bones covers the entrance to the chamber, giving you time to breathe and pop an MP potion. This particular dungeon in Svartalfheim was a gauntlet of sorts, with nigh infinitely spawning mini-boss monsters. Accounting for the EXP bonus you get for last hitting the opponent, Momonga's strategy was to solely crowd control and buff, while you culled boss after boss.
You've been at this for hours. You've only gained 6 levels.
"Is there any way to do this faster!?"
Momonga doesn't appear to have heard you, standing still and silent. He's been extremely distracted all day, performing every task with a noted lethargy. You caught him casting Spike Growth spells against Wyverns and miscasting buffs meant for you on himself.
You groan, shifting into a Demon Mage right as a Chimera bursts through the Skeleton Wall. You cast down a bolt of lightning only to wince as the goat head absorbs the magic.
"Tch, Momonga, can you just kill that one?" Annoyingly the worst enemies for you to fight were versatile enemies like Chimeras and magic knights, where your decreased base stats heavily negated any advantage of your Doppelganger transformations.
<[Momonga]: Found it! You want to do this faster? I have just the item.>
A strange pearl-white flute materializes in the boney hands of Momonga.
"No, wait, the Chimera first! Kill the—"
Somehow, despite his lack of lips, the clarion call of the whistle echoes clearly through the chamber. For a second nothing happens.
And then you're body slammed by a Dire Bear, two Flaming Rhinos and five different flavors of Dinosaur.
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
22:52:08 YST
Level 56. That's accounting for the 3 Level you lost dying. Because the YGGDRASIL devs really want to sell you microtransactions.
Want to level fast? There's a Cash Shop item for that!
Want to reduce your death penalty? There's a Cash Shop item for that!
Want to skip the whole goddamn game? There's a Cash Shop item for that too!
<[Momonga]: The EXP penalty is quite trivial. Even for me, I can do about 5 levels in a single day. The worst part about the penalty is losing your rare items—>
"I don't have any rare items to lose, and I don't have a day to grind!"
☮️
Momonga raises his peace emoticon, apparently detecting your anger. You're back in Nazarick's throne room, taking stock of your current build. Even with the untimely deaths you had many unassigned levels, and it was time to pick your first job class. Momonga was recommending the Craftsman class, but the Alchemist class was also...
...
Was there any point to all this?
Momonga's Persona was powerful, but was it worth spending all your time in YGGDRASIL? You can see why this game was so popular, the sheer amount of possibilities before you...
But with no one to play with or against.
Nobody but Momonga and the soulless NPCs of Nazarick.
"Hey Momonga," you ask, eyeing the succubus NPC standing statue still in the middle of the throne room. "Do these things even do anything?" The NPC was lavishly designed, in a tight ballroom dress that left little to the imagination. But its stillness and soulless golden eyes make her come off as nothing more than a dress-up doll.
<[Momonga]: They fight to defend Nazarick, though this one in particular has never seen combat, as no one has ever breached the Throne Room.>
You suppose being invited in doesn't count. As a test of pure curiosity you strike the NPC in the head with your fist. It flinches, but nothing else happens. Even then its eyes don't react— she must only be able to respond to certain kinds of inputs.
<[Momonga]: Stop that, [Tabula Smaragdina] would strike you down for that if he were here.>
"[Tabula Smaragdina]? The «Emerald Tablet»? That explains why he named her Albedo. I suppose there's a Nigredo and a Rubedo lying around here too?" If there was one thing that seemed to unify all of the various members of Momonga's guild, it was their dedication to sticking to a theme. Out of idle curiosity, you peruse the flavor text Albedo's creator inserted into her data.
...
New opinion. All the members of Momonga's guild are weird perverts.
<[Momonga]: Y-you understood the reference!?>
He seems taken aback by knowledge, and ignorant to your rapidly dropping opinion of his guildmate. To be fair you only knew this one because of its association with your Magnum Opus Persona...
"Like I said, I try to remain versatile. You pick up a few things here and there." You track Momonga's gaze up to one of the flags in the throne room, bearing the emblem of a squid. "I'm sure he was ah, uh... interesting person."
<[Momonga]: You two would've gotten along.>
You suspect you would be more likely to call the police on him than befriend him, but before you can protest Momonga waves his hand and an illusion of his old guildmate appears underneath his respective flag. Even the Albedo NPC briefly turns her head to look at the illusion of her creator.
You stare at the... squid monster in a gimp suit, are immediately struck with many questions, and then decide absolutely none of them are worth asking.
Momonga has stories to say about every one of his guildmates. Stories that ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime, painting a vivid picture of 40 people whom Momonga would never see again. He goes on a bit of a screed, talking about each individual NPC of Nazarick like a boy showing off his model toys. For months these 41 guild members lived and breathed in this world, putting a bit of themselves into each corner of Nazarick— at times spending real-life money, and always spending real-life time.
You don't know if it was love, or pride, or just simple boredom— but you were witnessing something people sacrificed for. And now it was all going to go away, with the press of a button. "Hey Momonga, thanks for showing a newbie around. I had fun here."
<[Momonga]: You enjoyed yourself?>
"Yeah. It's like speedrunning to an MMO endgame. And we figured out a new synergy between World Champion and Doppelganger classes— something to add to the guides. I would've loved to see this game at its peak. Shame it's shutting down so soon." Momonga immediately lowers his head at your words. You wince, deciding that may have been too blunt.
"H-hey, it's not all bad. What will you do after YGGDRASIL ends? There's plenty of other games out there..."
<[Momonga]: I suppose I'll do the same thing I did before. Eat. Sleep. Work. And do it all over again, until I can do it no longer. The same thing you will be doing.>
You haven't thought that far yet. You can't think that far, not with the world on the brink as it is. The world you are looking to save... is not YGGDRASIL, nor Nazarick. It's... the place where Suzuki Satoru eat, sleeps, works... and does it all over again. The world where, one day, you will do the exact same thing.
<[Momonga]: Let us call it a night. I have to get up quite early tomorrow again...>
"Again? I thought you had today off due to the typhoon?" He seemed sleepy and distracted all day.
Momonga laughs ruefully.
<[Momonga]: A surprise message from the boss. I had to go in this morning, and I'm expected to do the same next morning.>
So when you were sleeping off your overnight grind session, Momonga was shuffling through his day job, just to spend all night grinding dungeons with you. "...You didn't have to go that far. I'm not all that interested in reaching max level, so please go get some sleep. I have my own work I've been putting off as well..."
<[Momonga]: That's right, you work many jobs, do you not? It's rare to see a high school student catching the last train home. I understand, we all have our... responsibilities. It was good to meet you [Lux]. I had... fun as well.>
"It's not like we'll never talk to each other again. I'll come back to YGGDRASIL sometime. Maybe I can put up a better fight next time!"
He jerks at the words 'Next time'. The words seem alien to him. He's no doubt it heard it 40 times already, and found the words to be lies 40 times.
<[Momonga]: Yes... next time. See you next time, [Lux].>
You gave a final half-bow to the King of this Tomb. Even Momonga has to go back to work, so you can't afford to procrastinate. Kikuoka was right, you needed a break. Playing YGGDRASIL wasn't much of one, but it wasn't as painful as you had feared. There's no mind control, no Kayaba Akihiko plot, no SEED, just... a flawed and janky piece of entertainment, and the one soul that still plays it.
<[Momonga]: Wait!>
It's Momonga. He seems to have come to a decision. There's a pressure building as he looks down at you from his throne, while a golden light wraps around his fingers. It resolves into the shape of something truly unexpected— a scroll, glowing and decorated, in a manner that oozes expense.
<You have been invited into the guild «Ainz Ooal Gown». Accept [Y/N]?>
Your gaze flicks up at Momonga. This... wasn't what you were expecting.
<[Momonga]: The Great Tomb of Nazarick is difficult to find, and its defenses are mighty. Should you log on when I'm not here, you may use the resources of Nazarick to help you level. And [Lux], I did declare that the title of World Champion to be the property of «Ainz Ooal Gown». I have already maxed out my Level, and can no longer claim the title. Another member will have to bear the burden of carrying the title until Touch-san returns.>
From the unfurled scroll falls a single ring. Adorned in Ruby with the sigil of «Ainz Ooal Gown». You don't sense any sinister plot from Momonga. The man really was who he seemed.
Just... lonely.
You put the ring on, sign the scroll and log out as the 43nd member of «Ainz Ooal Gown».
TUESDAY - June 17th, 2025
Velvet Room
The root of this world is diseased. A rot that transcends culture and circumstance. DEATH, LIES, CONTROL, they are not forces from without, besieging mankind's walls. They are a symptom, for at the heart of humanity now lies ennui. The belief that life means nothing, that other's lives mean nothing.
Mankind walks forward with no purpose, moved only by base fears. In every aspect except one mankind wallows in emptiness. Yes, there is one light, one true shining hope— for mankind, despite all its suffering, still dreams. Still longs for HEAVEN.
STRENGTH is a victim of this world. In his dream there will be the same meaningless lives that he sees in this one. Like a child lashing out in its ignorance he will hurt and kill but also learn. He will learn that instead of something to hoard, he will have something to lose. That instead of something to mourn, he will have something to love.
In order for this waking corpse to truly come to life, it must first shed its humanity. It must shed its ennui. And so the sleeping god shall leave his tomb, and bring with it change, destruction even... but also hope. A hope for a brighter tomorrow, a hope of conquest, of pain...
Of true meaning.
And should you disagree with his conduct? There is room aplenty for two Overlords in STRENGTH's domain.
Fuse Shokushinbutsu and the «World Champion of Alfheim» into...
[ ] Rainbow Body
You are the love that enlightens the soul and its knowledge;
You are the Effulgent Lustre that abides even in a small atom;
You fill with the ambrosia of your Grace,
Every pore of their bones, their flesh and their five senses,
And the sense organs, their breaths, the Five Elements,
That constitute the human body, the soul and its active love
That has helped to gain the divine knowledge to know you.
You are the Divine River that springs within them,
Becomes brimful, and overflows with Grace and Bliss.
-Excerpt of a poem by Tirumular.
STR: Rank F (0 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank F (0 Dice)
VIT: Rank S (6 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Weakness: Elec, Psy, Instant Death Effects
Null: All Physical
Archetype [Real Deal: Transcend]: You are light, passing through this transitory world. Be not afraid, for salvation will come to those who wish for it, and those who do not in equal measure. You are narratively intangible to physical forces, and any speeches you give will naturally take on the cadence of a sermon, for better or worse.
Skills:
Hamaon: Forcibly disconnect target Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer», and destabilizes their connection if resisted. [CHT/LOGOUT]
Meditation: Your sutra will call forth true peace. Strike at the target's Fluctlight and take their karma into yourself, dealing more damage the less sure they are of their own existence. By default does 2 damage. [ALMIGHTY DRAIN]
Divine Endure: Whenever you would take fatal damage or become afflicted by an Instant Death effect, instead survive with 1 HP, provided you have SP to spare. [5 SP] [PASSIVE]
Merciful Mediarama: Generates a healing LUMINOUS element and send it into the sky. Heals all entities based on your unopposed CHT roll. [CHT/HEAL]
RELEASE RECOLLECTION
In truth there is for me no form, no sensation, no perception, no karmic formation, no consciousness, no form, no smell, no sense consciousness or object of sense consciousness and so forth; there is no self or other and no distinction of 'Buddhas' and 'sentient beings'; everything remains in the naturally perfect state of pure equality. From the depths of my heart I wish there were some way you could all be made to understand the truth in this, but you do not see it.
[Saṃbhogakāya]: No entities on the battlefield may deliberately launch a STR, MAG or weapon based attack without first succeeding on an opposed CHT roll against yourself (ties resolve in favor of opponent). Entities are not restricted from using CHT abilities or performing narrative battlefield manipulation techniques (ie, shooting at environmental fixtures, etc). [5 SP/Scene]
The root of this world is diseased. A rot that transcends culture and circumstance. DEATH, LIES, CONTROL, they are not curses raining down, they are the answer to the question, the whip that drives us forward. For at the heart of humanity lies ennui, and given the choice mankind will seek it like fireflies to the flame.
Who would not choose a dream? Who would not decide to be a god? To tear it all down and build it anew? To become a creature who has everything and can do anything— to become ennui incarnate?
He asks for the power to be granted to him, when he should instead seize it with bloody hands. He wants friends and servants to love him, when instead he should change himself— change others! Lie! Kill! Drown not in the digital wisps of a hollow dream, but in the sweat, blood and tears of the struggle!
STRENGTH does not seek death for its own sake. Yet still the corpses will pile, the rubble will fall, and all he beholds will be as ash and dust— for what reason? So that he need not be lonely. So that he can have his precious meaning. So that he may be entertained.
Fuse Shokushinbutsu and the «Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown» into...
[ ] Ash Nazg
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
-Except from Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkein.
STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank A (5 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank B (4 Dice)
Weakness: Slash, Fire
Null: Curse
Archetype [Real Deal: Dark Lord]: You are all-seeing, all-powerful and all too willing to play the long game. You are in control of your emotions and able to switch from a fair oration to a violent, cursed screed at the drop of a ring. You have a tendency to favor plans that are entirely too complicated for your own good.
Skills:
Starfall Crater: Imbues a blunt melee weapon or your fist with the power of an infernal forge, striking with a molten blow that shatters and deforms metal when struck. [STR/BLUNT/FIRE/MELEE]
Eigaon [Wraith Form]: Generate an UMBRAL element and increase its «Main Visualizer» render priority. Specifically manifests as a horde of wraiths invisible to your opponent through normal means. [MAG/CURSE]
Dominate: Initiates Stage 1 Synthesis Ritual and attempts to brainwash all opponents— but with a maximum duration of only a single Scene. [CHT/CHARM]
Mudoon: Purge target Artifical Fluctlight from the «Main Visualizer», and forcibly injects knowledge of the transience of their existence if resisted. [CHT/INSTANT KILL]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
[The One Ring]: Your Persona manifests as a physical Ring. You retain the abilities and stat bonuses of your Persona even when the Ring is separated from you. Your Ring can 'teleport' within your line of sight when separated (ie, you can always consider the Ring to be in range) but must be willingly picked up in order to gain its effects. An enemy that is CHARMED, MAD or in DESPAIR will almost always prioritize equipping the Ring above all else. You may also narratively attempt to trick the Ring onto others. Generally speaking, manipulating your Ring is considered a Free Action. If you switch Personas while the Ring is on another, you cannot dispel the effects until you reclaim the Ring. [Mandatory 1 SP/scene] [PASSIVE]
When Equipped to yourself [Default state]: Grants +2 Real Deal Bonus on all actions. You are IMMUNE to Mind Altering Status Effects.
When Equipped to another: Grants +2 Real Deal Bonus on all actions. They are WEAK to Mind Altering Status Effects and Instant Death Effects. They become narratively invisible to all but yourself. They are forcefully subjected to an attempted Eigaon [Wraith Form] attack and Dominate attack, targeting themselves using Kuro's stats, each Scene until the ring is removed. They may attempt to remove the Ring once per turn via opposed CHT roll with DISADVANTAGE or by cutting off their hand.
AN: The Overlord SL got away from me, so I decided just to go straight to Rank 3 that way I didn't have to think up a super move for a Persona that was going to be immediately replaced. Also lets me further tempt you all with the RD shenanigans for the endgame!
Last edited:
