"You are not off the hook yet Satoru."
"Easy there, Hero-Hero." said a vine like creature with a blue hat and glowing yellow eyes named Blue Planet. "Let's give the man some time to think."
"Time to think!?" Hero-Hero nearly shouted in indignation. "He shouldn't even be thinking about this, That! And three days have already passed!!"
Hero-Hero turned back to Momonga and gritted out. "You are saying 'Yes!' this instant!"
"But-"
"Suzuki!" Hero-Hero grounded out in frustration.
The conversation devolved from there with the members undecided on which is right. To force him out of the hell they called home or to let him make his own choice, to possibly dally and lose his only chance in a real life.
The guild is divided on which path to take. And for a time, indecision seemed the right answer, but one member adamant on him leaving...
"You are saying yes Satoru-san." Ulbert interjected. "You can't stay. You will say yes, and have a good life unlike the rest of us."
The seriousness in his voice brought everyone's attention. Hollow, yet hopeful. His voice alone was echoed by everyone whether they like it or not.
A voice filled with envy.
"This world we live in. You need to win the lottery of life to even have some semblance of good in it. And you had just won that jackpot. I won't have you turning down exactly what everyone else in this world desired ND clawed for. I won't have it. You will accept, or... I will leave this guild." Suzuki's heart clenched at the thought.
"...you would leave because I am indecisive huh?" Suzuki mutters in a self deprecating manner. The weight of leadership and disappointment of his members mixed into a dark tapestry. But with one word, Ulbert froze it all like ice.
"No." Ulbert adds. "I would leave because you would have insulted me, my late parents and everyone clawing through their lives... you would have insulted us. If you truly care about what we feel, Guildmaster. Then you would accept this, for all of us."
A comfortable silence stretch around everyone. Each member, now afraid to disturb with a word but...
"I admit, I am fucking jealous of you right now." said Peroroncino chirpily.
"Language."
"But, that's the unspoken part me." Peroroncino tries to reason. "The part that thinks about the bad things in life. The guy who's just pissed off at how I was born in Hell Mode while my ancestors had it all easy. Heck, a dark part of it thinks you actually have a bigger dick than me."
"...oi!"
"Hentai..."
"Language!"
"But!" he continues. "A bigger part of me is happy. Hopeful and possibly, you know... a little eager. This is the guy who worked his ass off. The part of me who could pick himself up no matter what the world throws at it. With gritted teeth and a major boner and all. I say that's the guy you should listen to."
"He's damn right honey."
"He is."
"The pervert is right Momonga-san."
Chorus's of approval followed. Each of his members wishing him good luck while most are telling him to man up and get himself out of there. And while Momonga could not express it, Suzuki was happy with tears.
As if to appease all their hearts, worry and fears. He answered.
"Yes."
Surveying the uprise in front of them. The team halted for a moment as their scryers and scouts check for any trap and monsters. While everyone else either protected them or covered any tracks they may have left behind to avoid being found by players.
After a handful of minutes, all confirmed that there are no existing traps or monsters and so they continued on and from atop a small climb, in the middle of a hollowed out hill, they spotted a graveyard.
Surrounded by several broken statues of indiscernible figures, four broken sections, slabs of rocks scattered about and barely recognizable tomb stones.
At the center stood a great mausoleum. Pillars crack and toppled, walls missing and the roof itself was more than three quarters gone, revealing a small shrine placed within. Right atop an entrance that leads underground.
"This was what you found?" Eliza ask. Nishiki Enrai nodded. "Well... you are lucky it seems."
"Really?"
"You have anything you wanna add woman?" demanded Ulbert.
"Ulbert..." Touch me warns.
"Its alright. But yes, I may have information that could help you regarding this. First, we need to set up camp and shield for anti-divination. I don't want what I have I say be overheard."
The guild nodded and did as was asked. Blue Planet raised his shovel and casted a 10th tier spell, [Nature's Shelter]. And from the earth, a vine like bunker emerged with two huge double doors. Everyone gathered inside and saw minimum decoration with an open ceiling showing the starry sky.
"Is it me or can someone see everything from up there?"
"True, they said it was so that you could see if anyone is flying above. But it is really unsettling. Still, I heard this shelter can remain standing even after receiving a Super Tier Magic-"
"Not true, I've seen a video showing how a [Sword of Democles] smashed right through it."
"That's an Orbital weapon though. And its also a Super Tier Spell designed to target structures. Shouldn't we compare to other Super Tier Magic?"
"Alright everyone! Your attention please~" the chatter died down in the wake of Punitto Moe's voice. "Alright Eliza-chan~ what do you have for us?"
"First I have to ask, do you guys perform better or worst under pressure?"
"...why?" Takemikazuchi asked wearily.
"I see." interrupts Tabula. "No need to fret Eliza-san. We are all functioning members of society here. I admit, we all do function better under pressure."
"We have our heartless bosses to thank for that." adds Ulbert, receiving nodds and idle laughter from everyone.
"Good. Because you are in luck with your newfound Guild. You are standing at potentially the second most powerful guild base in Helheim."
Whispers and chatter sprouted from several groups, but Touch Me asked the most important part. "You said 'potentially'. How so?"
"This is the Great Tomb of Nazarick. A 'Simultaneous Attack Dungeon'." everyone groans at the implications. "That if cleared at first try, gives a total of 2,750 NPC levels after conquest."
"... whoa."
"That's insane!"
"Only two hundred and fifty levels below the top."
"Not true, I heard the top guild here has 3200 NPC levels."
"Still close enough!"
"So that means it could compete with the top guilds."
Ignoring the excited chatter, Tabula continues. "What can you tell us about the dungeon?"
"Only that you would be separated to five parties. Nothing else is concrete regarding the terrain."
"How reliable is your information?"
"Came from a Dev himself. It was meant to be unconquerable. Being as the monsters and locations along with their climates are completely random, in complete rotation with twenty others."
"A specialist killer." whispers Punitto Moe.
"So the tomb is a trap then. It was to make us believe that the undead is the major enemy here."
"Exactly." Nishiki Enrai adds. "They will fail the first time. And the second as well. I know for a fact those shitty Devs made sure that the type of dungeons and monsters would shift in accordance to the previous attempt. Completely countering a counter."
"Type of monsters and their skills?" asked Tabula.
"Scaling and -15 to +20. They will scale the further one group proceeds further, disregarding the progress of those left behind. That also includes the bosses." Eliza supplies.
"Bosses!? As in many?"
"Five in total, or Six depending on the parties performance. What he meant by the last one, I truly do not know."
"Fuck!"
"This isn't good. This sounds like an undertaking we are ill equipped to perform."
"I think that's the idea. If the locations are random then any specialized player will be having a hard time just at the very beginning and would no doubt fail barely halfway through." Punitto Moe reasons.
"I can see why they are so generous with those NPC levels. As expected of our shitty Devs."
"This could be worth a fortune!"
"Fortune? We're keeping it! That's the second largest NPC level cap for a guild! There is no better base than what we have in front of us. I say we take it!"
"There would be war over this guild base. Are we even prepared for that?"
The conversation veered off into groups, with both Punitto Moe and Tabula Smaragdina talking animatedly on how to proceed. At the sides, Momonga stayed in silence waiting for his guildmates to come to a conclusion. While quietly chatting with Eliza.
"Your informant. How reliable is he?"
"Extremely. Though he's dead now. His work remained untouched."
"You aren't keeping information to avoid suspicion are you?" Suzuki asserts, only to receive an answer he feared.
"I am." she says.
"These are my friends." Suzuki defends hoping she would understand.
"And you are my priority." Suzuki could barely find comfort from her words. Her distrust nags at the back of his mind, to the point that she was being classified as a threat to him and the others. The only reason he could find acceptance was the fact that it was an answer he expected, just, not what he liked.
As if sensing his inner turmoil, she miles at him and says. "I have given more than enough information to effortlessly conquer this dungeon. And with your companion's records and capabilities, there is no doubt in my mind that you would prevail. The only information I am withholding from them is the boss's attack patterns, and the stages and their respective monster types."
"Oh." Suzuki's sighs out, realizing that certain information would have been pointless and more trouble than their worth. Not realizing yet, how his relief varies more towards his inner turmoil.
"Everyone!" shouts Punitto Moe. "Tabula and I have come to a decision regarding our party compositions."
"For this, I would need everyone to don non-specialized equipment while wearing your best gear. Immediate adaptation and survivability is secondary, while prioritizing combat capability." adds Tabula.
While Punitto Moe then says the first team going to the last, Eliza had excused herself in AFK and sat quietly.
Momonga looked around at his guildmates. Most were changing their gear and taking their bathroom breaks. While some were talking with their newly assigned party members and re-applying party wide buffs while planning at the same time.
Each member did their own thing with excitement. Filling the air as if an electrical charge that permeated them. Momonga himself felt the bond strongly for each of his friends.
Slowly, the Magical Attackers, Physical Attackers, Tanks, Healers, Seekers and Others were assigned to their parties.
Momonga's thoughts fell on the 'Other' category as soon as he heard it.
"Others" were not excess or unnecessary members. While they were uncommon for the most part, his guild -Ainz Ooal Gown- was different.
To them, "Others" were skilled players with complicated classes that could adapt to many different circumstances.
With extensive use of Dark Wisdom, Momonga had used PKing to the extent that his skill slots -which were more than double the norm- were filled to the brim with extremely varied and powerful spells. Because of that, he was typically placed in this position during dungeon raids.
And while it seemed like the most logical choice to other players, to the rest of Ainz Ooal Gown, he was given that position because of his capability to adapt quickly to any given situation and carry his team through a multitude of situations.
Because of his handle on such difficult build and efficiency as a wildcard, he receives priority on corpses from his allies. An act which inturn made Momonga give his all to his friends, and in doing so they felt like he could do no wrong.
Finally hearing his name, Momonga was stunned at his Party's composition.
Tank: Bubukuchagama
Physical Attacker: Eliza
Magic Attacker: Ulbert Allain Odle
Seeker: Nishiki Enrai
Healer: Yamaiko
Wildcard: Momonga
Momonga was surprised that his team was composed of extremely skilled players.
Ulbert easily boast the highest magic damage in the whole guild, easily uncontested even by a World Champion. While Nishikienrai deals massive burst damage in the physical category.
The compatibility between Yamaiko and Buku-BukuChagama doesn't even need to be said.
And then there is the two of them. He was no slouch as a Wildcard with more than enough experience and confidence in the playstyle.
And then... there is her. A practical cheat sitting quietly by his side whos head now rest on his shoulder. A fact he had not even noticed till now.
"You have questions, Leader-san." asked Tabula as he approached him.
Momonga did, yet he hesitated. Indecision filled the air for a moment but in the end, he chose not to speak it out loud.
They have some semblance of knowledge of what to expect now. If there was ever a time to doubt his tacticians capabilities, now was not one of them.
Momonga simply nodded and let his confidence in him be heard. Loud enough for Tabula to laugh softly and nodded back. Giving one last remark as he left.
"She's a good influence to you it seems."
Minutes passed and the last member gathered, and as the last one trickled inside the bunker, Eliza stirred. Making some of them turn towards her. And right in front of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, she carefully -piece by every piece- started donning a different armor.
With a blink of her eyes, she revealed blood red eyes, glinting in mischief at the groups.
Her armor looked to have been upgraded, now with an armor trimmed with gold and decorated by various rubies. She has ruby gems decorating her pauldrons and a pair of matching the gauntlets, trimmed with gold and lined with red crystals now with black steel covering her fingers.
Wide hips covered with several layered fauld and tassets. Exposed thighs with her knees covered in equally decorated armor all the way to her toes and high heels. All of which were regally covered by a waist cape, flaring far and at the same length of her ankles.
And with a smile, an aura of red shimmered around her. Signifying an in game effect of a whole complete set of, at the very least, Legendary Quality Armor.