My family runs an adventurer's guild.

"...Oh no! Sister, don't say that! Aren't you cursing ourselves...?"

"...Stop shaking me...my dear sister...you're shaking me so hard I'm about to fall off..."

On the other side, Firi and Ainz, the Overlord, didn't bother arguing with the two mischievous little imps. Instead, they went straight to distributing beginner items to the cat players—a short sword, a wooden shield, and a sack for each cat. Then they unfolded a map.

"...Alright, all the newbie items have been distributed. Now let's begin the explanation of the world background—this map shows your game's starting village, the Kingdom of Nazarick..." Phil waved a pointer and spoke smugly to the group of cat-like newbie players.

—In terms of the standards of adventurer starting villages, the Kingdom of Nazarick is quite good.

First, there's the social environment. It's neither overly prosperous, creating chaos and alienation from nature, nor too desolate, drawing criticism. Within the Kingdom of Nazarick, there are bustling metropolises and fortress cities like Ye-Lantir, offering players a full range of entertainment options, as well as various small villages where players tired of the hustle and bustle of the city can experience the tranquility and peace of rural life.

Secondly, the terrain is complex and diverse. Within the Kingdom of Nazarick, centered around the fortress city of Ye-Lantir, there are not only forests, grasslands, mountains, hills, farms and cities, but also the foggy land of the dead (Kaz Plains). Apart from deserts and oceans, all other basic environments can be found in this small land, allowing players to freely choose from a variety of adventure experiences.

Then there's the abundance of monsters, from giant rats in the sewers to ogres and goblins in the wilderness, skeletons and zombies in the fog, and all sorts of strange monsters in the forests. This vast and sparsely populated land has everything, ensuring that adventurers who log in one after another will never lack targets to hunt.

Even for those hedonistic players who don't enjoy fighting and killing, the red-light district of the fortress city of Ye-Lantir offers a variety of enjoyment, from beautiful young women to song and dance performances, fine wine and food, enough to completely drain their wallets in a carnival-like dream.

After players complete the trials in the starting village, they have a variety of different adventure paths to choose from—they can go to the perpetually turbulent Kingdom of Riyestige in the west to participate in low-intensity skirmishes; they can go to the Dragon Kingdom in the east to participate in high-intensity bloody battles between humans and orcs; or they can go to the Bahars Empire in the northeast to honestly hunt monsters or do non-combat quests such as trading.

If players simply want to focus on exploring the unknown, they can travel north from the Kingdom of Nazarick to the vast depths of the Duvul Forest and the snow-capped mountains beyond, battling monsters along the way and searching for mysterious lizardman tribes and dwarven city-states. Alternatively, players can practice their stealth skills, traversing the lawless Slane Theocracy in the south to experience the deserts and seas further south.

—After months of battles and construction, the last piece of the map in the entire beginner village is now nearing completion and opening.

Chapter 197, The Beginner Village is Completed

Somewhere deep in the Great Forest of Duwu, north of the fortress city of Ye-Lantir.

Under the oppression of the new conquerors, this once vibrant forest has become deathly silent.

Both ferocious beasts and noisy birds feared the presence of the large horde of undead and had long since disappeared.

However, in the middle of this forest where birds and animals are rare, there is an unusually noisy and chaotic construction site.

The deafening sounds of felling and moving trees, the clanging of rocks being chiseled... the massive metal golems, whose appearance easily evokes images of heavy construction machinery, roam back and forth here, felling trees and quarrying stones, then transporting the timber and stone to a construction site that is gradually taking shape.

The newly felled trees and freshly polished stones were piled up haphazardly, making the place look a bit dirty and messy.

However, unlike other construction sites, the workers bustling about this site were almost entirely undead and golems.

Among them, Golems act as construction machinery, skeletons and death knights are the most basic laborers, and liches wearing dazzling red robes take on the role of engineers with blueprints and slide rules... working together to build this military outpost located in the forest.

Compared to living laborers who need to be paid wages, provided with lodging and food, these golems and undead, who are immune to fatigue, are truly superb employees who would delight any ruthless boss—they silently carry out orders and possess strength that humans can never match. Although most golems and undead are not very agile in terms of specific movements and logical abilities, making them unsuitable for delicate construction work, they can only do rough work such as digging stones, laying foundations, cutting down trees, and hauling stones and timber.

Even so, thanks to their tireless work day and night, this sizable forest outpost took shape in just a few days.

As for the subsequent detailed construction, it can be done by someone else, or by relying on magic as a cheat code.

Ainz Ooal Gown, holding a scroll of blueprints, walked back and forth in the center of the construction site in the forest, meticulously determining the range and direction of the spell to be cast, as well as the flatness and stability of the ground, to prevent the building from tilting and turning into the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

At this moment, since there were no onlookers, he did not put on [human skin], but instead directly exposed his lich nature with a skull face.

After confirming that all the basic conditions were in place, Ainz cast a spell on the pre-leveled and compacted land.

—A tenth-tier magic that the native humans of this world could never achieve: [Fortress Creation]!

The next moment, as the magic was activated, a medieval-style stone tower, over thirty meters tall and exuding a massive and imposing presence, instantly appeared before Ainz on the previously empty plain where nothing had been, not even grass or trees.

Like a medieval castle, this stone tower has sturdy, heavy steel gates that, at first glance, seem capable of deflecting even a battering ram. Furthermore, to prevent thieves from scaling the tower under cover of darkness, countless sharp spikes protrude from its outer walls, hindering any attempt to climb. The top of the tower is adorned with a demon statue. Simply looking up at it evokes a sense of imposing grandeur.

Or rather, it's a typical "fortress" feeling.

Then, centered around this magically sculpted stone tower, and with the wooden fences erected by the undead and golems over the past few days, along with the dug trenches, wells, and drainage ditches, a respectable frontier settlement had taken shape. However, within the fences and outside the stone tower, for the time being, there was only a patch of compacted and leveled open land, and piles of timber, hay, and stones…

"...Well, the main tower and the fence moat are complete. That's about it. Now, let the players handle the rest of the building work!"

After carefully inspecting the stone tower that Ainz Ooal Gown had instantly built with magic, and confirming that the main structure was not tilted and that stairs had been built between each floor, the silver dragon Lulutia took out a map with satisfaction and put a checkmark on the location of this forest stronghold.

"...Alright, the last construction area of ​​the entire [Nazarick Kingdom Starting Village] is now complete. It's up to the players to do their thing now. However... even by starting village standards, the number of monsters in this forest is far too small!"

After a brief moment of pleasure, she spoke with some concern, to which Ainz, the Overlord, looked helpless.

—In fact, before the Great Tomb of Nazarick descended upon this world, there were many monsters in the Great Forest of Touw, including several goblin and ogre tribes. In addition, there were the "Three Giants" known as the "Giant of the East, the Serpent of the West, and the Wise King of the Forest".

However, after Ainz Ooal Gown expanded his influence into this forest, the "Forest Wise King" Kurasuke, who was actually a giant hamster, was captured and kept as a pet. The Eastern Giant and the Western Serpent, who were actually a giant monster and a Naga, were killed by the combat maids guarding the forest outpost while disturbing the logging operations. Thus, the three giants of the forest were completely wiped out, and the lower-level monsters were terrified and fled in all directions.

Now only one unmoving magic tree remains, stuck here, serving as a target for players—but isn't that too few?

"...Perhaps we can release [Kurasuke], the Forest Wise King, back into this forest to fight against the players..."

Ainz Ooal Gown was speaking when he glanced back, then immediately changed his mind, "...Never mind, let the players gather more herbs..."

The reason he quickly changed his mind was that not far behind them, the golden dragon princess Catherine, who had come with them to patrol the forest, was sticking herself to Cangzhu's soft fur, rubbing against him happily, completely ignoring Cangzhu's own pitiful and dejected expression.

—After all, a large Djungarian hamster that you could hug and sleep with was a rare treat for this Golden Dragon Princess!

Girls usually love fluffy things... Praise fluffy things! Praise a plush pillow! Warm and fluffy things are a sign of good civilization!

As for whether the fluffy hamster itself would be choked to death by the dragon's monstrous strength... no one cared about such trivial matters.

After rubbing against him like this for a long time, Princess Catherine, the golden dragon, finally jumped off Cangzhu's back with a reluctant urge. Then, using the strength of a dragon, she dragged the giant hamster, which was many times her size, to Ainz and said imperiously, "...This animal is nice! I want to take it back and cuddle it while I sleep!"

"...Ah, if you like, you can use this hamster as you please."

Ignoring Kurasuke's tearful, pleading expression, Ainz Ooal Gown said obsequiously to Princess Catherine, "...However, if you want to take it back to raise...I can't help you with that—I don't know how to get it into your world!"

"...Don't worry about that! His Highness the God of Sleep has successfully developed a physical travel technology between the two worlds!"

Princess Catherine waved her hand, "...So, you'll have to come with me to my world later! My father wants to see you!"

Seemingly because the words were so shocking, Ainz Ooal Gown, after a moment of stunned silence, finally uttered a surprised syllable, "...Huh?"

Chapter 198, Bone-Made Heaven Transmigrates Again

Golden Dragon Kingdom, Totoro Town, Shonen Temple, Central Courtyard

Accompanied by melodious and soothing music and dazzling flashes of light descending from the sky, immense divine power coalesced and took shape on the altar.

But it doesn't have that majestic and noble awe-inspiring power; instead, it gives people a feeling of...drowsiness.

A moment later, a black-haired young man with distinct East Asian features stood up from the altar, looking dazed.

He first touched his naked body in confusion, then looked up and surveyed his surroundings, finding himself standing in the center of a not-so-large courtyard. Above him were blue skies and white clouds, beneath his feet was a marble platform, and all around him were meticulously manicured flowers and plants, as well as delicate little fountains. Further away, around the courtyard, were rows of halls and columns in a style reminiscent of Greco-Roman architecture, along with decorated shrines.

On the eaves of the palace, one can vaguely see many small statues of dormice, as well as gilded reliefs depicting various intelligent beings sleeping soundly.

"...Where am I? Wait! I actually have a physical body?! I'm no longer a skeleton?!!"

— Ainz Ooal Gown, the protagonist of OVERLORD, or rather, Satoru Suzuki, a Japanese office worker from Earth in the 22nd century, and Momonga, the guild leader of the immersive VR online game YGGDRASIL, were naked, waving their birds, and letting out a surprised shout.

Well, since all these identities belong to the same person, let's just consider them as a "trinity".

In short, he looked at his body again with great joy, and it felt as if a thousand happy birds were singing in his heart!

Finally, I have a living, breathing body again—not a magical illusion, nor the kind of mere "human skin" that is only superficial (roughly comparable to the "painted skin" in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio"), but a real, healthy body brimming with vitality, capable of enjoying fine wine and food!

He could hear his own heart beating and feel his strong pulse!

Moreover, unlike the body of the overworked and unhealthy corporate slave on Earth, the current living Ainz, apart from his unchanged face, has a well-proportioned body with a broad back, narrow waist, and long legs. Although he is not as muscular as a bodybuilder, he has obvious six-pack abs and smooth, delicate skin, giving him a very solid appearance, resembling the look of a successful man in modern Earth society.

Even my eyesight and hearing seem much sharper than when I was a corporate slave on Earth.

When Ainz realized this, he was even happier.

"...Ugh...So sleepy...How did I suddenly fall asleep...And I feel like something's wrong with my body..."

Immediately following, accompanied by a soft murmur, Shalltear Bloodfallen, the vampire loli who had traveled with Ainz as his female companion, also sat up slowly from the altar while rubbing her sleepy eyes in a cute manner.

—Like Ainz, Shalltear was also completely clean and naked at this moment.

Then, she saw a naked, living version of Ainz standing next to her, and her cheeks immediately flushed red as she let out a panicked scream.

"...Whoa! Lord Ainz, what happened to you? Ah! Why aren't I wearing any clothes?"

Although Shalltear seemed to act shy, her next move was to throw herself into the arms of the bewildered Ainz.

He admired Shalltear's petite and adorable body up close, like a green fruit just beginning to develop, her chest already showing some slight "ripples," feeling her delicate, smooth, warm skin pressed tightly against his own...

Ainz felt his ears turn red, completely unsure of where to look or touch.

Images of explicit content, previously only seen online, flashed rapidly through Ainz's mind, causing his heart to race and his face to flush.

Although he was already quite close to Shalltear in the "game" world of Overlord, this was the first time they had been "open and honest" with each other like this.

Uh, should I say "thank you for the meal" to Shalltear?

As Ainz thought this, he couldn't help but feel a physical reaction between his legs—after all, neither of them was wearing clothes…

"...Ugh, even with this extra layer of flesh, Lord Ainz's bone structure is still so beautiful... Huh? It's being pushed up by Lord Ainz's hard thing... Ah, am I about to have my first experience here? I never imagined Lord Ainz preferred the outdoor, open-air type..."

Hearing Shalltear's strange words, which seemed shy but were actually teasing and contained a hint of joy, the living Ainz couldn't help but blush and his heart race. However, the thing between his legs also became even harder, so much so that it was swollen and taut and a little painful!

But we can't just "suppress" and devour Shalltear in broad daylight, can we?

He tried to cool his feverish head a little, but then noticed two other equally important new discoveries.

First, Shalltear's skin is no longer the pale, cold skin of a vampire, but has become warm and rosy, indicating that she seems to have become a living person here as well.

Secondly, he and Shalltear had already reached the point where they were just one step away from succeeding, but the green light of the [Forced Calm] buff hadn't lit up!

In other words, he now not only has a living body, but he has also broken free from the shackles of the [Forced Calm] effect, which is a binding effect for the undead!

This is really...fantastic!

—In the world of Overlord, if the skeletal body of an undead completely imprisoned Ainz's physical body, depriving him of delicious food, fine wine, and beautiful women, then the [Forced Calm] magic effect, bound by his undead identity, similarly imprisoned his soul.

On the bright side, this prevented him from being overwhelmed by panic and fear, or from making rash decisions due to rage. On the other hand, it also meant that Ainz would be virtually deprived of joy and excitement from then on.

Even the simple desire to laugh heartily at the sky is something Ainz Ooal Gown cannot achieve.

Most people who end up like this will inevitably develop depression over time.

Unless he uses the magical item [Great Frenzy], Ainz can only temporarily escape [Forced Calm] for a few tens of minutes or hours... but such items are limited in quantity and cannot be used frequently. Moreover, even if he escapes [Forced Calm], how can he enjoy himself with a skeleton body? Watch two girls strip naked and engage in yuri?

However, he now not only has a healthy and vibrant body, but he has also broken free from the shackles of "forced calmness"...

The indescribable ecstasy and unprecedented excitement almost made Ainz faint from the sheer joy!

Hmm, to celebrate such a joyous occasion, how about we push the boundaries and just "eat" Shalltear right here?

Looking at Shalltear, whose face was flushed with shyness, Ainz couldn't help but feel a surge of desire.

Chapter 199, The Overlord Who Overeats

However, just as Ainz was so excited that he lost control and even wanted to take Shalltear right there and then, an uninvited guest, spoiling the mood, arrived.

"...Um, Ainz-san, I brought you some clothes, meow... Because the power of the Sleep God that helped you form new bodies was just too strong, getting even a little too close risked being hypnotized and falling into a deep sleep, so I had to wait at a distance, which caused a slight delay, meow..."

The cat-like Firi, carrying two loose white linen robes and two pairs of woven rattan sandals, walked into the courtyard of the Temple of Sleep while making a fuss. There she saw a naked, living version of Ainz, tightly embracing a similarly naked, loli-like version of Shalltear.

"...Uh, did I interrupt your good time, meow?"

Phil was taken aback for a moment, then cast two [Language Proficiency] spells on the other party to resolve the language problem before continuing to ask.

“…Ah, no, no, it’s alright, you’ve come at just the right time. Senior Phil.”

Ainz awkwardly released Shalltear from his arms, took the robe, and began to put it on. Shalltear wore a regretful expression, glaring sharply at Firi, but still followed Ainz and put on the robe and sandals.

"...Also, Ainz-san, Shalltear-chan! Your living bodies are basically modeled after your figures and appearances in the Overlord world. However, for the sake of aesthetics and coolness, some minor adjustments have been made. Please check if there are any problems, meow?"

"...Ah...I'm fine here...Shalltear, how about you? Are you getting used to your human body?"

Ainz is quite satisfied with his current robust physique, which exudes the aura of a "successful person".

Shalltear touched her body, especially rubbing her slightly heaving chest, and a look of astonishment suddenly appeared on her face. But then she smiled with satisfaction. "...Well, although this body is weak, it'll be fine to use it for now..."

"...Alright, since there's nothing wrong, please get into the carriage and go to see His Majesty! The carriage is ready."

Phil pointed to the temple gate and gestured for people to enter. "...This is Totoro Town. It's not far from where His Majesty the Dragon King is currently staying, but it's still an hour or two's walk. If you have any questions, you can discuss them with us in the car..."

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

The slightly salty sea breeze carried the bustling atmosphere of the marketplace. Lifting the curtain of the carriage, the shouts of vendors poured in.

Today is the summer market day, so as usual, the square and narrow streets of Totoro Town are packed with vendors and crowds. A significant portion of them are fishermen selling seafood, as well as food stalls selling barbecue, candy, and pastries.

Under the scorching sun, the aromas of various grilled fish, meat, and cakes, the fishy smell of seafood such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish, the sweat emanating from the townspeople, farmers, and fishermen, and the odor of cattle and horses mixed together in a chaotic mess, giving one an indescribable feeling of nausea.

However, Ainz didn't seem to care about that. Instead, he focused on observing and feeling everything around him, his mind filled with curiosity.

Is this another fantastical world where those "players" live?

It seems that there isn't much difference between this world and the Overlord world!

No, there are differences between the two fantasy worlds. For example, in the world of Overlord, the ocean is a freshwater sea, so the people can't get the salt they need for daily life from the sea. They have to mine it or use magic to make salt, sugar, and spices...