New Discovery

Perhaps it was because the moral compass of that Ainz Ooal Gown member hadn't completely bottomed out, resulting in intelligence that wasn't particularly detailed, but Hades was satisfied enough to have obtained it. At the very least, he could make some preparations.

The data on the NPCs was one such piece of information.

Hades had never expected the modus operandi of Ainz Ooal Gown to be so bizarre. It was as if every single member was a heteromorphic race; not only did they squander vast amounts of precious guild points to create level 100 NPCs of questionable utility, but they even outfitted them with gear of divine-class quality.

Even if one were to arm these NPCs to the teeth, what did it matter if they possessed the strength of top-tier players? The strongest among top-tier players could defeat at most three opponents of equal level; if the number reached four, they would inevitably fall.

When a guild faced a large-scale invasion—like the time 1,500 players assaulted the Great Tomb of Nazarick—what did it matter if an NPC could hold their own against four players? They were facing 1,500 people that day.

A single spell from each of them would have been enough to keep those NPCs from even lifting their heads. Thus, guild NPCs were actually of little use for defense; the true defensive power lay in the traps of the guild base.

Yet, Ainz Ooal Gown's behavior was just that eccentric. They hadn't just created so many level 100 NPCs; they had equipped them with divine-class gear that would make any ordinary player drool with envy.

It was worth noting that even among level 100 players, a large portion could not afford divine-class equipment.

Before arriving in this reality, Hades would have considered such behavior from the Ainz Ooal Gown guild to be pure insanity. But now, seeing Albedo beside Momonga, he couldn't help but wonder if this guild had somehow known in advance that they would be transported to reality after the servers shut down, and had created these level 100 NPCs for that very reason.

After all, in YGGDRASIL, NPCs were unable to leave the guild base, but now...

"Because this is no longer YGGDRASIL, the rules have changed, and NPCs can now step outside the guild?" Hades mused, making such a deduction as he watched the fully armed Albedo through his lens.

"Hmm. If the guild rules have changed, then my previous decision not to force my way into Nazarick using the 'World Will' was correct. It seems I need to gather intelligence all over again."

Hades did not feel discouraged, for he was currently in his undead form. He lacked the superfluous emotions of a human, and even if any were to arise, they would be suppressed by the passive skills of an undead.

This state was actually quite suitable for him to think through problems. He shifted his view, intending to observe the surroundings; for now, he could only see Momonga and one of Ainz Ooal Gown's NPCs.

Although that heteromorphic guild didn't have many members, they still numbered 41. It was possible that other guild members had also arrived in this world.

But no matter how Hades searched the vicinity, he found no other members besides Momonga. Just then, a thought occurred to him.

"Greater Scrying."

This eighth-tier spell allowed him to see hidden things, but the range was limited to his line of sight. From his current altitude, the figures below were no larger than pixels; he certainly couldn't see them clearly like this.

However, a pay-to-win item, the monocular, could channel this spell to achieve the effect of Greater Scrying. That was the charm of pay-to-win items; ordinary telescopes possessed no such capability.

Enhanced by the magic, Hades continued to observe the environment. He had yet to decide on his next move; this was no longer a virtual world, but reality.

Although Momonga was in the village, he seemed to be getting along well with the villagers. Hmm, could he be gathering information? That was highly likely.

"Hmm... wait!" Hades's observation paused abruptly.

The village had likely been attacked, yet Momonga was here as if nothing had happened. Could it be that he was the one who attacked the village? Just to gather intelligence?

Calm down, stay calm. It was too early to judge. After all, he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Watching the scene below, the villagers didn't seem to be afraid of Momonga. The truth was still unknown; drawing rash conclusions would only put him on the defensive.

Hades suddenly hesitated. Although Momonga was a player like him, Momonga was a dangerous existence to him—or rather, all members of Ainz Ooal Gown were dangerous.

He only saw Momonga alone, and he didn't know how many members of that heteromorphic guild had come. Given that guild's past reputation, he might be surrounded and killed the moment he showed his face.

Hades didn't believe that just because this was reality, those guild members wouldn't dare to act. Furthermore, there were no laws to restrain them now. It had once been speculated that the guild members were a group of misanthropes, or perhaps even members of a terrorist organization like a rebel army.

In his original world, there was a group of rebels who claimed to fight for justice, but in the eyes of the public, they were merely terrorists who created chaos and launched attacks everywhere—behavior strikingly similar to that of "Ainz Ooal Gown."

Just as Hades was agonizing over this, he spotted some clues through the monocular.

"That is..."

In a forest on the outskirts of the village, he discovered two elves, along with Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs that possessed stealth capabilities.

"So, it really isn't just Momonga and that NPC."

Hades counted them; there were fifteen Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs. These weren't much to worry about—they were merely level 49 monsters—but he recognized those two elves.

They were the Dark Elf Twins from the sixth floor of Nazarick. One was a beast tamer, and the other was a wide-area annihilation magic caster. These two NPCs were not easy to deal with.

Hades still hadn't forgotten the scene of a thousand beasts stampeding, nor the spell that was a lower-tier version of a great calamity—Lesser Calamity. He had lost quite a few men to those two elves back then.

"It's a good thing I found them. Now that I know they're there, they won't be so hard to handle."

Hades continued his observation. Just then, he saw a group of people in armor riding horses approaching from outside the village. They looked like soldiers, but their armor was not uniform, which was rather strange.

He watched as the leader of the group, a sturdy man with well-defined arm muscles, dismounted and began to converse with Momonga.

Hades didn't know what they were saying; Greater Scrying did not have the ability to eavesdrop on sound. He could only continue to observe Momonga's movements, attempting to judge their actions.

Next, he saw the sturdy leader bow to Momonga before they headed toward a house in the village. It was then that Hades realized almost all the villagers were inside that house.

Observing carefully, Hades did not see Enri's father, who had given him food the night before. He did, however, see Enri, huddled among the crowd with a sorrowful expression.

Hades suddenly felt a pang of distress. If he hadn't left the village last night, perhaps he could have helped them. Even if Momonga was the one responsible, he could have at least helped Enri's family.

But the next moment, this feeling of distress returned to calm, as if it had never existed. Hades knew this was the effect of the passive forced-calmness of his undead body.

Fortunately, he possessed the "Seed of the World Tree." If he were to remain in this undead body indefinitely, he would never be able to endure such a state.

The calm mind of his undead body allowed him to instantly discard these extraneous thoughts, turning his focus instead to how he would ensure his own safety in the future. He was no bleeding heart who would gamble his life on the character of others.