The moment his eyes opened, the first thing he felt was the smell of earth. Rotting leaves. Damp mud. And something else—the sickening stench of decaying flesh. Takano Yuto pushed himself up on his elbows. His head felt foggy. What had he been doing just before? The train ride home from work, staring at his phone, stepping onto the platform at the transfer station—and then everything went white. "…What?" Before him stretched a forest. And it was dim. He couldn't tell if it was day or night; the sky was barely visible. Massive ancient trees stood shoulder to shoulder, their roots twisting the ground into grotesque shapes. A crow cawed in the distance. No—not a crow. Something far more sinister. Yuto tried to stand slowly, then froze. A sword was gripped in his right hand. A rapier. Nearly a meter long. The blade gleamed silver-white, its surface etched with faint patterns he'd never seen before. He'd practiced kendo his entire life—with bamboo swords, wooden swords, even real blades—but never anything like this. *(What the hell is this?)* Nothing made sense. But there was something else strange. His body felt impossibly light. When he moved his arm, it responded faster than it should. When he pushed off the ground, the sensation felt like controlling a video game character. This wasn't his normal body. He was supposed to be a regular salaryman. Three years into his career at Shimono Trading Company's sales department. Suit every morning, reports until late every night, kendo as his only hobby. Just another twenty-four-year-old. And yet here he was, sword in hand, collapsed in a forest. Something moved. Yuto instinctively raised the blade into a guard position. The kendo training from high school—his third-dan rank—was ingrained in his muscles. In the gap between two trees, something white approached. Bones. A skeletal frame shaped like a human walked toward him, rattling with each step. Red light burned in its eye sockets. It wielded a rusted sword. One. Two. Three. Before he knew it, five of them had surrounded him. *(Skeletons… like in games)* The thought flickered somewhere in his mind. But his body was already moving. One skeleton lunged. Yuto sidestepped, letting its trajectory pass, and drove the rapier's point into its cervical spine. Bone shattered. It collapsed. A second came from the side. He read it. Deflected it. Each swing of the rapier was precise, steady—better than any kendo match he'd ever fought. When all five lay in pieces, Yuto exhaled heavily. *(What did I just do?)* His hands trembled slightly. Fear or excitement—he couldn't tell. Probably both. He'd never moved like that in any training session. His body responded not just as he willed it, but beyond his will. Like a video game character after leveling up. *(Where am I?)* He had no idea. --- It took about an hour to escape the forest. He encountered similar skeletons several times along the way, but the sword made short work of them. A strange confidence had taken root—with this body, he could manage. The problem was that the sword wouldn't last forever, and he had no idea where he was. He emerged into open plains. The sky opened above him. Overcast. The sun hung low on the horizon. Mountains rose in the distance. The landscape was unfamiliar. Of course it was. This wasn't Japan. Hell, it might not even be Earth. "Stop." A voice called out. Yuto froze. Three figures surrounded him—front, left, right. All had weapons trained on him. The man in front was built like a mercenary, wielding a broad sword. The woman on the right had her bow drawn. The young man on the left held a staff. All wore tense expressions. "Don't move. Lower that sword." The man in front spoke. The words were… he understood them. They weren't Japanese, yet somehow he comprehended every word. "[scared]I'm human. Please, just listen to me," Yuto lowered the rapier as he spoke. The man's eyes narrowed. "You reek of black miasma. You came from that depression, didn't you?" Black miasma. The words triggered a memory. After stepping off the train, exiting the station, something black had spread across his vision—and then nothing. "[serious]I came from there. But I'm not undead. I'm a living human. Check for yourself if you don't believe me," "[angry]Believe you? Anyone connected to the black miasma near Nazarick has no honest story to tell," Nazarick. The name caught on something in his mind. The man exchanged glances with his companions. Yuto could sense they were about to restrain him. He considered running. With this body, he might make it. But they had him surrounded, and the woman with the bow was dangerous. Turning his back would be suicide. *(Fighting here would be the worst option.)* In the end, Yuto allowed himself to be bound. He didn't know who these three were, but they seemed willing to talk. At least they weren't trying to kill him immediately. As they tied him up, Yuto eavesdropped on their conversation. They were adventurers, apparently. In this world, they took contracts to hunt monsters and provide escort services, with their rank determined by skill. These three were Silver-rank—competent, then. And apparently, the underground tomb of Nazarick lay nearby, ruled by someone called Ainz Ooal Gown, who dominated the entire region. The three led Yuto forward. --- Stone steps came into view. They looked like the entrance to an ancient temple. Moss-covered stone pillars lined the way, and darkness lay beyond. *So that's Nazarick*, Yuto thought—and then something changed. The air changed. It became heavy. A pressure materialized. All three adventurers stopped simultaneously and looked up at the steps. A woman stood there. Yuto's spine went rigid. It was pure fear. She was beautiful, certainly. Her skin was pale—no, translucent, almost luminous. Long silver hair cascaded from her shoulders down her back. Red eyes looked down at the three adventurers and Yuto with the detached gaze of someone observing insects. She was tall, her frame slender, yet standing motionless she radiated an overwhelming sense of power. Her doll-like face held no emotion. *Like a vampire*, he thought. "[cold]…Filthy insects. Why do you trespass here?" Her voice was quiet. That quietness made it worse. She wasn't angry—she was simply confirming a fact, the way one might acknowledge the presence of a bug. The three adventurers shouted something. In the next instant, all three collapsed. Not dead. Unconscious. It happened so fast Yuto couldn't see what occurred. The woman descended the steps slowly. Her gaze fixed solely on Yuto now. Still bound, Yuto raised the rapier into a guard. He didn't know what he could accomplish with tied wrists, but he took a stance. "[cold]You carry the scent of black miasma and approached Nazarick. Regardless of your reason, you must be erased," Her hand moved. The next moment, Yuto was airborne. Something struck him—sword and all—and sent him flying. He hit the ground hard. His back took the impact, but his bones didn't break. His arms went numb, and the rapier slipped from his grip. The wind knocked out of him, he couldn't breathe for several seconds. *(She's strong. Incomparably strong.)* This wasn't about swordsmanship or technique. They were on different planes of existence. The adventurers had mentioned something about Ainz Ooal Gown annihilating seventy thousand soldiers in a single blow at Katze Plains. If this woman served that monster, she would possess inhuman strength. But he stood up. *(Why am I standing?)* Even he found it strange. Yet his knees bent, and he rose. His arms were numb, but his legs worked. The woman watched him. Something flickered in her red eyes—a hint of surprise. *This one still moves?* "[serious]Don't kill me. Take me to Ainz Ooal Gown. I have something to say," He shouted it. Not a plea for mercy. A demand. The woman's movement stopped. Just one or two seconds. But she definitely stopped. For the first time, those red eyes truly looked at him—not as an insect, but as something that warranted the question: *What is this?* Space warped. Light bloomed. A magical circle materialized beneath him, and from it emerged a figure. Over two meters tall. Clad entirely in pitch-black robes. And for a head—a skull. Pure white bone. Red light burned in the eye sockets. But this was nothing like the skeletons from before. Those had been mere bone monsters. This was different. The pressure was different. Simply standing there, it transformed the surrounding air. *(A final boss from a game.)* His mind went blank. "[serious]…Sharutia. Do not kill him," The voice was low, quiet, utterly emotionless. Yet Sharutia immediately bowed her head. The skeletal gaze turned toward Yuto. It said nothing. Simply observed him. Every inch. Yuto held his breath under that weight. He was being appraised. And the being doing the appraising seemed to have discerned something—that this was neither a native of this world nor a game character, but something else entirely. Something unknown. "[surprised]…Interesting. Bring him," With only that, the skeleton turned and walked away. --- The interior of Nazarick exceeded imagination. Stone corridors stretched endlessly. Torchlight cast red shadows on the walls. In the distance, the sound of armor echoed. Yuto's gaze caught movement in the darkness—not skeletons, but larger shapes, forms he couldn't quite identify, wandering the depths of the passage. *(Will I leave this place alive?)* Walking behind Sharutia, Yuto tried to think clearly. But the more he considered, the worse the situation became. An unfamiliar world. No leads. No one to call for help. His bonds had been removed, but Sharutia held the rapier. If he tried to escape, he'd be killed without question. There was only one option. Talk to Ainz Ooal Gown. That was all. The doors to the throne room opened. It was vast. Absurdly vast. The ceiling soared high, and golden ornaments adorned the pillars. The floor was black and gold, with a carpet stretching to the far end. At that end sat the throne. And upon it sat the skeleton. The moment Yuto stepped forward, pressure came from the side. His neck was seized. A single hand gripped his throat and lifted him. His feet left the ground. Breath caught in his chest. At the edge of his vision, he saw a face—long black hair, large golden eyes. Beautiful features, yet those eyes held pure revulsion. His neck bones creaked. "[cold]A filthy insect stands before Ainz-sama?" The voice was calm, emotionless. Not anger—merely stating fact. Like saying "this ant is in the way" before crushing it. "[serious]Arbedo. Stand down," The skeleton spoke. The pressure vanished instantly. Yuto dropped to the floor, coughing. He gasped for air. His lungs worked. He was alive. Arbedo stepped back. Those golden eyes never left him, watching even as she withdrew. Ainz faced forward on his throne. "[serious]…What you are intrigues me. I shall provisionally permit your stay in this place," That was the moment his life was spared. Yuto felt it acutely. But there was no room for relief. His mind churned with countless questions simultaneously. Where was this? Why was he here? What was that rapier? What was the skeleton thinking? He understood nothing. --- The ninth-floor corridor was silent. Arbedo walked ahead, her long black hair swaying. She never looked back. She was merely guiding him, with no intention of conversation. Her back radiated a clear message: *I despise you.* They reached a room. A simple stone chamber. One bed. One table. No windows. Without turning, Arbedo spoke. "[whispers]Should you make another suspicious move… I will sever your head while you sleep," With that, the door closed. A lock clicked into place. Yuto slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor. His right hand trembled. The sensation lingered—his neck bones grinding. It had been genuine. Not a joke or a threa