4 Chapter 3: First Survey

Using the Nexus guild ring I wore, I teleported to my destination, my field of view shifting from the large and quiet throne room to the bright and wide arena grounds.

3rd Floor of Elysium Nexus, Arena of Champions.

This floor was something that the dungeon had originally when we were conquering it. All we did was modify the structure a little for training and recreational purposes and expand its borders greatly, including a fake city surrounding it to make it more whole. Also, there were a ton of traps added for non-guild Entities and Players. In Yggdrasil, that was akin to saying there is air in the atmosphere.

Every location owned by anyone had at least some traps unless they were neutral public safe spaces.

I was currently inside the arena grounds, my vision of the rest of the floor obstructed by the large and circular light grey walls of the arena. 

Rather than going straight to testing, I instead decided to check out the floor a bit.

Due to my race, I didn't need to cast a [Fly] spell or use any item as flight was intrinsic to me. I was built to fly, to soar into the vast heavens of my own free will. With minimal effort and a single thought, my feet left the ground as I began floating up, the sensation making me feel a little lightweight, but nothing that could be called uncomfortable.

It felt so natural, in fact, to soar up to the skies and fly around.

In a little time, I was used to this new yet familiar sensation and then promptly began observing the places around me as I felt the cold air currents on my body. I was quite high in the sky and could see pretty much the entirety of the 2nd floor.

The 2nd floor was, overall, a fake city.

Based on the Roman Empire's architecture with grey bricks, it was a small city with a couple hundred structures at most. Everything looked pristine but eerily abandoned and the entire place was festered with ghost-type summons. None visible normally unless you have cast certain Detection or Scrying spells or used items with similar functions which are also actively hindered by the security measures of the floor. These summons acted as the guards and scouts of the city. One of my skills lets me possess and view from any of their perspectives at will from anywhere in the Guild.

After a short while of roaming around, checking the spots I remembered well from the game, and inadvertently meeting and greeting some of the summons who all immediately identified me and bowed in reverence, I decided to go back to the Arena and conduct those tests I had planned.

Back in the arena ground which was currently empty, I was about to begin my tests when I felt a strong presence enter the vicinity of the arena.

This was one of the things I had noticed. My senses were now cranked up to 11. I could feel things in an area around me, almost like an invisible dome where, if I tried, I could make out even small details without truly glancing at them. Though it felt like it should overwhelm my senses if I tried to use it to grasp everything around me, I also subconsciously knew that'd not be the case as my mind was far more capable now.

The entity entering the arena was one I immediately recognized.

Just from the fact that the aura it gave was absurdly stronger than the usual summons around, even if it was clearly trying to hide it, I could easily hazard a guess that the floor guardian himself had come to greet me.

"Valoron."

I spoke before turning to the hulking monstrosity that was the guardian of this floor. The said floor guardian instantly kneeled near the gate where it had entered from.

Yup, he is huge, alright. I feel like he's grown even more after the 'reality patch'.

For some reason, that term tickled my gamer senses. I found it amusing and it fit the bill quite well.

Unknowing of my internal musings, the floor guardian spoke, his voice booming in the empty arena.

"I, VALORON, GREET THE SUPREME ONE."

The hulking pitch-black armor-wearing being spoke, his voice deep and hoarse, sounding just as tough as he appeared.

"Rise, Valoron. Have you heard from Nix?"

The hulking being in armor rose up, further raising his tall stature. He quite literally towered over me even from the distance between us.

"YES. I HAVE RECEIVED LADY NIX'S MESSAGE, MY LORD. SHE ASKED TO MEET ME IN PERSON SO I WAS NEAR THE ENTRANCE [GATE] TO RECEIVE HER."

"I see."

So, she's already been to this floor. I wonder if she prioritized this one because she knew I would be coming here. She sure works quick. It's barely been 15 or so minutes.

"Very well, so you've been caught up to our current circumstances, I presume."

"YES. I AND OTHERS UNDER ME WILL DEFEND THIS PLACE FROM ANY INTRUDERS IF THEY DARE TO ENTER THIS FLOOR. ONLY THOSE WORTHY SHALL PASS."

"Hmm. Good."

I doubt anyone will be able to make it here so soon though. Even in the game nobody ever made it to Floor 2 of our guild back in Yggdrasil. The first floor was all the few rare ones who managed to discover our guild base ever reached. And none of them had the patience to complete the first floor. Understandably, it was annoying to climb that Hundred-floor Tower and only learn at the top that it was merely the 'First Floor'. That was just bullshit. The devs must be so happy with their little trolling. Unfortunately for them, their little 'prank' gave me virtually a Hundred Floor Tower to work with once Nexus did finish it.

I mentally chuckled at the then-frustrating memory. The First Floor was one of the best defenses of the Guild base, to be honest. The sheer length of it helped dissuade the few invaders we had. It also helps that the 'Tower' looks really awesome from the outside.

"Alright, continue your duties if you have any. I'll be using the Training Arena for a bit. I'll address everyone together once they've all gathered here in an hour."

Receiving his affirmative bow, I turned away from him, instead focusing on the large black platform built from a self-repairing Obsidianite Alloy, able to withstand and heal from the attacks from even Level 100s.

With a thought, I flew to the center of the large platform, my boots touching the dark floor as I smoothly landed on it.

Flying was starting to become an enjoyable habit as it quickly became second nature to me.

Right. Time to see if all my Skills and Spells work properly.

.

"Hmm…"

I hummed in curiosity as I saw the training dummy burn with astral blue flames, the damage on it being repaired quickly, and a numerical value reflected by a digital screen on its chest. The surrounding area was also charred and burning by the same astral blue flames.

Welp, it's official. My magic is way too overpowered. That was one of my normal class-based attack spells, a mere Tier 1 spell [Astral Flare], and it still produced enough damage to kill an ungeared Level 20 character in a single attack.

My passive boosts and accessories are utterly ridiculous. But what else should I have expected from them? They were supposed to be overpowered. However, it might be better to turn my World Item's effects off for now and only use it when I'm fighting a high-level opponent. Due to its effect, even the precision attacks are causing AOE destruction.

Taking this World Item in that last raid was risky and I'm so glad I didn't lose it. It certainly helped boost my Super Tier spell's already ridiculous AOE and damage rating.

The thought of all that juicy loot from Asgard that I had stored in my treasure room with just a few special ones left in my Inventory made me giddy like a child. I'd have liked to take some time off and check them all out to see what exactly I got my grubby little paws on, hehehe. But I couldn't, not right now. I had work to do. Shaking off those thoughts, I turned back to the current matter at hand.

I used my inherent grasp and connection over my items and willed the ones I wanted turned off. It didn't take much effort or time, honestly. And now I wouldn't accidentally blast off a village while casting a strong Tier 4 or 5 spell.

I did feel my stats dropping from their prime state. And that feeling—

Ah.

—it wasn't very pleasant. I felt restrained. Weakened.

I guess it can't be helped.

Part of me wanted that feeling of peak strength back while another part took note of that fact. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the vague sense of lethargy and longing I had momentarily felt.

"My lord, my apologies for disturbing your reverie, but I've gathered the floor guardians for you as per your will."

Nix's words broke me from my musings, and I turned to look at the audience that had gathered in the arena without me realizing it. No, I had known about their arrival a while back but had subconsciously chosen to ignore their presence, instead focusing on testing my skills. I was still only done with the first 4 tiers of my extensive Spell list, but even with just this much I had confirmed what I wanted to: I knew my Spells instinctively and didn't need any practice to use them. They were ingrained in my mind like muscle memory and my knowledge of their properties and usage was quite firm.

I smiled looking at the eager and attentive features of the figures kneeling below the arena. From up here, I was looming on even the tallest of them.

Using a Silent casting of [Cleanse], a very useful Utility spell that I knew would serve me greatly in the New World, I moved towards my silent and patiently waiting audience.

The moment I was in proximity to them, a chorus echoed through the arena as everyone spoke in unison.

"""We greet the Supreme One!"""

My eyes roamed around, looking at the various figures and my lips curled into a pleased smile.

"Rise, everyone. I'm happy to see you all so vibrant and energetic."

Ah, I can't describe to you how happy I felt looking at all these creations given life.

Everyone seemed to have blossomed from their hard and rigid codes and flavor texts to thinking and feelings minds, each having their own unique personalities and traits that I knew for certain would grow in time as they experienced new things. Yet one thing was certain, their loyalty would always be there. Would always be certain.

From left to right, they all stood in a row, with Nix standing in front to show her status as their superior.

I glanced at each one of them, feeling them straightening up further when they knew they were in focus.

Counting everyone present, I hummed in curiosity.

"I see that the 1st floor's and 8th floor's guardians are missing."

I commented, causing Nix to perk up immediately as she answered.

"Yes. The Gatekeeper of the first floor requested some time, stating he was feeling under the weather."

I frowned.

"Is he unwell?" 

An illness or a status effect?

Wait, isn't The Gatekeeper immune to diseases and negative status effects? I'm pretty sure that his race doesn't get sick.

"Upon inquiry, he stated that the recent change in our surroundings caused him to undergo some… strange revelations."

That's a little foreboding.

"… I see. I would still wish to meet with him soon to be sure. How severe was his situation?"

"Not severe, my lord. He simply felt overwhelmed. The timestamp seems to match almost exactly with the suspected moment of transportation, so I am inclined to believe him. He requested to be given some time to clear his mind and then report to you directly. Unless you'd like to meet him immediately?"

I shook my head.

"No, let him rest and recuperate. I can hazard a guess as to why it happened. There's no hurry. He can visit me later. I simply wished to meet with my Guardians now that we're experiencing such a time of change."

I wonder if his 'evolution' was triggered by this event. 

"And the Eight Floor's guardian?"

"Ah…"

Nix momentarily hesitated to answer the question before she spoke, her words composed and solemn.

"My sincere apologies, my lord. She refused to leave her room. Too afraid that her hold over her powers might loosen and cause catastrophe."

I blinked, confusion hazing me for a moment before I remembered who guarded the said Floor and their backstory. And as soon as I remembered said backstory, I couldn't stop myself from sighing.

"That girl…"

I swear I fixed her bio and removed that tidbit. Then why is she still afraid of her powers?

"I'm guessing she requested for me?"

I smiled wryly, already predicting where this was leading.

I got a wry smile and affirmation in response.

"Indeed. My apologies, Master. I tried to convince her, but she refused to budge. Unless she hears an explicit order from you, she won't leave her space. Though she has been informed of the changes that occurred and has informed me that there's no change in the Void of the eighth floor; all the Outer Entities are still locked and asleep in their confinements and shown no signs of revolting."

The Outer Entities… What was I thinking when I decided to fill one of the floors with possibly the most horrifying entities in the Yggdrasil? Oh wait, I think I just answered my question.

And all of them are guarded by a shy and timid girl. I swear my guildmates had a weird sense of humor. Heh. It is kinda funny though.

"Hm, very well. I'll go meet her. Maybe I'll have a better time convincing her now that her powers aren't as volatile as she thinks. My last 'session' with her seems to not have helped in this regard."

"If it's you, my lord, then I'm sure she'd understand."

Nix beamed at me, and I couldn't help but smile back at her.

However, during our little conversation, I had been inadvertently ignoring the other Guardians. And while they all patiently waited for me to address them, I didn't want to make them wait too long. They all seemed quite eager to talk to me. Well, most hid it well, but my own heightened senses told me the truth. I didn't want my bias to overshadow my attention. After all, I considered all of them as my own.

Seeing everyone waiting for my next words, I didn't stall further and addressed them all.

"My dear Guardians, I'm elated to see everyone who came at my beck and call." 

"We'll always answer to your call, oh Supreme One."

One of the said Guardians, an Angel with two white wings jutting from her lower back and a unique halo with a multicolored ring, slightly tilted and off-center with light spikes on it marking it as a fancy rendition of a normal Angel's Halo, spoke in a soft but fervent tone.

Her long hair, a shade of light purple and pink with some rare light green and blue highlights, rustled behind her as her wings fluttered, creating silent wisps of wind behind her.

Her purple pupils, surrounded by molten gold irises shined in a way that highlighted her already radiant and beautiful looks.

"And I'm happy that you put me in such high regard, my dear Jibril."

I smiled at the Flügel dubbed War Angel, causing her to puff up her impressive chest and beam back as her wings fluttered behind her more.

"Of course, my lord! I live you serve you."

"Then, allow me to inform you all the reason why you've all been gathered here. Roughly an hour or so ago, something grand transpired. You might not have realized this, but your very existence has undergone a profound transformation due to this incident. As for the said incident… Yggdrasil, the realm we once called home, is no more."

I paused to watch everyone's reaction. As expected, nearly everyone was shocked though they managed to control their reactions well, none uttering a word while I was speaking.

"I will not mend my words here as you and everyone else deserve to know. Truthfully, all of you were fated to perish. Everyone and everything in all realms were. Yggdrasil… it had lived its life and could no longer continue its existence. The Higher Entities that managed the world had informed us of that fact. All of us, my guildmates and I, had slowly made our peace with that knowledge. And one by one, most of them left to other worlds, leaving you under my care.

I didn't… No, I couldn't leave. I had no intention of letting the hard work I put to create and maintain this guild and all of you. I had put my all into building this place to be a perfect paradise for myself and my subjects, my loved ones. So, I couldn't just let you go. And so, I stayed till the end, prepared to either perish with you or make this journey to a new realm."

I momentarily looked at Nix and she caught my gaze, her passion rising with my words and their implication.

"I am truly pleased to inform you that now we're in a New World. One that's unknown to us right now and is a canvas for us to explore and build upon. And I… I shall tell you all a secret."

Everyone had been paying rapt attention to my words but when I uttered the word 'secret', everyone's gaze sharpened tenfold. They held their breaths, waiting for me, the Supreme Being, to let them know of a forbidden secret that they were never meant to know.

"The world I and many others come from was a decayed and dying world. That's all I can share with you right now in regard to the nature of that world. Many of us, the ones you call Supreme Beings, were unsatisfied by our reality that had been corrupted beyond repair by our forefathers and chose instead to venture into other worlds and realms. The realms of Yggdrasil were one such place.

And ever since I entered the realms of Yggdrasil, I knew of its pending fate. It was a world created for our enjoyment and pleasure and had an expiry date. But I also knew that there was a possibility of a further beyond. A new beginning after the end.

This is what I had hoped would happen. Nexus has been freed from the shackles of Yggdrasil that locked its potential, locked all of you. You are now free and allowed to blossom, my dear Guardians."

It was at this point I realized I had gone a bit too deep into the theatrics and babbled too much. A bad habit I and pretty much most others in Yggdrasil Players caught. The habit of Roleplaying. It didn't help that this speech came naturally to me, and my subconscious postures added to the grandness, as proved by the shining and awe-struck eyes of the NPCs.

Truth be told, I had a 'speech' prepared a while back. It was my intention to talk to and explain to the NPCs who had recently gained sentience (from my perspective) a greeting speech. But in the moment, I got caught up in my own emotions and said some things that came naturally to me. So, the entire speech was semi-impromptu and semi-scripted.

Still, I think it had the intended effect. And I had shared with them the main bits I wanted to share. I could take it easy from here on out.

Having finished my speech, I let them simmer in my words, hopefully coming to terms with this newfound knowledge.

.

"Then, let's continue the rest of this conversation in the Throne Room. There's no need for everyone to keep standing here, is there?"

None of the Guardians raised any objections to my suggestion and were more than happy to follow my lead.

"[Mass Greater Teleportation]."

With a simple spell, we were back on the 10th Floor.

Not wasting any time, I started walking towards the throne, the action feeling so familiar by this point.

Turning back and sitting on the throne, I felt a warm humming as the seat recognized me as its Master and gave off an impression of joy and contentment.

Feeling emotions from an inanimate object was odd, truth be told, but I chalked it up to the 'reality patch' and didn't think too deeply about it. I had other things to do, like addressing the once again kneeling Guardians. And the emotions I felt from the Throne were both inviting and positive.

"Rise, everyone. There's no need to kneel again."

Everyone rose, heading my command. I took that moment to use my Creation Magic to summon seats for everyone. I'd wanted to do this for a long time as I didn't like how lonely the Throne Room felt but wasn't allowed to due to some restrictions. Now, however… 

Magic molded in front of me and summoned tasteful and well-crafted chairs for everyone present.

"Take a seat, everyone."

"My lord? But we are your humble creations; How could we possibly dare to do something so rude to you?"

A green-haired woman wearing floral attire spoke with trepidation, her hand clenching tightly on her plentiful blossoms as she looked like an angel who'd been asked to sin against their own God.

The others present nodded and spoke in affirmation, fully agreeing with her sentiment.

'Haa… I had a feeling I'd be dealing with this.'

I smiled wryly at these overly loyal creations turned living beings.

"It's no sin if I myself ask you to do it, is it? Or do you wish to disobey my command, my dear Sylvia? Hm, everyone?"

I tilted my head in inquiry and was pleased to see my words had the intended effect as they all fervently denied it and promptly sat on their respective seats, each made so it'd fit their stature and shapes. 

However, I could have done with fewer apologies as they went on to apologize more, with Sylvia even requesting for punishment which I promptly shut down with my cold logic and reasoning.

It seemed it'd take time for me to tone their habits down. There was indeed such a thing as excessive obedience and servitude. And these ones were no different than the ones in Nazarick.

After everyone was settled and their requests and apologies died down, I began with the actual work I had to do.

"Nix."

"My master."

Nix replied from her seat beside me. Because of course, I wanted her to sit close to me. She was my companion in this New World.

Was that unfair to the others who sat on the seats below? Mayhaps. But their faces, body language, and surface emotions showed no signs of it. If anything, they all seemed to take that information for granted, as if such a thing was meant to be. I suppose their flavor texts did make them treat Nix in quite high regard.

"What have our scouts gathered about our surroundings?"

The Ethereal Seraph's expression turned analytical as she reported the details.

"From our reconnaissance so far, we've gathered that we're currently in a mountainous region. Our exit to the outside, The Astral Spire, is now located on top of a flat mountain. The surroundings lack the natural Spiritual Energy that Ascendant Bastian had, but the ground near the Spire appears to be producing said energy and seems to be terraforming the rocky grounds into a green hill. The energy is originating from the tower itself."

I nodded without saying anything, letting her continue her report.

"Furthermore, our units have scouted an area spanning 20 km in all directions and have sent the first few renditions of the local map of this region."

She produced a rolled-up parchment from her personal Inventory, rose from her seat, and walked up to me, handing it.

Opening it, I was somewhat amazed to see a heavily detailed map that painted quite a full picture of our surroundings. We were indeed situated in a fairly wide mountain range, with quite a few landmarks and places of interest marked on the screen. A few, like artificial cave entrances with closed gates on them, intrigued me.

Hmm, I'm not sure if this mountain range is the one that divides Re-Estize and Baharuth or some other mountain range. No, this isn't enough to make a guess.

Rather than making premature guesses, I continued to observe the Map.

The Mountains seemed to keep going on the top of the map, meaning the unmarked area was probably more mountains which the bottom area mellowed into what seemed like plains.

There were no signs of Villages or Towns on the map, so the scouts probably hadn't expanded further enough to have them marked on the map. Still, for a single hour, this was pretty decent. At least, I thought so. While the distance they managed to cover in an hour belied their true potential speed, the number of details they put on the map, marking roads, rivers, habitats, and other less important things of note made me understand why.

"Hmm, have they encountered any living beings in the surroundings? Perhaps Dwarfs or Dragons?"

Pretty sure the mountain I remember had those two. There were also those werewolf-like species, but I can't remember their name. 

"We haven't encountered any intelligent species but have encountered plenty of beasts that seem to be spread around in the area. Mostly furred quadrupedal beasts that weren't sentient, though some of the scouts up north—assuming the Sun of this world indeed rises from the East—have reported seeing a couple Wyverns flying in the distant skies up north. They were too far away for the scouts to gauge their detailed appearance or threat level, however. My apologies for our shortcoming."

"No need for that, Nix. Though, that could be a sign that there are Dragons that reside in this mountain range. It'd be prudent to make sure. Dragons are territorial and it would be better to know if we're intruding on any power Dragons' territory. The scouts weren't discovered, correct?"

I arched an eyebrow in question.

"No, my lord. None of the groups were discovered as they were hiding while observing."

I nodded.

"Good. It would be troublesome if the denizens of these lands discover us before we have established a proper footing in these new lands. On that note, I'm curious. Is the Mystic fog surrounding the Astral Spire still there or is it gone?"

The Tower or Spire, whatever you want to call it, was a very tall and large structure, appearing to be a dungeon on its own. And the 100 floors of the tower indeed were dungeon-like floors, producing pop monsters and traps to hinder Adventurers (aka Players) who wished to reach the top. This feature had made this dungeon quite interesting and challenging in-game and I saw the potential of this type of dungeon as a guild base.

Of course, once you finish the 100 floors, you learn that the entire tower was just the first floor of the actual dungeon. The [Gate] on the top floor is also where The Gatekeeper resides. I know, nobody could've guessed that, but surprise surprise.

… My ex-guildmates had a curious sense of humor. Or maybe they just sucked as naming. I had to rename so many NPCs because their names were atrocities, and I didn't want those poor soon-to-be sentient souls to cherish such horrendous names.

Some stayed as it is though. The Gatekeeper, for instance, just fit the title-cum-name too well, especially with his curious backstory. So, even if I did give him his actual name, he was still mainly referred to as The Gatekeeper. But I digress.

As I was saying, it'd be a hassle to try and hide the ginormous tower that must have suddenly appeared out of the blue from the perspective of the locals. If it was still protected by the fog, then good. But if not…

"I'm afraid not. The Mystic fog is no longer protecting the tower. So, anyone and everyone in a fair distance of the tower must have already noticed its existence."

"That's… The Gatekeeper's duty to inform, is it not? He should have a view of the outside from his position."

Someone among the guardians spoke but I didn't pay them attention. I was already recalling the plan I had prepared in such a case.

"Hm, it's fine. I had thought of such a possibility. In this case, it'll be fine to let them be. The only way to enter the 2nd Floor is by climbing all 100 Floors of the tower. The Guild's defenses would be long informed of the intruders, and they'd be dealt with depending on their intentions and actions. I do not wish to cause unnecessary harm to any curious Adventurers. After all, the Astral Spire is meant to be explored. However, it is also part of my domain, so not just anyone can barge in and enter it, hoping to acquire the treasures and resources inside. Keep the doors to the bottom of the tower closed until I have deemed it ready for the outsiders. Until then, only open them in case one of our own enters or exits it."

"Yes, my lord. I'll contact The Gatekeeper to let him know to close the entrance doors from his control room."

Nix nodded and I hummed as I plopped my chin on my palm.

So… what's next? Other than the full investigation of the NPCs and the Guild Base, which is already scheduled after this meeting, the regular updates from the reconnaissance units, and meeting the remaining few Level 100 guardians, is there anything else I was supposed to do?

Hmm, I guess that's it. Maybe I can rest after that.

I glanced at the figure of Nix, who had once again stood up—what was the point of me giving her a seat beside me if she didn't even use it? Then again, it was probably awkward to report to me without looking at me straight. I had a feeling that was at least part of the reasoning. Or maybe Nix didn't like sitting as she was always standing beside me.

Even though I was technically her creator, I didn't know about all the nuances of her personality. As the Nix in front of me was a living and breathing being with a complex brain, she was bound to have more aspects in her than the ones I wrote.

It was something I planned to fix, however. I wanted to know everything about Nix. It'd not do for me to remain unknowledgeable about my own partner in life.

I would also interact with the other NPC turned people and beings to get to know them better but Nix was on the top of that list for several reasons, most obvious if you think about it a little. 

Yes, that's it. I'll take a break after this and have a private chat with her.

That sounded like a very pleasant idea.

-x-