A few days later, in E-Rantel.
In the bustling streets of Fortress City, E-Rantel, people could occasionally be heard chatting about one particular topic.
"Looks like we've got a new Mithril Adventurer here."
"He just ranked up to Mithril a couple of days ago, right? Looks like he jumped all the way from Copper in one go."
"Isn't that just a rumor?"
"Nope, I know that going straight from Copper to Mithril is unheard of, but it's real."
"Yeah, it's real. I heard that not only did he easily defeat a bunch of higher-ranked adventurers when he first joined, but he also recently took on a direct commission from Warrior Captain Gazef Stronoff to stop an enemy nation's scheme and even saved his life."
"You mean the guy who's known as the strongest warrior?"
"Yeah, a great guy like him gave a newcomer a commission... No wonder everyone's talking about it."
Adventurers in particular, easily recognizable with their gear and weapons, shared even more details than the average people.
"You have no idea, but the other day, the Warrior Captain showed up at the Adventurer's Guild with his whole troops, causing a huge commotion."
"Well, he's a hero in his own right and can't even be compared to the top-ranked Adamantite Adventurers."
"Yet when he came to the Adventurer's Guild a few days ago, he not only escorted the rookie himself but also told the guild master he'd been saved by him. Thanks to the rookie, he got out of a tight spot and foiled an enemy nation's scheme."
"Sadly, he wouldn't give any specific details, just said it was classified as a national secret. Other than the guild master, no one knows exactly what exactly happened."
"Yep, and after that, the rookie got promoted straight from Copper to Mithril."
"Heh, there must be plenty of adventurers who aren't too happy about that."
Indeed, there were.
An adventurer's rank was, after all, not just proof of their capabilities but also their achievements. Without these two factors to back it up, an adventurer couldn't climb the ranks.
Achievements referred to the number of quests or commissions completed and contributions to major events.
For example, adventurers typically took on quests to hunt monsters and protect regular citizens from threats, while high-ranking adventurers handled tougher quests, saving countless civilians from dangerous creatures. After countless near-death experiences, injuries, and hardships, they earned their ranks.
Now, a brand-newcomer who had only joined a few days ago had suddenly shot to the top by taking on a commission for the kingdom. Any adventurer would be upset by this, especially the younger, more ambitious ones.
It was worth noting that in E-Rantel, the highest adventurer rank was Mithril. Orichalcum and Adamantite adventurers were rare since their work usually covered multiple regions, so they didn't often settle in one city.
As a result, Mithril was the highest rank for adventurers permanently based in E-Rantel.
In other words, the newcomer everyone was talking about not only jumped up several ranks but also reached the highest rank available in E-Rantel all at once, causing quite a stir and leaving many resentful.
"Yeah, thanks to that, the guild's been bustling lately."
"At first, loads of adventurers were protesting, saying it wasn't fair and blaming that rookie for breaking guild rules by getting involved in national affairs. Some even argued that handling disputes between countries shouldn't count as an adventurer's achievement. Simply put, they had a million excuses."
"Really? All that noise has died down now, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, well, the rookie threw down a serious challenge at the guild, saying anyone who had a problem could come and take him on. He promised that if they could even manage to touch his clothes, he'd give back the mithril identification tag the guild awarded him—oh yeah, he also threw in a bag full of gold as a bonus."
"It's been days now, and who knows how many people have tried to take him on. Even some Platinum Adventurers gave it a shot, but they all got beaten without even laying a finger on him."
"A bunch of veteran adventurers say there's no way he's only Mithril."
"Right? I mean, to be able to beat adventurers up to Platinum so easily, he's gotta be at least Orichalcum, maybe even Adamantite, no?"
Conversations like this had been making rounds among adventurers recently, so even those who had just come back from quests outside had heard about it.
"Oh yeah, what's that rookie's name again?"
"Pretty sure it's Riezel Brynhart?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
A group of adventurers were chatting as they walked along the road until suddenly—
"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt."
A deep voice suddenly boomed from behind them, making the group of adventurers jump in fright.
They instinctively turned to see that a tall figure had appeared behind them.
It was a warrior clad in pitch-black full armor, completely concealing his head, hands, and feet—not a single feature was visible.
Behind him hung a red cape, with two massive swords strapped beneath it, creating a powerful aura that caused even this group of Silver Adventurers to freeze on the spot.
Surprisingly, behind the warrior stood a woman, somewhere between fifteen and twenty years old, with narrow eyes, thick black hair tied into a ponytail, fair, smooth skin, and strikingly exotic beauty.
She wore a white shirt, dark brown pants, black boots, and a brown cloak that covered her body, with a sword strapped to her waist.
In people's eyes, this duo gave off a 'beauty and the beast' vibe—a stark contrast that was both eye-catching and imposing.
"Wh-What do you want?"
One of the adventurers asked, stuttering and visibly nervous.
"Sorry, I just wanted to ask—the adventurer you mentioned just now, what was his name again?"
Seeing their reactions, the black-armored warrior paid no mind and asked calmly.
Meanwhile, upon hearing the question, the adventurers glanced at each other tensely, not answering.
"Riezel Brynhart, right?"
Asking again without a hint of impatience, the black-armored warrior confirmed the name.
"Y-Yeah."
"That's the name…"
"Is there a problem?"
Finally, the adventurers answered.
"No, I just wanted to confirm something... Sorry to bother all of you."
After saying this, the black-armored warrior immediately turned and left, with the beautiful woman behind him quickly following.
Seeing this, the adventurers exchanged bewildered looks, unable to make sense of what had just happened.
Only after they had left did the woman walking behind the black-armored warrior speak.
"Lord Ain—"
Before she could finish, the black-armored warrior interrupted her.
"My name's Momon now, not Ainz, remember?"
Clearly, this black-armored warrior was none other than the max-level player who had crossed over from YGGDRASIL, the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and the one who had once crossed paths with Riezel and exchanged information with him—Momonga.
No, he wasn't called Momonga anymore.
Just as the original work went, he had changed his name to match his old guild's name in YGGDRASIL—Ainz Ooal Gown.
However, the former Momonga, now Ainz, clearly had no intention of revealing his true identity here, so, in a slightly stern tone, he scolded the woman beside him.
"I'm not Ainz Ooal Gown right now, and you're not one of the Pleiades of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Narberal Gamma, but Nabe, the soon-to-be adventurer, and my partner. Don't mess this up, understood?"
Hearing Ainz's quiet scolding, the woman known as Narberal Gamma lowered her head.
"Yes, I'm very sorry, Lord Momon."
"Don't call me with 'Lord'. We're adventurer partners now, technically equals, not superiors and subordinates."
"B-But how could I show such disrespect to a Supreme Being?"
"It's an order."
"...Understood, Mr. Momon."
Fortunately, their conversation drew no attention, and no one overheard their words, as the people around them were busy marveling at their striking appearances—some admired the impressive, imposing armor Ainz wore, while others were captivated by Narberal's beauty.
Regardless, the onlookers, enchanted by Ainz and Narberal, had no idea this pair wasn't even human.
They were heteromorphs.
They were visitors from another world, wielding powers far beyond those of the natives.
They were undoubtedly invaders to the natives of this world, potential future enemies, but of course, that hadn't happened yet.
"Mr. Momon, those insects mentioned someone named Riezel Brynhart. Is that the information dealer who appeared near Nazarick a few days ago?"
After a moment of silence, Narberal finally asked what she had originally wanted to bring up.
"Not sure, but probably..." Ainz muttered, a red glow flickering in his skeletal eye sockets. "It's only been a few days, so there's a good chance he's still lurking around here."
"What should we do if we encounter him?" Narberal asked, a murderous glint appearing in her eyes. "He has seen both Mr. Momon and Lord Demiurge, so he might get suspicious if he spots us here."
"Indeed..."
Ainz's voice turned serious.
"A few days ago, you weren't with me, and now Demiurge is gone, replaced by a striking woman like you. Normally, that'd raise some questions, right?"
"Honestly, there are already plenty of oddities about him. From what I've heard, he only recently became an adventurer, which makes his claim of having adventurer as his main job before pretty questionable."
"Moreover, I might've revealed too many of our secrets to him, so we definitely can't ignore him."
Ainz truly felt troubled and anxious.
He couldn't help but feel like his decision to trade information with Riezel might have been a mistake.