Nfirea held his breath, observing his monstrous employer carefully analyze the potion he had made. He and Enri had settled on one of the sofas with the nonhuman couple sitting across the table. A group of fully human maids filled the cups before him with deliciously smelling fruit tea and put down plates with pastries and exotic fruit.
Not to be seen as rude, he picked up the cup the moment it was filled and took a small sip, interested in what it would taste like. Enri mimicked him to near perfection as she had side-eyed him for any direction the moment they stepped into this magical realm.
"The tea is f-fantastic," His voice increased in pitch.
"Very tasty." Enri nodded along.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but please, try to relax. We have no hostile intentions towards humans as a species. If anything, we intended to gradually ease you in knowing what we truly are," Mariposa commented, seeing the young couple so tense.
"I know… it's still a lot to take in. I… we are very grateful for everything you and Lord Ainz have done for us," Nfirea replied and took another sip from the cup.
"Of course. We are aware that local non-human races aren't particularly friendly to humans for a myriad of reasons. Lord Ainz and other leaders are working hard on plans to unite all sentient races in peaceful cooperation, and you two are just the start." Mariposa flashed them a reassuring smile before motioning for a refill.
"Fascinating. To think that this purity is reached with only tier-two magic and this is just an initial stage. With optimization and liches as a workforce, we could start mass production very soon," Tabula mumbled aloud to himself, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
"I believe a more optimal enrichment could be possible, but I'm yet to reach the enrichment and purity level of the potion you left as a sample." Nfirea perked up, latching onto a topic where he could have a chance to shine.
"Mmm, yes. The problem is that we have no means to replicate Yggdrasil materials, at least at the moment. And my knowledge of materials found in this world is rather limited at the moment. I wonder…" Tabula put the vial in his left palm and placed his right palm over it.
The monstrous creature cast a spell that Nfirea couldn't recognize. He hadn't seen that many spell circles overlapping one another before, which meant he couldn't tell what tier spell it was. His employer used strange magics, but that was now expected of him.
The vial started to glow and the red floating specs multiplied rapidly before his very eyes.
"Tier six should do it in a few attempts. Just for the sake of experiment, let's try tier ten," Tabula mumbled as the number of rings increased as did the glow around the vial.
"Tier ten!?" Nfirea choked.
"Ahm, yes, I guess, we should discuss that as well," Tabula stated absentmindedly.
"But how -" Nfirea wanted to know how such an impossible magical level was considered such a "trivial" matter for his employer. It was a known fact that many monster races were a lot more adept in magic but even then, tier six was considered near-impossible heights only one human had reached, and perhaps only a few monster races had reached it as well.
His attempt at finding an answer was rudely interrupted by the vial exploding followed by surprised yelps from both Enri and Mariposa, the former quivering behind him. Luckily, the magically charged liquid didn't reach him or Enri, but the same couldn't be said about the hosts.
Tabula got hit the worst, his light purple robe was now covered in dark smudges. His wife, as if expecting something like this to happen, had shielded herself with her wing at the last moment avoiding any damage to her clothing. Which she probably was, considering married couples knew each other's habits.
"That definitely was too much. How long would it take for you to bring another sample to this level?" Tabula asked as he produced a large handkerchief from his inventory and vigorously wiped his wife's wing.
"At least a week, I think. Under your orders, I am keeping my mana levels way above the exhaustion point." Nfirea gave the most optimistic time frame he honestly could, hoping it would satisfy his superior.
"You know, I was thinking of getting local apprentices… If you're interested in that, I could offer you the position and augment your abilities in the process. I think tier six shouldn't be too hard. Ainz should have a few slots of limit increase free right?" Tabula asked his wife, who in turn was using cleaning magic on his robe.
"First, you should explain the basics to the boy. And yes, Lord Ainz should have at least a few charges left." Mariposa glanced at him and Enri.
"Tier six. I… how is it possible?" Nfirea asked in sheer disbelief. He was not only being offered a permanent job, which hopefully didn't come with hidden clauses like losing his humanity permanently, but also for his power level to be increased to such impossible heights such as tier six, a tier only told of in legends.
"In short. This place, called Nazarick, is ruled by six Gods, with Lord Ainz being the Supreme Ruler and my husband being one of the Gods. They come from the same place as other Gods you, no doubt, have heard about in this world. What my husband is offering is to increase your power level directly. This process isn't pleasant, but neither is lethal by any means. As my husband's apprentice, you would become a direct servant of the Gods and thus fully fall under their protection alongside other benefits. Changing to a nonhuman race isn't necessary, only possible, and you would remain as is unless you desire to be more than a human," Mariposa explained.
"I am known as the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, so it is my job to gather all the knowledge there is, and I am afraid I still know far too little about this world and would benefit greatly by working with you more directly. In return, I would share my knowledge and wisdom with you. Of course, mundane things would be taken care of, including your village," Tabula added enthusiastically.
The boy was clearly a rare catch and he wasn't about to lose his opportunity, ensnaring him with deep secrets no mortal of this world knew.
"What would it mean for us? Would Nfirea have to live here?" Enri spoke up, her hand tightly gripping Nfirea's.
"Not necessarily. I would prefer so, but Nfirea can continue his work while living in the village," Tabula dismissed her fears.
"Resources would be allocated to expand upon the lab and overall protection of the village. Enri, since you are in charge of Carne, I will coordinate with you extensively to ensure you have everything you and your family could ever need. Keep in mind that the rest of the villagers shouldn't know all the details and just assume Lord Ainz is very generous because Nfirea works for the guild and got a promotion, which wouldn't be difficult to pass off given the fancier equipment tends to be the better it is. The Laboratory no doubt will need to be moved underground and properly secured while still having the appearance of a regular house from the outside and the ground floor, but that can be handled." Mariposa continued.
"I should ask Ainz for the resources-"
"I already coordinated with Lady Albedo, and she has allocated more than enough. Yuri will be the local coordinator and oversee the necessary constructions and equipment delivery," Mariposa assured her husband.
"Excellent. Always one step ahead of me dear," Tabula chuckled as Mariposa leaned in, silently demanding a kiss from him, which the God of Knowledge graciously provided.
"So, do you agree, my boy?" Tabula turned his attention back to the young pair after exchanging a short display of affection with his wife.
Nfirea glanced at Enri, who was gripping even tighter, threatening to break his fingers. She nodded in agreement, though she looked very unsure about the decision.
"I agree. Please take care of us." Nfirea bowed, Enri following moments later.
"Lord Ainz will wait for you in his office. You should go immediately. Enri and I, meanwhile, will discuss what the village needs," Mariposa stated. As her husband's assistant, she had quickly established a direct line of communication with Albedo to ensure Tabula received everything he needed and that his daughter was well-informed about what he was doing.
While the two women remained sitting in the room, he followed his who would now be called master through another gate spell. They arrived at a vast hall before a massive double door, guarded by two bug-like creatures with long, glistening spears.
The doors opened before Nfirea had a chance to look around and Tabula ushered him into the office. Behind a desk sat an undead with flaming eyes and a glowing orb in his exposed ribcage, decorated with huge shoulder pauldrons and a luxurious robe. Leaning over his shoulder was a blonde elven woman with one green and one blue eyes, clad in full plate armor, and at the other side stood a demoness with a very similar appearance to Tabula's wife. The final person present was an angel with many white wings, standing at the further end of the office, silent and unmoving.
"Oh hey, it's Nfirea." The elven woman explained, glancing upward to see who was coming.
There was something strangely familiar about her, but Nfirea couldn't tell what exactly.
"Father, not only did you reveal your true form to this human but didn't bother to teach him proper manners?" The demoness, resembling his master's wife, hissed as she glared holes into him.
"It's fine, Albedo. I'm sure Mariposa will give all the relevant information to Nfirea once she has a chance to do so. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, the Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. As I understand, Tabula has picked you as his apprentice." The undead introduced himself while keeping the annoyed demoness at bay, staring straight at the boy.
"Yes, Lord. I-I'm honored for the opportunity." Nfirea bowed deeply.
"Tabula, how much did you tell him?" The elven woman questioned.
"Mari explained the basics. I don't think he knows who you are," Tabula replied.
"Let's leave it at that for now then. I'm Buku, nice to meet you in person."
"Likewise, Lady Buku."
"Let's not drag this out. I'm sure you two have plenty of other things to do." Ainz stood up from his chair and straightened out his robe with a fluid motion. He approached the boy, who started going pale in his mere presence.
"It will not hurt," Ainz declared as he placed his ring-covered bony hand on the boy's forehead.
What exactly the undead God did to him, Nfirea couldn't tell, but something changed in his very being at the most fundamental level.
"Now the next step won't be as pleasant, but I'll try to make it quick. Ainz, be prepared to observe. I hope you'll be able to learn it directly." Tabula now took the place in front of him instead of the undead, the latter returning to his seat.
"Learn what?"
"How to directly improve someone by using mana. I plan to push Nfirea into the sixth tier by maxing out his new potential right away," Tabula answered, beaming with pride.
"How the hell does that work? Can we be improved the same way?" Buku interjected.
"In theory yes, but it would be far cheaper and easier to empower a hundred humans to their maximum limit than to add one level to your power," Tabula replied, shaking his head.
"Was worth asking. Still, maybe I should learn it as well." Buku sounded disappointed that a direct cheat wasn't as applicable to her.
Nfirea took a sharp breath trying to prepare for what was about to come. But he couldn't have fathomed what he felt for an eternity in an instant. Nothing compared to the agony engulfing his entire body. As if he was dying thousands of deaths while being ripped apart he felt every fiber of his mortal flesh, being remade into something different entirely. Only a quiet gasp escaped his lips. Before he knew it, he was being held up by his new master as his legs had given out, his breath long gone.
"Hmm, it seems easy to do. Though the amount of mana you just spent is concerning," Ainz commented.
"Indeed, but for fast results the price is adequate I think. He went from level twelve to level thirty-eight nearly instantly. And there aren't any side effects to speak of as far as I'm aware." Tabula let go of him.
Nfirea felt his legs wobble but he managed to remain standing after a brief moment of disorientation. If anything, he felt lighter than before, as if most of his weight was just removed. "Thank you. But what do those levels mean?"
"It's mostly an arbitrary system to note someone's approximate power level and baseline abilities. If I have to guess, I just pushed you into the upper tiers of normal human limits, and without Ainz giving you a new peak to reach for, there isn't really much growth left in you at the moment. In terms of magic potency, you should be able to freely cast tier six spells and everything below."
Though it sounded absurd, the first tests after returning home a few minutes later proved that his master wasn't exaggerating. He attempted to tire himself out by casting magical infusion on a new healing potion, and the previous limits he had held himself to didn't even budge his mana pool now. As another great plus, he caught himself having a lot more overall energy, which surely would come in handy when dealing with Enri.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by LionLover, Squid, fvvck, Mfkzrocker, clagan, aidan_lo, and Stac.
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