If you notice any errors, please feel free to give me constructive feedback. English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, please mention them in the comment section at the end of the chapter. I do not own Overlord. All property rights belong to their respective creators. Let's begin the story!
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Chapter-18
Alfheim,
Yggdrasil,
Earth – Year 2129,
Overlord Verse;
The Grand Hall remained silent after the fall of Dreh'h—his body long gone, reduced to glowing embers that still floated in the air like dying fireflies.
Kai stood at the side of the elevated platform with Hitoshi and Kindred Star. Between them, the loot window displayed the cache—rare-tier crafting materials, enchantment gems, data crystals, and a cache of uncategorised relics tied to the Avalon tag. Kai was already categorizing them.
"Nothing world-breaking," Hitoshi muttered, scratching his beard. "But these enchanted stones and materials… definitely Avalon-exclusive."
"No custom gear drops," Kai added, scrolling through the final column. "We'll check the relics later. If there's a next room, it might still be ahead."
"That," Kindred Star said softly, "is regrettable…."
"Still, there's no World Item." Mumbled Kindred Star. And Kai and Hitoshi nodded as they continued their work.
As they sorted, the others had scattered around the chamber.
Zaroth traced his fingers along a pillar's carved edges, muttering about forgotten bloodlines and cursed seats of power. Shining Knight leaned his elbow on the hilt of his blade, glancing up at the moonlit dome with a rare softness. Red Order stood in silence beside gold, gazing at the moon.
Wandering Soul floated upward with Silent Witch, inspecting the motifs engraved across the dome's inner ring.
"The details in this dungeon are crazy…," she said.
"Compared to other dungeons, yes." Wandering Soul replied. "Rather than details explicitly, the work put here to add extra useless stuff is crazy."
"Right." Agreed Silent Witch with Wandering Soul, "The place is quite dreamy."
They both sighed, of how they had wished to have a place of their own, to build a guild. Yet, Kai had always postponed their suggestion to create a guild. Reasons unknown to them, by mentioning about finding a suitable place for their guild first.
"Still, it's great that we have a clan leader like K, added with Hitoshi and my dear friend Kindred Star." Muttered Silent Star, her gaze wandering toward them.
"True, or who else would have taken on the mantle of dividing the loot equally and with their passion for creating items, we don't even need to bother with items and equipment from cash shop or stores." Nodded Wandering Soul, turning to Silent Witch after looking over at her Clan Leader busy at work.
"Well, with their passion burning our clan's resources is also kind of funny. As, they go on creating useless junk. Still, we can't demean their effort, as they do create useful and better equipment and with Kai being the hoarder he is, he doesn't even dispose those useless junk or sells them." Muttered Wandering Soul.
"Well, that's our clan leader, and with him purchasing everything he sets his sight on, encouraged by Evernight and Rex, they do get out of hand. I just wonder, how much money they have managed to throw in this game." Silent Witch, nodded as she sighed.
Her last comment managed to make them both sigh.
Meanwhile, Red Thorn had been circling the far wall—the one opposite from where they'd entered. Hidden behind where Dreh'h's massive body had once curled, she found something odd: a circular wall nestled within the main chamber's curve, like a partitioned ring built into the structure.
Curious, she moved around it, brushing her hand against the surface—until the faint shimmer of a detection spell confirmed her suspicion as her hand phased through the wall.
"Guys!" she called out, her voice sharp and clear. "Over here."
The others turned. Kai and the rest finished organizing the loot and moved to her side.
What greeted them wasn't another wall.
It was a forest.
An enormous circular opening now stood revealed where the partition had been—an illusory boundary disguising a gateway to the next section. A forest of multi-coloured leaved trees and grass stretched endlessly under the moonlight, framed by ethereal mist at the horizon.
No interface message popped up. No "Boss Room Cleared" notification. It simply existed.
"That... doesn't look like an exit," Red Order muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Or possibly," Wandering Soul added, "The true boss room of this dungeon."
"You think another boss waits inside?" Hitoshi asked, already checking his inventory for potions and other wards.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Dreh'h was just the gatekeeper, after checking out the work the devs have put into this dungeon." Kai said, exhaling slowly. "Everyone top up."
Support players moved to the front. Buffs were refreshed, status effects cleansed, and mana reserves managed. Kai stared at the forest one last time before nodding.
"Let's move."
******
They proceeded on foot.
Flying still wasn't permitted. Neither was teleportation. Even
So, they walked.
Through tall colourful grass that reached their knees, between colourful trees that seemed to sway despite the windless air. Soft lights blinked in and out in the distance—possibly fairies, possibly ambient effects. Everything was rich with detail. Immersive in a way that Yggdrasil rarely indulged in such dungeons.
Eventually, the path cleared.
It led them to a lake.
Wide. Its surface mirrored the moonlight with unnatural clarity. At the center sat a small island, no wider than forty meters across, and upon it – A golden sword, embedded into stone. Its design was distinct.
"…You seeing what I'm seeing?" Red Order asked quietly.
"Excalibur," Silent Witch said, almost reverently.
"Or whatever this game's version of it is," Wandering Soul added.
Everyone exchanged glances—and sprinted.
Despite not being able to fly, they didn't hesitate.
Boots hit the water with a splash, and they swam. It clung to their avatars with an effect that caused a mild tick of damage to some.
Kai blinked, watching his HP drop by.
"Negative karma," he muttered looking around the status of his clanmates.
"I'm unaffected," Shouko said, looking back, kind of smug expression adorned her face, though the game failed to convey her expression to Kai in Yggdrasil.
Kai slowed his swim. "I'll heal and come back."
"You are giving up?" Shouko teased, half-smiling.
"I'm not dying to water," he replied, shrugging. "I was hit by the most number of debuffs in the World Enemy Raid." Though the players who had died in the battle had been resurrected, and healed, despite losing levels they all competed and raced to the sword – while, some swam, some walked on water, others tried their best to drag their bodies across the water. Yet, they weren't able to get rid of the debuff that Dreh'h had cast on them.
Nameless Shadow was first.
He landed on the island, boots squelching against the grass, and strode up to the sword without hesitation. With a confident grip, he wrapped both hands around the hilt and pulled.
Nothing.
It didn't even budge.
Red Thorn arrived next, followed by Wandering Soul and Kindred Star. One after another, they tried. None moved it. Not even an inch.
Shining Knight stepped up, solemn. The others gave him room. He gripped the sword and let out a breath. Mana pulsed through his body. The sword budged—just barely. But it didn't release. Even he stepped back, a sigh escaping him.
"It's... not about strength," he muttered.
The others murmured among themselves. Possibilities. Hidden stats. Event triggers.
******
Kai who had remained at the edge of the group, arms crossed loosely, as he watched the last of his clanmates except Shouko and himself, give up and step back from the blade. His gaze lingered on Shining Knight, who had managed to make the sword shift slightly. A feat no one else had come close to.
The information swirled in his mind—like pieces of a puzzle half-snapped into place. 'Maximum positive karma. An unknown condition…' he mused.
He glanced at the surface of the lake again, "Positive karma," he muttered, almost to himself. "Shining Knight's at max. So's Shouko."
That narrowed it down. There were only two in their clan.
'Still, even with positive karma, Shining Knight hasn't drawn it. A second requirement?' he mumbled to himself.
He turned, speaking aloud now. "What if the other trigger isn't just karma? What if it's… World Champion class?" mentioning the class that the giant guard golems mentioned at the gate.
As shared his thoughts to which the rest agreed.
Shouko, still standing beside Kai, glanced up at him and arched a brow.
"Your turn."
He gave her a flat look and sighed.
Kai walked up beside the blade, giving it one more lingering look. He gestured to Shouko.
"You've got maximum positive karma. You should try maybe then we can understand the conditions clearly."
But Shouko didn't move.
Instead, she tilted her head, folding her arms, her posture casual, voice light. "Hearing your theory, I have a theory of my own."
Kai blinked. "Huh?"
She smiled faintly. "Try pulling it for me, will you?"
"…What kind of backward logic is that?"
"Humour me."
Kai sighed, walking up once more. The stone still glowed faintly from Shining Knight's earlier attempt, the faint shimmer of light just under the surface. He gripped the hilt with both hands and pulled. This time, it moved just like Shining Knight, rejecting his theory.
Kai stood still for a moment, frowning as if the sword itself owed him an explanation.
Shouko stepped beside Kai and, in a flourish, pushed him lightly aside, as her cape brushed past his face. And then she placed both hands on the hilt. A piercing, blinding divine glow erupted from the blade—pure white, expanding like a wave across the island and lake. Negative karma players grunted instantly, their HP dipping as a new debuff icon appeared on their screens, damage tick eating at their HP, with just being under the presence of the drawn sword.
As the light faded, the giant moon that hung above dimmed and blinked out of existence, replace by the sun that shined bright. It's rays reaching every corner of the forest.
"I guess," Shouko said, turning her head just enough to meet Kai's gaze, "I'm the chosen one after all, young master Kai."
Then—
The message scrolled across their screens in succession, almost too fast to process.
There was silence.
And then—
Screams.
The female players broke into spontaneous cheers, hands raised, voices overlapping in excitement. Silent Witch hugged Red Thorn with a loud squeal. Wandering Soul and Kindred Star locked arms and danced a circle around Zaroth, who was pretending not to enjoy the celebration.
Hitoshi was already opening the map overlay with Kindred Star, their voices low but fast as they discussed renovation ideas. Garden placement. NPC assignments.
Shouko remained where she was, the blade still resting loosely in her hand, watching the others with a serene smile.
They had received the Excalibur for being the first party to clear the World Enemy dungeon of Dreh'h and the Avalon Castle for being the first party to clear the dungeon in their first attempt.
Kai, meanwhile, took a slow breath—then turned as a loud explosion echoed behind him.
Wandering Soul stood, clapping her hands dramatically. After having cast a ninth-tier spell,
Everyone turned.
She walked to the center of the island and turned to face Kai. And then she knelt. One knee down, one hand across her chest. "Now that we have found a place to call home," she said grandly, "I plead to our Guild Master, K…"
Kai's eyebrow twitched.
"…It is time that we step out, form our guild, and begin our conquest to conquer the whole of Yggdrasil!". The rest followed, kneeling in mock unison.
Even Shouko and Manabu followed, with an exaggerated bow.
Kai stood amidst them all, staring at the scene with practiced annoyance and mild disbelief. But even so—his fingers curled slightly at his sides, joy at the reward and at the beginning and the birth of the place that he would probably call "Home" for eons to come.
******
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**The End**
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