Night had fallen over the inn.
In a freshly cleaned second-floor room, the young Invisible Hound lay on the floor, its slightly swollen belly evidence of having just devoured a goblin corpse.
Adam stood by the window, peering out at the alley and the street across from it.
The Eight Fingers had shown no activity so far, perhaps because he had only arrived in E-Rantel today. After all, over a month had passed.
"I hope you come knocking." Adam murmured, turning to the wooden table in the room.
It was piled high with white paper, 1,400 sheets in total, all crafted using the second-tier Papermaking spell.
Of course, he hadn't made them just now. Seven hundred sheets were produced in the Great Forest of Tob when he upgraded Papermaking to second tier. The other seven hundred were crafted at the Magician's Guild earlier.
Knowing these sheets were alchemical materials for magic scrolls, Adam had no intention of selling them. He'd brought them all back.
Before experimenting with scroll-making, Adam pulled out the second-tier Summon Angel scroll.
A scroll of this caliber was nearly impossible to obtain through normal means without Berolay's intervention.
This scroll hadn't cost him a coin.
After refusing Berolay's offer and presenting his alchemical potion, Berolay had gifted him the scroll upon hearing his request, calling it an exchange.
Adam's impression of Berolay was favorable. The man was generous, at least.
But Adam never believed in free lunches. Berolay was clearly entangled in some trouble, significant trouble. Adam had no desire to get involved; it would only waste his time.
He squeezed the scroll in his hand.
A white glow flared, and the scroll dissolved into motes of light.
Swish!
Mana pulsed.
A two-meter-tall angel clad in gleaming silver armor, its head encased in a helmet, materialized, hovering in midair before Adam. Its bright yellow wings spread behind it, and it gripped a silver lance tipped with a radiant yellow orb exuding holy energy.
Second-tier Guardian Angel!
"It's less an angel and more a construct." Adam remarked, studying the hovering figure with a faint sense of unease.
In most stories he knew, angels were living beings. But the angels summoned in YGGDRASIL resembled mecha, almost Gundam-like.
He'd wanted to nitpick this when watching the anime. Now, seeing a summoned angel in person, the tech-like aesthetic, distinct from this world's norms, still felt jarring. Yet, its imposing presence sparked a glint in Adam's eyes. Say what you will, this thing looked formidable.
"Woof!"
The young Invisible Hound, startled by the sudden appearance, scrambled to its feet and darted in front of Adam, bristling with caution.
"No need to worry." Adam said, patting its head to calm it.
Buzz,
['Magic "Second-Tier Summon Angel" detected. Requires divine type magic caster Level 8–14. Occupational conditions not met…']
['Genius' occupation activated. Converted to 'Cleric.' Learning conditions met. Spend 1 skill point to learn?']
Adam silently confirmed, Yes.
[Skill Points: 42 → 41]
With the spell acquired, Adam quickly checked the panel.
…
Skill: Summon Angel (Second Tier)
Cost: 10 MP
Description: Summons a Guardian Angel (Level 8–14).
…
Adam's eyes held a trace of anticipation as he scanned the skill details.
Among tiered magic, summoning spells like Summon Angel or Summon Demon had clear progression paths from first to tenth tier.
He hoped to see an "↑" symbol indicating an upgrade option for Summon Angel.
"No luck, huh."
After checking several times and finding no "↑" symbol, Adam's expression soured.
Tiered magic was indeed distinct from the life magic created by this world's humans.
"Summon Angel!" Adam chanted softly.
Swish!
Light particles gathered, and with a flash of white, a new Guardian Angel appeared.
The two angels hovered silently, their yellow wings brightening the room.
Compared to the scroll-summoned angel, Adam could sense his own summoned angel was stronger. He could also discern its level.
Guardian Angel (Level 14)!
"A max-level second-tier angel." Adam noted, unsurprised.
Normally, summoned creatures were one or two levels below the caster, and only one could be summoned at a time. Summoning another would dispel the first, unless specialized summoning skills were used.
Adam's level far exceeded the cap for Second-Tier Summon Angel.
Still, he felt a pang of disappointment.
Without skill points to upgrade Summon Angel, its utility was limited.
The highest-tier Summon Angel in this world, stored in a Sealing Crystal by the Slane Theocracy, was Seventh-Tier Summon Angel (Level 43–49). A catastrophic force by this world's standards, but to Ainz, mere fodder.
"Woof." The Invisible Hound whined, nudging Adam's leg, sensing his mood.
Adam blinked, glancing at the hound. "Didn't expect you to comfort me."
His train of thought broken, Adam realized he'd been overthinking.
Or rather, the pressure of the future had made him overly reliant on skill points.
Other tiered magic aside, Summon Angel had a clear progression path. Since he'd mastered the second-tier version, higher tiers shouldn't be out of reach.
His caster level met the requirements.
Adam's eyes turned thoughtful, contemplating for the first time whether he could master magic through his own ability.
But how to advance divine type magic?
Unlike this world's humans, who honed their bodies and techniques as warriors, or arcane casters who strengthened their mana, divine type magic casters relied on… faith?
The problem was, most divine type magic casters in this world worshipped the Six Great Gods, who weren't true deities, just players. Dead players, at that. How could they grant power?
Take Shalltear from Nazarick. As a vampire, she supposedly revered Ancestor Cainabel. In reality, Cainabel was just a boss Ainz's guild had slain. Shalltear not only didn't worship it but considered it shameful, yet she wielded divine type magic effortlessly.
Ideas swirled in Adam's mind. He closed his eyes, adopting a meditative stance.
Time ticked by.
The night outside grew deeper.
Suddenly, a powerful mana surge rippled from Adam's body.
"Third-Tier Summon Angel!" Adam declared, his eyes snapping open, a white mana glow enveloping him.
Boom!
The hovering Guardian Angels dissolved into countless light particles, which swiftly coalesced again.
A new angel appeared, clad in sleek, silver armor with more graceful yet powerful lines. Its yellow mana wings were smaller, covered by expansive armor plates. Red markings on its chest and eyes were larger, more striking, and a radiant yellow halo crowned its head.
Its weapon, a blazing light sword imbued with fiery mana, radiated a coiled, dangerous aura.
Third-Tier Archangel Flame (Level 20)!
***
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