Momonga’s group was comprised of:
Magic Attacker: Ulbert Alain Odle
Physical Attacker: Warrior Takemikazuchi
Tank: Bukubukuchagama
Healer: Yamaiko
Seeker: Nishiki Enrai
And Momonga was the wildcard.
Momonga gasped in surprise as he heard the lineup.
There were people in the guild who could clear a dungeon easily, and more than half of them were in his party.
First was Ulbert Alain Odle, who had levels in several classes boasting high firepower. His burst damage was unrivalled.
Next was Warrior Takemikazuchi, who had levels in offense-oriented classes like Kensei and so on. Much like Nishiki Enrai, his defense was low, but at the same time he had the highest physical damage ability in the entire guild.
Bukubukuchagama the tank was a specialized character who had maximized her defense. She had the title of “the Unsinkable”.
The healer Yamaiko was a Nephilim, who banked on her race’s ability to take two very high ability scores and three very low ability scores to maximize her spirit and endurance. In addition she was fully equipped with gear that abandoned offense to focus on defense. Combined with her regenerative abilities, she was far more survivable than even a half-baked tank class.
Nishiki Enrai was their seeker, but due to his absolute focus on attack power, he also made a good attacker in his own right. In addition, when he used his stealth abilities, he could deliver a single blow whose power could outstrip even Warrior Takemikazuchi’s.
This was a team made of members who were fully optimized for their role.
The fact was, if these members were redistributed throughout the other parties, it would not be a surprise if their survival rate went up.
“Eh? Is this really okay?”
Upon hearing Momonga’s voice, Punitto Moe turned around.
“Oh, Momonga-san, is something wrong?”
“Mm. Frankly, I think this party is a little unbalanced. They’re all good players and it seems they would be better off distributed out to groups supported by NPCs in order to shore up their abilities.”
Momonga looked around.
The people who weren’t here must have briefly returned to town to hire several NPC mercenaries. By teleporting to their allies, they could avoid having to go through the swamp and return here directly.
“I think putting Bukubukuchagama-san and Warrior Takemikazuchi-san in parties with NPCs would be more even. However, we know nothing about this dungeon. Therefore, I think it would be better to have two strong teams rather than an even distribution.”
And the members of the other team are…?
Momonga looked over to the guild’s strongest man, Touch Me, and he had his answer. He must be leading that team.
He looked at the people with him, and it was true. All the strongest members of Ainz Ooal Gown were now gathered together.
Punitto Moe understood what Momonga was looking at, and nodded.
“Thats right, it’s them. Momonga-san, if the worst comes to pass, please take down the boss with them. Although I understand that defeating a 30-man boss with only 12 people is incredibly difficult, I feel that it would be better to make preparations for that situation.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t I be better replaced by someone else?”
Momonga had faith in his skills as a wildcard, but he had his doubts about whether he could be considered a superior player.
Punitto Moe laughed and replied, “Of course not,” before explaining.
“Momonga-san, invading the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this virgin dungeon, was the result of your wilfulness, no? Therefore, it’s only fair that you clear it beautifully, oh guildmaster. Show us how it’s done.”
Waves of heat surged out from Momonga’s belly.
Punitto Moe was right. He was the one who had selfishly brought all these people here, so he could not be the one to demoralize them. How could he not do his part in clearing this dungeon with everyone else?
“Got it!”
“That’s the spirit! Plus, you’re a very good wildcard, aren’t you, Momonga-san? Frankly speaking, I think you’re the most adaptable person here, which is why I put you with them. A party of specialists can fall apart quickly if things go bad, so I had to include you and your flexibility, Momonga-san. Let me be honest with you here — your party is the best party because you are in it.”
“No, no, the others are like that, but not me.”
“There you go being weak again. Believe in yourself a little. The fact is, Nishiki Enrai the seeker is more of an attacker, so having you there is also to help with reconnaissance. So… please bring them safely to the boss, Momonga-san.”
Now that Punitto Moe had praised him to the heavens, Momonga could not show his weak side.
“I understand. Please accept my humble contribution.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
After assembling the parties, they each arrived before the stone statues. As though on cue — or rather, they had triggered an automated sequence — something activated.
“How dare you profane the Great Tomb of Nazarick, oh foolish and greedy ones.”
That was a male voice. It was followed by a female voice.
“Or should I say, brave ones.”
“Be you foolish or brave, we shall take your measure. We stand before you, the Five Rulers.”
It was a hoarse man’s voice, different from the first two. Somewhere near Momonga, Bukubukuchagama muttered, “Yes, boss.”
“You who desire this land. Defeat us, and show us your true power.”
Light appeared on the stone slabs. Taking the right actions would probably engage teleportation of some sort.
“…The last voice belonged to the Lord of Helheim. To think he came all the way out here. What a long way to go! If it’s that bearded old man, don’t you think it’s pretty suspicious? Should we kill him off with Longinus?”
“Let’s leave it at that. I was hoping they would reuse that seiyuu elsewhere. I heard they lowered the quality of rare gacha drops in order to hire a large cast of seiyuus.”
“Personally, I’m all for them hiring more people. I can use another alias to perform. There’re still some I haven’t even used yet.”
The kneeling Peroroncino looked over to Momonga. He must have heard his sister’s conversation.
“Well, let’s leave it at that. ‘You who desire this place’. Is that what it said? In any case, it’s clear that this is a guild base dungeon.”
“An unexpected bonus.”
Clearing a dungeon often yielded a variety of items, from rare data crystals to artifacts. However, clearing a guild base dungeon merely gave you owner’s rights. In addition, guilds could only own one dungeon at a time. If they wanted to claim another dungeon, they would need to relinquish their claim on their present one.
Dungeons like these were hardly an unexpected bonus if the guild did not seriously intend to claim it.
“…Would anybody want to found a guild base in a far off place like this?”
“Probably not. Besides, we don’t know what kind of base this is.”
It was unknown how many total levels of NPCs they could create. And then, there was another problem beyond that.
It was called POP bankruptcy.
The monsters which automatically spawned under level 30 had maintenance costs, depending on their type. It was zero for undead, but living creatures, in particular large creatures, had maintenance costs which increased proportionally to the size of their bodies. In other words, a guild base which only popped large living creatures would rack up a ruinous maintenance bill. If a guild base’s innate income was not sufficient to cover those costs, the guild members would have to earn that money themselves. In addition, trap activation and monster summoning were expensive as well. Being attacked by an enemy guild could incur incalculable expenses for the defenders, and might even force them into bankruptcy.