Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

The High Priest still led the way, acting as a guide, his voice echoing in the empty hall, recounting each mural and the story within it.

His tone was devout and solemn, with the slow rhythm characteristic of the elderly.

Rune's thoughts had already drifted far away.

Martial arts?

This is a special skill that human warriors can use, allowing ordinary people to unleash power beyond their limits. In the original work, Gazev Storonov entered the "Hero" realm and became the kingdom's strongest warrior by using the martial art "Six Light Combo".

But what is the origin of martial arts?

It's a modified and simplified version of the player's skills, created by the natives to suit the natives of another world.

If that's the case, then the upper limit of martial arts skills is locked from the very beginning. No matter how much one trains, it's impossible to surpass the scope of the player's skills.

Rune's gaze fell on several weapons displayed on one side of the hall—those were all divine artifacts left behind by the six great gods.

They are carefully preserved in specially made glass cases, surrounded by protective barriers to prevent desecration. A faint light flows across the sword, and faint runes float on the surface of the armor, while the gem at the top of the staff glows on its own.

These are all items from YGGDRASIL.

Rune recognized a few of them. The sword seemed to be a reward from a high-difficulty dungeon. He also remembered the armor; it was a limited-time drop during an event, and the entire guild had grinded for a week straight to get it.

Now they have become sacred objects.

The gap between players and natives is not just about levels and skills, but also about the game's entire system being completely outclassed.

magic?

Ranked magic is obviously not considered.

The native humans of this other world can learn rank-based magic, up to the sixth rank. Priests who enter the "Hero" realm can cast fifth-rank magic.

But players can unleash spells up to the tenth tier. There are even super-tier magic, special skills, world-class items…

The gap is too big.

Primal magic...

That's powerful enough, but there are only a handful of dragons left that can be used. It's nowhere near the strength of Nazarick.

Rune sighed softly.

So, it seems I can only rely on my innate special abilities after all?

Rune's innate ability is very unique. It's called "Grace," but Rune prefers another name he gave himself: "Another World Special Edition: Wishing Upon a Star."

Although this innate ability does not enhance Rune himself in the slightest, Rune can grant any innate ability to people who do not have one.

In theory, runes could grant the High Priest the innate ability to summon nuclear missiles, capable of annihilating Nazarick with a single warm attack—if this ability didn't require consuming experience points.

Unfortunately, like the super-tier magic [Wishing Upon a Star], [Grace] also consumes experience points to activate.

Rune once conducted a test—granting a servant the minor ability to "wake up early every day without feeling sleepy," consuming negligible amounts of experience points, almost imperceptible.

But when he tried to grant Lajus the innate ability to break the limits of the natives, the intense feeling of palpitation made Rune stop instantly.

It felt like my heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and life seemed to be being pulled out of my body in that instant.

At that moment, Rune clearly realized that even if he exhausted all his life force, he would not succeed.

The stronger the innate ability bestowed, the more experience points it requires.

This world is not a game; once the experience points are exhausted, the rune dies.

Moreover, they are completely dead, because the fifth-tier faith-based magic [Resurrection of the Dead] cannot revive people with too low experience points.

While the consumption of experience points can be reduced by adding restrictions, the rune's future upper limit is only "heroic level," so no matter how many restrictions are added, it is impossible to grant it an ability strong enough to defeat Nazarick.

But this does not mean that the "Gift" is useless.

Like chess pieces on a chessboard.

What may seem like a haphazard arrangement can actually be accomplished with just a few insignificant steps—

That's enough to make the opponent lose everything.

The existence of [Gift] is what Rune considers "key".

-----------

The hall was softly lit, with dappled light filtering through several stained-glass windows, casting colorful patches on the floor.

The light fell on the ancient stone slabs like shards of gemstones scattered by the gods. A faint natural scent permeated the air, mixed with the cool, serene aroma of stone and time, making one unconsciously hold their breath in awe.

The High Priest continued his explanation, stopping every few steps to point to a mural on the wall with his withered finger and begin recounting the related myths and legends.

Rune had read those stories countless times in the documents.

But the High Priest seemed to have a unique passion for these ancient stories.

His face held a pilgrimage-like expression, and his words carried a subtle, barely suppressed excitement.

It seems that telling the stories of the other gods is a very happy thing for him, the God of Judgment and King of Gods.

Rune didn't want to interrupt the old man's enjoyment, as that would be too cruel for him.

The "Six Great Gods" on the mural have solemn faces and sacred postures, and every line tells of their inviolable majesty.

Those companions who once laughed and joked in the game have been polished into perfect god-like figures by time and legends, and even Rune, who once fought alongside them, feels unfamiliar to them.

As a substitute for whiling away his attention during "lectures," Rune could only turn his firepower to complaining about the "Six Great Gods."

These friends of mine are so narcissistic, adding so many myths and legends.

If Rune hadn't known their specific words and actions within YGGDRASIL, he too would have been fooled into believing in their divinity.

Rune's rant was reaching its climax when suddenly—

A chill ran down my neck.

A cold, sharp chill that clings to the skin.

Rune's body froze instantly.

That was the blade of a sickle.

The enormous scythe, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light, was held precisely to his neck.

There is almost no gap between the blade and the skin; with just a gentle pull, Rune can get the same outfit as Louis XVI.

Seriously? Is the education system in that country really that strict?

Is this punishment too severe for just daydreaming in class? Or does this person have some kind of innate mind-reading ability and think I'm blaspheming the "Six Great Gods"?

"Oh my god, when have there ever been children in the Sanctuary?"

The voice came from behind, lazy, with a hint of curiosity, like someone who had just woken up from a nap and wasn't fully awake yet.

The voice was very close, so close that Rune could feel the breath brushing against the back of his neck as the speaker spoke.

The High Priest's voice abruptly stopped.