In the wardrobe room, Naohara was picking out what to wear next. Momonga was doing the same beside him.
Since they were heading out to "explore the world," they needed disguises.
"Alright, this one'll do."
Still buried in a mountain of clothes, Naohara popped his head out, holding a set of dark-gold armor as he struggled his way free.
His original Divine-class Item armor was definitely not something he could wear outside. They were going exploring, not showing off.
Momonga had the same problem. His caster robes were far too eye-catching.
The only one who didn't have to worry was Herohero. Because of his race, he usually walked around in a state of complete… well, "naked."
In Yggdrasil, equipment and items came with restrictions. Aside from a few exceptions, most had specific requirements.
Only certain races could wear something. Or only certain classes.
Everyone else was locked out.
They had tested it before, and being transported to the New World hadn't changed a thing.
Momonga had tried equipping a bladed weapon. He could hold it, but the moment he took an attacking stance, it would spring away instantly, making it impossible to use.
Of course, there were special spells that could temporarily bypass those limits. Momonga's "Perfect Warrior" was one of them.
"Naohara and Momonga, you two are taking forever."
A tall, slender figure leaned against the wall. Light armor covered him from head to toe without leaving a single patch of skin exposed. A hood hid his head, and a pitch-black mask covered his face. Only a pair of violet eyes showed, calmly scanning the room.
Herohero—now dressed like a thief—idly twirled the dagger in his hand as he spoke in a lazy tone.
Normally, he couldn't wear equipment because of his Ancient Black Ooze body, but exceptions existed. Since Yggdrasil was, at its core, a pay-to-win game, it had released special "equipment" for cases like his.
Calling it equipment was being generous. It was basically a skin—made specifically for players of unusual races. Put it on, and your appearance changed, but you got zero stat bonuses.
In other words, it was just for looks. Stylish, cool, flashy. That was it.
And yet the developers' scheme worked brilliantly. Even though they were completely useless "blank" skins, tons of special-race players bought them anyway.
Herohero was no different. Back then, he'd taken a liking to a thief-style skin and spent a bit of money to grab it.
After all, there was a big difference between walking around on two legs and crawling everywhere.
As for the dagger in his hand, it came bundled with the skin. He couldn't equip other daggers—at the end of the day, he was still a Slime.
That said, the dagger itself had decent stats. It was a Relic-class Item, more than enough for their upcoming outing.
After spending so long as a Slime, changing things up once in a while wasn't bad.
"We're not like you, Blackie. You don't exactly have options."
Naohara stripped off his Divine-class Item armor and the rest of his equipped gear, then put on the dark-gold set instead.
Equipment: Genesis Dragon Knight Armor
Requirement: Dragonoid
Grade: Relic-class Item
Description: Armor forged from the scales of a Light Dragon. The whole set gleams in dark gold, with intricate magical patterns carved across its surface. It boasts powerful defensive capabilities and comes with the passive effect Light of Purification, which removes negative status effects from nearby allies.
Naohara had crafted it himself using materials he obtained after killing a Level 80 Light Dragon. But because his crafting skill was terrible, the final product only reached Relic-class Item quality.
[The materials were great, but the smith was trash.]
That was Takemikazuchi's comment the first time he saw the armor.
Naohara had been so thoroughly traumatized by that evaluation that he never touched forging again. He figured it was better to accept his fate and stick to what he was good at—being a brute who only knew how to fight.
"I'm the warrior, Blackie's the rogue, and Momonga's the mage. That's a pretty perfect party setup."
With the armor he had forged now on his body, Naohara walked over to Herohero with a light laugh.
"So, have you decided? Where are we going to… have fun—I mean, gather information?"
Herohero glanced at Naohara's new look. Honestly, it was pretty cool.
Even if Naohara called it a failed piece, the design itself was impressive. Otherwise, he wouldn't have picked it out from tens of thousands of items.
"Let's go to the Kingdom. It's the most chaotic place right now. Suits us better."
Naohara thought it over briefly before answering.
"Works for me."
Herohero shrugged. He didn't really care which country they chose. Based on the information they had, it wouldn't make much difference.
Wherever they went, they'd be overwhelming.
"What are you two talking about?"
A voice suddenly cut in.
It was Momonga.
His appearance had changed drastically. The flashy equipment and accessories were gone, replaced by a plain black mage's robe.
The loose robe covered him from head to toe. Even his hands were hidden beneath gloves.
A mask etched with dark patterns covered his skull face, giving him a mysterious air.
"Momonga, that actually looks great."
Naohara's eyes lit up as he stepped closer, examining him carefully before nodding in approval and giving a thumbs-up.
"Very mysterious. Perfect for a magic caster."
"Haha, I spent a long time picking it out. Hearing you say that makes it worth it."
Momonga sounded genuinely pleased. After all, he had put serious thought into this. Praise from a friend was the best possible reward.
"Didn't expect you to have such good taste, Momonga."
Herohero also came over to take a look, sounding slightly sour.
Compared to Momonga, his own thief skin suddenly didn't feel as impressive.
"Don't worry. Once we kill a True Dragon Lord, I'll make you something really cool, Blackie."
Naohara patted Herohero on the shoulder.
Although Yggdrasil equipment still retained its class and race requirements, gear crafted from materials found in the New World didn't necessarily have those restrictions.
If they hunted down a True Dragon Lord, its hide and scales could easily be used to craft a high-level Divine-class Item with no equipment requirements at all.
And as far as Naohara was concerned, the equipment restriction problem might not be unsolvable anyway.
The New World had at least one ability that bordered on a bug.
If his guess was correct, he might even have a chance to wield the guild weapon one day.
Naohara narrowed his eyes slightly.
Being transported to another world didn't mean slacking off.
If anything, it meant he had to grow stronger.
"Alright, Herohero, Naohara. Time to go."
After chatting a bit longer, Momonga took out a Relic-class Item staff and gripped it in his hand, preparing to teleport them out of Nazarick.
They were ready.
It was time to begin a new adventure.
"An adventure in another world. That's exciting."
"Yeah, it really is."
"Then let's go write a new story."
...
As a magic circle formed beneath their feet, the three of them vanished in a flash, carrying their anticipation with them.