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Chapter 3 - Foundation

Ulbert slowly descended his body back to the land below him, where his demons stand await. The one demon in charge is tightly gripping a bag that is filled with various items collected from the dead bodies of Ulbert's former followers, ready to be handed to their descending lord.

"Lord Ulbert! We have collected all the coins we could find. We have also taken items that you may find valuable" The demon leader said as he and the rest kneeled down.

[I didn't tell them to collect anything else but coins...They are not NPC'S, they think and act with their own mind. Back in the game, they would only collect what I told them and not look outside the box...This is not a game anymore indeed]

"Wonderful! What valuable items have you found?"

"Thank you Lord. We have found Seventy-three silver and Twenty copper. Two maps, one local and one global and two blue potions"

"Blue potions? What is their effect?"

"We do not know Lord"

"Hmm"

[Mana potions perhaps?]

"Give me the global map"

With Ulbert's command, the demon leader quickly retrieved one of the maps from the backpack and quickly handed it to him. As soon as the map was in Ulbert's possession, he began to carefully inspect it.

[Let's see...We are...Here? No there are no mountains...God damn it, this is complicated...]

"Demon"

"Yes Lord?"

"I assume you have figured out where we are located. Explain to the rest of the demons where we are and where the closest city is located"

"Of course Lord Ulbert" With those words the demon leader turned to the rest of his brethren and began explaining their position on the map. While Ulbert himself paid extra attention.

[Oh...So we are here...That makes sense]

As soon as the demon finished explaining, he and the rest of the turned their attention back to Ulbert and kneeled once again.

"Wonderful. What is your name?"

"I do not have a name Lord, nor do I deserve one"

"That is up to me to decide...From this moment on, you would be known as Beelzebub, The Second in Command"

"I will wear this name and title with honour Lord Ulbert. I will NOT fail you"

"Good. But this is just the beginning" Ulbert said as he intensely looked at Beelzebub.

"Lord?"

Without saying another word. Ulbert struck his claws through the demon's chest with great speed and precision, killing Beelzebub instantly. His body fell down onto the floor before completely disintegrating into the thin air.

After his body disappeared from the material world, Ulbert shifted his attention to his claws that held onto a small white orb that is Beelzebub soul. All though Beelzebub's physical body has vanished from the world. His soul is still present and active, allowing Ulbert to infuse it into a stronger body.

Despite killing their newly selected second in command, the rest of the demons had no reaction to Ulbert's actions. They live to serve him and if to serve is to die by his hand, they will happily oblige. No matter the cost.

Ulbert held up the orb closer to his face, inspecting it with great detail.

[Hmm. I should be able to transfer his soul to a new, stronger and better body. The other demons chose him as their leader for a reason, I trust my creations and he seems to be loyal to me. Unfortunately, I do not specialize in summoning magic so I simply can't get a very high-level body for him, but I guess a level fifty body should do. Way better than what he had before]

"Advanced Summoning Magic!" Ulbert shouted out and just like before, a summoning circle appeared in front of him. Out of the circle, a human-like demon climbed out. This demon possesses a body of a human female, the only visual differences that could be easily noticed are the two curved horns atop her head and large black wings attached to her back. Her skin is slightly pale while her face is of extreme beauty, her hair is bright blonde while revealing black attire rests on her gorgeous body.

[Hmm. Very interesting, I did not have a clear representation of who I wanted to summon. I just knew that it has to be someone who does not look like a demon. So a more human-like demon came out of it. Did I accidentally summon a Succubus]

As soon as the demon was fully transported into this world. She kneeled in front of Ulbert, awaiting commands. Ulbert, however, simply reached out his hand that held the white orb and let it gently glide directly at the newly spawned Succubi. As soon as the orb touched her skin, her eyes and mouth glowed bright white while the orb slowly entered her body.

After the small ritual, she slowly lifted her head and her bright blue eyes met with Ulbert's.

"Beelzebub is ready to serve Lord"

[It worked. Good. It also seems that the level is a bit higher than what I was aiming for. I don't want him, or should I say her, to attract attention so high level might actually be worse in this case. Or perhaps because she is higher level, she can hide her presence better. Will have to see how it will play out]

"Tell me Beelzebub how do you feel in this new body of yours"

"Flawless Lord. I thank you for this new body and mind. I promise I will not disappoint you."

[What did she mean by mind? Did her intelligence level change as well? That would make sense...Her old and new mind must have merged together...Fascinating]

"You have an important role to play. With this new body and power, you will serve for the greater good. Take these demons with you and venture to Slane Theocracy but be subtle and clever. Do not be discovered by our enemies and watch the lice that call themselves humans, watch their every step, inspect their every decision, learn their every secret. Set up the foundation of a new world on which I will sit atop. Serve the Demon Of Great Disaster! Serve the one True Demon King! "

Ulbert deep voice echoed through the forest while all the demons kneel before him with their head down.

"I will not fail you Lord Ulbert!" Beelzebub exclaimed as she once again met her eyes Ulbert before flying off with the rest of the demons, quickly fading away into the clouds. Leaving Ulbert standing alone amongst the dead bodies and red grass.

[Looks like she understood the task. I wonder how strong our mental bond is. Does she know what I want even when I do not know it myself?]

Ulbert looked at his large body, still fascinated and impressed by the sheer physical power he now possesses. This new body of his operates very differently to humans. Of course, it still desires water, sleep and food, but on a very different scale. It can take weeks before Ulbert will begin to feel the need to sleep, eat or drink. Something that will surely work in his favour. When comparing his physical power to that of human's, a drastic difference could be seen. He is faster, stronger and more robust than a normal human, and not by a small margin. Being able to lift a full grown adult with one hand at ease furthermore proves the fact that he has inhuman strength.

Fortunately for Ulbert, his physical ability was not the only attribute that got an upgrade. His mental state has been affected the most in this new body. All the emotions that defined a human in him have been suppressed, covered in darkness. Fear, Sadness, Anger, Joy. All dwelling deep inside.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

All through strong emotions have been suppressed. They have not vanished. Ulbert may still feel happy or angry or sad but on a much smaller scale. However, there is a very slim chance that the barrier could break, letting the loose emotions battle his newly formed mental state.

[I can't walk around like this. I Need to disguise myself as a human. Hmm let's see...]

"Perfect Illusion! Create Greater Item!" Ulbert shouted out two spells that caused his visual appearance to change dramatically. His body is no longer a demonic goat but is instead of a normal human. His old clothes were replaced with plain ones while a long wooden magic staff appeared in his right hand. A perfect disguise.

Perfect Illusion is a high tier spell that allows the user to defy all five senses. One could desire to look like a demon or a dwarf and that is what others will see, smell, touch and hear. An ultimate disguise to help Ulbert keep his true self hidden.

[Good thing I invested some levels into Illusionist. I Would not have been able to cast Perfect Illusion without it]

Create Greater Item, on the other hand, is mainly a spell used to create objects. From chairs and beds to armour and swords. A perfect fit with the Perfect Illusion spell.

[A normal low-level magic caster. That should do for now. The only problem would be if I am to be spotted by a high-level being...Or a player. They would instantly know I have some kind of Illusion going on.]

Ulbert shifted his gaze to his hand holding the staff.

[I could go in as a warrior...Wearing white shining armour of pure silver. But I would have to use Perfect Warrior and that would dim my magic skills...Plus it would attract too much attention...I need to lay low...For now anyway]

Perfect Warrior is a spell used by magic casters to become temporary warriors based on their level. Allowing them not only to equip equipment out of their class but to also be able to increase their physical attack. Perfect Warrior, however, has its drawbacks. The first weakness is that the user cannot cast other spells while the magic is in effect. In addition, the user would not gain any special warrior skills from the spell, so when compared to an actual warrior his abilities would be lower. Secondly, sustaining the transformation spell and other magic would both lower the user's mana and mana recovery rates to zero. Something Ulbert can not afford.

[Hmm I wonder...] Ulbert thought as he walked up to a nearby tree and swung his staff. A gust of wind spread through the area while the tree easily broke in half with the top flying off into other nearby trees.

[Interesting. I did not even use half of my power yet the attack was so devastating]

"Create Greater Item!" Ulbert once again cast a spell. This time summoning himself a basic longsword. As soon as the item appeared in his hand he tried to swing it yet his hand went numb and dropped it instantly.

[I see. Just like in YGGDRASIL, I can't use weapons that do not belong to my class. I assume it is the same with armour. The reason why I can use magic staff is that it belongs to a mage class, I can still melee with it. And due to my level being so high, a basic melee attack is quite devastating. Of course, it would do nothing to a similar high-level being but will work perfectly with low levels]

After finishing his small physical test, Ulbert grabbed the bag left by the Beelzebub and began making his way through the forest. Trying his best to navigate to a path that leads to the city he saw whilst flying.

As he walked through the peaceful forest, he once again felt the tranquillity he experienced back when he left the temple. The green colours of grass and trees fit well with bright flowers, creating a piece of art on a canvas where Ulbert roams and enjoys the peaceful scenery.

[In this new body of mine...I do not care about humans, they are nothing to me but a disease. Like lice. Destroying everything they touch, fighting wars with no valid reason and reproducing just to repeat it all over. In my old body, I had no power to do something...And now...I am the Judge, Jury, and Executioner]

After wondering for a few dozen minutes, Ulbert finally walked out of the large forest. In front of him, a large landscape appeared with the sides occupied by large mountains and small hills. A narrow passage with one small path leading back and forth. Upon seeing the view, Ulbert quickly took out the local map from his backpack and began analysing his geographical location.

[If I remember correctly, Beelzebub said that this smaller path leads to the main road that is used to travel between E-Rantel and E-Pespel. So If I follow it I should be able to reach the main road and then E-Rantel]

Ulbert rolled up the map and placed it back in his backpack. Ready to make his way to E-Rantel. The walk is long, it would take a full day to reach the main road. Flying across the land did pass Ulbert's mind, however the risks it brings are not worth taking. Furthermore, he is enjoying a long and peaceful walk. A gentle breeze blows in his direction while grass reflects the warm sun all around the area.

But his attention is soon to be taken by a small carriage heading in the same direction, approximately a few hundred meters in front of him. The carriage itself does not have a roof. Large grey cloth covers the goods while the horse slowly walks the path. Clearly not in a hurry.

[Hmm. A merchant? Maybe I can talk to him and find out more about E-Rantel]

"Excuse me!" Ulbert shouted out a couple of meters behind the carriage, catching the merchants attention. The merchant is a relatively old man dressed in casual summer clothes, he has a small white beard and a straw hat protecting him from the bright sun. Upon seeing Ulbert trying to catch up to him he pulled on the straps that are attached to the horse and forced it to stop, waiting for Ulbert to catch up.

"You all right there lad?" The man asked in a gruff voice.

"Apologies for halting your journey but I am a bit lost. Would you know the way to E-Rantel?" Ulbert asked. His voice fits perfectly in his new body, not too high or low. A perfect middle.

"Of course lad. I am on my way there, I can give you a ride there for one silver"

[One silver...That's not a lot is it?]

"Thank you, that would be amazing" Ulbert said as he climbed to the front of the carriage and pulled out one silver from his backpack before giving it to the merchant.

"Well sit tight then, we have some distance to travel" The merchant said as he ordered the horse to continue walking the path. Ulbert placed his long staff on top of the grey cloth covering the goods and adjusted his body for a more comfortable position.

"You are not from around here?"

"Oh no, I am from a distant village far away"

"In search of a better life?"

"Yeah something like that" Ulbert said with a chuckle.

"Well E-Rantel is quite a large city. A fortress I should say"

"That's good to know, must have a lot of opportunities I assume?"

"Oh yes. It all depends on what you want to do. If you want to be a merchant then train under one. An adventurer, join the Adventurer's Guild. You can even become a potion maker, a big business in E-Rantel"

[He sounds like he knows a lot about the city. I might have hit the jackpot]

"You know a lot about the city?"

"Well I have been living in E-Rantel my whole life, I was born there and most likely that's where my resting place would be"

"I see...You are a merchant right?"

"Good eye lad. Yeah, I trade between the cities."

"What do you trade?"

"Well...It all depends on what people want to buy, from food to pottery. Sometimes even weapons and armour"

"Must be good business"

"Aye, it is. You must be looking for a way to make a coin?"

"Is it that obvious?" Ulbert said with humour in his voice.

"Well you said it yourself. Left the village in search of opportunities. Money is a good motivator, I'll tell you that!"

"Yeah...It is"

"If you are searching for work. I am hiring, right now I need any help I can get."

"Thanks for the offer but I am more interested in the Adventurer's Guild"

"That makes sense, you are young, I bet the blood is boiling for adventures. What's your Job class?"

[World Disaster]

"Wizzard"

"Ohh, from what I head Wizards are quite powerful. That explains that long staff you are placed back there. Well, from what I heard Wizards and Magic casters are always needed in Adventurer's Guild"

"How so?"

"There are more Warrior-oriented people than Magic-oriented. Hence the need for Wizards"

"Is it always like that?"

"No idea. When I work my shop I often hear adventurers talk about searching for a Wizard to recruit in their group. Or someone with magic knowledge"

[I would assume every party has at least one magic casters. After all, magic casters are not only good as DPS. They have a lot of abilities like Conjure Food that would help in dungeons and raids]

"But if Adventurer's Guild doesn't work out for ya, you can come work for me"

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you. Oh I just realised, we haven't even introduced ourselves" Ulbert said with a laugh.

"Don't worry about it lad, slips the mind sometimes. Name's Gustav, a merchant from E-Rantel" Gustav said as he reached out his hand in an attempt to handshake.

"Nice to meet you Gustav. I am...Albert, a traveller from far away" Ulbert said as he too reached out his hand and shook it with Gustav.

"Tell me Gustav. How does the city of E-Rantel Look?"

"Oh it's beautiful, the first thing you will notice as you enter is..."

And so the two began their short journey to E-Rantel. Gustav seems to enjoy casual conversations with Ulbert, telling him more about the city as time passes. Little does he know he would have been dead if it wasn't for his knowledge about the world. Ulbert, on the other hand, is equipped with a mask. Not only hiding his true physical body, but also his deep hatred for humans.

And it's only going to grow.

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Author note:

Hello. Thank you for reading, took me long to finish this chapter mainly due to feeling burnt out, but now feeling better so the next chapter might come out faster. With this chapter, I am starting to add spells that I've seen in anime and read out of Overlord wiki, I have also begun to add custom made spell that may not exist in Overlord.

My current plan is to not intertwine Ulbert's story with Anime or LN. I want to show the consequence of Ainz's actions from a side, and how do they change what Ulbert does in the story. I don't want to change anything that happens in LN or Anime. Just a different story in the same world. The story will probably intertwine when Kugane Maruyama (Creator of Overlord) will write about a new location that I will focus on. But that will take time.

A pretty long Author note if you ask me. Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Also, I will use a mixture of Japanese and western names in the novel. If you have found any mistakes with grammar or just mistakes in general. Please let me know and I will change them.

Much Love - RKD

P.S. - If you know free art of Ulbert that I can use as a cover comment down below. I will give credits of course