"Oh my, Little Lian'er, what is it you want to ask? Come, tell big sister—if it's something I can explain, I'll definitely explain it to you." As if she had already expected Chu Lian to call out to her, Ayase's body slowly stopped moving and floated before her.
"Why did you name my character 'Dolores' without asking me? And even add an English name? It feels... weird." Chu Lian pointed at the 'Character Name' field on her status panel, frowning.
"Dolores? It just means 'pain,' that's all—nothing else to it." Ayase blinked innocently and told her the meaning directly.
"I know it means pain. But is it only that?" Chu Lian's English was good enough to understand the word, but she wanted a different explanation.
"You're overthinking it. 'Dolores' sounds lovely—it even has a noble ring to it. People close to you can call you 'Lores' or 'Lola.' Doesn't it sound just like the name of an elegant young lady?" Ayase gently stroked Chu Lian's hair, carefully avoiding the two sensitive fox ears, her touch light and soothing.
Chu Lian stared at her silently for a moment, then gave up on pressing further. Instead, she pointed at another odd entry on the list. "And this—'Miss Dolores' Dignity.' What's that supposed to be?"
"The identity you entered with is Ainz Ooal Gown's younger sister—nominally the person ranked highest after the Forty-One Supreme Beings. While your official role in the guild is as Ainz's personal maid, no one actually treats you that way. They all refer to you as 'Miss.' The skill 'Remilia-sama's Dignity' is a unique ability in this world, so it adapted to match your identity—thus, it became 'Miss Dolores' Dignity.' It's a contextual modification to make your character's background more coherent."
Ayase covered her cherry-red lips and chuckled softly. Chu Lian's priorities were always amusingly misplaced—but it was better for her to focus on harmless things like this than to overthink dangerous ones.
"I... can't find a reason to argue with that. Unless I change my name to Remilia—but that would just be too weird." Chu Lian thought for a moment and nodded. "Fair enough."
"But why only the name 'Dolores'? Where's my family name?" She pointed again, frowning curiously.
Ayase could only sigh helplessly. For someone so casual about important matters, Chu Lian sure fixated on trivial ones. Still, she patiently explained, "Your true surname cannot be altered. Remember Tírnas? She exists only under that name. Very few know her real one—not because she doesn't have it, but because her true name contains divinity and divine power. If you were to speak it aloud, she would instantly know. Even beings obsessed with her could draw strength just from invoking her true name."
"To prevent herself from being disturbed, she used her vast power to erase her true name's existence from the dimensional plane. Only beings of equal might remember it. Anna's full name, for example, is entirely different from Tírnas's, so there's no danger of anyone tracing Tírnas through her."
"There are many such entities in the dimensional multiverse. Each one is a true apex existence. Only they have no need to tempt mortals into faith with their real names; instead, mortals who borrow their power offer their belief in return."
"As for your true name—it will eventually attain the same power. Since you've appeared in this world, you'll inevitably leave your mark upon it. To avoid unnecessary interference, it's better for you to use 'Dolores' as your worldly name. Once you've conquered this world, you'll be able to use your true name to gather all kinds of points."
Ayase's explanation left Chu Lian blinking in confusion. She didn't entirely understand, but it did sound impressive. For now, she decided to believe her.
"So that's all? Nothing else hidden in that name?" Chu Lian asked again, her mind wandering to certain legends—those where knowing a being's true name granted power over them. She wanted to make sure that wasn't the case here.
"To prevent your enemies from learning your true name and using a curse against you—that's something every traveler across dimensions needs to keep in mind. Even if we don't know whether such an ability exists in 'Overlord,' it's best to be prepared for any possibility. Besides, everyone in the Great Tomb of Nazarick uses Western-style names. Having a fitting one will help you blend in more easily."
Ayase had practically covered every angle of consideration. After hearing her explanation, Chu Lian finally understood and stopped dwelling on the name, shifting her focus elsewhere. "Then why are some of my abilities and equipment sealed?"
"Because they're incompatible. The system needs time to make adjustments, so those functions are temporarily locked. In 'Overlord,' spellcasters use 'Magic Power,' or MP. Your MP value corresponds to that. How much you can use depends on the MP displayed in your status chart, as well as the MP cost of each skill."
"But honestly, I'm not very optimistic about this," Ayase continued. "You're one of those types whose personal strength isn't particularly high, but whose skills are extremely overpowered. Aside from not having any super-tier magic, most of your abilities are seventh tier or higher. You can imagine the MP cost yourself. So when you're fighting, make sure you don't run out of MP mid-battle."
"This time, the dungeon's combat system will operate in a full MMORPG format. You get what that means, right?"
"An MMO-style battle system, huh? Interesting. Then my virtualization ability should come in handy. But it does consume Dream Points... unless it's absolutely necessary, I'd rather not use it." The mention of "MMO mode" immediately reminded Chu Lian of the 'Virtualization' function that came with her system's first upgrade—a high-level detection-type ability that would fit perfectly in this kind of world.
"Exactly. In this system, battles are decided by levels, equipment, damage output, defense, and other numerical stats. Your raw strength might be capped, but you can take this opportunity to learn their magic. You've never actually used your magic power properly—aside from converting it into Spiritual Power, you've left it unused all this time."
"Alright, fine. You still haven't given a proper explanation for why some things are sealed, but I think I get it now. The two combat systems can't coexist, so I have to give something up. Ugh, how troublesome."
Chu Lian made her own deduction—it was likely that the system's restrictions were intended to help her adapt to the 'Overlord' world's combat style.
"The most important part," Ayase concluded, "is helping you adjust to a new combat system and learn new abilities. Whether you keep this form or not doesn't matter. The more you experience, the better prepared you'll be for the future. Your enemies will be diverse and unpredictable—the sooner you understand how they fight, the sooner you'll know how to respond."
With that, their conversation came to an end.
Having received her answers, Chu Lian finally returned to the comparison chart she hadn't yet finished reviewing. It didn't take long for her to figure out her current role and stats.
Character Name: Dolores
Race: Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox
Magic Power: B
Due to skill restrictions, the system compensates by increasing magic power within 'Overlord' to AAA. Consequently, all skills now consume magic power; other energy types are disabled.
HP: 35 (B) — HP Value = Constitution 64 × 20 = 1280 (B) — HP Recovery Rate = 64/s
MP: 45 (A) — MP Value = Spirit Sense 60 × 20 × 150% = 1800 (AAA) — MP Recovery Rate = 63/s
Physical Attack (AD): 45 (A) — Damage = 45 × 300% = 135
Physical Defense: 35 (B) — Defense = 35 × 300% = 105
Agility: 30 (A) — Agility: 69 (A) — Maximum Speed = 60/s
Magic Attack (AP): 45 (A) — Damage = 45 + 60 (Spirit Sense) = 105
Magic Defense: 25 (C) — Magic Resistance = 25 × 200% = 50
Overall Resistance: 32 (B) — Composite Value = 85
Special Trait: 45
Skill Costs:
Ordinary Punch — Damage: AD × 4000%; MP Cost: 1800; After use, the user enters a fatigued state.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception — 500 MP; usable five times per activation, lasting 50 seconds; instant death effect.
Teleport — 100 MP; may be used once every 3 seconds.
Orb of Deception — Damage: 150 + AP × 2.0 (magic); return hit causes 150 + AP × 1.5 (true damage); 280 MP; cooldown: 20s.
Demonic Foxfire — Damage: AP × 1.5 × 3 + 120 × 3; 240 MP; cooldown: 15s.
Bewitching Sorcery — Damage: 180 + AP × 1.3; charms target for at least 3s, up to 10s; 300 MP; cooldown: 30s.
Soul Assault — Damage: AP × 1.8 × 3 + 100 × 3 (up to ten targets); can pass freely through a 50-meter radius, ignoring barriers; 450 MP; cooldown: 180s.
Spiritual Bullet — Damage: 50 + AP × 1.2; 30 MP; cooldown: 1s.
Spiritual Explosion — Damage: 80 + AP × 1.4; 50 MP; cooldown: 7s.
Miss Dolores' Dignity — 30 MP; identical to Remilia-sama's Dignity; usable once per day.
Head-Hug Squat Defense — 500 MP; grants absolute defense for 5 seconds; usable once per day.
Seraph-Type IS Armor: When activated, consumes 100 MP per second.
Seven Illusions Bow Skills:
Passive — All energy-based attacks fired through the Seven Illusions Bow gain +300% damage amplification.
Thousand Feathers — (Tier: None) Damage increases proportionally with MP infused. Every additional 100 MP raises damage by 20%. Base Damage: 200 + AP × 1.5; 500 MP; cooldown: 40s.
Unstoppable — (Tier: None) Damage increases proportionally with MP infused. Every additional 100 MP raises damage by 45%. Base Damage: 300 + AP × 2.0; 600 MP; cooldown: 30s.
Damage Calculation:
Physical Damage – Physical Defense = Final Damage (1 Damage = 1 HP).
Magic Attack – Magic Defense = Final Damage (1 Damage = 1 HP).
Due to the passive skill Undying Body: unless incoming damage exceeds 850, Dolores cannot take any damage.
"My god, Ayase, aren't these stats a little too broken?" Chu Lian did a quick calculation and realized that unless her opponent was an extraordinarily special existence of the same level, she could practically one-shot them. With her current damage output, unless facing an Earth-level peak expert, most fights wouldn't even be a challenge.
"You've got Tírnas's Blessing—of course it looks easy for you. Without the boost she gave you, would you really be this strong? See? Having someone powerful backing you really makes all the difference." Ayase rolled her eyes, immediately exposing the real reason for Chu Lian's overwhelming power.
"Cough, cough—well, that's my blessing, isn't it? If not for that, I couldn't have fought that dragon for so long. How else do you think I managed to challenge it across tiers?" Chu Lian grinned, pretending she had just realized it herself.
"The key still lies in your Divine Spirit Art. Otherwise, why do you think the system sealed that ability?" Ayase stared at her for a moment, then changed the topic. "So now—do you understand how you should fight?"
"Switch between various skills, keep enemies from getting close, and make sure my MP never drops too low to the point where I can't escape an attack. Right?"
"Exactly. So... are you ready?" Ayase asked, watching her wag her tails slightly.
With a confident smile, Chu Lian replied, "I've been ready for a long time!"
"Then, 'Overlord' dungeon—activate. Descend into the world, Dolores..." Ayase extended her hand, touching the blue energy web surrounding the passage. In an instant, countless streams of power burst forth, pulling Chu Lian's body forward into the tunnel.
As she looked back, she saw Ayase flying beside her within the same glowing path. Her earlier worries faded away—so long as Ayase was with her, everything would be fine.
Chu Lian wasn't dependent on Ayase, but she needed to confirm whether the system itself would accompany her. Now that she saw this, she understood: as long as the situation wasn't beyond repair, the system would always remain by her side.
"Ayase... will we still be together from now on?" Chu Lian wanted to ask her this question so badly, but when she looked into Ayase's soft, water-like eyes, something within her held the words back. She hesitated for a moment, lips parting slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.
Ayase seemed to sense something. She glanced at Chu Lian, but when the girl avoided her gaze, she understood well enough that something was on her mind. Still, she didn't ask. Some things, she thought, were best left for Chu Lian to figure out on her own.
"We've arrived..." After an indeterminate amount of time, Chu Lian heard Ayase's voice behind her. A moment later, a glowing doorway appeared ahead of them. Without encountering any resistance, the two of them slipped through it together.
Immediately, Shiroha's familiar voice echoed in her mind:
"Host has entered the world of Overlord. Confirming dungeon level: SS-class. Confirming faction: Great Tomb of Nazarick. Confirming character: Dolores. Confirming race: Fox Spirit Lv5, Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Lv10. Confirming identity: Princess of Nazarick, younger sister and personal maid of Ainz Ooal Gown. Confirming level: 45 (Hero). Confirming main quest alignment: two A-rank protagonist-side quests. Confirming World Affinity: S; the world will bestow luck upon you. Confirming faction alignment value: Great Tomb of Nazarick Reverence +400; Humanity Neutral 0 ~ Extreme Evil -450. Confirming entry scene: five minutes before the game shutdown."
"Please select a minor adjustment to the world—one that will alter the dungeon in your favor."
Chu Lian had been waiting for this final prompt from Shiroha. She had already decided what change to make from the moment she saw the option appear.
But before that, she had to confirm one thing: "Shiroha, am I entering the Overlord novel world or the Overlord anime world?"
"These two worlds are nearly identical, differing only in certain characters and events. This is a hybrid world: the early stages will follow the anime Overlord storyline, while later developments will merge with the novel's continuity."
"Alright then. The change I choose is this—during the moment Momonga edits Albedo's settings, I alter the final line from 'In love with Momonga' to 'In love with Dolores.'"
It was the single most advantageous adjustment she could think of—and the one most likely to be approved.
"Confirming alteration results... Confirmation complete. The change does not affect core plot progression. Adjustment accepted."
Hearing that, Chu Lian clenched her small fists in triumph. With this single change, even if she could never return, it would all still be worth it. "Perfect!"
As Shiroha finalized the modification, the light before her suddenly vanished. The surroundings dimmed—and when her vision cleared again, she found herself standing within an enormous hall...