Abandoned Principle (Overlord anime fanfiction)

What happens when a greedy idiot genius programmer gets their hands on a game system, and gets thrown into the overlord anime with a runecrafting ability?

So this is my first time posting on QQ, idk how things work around here, but here's the first chapter, I'II post more tomorrow.

Chapter 1

"You know, Su? Yggdrasil is shutting down tonight, you should play it at least once to be able to say you did." said Indess, her voice slightly muffled by the mask she was wearing. As we walked down a thin road illuminated by dim streetlights, I noticed yet another fight taking place near a bar. With police not caring about people in the slightest, this is not a rare sight. I kicked a beer can away, sending it rolling into the darkness of an alleyway.

A loud motorcycle speeded past us.

"Sure, I can check it out for you." I hope she notices my smile through the mask covering half of my face. It's hard for a person to express themselves; both in a literal sense and as a metaphor, considering the world is ruled by the greedy. It's the year 2138, and our beautiful planet is being choked out by the pollution we caused.

"Oh, and one thing, my IGN is Mrs_Hilldess, I'll send you a friend request so we can talk a bit just before the shutdown. Some lore and all that." I looked up to the sky, there were no stars, no moon. All hidden behind a thick cloud curtain, as it was most of the time.

We stopped in front of her house. It was small, without a front yard, a few cracks could be seen in the walls. She entered after we waved goodbye. I continued walking, as my house was across the street.

My place's a bit larger and more modern than my friend's, all paid for by my job as a freelance programmer. It's a good paying job, especially since the information era progresses, more and more of us are needed. I live alone, if you don't count all the spiders that keep my house free from mosquitoes in the summer.

I opened an iron gate, the rusted hinges creaking, really should consider getting someone to fix it.

I walked on a wooden path surrounded by yellowed grass to the front door, then opened it with my key card. It was quite hot inside, probably forgot to turn off the heating when I left.

"Temperature, lower by five degrees." A ding was heard, to confirm the heating regulator acknowledged my request.

I took off my face mask, throwing it to the plastic laundry basket which was sitting beside the open entrance to the bathroom, same with my hoodie, and shoes into a corner near the door leading outside.

I made my way to the kitchen, which hasn't been cleaned since last monday, so as a result it looks as if a tornado went through here.

I took out a cup from the dishwasher and started making some coffee- there's a lot of work to do and it's already night. Someone requested to bug fix their game, that isn't something I would normally accept, but the pay was decent enough that even though the deadline is tomorrow morning, my determination will bring me the sweet, sweet money.

-x-

As the last file is sent to the client, I can say that the work is finally finished. I sigh, stretching my arms, getting up from the seat. My fingers are sore from all the typing...

I tiredly glance at a clock on the wall, it's 23:24. Wait, doesn't Yggdrasil shut down at midnight? Indess wanted me to play it before it ends. May as well sacrifice some sleep for my friend.

She wanted to meet me in the game, what was her ign? I looked to where my note about her name was... Ah, it's Mrs_Hilldess, now I remember.

I have the Dive gear, it's a great tool, like a computer but with instinctual controlling and a much clearer interface. However I only use it if there's some game testing to do, it's just too straining for me, I prefer more retro options.

Well, now it's going to be used as it was intended to, in the first place.

I took out a helmet from a drawer, it was full of cables that I connected to the outputs in my computer. I put it on, then flicked a switch at its base and suddenly my perception changed, from the darkness of my room to a relatively familiar white void. My body replaced with the blue translucent outline of a woman.

"Buy game - DMMORPG 'Yggdrasil' by studio Aribri" I said, before my account balance flashed in my head. It cost $2500, quite cheap for such a popular game.

"Open game - Yggdrasil"

My surroundings changed yet again, and I was standing on a worn down wooden, japanese styled suspension bridge connecting two boulders in a jungle, a stream of water running through rocks could be seen below me.

A golden, semi-transpartent square appeared before me, I've helped in the creation of a lot of Dive games, so all this isn't that suprising to me.

I read what's on the popup.

Welcome to Yggdrasil.
[LOGIN]
[REGISTER]
By registering you accept Terms & Conditions of Studios Aribri.
[QUIT]

I pressed the second option. The words dissolved to the air, then more materialized.

You have been registered.
[CUSTOMIZE AVATAR]
[CHOOSE CLASS]
[END]
When you finish character creation, click '[END]'.

Hmm, character creation? I just wanted to check this game out before it shuts down, there's no reason to do that much here, right?

I pushed [CUSTOMIZE AVATAR].

I wonder, is it possible to input my real life look?

"Avatar - self"

Would this work?

I looked at a mirror image of myself. A bit plain, my appearance is too ...normal for a game like this one, I can spare a minute to edit some things.

Hmm, add a scar here, make my eyes red, and my hair black. This should suffice.

No crazy stuff like changing my race to an undead, or something gross like that, besides there's not enough time to create an actually good avatar.

My class? Is there any class that would go well with my ability to code? Not that it really matters in the end, the game's only gonna be active for half an hour, but I'd rather make this a good character, not just a blank, or a 'steve' as the older players would say.

Select a class.
[Figher] [Ranger] [Support] [Mage] [Rogue]

There should be something akin to what I have in mind under Mage.

Choosing that.

Why am I planning things, even though the game is ending?

...Call it an instinct of sorts, the call of a greater being.

Select a specialization
[Elementalist] [Illusionist] [Druid] [Necromancer] [Summoner] [Enchanter]

My choice would be Druid if I didn't know how to program, I love nature, it's depressing how little of it is left on Earth. So, Enchanter then? Hoping this class does what I think it does.

Choose a mastery.
[Hexer] [Runecrafter] [Enhancer]
You may access many more as you level.

I looked at the possible options, and started thinking. Hexing feels like the thing some 'baba yaga' nesting in the woods would do, that's not for me. On the other side, runecrafter is something that could in fact work in synch with the things I know. Just hoping it's the type of runecrafting that allows for a lot of freedom, not just making symbols that grant you luck.

Why do I care about that so much, again? Well, there's this feeling that it's a crucial moment in my life, the beginning of something big, the unleashing of...

No idea.

Of... Something monstrous...?

What's the time? I don't know if there's a need to hurry.

23:43

Oh! So Runecrafter it is. It would normally be smarter to consider more options, look at the different classes, but if I still want to talk with Indess, then it would be best to join the game as soon as possible, end the character customization.

So, that's it? Avatar is made, class is chosen... I tried to push [END], but a new window appeared.

[CHOOSE A NAME]

A name? My real life name should suffice.

[CHOOSE A NAME]
Suisei Kyoryokou

After I entered it, the box disappeared. Clicked [END] afterwards, and that faded out as well.

My surroundings shifted, getting replaced by a lush, dense forest, birds could be heard far above, light rays peeking through the dense canopy of the trees, making for a truly magical sight to behold. A bunny jumped into the bushes, startled at my apparently sudden appearance.

So that's the game? The graphics seem a little too saturated for my tastes, but not enough to be a problem.

I can see three bars at the top left corner of my vision. Red, green and blue, presumably health, stamina and magic capacity.

On the top right, there's a built-in clock. Convenient, I won't have to leave the game to check the time. It's 23:43:52. Huh, it shows seconds- the devs probably added it for the countdown to the shutdown then.

On the bottom right I can see a minimap, showing a red dot at the center, which is most likely my character.

And on the bottom left, there's a box with such options-

[MENU]
[CHAT]
[EVENT]
[SYSTEM]

I clicked [CHAT].

[ADD FRIEND]
[GLOBAL CHAT]
[GUILD CHAT]

So here it is, I don't understand why there's no tutorial. Right, maybe there is in [MENU] or [SYSTEM], however that's not important now, I should hurry.

[ADD FRIEND]

I remembered Indess' IGN being Mrs_Hilldess, therefore entering it. A new option came up after refreshing the chat window.

[ADD FRIEND]
[FRIEND CHAT]
[GLOBAL CHAT]
[GUILD CHAT]

Friend chat, that's exactly what I need.

[FRIEND CHAT]
Mrs_Hilldess:: you there?
[____________|SEND]

Oh, she's already written something. Seems she was waiting for me all that time, which is pretty impressive actually, given how long I was working.

Indess is such a good friend...

I sent her a message that I'm waiting in a forest, and then a question which I didn't expect popped up:

[FRIEND CHAT]
Mrs_Hilldess:: you there?
Suisei-Kyoryoku:: yeah, I'm waiting for you in a forest.
Mrs_Hilldess:: you have your irl name as ign?
[____________|SEND]

I thought she would ask me where I am, telling me to describe a landmark to her, or something like that. I'm guessing she already knows my location.

[FRIEND CHAT]
Mrs_Hilldess:: you there?
Suisei-Kyoryoku:: yeah, I'm waiting for you in a forest.
Mrs_Hilldess:: you have your irl name as ign?
Suisei-Kyoryoku:: what's wrong with that? I was in a hurry making my character.
[____________|SEND]

"Hey!" A female voice was heard behind me.

I let out a suprised yelp, turning around. Before me stood a tall elf woman in a white robe with golden trimmings, a few small blue crystals orbiting her.

"And you didn't even change your avatar that much..." she mumbled seemingly to herself, as her yellow irises took upon my form.

"It's just... unusual to see someone care so little about character creation, not that I hate how you did it, your avatar looks quite badass."

"I didn't have much time, I'd rather spend twenty minutes talking with you and five customizing, than five talking and twenty customizing." Maybe it's some kind of tradition to make good avatars? I don't know, never been interested in playing any RPG's.

"True, sorry for being like that" and her feelings were genuine as she said that. Even through the game I could tell how she felt, we've known each other for years.

"Anyway, you wanted to tell me about the lore, or something like that?" after asking her that, Indess showed obvious excitement and started talking.

"Well, so there's been a..." I wasn't that curious about the history of some MMO that my eyes have never seen, but for the sake of my friend I'll sit through it.

-x-

23:59:41

"...and that's how Master Marius got his Skybreaker." She sighed, stretching her arms.

I'd say that was suprisingly interesting, like listening to a myth audiobook.

"We don't have much more time, so let's end it here. We'll talk tomorrow morning at the cafe, that alright?"

"Yeah" I replied, yawning, it's almost midnight, meanwhile most of the time I go to sleep at around 22.

"See you!" said Indess, just before her avatar disappeared.

[Mrs_Hilldess has logged off]

May as well stay until the end, let the system log me off automatically- it's only a few seconds until the shutdown. Besides I sent the bugfixed game today, so there's no need to wake up that early. My earnings from it should last a week, I love my job.

23:59:55
23:59:56
23:59:57
23:59:58
23:59:59

For some reason I again feel like this is a very important moment.

00:00:00

Nothing changed.

What's happening?

Did they cancel it?

That's the only realistic option, what are the devs thinking? It would be costly to do this kind of thing, especially without prior message to the playerbase.

Chilly, fresh wind blew past me, brushing some hair strands in my face, an annoyance.

What? I don't remember there being such complicated touch and temperature sensors, was the shutdown a suprise update?

No, that kind of jokes are only reserved for prima aprilis, which won't happen for the next six months.

Whatever the case, don't care, I have next to none connection with this game. Let me just log off, I need some sleep.

[MENU]
[CHAT]
[EVENT]
[SYSTEM]

Why can't I click any of the settings? Is it a bug? This is unnerving, my ability to leave the game has been taken away. That only happened once before, with the Sword Art Online scandal. However that was over a decade ago and surely, there would've been implemented some safety measures to the newer Dive gear in case this happened again, right?

I really hope it isn't that all over again...

[It isn't.]

Who is this? No name showed in the message box, are you an admin?

[Good guess, but not a correct one.]

[My creator calls me the Game System.]

My emotions spike at that name, but are quickly supressed by a thought. It's an AI chatbot, but that doesn't make sense, why would the devs impement such a thing?

[I am not an AI chatbot. I am a cosmic entity designed to guide Gamers to omnipotence.]

I raised a brow at that, before saying "What?" out loud, a jumble of contradictory emotions within my voice. My mind still refuses to believe what's happening.

My voice, the feeling of my lips moving...

I punched myself in the gut, and almost doubled over.

This far exceeds the limit of how much pain can be felt in any Dive gear version. Excitement sparked in my mind, is it really happening? No, it's impossible...

But maybe?

Technically everything is possible, the probability of a meteor destroying Earth today is very small, but it's still a possibility- the same with this.

Perhaps I got incredibly lucky.

I like to read classic, old fanfiction in my free time, and this kind of scenario is very similar to a certain genre, the Gamer genre.

The possibility that I just gained one of the most powerful abilities to ever exist to ever exist is slim, but is rising with the evidence I can see, feel around me. The emotions begin to surface.

To test that theory, I'll ask this self proclaimed Game a question...

"Name that one song I wished I knew the name of, but have long forgotten." A seemingly innocent question, but if the Game answers that correctly it will show it can either see into my past, or into the deeper parts of my mind, and that's enough evidence to squash any remains of rational thinking I have left that keep me from believing.

[Clever. The title is "Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes".]

I remember.

This is it.

"ha... haha... hahahah HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-" I laughed hysterically for minutes on end, wouldn't be suprised if my sanity neared its breaking point. I was so, SO ridicously overjoyed that I collapsed and started scraping the dirt with my nails, a twisted look of insane ecstasy on my face.

[I think this will suit you.]

[ADDED- Major Greed sin]

[And so you won't hurt yourself...]

[ADDED- Gamer's Mind]
[ADDED- Gamer's Body]

"Ha... ha..." I sighed in a shaky voice, slowly getting up from the ground, staggering a bit. My expression was of an exaggerated grin, I have regained my sanity thanks to Gamer's Mind, but otherwise my feelings were unchanged.

Why did I react like that? Am I emotionally unstable? This has never happened before.

Hm, if my memory isn't failing me, then there were things called 'traits' in most of the fanfics. Game, can I see them in case they exist?

[You are not emotionally unstable, this is how most mortals would react to getting the ability that allows them to obtain all the riches, all the power in existence. That is, if they knew the full extent of my abilities from the start, which you did. I usually grant people Gamer's Mind before they have the chance to go insane.]

[And yes, there are traits in this game.]

[TRAITS]
[Major Greed Sin]
The desire to obtain power and wealth.
This sin will dissipate upon completing either of those two conditions:
Give your loved ones 200 unique valuable possessions and share 80% of your stat points with 5000 people each.
OR
Obtain infinite wealth and gain infinite HP+SP+MP

That answers my concerns, though I won't ever be able to get rid of that sin, it should be practically impossible to obtain an infinite amount of anything, and the trait will keep me from sharing it.

But maybe it isn't all that bad, it will make me motivated to gain power, which keeps me safe, harder to kill.

I started walking in a random direction, keeping an eye on the minimap in case I miss any paths that would be difficult to spot, behind the bushes, or too far away.

The first thing I ought to do is find out which fictional world has Game thrown me into. Maybe it's still Yggdrasil, as I haven't noticed any changes in the placement of the rocks, clouds and trees among other things when the timer hit 00:00. If that's the case then caution would be essential, there might be other players in this world, and even if there aren't, it's still an unknown game to me, so I should be wary of any powerful monsters.

However considering the chance I have been transported to an anime or book, it would be best to look for clues so a plan could be formed based on which world I am in.

-x-

I've been walking for hours now, and it's starting to get dark. Currently standing at the edge of a large valley, it should be easier to spot settlements with this improved visibility, but there's also the situation with no more daylight.

It'll get harder and harder to see anything, so I've got to hurry if I want to use this opportunity to find other people.

The valley was long but not wide, forest stretching on both sides, no sight of it at the front. A few deer could be seen wandering near a thin river which the pass has no doubt formed around. Some bugs were flying here and there, bees polinating flowers, dragonflies zooming through... A small green lizard was sleeping in the tall grass.

I love nature, my whole life was encased in the concrete walls of my city and the polluted suburbs, never venturing to any of the remote places where healthy trees could still be seen. If I had to choose between being with people or in a lush forest for the rest of my life, my choice would be the latter.

As pleasurable as living in the forest could prove, I still need to see what kind of plane of existence has Game thrown me into, which would be easiest by looking at the types of towns found around here, and some man-made gear may be useful. Reaching civilization should be much easier if I follow the river, as in the medieval times and earlier it was common to build villages around water sources. Of course, there's no guarantee it's that age, but I haven't seen any planes, spaceships, dinosaurs or any other things to prove otherwise in the time of my relatively short involuntary journey.

A chilling thought crossed my mind, it's possible this world is desolate of intelligent life.

Maybe it's not that chilly of a thought, that would create an opportunity for me to train uninterrupted, and with gamer's mind there's no need for human interaction.

Hm, it would actually turn out better should there be no other humans, and if the Game I have is the kind of system that allows for crossing universes, then this planet could become my safe haven, not unlike a pocket dimension.

I have always considered crossing parallel worlds godlike, a feat only reserved for those of ultimate power. Tearing the fabric of reality, breaking the rules of physics...

Should a person see my current expression, they would think of it as grinning akin to some cliche anime villain, to have my face twisted in that evil smile just at thinking of possessing the ability to travel through dimensions...

This is most likely the Greed influencing my thoughts, but humans can't be ideal, right? I could supress my sinful thoughts, but if the requirements to do that permanently are almost impossible to reach, then it would be best to get accustomed to the thought that I am no longer the same Suisei I used to be.

The old me would sometimes share food with a homeless guy if she saw one, now even thinking of doing it feels wrong, unnatural. I was a bit greedy beforehand, now it's like the sin was amplified tens of times over. Truly hoping it won't be that much of a burden to bear.

I gazed at the distant horizon, the sun set a while ago, but some glow was still there. Thin clouds covered the mountain peaks, a singular bird flying across.

A faint glimmer of lights, trail of yellow spots illuminating the furthest hill that could be seen from my spot, was that a caravan? There's no mistake.

I may not be able to catch up to it, however its appearence indicates the existence of a road in that direction. Now that there's a destination for me to reach I pick up pace.

Let me just check something, "Status".

Name - Suisei Kyoryokou
Title - The Gamer
Level - 1
Class - Runecrafter - LVL 1 [0%]
Race - Human
Rank - Mortal
Allignment - Neutral Good (Path to Evil)
HP - 100/100 [1 per minute]
MP - 100/100 [2 per minute]
SP - 100/100 [1 per minute]
STR - 10
END - 10
DEX - 10
INT - 10
WIS - 10
CHA - 10
LUK - 10
MP Regen = WIS / 5
MP = INT X 10
SP/HP Regen = END / 10
SP/HP = END X 10

Seeing that stamina is full confirms my susupicions, I can't get tired by just walking around. Convenient, until the time walking will stop being viable, there's a large possibility of me getting a teleportation spell or a flight artifact sooner than later.

On the topic of spells, I only have three, if they can be considered spells.

[Start] |א|
When the creator of this rune puts a sufficient amount of magic into it, it sends an activation signal through the [Connection] to activate the program.
Uses 10 MP per activation.
+ Sum of the MP cost of all other runes.

[Connection] No runic symbol
Circle the runes that take part in the program, make lines between them and use arrows to show in which direction the activation signal goes.
EXAMPLE:
(Rune)-->--(Rune)
Uses 0 MP

[Summon Magic Bolt] |ב|
When the activation signal reaches this rune, it launches a bolt of magical energy directly away from the surface it was written on.
Deals 10 piercing damage.
Uses 10 MP per activation.

Even though it's only some starter spells, or runes to be more specific, I now know the decision on choosing runecrafter was perfect for me. It's exactly as expected, similar to programming. With this kind of interface...

It's almost funny, how less than a day ago I was in my house working on some game, and now going through a large field starting my ceuntry long ascension to godhood.

The only real threats I should be truly wary of is other Gamers, they're the people who have the means necessary to catch up to me once my level surpasses theirs. The system allows me to become more powerful than even One Above All or the Presence, top tier beings from Marvel and DC respectively, however that means other Players within the Game can reach those heights as well.

[There is exactly 1000 Gamers, chosen at the same time as you, so no headstart to anyone. In two hundered years you shall clash in titanic battles spanning across universes, only one coming out on top to rule the omniverse.]

So there, in fact, are others like me out there. Are we all on this same world? Should I worry about coming across a Gamer?

[No. Each one has their own multiverse to grow strong in.]

And what if I didn't want to participate?

[Then a Player would come for you once the battle starts, and kill you regardless.]

[Here's a quest.]

[New quest]
[Objective]
Gain the title "Ruler of the Omniverse".
[Bonus Objective]
Defeat as many other Gamers as possible during the battle.
[Reward] -
[Transcendant Planeswalker Rune] ᚷ
This rune, when applied directly to your soul, unlocks the ability to freely travel to/from your old homeworld (Planet Earth) as well as the omniverses of other Rulers such as Shiro Eis or Akane Amamiya.
Costs 0 MP
[Bonus Reward] -
[Transcendant Power Rune] ᛃ
This rune, when applied to anything (including types of energy, in-game stats, and even concepts, in %) rises the value to the power of how many Gamers you have killed in the battle.
It can be applied as many times as you wish.
[I have given similar quests to all other gamers, don't feel special.]

It seems I don't have any other choice.

Oh well, it's still possible that it will be me who emerges victorious, and if that's what my desire is then it would be best for me to gain power as fast as I can.

Game, are there dungeons in this system?

[Yes, however you may only enter them once per day.]
[The command to enter a dungeon is "ID Create" and if you want to exit it, say "ID Destroy"]

Thanks for the information, though it is a bummer that I can only do one a day.

It's a setback, however there are probably some strong opponents or animals no matter what kind of world this is. The worst case, my training would be destroying rocks and trees for the first few years until I find my way to the next world.

And about that, how does it work? Is there a quest one must finish in order to jump worlds?

[No, every 100 levels you gain a choice of 5 random universes to travel to. You may freely travel between the universes you've been to. Time will stop in all the worlds of your multiverse when you're not there.]

Wasn't expecting you to answer that, I was just thinking, but thanks anyways.

Looks like I'm nearing the road, some details are visible even in the darkness, it's made from flat stones put tightly together, similar to the way romans created them on Earth thousands of years ago.

The idea that this is ancient Europe came to mind, but I quickly dismissed it- why would there be a quest reward like that planeswalker rune, 'unlocks the ability to freely travel to/from your old homeworld', besides this kind of road can be seen across multiple shows, games and anime.

Now that there's a direct path to follow, finding civilization should be much easier than just wandering in a forest and across giant fields.

-x-

Or so I thought, the sun has risen again and the road still leads on.My stamina not losing a single point, and Gamer's Mind+Body keeping me in the same state as at the moment of entering Yggdrasil.

Really wondering if this will go on for more than a week. It doesn't seem that it will, as the pavement has improved in quality over the last hour, indicating that a large settlement is near.

-x-

And my observations were correct, it was midday when I spotted a medieval city on the other side of a large field, surrounded by the forest. Its only visible entrance was a large gate positioned in front of the grassland, the road clearly going in that direction. Thousands of houses within the walls were built around a large castle on a hill, most likely the king's or lord's home. Smoke was coming out of a few chimneys, giving the settlement a lively atmosphere.

A caravan was entering the city, my eyes widened slightly, recognizing it as the one from yesterday. Shouldn't they be much faster than me? All of them were horse carriages, would've figured they'd be far ahead. Maybe it's because I didn't need to rest, meanwhile the caravan stopped for the night? Probably that.

Nearing the entrance, I started appreciating the sheer size of the stone wall, it was made by the strength and grit of human hands.

It was nothing to the beauty of nature of course, but it did have it's charm.

Guards were standing on either side of the main doorway, keeping an eye out for any troublemakers. Small cracks within the rock were visible, it's been here for quite some time.

I entered the gate.

I've got patreon if anyone's feeling generous.
patreon.com/loudsilence

 

It was actually interesting before the whole Gamer shtick appeared. Even worse, we got the speaking system at that, yuck. But as it is your first story, i guess kinda nice try anyway.