Minori stepped over the broken temple steps, his eyes falling on Khajiit's corpse. The thick scent of blood mixed with a faint, rotten stench lingered in the air.
Khajiit's dead eyes stared at nothing, his severed head twisted at an unnatural angle, still frozen in resentment.
Minori let out a breath—not of sympathy, but of realization.
He no longer felt any discomfort.
After more than a month of hunting goblins in the Tob Forest, his heart had dulled. In his previous life, he couldn't even kill a chicken. Yet in this world, it had taken barely two months for him to become accustomed to death.
He crouched beside the body and retrieved two items: a Shadow Wand and a Bone Necklace—both enchanted gear, clearly tied to necromancy. He glanced at the tattered, blood-red robe as well, but it had been scorched and ruined by the Fire Archangel's attack. A pity—it must have been worth quite a bit.
The wand and necklace were useless to him as a divine magic caster, but at least they could be sold or analyzed.
"You four, guard the entrance," Minori ordered flatly, gesturing to a group of summoned Fire Archangels.
With two more archangels at his side, he descended into the secret passage beneath the temple.
Nearly ten minutes passed before he emerged again, dusty and empty-handed. The underground cache held nothing of value—only cobwebs and remnants of a failed scheme.
"Burn it," he commanded.
The Fire Archangels obeyed, igniting Khajiit's body with holy flame until only ash remained.
One of the archangels moved to incinerate the severed arm.
"Wait."
Minori stepped forward, eyeing the broken limb. Using a scrap of cloth, he wrapped it and tucked it away.
"It's time to go."
He cast a final glance toward the distant city walls glowing under the night's eternal light, then silently departed.
Outside the sealed gate, two guards stood on their watch towers, bathed in magical lamplight.
"What the hell is going on in the cemetery? Was that holy light?"
"Should we report it—?"
"Idiot!"
The older guard snapped in a hoarse whisper.
"We're just here to make sure undead don't breach the gate. You see any charging through?"
"N-No, but—"
"No buts. It's the middle of the night. Let the adventurers deal with it come morning."
Minori scaled the wall unnoticed, his presence swallowed by the darkness.
By the time he returned to his inn, it was nearing two in the morning.
Avoiding the front, he slipped into a nearby alley and climbed directly to the second-floor window of his rented room.
"Woof!"
The little evil hound—his summoned companion, Kuro—perked up, letting out a low, excited growl.
"Shh." Minori held a finger to his lips.
The beast wagged its tail, brushing against his leg affectionately.
"Good boy."
Minori smiled faintly and began unbuckling his gear. He tossed his robe into a corner, the bundled cloth with Khajiit's arm landing beside it.
Though he could've used Deodorize magic, he preferred an actual bath.
A short while later, fresh steam drifted from the small washroom as Minori stepped out in a simple undershirt.
His gaze landed immediately on Kuro, who was sniffing around the discarded arm with great interest.
"Don't even think about it," Minori muttered. "It's radiating negative energy. You'd die just sniffing too close."
The hound whimpered and backed off.
Minori sat on the bed, eyes briefly resting on the shriveled, lifeless arm.
He didn't enjoy collecting corpses—but this one might serve a different purpose.
In the Overlord anime, both Clementine and Khajiit had been eliminated by Momon's team. But later, their bodies mysteriously disappeared from the guild's custody.
Ainz may not have cared.
But Minori did.
Only two things could explain that disappearance: theft… or resurrection.
If Khajiit was brought back by someone, then the severed limb would vanish too.
His suspicions focused on [Zurrernorn]'s leader. If resurrection magic was involved, the caster had to be a divine spellcaster—someone from the Slane Theocracy perhaps?
The possibility of [Zurrernorn] being tied to the Black Scripture—a special ops force from the Theocracy—troubled him. Especially the branch that worshipped the Sixth God: the death god player who survived the longest.
The Death God's followers were elusive.
And now, resurrection magic—something even Ainz could only simulate with items—was possibly in play?
"Too many old monsters crawling around this world…" Minori sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Ouch!"
Kuroi growled again, low and wary.
Minori turned just in time to see the severed arm begin to shimmer with a faint blue glow—then vanish.
Buzz—
Skill: "Resurrection of the Dead・Variant" discovered. Caster Level Requirement (29–35) met.
Consume Skill Point to learn?
[Skill Points: 40 → 39]
—— Skill: Resurrection of the Dead (Variant) – Lv.5
MP Cost: 25 (50 if modified)
Description: A divine magic spell restructured for arcane use. Allows resurrection at double MP cost.
Note: Can be combined with preservation techniques to reduce corpse decay penalties. ——
Minori stared at the panel.
His expression was unreadable.
Then, a slow grin crept onto his face.
"Well, looks like I guessed wrong after all," he chuckled. "But this 'leader'... might be more interesting than I thought."
—
Elsewhere—
A dark, mist-choked land bled shadows under the moonlight.
"Gah—! Gah!"
Twisted avian screeches echoed through the sky—undead creatures circling overhead.
The land was lifeless.
Khajiit's mind, however, was not.
Despair and fear twisted inside him. And yet—he was aware.
How?
"I should be dead..."
His eyes snapped open.
"Haaah…! Haaah!"
Khajiit bolted upright, trembling.
A dry, metallic rasp scratched the air.
"You were in E-Rantel. There shouldn't have been anyone strong enough to kill you."
The voice belonged to a figure cloaked in writhing darkness—reality itself distorted by the aura he emitted.
Khajiit's blood froze.
"L-Lord… Leader…"
He collapsed to his knees, forehead pressing to the bloodstained ground.