Ainz clapped with his skeletal hands.

"Splendid."

The dry collision of bone on bone echoed sharply through the pocket dimension.

An hour had passed since the initial clash. In all that time, Ainz had never once moved from his place. He merely stood and watched Monkyspanner battle the Guardians.

The reason was simple: he wanted to observe the Guardians' combat capabilities and measure their coordination. Having arrived in this world not long ago, they were each powerful in their own right, but when it came to fighting together, their teamwork was still unrefined.

He had hoped to test their coordination earlier against the colossal plant monster that appeared in the Great Forest of Tob. Yet even though it had been around level 85, it was too weak, too sluggish, and too limited to draw out their true power.

Monkyspanner, however, was different.

He was strong—not only in sheer force but also in skill, adaptability, and cunning. By Ainz's strict evaluation, he had exceeded expectations by a wide margin.

Six Guardians, each a level 100 NPC specialized in their roles—two tank-damage hybrids, two pure damage dealers, and two magic-support specialists—had surrounded him.

And yet, Monkyspanner endured for a full hour inside this pocket space, where escape was impossible.

Not only did he endure, but at times he broke through the encirclement and made sudden rushes straight for Ainz.

Ainz understood the tactic well: as the saying goes, to topple the general, first strike the horse.

But Monkyspanner inverted the logic, aiming for the "general" himself, knowing the disruption it would cause among the "horses."

By striking at Ainz, he repeatedly sought to unravel their formation.

He looks like a brute, but he's sharp. Or perhaps it's battle instinct…

Even Shalltear, who gave the impression of being thoughtless, had surprised Ainz in combat with clever maneuvers—using bluff, sacrificing her minions for healing, or employing YGGDRASIL-specific mechanics creatively.

But Monkyspanner was on another level entirely. Two centuries in this world had honed his mastery. His flexible, seamless use of techniques and abilities outstripped Shalltear's improvisation. He wielded his sacred weapon with supreme control, adapting it perfectly to his fighting style.

Still, in the end, he only lasted an hour.

He landed a few glancing strikes on Ainz, but nothing decisive. The Guardians tightened their defenses, and he could no longer even approach. Nor had he inflicted serious wounds on any of them. Shalltear, who had taken the most punishment, had long since recovered her health with her minions' life force.

Monkyspanner was finished.

Breath ragged, bloodied, fur matted, he fell to his knees. The cudgel hung loose in his trembling grip.

Over him loomed Cocytus's arsenal—mace, halberd, greatsword—all aimed at his skull. Shalltear's spuit lance joined them, while Mare, Aura, and Demiurge layered their restraints and shackles upon his broken body.

He had lasted an hour against six of Nazarick's finest.

But now, the battle was decided.

The Guardians looked down on him—not with hatred, contempt, or anger, but with a quiet respect. For all his taunts, his tricks, his infuriating diversions, the monkey sage had forced them to struggle. He had bought himself an hour against impossible odds.

Not even Cocytus, the martial paragon, could deny it—Monkyspanner had been magnificent.

Ainz felt the same. His desire, already strong, blazed brighter. I will have him.

He had forced six Guardians into a drawn-out battle and compelled Ainz to unleash World Items. Though much was risked, capturing him alive outweighed the costs.

Step by step, Ainz walked forward, stopping before the kneeling Monkyspanner. He looked into the monkey sage's weary eyes.

"What a pitiful sight."

"Huff… huff…"

"I will ask once more. Swear fealty to me. Though I may tamper with your mind, if you yield sincerely, I shall preserve your spirit intact."

"Ptuh! I refuse!"

Blood sprayed with his defiant cry. Even on the edge of death, Monkeyspanner's dignity burned.

Ainz could only marvel.

But admiration did not change his resolve.

Monkyspanner would be his—one way or another.

"…A shame."

He had wanted to take him whole. Instead, Ainz raised his hand and invoked the Tenth-Tier spell: [Dominate Mind].

With this he would rewrite Monkyspanner's thoughts, pry open his memories, and replace the object of his loyalty. He had already tested the spell on Yuri Alpha and other natives. He knew how to proceed.

But resistance would be fierce. The stronger the will, the harsher the backlash. A soul as ironclad as Monkyspanner's would resist to the last. The strain could break him, leaving behind nothing but a husk, a puppet.

Even so, Ainz's greed would not relent.

His skeletal hand reached for Monkyspanner's head.

And then—fragments of memory stirred.

Shards of the past…

The final meeting with his Creator, the one who had shaped him and departed forever. Words, faint yet clear, spoken long ago in YGGDRASIL…

The Creator—now forever gone—had spoken to Monkyspanner with a heavy heart before leaving.

"I wanted to give you a cooler, more magnificent name… but all the good ones were already taken. Son Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Bardock, even Gohan—never mind those famous names—even Nappa, Raditz, and Paragus had been claimed… In the end, I had no choice but to give my NPC a silly 'gag name' on a whim. It doesn't matter anymore, but I truly am sorry."

It was a name before which many had bowed in jest or reverence, a name from another world. But to Monkyspanner, his Creator had been a being of true greatness and power, a sovereign among the Twelve Beast Kings of old, bearer of the titles "Monkey King" and "Great Sage Equal to Heaven", and one of the strongest sorcerers in all of YGGDRASIL.

"I called myself Kakarot, but I wanted you to bear the name of an original character too… Damn, the name-change ticket expired ages ago. I really am sorry, Monkyspanner. Sorry, even at the very end. So at least… I'll leave you everything I own."

And so, when his Creator departed, he entrusted Monkyspanner with all that he had cherished.

The sacred weapon Ruyi Jingu Bang, the divine armor Golden Chainmail, the ornate helm Crown of the Celestial Ape, and countless other divine and legendary relics—every last one was left behind.

But it was not just relics. The Creator had even imparted part of his very essence. A fragment of his power, a unique class—granted to Monkyspanner as a final inheritance. The price was permanent departure from YGGDRASIL, but as he was leaving anyway, he bequeathed it without hesitation.

Monkyspanner had thought he wanted none of it. He would have rather had his Creator stay by his side. No treasure, no relic, no fragment of strength could compare to his presence. Yet now, after centuries, those parting gifts had become beautiful memories—irreplaceable tokens of joy and sorrow.

And now, at this moment of desperation, it was time to call upon that final inheritance.

Bloodied, beaten, on the verge of collapse—Monkyspanner's eyes snapped wide open.

A blinding golden radiance erupted from his body, flooding the dark pocket dimension with light. All the curses, all the bindings upon him shattered as the brilliance tore them apart.

This was the hidden legacy nestled within his racial levels—a gift left by his Creator.

Long ago, when YGGDRASIL had hosted countless crossover events, there had been one themed after a certain ancient classic. In that collaboration, simian-type could acquire a special hidden race.

Monkyspanner's Creator had cleared the event at its peak and, upon departing the game forever, had bestowed its legacy upon him.

Race Name: [Saiyan]—"Vegetable Star People."

Why the name carried vegetables, no one knew, but it was a brutal race that reveled in combat and destruction. From this lineage came Monkyspanner's greatest secret—his ultimate hidden skill, never revealed even to his fellow Twelve High Priests.

He roared within himself:

—Hidden Skill, Activate!

[Super Ape Ascension]!!

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