Nighttime.
Taking in a deep breath, Lioro let out a sigh as the familiar polluted air filled his lungs.
He was truly back in modern society.
Although...
Lioro rubbed his temple, a dull headache forming.
This was a zero mana world. Not low mana—zero mana. There was no way to passively regenerate mana here.
Still, it wasn't a major issue. Lioro had plenty of magic recovery potions in his inventory.
Another thing he noticed: a 1:30 time difference. The highest so far.
"So... is this also an anime world?"
Standing on the rooftop of a random building, Lioro looked down at the bustling street below, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
As for the answer, it was hard to say.
Scanning the surroundings, he took in the towering skyscrapers around him. Judging by the advanced architecture, he was definitely in some major capital city.
"Well, let's get down first."
"Tier 2 magic: Invisibility."
His figure shimmered before vanishing from sight.
Using infinity as a stepping stone, he effortlessly descended from the rooftop, landing silently on the street below.
Blending into the flow of pedestrians, Lioro found himself in a sea of Asians moving along the sidewalks.
A huge electronic billboard caught his eye. The display read: Good Night! Tokyo!
"Tokyo... Japan?"
A gleam of interest sparked in Lioro's gaze.
This had been one of the most popular destinations in his previous life—one he'd always wanted to visit but couldn't since even the flight ticket was too expensive for him.
And now, without warning, here he was.
Life was truly full of surprises.
As he walked along the street, he took the opportunity to casually drop his invisibility. No one noticed the sudden appearance.
Without a destination in mind, Lioro wandered, taking in the sights with a hint of amusement, much like a curious traveler from the countryside.
Interestingly, wherever he went, people would glance at him—not just glance, but stop and give him a second, more curious look.
"Is he an actor...?"
"So good-looking..."
"Are those contacts? His eyes are beautiful..."
"White hair? Dyed? It looks natural..."
Some even discreetly took photos.
The corners of Lioro's lips lifted.
This was exactly why he turned off invisibility.
After all, what was the point of having an eleven-out-of-ten face if you didn't show it off?
"Maybe he's cosplaying? Which anime character is that?"
Well, considering his outfit was from the Overlord world, it was only natural to be mistaken for a cosplayer.
Suddenly, Lioro stopped and turned toward the man who'd just speculated aloud.
Under the man's puzzled gaze, Lioro lifted a finger and conjured a small flame.
"F-flame...?"
Seeing the dumbfounded expression, Lioro snuffed out the flame with a smile and calmly said,
"Magic."
Then he walked away, unhurried and composed.
"Dude, that was awesome!"
Ignoring the excited shout behind him, Lioro wandered into another street.
But this one was different.
Here and there, women stood alone, glancing around from time to time.
Lioro's gaze settled on a black-haired woman wearing a white mask and a black windbreaker over a gray top. Her smooth stomach and long legs were exposed beneath a short skirt.
Sensing his gaze, the woman turned toward him, her eyes lighting up as she took in his appearance.
Without hesitation, she tugged down her top slightly, revealing her ample chest in a clear invitation.
Lioro looked. It was a pleasant view. But he had no money.
Turning away, he left the disappointed woman behind.
As he explored more streets, he noticed that scenes like this were fairly common here. Almost every other block featured similar encounters.
Perhaps it was simply because it was nighttime?
Whatever the reason, he wasn't about to complain.
He was especially fascinated by the luxury cars that occasionally cruised by.
They were magnificent—far beyond the crude horse-drawn carriages he was used to.
He would love to drive one.
But for now, there was a small problem: he had no way to turn his gold into usable currency.
Worse, he didn't even have an identity card.
In short, he was in a bit of a bind.
How could he solve this?
As Lioro pondered, a news headline on a large screen caught his attention.
[Is the Government's decision to increase the funds provided to 'Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School' correct?]
Under the news headline was an image of students wearing a rather striking school uniform.
Lioro's eyes narrowed when he spotted the familiar red coat. He stopped in his tracks and muttered,
"Classroom of the Elite?"
Did he really just arrive in that world?
Scratching his nose, a spark of curiosity lit up in him.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School...
He might just find his next general here.
Even if he didn't, there were countless useful things to acquire in a modern world: advanced scientific knowledge, cutting-edge weapons, computers, nuclear missiles, jets, tanks, and so on.
He'd been planning to build his own Titan Kingdom, hadn't he? All of these resources would be invaluable.
Especially the nuclear weapons.
Just imagine—he and Ainz having a disagreement, and in response, Lioro launching multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles to obliterate the skeletal overlord's base. The image was simply too satisfying.
Feeling excitement bubbling inside, Lioro quickly searched for the school's location. Then, cloaking himself in invisibility, he soared into the night sky.
The next day.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
Invisible, Lioro floated above a sprawling artificial island built solely for the prestigious academy.
"It looks pretty damn cool from up here," he thought, eyes gleaming as he admired the modern architectural marvel below.
Circling the grounds, Lioro began searching for familiar faces from the series.
But perhaps because it was still nighttime, the campus grounds were mostly deserted. Even after a few hours of scouting, he hadn't spotted a single recognizable character.
Just when he was about to give up and consider another approach, he finally noticed someone.
A short young man with brown hair, bangs hanging to one side, and brown eyes.
Lioro couldn't recall the character's name, only that he had seen him before.
"Please go out with me!"
"No! I don't even know you, creep!"
The young man was bold, Lioro thought. Proposing to a girl he had just met took a level of shamelessness that even he hadn't mastered yet.
Intrigued, Lioro followed the dejected boy as he trudged back toward his dormitory.
He watched as the young man pulled out his keycard and unlocked his room.
Just as he was about to step inside, an unseen hand grabbed him by the neck and shoved him in.
"What the hell?!"
The boy shouted, spinning around in shock, only to find the door closed behind him and no one in sight.
'Some jerk must've pushed me in and run off,' he thought, cursing internally.
Then, without warning, Lioro deactivated his invisibility.
"What the—!"
The sudden appearance startled the young man so badly that he stumbled backward, landing on the floor.
"W-who the hell are you?!"
"First, tell me your name," Lioro replied calmly.
"What?"
"Your name. Tell me."
His voice carried a subtle weight, and an invisible pressure filled the room. The sheer presence of mana caused the boy to break into a cold sweat.
Terrified, he immediately answered.
His name was Kanji Ike.
A light-hearted, idiotic character in the series, more of a comic relief, fond of games, and constantly chasing after girls.
After extracting a few more details, Lioro placed a hand on Ike's shoulder, and both vanished.
An hour later.
The room shimmered as Lioro reappeared alone.
Though for him only a few minutes had passed, nearly an hour had gone by here.
He had left Ike with the dwarves in the Overlord world, instructing them to feed and care for him. With the 1:30 time difference, by the time Lioro finished his business, hardly any time would have passed over there.
As compensation, he would give Ike a few gold bars later.
For now, it was time to proceed.
Lioro slipped off one of his rings and began inscribing an additional enchantment onto it.
----
Added Effect:
Form Manipulation – Using blood as a medium alters the user's external appearance.
----
Taking out a small vial of blood he had extracted from Ike, Lioro let a drop fall onto the ring before sliding it back onto his finger.
The Black Dragon's ring pulsed with an eerie light, energy swirling around him. Moments later, his appearance shifted—his height reduced, white hair darkened to brown, blue eyes turning to a shade of brown.
He now looked exactly like Kanji Ike.
Admiring the versatility of his Epic-class gear, Lioro nodded in satisfaction. Despite the outward change, none of his strength or abilities were diminished.
Storing away his medieval outfit into his inventory, Lioro stepped into the closet stark naked, pulling out some of Ike's casual clothes and dressing himself.
Then, sinking onto the soft bed, he grabbed Ike's smartphone.
Amusingly, even the fingerprints matched, allowing him to unlock the device without issue.
Lioro grinned.
Stretching out on the bed, he began scrolling through the internet, relishing the wonders of modern technology.