Overlord: Welcome the Birth of the King

[Totem Activation]

[Specialization Selection]

Lyle's pulse quickened. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

He had always been curious about the hidden potential of the Totemic Possession skill. It wasn't just about boosting stats—the real meat lay in the special abilities that followed.

As the glowing totem etched itself fully into his forearm, his stats flickered. +50 Physical Defense.

"Huh. So the Wise-King's totem boosts base physical defense. Makes sense, considering defense was that beast's specialty."

Lyle nodded thoughtfully as he examined his updated status panel. He'd done his homework while clearing out the menagerie of beasts and monsters infesting the territory of the Troll-lord Guu. The stat boost range had always hovered somewhere between 10 to 50 points, and Hamsuke—being a level-30+ elite, yielding the max bonus was no surprise.

Still, Lyle wasn't overly impressed. The Shamnic Adept class was only a mid-tier path, and its passive perks were underwhelming. The stat boost felt more like a band-aid than an upgrade.

No, the real prize was in how he could use this skill creatively—like the way Zero did.

At first, that had been his goal too. He always preferred enhancement-type abilities. High efficiency, high return.

But then, he'd noticed something unexpected.

"Specialization selection," he whispered, narrowing his eyes.

Buzz.

A cascade of glowing runes unfurled before his eyes. The list of traits from Wise King wasn't short.

[Choose one of the following specializations. This choice is irreversible. Select one compatible with your race, class, or traits. Incompatible choices may result in weakened effects or failure to activate.]

1- Heightened Alertness

2- Agile Physique

3- Night Vision

4- Blindsense

5- Jungle Acceleration

…

- Combo 1 & 2: Resilience

- Combo 1 & 3: Body Armament

Lyle stared at the list and blinked. He'd expected maybe four options, tops. Not a whole bloody catalogue.

"This specialization thing… has way more utility than I thought," he muttered.

In YGGDRASIL, the game world from his past life, the shamanic adept class hadn't been particularly well-documented. But based on comparisons to other RPGs, it seemed akin to the druid class—tapping into beastly powers and nature's wrath.

He scanned down the options slowly, and then—his gaze locked onto the final one.

[Body Armament]

His pupils dilated slightly.

"Wait. That's on the table?"

He hadn't expected this ability to appear at all.

Wise King's near-impenetrable defense wasn't solely due to his race. A significant part of it came from his innate passive: Body Armament.

In YGGDRASIL, Body Armament was an ability, not just a trait.

He remembered Cocytus, one of the Floor Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. That icy exoskeleton wasn't armor—it was his body, hardened to the point of becoming a weaponized shell.

And Cocytus wasn't alone. Shalltear, Demiurge… many high-tier denizens of the Tomb had used variants of this ability.

The greatest strength of Body Armament was its scaling. Its toughness grew alongside the user's level. No crafting required. No forging. Your own stats became your armor.

Even better—since it was part of your body, it could be healed with restoration magic.

Of course, nothing came without cost.

Body Armament prevented you from equipping traditional armor on the transformed body parts. That's why most users only transformed a portion of their bodies, like arms or legs—to avoid interfering with their gear loadout.

And while it could reach "Legendary Equipment" levels of durability, getting it up to "Divine Artifact" grade required dumping insane amounts of data crystals and rare materials into it.

"Only certain demi-humans or heteromorphs can use it, if I recall correctly…" Lyle murmured, mentally sorting through what he remembered of the mechanics. "So if I pick it now—what happens?"

The restriction on equipping gear was annoying. But frankly, he didn't have much equipment anyway. Thanks to his cursed class, Cursed Knight—normal gear decayed in his hands after a few uses. Even rare pieces degraded fast.

So, he wasn't exactly spoiled for choice.

At worst, he'd lose a single totem tattoo. And the knowledge would be worth it.

"I choose—Body Armament."

Buzz.

[Skill selected: Body Armament]

Compatibility low. Skill has been weakened.

…

[Skill: Body Armament → Degraded Body Armament]

Cost: Passive → 10% HP (Active)

Description: May activate localized or full-body armament. Armored regions cannot equip external gear. Defense value equals half of the user's current defense stat.

---

Lyle raised an eyebrow.

"A degraded skill? That's new."

Passive turned active. And with a hefty HP cost to boot.

"I guess this is what passes for a local 'phenomenon' in this world," he muttered.

In the game, Body Armament had always been passive—once you had it, you had it for good.

Here? It came with toggles.

And penalties.

Still, that 10% HP drain was... painful.

"So obviously, full-body coverage gives better value."

With a deep breath, he focused his energy.

"Body Armament!"

[HP: 233 → 209]

Whoosh!

A vapor-like mist erupted from his pores, wrapping around his body like a cocoon.

In the span of a breath, it solidified.

A full-body armor formed—smooth and bone-colored, with a faint metallic gleam under the sunlight. Even his head was enclosed in a streamlined helmet.

Clink. Clank.

Lyle flexed his arm. The plates creaked slightly at the joints, but it was feather-light. If he hadn't seen it forming, he'd have thought he was just wearing a thick hoodie.

"Appraisal," he muttered, casting a low-tier item check.

[Degraded Body Armament – Full Plate]

Tier: Low (Level 11–20)

Durability: 138

Physical Defense: 84

Magic Defense: 54

Special Effects: None

Description: None

---

"Stats are half my own, durability's just the sum of both defenses."

He nodded, breaking it down mentally.

"Dispel."

The armor dissolved into mist and reabsorbed into his skin, revealing his normal form.

He paused.

"Body Armament."

This time, only his left arm transformed—bone-colored plating wrapping it from fingers to shoulder.

HP dropped again.

[HP: 209 → 186]

Lyle's eye twitched.

"Same cost. No stat difference. Localized version has zero efficiency."

He promptly dispelled it again, rubbing his arm with a frown.

"Honestly... why does this degraded version feel more practical than the normal one?"

Despite the reduced defense, the ability to activate and deactivate it at will was a tactical advantage. Especially for someone in his... unusually destructive profession.

Whatever the case, Totemic Possession had proven far more versatile than expected. And this world's odd "degradation mechanic"? Potentially a goldmine.

Shaking his head, Lyle turned toward the Wise-King's corpse.

With a flick of his wrist, the colossal body vanished into his inventory.

"Flight."

A shimmer of magical light, and he launched into the air, heading back toward the ogre-lord Guna's domain.

With the death of The Wise King, the southern forest had descended into chaos—but not for long.

Ryraryus, the serpent sorcerer, swept in with an army of beastkin under his coils. With brutal efficiency, he brought the wild lands back under control.

Monsters and apex beasts alike were rounded up and shipped to the massive forest fissure for containment.

Within weeks, the central region of the forest was in turmoil, but the outer edges flourished. With many high-tier predators gone, lesser beasts finally had room to breathe.

Ten Days Later – The Forest Fissure

Ryraryus stood outside a stone cave, stooped low and trembling with respect.

"My lord," he rasped, bowing his serpentine head. "The powerful beasts of the inner forest have all been cleared."

He dared not look directly ahead—but his eye twitched toward the cave entrance.

And there—was Guu.

Or what remained of him.

The once-mighty ogre-lord was a shadow of his former self, shriveled and pale. His overwhelming aura was gone.

More disturbingly—he was bleeding. Constantly. His blood poured into a massive wooden vat at his feet.

Ryraryus swallowed hard.

If not for Guu's abnormal regeneration, the ogre might've already bled to death—multiple times over.

Lyle emerged from the cave just then, holding the massive wooden tub as if it were a tea kettle.

"Oh, Ryraryus," he smiled. "Do you mind offering some of your blood too? For the project."

Ryraryus froze.

His gaze locked on the half-height wooden barrel and his legs nearly gave out.

"M-My lord," he stammered, voice trembling. "I-I do not possess the ogre's regeneration. I'd die."

Lyle paused, scratching his head. "Right, forgot about that. I'll get you a smaller bucket."

Ryraryus went completely still.

He didn't even flinch as a fly landed on his snout.