Hell Mode: Volume 9, page 1
Table of Contents
Cover
Color Illustrations
Chapter 1: The Allen Army Accepts Applicants
Chapter 2: Princess Leilana, Thomas, and the Class Promotion Dungeon
Chapter 3: Moving Residents to Hardcore User Island
Chapter 4: The Five Continent Alliance Conference
Chapter 5: Shia Settles Matters and the Battle Against the Beast King
Chapter 6: Pelomas the Merchant’s Profession of Love
Chapter 7: The Completion of Hardcore User Island
Chapter 8: The Allen Army’s Departure Ceremony
Chapter 9: Orichalcum and the Magic Cube
Chapter 10: Attempting to Farm the Final Floor Boss of the Rank S Dungeon
Chapter 11: Thomas’s Class Promotion and a New Talent
Chapter 12: The Woes of the Royal Family
Chapter 13: Turbulence in Albahal
Side Story 1: The Sacrifice and the Blood of the Beast (Part 2)
Side Story 2: Olbaas’s Resolve and Majestic (Part 1)
Side Story 3: Hell Mode Spin-Off—The Heroic Tale of Helmios (Part 3): A Natural Gift, Act 2
Afterword
About J-Novel Club
Copyright
Chapter 1: The Allen Army Accepts Applicants
Allen and his party were in Fortenia, the capital of Rohzenheim. The coronation in the Holy Land of Elmahl had ended, and the No-life Gamers had joined the Five Continent Alliance to clash against the Demon Lord Army, which had been invading the Central Continent. The commander of the enemy troops had been a Demonic Deity, and upon its defeat, Allen had reached Lvl. 93.
Allen had then gone straight to the naval battle in the Baukis Empire, but he had learned that the Demon Lord Army had already retreated. Unfortunately, he had been unable to slay the Demonic Deity there.
And so, he was now in Fortenia. However, rather than the throne room, where the queen resided, he was in a much larger hall where two thousand elves had been gathered. A ceremony would be held to welcome them into the Allen Army.
Honestly fitting for them since the elves seem to respect customs and traditions, Allen thought.
“Lord Allen, I thank you for your patience,” the queen of the elves, Lenoatiil, said, entering the venue. “We shall now begin the arrival ceremony.”
The queen had gone out of her way to greet Allen before the ceremony commenced. His reputation with her had skyrocketed and continued to rise as they spoke, due in no small part to the island in the sky that he had obtained recently, dubbed “Hardcore User Island.” This apparently fulfilled the prophecy that the God of Spirits had made when he was still a Sovereign. Allen and his party had once again reaffirmed that among them was the man of light who would shake off the darkness and save the world. That was precisely why they were being loaned two thousand troops with two-star Talents despite the elves having just returned from a war.
While Rohzenheim had suffered minimal damages from the Demon Lord Army’s invasion compared to their prior clashes, the elves had still lost several thousand troops. Furthermore, there was no time limit in place—these two thousand soldiers were being lent to Allen for as long as he needed them. And that was not all. Though Field Marshal Lukdraal would take direct command of this brigade, the elven queen had personally claimed that Allen would have the final say and ultimately take control. It mattered not if Allen’s plan became a suicide mission; these two thousand soldiers had been ordered to follow him until the very end.
There was a good chance that the Allen Army would continue its campaign for a good few years. Soldiers who could not bear to part with their families were allowed to move to Hardcore User Island with their loved ones, which was big enough to house several thousand immigrants. However, one could not forget that the island would be used on the front lines against the Demon Lord Army.
“I’m terribly sorry for borrowing two thousand of your troops with excellent Talents during such a precarious time,” Allen apologized. “Have you already confirmed whether these soldiers have the resolve?”
These elves would not have dared to go against an order from their queen, but Allen wanted to make sure that each and every one of them was prepared to fight until the bitter end.
“Of course,” the queen answered. “We elves perceive death differently from humans, after all.”
To the elves, death implied that they would return to the roots of the World Tree. Many of them thus did not fear the concept of death. They did not need to cling to life if they could protect their queen, who deified Rohzen and the World Tree. By sticking with the God of Spirits, they could also be close to the highly anticipated future queen, Sophie, and the man of light who would shake off the darkness. The queen was about to touch on the fact that the elves had no reason to refuse.
“And we shall begin the ceremony shortly...” she started when she spotted something in the crowd. Her legs trembled, and she fell to her knees. “Huh?! I... I don’t believe it...”
“Your Majesty?! Are you all right?!” an elf cried, hastily rushing to her side.
The queen was not staring at Allen but at his party behind him.
“I-It’s nothing at all,” the queen stammered. “H-Has my daughter done something to upset you somehow?”
“Huh? Who, Sophie?” Allen asked.
Far from it. Allen hastily explained how much of a huge help Sophie was to his party—she was the one who came up with the idea of forming an Allen Army as well.
“I see... If nothing is amiss, then that’s all that matters,” Lenoatiil replied, clearly struggling to gather herself.
She glanced at the Holy Orb of Macris on Cecil’s arm before staring at the Holy Orb of Rubanka worn by Krena. Though she had doubted her eyes at first, there was no mistaking the glimmer of a Holy Orb. The elves knew of the Prostia Empire and the custom of its king presenting the Holy Orb of Macris to his queen. Any Holy Orb would do, but the implication of providing this gift was clear, as there was a custom in this world to gift such a precious item as an indication of romantic interest. Of course, as this was a custom among kings, nations ruled by queens, such as Rohzenheim, did not practice it. But Lenoatiil could not help but notice that Cecil and Krena were equipped with these Holy Orbs while her daughter, Sophie, had nothing of the sort.
Unfortunately, Allen could not read minds, so he failed to grasp the queen’s worries. His reason for giving the Holy Orb of Rubanka, which he had taken from Bask, was rather simple: Dogora, who put his all into a single blow, could not use it effectively. Instead, Allen had thought it far wiser to equip Krena with the precious item, for she was more skilled and useful during combat. Sophie, however, had seemingly picked up on her mother’s woes.
“Um, Y-Your Majesty? I deeply apologize,” Sophie said with a deep bow.
Huh?
“No, never you mind it,” the queen replied. “We must get on with the ceremony. Let us discuss this issue afterward.”
Sophie stayed back, claiming that she wanted to catch up a little with her mother, and promised to follow the rest of the No-life Gamers later.
The ceremony promptly began and ended without a hitch. Allen needed to transport two thousand elves as well as several government officials to Hardcore User Island. He Summoned his Bird A and used its Awakened Ability, Homing Instinct, to teleport everyone to the island in the sky. This Ability could teleport things from one point to another within a one-kilometer radius. Aside from houses with firm bases or objects inside boulders or underground, almost anything could be transported.
The island had been rather useful as of late, having provided a temporary sanctuary for those who sought aid from the Daemonism invasion and proven its use during the battle against the Demonic Deity and the Pontiff of Daemonism. When the elves were transported to it, almost everyone expressed their shock, including Lukdraal.
“Where are we?”
“As we’ve been told, there really is nothing here.”
“That seems like an understatement. Can people really settle here?”
They were greeted by the scenery on the outskirts of Hardcore User Island, a location where not even a single blade of grass grew. This was no place for filthy casuals to settle down and thrive.
“Welcome to the garden in the sky,” Allen said with a smile, trying his best to quell the anxiety of Lukdraal and the other elves.
The leader of the No-life Gamers was determined to keep each and every elf on board, as they would be chiefly in charge of developing this area. It looked as though a submarine volcano had recently erupted, giving birth to this new land. Rocks of various sizes, from as big as one’s fist to several meters tall, were scattered across the island. There were no signs of life.
Was it some kind of sick joke to call such a barren wasteland a “garden in the sky”? The elves all jolted and gulped nervously. For Dogora’s sake, Allen needed the former followers of Daemonism to pray like mad to Goddess Freyja. Since Dogora was now the disciple of the Goddess of Fire, he would grow stronger if Freyja’s divine power increased. To heighten her power, she needed fervent prayers from numerous followers, translating to Dogora’s might.
The rocky terrain on Hardcore User Island would require the elves to use their Spirit Magic to summon trees, dirt, and water. Allen had told the Holy Land of Elmahl that once the land was developed, the former followers of Daemonism—now followers of Freyja—who were living in the dark elven village of Fabraaze, the Kingdom of Calvarna, and the Kingdom of Crevelle could move to Hardcore User Island. Needless to
If the merfolk of Crevelle were willing to immigrate, a lake would need to be created to serve as their humble abode. Further testing was required, such as placing a layer of water all around the island. Would it float too, or would it fall to the earth?
“You’re finally here,” Beast Princess Shia said. “Will this spot do for a village?”
She and her beastkin army of two thousand were already stationed at the island, waiting for the elves.
“Thank you for your patience, Princess Shia,” Allen replied. “I think that’s a fine idea. I plan on creating a river farther up the mountain, so I believe it’s best to form a village around the flowing water.”
The Allen Army had myriad tasks to accomplish, but Allen wanted to prioritize making the island habitable. Ultimately, there would be a population of over ten thousand mingling and settling in the place. The beastkin squad would use their powers to create a town. The elves could use their Spirit Magic to create trees—though they could not be tasked with cutting those trees down to create structures. While there were carpenters and artisans among the elves, the beastkin were more adept at erecting bridges and walls. Allen believed that it would be best to leave the building to them.
“Allen, you’re the chief of this village,” Shia said, vocalizing the thoughts that she had had for a while. “No need for you to be so polite with me.”
She felt that this was the perfect time to broach the topic. For a good while now, she had wanted them to have a friendlier and more casual relationship, much like the bond that Sophie and Allen shared. She did not want Allen to maintain his formal tone. She might have been royalty, but this island belonged to him. She was also set to join the No-life Gamers, and surely it made no sense for her party leader and the owner of this island to be so formal with her.
“Huh. Yeah, all right,” Allen said. “I’m counting on you, Shia.”
“O-Of course...” the Beast Princess replied, unable to hide her surprise at his abrupt change in attitude. “It seems I was not worthy to receive much of your respect.”
“It’s like I’m having déjà vu,” Cecil muttered. Back during their Academy days, the very moment their instructor had claimed that there was no need to be overly formal with nobles, Allen’s attitude had changed. It had been like the flip of a switch.
Once everyone was safely transported to the island, Allen had the elves who could use earth Spirit Magic get to work. Of the thousand Spirit Wizards he had been entrusted with, more than half of them could use the earth element. Massive boulders were covered with dirt and reduced to sand, as level ground was required to build a civilization. The island was slated to house over ten thousand people and their living quarters, and that would require several square kilometers of flat ground.
“This much manpower is nothing to sneeze at. We can develop this land in no time,” Cecil muttered beside Allen.
“Yeah,” Allen agreed. “The selection process for the residents is going smoothly, so I don’t want to make them wait too long.”
Yeah, this is going really well. Everyone’s maxed out their levels and stats, and we don’t need to make any walls or moats. I think we can create a habitable environment in ten days’ time. Whoops, gotta use Creation.
With the help of Merus, his Angel A and the former First Angel, he used Blessing of Heaven on everyone. Allen’s suspicions rang true—the two thousand beastkin and elves on the island had max levels and skills. They were on Normal Mode, of course. The Spirit Wizards were leveling the ground at an alarming rate, while those who could use tree Spirit Magic were planting trees all around. The trees, created by magic, required water for growth, and those who could use water Spirit Magic chipped in to help, displaying excellent teamwork. Thanks to this brilliant combined effort, the trees grew to over ten meters tall in almost no time.
The beastkin, who were also at max level, were plucking those trees from the ground like one would pick a radish. They used long hatchets to slice off the unnecessary branches and leaves, quickly transforming the trees into logs for houses that would need to be built on the evened ground. Thanks to Spirit Magic, a mountain of logs was created in a flash.
Since we don’t need to build walls for this town, we can use the entirety of the land efficiently.
The island in the sky was unique in that it was out of reach of most enemies. This allowed Allen to forgo the idea of building walls and digging moats, freeing up plenty of space for housing, agriculture, or other farming purposes. But though this land was high in the air, it was still vulnerable to flying monsters. To remedy that, Allen decided to use the Awakened Ability of his Grass A, Gold Bean, to secure the perimeter of the island. The trees it created would set up a barrier with a radius of one kilometer, defending the island against Rank A monsters for a decade.
As he watched the elves and beastkin busily toil away, Allen used Seed of Magic. Ever since he had received an SOS signal from the Holy Land of Elmahl, the No-life Gamers had been in nonstop consecutive battles. He had obtained quite a bit of Skill XP while he was traveling or taking a rest, but he was still a good ways away from Summoning Lvl. 9. He was eager to raise his skill level as soon as possible.
Seed of Magic could restore 1,000 MP to anyone within a fifty-meter radius. It was most effective to use it while patrolling the area, healing as many elves and beastkin as he could. He was currently equipped with an MP Recovery Ring, a ring that gave him +5,000 MP, and the Holy Orb of Macris. As a side note, whenever he asked to borrow the precious item from Cecil, she would reply with, “You better return it to me!” She would never refuse a request from him, however, and whenever he finally gave it back to her, she would accept it with a grin.
Sophie’s late. Will she be here tomorrow? Once the ceremony had ended, she had been called to a room by her mother, the queen. Allen had no idea what the two of them were up to, but perhaps they were celebrating their long-awaited reunion. He did not mind if Sophie met up with him the following day.
He continued to walk around and restore everyone’s MP when an elf approached him. “Um, L-Lord Allen? Should we level the ground until we reach those mountains?” they inquired. It seemed this person was in charge of creating an even area.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Allen replied.
“Understood!”
You don’t have to work too hard. Using this island to attack the Demon Lord Army’s base isn’t completely off the table yet. His development plans and diagrams had been handed out to the elves and beastkin, and they were working exactly as they had been told. The island was ten kilometers long and eight kilometers wide. Within that space, Allen planned on building a few towns, along with farms and ranches to make them self-sufficient, a river to supply water to everyone, and a lake for the merfolk.
The temple in the mountains also had to be renovated into an altar to worship Freyja. Naturally, this altar would have to be visible to the people residing in the forthcoming towns. Allen intended to have the offering of fire glow brightly within the altar, in plain view for everyone to see, especially at night. Customs were important, and Allen hoped that the residents would pray to Freyja every night before they headed for bed.
He also wanted the soldiers to switch jobs. I have to find work for the former followers of Daemonism too. Pelomas should still be in the royal capital. An industry had to flourish on this island. Allen decided to consult the merchant Pelomas, a fellow former resident of Krena Village, about the issue. Allen had countless plans for the island, but if he had to take care of every single one on his own, it would be a problem.
Back on Earth, he had played games where he was given his own home or had to build a town that resembled a miniature of sorts. Other games had allowed players to buy a home or a base so that they could arrange it to their liking. When Allen was still Kenichi and had played such games, he had mostly used his virtual house as a storage to keep items and gear that he obtained from enemies. He had had very little interest in making his space look cool or cute. I guess I’m maturing in my own way.
This entire time, Allen had been using his knowledge from his previous life to its fullest extent. There were many instances where this knowledge had saved him. However, if he wanted to establish industries, he decided that he would need to enlist the help of Pelomas, as merchant was a job type that Allen was not familiar with from his previous life. He had held this train of thought ever since Rosetta, a Phantom Thief, had proven herself extremely useful in the battle against Goldino, the boss of the final floor of the Rank S dungeon. Allen had become painfully aware that some things he had deemed unnecessary in his previous life actually had use. He might have tossed aside useful and necessary items without having recognized their full potential.
