Hell Mode: Volume 3, page 10
“No way she can cut you with her Status— Wait, huh?!” Helmios shouted in surprise as his eyes glowed, indicating that he was currently Appraising Krena.
“What happened?” Dverg asked.
“This girl’s Status is ridi— Wait, huh? Uh...what? I must have imagined it. Sorry.”
“If you say so.”
What was that about Krena’s Status? Allen checked the corresponding page in his grimoire. Hmm, her HP is back to full, but her MP’s been depleted by two. And...nice! She’s earned Skill XP!
* * *
Skill Levels
Sword Lord: 1
Slash: 1
Skill Experience
Slash: 2/10
* * *
Krena had earned Skill XP for the first time. Exhilarated, Allen turned to Dverg and thanked him on her behalf. At her feet rolled the practice sword, its handle twisted and deformed as if it was mere clay.
＊ ＊ ＊
The first day off since Krena learned how to use her skill rolled around. By now, Allen had gotten quite familiar with his new skill, Awakening.
After repeated attempts to use Awakening on Insect H again after the first time, he had finally succeeded twenty-four hours later. It would have been great if the cooldown time was an hour and not a day, but at the very least, he was relieved to find out that the skill could be used multiple times on each card.
Back in June, he had finally run out of both money and Rank C magic stones. However, he managed to reach Summoning Lvl. 6 before then, so his next short-term goal was clear. Once he could enter Rank B dungeons, there would be plenty of Rank C monsters to gather magic stones from, which he could use to fund more requests for Rank D magic stones through the Guild.
At the moment, Allen was on floor three of a six-floor dungeon. This was where the party was currently picking back up from last week.
“Okay, we’re starting here today,” Allen said.
Krena replied enthusiastically, “All right! Let’s blast right through it!”
Although she was usually cheerful by default, Krena had been in even higher spirits the past few days, ever since she had learned how to use her skill. She was practically quivering with anticipation, eager to use her skill. Allen fully understood how she was feeling.
Thanks to their rounds of the Rank C dungeon bosses, her skill Slash was now at Lvl. 2. This brought her Sword Lord skill to Lvl. 2 as well, which subsequently unlocked Flying Slash, a long-distance single-target attack in the form of—well, a flying slash that was visible to the eye. Slash was also a single-target attack, so Allen was hoping that someone in his party would gain a multi-target attack soon. Furthermore, the true power of both Slash and Flying Slash was still unknown, since the No-life Gamers had no problem defeating the Rank C boss monsters with normal attacks.
When Krena gained Flying Slash, she had also gained the understanding of how to use it. The way she put it, the important thing was to focus on and understand the flow of MP. Unfortunately, this advice did not help Dogora very much—he was still struggling to activate his skill.
“You mentioned you’re experimenting with new Summons today?” Keel asked.
“Yep,” Allen nodded. “Before we head in, please give me a moment.”
Although he still felt a distance with Keel, Allen was making an effort to speak normally with him.
“What’re you doing, Allen?” Krena asked.
Allen grinned. “You want to see? All right! Come on out, Fran!”
Five Bird Cs appeared suddenly, crying, “Kweeeee!” in unison. These were cassowaries, flightless birds that towered roughly two meters high and measured two and a half meters from beak to tail. This was considered massive as far as birds went. A large crest crowned their heads, and their muscular legs looked very powerful.
“What huge birds,” Dogora noted. “What’re you going to do with five of them?”
“I’m thinking that we ride them through the dungeon.”
“As in, we get on their backs? Like they’re horses?”
Allen had expected to gain rideable Summons sooner or later. Gaining a mount that made it easier to reach distant places faster was a basic of game design. He thought Bird C was the answer to that need, especially considering that its Ability was named Breakthrough. Today, he was going to put that theory to the test.
“Are these going to be our hearses, Master?”
“That’s right, Maria.”
“Your will is my command.”
The Spirit C that had been sitting on Allen’s head floated over to settle on a Bird C’s crest.
The reason why Allen had Summoned Maria was because she asked him to. This Summon was capable of conversation and possessed a strong sense of self. One day, she had told Allen that she wanted to remain Summoned as often as possible. While Allen’s group was at school, she would remain at their base, but just like today, she accompanied them whenever they hit up a dungeon. The thought of being seen in public with a porcelain doll was a bit too embarrassing, so Allen put his foot down on walking the streets with her.
“Frans, lower your backs for everyone to get on.”
Crying in acknowledgment, all the Bird Cs bent their legs and lay down on their bellies.
To show everyone else how it was done, Allen mounted his first—he threw a leg over its back before telling it to stand up.
“Kweee.”
The Bird C complied slowly.
Wow, pretty high up. But this is fine. Gives me a better view of my surroundings.
The dungeons had ceilings more than ten meters high. Even on birdback, Allen did not have to worry about bumping his head. He proceeded to give Fran various instructions, taking it through its paces.
Whoa, it doesn’t bump or shake at all! And the feathers are so soft to sit on!
Riding on Fran turned out to be a completely stable and comfortable experience. There was no doubt that this was a Summon designed to be ridden.
The sight of Allen prancing about on Fran prompted Krena to cry out excitedly, “I wanna try riding one too!”
“All right, go ahead,” Allen nodded. “Let’s power straight through the dungeon!”
Now that they knew it was safe, the rest of the No-life Gamers also mounted Bird Cs. The hesitation that they showed at the start soon gave way to pleasant surprise. So, without further ado, the party set off in their usual formation—Dogora and Krena at the head, Cecil and Keel in the middle, and Allen bringing up the rear. Two Spirits Cs flanked those in the middle to protect them as one Bird E flew overhead to scout.
Heh! “The cavalry’s here!” and all that. Things are really picking up!
One major issue that the party had been struggling with over the past two months was their movement speed. That issue was now resolved, and the possibilities seemed endless. Now, the No-life Gamers had finished off the dungeon boss and were standing before the wooden chest it had dropped, all before lunchtime.
“We made good time today!” Cecil nodded with a sense of achievement.
Krena cheered, “We were so fast!”
Usually, it took this group a whole day to go through one dungeon floor—breaks included—but today, they had gone through two floors in no time at all and had even reached the boss’s room.
I think I have a pretty good grasp on what Fran can do now. It’s incredibly efficient. I can’t wait to Awaken it. Okay, time to sum up my notes.
Reaches maximum speed of 50 kph
When its Ability is activated, reaches 100 kph
Doesn’t tire
Can’t talk
Easy to wield sword and ax even while riding
Can be commanded to listen to orders from someone other than Allen
As Bird C’s torso was not long like that of a horse’s, the rider was still close enough to enemies to comfortably reach with their weapons. In fact, now that they were higher up, Krena and Dogora found it easier to brandish their greatsword and battleax.
“Now all five of us can apply to become Rank C adventurers,” Allen said.
“It went faster than I’d expected,” Cecil agreed.
“Since we finished before noon for once, what do all of you think about having a party to celebrate our promotion back at the base?”
“A party?” For a split second, a look saying, “I can still go on,” flashed across Dogora’s face. However, he thought better of it. “Sure, sounds good.”
“We haven’t had a welcome party for Keel either. What do you say, Keel?” Allen asked warmly. It’s about time we hear what’s up with Keel. This is a good excuse to invite him to our base, if I do say so myself.
“Huh? Uh, that’s a bit...”
“Is there some sort of issue?”
It was clear that Keel had something going on. Allen wanted to take this opportunity to address it. Silence hung in the room until Keel broke it.
“I...actually have a family.”
So it really was family.
The No-life Gamers had been making the rounds killing Rank C dungeon bosses almost every single day, after which Keel always went home with his share of the rewards in hand. Today, the party had cleared their third dungeon, but even with two dungeons, their daily income came to at least forty silver. As wages went, they were rather high.
So, if that was the case, then why was Keel still always so poor? Allen had thought of three possible answers: Keel was in enormous debt, Keel had a family to feed, or Keel was a miser.
Allen recalled there being quite a lot of gamers who really loved money. They would purchase only the bare minimum in weapons and armor and just hoard the rest, regardless of how much they had accrued, be it billions or even hundreds of billions. Allen’s general impression of these players was, “Ah, they must love money in real life too.”
However, although this was another world from the perspective of his past self, it was undoubtedly real life. So he figured it was more likely either the first or second reason.
“Family? Is it a big family?” Allen asked.
“That’s right,” Keel admitted. “There are seven of them.”
Okay yeah, that’s a lot of mouths to feed. If I remember correctly, it’s only students who are exempt from the head tax. Is he sending money to his family back home? Hm? But then that doesn’t explain why he doesn’t want to move in with us.
“Is your family here in Academy City? And you’re the only one who can earn money?”
“N-No, some of them are working, but...without any connections or guarantors, it’s hard to find any well-paying jobs.”
Huh? His entire family went to the trouble of moving here with him? But why?
“Oh?” Cecil perked up. “They can help us, Allen.”
“Huh? Oh! Brilliant idea, Cecil! Keel, would you be open to moving into our base?”
Keel looked confused. “What? How does that relate to...?”
Allen proceeded to explain that because they were spending so much time in the dungeons, it was starting to negatively affect the quality of their chores and meals. As there were plenty of rooms in the place still, Allen was now inviting Keel to come live with them with his entire family.
“Of course, we’ll also pay them a salary if they choose to work for us.”
“Wh-Why are you going so far for me?”
“Because we’re friends.”
The other three nodded to show their support of Allen’s answer. Keel crossed his arms and descended into his thoughts.
Looks like he’s a pretty stubborn guy.
Even though his family had been in such financially dire straits, Keel had chosen to keep the matter to himself, not having brought it up even once.
“Then how about this?” Seeing how conflicted Keel was, Cecil suggested splitting all future rewards they received from the dungeon into six equal parts, not five, with the sixth going toward maintenance costs for the base and salary for Keel’s family members. In exchange, Allen would keep all the magic stones dropped in the dungeons.
“I see, that is a good idea,” Dogora agreed.
Krena nodded several times. “Cecil’s always so smart!”
All this time, a fifth of the magic stones the party picked up from the dungeons was being given to Keel as a continuation of the terms they had at the start. If his family was moving into the base, however, they would be provided both board and work; the arrangement was presented as an equal exchange for Allen keeping all of the magic stones. With this, there would be no reason for Keel to feel like he was in debt to the rest of the party.
This suggestion finally convinced Keel to look back up. “I’m...sorry to impose, but may I take you up on that offer?”
“Of course!” Allen nodded. “All right, let’s go upgrade our adventurer cards and have that party!”
So it was decided that Keel and his family would be moving into the base. The party headed back out of the dungeon and dropped by the Guild to get promoted to Rank C.
When the receptionist handed them their cards, she said, “Congratulations on reaching Rank C. Please be aware that Rank C dungeons are quite different from Rank B ones. I cannot stress enough how important it is to do your research first before giving a Rank B dungeon a try.”
Afterward, the party returned to the base while Keel took off to fetch his family. Allen and his friends then began preparing the welcome dinner for Keel’s group, who were expected to arrive slightly before twilight. Because there would be young children as well, the party had picked up sweets and fruits in addition to the usual meat and bread on their way back. Along the way home, they had also agreed to take the day off from dungeon delving tomorrow and help Keel’s family move all their belongings over instead. They would also need to buy more dinnerware and daily necessities, among other things.
Great, we’ve prepared the bare minimum of what’s needed. Now Keel is officially a full member of our party!
Up until now, there was a definite feeling of distance that Keel was keeping from the rest of the party; in fact, he rarely spoke directly to anyone other than Allen. Now that he would be living with the rest of them, however, this issue was expected to go away naturally.
Soon, twilight approached. The promised time was near. Allen left the others to make the finishing touches while he headed outside to greet Keel’s family. Before long, a group of eight could be seen in the distance, led by Keel.
Huh? They’re really young. More like, they’re all kids.
Allen had expected Keel’s parents as a matter of course and even anticipated grandparents who had difficulty walking. As it turned out, however, there was not a single adult in Keel’s group. According to appearances, the youngest was around eight years old and the oldest fifteen, give or take. It was true that fifteen was the age of adulthood in this world, but Allen personally still considered fifteen-year-olds children.
“Sorry, we thought to carry as much as we could. Are we a bit late?”
Keel was shouldering a large wrapping cloth bulging with luggage, whereas the other members of his family also appeared to be holding as much as they could.
“No, no, we only just finished preparing for the party on our end,” Allen said reassuringly. “Well then, come on in! I’ll show you—”
Suddenly, a young girl who looked roughly ten years old, or around Mash’s age, came forward. Her hair—the same color as Keel’s—fell over her face as she lowered her head and curtsied gracefully.
“My name is Nina. I thank you truly for your hospitality.”
Caught by surprise, Allen barely managed to reply, “R-Right, glad to have you.”
The girl’s greeting was not that of a commoner, certainly not one that Allen or Krena was familiar with. When Allen looked behind Nina, he realized that he recognized the outfits worn by the other children. The boys wore clothes that bore great similarity to Allen’s own uniform back when he was a manservant. Although what the group was wearing was far from being top quality, it was still markedly nicer than what commoners would normally wear.
“Sorry, a lot’s happened. I’ll tell you more about it later.”
“Of course. Come on in.”
Despite feeling bewildered, Allen still gestured Keel’s family into the base. He directed them to leave their luggage on the first floor for now, then led them into the multipurpose room, which was appropriately spacious for a house designed for twenty occupants.
What a relief the place came furnished.
The long dinner table had enough seats for everyone and was welcomingly loaded with food from end to end. Due to this being an area with lots of adventurers, the majority of readily accessible food tended to seem more hearty in presentation and generous in portion. Sizable meat and bread dishes dotted the tabletop among piles of fruits and sweets.
So began the welcome party that was much more extravagant than Keel had ever imagined.
Chapter 6: Welcome Party
“My, we have guests?” Maria asked as she nonchalantly appeared through the wall.
“AH!” Keel shouted in surprise.
Oh right, I forgot to ask her to stay on the second floor.
“She’s so cute!” Nina, Keel’s sister, exclaimed.
“Why, thank you.”
Maria floated over to Nina, who promptly accepted the doll into her arms. The two looked so lovely together that it put a smile on everyone’s faces.
“So then, Keel, everyone, welcome! All right, let’s eat!” Allen kept the toast simple for the sake of the younger children, who were practically drooling.
Krena could not wait any longer either. “Yep, let’s eat! I’m starving!”
Keel and Nina sat down, but the other six members of their family remained standing.
“Huh?” Uh, why aren’t they sitting down?
“You guys, we’ve gone over this. It’s fine. C’mon, let’s eat together.”
“I-If you say so, Master Keel.”
“And stop calling me that.”
“My apologies.”
The fifteen-year-old boy who apologized to Keel so deferentially did not share any of Keel’s facial features, indicating that the two were not related by blood. In fact, among the eight of them, only Keel and Nina had blond hair.
