Hell Mode: Volume 1, page 14
“Rodin threw himself in front of the attack to protect the kid from just now. Ah, I’m sure you already know, but you can’t tell anyone, all right? Your father doesn’t really like that kind of story about him spreading.”
As Allen and Gerda walked down a raised footpath, they passed by several people heading the opposite direction—in other words, toward Allen’s house. Apparently, they had heard somewhere that Rodin had woken up and were paying him a visit. Most likely, the various things in their hands were meant as get-well presents.
Allen found himself filled with pride at the sight.
＊ ＊ ＊
“I’m going out for a bit in the afternoon today.”
“Really? Don’t stay out too late, okay?”
“Mm-hm. I’ll be back before it gets dark.”
All of the potatoes had been harvested and were now sitting in the garden. The next step was to pick out the small ones to set aside as seed potatoes for next year, then set aside the sixty percent that would be going to the village chief as tax. The garden always ended up being quite crowded during harvest season.
The tax collector came by several times each year on a pretty regular schedule. The next time he was expected was early December. Allen included “sorting through potatoes” in his list of tasks to do in the morning so that he could finish by the time the tax collector would arrive. He was starting to get more and more assimilated to the farming lifestyle.
Gerda had also taught Allen what he needed to accomplish once the potato sorting was over. First, he needed to clear the fields of any stems and roots that were still buried in the soil—if he did not, they would be in the way when it came time to plant new crops next spring. Second, he had to check all the irrigation channels, ensuring that they were cleared and a consistent depth their entire length. The channels surrounding Rodin’s fields were also the family’s responsibility.
That seems like a good spot to do it. I finally finished preparing the cards I need.
Currently, the distribution of cards in Allen’s storage was as follows:
Beast F x 16
Insect G x 3
Insect F x 2
Bird F x 2
Grass F x 7
I’m done readjusting my cards, and I’ve applied Strengthening Lvl. 2 to all of them. I’m as ready as I can be.
In order to make all the farmwork go by quicker, Allen had replaced many of the Grass cards he had been keeping with Beast cards instead. When he had gotten the ratios just the way he wanted, he had then started dedicating all his MP toward raising Strengthening. By now, he had figured out pretty much everything there was to learn about Strengthening Lvl. 2.
Strengthening Lvl. 2
Costs 10 MP to use.
Grants the Summon +20 to the two stats corresponding with the buffs Allen receives.
This confirms that all the other skills aside from Creation have a fixed MP cost that doesn’t change with level. Synthesis costs 5 MP, Strengthening costs 10 MP. It seems reasonable to expect these numbers will remain the same even when I continue leveling them.
Naturally, all the cards that Allen currently had in storage had Strengthening Lvl. 2 applied for the +20 buffs, rather than the +10 offered through Lvl. 1. Going forward, once he obtained Strengthening Lvl. 3, Allen intended on leveling up all three skills of Creation, Synthesis, and Strengthening at an equal rate.
Allen was still in the middle of sorting through the potatoes when lunchtime rolled around. Rodin was still too weak to come out into the main room, but he was noticeably improving. Allen had even planted a Grass F right outside his parents’ bedroom window in the hopes that it might help the recovery go just a little bit faster.
After finishing lunch, Allen went outside again. Mash no longer got lonely nowadays, as Rodin and Theresia were home all day, so Allen was free to do everything he needed to do. He went to where the family’s various baskets were stacked up and picked out the one most suitable for what he was planning. The softball-sized stones lying around the foot of the tree in the garden, completely smooth from years of being thrown, all went into the basket. Then Allen tied his wooden sword to his waist.
With the basket on his back, Allen walked out of the house. He traced the raised footpaths, making a beeline toward the area that Gerda had confirmed to be fallow ground. When he got there, he found himself facing weeds as tall as he was. They had been allowed to grow entirely as they pleased, and were now all dried out and withered.
Allen dove straight in. Somewhere along the way, he placed his basket down, then continued going even deeper, parting the grass as he went.
First, I’ve got to get a general feel for this field.
Due to how tall the weeds were, it was difficult to determine just how large this plot of land was. Allen went to and fro quite a few times, until he figured out roughly where the center was. He then promptly proceeded to stomp all the grass flat in the area. The dried blades of grass cracked under his feet as he continued wordlessly. Eventually, a circle roughly ten meters in diameter was completed, rather similar to the mysterious crop circles that had been popular back in the day.
Yep, this should do.
Allen returned the way he had come to fetch his basket. Then he took the stones out and randomly scattered them throughout the open area. He also drew his sword and held it up at the ready.
Summon: Hopper.
A frog roughly the size of an American bullfrog appeared in the middle of the mystery circle. This was Insect G.
Hopper, use Provoke.
“Ribbit, ribbit.”
Insect G started jumping as its normally green skin flashed red, green, and yellow. Allen hid among the grass, bracing himself with bated breath.
Ten uneventful minutes passed.
Hmm, this isn’t going how I’d hoped.
Allen looked up at the sky with his sword still in hand. He saw birds of various sizes soaring high above.
There are birds flying. Is it because there are too few of them? Or is it because the effect of Provoke doesn’t reach all the way up there?
Winter was coming. In order to get through it, firewood was an absolute necessity. Every year up until now, Rodin had procured this firewood to keep the family warm by bartering the great boar meat he had earned from the hunts. Mash was still very young, and Allen himself, being only six years old, was not all that resistant to the cold either.
For every great boar that got taken down, Rodin received ten kilograms of meat. And every year, he and his hunting group would kill around ten great boars. Half of all the meat from these hunts would go toward purchasing firewood.
This year, however, Rodin could no longer participate in the coming hunts. The family only had the single ten kilogram block of meat from the hunt that had nearly cost his life and the small amount of food that the village chief had left behind when he stopped by. The other members of the hunting party had also brought over what they could, but it was far from enough to procure the amount of firewood that could have been had for a hundred kilograms of meat.
In order to protect his family and provide for them, Allen had come up with the idea to catch birds instead.
Albaherons aside, the birds that look like Japanese cranes should have at least two kilograms of edible meat, right? I’d thought it wouldn’t be too hard to catch fifty of them, but turns out I was wrong.
There were other bird monsters also migrating north, but Allen had zero intention of getting involved with them. All he was aiming for were the large, crane-like birds flying overhead. The idea was to lure them down into a trap using Hopper’s Ability. However, a whole hour had passed with none of the flying creatures taking even the slightest interest.
Should I add another Insect G? I’m glad I made three of them just in case.
Out came the second Insect G. The two frogs jumped side by side, flashing provocatively.
Another hour passed.
Ughhh, looks like even two Hoppers isn’t enough. Or maybe the effect just isn’t reaching all the way up into the sky. I have no idea what the range is for this Ability.
Clang, clang, clang!
The village bell tolled, signaling that it was now three in the afternoon.
It’s already three? I hope Krena’s not taking the break from playing knight too hard.
In light of all the things that Allen now had to do for his family due to Rodin becoming bedridden, he had told Krena that he could no longer play knight with her anymore for the near future. She had looked sad for a brief moment, but then answered that she understood. She therefore had not come over these past two days.
All right. Gonna put the last one out too. This is all I’ve got.
“Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit,” croaked all three frogs as they leaped all around inside the open area, their skin flashing intermittently between red, green, and yellow like broken traffic lights. Allen still had his sword held up in readiness, but there was still no change.
I shouldn’t have put so much stock in this idea, looks like. No, no, it’s still too early to give up. Maybe I should ready a few more Insect G cards and try again tomor—
That very moment, something huge crashed down in one fell swoop. Allen, who just happened to be on the verge of giving up and had thus let his guard down, watched in astonishment as the form waved a leg with glinting claws and tore through one Insect G. The Summon promptly disappeared into bubbles of light.
“SCREEEEEECHHHHH!”
The beast that had descended into this circular area screamed loudly and spread its wings wide in intimidation. It was an albaheron. This was the same bird that would fly northward every year in fall. The same bird that signaled the passing of the seasons for everyone in this world. The same bird that Rodin had named Allen after, hoping for his son to one day live just as freely.
“SCREEEEEECHHHHH!” That very bird shrieked once again. There was little doubt that it had descended in reaction to Insect G’s Ability. It was in an extremely enraged state. In other words, a provoked state.
The length of the creature, from head to toe, was roughly double Allen’s height at two meters, and it boasted a wingspan of four meters. Most of its body was covered in white plumage, but this gradually gave way to an increasingly darker shade of blue toward its wingtips.
Allen crouched low within the grass, carefully studying his shrieking opponent.
I was only trying to catch a random wild bird, but an albaheron came down instead!
Although the development had indeed caught Allen by surprise, he did not need to scramble to think of what to do next. Of course, he could just stay in hiding, hoping that the albaheron eventually calmed down and flew away. However, the faces of his family members sprang to mind. And at the same time, his blood as a gamer boiled in the face of what seemed like the promise of a challenge. As such, there was only one thing to be done.
Allen picked up one of the softball-sized rocks on the ground. While the albaheron snapped at the second Hopper and was occupied with the sight of it disappearing into light bubbles, the boy threw the stone with every ounce of strength he could muster. Thanks to the buffs from his cards and the support from his Throwing skill, the stone zeroed in on the monster’s face with a speed several times faster than normal.
Squash!
“KIEEEEEEHHHHH!” The albaheron screamed, both from the pain of losing its right eye and in surprise at the unexpected attack.
Allen immediately picked up another stone and threw that too. This time, it hit the bird’s long neck and caused it to bend at an extreme angle, giving the bird’s neck a violent jerk. This second attack left the monster stumbling.
Looks like that was really effective! All right, you’re mine! My first monster kill is in the bag!
Allen charged forward, wooden sword in hand, to deliver what he thought would be the final blow. He closed the distance in the blink of an eye, then leaped up to bring his weapon down on the creature’s neck, throwing his full weight behind the strike. Once again, the neck bent greatly. Allen decided to press his advantage and finish this quickly.
However, although the albaheron had indeed taken damage, it was nowhere near the verge of death. It braced its neck, sending Allen flying from the rebound of his own attack. As it turned out, it still had plenty of fighting strength.
“What?!”
The unexpected development threw Allen into a small panic as he rolled through the dried weeds. Shit, shit, shit, shit! Pochis, back me up!
Fifteen Strengthened Beast F cards flew out of the grimoire all at once. The cards all shone brightly, then turned into dogs the size of Akitas with light brown fur. Their barks filled the air as they surrounded the albaheron.
Pochis, use Chomp!
Upon receiving the order to use their Ability, the dogs lunged forward and closed their jaws around the bird’s feet, wings, and neck.
“KIEEEEEEEHHHHH!!!” The albaheron cried loudly in response. However, none of the attacks proved fatal. It unleashed kicks using its reptilian feet in retaliation. Although it did not have much agility here on the ground, it still had its full strength. A dog got kicked out of the open area and crashed into the weeds beyond.
Shit! The longer this goes on, the worse it becomes for me!
One after another, the Summons were crushed by the monster’s beak, stomped by its feet, and sliced to ribbons by its razor-sharp claws. Every time a Pochi was reduced to bubbles of light, Allen felt his buffs decreasing. He hurriedly Created more cards, then Strengthened and Summoned them. The entire process cost 20 MP for each card, but he only had 47 MP at his disposal. His MP ran out after the second one.
Dammit, Rank D is just way too strong. Is it really too strong for me at Lvl. 1?
Just as Allen was about to give up, the albaheron thrust one of its large legs at him. He instinctively brought his wooden sword up. Although he managed to block the attack, the force still sent him flying backwards.
That was not the end of it. As Allen rolled about on the bed of crushed weeds, the monster once again brought its foot down, pressing the boy into the ground. When it pecked down, he hurriedly held his sword up horizontally, barely managing to save himself from being torn to pieces.
Oh, man, I’m so dead!
For the first time ever, Allen felt the presence of death. The albaheron was still being bitten by several Pochis, but it paid them no mind, seemingly caring only about digging its teeth into Allen. The monster was stronger than he was, and slowly but surely its beak drew closer and closer to his face. He stared directly into its mouth and at the rows of zigzagged teeth that lined its beak.
Eventually, a few of the front teeth made contact with Allen’s cheek. They dug in, drawing blood. The wooden sword that he was using to hold the bird’s head back was bending so much it would snap at any moment. Death had come to claim its prize.
What can I do?! Think, me! THINK!
Never before had Allen been more thankful for the thousands of hours that he had spent gaming in his past life. What he had gained from dedicating all that time to countless games was experience. Thanks to this massive amount of experience, he could largely figure out what a skill, technique, or spell did just by seeing its name.
Still pressed against the ground, out of time to even have a flashback, Allen shouted out in desperation, “Sucker! Come out!”
A Strengthened Insect F card flew out and materialized into a leech the size of a sea cucumber.
“SUCK ITTTTTT!”
With a cry of “Chuuu!!!” the Summon bunched up so much it looked like a volleyball, then launched itself straight at the albaheron’s neck.
“SCREEEEEEECCCHHH!!!”
The bird swung its head violently, trying to shake off the leech. However, the Summon clung on tightly, sucking nonstop. Allen somehow managed to escape from underneath the albaheron’s feet in the confusion. At the same time, Insect F’s body seemed to grow stronger and started blinking blue.
I knew it, the Ability is something similar to an Energy Drain spell!
Just like Pochi’s Chomp, Suction had been another Ability that Allen had not been able to examine beforehand. He still was not sure exactly what it was sucking up, be it HP or Attack, but clearly it was proving effective, and so he Summoned another one and directed it to attach itself to the albaheron’s thigh. It, too, started blinking blue as soon as it activated its Ability.
Before the leeches could be flung off, Allen dived back into the fray with his sword. The dogs also redoubled their efforts, their jaws snapping furiously. The fight was back on.
Another kick flew toward Allen, but it was neither as sharp nor as heavy as before. He managed to properly parry it with his sword this time, sending the bird’s foot shooting in another direction, before he landed another blow on the bird’s neck in a counterattack.
It’s definitely weakening. I’m gonna finish you off for good this time!
Allen clambered on top of the struggling beast and used the weight of his body to make it fall over backwards. Then he pressed his sword against its neck to choke it to death. Several minutes later, his grimoire appeared, glowing faintly.
Oh? There’s a new line in the log.
The silver letters on the front cover confirmed Allen’s victory and informed him that he had just earned his first experience points.
“HELL YEAH! I WON! I ACTUALLY BEAT IT!”
When Allen looked at the albaheron carcass—his first ever kill—lying on the ground, the memories of when he finished his first ever RPG as Kenichi rose unbidden to his mind.
This is an even bigger rush of achievement than I expected. Is this how all main characters feel when they kill their first monster after leaving their home village? Not that I’ve exactly left home.
Allen thought back to when he was slowly gathering chump change and wandering around a game’s starter town with nothing more than a stick for a weapon, slowly leveling up by fighting weak monsters and returning to the inn whenever his HP got too low.
