Hell Mode: Volume 3, page 14
“That’s a...what was it called again?” Allen racked his brains. “Ah, huge boar, right?”
“Yep,” Keel confirmed. “It’s very similar to great boars, but stronger.”
One huge boar loomed in the center of the chamber, standing five meters tall. Ten great boars, three meters tall each, formed a perimeter all around it. This was a truly befitting boss for a beast-filled dungeon.
Honestly, I don’t think this fight is gonna be a challenge to us.
* * *
Name: Krena
* * *
* * *
Age: 12
Class: Sword Lord
Level: 37
HP: 1,520 + 900
MP: 586
Attack: 1,520 + 900
Endurance: 1,068 + 900
Agility: 1,027 + 900
Intelligence: 606
Luck: 735
Skills: Sword Lord {3}, Slash {3}, Flying Slash {3}, Toughness {1}, Sword Mastery {5}
Extra Skill: Limit BreakName: Cecil Granvelle
Age: 12
Class: Wizardess
Level: 37
HP: 637
MP: 1,069 + 600
Attack: 406
Endurance: 664
Agility: 628 + 600
Intelligence: 1,470 + 600
Luck: 592
Skills: Wizardry {3}, Fire {3}, Earth {3}, Wisdom {1}, Sparring {2}
Extra Skill: Petit MeteorName: Keel
Age: 13
Class: Cleric
Level: 37
HP: 475
MP: 899 + 300
Attack: 358
Endurance: 505
Agility: 575
Intelligence: 793 + 300
Luck: 723
Skills: Cleric {3}, Healing {3}, Solidity {3}, Faith {1}, Sword Mastery {3}
Extra Skill: Drops of God
* * *
The other day, Keel had turned thirteen—his birthday was the earliest among the No-life Gamers. They had thrown a party in his honor at the base. Allen had been glad to see that Keel was starting to get used to this kind of thing as of late.
When the party started going through their first Rank B dungeon, they had found many more opportunities to use their skills, so everyone’s class skills—except Dogora’s—had reached Lvl. 3, unlocking Toughness for Krena, Wisdom for Cecil, and Faith for Keel.
Toughness: +900 to 4 stats
Wisdom: +600 to 3 stats
Faith: +300 to 2 stats
And to think I believed only Summoners got buffs.
Allen had been under the mistaken impression that getting stat buffs was something unique to him since Summoner was an eight-star class. The truth, however, was that other classes also received skills that boosted their stats. The other Gamers truly were growing a hundred times faster than Allen.
Yep, it’s just as I’d thought. Normal Mode isn’t weak at all. If the Alliance is still struggling against the Demon Lord, it means the demons are the ones who are too powerful.
Both Zenof, the captain of the knights in House Granvelle’s service, and Dagrah, the hit man that Viscount Carnel had hired, were incredibly powerful. In spite of this, the battlefield was claiming half the lives of fully leveled fighters as strong as them.
“All Protect.”
Keel’s voice when casting Solidity Lvl. 3 brought Allen back from his thoughts. This was a skill that raised the entire party’s Defense by ten percent. This modifier applied on top of each person’s own skills, such as Toughness and the card buffs from Summoning. This made it actually quite useful—when activated, Krena’s Defense nearly reached 200.
“Okay, let’s do this!” Krena cried.
“Hell yeah!” Dogora replied with equal vigor. “We’ll hold the front line!”
The two of them promptly charged forward on their Bird Cs, flanked on both sides by Beast Cs—giant boar-like Summons—who were using their Ability, Charge, to run in tandem. This arrangement was to prevent any of the enemies from ignoring the front line to attack the members with lower Endurance in the rear. Now that they were fighting Rank C monsters, there was a noticeable uptick in the number of monsters clever enough to attempt this. When the party had been making their way through the dungeon, Allen would remain at the back to protect the rear, but for boss fights, his usual position was right behind the front line so that he could command his Summons from the center of the battlefield.
“Flame Lance!”
Cecil focused her magic and Allen his Summons on the weaker great boars, leaving the huge boar to Krena and Dogora. Flame Lance, an Area of Effect spell that Cecil had obtained at Fire Lvl. 2, fell like rain and roasted the Rank C monsters to cinders.
“OIIIIIINK!”
After several attacks, a Flying Slash from Krena split the huge boar’s head apart, finishing it off.
“Oh, heck yeah! We killed a Rank B monster!” Keel cheered. Determining that the battle was over, he healed everyone up. “All Heal!”
Having access to a spell that can heal the entire party at once really is a boon. I can’t be more thankful, Allen thought.
“Now we have one Rank B dungeon under our b— WHOA!” When he saw the silver treasure chest that the huge boar had dropped, Keel whooped and rushed forward. “Ha ha ha! It’s silver! It’s a silver chest!”
He opened the lid, revealing a knuckle duster made of hihiirokane, the metal that was the next tier up from mithril. This weapon with a flame-colored glow was a top-class item that would easily go for several hundred gold. Keel lifted it slowly, transfixed at the sight. At first, Allen had thought Keel’s obsession with money was due to his family’s circumstances, but after partying with him this long, he had realized that Keel just liked money, plain and simple.
“Just how obsessed with money is he?” Cecil sighed, thinking the same thing as Allen was. “Ha ha, what if we call him Saint of Fortune?” That was the very moment the tongue-in-cheek title of “Saint of Fortune” was coined in this world.
This was how Allen and his party cleared their very first Rank B dungeon.
Chapter 8: Returning Home
It was now early August. A whole month had passed since the No-life Gamers cleared their first Rank B dungeon. Krena had managed to pass her general education exam, so the group hosted another party to celebrate. She had been all smiles from start to end, saying that she wanted another party after the next exam in February.
The dungeon delving was going smoothly: the party already had another Rank B dungeon under its belt and was currently working on the last one needed to access Rank A dungeons. For a group that started off not knowing anything about what dungeons were like, their progress was more than fast enough to make anyone do a double take. Krena’s personal growth was remarkable as well; it would not be long until she would be strong enough to handle a Rank B dungeon solo.
Allen had resumed posting his Rank D magic stone requests back in July. In a Rank B dungeon, clearing one floor netted around two hundred stones. There were always three Summon Squads out at any given time, gathering a total of six hundred magic stones each day. Unfortunately, there was no way to raise this number any higher, as there was a limit to how many monsters could spawn on a floor per day.
One way to circumvent this daily cap was to seek out the monster-summoning traps. Although the Squads would sometimes lose members when taking them on, each trap could yield up to a thousand Rank C magic stones. Naturally, finding those traps became a top priority every night. Once the clock struck midnight, both traps and treasure chests reset.
In one month, Allen had managed to earn 425 gold from chest drops and 34,760 Rank C magic stones with his Summons Squads alone. He traded the latter for 310,000 Rank D magic stones. Eventually, however, a stiffly smiling staff member at the Guild informed Allen that they were capping him at 10,000 stones per week, or 50,000 a month.
Everything that the party needed was funded through dungeon loot. This included a time-telling magic tool that was essentially a clock—for keeping track of time when sleeping overnight inside a dungeon—as well as a horse-drawn carriage to carry foodstuffs and other luggage on their shopping trips. Both had cost fifty gold apiece. The fifteen-year-old servant was in charge of caring for the horse, which was housed in the small stable on the premises.
At the moment, Allen was Sharing the vision of a Summon flying in the sky.
Ohhh! There it is. That was pretty far.
He recognized the rolling scenery below; slowly but surely, Krena Village came into view. He used to make this trip once a month using Bird G, but this time he was using Bird F, the pigeon Summon. It was holding a basket in its claws.
Summer break had arrived for Allen’s party. They had agreed to spend the time going dungeon delving rather than returning home. This was all for the sake of getting even just one day closer to entering Rank A dungeons—and their promise of MP Recovery Rings.
However, although he would not be going back to Granvelle, Allen still had business that required him to send a Bird F to the viscount. So while he was at it, he figured he would take the time to catch up with his family first. To make this a “three birds with one stone” kind of thing, this trip was meant as flying practice for Bird F too.
It was lunchtime when Poppo arrived. All of Allen’s family were gathered at the dinner table, digging into steamed potatoes. The bird entered the earthen-floored room and as it blinked, said in Allen’s voice, “I’m baaaack! Phew, that was a long flight.”
“Huh?” Myulla’s potato slipped from her hands. “The birdie just spoke!”
Rodin and Theresia froze solid.
Good, looks like they can hear me just fine.
Just like Bird F, Bird G could also speak. However, it could only speak in Allen’s voice and was not capable of imitating others.
Bird F’s Ability: Transmission
Can deliver words in Allen’s voice to a radius of 3 km
Can specify who hears the message; those not specified cannot hear
The volume of the voice is uniform regardless of distance and obstacles
Bird F’s Awakened Ability: Messenger
Can deliver words in Allen’s voice to a radius of 100 km
Can deliver video footage of something that Allen had seen before
The volume of the voice and quality of the playback is uniform regardless of distance and obstacles
Cooldown: 1 day
The high utility of both Abilities made it clear they were designed for use on the battlefield. Similarly, Allen had learned a lot more about the Awakening skill once it reached Lvl. 5. The following were his notes on the Awakened Abilities of the other Bird-type Summons up to Rank D.
Bird G’s Awakened Ability: Warble
Can simultaneously play multiple lines learned through the base Ability, Voice Mimic
Cooldown: 1 day
Bird E’s Awakened Ability: Farsight
Can see clearly within a radius of 100 km
Cannot see through obstacles
Effective only during the day
Cooldown: 1 day
Bird D’s Awakened Ability: White Night
Can see clearly within a radius of 100 km
Cannot see through obstacles
Effective only during the night
Cooldown: 1 day
“I-Is that you, Allen?” Rodin asked with apprehension.
“Mm-hm! I’m home! There’s lots of stuff today, so I came with this bird instead of Pippi.” Though Bird G’s real name is Chappy, not Pippi.
The pigeon carefully lowered its basket to the floor. It contained, among other things, Keel’s, Dogora’s, and Cecil’s letters to their respective families. As Krena’s father could not read, Allen planned on reading the letter aloud for him through Bird F.
Then Allen proceeded to catch up with his family. He told them that this Summon, just like Pippi, was a part of his power. He also told them that he was doing great at the Academy, and that he was having fun living with everyone. Then he also shared details about Summoning.
“Ah, so that’s what it was,” Rodin nodded, not looking all that surprised. “Well, I’d thought it was something along those lines. The way that bird acted with Mash and Myulla had you all over it.”
Oh, he’d figured it out? As expected of my father.
When Allen was finished, it was his family’s turn to share their news. Myulla had undertaken the Appraisal Ceremony the past April, which had sadly confirmed she was Talentless.
Wow, she’s already six years old. Time really flies.
“Also, uh, a messenger came from the feudal lord saying they’re appointing me as a village chief.”
“Ohhh! You’re becoming a village chief!” Took them a while. There was talk of it back when I was eight. It’s been more than four and a half years since.
“Seems like it. Even I’m at a bit of a loss.”
In order to produce more food and resources to support the war effort against the Demon Lord Army, the king of Ratash had issued the Land Reclamation Decree, which obligated the lords of fiefdoms to establish new frontier villages. Back when Allen was eight years old, the head butler at the Granvelle mansion where he had served had told him that Rodin was being considered for founding and leading a new village.
When the matter of the mithril mines in the White Dragon Mountains suddenly kicked up, talk of the new villages was relegated to the back burner. However, now that mining operations were largely underway, the frontier village project had resumed. Rodin was expected to strike off and establish a new village next April, after the snow thawed. The location was two days’ walk from Krena Village. Krena’s family would be joining Rodin’s.
Well, with father being thirty-two and mother turning thirty this year, this is actually a pretty good time for it.
Establishing a new village was a ten- to fifteen-year commitment at least. If the village chief was too young, they would have trouble getting the villagers to listen; too old, and they might become unable to meet the physical demands of the position. In light of this, Rodin’s current age was just right.
I should think about how I can help once the village construction starts in earnest.
Allen still had another place to go after this, so he stayed to chat for only a little while longer. All right, next is Granvelle City. I should thank the viscount for making my father village chief on top of everything else.
“Okay, make sure you get those letters delivered!”
The pigeon that Allen was Sharing with turned around and flew out the door, heading for the fiefdom of Granvelle’s capital city.
＊ ＊ ＊
Before long, Poppo reached Granvelle City and landed in the garden of the mansion, the very place where, until five months ago, Allen had been working as a live-in manservant.
Tap, tap.
The bird used its beak to tap at a window. Inside, Viscount Granvelle noticed the pigeon with a basket. When he quizzically opened the window, the bird smoothly glided into the room and settled onto his desk.
“It has been a while, my lord. It’s me, Allen.”
“What?! Allen?!” The man jerked backward in surprise, but quickly regained his calm. He recalled the captain of his knights mentioning a parrot that spoke in Allen’s voice in a report before.
Through the bird, Allen informed Viscount Granvelle that there was a letter from Cecil in the basket and that she would be forgoing coming home this summer to focus on dungeon delving. The viscount’s brows twitched when the term “dungeon delving” came up, but he did not otherwise protest her decision. All noble families knew about the Academy students’ summer break assignment to go through dungeons as a way to push them to overcome Trials of the Gods.
“Thank you for going to the trouble of reporting back.” Even though Allen was speaking through a pigeon, the viscount still made sure to express his gratitude.
“And, my lord...I’m sure Lady Cecil will mention this in her own letter, but we’ve met someone from House Carnel.”
“What? House Carnel?!” Viscount Granvelle’s face turned into a blatant scowl.
Allen proceeded to explain how he had met Keel and accepted him as a companion, ending with, “And that is why he is now living with us.”
“Th-That means Cecil is also living with him, right?”
“Yes, my lord.”
The man turned to look out the window and sighed before massaging the bridge of his nose.
Oh? Is the summer heat getting to him?
“My lord, Keel said that the royal envoy told him he would be given the opportunity to restore his family if he served five years of duty. If this is true, I was hoping you’d know something about it. Have you heard anything relevant, sir?”
This question was the main reason why Allen had sent a Bird F all this way. He was banking on the fact that, as lord of a neighboring fiefdom—and also as the person who had spearheaded the House Granvelle Affair—any mentions of House Carnel’s restoration would have reached Viscount Granvelle’s ears.
“I...have not heard of any such arrangements.”
That’s strange. Now, what are the chances that Keel is the only one informed?
“However, if Keel’s Talent is Cleric, then I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Does this happen often?”
“I’m only speaking generally, but...Aristocrats in this country do have a track record of working Clerics to death.” The viscount went on to elaborate.
Both royal and noble families naturally wanted the best for their children. Though some were keen to send their children to the battlefield—for the honor and whatnot—it made sense that they wanted to ensure that their children came back alive.
However, on top of being quite rare, most with a healing Talent were quickly taken into the Church. Thus there was a constant scramble for any who had somehow slipped through the Church’s fingers.
