Hell Mode: Volume 4, page 18
“I...see.”
“Y’know, it brings a tear to your teacher’s eye to hear you thinking about things like this.”
“Allennnn!” Krena reached over the boy’s shoulders to knead his cheeks.
“I’m joking, I’m joking! And you know what? Sometimes, running away just like how Neftira did is the right thing to do.”
“What? Running away is the right thing to do? Not doing my best and staying to fight?”
“Yep. Even I run away if I ever encounter an opponent that I can’t figure out. Standing your ground isn’t necessarily the only way to fight.”
The way Allen saw it, there was no way to guarantee that he would be able to beat all his opponents the first time he met them. If they turned out to be someone beyond him, even in spite of his best efforts to increase his odds of winning, then he would not hesitate to withdraw. Allen explained all this to Krena while recalling how he had focused solely on fleeing from the assassin Dagrah during Cecil’s kidnapping incident.
“I see...”
This was apparently quite a lot to take in for Krena, who had always approached everything head-on. Even so, she had her head cocked as she did her best to digest what Allen had said.
My info would’ve been leaked sooner or later. And in exchange, we gleaned pretty important info too. Turns out the demons can also use Extra Skills. The Sovereign of Spirits surely knows about that, right?
Realizing it had been quite a long time since they had last done so, Allen and Krena enjoyed the rest of the flight chatting alone. Thanks to Jet, they all arrived back in Tiamo that night. However, the queen and the generals had all gone to bed by that point, so the report would have to wait until the next day.
And so the thoroughly exhausted No-life Gamers stumbled into bed and enjoyed a deep slumber for the first time in ages.
＊ ＊ ＊
When the No-life Gamers woke up, they were promptly escorted to the dining hall. The group enjoyed a breakfast that, despite growing fancier by the day, still had the very mild flavors characteristic of elven fare. Afterward, they headed to the queen’s chamber where they found her all smiles.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Allen replied. “Thank you, we slept wonderfully.”
The other generals were also in top spirits. Everyone still seemed giddy about the recapture of Castle Lapolka. Rohzen, as usual, was fast asleep on the queen’s lap.
Talk about oversleeping. Speaking of which, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen him awake.
Allen felt a little embarrassed at all the gratitude the elves were heaping on him. He had been thanked quite a few times before in Krena Village and Granvelle City, and it always made him somewhat uncomfortable. The sole motivation for everything he had done so far was because he thought it needed to be done, not because he wanted to be treated like a hero. In the same vein, he was only lending his aid this time because the people of Rohzenheim needed it.
Seeing that it was about time, Allen kicked off the meeting. “By recapturing Castle Lapolka in such a short time, we’ve gained a bit of leeway in preparing for the arrival of the Demon Lord Army’s four million reserves. According to my intel, the group striking the north has only just landed on the continent. Even they will need at least two or three days to reach Castle Lapolka. Maybe even more. The forces coming by sea will likely make contact at around the same time.”
“What welcome news!” The generals exclaimed in awe once again.
The queen leaned forward. “What do you suggest we do now?”
“The way I see it, there are two main things.” Um, it’s starting to feel like I’m calling all the shots here. You guys sure you want this?
When Allen first came to Rohzenheim, he thought he would be merely cooperating with the elves’ resistance efforts, most likely in the capacity of a mobile strike unit. Now, however, he was even suggesting tactics—that were being approved!—to the nation’s ruler and top military personnel. He suppressed the twinge of discomfort in his chest and proceeded to share his thoughts.
First, they needed to regain full control of the lands south of Castle Lapolka. It was a large area with a number sizable settlements, several of which had fallen to the Demon Lord Army. It would be a problem if the monsters still stationed at those settlements were to band together, so it made perfect sense to finish them off now.
Second, they had to move their main base of operations to Lapolka. This meant sending 300,000 troops to the fortress to shore it up, which would push the front line northward from Tiamo.
“However, what should we do about the force heading toward Nest?” the queen asked anxiously.
“We’ll take care of that ourselves. Just in case any do get past us, however, let’s keep 100,000 in the city.”
To sum up what Allen was saying, of the 600,000 troops at the elves’ command, 300,000 ought to be stationed at Castle Lapolka and 100,000 at Nest. Considering how forces of three million and one million monsters would be attacking from the north and south respectively, both cities would be facing ten times their numbers. The remaining 200,000 elves were to be distributed between Tiamo and other cities for protection’s sake.
The queen mulled over Allen’s suggestion. No matter the strategy, elves were still going to die. She did not have much of a choice, but this was still a difficult decision to make.
There’s no helping the fact that it’s gonna be a tough fight. What’s it gonna be? I wanna get outta here and check out Deputize as soon as possible. Gotta figure out how to incorporate it into the way I fight.
The northernmost fortress of Rohzenheim had fallen to a force of three million. The monsters had gotten in even though the fortress had walls twice as tall as those of Lapolka. And now, the elves would have to fend off the same number but with shorter walls, all while dealing with another force attacking from the sea.
Fingers crossed that Deputize turns out even more useful than Quick Summoning. What it does could possibly really change up the strategy I use.
Given everything that had been said, the queen thanked Allen once again. “Thank you for everything, Lord Allen. The war is not over yet, but the successive victories over these past few days have greatly lifted our people’s spirits.”
“The victories were thanks to everyone working together. Speaking of which—I heard something at Castle Lapolka that’s been bothering me. May I ask if you’ve heard of it?”
“We would love to be of help.”
“The demons called me a ‘Liberated.’ Has anyone here heard the term ‘Liberated’ before?”
Both the queen and the generals looked at a loss. It was not ringing any bells for them.
Would the Sovereign of Spirits know? Would he wake up if I call out to him?
Just as Allen was about to call out to him, the flying squirrel that had been sleeping splayed out on his back suddenly began to shine brightly and said, “Everyone, thank you for all your prayers. The time has come.”
“What?!” A commotion went up.
Oh? What’s this? What’s going on? Is something starting?
“L-Lord Rohzen, do you mean...?”
“That’s right, descendant of the Priestess of Prayer. I almost have the amount of prayers I need. It’s happening quite a bit earlier than expected thanks to that young man over there giving me the credit for his achievements multiple times. Ha ha.”
Still glowing, the Sovereign of Spirits slowly began floating in midair.
Giving him credit? When did I do that? Allen racked his brain but could not think of what Rohzen was referring to.
With large tears rolling down her cheeks, the queen asked, “Are you finally becoming the God of Spirits?”
“That’s right,” Rohzen replied. “Very soon, I shall become the God of Spirits. Back then, I never would’ve imagined this day would come. It really isn’t easy seeing one’s own future. Ha ha.” He slowly descended back into the queen’s lap, still glowing.
The queen, generals, Sophie, and Volmaar were all shedding tears of joy.
Uh, should I be crying too? I can’t follow at all. Allen was thoroughly bewildered at what was happening. He had planned on asking Rohzen what he knew about the term “Liberated,” but he was apparently occupied with being promoted from the Sovereign of Spirits to the God of Spirits right now. Guess I’ll have to ask when he wakes up next.
＊ ＊ ＊
After giving Sophie and Volmaar a bit more time to calm down, Allen left the audience chamber with his party. Using Bird Bs, they then headed to a location halfway between Tiamo and Lapolka.
Today, Allen was back to riding with Cecil. There were still tens of thousands of Demon Lord Army stragglers roaming about to the south of Castle Lapolka. The idea was to wipe them all out while testing Deputize.
In regard to the Demon Lord Army’s upcoming two-pronged attack, Allen planned on leaving the elves to fend off the three million themselves as his party fought the one million coming by sea. The last time, they had only managed to kill 400,000 over three days, but they would have to annihilate all one million this time before the monsters reached Nest. In preparation for such a demanding fight, Allen was now exploring the capabilities of his new skill.
Cecil was also very curious about Allen’s new skill. “I wonder what it does...”
Allen shrugged. “All I know is that it should be more useful than Quick Summoning.”
Someone in Normal Mode could only reach Lvl. 60 and raise their skills to Lvl. 6 max. When Allen reached Summoning Lvl. 7, effectively surpassing the limits of Normal Mode, he had obtained two skills: Quick Summoning and Deputize. He could use the former right off the bat, but the latter had remained sealed all this time. It was only after he defeated Glaster and reached Lvl. 65 that it had finally become available.
Skills could be sealed due to a variety of requirements, such as level, skill level, and stats. This time, it was level. This made a lot of sense to Allen thanks to all the games he had played in his previous life, and he also knew that the higher the requirements, the better the skill would be.
* * *
Name: Allen
Age: 14
Class: Summoner
Level: 65
HP: 1,765
MP: 2,780 + 1,000 (Ring)
Attack: 976
Endurance: 976 + 1,300
Agility: 1,819 + 560
Intelligence: 2,790 + 1,860
Luck: 1,819
Skills: Summoning {7}, Creation {7}, Synthesis {7}, Strengthening {7}, Awakening {7}, Expansion {6}, Storage, Sharing, Quick Summoning, Deputize, Deletion, Sword Mastery {3}, Throwing {3}
XP: 9,089,285/20,000,000,000
Skill Levels
Summoning: 7
Creation: 7
Synthesis: 7
Strengthening: 7
Awakening: 7
Skill Experience
Creation: 7,833,218/1,000,000,000
Synthesis: 7,756,875/1,000,000,000
Strengthening: 271,264,760/1,000,000,000
Awakening: 12,765,800/1,000,000,000
Creatable Summons
Insect: B, C, D, E, F, G, H
Beast: B, C, D, E, F, G, H
Bird: B, C, D, E, F, G
Grass: B, C, D, E, F
Stone: B, C, D, E
Fish: B, C, D
Spirit: B, C
Dragon: B
Holder
Insect:
Beast:
Bird: E x 6, B x 5
Grass:
Stone:
Fish:
Spirit: B x 13
Dragon:
Allen is wearing a +1,000 MP ring and an MP Recovery Ring.
* * *
Since his fight with the Demon Lord Army was approaching, Allen had emptied his card holders for the moment.
Now that I think back, it’s already been four months since I fought Helmios. I’ve gone up ten levels and earned more than three hundred million XP since then. There’s still such a long way to go.
Allen checked his Status every morning, afternoon, and evening, despite knowing there would be no change. His stats had, for the most part, gone up by the same amount every time he leveled up, but that amount had doubled ever since he reached Lvl. 61. This was most likely due to having surpassed the realm of Normal Mode.
Thanks to his MP Recovery Ring, he could now earn Skill XP without needing to purchase magic stones from the Adventurer’s Guild. He was still keeping it up, however, as he saw no need to give up the edge that having so many stones gave him.
There had been no change to his policy of leveling up Strengthening before his other class skills. Strengthening was useful no matter the Summon and gave Allen a very significant boost. Conversely, raising Awakening would not gain him access to Rank A Summons, so he was putting it off for last. However, he had been making two thousand Blessings of Heaven each day ever since he came to Rohzenheim twenty days ago, so he had actually had more opportunity to use Awakening than Strengthening.
Hmm, even after being unsealed, Deputize still isn’t listed under Skill Experience. That means that it only does one thing and probably won’t cost MP to use.
There had been other skills so far, such as Storage and Sharing, that similarly had a set effect that did not use MP. All signs pointed to Deputize being the same.
Understanding that there was no further point in mere speculation, Allen stopped the Bird B he was riding, making it hover in the sky. “Hold on, let me try Deputize on Hawkins real quick.”
“All right,” Cecil replied.
Allen used Deputize the moment the Summon appeared next to him, but nothing happened. “Huh? Did it not work?”
“Looks the same to me.”
Wondering if it had been an effect invisible to the eye, Allen checked his grimoire. In situations like these, there would usually be an entry in the log on the front cover. And sure enough, a new line in silver text had appeared.
“That’s strange. It says it only works on Rank B Summons,” Allen murmured.
“Oh, you’re right.” Despite being hundreds of meters up in the sky and not being secured by any safety measures, Cecil still grabbed Allen from behind to peer over his shoulder.
“Hmm... Okay, then. Dora, come out.”
“What’s the matter, Master? It doesn’t look like a fight...” The Dragon B looked around.
“I’m gonna use my new skill on you.”
“Be my guest.”
Allen tried using Deputize again. “How is it?”
Just as Allen was about to look back down at his grimoire, a shock wave burst out from Dora, making Allen and Cecil scream in surprise. The same thing soon happened to their companions.
“What is... OHHHH! Th-The power! I feel so much more powerful now! I...I have become a General!”
The Dragon B’s form had doubled in size, growing from ten to twenty meters in length from head to tail. Its muscles had bulged and become firmer as its horns and fangs had grown longer, giving it a decidedly more ferocious look.
Huh? What did Dora mean by becoming a general?
Still surprised, Allen checked his grimoire and noticed a new page. He read through it while suppressing his wildly beating heart.
* * *
Type: Dragon
Position: General
Rank: B
Name: Dora
HP: 5,600
MP: 2,000
Attack: 6,000
Endurance: 5,800
Agility: 6,000
Intelligence: 3,600
Luck: 3,200
Buffs: Attack 100, Agility 100, High Breath Damage Resistance
Ability: Fire Breath, Recruit
Awakened Ability: Hellfire of Fury
* * *
“Wow! Not only did it get bigger, its stats doubled too. It’s now strong enough to fight toe to toe with Rank A monsters.”
As Allen closely combed through the Dragon B’s Status, he noticed the word “Recruit” that had been added in the Ability field.
“Dora, you got a new skill named Recruit. What’s it do?”
“Hm? Ahh, I believe...”
Apparently the Summon instinctively understood how to use the skill. It explained that “Recruit” was a skill for him to use on other Summons of his kind, but that simply led to the question of what Recruit did.
“In that case...lemme Summon another Dora.”
“Sounds good, Master.”
Allen materialized another Dragon B and told the first one to use Recruit on the new one. The change was immediate.
“Whoa, this one got bigger too!”
“Incredible!”
As it turned out, the Recruited Summon had gotten fifty percent bigger. Its stats had also gone up proportionally.
* * *
Type: Dragon
Position: Soldier
Rank: B
Name: Dora
HP: 4,200
MP: 1,500
Attack: 4,500
Endurance: 4,350
Agility: 4,500
Intelligence: 2,700
Luck: 2,400
Buffs: Attack 100, Agility 100, High Breath Damage Resistance
Ability: Fire Breath
Awakened Ability: Hellfire of Fury
* * *
Okay, everything makes sense now. The Deputize skill installs a General and gives it the authority to create Soldiers.
Allen was starting to catch the gist of the skill. Of course, it would be best if he could give all his Summons the General position, but he doubted the gods would make him that overpowered.
“This skill seems like it’d come in really helpful. I’ll need to analyze it a bit more.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
And so Allen continued trying to explore this new skill.
＊ ＊ ＊
After a certain amount of experimentation, Allen had written up his observations in his grimoire.
