Hell Mode: Volume 1, page 19
The feudal lord had been making annual inquiries for the past few years about increasing the amount of meat sent to the city. Deboji had then conveyed the question to Rodin and Gerda, who had responded “no” every time. It had always been the same party of roughly twenty people, and there were no suitable candidates to add to their numbers. It was not as if they were turning away interested applicants either, as shown by their acceptance of the five commoners last year. However, the serfs all had families, and they valued their lives more than the meat. Their families naturally shared the same sentiment.
“So, you turned Deboji down this time too, right?” Theresia asked worriedly.
“The thing is, the feudal lord said that if we can’t ramp up our efforts by hunting fifteen great boars this year, he’ll gather more serfs from elsewhere in the domain.”
In other words, when it came to increasing the number of great boar hunts, the feudal lord was no longer taking no as an answer. If necessary, he was willing to displace serfs from other nearby villages and settle them in this one just to bolster the hunting party’s numbers with the hope of raising their output. This suggestion was based on the assumption that there would be serfs in other villages willing to join the hunts.
“So, you mean...increasing the number of serfs in our village?”
“Right. Which might cause the amount of land that each family can work to go down. That, or those who don’t go hunting might have all their land given to the newcomers.”
At the end of the day, serfs did not own the land they tilled. They had no right to. A single word from their feudal lord, and the land they had been nurturing for generations could be taken away in the blink of an eye.
“Th-That’s...!” Theresia was shocked beyond words. Allen now understood why Rodin’s face looked so clouded.
“Gerda and I discussed increasing the frequency of our hunts. There’s no other way to bring back more game. We’re gathering everyone together tomorrow to talk it over.”
“Even if you manage to make do somehow, when the quota is raised to twenty next year and the year after, you’re still going to have to accept more serfs into the village,” Allen said suddenly, speaking up for the first time since the start of this conversation. “That and, when you raise the frequency of the hunts, you might have hunting party members drop out.”
There was a reason why the party had left around ten days between each hunt. All the members were weighing the burden of hunting against their own livelihoods. They would get more meat the more hunts they went, true, but the danger they were exposing themselves to would also go up in proportion.
“Wha— You...do have a point.” Rodin was surprised to hear Allen calmly analyzing the situation, but had been thinking the same thing himself.
“So ultimately, you’d still need more members in the party.”
“That’s right. But we tried that last year and failed. I don’t even know if there’s anyone else willing to join, and even if there is, more people are just going to make the hunts more complicated.”
Rodin’s response to Allen was serious and direct. When Rodin had gotten injured, it was Allen who had harvested the fields, done the house chores, and looked after Mash. He even put himself in harm’s way fighting against albaherons, Rank D monsters, multiple times so that the family could make it through the winter. Because of how much he had done, Rodin now spoke to him not as a child, but as an equal.
I never thought I’d have to rely on my cover story for something like this. But, well, I guess this gives me credibility. Allen looked at his parents’ faces in turn, then said, “I have the wisdom that Elmea gave me.”
The two looked back at him with astonished faces as they recalled what he had shared before, about the Trials and the blessings that the gods had bestowed him with.
“Can you let me try to solve this problem my way?” Allen continued. “I have a feeling I can do something about it.”
In short, Allen was declaring that he had a solution, thanks to the wisdom that the gods had granted him.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next day, Gerda found himself summoned to Allen and Rodin’s house. After all, he was the other leader of the hunting effort; big decisions would naturally need his agreement.
“Allen, is it true that you know how to increase the number of hunters and keep it safe?”
Gerda did not trust Allen as deeply as Rodin did. He was, after all, a six-year-old boy who had never even seen a great boar hunt in person.
“I can’t guarantee that it’d be absolutely safe.” After all, there are no absolutes when hunting.
“What?!”
“Huh?!”
Surprise and disappointment filled both Rodin’s and Gerda’s faces.
“However, this hunting method is definitely safer than what you’ve been doing so far. In the first place, assigning newcomers to the all-important shield wall is a terrible idea.” They probably have low levels and therefore low stats. Their defense would be weaker than tofu.
Back when Allen was Kenichi, he had spent dozens of thousands of hours grinding to make his in-game characters as strong as possible. That took various forms and methods, be it hunting solo or in a party, staying still in one area or moving about according to spawn points. He would change up what he did according to the specific mob and zone.
The method currently used by Rodin and Gerda’s hunting party involved drawing a great boar to the hunting ground, keeping it in place with a shield wall, and then finishing it off. In games, this was called “fishing” or “pulling.”
Of course, training up newcomers required experience too, especially if safety was a concern. There were many considerations and precautions when incorporating someone new into a party.
“So what? You saying you have a better idea?”
“Of course. I’ll explain it now. And one more thing.”
“What?”
“I’m also coming along on the next hunt.”
After declaring his intention on being a part of the great boar hunts going forward, Allen proceeded to share his idea for how best to safely incorporate newcomers into the hunting party.
Chapter 10: Great Boar Hunting
It was now October, and Allen had turned seven.
“All right, we’re off.”
“We’re off, mother.”
“Take care, Rodin, Allen.”
Theresia gave Rodin a kiss and Allen a hug. The hug was very tight, almost as if this was a final farewell.
Rodin threw his usual bag—filled with his hunting tools, food, and water—over his shoulder and tied it diagonally across his back. It was larger than normal today as it also contained Allen’s rations. He then picked up his hunting spear.
Both Rodin and Gerda had ended up accepting Allen’s suggested changes to the great boar hunting strategy. Today, they were going to put them into practice. Allen would finally get his chance to see a hunt in person.
When Allen and Rodin stopped by Gerda’s house to pick him up, they found him waiting next to Mathilda—who was holding Lily—and Krena.
“Alleeeeen! I wanna go tooooo!” Krena cried, grabbing Allen’s arm and shaking it vigorously.
“Once you’re a bit older, okay?” Gerda admonished with a troubled look on his face.
“Whaaaaat? Why does Allen get to go, then?” Krena asked, her cheeks puffed in indignation.
“I’m just going along to observe,” Allen replied, calming her down by patting her head.
As he said, Allen was not going to directly participate in today’s hunt. Although his idea had been accepted, the adults did not give him permission to join in. He had spent a whole hour trying to argue his point, but Rodin was resolute and refused to budge.
Eventually, Allen folded and asked if he could at least come along to observe. Rodin still shook his head, but Allen insisted that it was necessary for him to see whether his strategy worked or not in person. In the end, the two struck a compromise with Allen promising to stay a good distance away from the action.
After that, Allen asked when he would actually be able to participate. Rodin’s response was, “When you turn ten.” In this world, children in serf families began helping out at ten, and the age of adulthood was fifteen. Allen, however, thought that there was not much of a difference between seven and ten.
Do I seriously have to wait three more years to join in? I really want that great boar XP, though. I’ve gotta think of something.
For Allen, XP was everything. Since it was now October, he intended on resuming his albaheron hunting. However, he wanted XP from the great boar hunts too. Although officially he would be going along only to observe, he was racking his brain for a way to get in on the action somehow.
Mm, my card distribution is just right.
Allen currently had his cards arranged in what he called Hunting Mode. Even though he would not be able to take part in today’s hunt, he needed this loadout to hunt albaherons. And now that he was seven years old, the restriction on his stats had relaxed somewhat, with the scaling increased from sixty percent to seventy percent. Allen loved looking at the higher numbers so much he would check his grimoire every once in a while.
* * *
Name: Allen
Age: 7
Class: Summoner
Level: 2
HP: 45 (65) + 75
MP: 42 (60) + 35
Attack: 16 (24) + 75
Endurance: 16 (24) + 18
Agility: 35 (51) + 28
Intelligence: 49 (70) + 10
Luck: 35 (51) + 35
Skills: Summoning {3}, Creation {3}, Synthesis {3}, Strengthening {3}, Expansion {2}, Deletion, Sword Mastery {3}, Throwing {3}
XP: 600/2,000
Skill Levels
Summoning: 3
Creation: 3
Synthesis: 3
Strengthening: 3
Skill Experience
Creation: 51,418/100,000
Synthesis: 51,410/100,000
Strengthening: 51,400/100,000
Creatable Summons
Insect: F, G, H
Beast: F, G, H
Bird: F, G
Grass: F
Holder
Insect: F x 3, G x 3
Beast: F x 15
Bird: F x 2
Grass: F x 7
* * *
After raising Strengthening to Lvl. 3, Allen diligently continued converting his MP into Skill XP every day. At the current pace, he would reach Summoning Lvl. 4 next year. And now, thanks to Strengthening Lvl. 3, Allen’s Summons received +50 to the two stats corresponding with the buffs he received. This made them even more effective in battle.
Soon, Allen’s group passed through the village square and reached the gate to the village, the gathering place this morning for all those who would be participating in today’s great boar hunt. Everyone present was holding spears.
“Oh, there you guys are!” someone shouted, prompting all eyes to turn around. There were whispers along the lines of “He really brought his kid!” but no one voiced their opposition out loud. Rodin had given his permission for Allen to come along as an observer and Gerda had expressed his agreement. The rest of the serfs trusted these two’s judgment.
What’s more, Allen himself had also proved, over the past year, that he possessed incredible strength. Many people had witnessed him drawing water and going out to buy firewood. It was precisely because this world functioned on a leveling system and it was indeed possible for people to display unbelievable power that everyone seemed to have taken this in stride.
“We’ll set off once everyone’s here. We even have two newcomers today. Let’s all get fired up and do this properly!” Rodin shouted to rally the others, prompting an enthusiastic “OHHHHH!” in response. Some even wiped away tears at seeing this leader of theirs returning to action after an entire year away.
Because there were still members of the party who had not yet arrived, the group continued waiting. The two newcomers, both of whom were commoners, were already present. They were among the five who had participated last year. Just like the serfs, they were holding spears and waiting patiently at the gathering point.
There were two ways to increase the number of great boars hunted beyond the ten per year that the group had managed so far. First would be to increase the frequency of the hunts—more hunts would mean more great boars. Second would be to increase the number of hunters to where there could be two hunting parties—this would double the number of great boars hunted. Both methods, however, required the same thing: more hunters.
For now, our task is to demonstrate how we can incorporate these two newcomers into the hunts safely. Then we can think about gathering even more people. That’s why we’re starting with only two this time, then only accepting more at a controlled pace.
When the last person arrived, this time it was Gerda who shouted, “All right, we’re all here. Let’s go!” The rest roared their answer before the entire group started filing out of the village gates.
Seven years after being born as a serf, I finally get to see the outside world.
Deboji, the village chief, had given official permission for Allen to leave the village for this outing, as Rodin and Gerda teaming up together to ask for something gave their request significant weight. He did look somewhat doubtful when the two told him that this was necessary for today’s hunt, but did not press the matter.
Allen could not help but gasp with emotion as the wooden gates opened up, revealing the world beyond. The path connected to the village was clear enough to be a road but was not very well-maintained. This was the same passage the knights had traveled when they visited the village previously.
“Allen, let’s go. It’s this way,” Rodin called out, seeing his son standing still.
As it turned out, the hunting party was not using the road. After leaving the gate, they circled around the walls of the village, heading toward a rather dense forest a ways off in the distance.
The first hunting ground is three hours’ walk away, if I remember correctly.
What with there being newcomers today, the plan was to do the hunt at the site closest to the village. Even so, there was still a bit of a distance to hike. Along the way, Allen reconfirmed with Rodin and Gerda the strategy they were going to employ today.
Halfway through the conversation, one of the newcomers approached the three and said to Rodin, “Sir, I’m going to do my best today!”
Hm? I feel like I’ve seen him before...
“Mm. Well, today should be easier than last year,” Rodin replied. “Don’t wind yourself up too tight.”
Oh, right, he’s the guy who visited our house that one time last year. He’s joining this year too, huh.
Apparently when Rodin had informed Deboji that the hunting party was looking to accept two newcomers and Deboji spread the word, this young man had been one of the first to step forward. He wanted to be of use this time to make up for his previous failure. The other serfs had accepted him with open arms, appreciative of his desire to make things right.
The procession of a total of twenty-three, including the newcomers and Allen, soon reached the forest. They continued making their way in deeper, heading for the hunting grounds.
Still, why is the feudal lord so fixated on making us increase the number we hunt? Considering how he’s been asking about it for several years now, this can’t be just a temporary whim. There must be a larger reason behind it. Hold on. That night, during our dinner at the village chief’s house... Didn’t the knight captain say that the most pressing concern of this fiefdom currently is procuring food?
As he continued trudging forward, Allen racked his brains for reasons why the feudal lord would want more food. Eventually, he came up with three.
Reason 1: The main industry that this fiefdom had been relying on all this time is dying out, leading to the need to be self-sufficient in terms of food.
Reason 2: The feudal lord realized how much money he could make from taxing all the great boar meat and is greedy for more.
Reason 3: There is a shortage of food within the fiefdom or within the kingdom as a whole.
All seem likely, but I’d place my bets on the first or second. Seeing as how there are still traveling merchants bringing fruit to our village to trade, I don’t think we’re running out of food.
Even Allen did not notice it about himself, but his method of thinking about things was starting to change. Being able to step outside the village for the first time in seven years seemed to have pushed him toward considering matters from a larger perspective.
“All right, we’re here!” Rodin shouted, prompting everyone to stop.
This was a rather sizable clearing that had more than enough space for twenty people to hunt in. The group could finally take a breather after walking for hours on end. Everyone retrieved their dried potatoes and waterskins from their luggage.
Gerda asked, “Pekej, got a minute?” prompting a man munching on a potato to come over. The two proceeded to do a final confirmation on details of the day’s hunt—such as where to draw the game from—by drawing it out on the ground. Allen sat together with them to listen in.
The hunters were going to be split into three major teams. Because of this, there was a need for three leaders. Aside from Rodin and Gerda, the third one would be this man, Pekej. And how his team performed would determine the survival of the entire hunting party.
When Pekej said, “We’ll be searching in the north today,” Gerda marked it in their diagram on the ground.
Pekej’s team, Team One, was in charge of drawing a single great boar to this clearing. This was the role that Allen, from his days as a gamer, referred to as “pulling” or “fishing.” The general idea was to attract the desired enemy and draw it toward where one’s allies were lying in wait.
This team had the fewest number of people—including Pekej, there were only three total. With a simple “All right, we’re off,” each of them grabbed a stick and disappeared into the trees. The sticks they were armed with were not spears but something more similar to Allen’s wooden sword. That was the tool they needed to do their “fishing.”
