Hell Mode: Volume 1, page 23
As it turned out, the magic stones in the front yard of Allen’s and Krena’s houses were still insufficient for Allen to Create and Synthesize all the Rank E Summons. It was only after he asked around at the well while drawing in the morning that he finally gathered the number he needed. Because the perceived value of the magic stones was so low, those who had helped Allen out with butchering albaherons last year very readily agreed to share.
Allen had now come to hide in his family’s fallow plot because there was something that he absolutely had to confirm. The problem was that the Summon currently before him towered above the verdant grass all around and was entirely visible to anyone who might cast a glance in his direction. However, his mind was so overwhelmed at the moment that this fact did not occur to him.
“So this...this was the developers’ intention,” he murmured, touching his Summon.
Game elements are carefully and particularly crafted for specific purposes. For example, the developers might want players to use certain builds for respective classes or want them to adopt specific roles in party battles; the way they designed the game would hint at this. The Swordsman class might be given higher Attack and Endurance, making it more viable for fighting up close and drawing the monsters’ attention.
There were those who would intentionally go against these suggestions and play directly opposite to how the developers intended. This was called “memebuilding.” A player could select the Mage class but rely on a mace to deal physical damage. When comparing normal and meme builds it was blatantly obvious which was more viable. Following along with the developer’s intent was crucial to performing well in any game.
If this was a normal game, then it would have walkthrough sites and online forums. However, this was a proper flesh-and-blood world, not a game. Allen had to figure everything out on his own.
For the past seven years, the same question had continued to rattle around in his brain: What is a Summoner? It was his class, but how was he supposed to play it? What was his fighting style supposed to be? What should he do to better align himself with the intentions of the gods and make the most of his class?
It had been clear pretty early on that simply calling forth Summons and making them fight on his behalf was not everything there was to it—the Rank F and H Summons’ Abilities were just too varied. So, what was it then? However, now that he had seen what his Rank E Summons could do, Allen believed he may have begun to see a faint outline of the gods’ designs. He was getting closer to the truth. And the truth shocked him.
The following were the details of the Rank E Summons:
* * *
Status of Insect E (Butterfly)
Type: Insect
Rank: E
Name: Ageha
HP: 25
MP: 0
Attack: 20
Endurance: 50
Agility: 50
Intelligence: 24
Luck: 28
Buffs: Endurance 10, Agility 10
Ability: Scale Powder
* * *
Status of Beast E (Saber-toothed Tiger)
Type: Beast
Rank: E
Name: Tama
HP: 50
MP: 0
Attack: 50
Endurance: 20
Agility: 35
Intelligence: 28
Luck: 21
Buffs: HP 10, Attack 10
Ability: Claw
* * *
Status of Bird E (Hawk)
Type: Bird
Rank: E
Name: Hawkins
HP: 23
MP: 0
Attack: 22
Endurance: 24
Agility: 50
Intelligence: 50
Luck: 27
Buffs: Agility 10, Intelligence 10
Ability: Hawk Eye
* * *
Status of Grass E (Edamame)
Type: Grass
Rank: E
Name: Mametaro
HP: 21
MP: 50
Attack: 20
Endurance: 22
Agility: 20
Intelligence: 13
Luck: 50
Buffs: MP 10, Luck 10
Ability: Leaf of Life
* * *
Status of Stone E (Dirt Wall)
Type: Stone
Rank: E
Name: Wally
HP: 50
MP: 20
Attack: 33
Endurance: 50
Agility: 20
Intelligence: 23
Luck: 28
Buffs: HP 10, Endurance 10
Ability: Harden
* * *
Allen was so startled that his mind went blank for a short while. When he returned to his senses, he quickly reverted Stone E to card form. Then he took a closer look at the page on his grimoire where the Statuses of all his new Summons were listed out.
If I’m reading this right...there is a specific role that’s being assigned to each type of Summon, right?
Without ado, Allen applied himself to sorting through his observations and writing them all down.
Insect Type (Abilities: Provoke, Suction, Scale Powder)
Provoke robs enemies of their ability to think straight, and Suction lowers enemies’ Attack. Based on this, it seems likely that the Insect type is specialized for casting debuffs. Judging by its name, Scale Powder probably inflicts a status debuff on enemies like confusion, paralysis, or sleep.
Beast Type (Abilities: Dig, Chomp, Claw)
Possessing high HP and Attack, this is the only type properly specced for attacking. This type will be the main source of damage when fighting against monsters. Will probably only ever be using the highest-ranked Summon from this type.
Bird Type (Abilities: Voice Mimic, Transmission, Hawk Eye)
Voice Mimic is capable of mimicking other people’s voices and using them to say anything. Should be useful when infiltrating enemy camps. Transmission makes it possible to convey information to someone faraway. Hawk Eye is likely for scouting. Based on all this, the Bird type seems specialized for intelligence and information gathering.
Grass Type (Abilities: Aroma, Leaf of Life)
This type is specialized for recovery. Leaf of Life is, based on the name, likely something that helps restore HP. It seems likely future additions to this type will be offering recovery in other areas.
Stone Type (Abilities: Harden)
The Stone E Summon seems perfect for ducking behind in order to evade incoming attacks. This is likely a type specialized for defense and tanking.
Although Allen had not yet started experimenting with the Rank E Summons, there was a lot that he could glean from just the names of their Abilities. It was becoming clear how each type of Summon had its own role. This was further substantiated by how the Summons had the two stats most relevant to their respective roles bumped up higher than all the rest.
So, a Summoner is someone who is able to handle all roles in a fight, be it attacking, defending, debuffing, healing, and scouting. I imagine later additions will continue expanding the range of what I can do.
In other words, the single class of Summoner was equipped to fulfill the roles of multiple classes. Just to list a few, it had means to attack like a Swordsman, heal like a Cleric, and scout like a Thief. Unlocking other kinds of Summons would probably enable Allen to do even more things in the future that he currently could not.
Allen took this to be the intention of the developers, or the gods, behind the Summoner class. He opened up his grimoire and turned to stare at the Storage page. It was connected to a hyperdimensional pocket that was, in all likelihood, completely infinite in volume and could store anything and everything that fit through its thirty-by-thirty-centimeter entrance.
I am going to need so many magic stones going forward.
Allen had also written down in his notes how many magic stones he would need for each type of Summon.
Insect: 1
Beast: 1
Bird: 3
Grass: 5
Stone: 9
According to this pattern, the types that show up later on down the road would require even greater numbers of magic stones. Even now, if Allen intended on filling all forty slots in his holder with Stone E, he would need a total of 360 magic stones.
So, the reason why I was given the Storage skill was so I wouldn’t have to walk around constantly lugging tens to hundreds of magic stones all the time. After all, the physical size of the magic stones also goes up with rank.
As Allen continued mulling over his epiphany, a scene unfolded within his mind. He saw himself in his ultimate form as a Summoner. Surrounding him was an endless horde of Summons, an invincible army capable of dealing with any situation and triumphing over all who stood in its way. The Summons would take care of everything. All enemies would be ground to dust before the might of this legendary host.
“An invincible army, huh. So this is the power of a Summoner, the class that surpasses even Demon Lord.”
Allen was so overwhelmed he ended up blurting his thoughts out loud. Now, he was even more motivated to take his class as far as it could go. Allen...had just had a glimpse of the gods’ will.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was now mid-September. Soon, summer would be giving way to autumn.
“You ready to go?”
“Yes, father.”
Today, Rodin and Allen were heading out first thing in the morning. Yesterday, Deboji had sent a messenger. To Rodin’s surprise, the village chief wanted to see both him and Allen this time. The reason for the summons was not provided.
As always, Theresia, Mash, and Myulla were staying home. They saw Rodin and Allen off at the front door.
“Yo, Rodin. I knew it—you got called too.”
Along the way, the father and son bumped into Gerda, who fell into step with them.
Well, it’s not surprising. Father and Gerda are the two who usually get summoned by the village chief—in fact, I’m the odd one out here.
It was not uncommon for the village chief to call for Rodin and Gerda, as they were the de facto leaders of the serfs in the village. The great boar hunts were not the only reason Deboji would summon them—he would also ask them to take care of a large variety of minor miscellaneous affairs, such as mediating disputes between serfs. That said, it was mostly Rodin who took care of such intervention requests, as Gerda would resort to using his fists too quickly.
“Did you hear what he wants us for this time, Gerda?”
“Nah, I was only told to come.”
I mean, if it’s all three of us, then it’s very likely going to be about the great boar hunts. Does Deboji have something to say now, with the hunts starting up next month? He already told us to hunt fifteen last year and twenty this year. Has something changed?
During the past three months, Allen had done everything he could to gather magic stones. He called out to the other serfs while drawing water, got on his hands and knees in Krena’s garden to poke between the weeds, reached out to Dogora and Pelomas, and even hit up every store in the commercial area to ask if they had magic stones they did not need. Thanks to his backbreaking efforts, he ultimately managed to obtain more than two hundred stones.
Now there were quite a lot of Grass E cards in his storage. The reason he chose to go with Grass E was for the MP boost it provided. The more MP he had, the faster he could reach Summoning Lvl. 5, which would require a total of 3,000,000 Skill XP.
He was currently debating internally whether to join the great boar hunts next month. If he was to focus on accruing XP, then he should go. However, if he was to focus on earning money to free his family from serfdom, then staying home to hunt albaherons was the smarter choice by far. In short, he was now torn on what he should be prioritizing: XP or money. Because of this, he had yet to challenge Rodin again in arm wrestling. And in fact, he expected the outcome of today’s talk to be a factor in helping him make a decision.
Allen remained absorbed in his thoughts the entire way as the group of three made their way to the village chief’s house. When they stepped inside, they found themselves immediately escorted to Deboji’s room, where he welcomed them with outstretched arms.
“There you guys are. I’ve been waiting.”
“So, why’d you summon us? And why’d you want Allen too?”
Oh wow, father’s starting with the big question. I like it. Seriously, do I even need to be here? Is it that the equipment I requested is complete and he wants me to explain how they’re meant to be used?
“Now, now, there’s no hurry,” Deboji replied before gesturing for his servants to lay tea and snacks on the table.
What?! These are actual confectionaries! It’s my first time seeing any in this world. And they’re... Oh my god, they’re so gooood!
The cookies, made from wheat and sugar, disappeared into Allen’s mouth at an alarming rate. He had a huge sweet tooth.
In contrast, Rodin and Gerda simply frowned, showing no intention of reaching toward the plate. Deboji had never served them tea before when they visited, much less snacks.
“So? What’d you call us for?” Rodin asked again, his voice even more colored with wariness than before.
After taking another sip of tea and sighing softly, Deboji said, “The feudal lord is coming to Krena Village next month.” Ignoring the confounded “What?!” from all three members of his audience, he then continued, “And he wants to see a great boar hunting session in person. Even I learned of this only yesterday. A messenger just arrived.”
“You mean, we have to bring down a great boar while His Lordship is watching?” Gerda asked in a tone of disbelief.
Without missing a beat, Deboji replied, “That’s exactly right.”
Both Rodin and Gerda looked completely taken back. Allen would be turning eight next month, but not once had he ever heard talk of the feudal lord coming to their village. In fact, this might be the very first time since the village’s founding thirteen years ago.
What’s this? Talk about a sudden development, Allen thought before asking out loud, “Around when in October would he be coming?”
“I was told the middle of the month,” Deboji answered before murmuring softly, “I knew it.”
Allen noticed the strange reaction, but before he could say anything, Rodin asked, “And? What do you want us to do?”
“Just make sure the hunt goes off without a hitch. His Lordship will be watching, after all.”
“We always do our best to make the hunts go off without a hitch. Okay, so the feudal lord is coming. How does that involve my boy?”
“The messenger also said that someone would be needed to accompany His Lordship and serve as his guide.”
“What?!” both Rodin and Gerda exclaimed in unison when they saw Deboji turn to face Allen.
Allen pointed at himself. “Uh...me?”
“Mr. Deboji, if it has to be a kid, you’ve got one of your own too!”
“My son is a bit of a late bloomer, I guess you could say. Or more like, he’s not very suited for this kind of thing. Allen would have to serve His Lordship at the dinner feast the night before the hunt as well. Do you think he’d be up to it?”
Ah, so it’s not just explaining what’s happening during the hunt. Wait, is that why Deboji laid out snacks? Hmph, I’m not cheap enough to be bought off with something like this!
In spite of his thoughts, Allen threw another piece of cookie into his mouth.
Rodin groaned loudly as he thought hard about it. Of course, the right to answer did not lie with Allen, but with his father. After all, this was the feudal lord they were talking about. If Allen messed anything up in the presence of the feudal lord, it was Rodin who would have to take responsibility.
“I heard that it was Allen who devised both the new equipment and your current hunting method,” Deboji pointed out, pressing his point. “He speaks clearly and has a sharp mind. He’s perfect for the role.”
Allen stared at Rodin as his own thoughts rattled around inside his head. He had no interest whatsoever in status—beyond that of his family living free and comfortably, that was. Back when he was Kenichi and creating his character for this world, he had seen that the Summoner class was restricted to being born as a serf, and this had not made him hesitate in the slightest.
Even now, he felt no desire at all to climb his way up into nobility after obtaining commoner citizenship. Rather, he would do everything in his power to avoid any situation that could potentially saddle him with a noble status, as he could only imagine it being a shackle that would prevent him from dedicating himself to leveling up. Serving the country was absolutely out of the question.
That said, being a serf came with rather severe limitations.
As long as I’m a serf, I wouldn’t be able to go outside the village. That means I can’t level up freely.
The only time in the year when Allen could earn levels was during the brief window in autumn when he could hunt both great boars and albaherons. His Rank E Summons remained largely unanalyzed, and there was much about even his Rank F Summons that he had not been able to explore yet. He very desperately wanted to do something to improve his current situation.
At the same time, he also felt driven to raise his family’s living conditions.
If I remember right, there are two ways of escaping being a serf, right? According to what Gerda said, the first is to buy your way out, with the price being ten gold coins per person, and the second is for the feudal lord to grant you commoner status as a reward for some contribution or achievement.
Last autumn, Allen had done everything he could to earn money, and yet he had only gathered a little over three gold coins. At this rate, it would take him over ten years to free his entire family. There was no telling what could happen to them within such a long period of time, especially with how little freedom of movement they had and how low their social status was.
