Hell Mode: Volume 3, page 29
Allen wondered if he had misremembered what Helmios had said in the headmaster’s office. When he checked his grimoire, however, he found “Defeat the Hero” clearly written there. In other words, he was not the one who had made a mistake.
“Of course. The Sovereign of Spirits told me to hand this ring to the Summoner of the Beginning, after all.”
Got it, so the condition was to call myself “Summoner of the Beginning”!
Based on what Helmios said, the Sovereign of Spirits, Rohzen, had prophesied Allen’s title in his sleep.
“But won’t you need this when you’re fighting on the front lines?” Allen asked. I can’t have you dying just because you gave me your ring.
Helmios grinned and showed off another ring on his hand. “Look, now we’re a match. This one was for ‘Hero Helmios.’ Rohzen is a pretty generous guy.”
As it turned out, the Sovereign of Spirits had not created only one ring.
All right, I guess I’ll help myself, then. Now that leaves me with only one thing to do.
Allen abruptly raised his hand, catching Helmios by surprise.
At the moment, they were being watched by a sizable audience including Allen’s own companions. The crown prince and other aristocrats were huddled in their seats, desperately wanting to flee the venue but afraid of looking shameful in front of the foreign dignitaries. This had led to a strange game of chicken where the noble spectators hid behind their guards, waiting for others to leave first. As a result, the large majority were still present and watching.
Helmios’s Extra Skill had left a huge crater in the arena, but Allen and Helmios were still clearly in sight. The audience members who had been unable to keep up with what they had just witnessed returned to themselves and remembered where they were and what they had been watching. The sight of the black-haired boy raising one hand had all of them at the edge of their seats, and they waited with bated breath for what was coming next.
“I surrender,” Allen called out in a flat voice as he made the submission gesture. “Damn, the Hero, am I right? I’m so tired, I can’t fight a second more. Ugh, I was so close! This sucks so much!”
I no longer have a reason to fight, right? All right, that’s a wrap, everyone!
Helmios stared blankly at Allen in confusion for a split second, then broke into a wry smile. “I guess you’re you after all.”
And so the match between Allen and Helmios ended as Helmios’s victory. All the students, foreign dignitaries, aristocrats, and the crown prince could do was gape at the two standing on the thoroughly ruined stage, unable to understand what had just happened.
Chapter 17: Tournament Ceremony
One week had passed since Allen had lost to Helmios. With the tournament over, Allen had gone back to attending classes as normal, but the rest of the students’ attitudes toward him had changed. Some were now scared and no longer talked to him, but far more now actively approached him. In this world where strength was justice, being able to go toe-to-toe with the Hero meant a lot.
Strangely, there had been no ceremony after the tournament. Normally, there would be one to applaud not only the champion, but all the contestants who managed to get into the top sixteen slots. Members of royalty and nobility would be invited, as would the foreign dignitaries in town. This was basically an occasion for these power brokers to recruit promising students to enter their service after returning from the battlefield. Krena had been approached by many nobles the previous year, but she had turned them all down, saying that she had a party to go home to.
Why was there no ceremony held this year? As it turned out, it was because Allen had gone and overdone it in his match with Helmios. Afterward, all the foreign dignitaries who had been present later swarmed the Academy, demanding explanation. Questions including “Who was that boy?” and “Why has Ratash kept him secret all this time?” were accompanied by reminders that “the Five Continent Alliance stipulates that all countries are to report whenever anyone more powerful than a Sword Lord is born.” Each dignitary represented their own country in place of their respective heads of state, so neither Ratash nor the Academy could dismiss them out of hand. The royal palace of Ratash was naturally thrown into an enormous uproar. The ceremony was the furthest thing from everyone’s mind.
Rifol had told Allen about the state of affairs in the palace, leaving him marveling at the other boy’s information network once again. In any case, since so many countries were keeping a close watch on Ratash’s next move, it was decided that the ceremony would be held at a later date.
After hearing everything, Allen only replied with a simple, “Okay.” He had already accomplished his goal of obtaining an MP Recovery Ring, so he honestly could not care less about any of the politics. For him, this was an issue that was already over.
＊ ＊ ＊
After a significant delay, the date of the ceremony was finally decided. It would be held at one of the most prominent inns in Academy City. On the day of the ceremony, Allen and Krena left school early and made their way over.
Oh, it’s the same one that Viscount Granvelle and I went to last year for that dinner with the crown prince. Does the crown prince stay here every time?
When the two of them walked in, they were led to a waiting room where they found the other finalist students waiting for the ceremony to start. Everyone greeted the two of them with great respect—even the third-year students.
Soon enough, an official in charge of the ceremony walked in. After confirming that everyone was present, he proceeded to explain how the night would proceed. He also gave them a few warnings, such as to not look directly at the crown prince and to not reply to anyone in a loud voice. It was expressly forbidden to bring any weapons into the ceremony hall, so all the students were subjected to a pat down to confirm that they were not carrying any concealed weapons. For some reason, two people were assigned to check Allen. The explanation and warnings continued on and on for another while, leaving some of the students quite nervous and frightened.
Finally, the official ended his speech, saying, “The ceremony will begin shortly. Make sure you do not disrespect any of the foreign dignitaries in any way.” Worst-case scenario, impudence could lead to criminal charges.
After some more time passed, the students were eventually led to the ceremony hall, proceeding in a single-file line with the champion Allen at the head. The double doors opened up to reveal a venue that Allen recognized.
Oh, this is the room where the crown prince was eating dinner that time. Looks like they took away the huge table and converted it into a hall.
The first event of the evening was the crown prince bestowing a word of commendation upon the contestants, so the group of sixteen walked down the center of the room toward the far end where he was seated. They marched under the gaze of all the aristocrats and dignitaries lining both walls. The students were not allowed to look around, but Allen gleaned that there were about a hundred VIPs present. They all stared at Allen with curiosity, muttering among themselves.
“The black hair is rare, but up close, he just looks like an ordinary boy.”
“Did he really make a dragon appear and fight for him?”
“He did. And keep your voice down.”
Yes, take the last guy’s advice. ’Cus I can hear all of you clear as day.
At the edge of his vision, Allen caught sight of Viscount Granvelle.
Hey, the viscount’s here too.
Allen’s group approached the round pattern on the carpet five meters away from the crown prince, just as they had been instructed by the official earlier, when the crown prince suddenly shouted at them.
“N-No closer! Stop there!”
Although things were different from what they had been told, the students obediently dropped to their knees on the spot where they stood.
The knight standing behind the crown prince whispered, “Please don’t agitate them too much, Your Highness. This place is not entirely safe.”
“I-I know,” the crown prince replied in an equally soft voice.
From his position at the front of the procession, Allen had managed to hear the exchange clearly. Seeing as how there were a lot more knights surrounding the crown prince now than there had been for last year’s dinner, Allen realized that the crown prince had grown quite scared of him after seeing his fight the other day.
Let’s hurry it up, please. I really want to get back into the dungeons and see how well my new Summons can do against the dragon.
Thanks to obtaining Summoning Lvl. 7, Allen now had much higher stats as well as access to Rank B Summons. He could not wait to try fighting the dragon-type boss that his group had encountered in January again, only this time without relying on Krena’s Extra Skill.
The master of ceremony proclaimed, “We will now have a word from His Highness the Crown Prince,” prompting Allen and the students to lower their heads even deeper.
“All of you fought well. The Kingdom of Ratash is glad to have warriors as strong as you. Continue training and honing yourselves for the sake of your country.”
The students all chorused, “Thank you, Your Highness!”
Okay, done! Can I go home now? I’m glad he didn’t drone on and on like my middle school principal did.
Unfortunately, contrary to Allen’s expectations, the order to leave the hall did not come. Silence filled the room.
Uh, what is this? What’re we waiting for?
Allen’s desire to leave welled up within. Meanwhile, the tension was palpable as the nobles and dignitaries hung on to the crown prince’s next words.
Under the eyes of everyone who was waiting to see how the kingdom would choose to handle this champion, the crown prince cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Er...Allen, that was an impressive fight.”
Allen bowed gracefully. “I am most grateful, Your Highness. I’m afraid I got a bit overzealous being in your presence,” he replied, placing emphasis on “a bit overzealous” and “in your presence.”
Hope that’s enough as an excuse for destroying the arena stage.
“I-Is that so. Your display surprised me greatly, as Viscount Granvelle had not reported that he had such an exemplary subordinate.”
The crown prince purposefully spoke loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. He clearly recognized Allen as the boy who had stood behind Viscount Granvelle during the dinner last year. He was implying that Ratash did not know about Allen in the first place and was shoving the blame onto Viscount Granvelle.
Upon suddenly being called by name, the viscount, who was standing with the other nobles, replied with confusion in his voice, “My...subordinate, Your Highness?”
“Hm? Is he not your subordinate?”
“He is not, Your Highness. Allen is a guest of House Granvelle.”
“A guest, you say. Is this true, Allen?” The crown prince’s eyes seemed to be questioning why Allen wore the outfit of a servant if he was not one.
“Yes, Your Highness. House Granvelle had indeed accepted me as a guest. The viscount has been more than generous with me, so I do a little work for him sometimes.”
Both the crown prince and viscount echoed aloud, “Work?” The latter struggled to recall what work Allen had done for him as the former asked, “What manner of work?”
“Bodyguard work, Your Highness. As there had been signs of suspicious activity around the viscount’s household these past few years.”
The viscount choked on his saliva. “Wh— Allen?!”
The crown prince had chided the viscount for doing so last time, but this time, he did not even spare the viscount a glance. The word “bodyguard” had set all the aristocrats in the room abuzz with furious whispers. Most associated Viscount Granvelle with the so-called House Granvelle Affair, an incident several years back where he had used the rights of newly developed mithril mines within his fiefdom to forcibly trigger the purge of a whole swathe of nobles who had been plotting against him as well as numerous royal envoys who had been complicit. The fact that Allen was using the word “bodyguard” here implied that the viscount had taken Allen in as a guest in order to protect himself and to remove anyone in his way with force should the need arise.
The crown prince gulped audibly as he realized that Allen had accompanied the viscount as a guard under the guise of a servant when they met the previous year. Several of the knights behind him also unconsciously took half a step backward, even though the person they were supposed to be protecting, the crown prince, was there in front of them. They could not help trembling inside their armor as they imagined what might have happened had things turned sour in this very room one year prior.
“Th-That’s reassuring to hear. It is admirable to protect a noble so valuable and well-regarded in our country.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. In order to repay one favor with another, I have every intention of protecting the viscount from anyone with nefarious intentions toward him.”
The crown prince felt faint when he heard “anyone,” but managed to keep himself together, albeit barely.
Thus the tournament ceremony this year ended with Allen clarifying his position to the crown prince of Ratash.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was now early December. The development of the new village under Village Chief Rodin was progressing smoothly. They had already finished erecting the walls around the village and had started hunting for great boars within their very first year.
The White Dragon Mountains stretched far to both the north and the south, and their foothills were expansive. The great boar population within those foothills was usually quite sizable, but it had ballooned even further the past few years. Allen’s wiping out the goblins and orcs that would have normally hunted the great boars had ended up significantly altering the local ecosystem.
Thanks to the hihiirokane and mithril spears that Allen and his friends had paid for together, the villagers had managed to take down twenty great boars. They would be enjoying a bountiful diet with plenty of meat this winter, restoring their energy with lots of nutrients in preparation for tilling their fields come springtime.
The No-life Gamers were currently inside one of the Rank A dungeons within Academy City. Naturally, they were on the deepest floor.
“Phew, it’s finally down,” Cecil sighed.
Before their eyes was the dragon-type boss lying on its side and about to breathe its last. The party had just defeated it without relying on Krena’s Extra Skill.
“Oh hey, I leveled up!” Meruru cried, raising both arms in celebration.
“Congratulations,” Allen replied. “You’re Lvl. 58 now.”
Due to Allen’s frequent usage of gaming terms from his previous life, his party members had also started to follow suit. Meruru had gotten used to referring to Trials of the Gods as “levels.”
* * *
Name: Meruru
Age: 14
Class: Talos General
Level: 58
HP: 1,621
MP: 2,340
Attack: 756
Endurance: 1,274
Agility: 756
Intelligence: 2,340
Luck: 1,453
Skills: Talos General {1}, Rocket Punch {1}, Spear Mastery {3}, Shield Mastery {3}
Extra Skill: Union (Right Arm)
XP: 80,240/40,000,000
Skill Levels
Rocket Punch: 1
Skill Experience
Rocket Punch: 0/10
* * *
Am I just imagining it, or does Meruru’s Status make it seem like she’s playing a totally different genre of game all by herself?
In order to use her skills, Meruru needed to ride a golem. Unfortunately, there were no golems in Academy City, so there was no way for her to expend her MP and gain Skill XP. This was why her class-related skills all remained at Lvl. 1.
Just like the elves Sophie and Volmaar, Meruru had come to the Ratashian Academy as a part of the arrangements of the Five Continent Alliance. The northern part of the Central Continent had, apart from elven squads, golems on loan from the Empire of Baukis. Their numbers were far fewer than the elves, but each golem unit possessed enough strength to easily slaughter Rank A monsters.
The tokusatsu TV shows that Allen had watched in his previous life came to mind. When it came to robots with parts that could combine with each other, he had always thought the head part was the coolest.
“WHOAAA! A GOLD CHEST! I guess the chance of it appearing is higher after killing the dragon boss!”
Right after the dragon died, the reward appeared in its place. Keel did the exact same thing he did one year ago when the party last saw a gold chest. When they opened it up, they found a ring resting within.
Aww, we would’ve preferred an orichalcum weapon. Specifically, a greatsword or ax.
Through his fight with the Hero, Allen had obtained the MP Recovery Ring that he had sought for so long. As a result, rings had plummeted in his list of priorities when it came to dungeon drops. What he now wanted were weapons that would boost his party members’ attack power—preferably, ones for Krena or Dogora first. He had, based on his own Attack stats, derived a general idea for how much extra Attack each grade of weapons material provided.
Estimate of the Bonus Attack from Swords
Steel Sword: 100
Mithril Sword: 500
Hihiirokane Sword: 1,000
Adamantite Sword: 3,000
Orichalcum Sword: 5,000+
The actual damage value inflicted with each blow could be affected significantly by things like aiming for an opponent’s weak spot, having greater speed, and the attacker’s skill levels. Given this, the numbers above were based purely on bonuses from the swords.
Without hesitation, Keel put on the gold ring. “Which stat did it alter?”
Allen checked his grimoire. “Whoa, it increased your MP by 1,000!”
I can use this. If I have both an MP Increase Ring and an MP Recovery Ring, it would help me reach Summoning Lvl. 8 that much faster.
