Hell Mode: Volume 1

1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7183-8198-8
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Hell Mode

''Level up even while offline'?! That's not a game on 'easy mode'-that's just an AFK game!'

The online game Yamada Kenichi had been playing religiously is shutting down its servers, leaving him with a void in his heart. He looks for a new game to fill it, but everything he finds is way too easy. The kind of game he likes-the kind punishing enough to make players want to spend thousands of hours on it-just isn't around anymore.

'What's this? 'You are invited to a game that will never end.''

Kenichi stumbles upon an untitled game, one promising incomparable challenge with unprecedented potential. Without hesitation, he selects the 'Hell Mode' difficulty. Lo and behold, he finds himself reincarnated in another world as a serf!

Now called Allen, he sets out to unlock the secrets of his mystery-laden Summoner class; without the convenience of walkthroughs, game guides, or online forums, he must grope his way to the top of his new world!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hamuo

Weitere Mitwirkende

Mo

Taishi

Leseproben

“Waaaahhhhhhh!”

“Allen?!”

Perhaps due to being a one-year-old, Allen had trouble controlling his own emotions. When he burst into a wail, Theresia, who thought she had just put him to sleep, immediately rushed over in worry.

“What’s wrong, Allen? Are you all right?”

Just as Allen wished for it, the book disappeared.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

The child smiled and gestured in an attempt to reassure his mother. She patted his shoulder gently as if to say, “No more surprises, all right?” before returning to the earthen floor area.

There had been enough time between Theresia entering the room and the book disappearing that she would definitely have noticed it floating in midair. However, not once did she look in the book’s direction.

The fact that it might not be a problem gave Allen the confidence to call the book back out.

Allen took a closer look at the tome before his eyes. His impression was that it looked like the kind of encyclopedia that would be stored at the National Diet Library back in Japan. Nothing was written on either its spine or its front cover.

On a whim, Allen mentally ordered the book to spin. Sure enough, it began rotating. In the same way, he learned that he could bid it to fly closer. When he touched it, he found that it had the same texture as a normal book.

As the book was already floating in midair, Allen tried mentally willing it to turn a page.

The sight of what was written on the first page caused a wave of delight more intense than anything Allen had ever felt before to well up from deep within him.

Allen’s favorite motto was “One who is in control of their Status is in control of the game.” The key to beating games was figuring out the best way to take advantage of a character’s Status.

It turned out to be more detailed information related to the Summoning skill. Allen flipped between the two pages a few times.

According to Allen’s deduction, his stats were currently a mere portion of their full value. After all, it did make sense for there to be a difference between the stats of an adult and a child.

Instead of mulling over something he had no answers to, Allen decided to first focus on what he could actually determine at the moment. His eyes fell on the second page.

The condition for gaining XP was not specified, so there was no way to tell at a glance. However, it was common sense to a gamer that using a skill repeatedly would yield XP in said skill.

Back in his previous world, Kenichi used to read otherworld light novels pretty much every day—sometimes during his commute, sometimes as a way to relax after an intense gaming session. As a result, he was quite familiar with the tropes used in this genre.

But before giving Summoning a try, Allen thought it a good idea to check the other pages of the book too, just in case there was more information aside from his own Status.

Whenever he attempted to flip one page, a thick section of pages would turn all at once. Belying its appearance, the book contained a limited number of available pages. What’s more, the next blank page was not normal—it had several rectangular depressions arranged in portrait orientation.

There was no explanation—the impressions were just there. Allen’s first guess was that they were for storing some sort of cards.

The single page that was faintly shining caught Allen’s attention, prompting him to flip it open.

Dear Mr. Allen,

We hope this letter finds you well. Are you enjoying your life in this world?

We wish to take this opportunity to apologize for the delayed delivery of your grimoire. We are truly sorry for any inconveniences caused.

As the Summoner class was still in development, we had yet to finish the necessary administrative procedures. Please rest assured that we have done everything within our power to expedite the process.

Please note that we do not accept questions regarding the book nor requests for a class change. We ask for your kind understanding.

Sincerely yours,

Elmea, God of Creation

Allen’s reaction to this message was surprisingly positive. At the same time, he felt reminded once again that this was indeed another world.

When he finished reading the letter, the words faded away from the page, leaving it blank.

Those two were the only options currently listed under Creatable Summons on the second page of the grimoire. There was no way to tell what was going to appear. It seemed likely that these first Summons were extremely weak, but it would be a huge issue if Beast H turned out to be a wolf or a bear. With Summoner being a class ranked even higher than Demon Lord, it would not hurt to err on the side of caution.

A whole year had passed since Allen had reincarnated into this world. Everything that happened during that time suddenly flashed through his mind. The memories of nursing from the...