I leveled up again!
Boo... Now I've hit the cap, too, huh...?
Yeah, sadly. I never imagined we'd have this problem.
After just a single year at the Academy, at age 13...
everybody in the party except for me has reached the level cap.
This is likely due to the fact the Demon Lord boosted the rank of all monsters on earth.
It resulted in everyone leveling up faster.
Just another example how the balance of this world is falling apart.
Hey, man. Does this mean we're stuck now?
No. There are still some things we can do.
For starters, everyone needs to learn how to freely use their extra skill.
We'll also need to get stronger weapons and equipment.
I guess that makes sense...
But it's hard to get motivated if we can't level up by beating monsters anymore.
It's not set in stone.
There must be some way around the cap.
I played plenty of online games where it was possible to increase the level cap.
It's just a matter of figuring out the requirements.
We have 2 years until we join the war effort.
I have to make the No-Life Gamers a force to reckon with by then!
April came and spring break ended.
About 2,600 students advanced a grade to start their second year.
Listen up. The class rosters don't change even after you go up a grade,
but we will be seeing some new faces in the form of transfer students.
Come on in!
Whoa!
Are those elves? For real?
These newcomers are from the Northeast and Northwest Continents, respectively.
Looks like two elves and a dwarf.
Please introduce yourselves.
Salutations, everyone.
I am from the elven kingdom of Rohzenheim. My name is Sophialohne.
But feel free to call me Sophie.
It's a pleasure to meet you all.
My name is Volmaar.
I am Princess Sophialohne's bodyguard. She is a high-elf who is next in line for the throne.
A princess?!
Such pearly skin!
I've never seen elves in person before!
Our Headmaster is an elf, though.
Huh? Why's she staring?
Let me guess, it's my dark hair.
Just try making fun of me for it!
Alright!
It's my turn now!
The name's Meruru and I'm from the Baukis Empire.
I'm 13, the same age as y'all. Nice to meetcha!
So cute!
Ah, the tomboy type.
So cute!
I'm kinda surprised to see one in this world.
Hey, Allen.
You've only got five members in your party, right?
Take charge of these newbies, would ya?
Yes, please! I would love that!
Okay, sounds good.
We can talk more in detail over lunch.
Wonderful!
Adding them to our party, eh?
Well, having 8 members instead of 5 won't affect our EXP gain, so it's fine by me.
Nice to meet you. My name is Allen.
I'm the leader of the No-Life Gamers.
Our party goes dungeon crawling every day, will that be a problem for you?
Oh, not at all!
My talent is Spirit Mage.
And Volmaar here has the Archer talent.
Believe it or not, I've got a super rare talent called Talos General!
Spirit Mage and Talos General? I can't say I've heard of those.
To be honest, my usefulness is kinda limited due to reasons I won't get into.
But I wanna be stronger!
We only have two years to get ready to face the worst.
Y'know what I mean?
I see. They already know all about the war with the Demon Lord.
No worries! We're all about helping each other get tougher!
Mm-hmm.
That settles that.
Welcome to the No-Life Gamers party!
Thank you for having us.
Thanks!
Allen.
Hello, Headmaster. I usually never see you around here.
I came to check on Princess Sophialohne.
Oh? Then Sophie must be an even more esteemed figure than you.
We may both be high-elves, but Princess Sophialohne is a member of the royal family.
She is much more significant than a mere headmaster such as myself.
Social status can be tricky, huh?
Volmaar may be her guard, but you're the leader of the party she's in.
Keep her safe, Allen.
Of course, sir.
The new members all moved into our house,
and today, we're holding their welcome party.
Seeing as how we're friends now, do you mind if we drop all the polite language?
That's fine by me, Sir Allen.
Why "sir"?
Great! Let's dig in!
Down the hatch!
O Rohzen, Sovereign of Spirits.
We thank you for these bountiful gifts that you bless us with.
Are you praying to the Sovereign of Spirits?
Yes. We all worship the deity who gave us spirit magic, Lord Rohzen.
We offer prayers to Lord Rohzen every day,
so that he can ascend to be the God of Spirits.
How interesting.
You don't pray or anything, Meruru?
Nope!
Lord Dygragni told us that we don't need to.
Who is that?
A deity that we dwarves worship as the Dungeon Master.
He controls all the dungeons!
Oh, and all the cool magic tools that we dwarves make are based on Lord Dygragni's creations.
Wow. We owe a lot to him, then!
So those cubes must be dwarven technology, too.
What deity do you and your friends worship, Sir Allen?
Huh? Well, I can't really think of one...
I worship Lord Elmea, the God of Creation.
Offering him prayers at the church is how I became able to use healing magic.
On a different topic, you three are going to tackle a B-rank dungeon soon, right?
Are we going with them?
Nope. I want to finish conquering the A-rank dungeons before summer break.
So we'll do that and help the newbies with the B-rank dungeon at the same time.
How does that work?
We just split the party in two.
Dogora and I will join the new members in the B-rank dungeon.
Our goal will be to help them level up.
Meanwhile, Krena, Cecil and Keel will focus on conquering our third A-rank dungeon.
You guys are at max level, but I'll still dispatch some of my summons as support.
What are summons?
You'll find out soon.
Okay! Once we update our party registration tomorrow, it's straight to the dungeon!
Yeah!
So these numbers show how strong we are?
Summoner is a really cool talent!
Hold up. I see that Meruru is our age, but...
You're seriously 48 and he's 67?!
A-ha-ha, don't mind our long elven lifespans.
We'll use summons for scouting and transport.
Come on out, Maria squad!
Yes, master!
Fran squad!
Chaweep!
Whoa! They came outta nowhere!
So this is the power of a Summoner?
Your talent is most superb, Sir Allen!
Uh, thanks.
Okay. Let's get down to business!
Right!
Volmaar!
On it!
Strongbow!
Holy smokes! He nailed it one go!
Ouchies.
Are you okay, Meruru?
Y-yep!
Leave it to me!
O spirit of water, please bless us with your soothing grace.
While not as powerful as the spells of Clerics or Wizards,
spirit magic is excellent for providing healing and support.
So you can count on me to cover your back!
Sorry, guys. I hate being so worthless.
I can make mincemeat outta dragons easy, but I gotta have a golem first.
H-hot damn.
That's most impressive.
Golems are the main reason the Baukis Empire has managed to fend off the Demon Lord's invasion thus far.
Can't blame you for not wanting to bring your ultimate weapon into a foreign country.
You two certainly are a formidable force, Sir Allen and Dogora.
It would be reassuring if we served on the same battlefield.
Too bad it's the government of each nation that decides where we go.
By the way, why call me "sir"?
Oh, pardon me for not explaining.
It's because you are the person who Lord Rohzen spoke of in his prophecy.
Prophecy?
The Sovereign of Spirits has been in a deep slumber for some time now,
but we began to hear him whispering over a decade ago.
He spoke of a certain "raven-haired youth" born on the southern end of the Central Continent
whose attributes were all ranked very low.
So he muttered nonsense in his sle-
It's a prophecy!
Once I laid eyes on you and your summon creatures, I knew for sure that the prophecy was true.
Lord Rohzen also said this:
"The raven-haired man shall tower over those who block the light as they dance in the sky,
and free this world from the darkness."
Oh, c'mon. That's gotta be nonsense.
Stand back, everyone!
I'm using my Extra Skill.
Great Elemental!
I am Gnome, the Grand Earth Spirit.
I have materialized as per my contract with the Sovereign of Spirits.
Gnome! Destroy this evil creature!
Meet your end.
Wow!
Holy smokes!
I've leveled up high enough to pull it off. Thanks for helping me get this far.
Man, Skills that only work once a day are strong as hell!
Volmaar has one, too.
Same here, I just need a golem...
Wow!
I save mine to use only when the princess is in danger.
And so, our newest members were able to beat three B-rank dungeons
and one A-rank dungeon before summer break even started.
Meanwhile, our original members also beat their fourth A-rank dungeon.
The day before summer break started, Krena and I got a summons from the Headmaster.
Yo, Allen! How've you been doing?
It's that Hero guy!
Nice to see you again, Sir Helmios.
Aw, c'mon. You can drop the "sir."
We're buddies aren't we?
Since when...?
As you know, the school is hosting another martial arts tournament this October and I'd like you to participate.
Will you do it?
I'm in!
I'll have to decline.
May I ask why?
I see no good reason to put my Skills on display, frankly speaking.
Has Princess Sophialohne told you about the Sovereign of Spirits?
Yes. I've heard he often mutters nonsense in his sleep.
They are prophecies.
You might play an important role in saving the world from the Demon Lord's invasion.
Therefore, we wish to learn more about the extent of your Summoner powers.
Well, well. Trying a different tactic this time, are we?
Name-dropping the Demon Lord is certainly a choice.
In that case...
I have even more reason to refuse assuming the prophecy is true.
Since it will cause the Demon Lord's army to treat me as a serious threat.
What do you think will happen if I make a public show of my Summoner powers?
They could realize I haven't reached my peak yet and decide to kill me now.
There is simply no benefit to having me participate in the tournament.
Yes, well...
Oopsies, my hand slipped!
Oh no! There goes my very important MP recovery ring!
An MP recovery ring?! Allen's been looking for one forever!
I have to be more careful.
Rohzen made this super special ring just for me, after all.
That's "Lord" Rohzen to you.
Ya want one, Allen?
Too bad MP recovery rings don't drop in dungeons.
Not even A-rank or S-rank ones.
How do you know that for sure?
'Cuz I heard it straight from Dygragni, the Dungeon Master.
He's just not good at making them, it seems.
Though, you may get lucky and find a weapon made of orichalcum in the S-rank dungeon.
Not that I recommend trying.
Oh yeah? And why's that?
You would tackle it with your party of eight, right?
I won't say you're all doomed...
but I imagine a number of your friends will die before you're forced to give up.
Allen...
Thank you for sharing that valuable tidbit.
So, what point are you trying to make here?
This year's tournament is special.
The runner-up will get a chance to duel Sword Lord Dverg,
while the winner gets to fight none other than me, Helmios the Hero!
I'll give you this ring if you can beat me.
May I take a good look at it first?
Sure.
Oh, hell yeah!
This bad boy recovers 1% of my MP per second!
I want it!
It's the real deal.
You can tell, huh? That figures.
So, is this good enough of a reason for you to compete?
Indeed! I shall gladly join the tournament.
Allen!
Are we allowed to use items of our own?
Of course.
Great, I'm stocking a bunch of healing items.
You've got two months. Good luck coming up with a winning strategy.
Yessir!
Oh, that won't be a problem.
I told the No-Life Gamers all about the situation,
and got their okay to strike out on my own over summer break.
I have to raise my Summon level to have any hope of beating Helmios.
Not to mention obtain a buttload of magic stones.
So I traveled to each Adventurer's Guild in the kingdom, and gathered as many magic stones as I could.
In the meantime, I had the rest of the party tackle their fifth A-rank dungeon.
Since I still wanna earn the right to challenge an S-rank one.
I posted quests using my savings of 28,000 gold coins, and farmed a bit myself,
to gather one million E-rank and D-rank magic stones.
Along with 100,000 C-rank ones.
Then, finally...
I reached Summon level 7.
Which unlocked both a new Skill and B-rank summon creatures.
By October, I had turned 14.
Allen!
Long time no see!
You've gotten taller, dude.
Really?
We beat our fifth A-rank dungeon, just like you asked us to.
How about you Allen?
Yep. I beat mine yesterday.
So you beat the A-rank boss monster all by yourself?
I can only imagine how strong you are now.
Hey, Krena.
Hate to break it to you, but I can kick butt pretty hard now.
My goal is to beat Helmios.
But first, I'm gonna take you down.
You're welcome to try!
I've been waiting to fight you all summer!
Sparks are flying in this final match, folks!
We have last year's champion, Sword Lord Krena,
versus the newcomer, Allen the Summoner!
And they are really going at it!
I heard those two already conquered
five A-rank dungeons!
A-rank?! No way!
Allen's swordsmanship is much sharper than it was before.
Krena's, too! She's in another league from last year!
Same old Allen, still hiding all his aces up his sleeve.
Does he think he can win without using any Skills?
C'mon, Allen. You better not hold back on me.
I'd never.
Air Slash!
That hit hard!
I'm going straight for the win!
Limit Break!
Seems she can't use her extra skill freely just yet, huh?
You've gotten pretty tough, Allen!
It's nice she's having fun and all, but I'm fighting for my life over here!
We still haven't settled that fight from when were eight.
I'm gonna claim victory!
Slash!
He's summoning?
But it's too late now!
Pyroblast!
It hit him straight on!
But that attack is strong enough to kill A-rank monsters!
A-Allen...?
Rookie mistake, Krena.
Don't let your guard down 'til the fight ends.
You've bested me.
There you have it, folks! What an upset!
The championship goes to Allen the summoner!
The Sword Lord lost?!
What kind of talent is Summoner, anyways?
How did he survive taking that devastating blow?
I didn't even see him use a single summon creature!
Actually, it looked like he did use something...
Well fought.
Congrats, Allen.
How'd you overcome my Pyroblast?
Sorry. I'm keeping that a secret for now.
But I really honed my unique strengths over the past two months.
And that's how I won.
Awesome.
Don't get too sulky. You have to fight Dverg next.
He's still at level 60, just like last year.
But now you're right up there with him.
You can win.
Uh-huh.
What's wrong?
Well, Sir Dverg has been at the same level all this time, right?
Getting stuck like that... really sucks.
It sure does.
Ow!
Quit fretting over your level, 'cuz I promise I'm gonna solve that problem.
Stay focused on your current challenge. Climb over the wall in front of you!
Right!
The special match between Sword Lord Krena and Sword Lord Dverg is about to begin!
I must admit, you've come far.
In my years, I have hunted monsters. Vanquished fiends. Slayed demonic gods.
Bring it on, Krena! Let's see if all your training was worth it!
Yessir!
I gave Krena some rings that boost agility.
She has a shot at winning if she can get her extra skill to trigger.
Limit Break.
What's wrong? Getting cold feet?
Take this!
Thunderous Blow!
Slash!
You pack a stronger punch, but it's still not enough!
Krena!
Earth Dragon Blast!
Stand up. You'll just be another corpse on the war pile at this rate.
Here it comes!
Limit Break.
So, this is your true potential.
Her skill is active!
Go, girl, go!
That's crazy. She gets a big stat boost and HP recovery on top of it!
Lord Dverg went down...
Is he okay?
Lord Dverg!
She won!
No way...
Impossible... I lost?
No! My dear Clasys!
I shall never lose! Not until we are reunited!
I must always win!
Wait, is that his Extra Skill?!
He's really using it?!
GUARD BREAK!
LATE MARCH
ALLEN: AGE 13
A-RANK DUNGEON
EPISODE 17: THE SOVEREIGN OF SPIRITS' PROPHECY
4 DAYS LATER
GOD OF SPIRITS
SOVEREIGN OF SPIRITS
SPIRITS
B-RANK DUNGEON
A-RANK DUNGEON
NAME: SOPHIALOHNE
AGE:
TALENT: SPIRIT MAGE
LEVEL:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
SKILLS: SPIRIT MAGIC (5) FIRE MAGIC (5)
EARTH MAGIC (5) WIND MAGIC (5)
WATER MAGIC (5) JUNIOR SPIRIT USER (1)
EXTRA: GREAT ELEMENTAL
NAME: VOLMAAR
AGE:
TALENT: ARCHER
LEVEL:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
SKILLS: ARCHER (5) KEEN SIGHT (5)
SNIPE (5), STRONGBOW (5)
BULLSEYE (5), TREAD (1)
BOW MASTERY (5)
EXTRA: LIGHT ARROW
NAME: MERURU
AGE:
TALENT: TALOS GENERAL
LEVEL:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
SKILLS: TALOS GENERAL (1)
FLYING KNUCKLE (1)
EXTRA: UNION (RIGHT ARM)
SPIRIT MAGE: 1 STAR (ESTIMATED)
TALOS GENERAL: 3 STARS (ESTIMATED)
RIDES GOLEMS INTO BATTLE AND USES MAGIC
TO CONTROL THEIR ACTIONS.
A TALENT FOUND IN ONE OF TEN MILLION PEOPLE.
BIRD TYPE
HAWKINS
E RANK:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE: ABILITY: AWAKENED:
LUCK: HAWK EYE FARSIGHT
ALLEN: AGE 13
LATE JULY
NAME: ALLEN MP RECOVERY
AGE:
TALENT: SUMMONER
LEVEL:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
ALLEN: AGE 14
OCTOBER
NAME: KRENA
AGE:
TALENT: SWORD LORD
LEVEL:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
EXTRA SKILL: LIMIT BREAK
NAME: ALLEN
AGE:
TALENT: SUMMONER
LEVEL:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
AWAKENED SKILL -FROND OF LIFE-
RECOVER 1,000 HP
NAME: KRENA SUPER HP RECOVERY
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
RING SLOT 1: AGILITY
RING SLOT 2: AGILITY