Hey, Daddy?
Huh?
What's the Appraisal Ceremony like?
It's a special event that everyone from serf to noble
has to participate in when they turn five years old.
If you turn out to have a talent, then you might be able to rise out of serfdom.
The only catch is, you have lots of rivals!
Why is that?
As soon as we settled this land, folks started poppin' out baby after baby.
There are a lot of kids about to be five years old. And that includes you.
Allen! Let's go together!
Oh, right. Like how Krena is the same age as me.
Exactly.
Whoa! Check that out!
Ow, ow, ow!
There's so many houses! Amazing!
That must be the commoner village.
If they appwaise me as Swordswoman, then I'm gonna be a knight!
Fingers crossed for you, kiddo!
Is that the place?
That's right.
Are those well-groomed people commoners?
I'm nervous...
I'm surprised, are we all undergoing the ceremony at the same time?
Don't worry. Just be yourself.
Okay.
They're obviously dressed better than we are...
Get a load of him. Dark hair, dark eyes.
Don't see that often. Must be a serf.
Yeah, I'm a serf. So what?
Elmea, the God of Creation, blesses all of us equally with great opportunity.
This country has seen heroes whose lineage can even be traced back to serfdom.
Heroes who were serfs?
Is that true?
For example, Clasys the Saintess was a commoner by birth.
And Dverg the Sword Lord was but a serf.
Ah, that's right!
It did say classes like Hero and Sword Lord have to start from a low social class.
Those were just game configurations, but I guess they apply to the world as a whole.
So it makes sense why everyone from top to bottom has to undergo the ceremony. Good stuff!
Please, come inside.
A'ight!
Appwaisal Ceremony! Let's go!
Those must be the Gods worshipped here.
The one in the middle is Elmea, God of Creation.
Reminds me of that time the devs sent me a letter.
We shall now begin the Appraisal Ceremony. First up...
Village chieftain, Deboji.
Here.
And your son, Pelomas.
Yessir.
By placing your hand on this crystal ball,
any talent and attributes that you have shall be inscribed on the metal plate behind me.
Pelomas, my boy. Step up and place your hand on it.
Um, okay.
Pelomas...
You can do it!
It's just like the stat page in my grimoire!
You have the talent to be a merchant!
Oh, what joy! This is great news!
Pelomas!
You're hurting me, Daddy.
A merchant! That's wonderful!
Thank the heavens!
Huh. I guess having any talent is cause for celebration.
So, attributes get displayed with ranks instead of numbers.
Love the fact that nobody but me can see the grimoire.
Talk about good game design!
Wah, Daddy!
Okay, so, not everybody gets a talent.
You have a talent! Axe User!
Hot diggity!
You hear that, Pops?!
That's my boy! Way to go, Dogora!
Wow! That's the first A rank attribute we've seen!
Seems like you can't get higher ranks without a talent.
No talent.
You have a talent!
No talent.
Next, it's time for Gerda's child Kr-
Krena's turn! Here goes!
K-Krena?
Holy crap...
Wh-what does it say, Reverend?!
It's a miracle.
A miracle?!
Wh-what is she?
Krena has the talent of... a Sword Lord! One of the best there is!
Didja hear that?!
Crazy to think there was a Sword Lord in our podunk little village!
Wowee! Krena's really something else!
Krena, sweetie! You hit the talent jackpot! S-S-Sword Lord!
Boo. I wanted to be Swordswoman.
Sword Lord! Sword Lord! Sword Lord! Sword Lord!
Well, that figures.
It's the only way to justify how ridiculously OP she is.
Lastly, we have Rodin's child Allen.
Okay. Get up there, son!
Finally. Now my parents will know that I'm a Summoner.
What the-? Why'd it disappea-
Are you okay, Allen?!
I'm fine. Krena's put me through worse.
Anyway, what's my talent?
Please, Reverend. We don't know how to read.
Could you tell us what it says about Allen?
Of course.
Does he have a talent?
Well, if you must know...
Yes?
...he has no talent.
Huh?!
No way, I've gotta have a talent...
Is that a friggin' text glitch?!
Shit! These useless devs!
"Elmea the God of Creation", my ass!
Learn how to debug your game! You scrub!
Now nobody will know that I'm a summoner, dammit!
C'mon, Allen. Let's head home.
Mommy's waiting.
Welcome home!
We're back.
We're home.
Hey there, Mash.
Were you a good boy?
Talents don't matter, anyway.
You're always going to be our pride and joy!
That's right, Allen.
Big Bwudda!
So poor we don't even have a bathtub.
But I'm still happy I was born into this family, regardless.
Although, I'm older than all of them...
All my attributes are E rank.
I learned at least one thing today.
I'm the only one in this world playing on Hell Mode.
Everyone at the Appraisal Ceremony was five years old,
which means they should all be level one like me.
The rank system probably reflects the amount of growth that they can expect
whenever they level up.
So I assume the reason why all my attributes are E rank...
...is because my progress in Hell Mode is a hundredth of the norm.
And when you take that into account,
my ranks must be showing the same fraction of their actual value.
During a boom of weaksauce games, I got reborn in a world where I'm the only one on Hell Mode.
Heh. This would make normal people pull their hair out.
But not me! I'm here to put weaksauce games in their place!
I'll spend my life proving that hardcore gaming is where its at!
Except...
...that weird text was obviously a glitch.
The devs have gotta fix this shit!
Time to complain! I'll drown them in a sea of letters!
Don't underestimate a gamer who has no life!
Hey, Mommy.
What's wrong with Daddy?
He's been like that ever since he got home late last night.
Huh...
Thanks for comin', y'all! We appreciate it!
Of course. Krena being a Sword Lord is worth celebrating.
Congratulations!
Thanks!
Hey, Allen, didja know? Sword Lord is even better than Swordswoman!
Whoa! Is that right?
Gotta play dumb.
Yeah! So now I'm gonna get even stronger!
Shucks. But you already trample all over me.
Oh, guess what?
The chieftain stopped by earlier and gifted us this celebratory liquor!
I'll let you guys crack it open.
Here, hon.
Well, congrats. Enjoy the booze.
Guests drink first in this house.
Hmm. Is he jealous over the whole Sword Lord thing?
Nah, Dad's not that petty.
Drink up.
Forget it! I'm not drinking anything you pour with that sour look on your face.
Hey, don't give me that!
Then quit being such a buzzkill about this!
I'm happy for you, dammit!
Krena has an amazing talent! That's cause for celebration!
Fine! Then why the hell did you say you were cutting ties with our family?!
Huh?!
It's not like I want to!
But hear me out. Krena's talent is extraordinary.
She can join the knighthood and serve the country.
There's a good chance she can even become nobility!
People with talent like that shouldn't waste their time socializing with serfs!
Ah. He's trying to do them a favor they didn't ask for.
Sword Lord is a big deal!
That doesn't make a damn difference!
Like hell it doesn't, you blockhead!
Ugh, what a headache.
Why are so you hung up on this?!
But I better do something.
What part of "Sword Lord" don't you get?!
Hey, Krena? Maybe you should make them settle down.
I'm on it!
Enough, hon! Knock it off!
You, too, Rodin!
Gerda.
Stay out of this, wo-
All taken care of.
Never mess with a woman.
Hey, Auntie? Have they always butt heads like this?
Yep. Fatherhood has helped them mellow out,
but they used to be hotheads who threw punches at each other all the time.
Ah, the old days.
You know, Allen, the four of us are actually childhood friends
who grew up in the same village together.
Oh really?
Ten years ago, word went around about settling a new village.
And we all decided to join that effort together.
I remember we had a group discussion
about working together to build our own houses.
Have you noticed this house has the same design as ours?
Oh, you're right!
It was easier to just build both at the same time.
Given the labor and supplies needed.
I'm the one who put up the support beams.
Well, I'm the one built the walls and floors.
Yeah, well, I did the roofs.
Liquor, huh?
Haven't had any since my wedding day.
Same here.
Ow!
Does it sting, hon? Sorry about that.
Aw, it's nothin'!
Hey, Gerda!
Huh?
The Order of Knights? They're coming to see Krena?
Knights! Knights! Knights!
There's the Sword Lord.
She's just a kid.
Seems like word about Krena is spreading.
Hey, dirthead!
Think I remember this kid from the Appraisal Ceremony.
Already flaunting his talent as an Axe User, huh? If you can call that big stick an axe.
What do you think you're doing?
Talentless losers have no place here!
Cuz Allen is strong!
As-if! He's a weakling!
All his ranks were E! And he's a serf!
That's enough, Krena.
Lemme go!
The Order of Knights has arrived!
Make way!
So cool!
There's the captain! He's a Sword Master!
They're here! Knights! Knights! Knights!
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Chieftain.
Welcome, my good sir!
Come here! Krena, Gerda!
Kniiiiights!
Krena's beyond excited.
It's been three years since we first started playing knights.
And now she's meeting the real thing!
You must be the Sword Lord.
Yeah! I'm Krena!
Say "sir"!
Sir!
I wonder if Krena will leave the village to become a knight now?
Kinda tugs at the heartstrings.
Please wait!
My daughter is only five years old and hasn't even touched a real sword before!
She wouldn't stand a chance!
But she's a Sword Lord, is she not? What's the problem?
Unless you're afraid to admit that you lied.
Is this some kind of trick to fool Baron Granvelle?
Of course not, sir! It's just...
Vice-Captain!
Make ready.
Yessir!
Please don't, sir!
What's going on? Something seems wrong.
Falsifying the results of the Appraisal Ceremony is punishable by death.
We must determine whether this young lady's talent as Sword Lord is legitimate.
Thus we shall now hold a fencing duel!
Did I just hear that right?!
Have mercy, sir!
My daughter's life is at stake here!
She must fight. Or we'll execute her and her family on the spot.
What the hell? That's not fair at all!
Have these people lost their minds?!
K-Krena!
Hey, mister! Do I get to use that sword?
Yes.
It's okay, Daddy! I'll do it!
Oh, jeez... seriously?
I am Krena the Knight! I challenge you! Have at thee!
My name is Leibrand. I accept your challenge.
K-Krena...
Holy moley! How can she use a sword that's nearly as tall as her?!
Krena's "Sword Mastery" skill should be about level five thanks to our daily playfighting.
But I'm not sure how much that will actually help her...
Krena!
Get off me, assholes! That's my daughter!
Krena!
Dammit! It's obviously too much for her!
She may be a Sword Lord, but adults still have the advantage in skill and level!
This is an Extra Skill...
Krena!
The duel is over!
Lower your weapons.
Huh? It's over already?
Thanks so much!
You're super strong, gramps!
Uh, I'm actually not that old...
That little girl just beat the vice-captain of the knights!
She's the real deal! A Sword Lord!
That's my girl!
Krena survived!
Oh man, I almost had a heart attack there.
Talk about being tougher than nails.
Well, I'll be. There's no refuting this.
Hold on. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?
Daddy! That tickles!
Gerda.
I commend you on raising a Sword Lord.
Let me apologize for my boorishness.
Your daughter has a marvelous talent.
Hence, I would like a chance to discuss her future with you.
Well, I'm not so sure...
Please bring your friends, if it makes you more comfortable.
The big guy's still upset.
Guess I can't blame him.
I get why the captain and the chieftain's son are here...
But what's with axe boy and his dad?
Trying not to get overshadowed by the Sword Lord?
Anyways, I'm gonna sneak some of this molmo fruit home!
Please feel free to eat while I talk.
Let me introduce myself. I am Zenof, captain of the knights.
I was sent here by the order of my lord to determine
whether a true Sword Lord was among us.
And the results were crystal clear.
So, Chief Deboji.
Uh, yessir!
This frontier village was set to be named after you once it was fully established.
However, now that we know a Sword Lord has been born here, my lord has declared
that we should honor this momentous occasion by naming it "Krena Village" instead.
Huh?!
Y-yes, very well!
I respect the baron's decision, of course.
Sorry for the change.
Three years back, there was a Sword Lord born to the family of a count.
Wait. I'm pretty sure Sword Lords can only be born in the serf, commoner, or baron social classes.
That particular individual went on to serve the royal family, but failed to meet expectations.
This led to a re-appraisal,
in which it was made clear their talent was that of an ordinary Swordsman.
Afterwards, it was discovered numerous members of nobility had exaggerated their talents.
Therefore, the kingdom has made it a point to thoroughly verify all results.
Well, that's understandable.
Gerda, my chum. Please forgive me for putting your daughter through such a harsh trial.
Sure.
It goes without saying, but please continue to raise Krena and help her flourish as a Sword Lord.
When she reaches the age of 12, she can go study at the Academy.
And eventually, serve directly under the royal family.
Oh! So there's an academy for people with talents?
Can anybody who goes to the academy become a knight?
Hey, Dogora!
Please forgive him for talking out of turn, Sir Zenof!
Is he your boy?
Yessir. This here is my son, Dogora.
As it happens, he was appraised with the Axe User talent.
And he's always going on about how he'd like to be a knight...
Gotta hand it to him. This guy knows how to schmooze.
I see.
At some point, an instructor will be dispatched to this village.
Do your best to study and earn admission into the Academy.
Gotcha!
You gotta study with us, Allen!
Uh, sure.
Dirthead ain't got the brains for it!
He can't study himself out of a paper bag!
Can, too!
Nah, he's dumb as rocks!
That's just what you think!
Yeesh, I've got five year olds harassing me and defending me.
Whatever! Dummy!
Little do they know that I'm 40 inside.
Dark hair and dark eyes... who is this boy?
This is my son, Sir Zenof!
Oh, sorry. Let me introduce my best friend. His name is Rodin.
Rodin? You mean Rodin the Boar Hunter?!
Huh?
How rude of me!
Why didn't you say so earlier?
I need to pay proper respect to a village legend!
"Legend"? Pardon, but how do know my name?
Well, the baron is most fond of the Great Boar meat that is supplied
by this village each winter, you see.
Ah.
They really struggled to hunt that huge boar down,
but I guess the baron reaps most of the benefit, huh?
From what I've heard,
Rodin is the man responsible for taking on the most dangerous role in the hunts.
You're a veritable hero!
It's not just me saying this. Please consider it praise from the baron himself.
Why thank you!
Dad's a superstar!
Ya know, Krena might become a hero right out of the storybooks someday.
Gosh, you think so?
But go figure. Even serfs like me can get recognized by the bigshots.
Let's keep at it, okay? We'll strut our stuff with pride!
No matter how hard the work is.
You got it, Daddy!
He's preaching to the choir. I'm playing on Hell Mode, after all.
You'll do great things, son.
Cuz you've got my genes in you!
Oh, I almost forgot.
I snuck out some gifts for Mommy and Mash...
Was that a bad thing to do?
Whoa!
So did I!
You're the best, Daddy!
C'mon, let's head home!
ALLEN - AGE 5
EPISODE 2: THE APPRAISAL CEREMONY
SINCE YOU SELECTED A CLASS STILL UNDER TESTING,
IT TOOK TIME TO FINISH THE APPROPRIATE PAPERWORK.
OUR STAFF WORKED HARD TO FINISH
AS SOON AS WE COULD.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY QUESTIONS
OR CANCELLATIONS IN REGARDS TO CLASS SELECTION.
SINCERELY, ELMEA - THE GOD OF CREATION
NAME:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
TALENT:
PELOMAS
C
D
C
D
B
MERCHANT
APPRAISAL CEREMONY:
ATTRIBUTES ARE DISPLAYED WITH RANKS
NAME:
HP:
MP:
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
TALENT:
DOGORA
B
D
A
B
C
D
C
AXE USER
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
TALENT: SWORD LORD
ATTACK:
ENDURANCE:
AGILITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
LUCK:
TALENT:
S
A
C
B
SWORD LORD
NAME: ALLEN
HP: E
MP: E
ATTACK: E
ENDURANCE: E
INTELLIGENCE: E
LUCK: E
TALENT: RU?NEMOM/SH
EASY
NORMAL
EXTRA
HELL
HELL MODE:
ACQUIRING SKILLS AND LEVELING THEM UP REQUIRES
100 TIMES MORE EXP THAN NORMAL MODE.
THERE IS NO LEVEL CAP. THIS IS A GACHA-FREE
SYSTEM, SO ONLY THE SKILLS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR
CHOSEN CLASS ARE OBTAINABLE AT THE START.
REGRET IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES.
FOR YOU SHALL BE FACED WITH UTTER DESPAIR.
SHOULD YOU PROVE CAPABLE OF OVERCOMING DESPAIR,
YOU SHALL DISCOVER THE PRINCIPLE OF THE WORLD.
THIS MODE WAS MADE FOR FUN
BY THE DEVELOPMENT STAFF.
TALENT: RU?NEMOM/SH
THE HARDCORE GAMER DOMINATES
IN ANOTHER WORLD WITH GARBAGE BALANCING
KNIGHT CAPTAIN: ZENOF
TALENT:
SWORD LORD
TALENT:
SPEAR USER
24 YEARS OLD
CHIEFTAIN'S RESIDENCE