Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

Warm. Kenichi came to realize that he had lost consciousness. And also realize that he was probably in a heated swimming pool, or something even warmer. 

(Eh? My breath?!)

Kenichi was in a state of confusion after having realized that he was submerged in some sort of a liquid. However, he couldn’t properly move his body as he couldn’t muster up the strength.

(This is not good, am I going to die like this? Hmm? What? I seem to be fine without breathing? What’s this?)

He was submerged in some warm liquid, couldn’t see nor breath but was somehow alright. And on top of that, there was something that made him unreasonably relaxed. 

Kenichi was your usual company employee and thus had been exposed to his fair share of adversities of the real world — such fatigue was also being cleansed away. 

He had become free from obstructive thoughts and just waited for time to pass by. 

About 10 days after that. 

Kenichi suddenly felt uneasy. He had no idea from what but he couldn’t help but feel anxiety. 

(Oh? Perhaps? This is…? Ggh, it hurts–)

He felt his whole body being tightly pressed from the head.

As before, he still couldn’t muster any strength, couldn’t see or hear. He was just in a state of consciousness. 

And just when the pressure had easened up, he felt he was being put in lukewarm water. 

(I–breathe, can’t–)

There was no problem not breathing till now but suddenly his body was dying for oxygen. Everytime he felt pain from not being able to breathe, an impact ran through his whole body starting from his buttocks. This went on a couple of times. It seems his buttocks were being hit. 

(Bu! That hurts! Whatchyu doin?!!)

“Fugyuaa, hogyaa!!!”«1»

“Oi, he is breathing! You did well, Theresia!!”

“Yes, dear…”

A voice had resounded — a voice he had heard for the first time. It felt like Japanese but he still couldn’t really see or hear properly. His respiratory tract had just been opened and so it kept sucking in the oxygen it so wanted, fresh or not. 

He felt like there were about 2-3 people surrounding him but he couldn’t tell the exact amount. 

After being taken out from the warm water, he had been wrapped up with something stiff before calming down.

(This is… there’s no room for doubt anymore — it’s reincarnation. Thank you very much. But why start from even before birth? At least let me start from 5 years or something!)

6 months went by. Kenichi spent his days observing the things around him. His eyes and ears could see and hear much better than when he was just born. 

He could also crawl now so while he couldn’t cover much distance, he did learn a way to move. 

“Allen, you wanna sleep?”

“Ai.”

He understood one thing for sure these past 6 months. The fact that Yamagata Kenichi had now become Allen. 

Although he couldn’t choose gender, he had safely made it here as a boy. 

The woman embracing him right now was Allen’s mother, Theresia. A woman in her late teens, who didn’t even look to be 20 years old. A very beautiful woman with green eyes and long brown hair tied behind. 

She gently put him down on a simple wooden bed. She raised the quilt, which felt stiff and rough, to his shoulders. 

“Theresia, I am back.”

It was now past noon. A robust looking man came in. He was dripping with sweat with soil sticking to his body here and there. 

This man was Allen’s father, Lodan. Same as Theresia, he also had brown hair and had very wild looks. His build was big and muscular. He was probably about 20 years old. 

Theresia usually called the man by ‘Dear’ so he had quite a difficult time learning his name. 

Theresia passed just 2 fluffy potatoes to Lodan. 

“Mm? You already ate?”

“Eh?”

Theresia froze slightly. Lodan gave back one of the potatoes to her. He had heard this exchange countless times over the past 6 months. 

“That’s not good. You can’t produce milk if you don’t eat properly. They have reduced the village tax till next year so we need to make the kid bigger by then.”

“Thank you, dear.”

(Does this village have no name?)

This seems to be a village which the landlord has recently cultivated. And they have probably gathered mostly young people here as from what he has heard until now, many houses nearby also had newborns. 

(I seem to be the only child of this couple.)

The only ones in this house were the father Lodan, the mother Theresia and him. 

The tax system of this newly cultivated village seemed to be a bit more favorable, leading him to think that Lodan and Theresia had come to this village after leaving their parents’ place. 

He stuffed his mouth with the potato, drank water from the wooden cup and went out again. He often kissed Theresia on the cheek before going out so it seems they are still very lovey-dovey. He might have a younger brother or sister sometimes soon. 

(Although not easy by any means, the serf’s lifestyle is okay in it’s own way.)

Allen had chosen to be a serf himself in the real world and so he didn’t have any complaints about the current situation now. A beautiful mother and a caring father. If he were to have one complaint, that would be–

(Status Open)

He raised his arm into the space above him and chanted in his heart, as if wanting for something. 

However, nothing came up. He brought his arm back. 

(I became a summoner, right? Is it that I am too young to summon anything yet? I can’t even open a status window — this is quite the ‘hell mode’. There’s nothing to do, though.)

Allen was a 6 month old infant. He was just that, nothing above it neither below it. While he was supposedly born as a summoner, he couldn’t do anything like it yet. 

(If I recall correctly, this sort of setting leads to the main character understanding the mana flowing through his body from a young age and ultimately acquiring a vast amount of mana. I feel no such thing from my body, though…)

And without any answer, the drowsiness came upon him. His body was completely that of an infant and so if he is hungry, he does end up crying and he also wets his pants. And when he slept, he went into a deep sleep. 

Another 6 months passed by — a year after being reincarnated. 

It was now autumn, leading him to think that he was born in this season. 

A more luxurious cooking than usual was lined up. Allen had started eating baby foods like boiled beans and soft and steamed mashed potatoes.

“Thanks to you defeating the ‘great boar’, the food today is quite luxurious.”

“Hmm, I did my best today for Allen!”

“Thank you, papa, mama.”

Allen’s family was a farming family. There was a field beside their house, cultivating potatoes and wheat and the like. He had only gone so far as to the garden while holding Theresia’s hand so this was all his assumption. 

They were completely farmhands for 9 months during this year. 

It seems in autumn, after harvesting the crops, the men of the village go out to a nearby forest to hunt. Apparently hunting is quite fun for his muscular father. 

He had heard him multiple times saying that he would have wanted to become a farmer if he wasn’t born as a serf. As the person who hunts gets a portion of the spoils, his father seemed to have done his best with it. 

(This is basically just raw, though.)

Feeling almost no saltiness from the food, Allen was still enjoying eating it. And the mashed apple-like fruit was indeed delicious. 

After dinner, Allen thought when he was put to bed. 

(This isn’t too bad, I guess. I’ll probably become the summoner before long, too.)

While thinking so, he slowly raised his hand to the air and muttered the phrase he had muttered dozens of times in the past. 

(Status Open)

-Ting-

And suddenly, a jet black book appeared in front of Allen’s eyes. It was floating just a bit farther away from his hand. 

TL Note: «1»In what world does a newborn baby go “Fugyuaa, hogyaa!!!”? 

Anyway, here’s the second chapter. See you guys again next week!