Hell Mode: Volume 2

Hell Mode Light Novel #2

by Hamuo, Mo (Illustrator), Taishi (Translator)

A new adventure awaits Allen as he enters the service of a noble!After climbing up the social ladder from serf to manservant, Allen now finds himself dragged around by the whims of the willful young lady of the house, Cecil Granvelle. Despite this, he is free to leave the city—and immerse himself in hunting monsters!As Allen meticulously grinds on goblins and orcs, both he and his Summons grow stronger by the day. At the same time, he begins to earn the trust of the members of House Granvelle with his diligent work ethic.Just as everything seems to be going well, however, the viscount overseeing the next fiefdom over seems to be up to something.As danger creeps toward Cecil, Allen declares, “I promised to protect you, Lady Cecil. And I keep my promises.”Going all out with his skills and Summons, Allen must resist evil and impending doom!

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Role Playing Games, Manga, Slice Of Life, Magic

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2020

Reviews

[Akshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

  

  Hell Mode: Volume 2 - A Gripping Continuation Packed with Twists
  

Hell Mode: Volume 2 by Hamuo delivers a gripping continuation of the darkly humorous and action-packed saga introduced in the first volume. The stakes are higher, the challenges are tougher, and the protagonist’s journey takes unexpected turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Hell Mode: Volume 2 delves deeper into the intricacies of the game-like world and the protagonist's evolving abilities. As he navigates through increasingly perilous scenarios, his character development is both compelling and nuanced. The novel continues to blend intense action with a sardonic sense of humor, making it a standout in the genre.

Comparing to Contemporaries:

Compared to other post-apocalyptic light novels, Hell Mode: Volume 2 maintains its unique identity through its distinctive tone and narrative style. While series like No Game No Life by Yuu Kamiya focus on strategic mind games and intellectual battles, and Log Horizon by Mamare Touno explores the social and political dynamics of a game-like world, Hell Mode leans heavily into the absurdity and brutality of survival. Its dark humor and relentless pacing set it apart from the often more serious and contemplative nature of its contemporaries.

The world-building in Hell Mode: Volume 2 continues to impress, with Hamuo expanding on the lore and mechanics of the "Hell Mode" system. The introduction of new characters and factions adds depth and complexity to the narrative, providing fresh challenges and alliances for the protagonist.

  

  Spoiler Alert!
  

One of the most shocking moments in Volume 2 is the protagonist's confrontation with a powerful new adversary who forces him to confront his own limitations and make difficult choices. This encounter not only raises the stakes but also deepens the character's internal conflict, adding a layer of psychological tension to the story.

In conclusion, Hell Mode: Volume 2 is a thrilling and worthy sequel that builds on the strengths of its predecessor while introducing new elements that keep the narrative fresh and engaging. Hamuo's ability to balance intense action, dark humor, and character development makes this volume a standout in the genre.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 stars)

Whether you're a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction or dark comedy, Hell Mode: Volume 2 offers a unique and exhilarating reading experience that is sure to leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment.

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allen has taken on the job of a manservant, which mostly means serving at the whim of Lady Cecil, the Baron's daughter. But despite the comfortable job, Allen isn't one to give up on his training plans. He's got monsters to slay, skills to level, and woe to all the goblins that stand in his way . . .

So this book really feels like part of the introductory arc, as it's here we finally get the rest of the basic pieces of worldbuilding. Allen as a serf had zero idea what the world was like outside his village. The Baron's house isn't exactly a cosmopolitan hub, but it's a lot better at filling him in to some of the basic facts about the world he lives in.

I don't like Cecil. I'm noticing a trend here where Allen keeps getting stuck with girls who boss him around. Thankfully, though, the story stays more focused on Allen and what he's doing to work on himself more than any horrible circumstances Cecil manages to get him into.

There are also some interesting twists near the end. Not totally unexpected---if you were paying attention to some of the details in the first book. But an interesting way to take things here.

I also like the versatility Allen is developing with his summons. As his skill levels, he gets more and more options, and more and more ways to use the options he had. Fighting is just as much about being smart as it is powerful. And he might have a lot of POTENTIAL, but there are still an awful lot of things in this world that can wreck him right now.

Overall if you liked the first book even a little, I would encourage reading this one for the full prologue experience. By the end of this one, Allen is once again ready to move into a new phase of his life, and it looks to just keep getting better. I rate this book Recommended.

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allen starts his new life as a servant for the Granvelle family, not exactly his choice, but he soon realizes it was not a bad idea. Sure, no non-stop monster hunting, but it gives him the time to learn a bit of the world, making his hunt time on his free days all the more profitable, at first for learning how his talent works and later monetary as well as he becomes the baron's Hunter. He also starts wondering why monsters are much stronger then expected or why nobles are unhappy when their children have a talent. Questions whose answers show that he has much to learn.

Like volume 1, the book shines in the mechanical area: solid analysis of his abilities and as such creating a hard magic system in which we know exactly what Allan can and cannot do. As a character he is a bit cold and distant, treating it much like a game, caring little about the lore or the people in it. It makes sense considering his background, but it does make the side characters a tad bland, something the author themselves admit to in the afterword as well (and which the author hopes to remedy in the published version by adding more side stories). The focus is also much on abilities and a bit of world building which I personally like, but even I feel the story is a bit bland at times.

Still, a solid sequel and I am looking forward to the next part. Lets see how much of a game the world Allen is or that maybe he is going to get hurt by his own focus on grinding at the cost of lore (which makes sense: how often do games really punish the player for ignoring lore?)...

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Allen runs all around killing hundreds of thousands of monsters on his days off. He solo clears a nest that was thought impossible to clear even by the most powerful adventuring party. He fights people somehow even more powerful than himself. He then discovers the big secret threat that is impossible for him and everyone else not to know about, but it was so secret even the author had no idea until he invented it at the end of the book.

Boring, dumb and badly written. One would expect a novel with a baked in numerical system to be more consistent and structured, and yet it isn't. The numbers and letters are just spewed out at random with no effort by the author to use them to make a coherent world. No one in the world acts as people would if the world worked the way it is presented. Reading this feels like shoveling a pile of garbage and seeing random things turn up.

[Tomcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow paced and repetitive.

The story is good, but get slow as the author keeps repeating and explaining in length the skills and stats over and over. The action scenes are few, and the climatic parts gets ruined with very strange descriptions, the Murdergalsh scene is just bad. Editing could improved, and some worlds seems just straight from a translator. Also a lot of times the author jumps from first to third person in the same paragraph. Not a bad book, and hopefully with experience next volumes will improved.

[Cody Enos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phew~

Plowed through this in a day. Surprisingly, with the main character in a new setting it didn’t really give new or interesting character interactions until near the end. For the most part the main character was solo adventuring while being a perfect servant, which left me a tad disappointed, but after that third act and the promise of what’s to come in volume 3 I think everything I was worried about I won’t have to worry about.

But yeah, more grinding and world building. I look forward to new characters and actually making friends.

[Tim Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A interesting game mode

I'm really enjoying the story of learning about the adventures of Allen and the family that he works for. I also like the adventure of the world that's being built and a politics that is going on and we learn something new towards the end which is very interesting. Our main character continues to grow strong and learn more about his summoning ability. Can't wait to read more of what happens in the next volume and see what happens next.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its laser-like focus on RPG elements, I feel like this isn't a book I should enjoy. In general if I want to stare at screens full of statistics I generally would actually play an RPG (or just go to work...). But the setting and the characters and the slow-developing plot are just good and well-done here and make me not mind the litrpg flavor.

[Bryce Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

I’m thinking of a way to get to 20 words to fill the requirements for leaving a review when all I can say is that I enjoyed the book and that I look forward to the next one and I don’t want to spoil the book for you.

[Evan McCullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book.

I preordered this book immediately after finishing the first. I love the progression of the characters. Yes he is strong, but Allen is no super human... Yet at least. I enjoyed the length too. Here's waiting for the next!

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly Exceptional!!!

I really love this series so far, and am looking forward to its continuation! In this book, Allen grows considerably by overcoming every obstacle in his path and figures out his place in the world.

[Thai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Isekai book, guy gets stuck into a game and the difficulty is ramped up to hell mode.
He has a unique class by summoning monsters.
It has game elements and repetitiveness to it.
I love monster summoning and game elements to it.

[Micah Ricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book! It still felt a lot like mushoku Tensei through the first two thirds. But the reveal at the end really opened up the world and I can see this series becoming its own thing!

[Jodi Bolon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Love the first book and couldn't wait for the second one. Will patiently wait for the next to where all the characters end up.

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much more enjoyable than the first one. It really was like grinding through the tutorial to unlock the rest of the game. And I liked Cecil. She tried her best.

[Muaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Now I have good grasp of the plot.

[Pakapak Sankhasundara · Rating 5 out of 5]

ยกให้เป็น light novel แนว isekai ที่ดีที่สุดของปีนี้เลย
ถ้าสามารถทนความหนืดของเล่ม 1 ไปได้ก่อนนะ

[Genielle Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun story

I really enjoyed reading this series so far. I'm eager for more! I can't wait till they go demon hunting!

[Sandra (I don't read, I devour.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here, is where Allen can grow. I absolutely love this novel and it's fun to see some of the people around him finally get a hint of who he is, and what he can be.

We got our first indication of that when Rodin got hurt. And I laughed the entire scene, but here? Here Alan has two enemies that are good indications of where he is right now in power.

Tiny spoiler, but we also meet the first of his party members. We also, for the first time get an indication of just how bad things are in the world and why Allen, why hell mode.

[Efreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bring Krena Back!

There's at least 5 novels published in JP, so hopefully more are released here soon?

[Douglas Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next

The Exceptional adventure continues with no end in sight. Awaiting the next day you are feeling that the story continues with more surprise to come.