Alpha Zero (Alpha LitRPG Book 1) by Arthur Stone (top 5 books to read TXT) 📕

it too quickly. The boat’s mass helped cushion the strongest maneuvers, making the fight much easier.

Our old fish scoop had been lost in the shelf rapids. I had made a new one quickly, out of the top of a tree in the river and a homemade net of repurposed lengths of anchor rope. The result was too rough and too small, especially for prey like this. Thankfully, I had a sharpened stake at the ready. I just had to get the kote close enough.

Once I did, I jabbed and heaved the fish up so powerfully that I cut deep into its side. Pulling my prey up to the raft almost caused my hands to get dislocated. Holding the crazed predator on the platform, I stabbed it through the head.

I knew that the brains were best treated gently, yes. But there wasn’t anyone to sell them to. I wouldn’t mind if they were lost entirely.

My activities had gone far beyond poaching now—I was destroying the riches of the river. One fish would have been enough food for us both. A small garpike had yielded enough sustenance and spice for us for two days. Today, I had killed and then tossed back dozens of medium- and large-sized fish.

To be sure, I was all for the conservation of nature. But first and foremost, I was for the conservation of myself. And I sure as hell needed all kinds of rewards from the ORDER to get to the next part of my plan: a talent that let me work with artifacts. Time was running out. Soon, the Claw would lose its charge, and I had to learn how to sustain the enchantment’s effect by then.

I did not want to lose so many attribute levels, even if they were poorly developed.

Activating the Artificer talent would cost 600 chi. Raising the 1st tier of the talent to level 10 would take another 1000. That was the point at which a new talent blossomed with possibility. 1600 chi was several times more than I had ever used. Thus the wanton destruction of the river biome.

Now, if I used all of the chi symbols I had and melted down all of the other reward items, I would have enough. Perhaps the full 1st tier wouldn’t help me out much, but I had to start somewhere. I would not have the patience needed to accumulate enough chi for the standard goal of 3rd tier. That would cost an additional 2000, after all.

A colossal sum, one I could hardly wrap my head around. My mother could never have dreamed of such wealth. Come to think of it, less than a month ago, ten marks of chi had seemed like a fortune.

Now, I was operating with thousands.

Ah, the price of progress.

Unlocking the talent and pushing it to level 10 caused me no ill effects. My body was used to such dramatic changes—only the Chaos element in the last talent acquisition had managed to put me under.

As I examined the talent, my feelings were conflicted. There were both good sides and bad.

Worst of all, it didn’t help my situation. There was no way to bolster my amulet with this new knowledge. In this regard, I might as well have thrown all of that loot into an abyss.

One plus, though, was that at level 10 I could fully discern the effects an artifact had—and also notice items which could be imbued with magical effects. This did not cost any Shadow of Chi. It was like a second sight.

Noticing active or potential artifacts was valuable in general but utterly unhelpful in my position. But discerning all of the attributes of my amulet? That alone might render the chi cost worth it.

Black Claw on a String A body part of an unknown creature of Chaos. Amulet. A chi vessel which has absorbed part of the power of Clan Crow.

Active Effects:

Caster: unknown caster. Powerful chi surge.

 

Provisional Enlightenment Degrees +2 (with your current talents, this has one effect: others may conclude that your Degree of Enlightenment rank is 2 higher than its actual value)

Stamina: +9 attribute levels, +90 absolute Stamina points (days remaining: 35)

Agility: +6 attribute levels, +60 absolute Agility points (days remaining: 35)

Strength: +3 attribute levels, +30 absolute Strength points (days remaining: 35)

Effect from the shadow talent of the Enlightened Treya of Clan Crow: this amulet is invisible to others (days remaining: 35)

 

Due to your extended use of this amulet, and your experience of the chi surge, you have bonded with this item. Even if you take it off, its effects will continue to apply to you for a time. However, the amulet must remain close to you. Conversely, no other person who puts your amulet on will immediately receive its effects.

The description was much more detailed now. At last I knew how much the amulet added to my attributes, in absolute terms.

I nearly burst into tears. My worst fears had been realized. The Claw’s attributes were at their lowest possible values. Each attribute level gave me only +10 absolute attribute points. With a Strength level of 3, for example, I had a miserable 30 Strength.

Chaos take this amulet! Only 18 attribute levels.

No wonder that, before I had managed to boost my “native” parameters, I had been afraid of a stiff breeze.

Encountering one might have killed me!

However, the amulet’s paltry boosts had allowed me to survive my first, most difficult days here. It was thanks to them that I had become the first alpha zero in the history of Rock. I had consumed more treasure in this one “degree” than most nobles ate in the course of their lives. Some managed to match me, but only in adulthood, at the cost of great deeds and great expenses, poured into boosting their Equilibrium.

And so, I did not want to give the amulet