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

Superior Standard Talent Mark x3

So not only was I a winner, but also a pioneer.

I had discovered a previously unknown item.

Unknown in Rock, at least.

A simple spoonbait.

I may have had a ways to go to Christopher Columbus, but ORDER had apparently deemed the feat worthy just the same.

Chapter 18 A Mountain of Riches

No Stat Changes

Hugo squatted over the bloodied, sand-covered kote carcass. He stuck his fingers in the hole left by the pickaxe, poked around in there for some reason, then turned to Ash.

“I haven’t seen a kote this large since last year, the one Hegero had shot from Hawkstone. It was a clean headshot, lucky the beast didn’t drown right away. Our fishermen very rarely catch them. What the hell did you do, lads? Did you use that thing to kill it?” the hulk gestured at the pickaxe in Beko’s hand.

“We did,” I replied. “Why, is that bad?”

“That was stupid of you. You let out the brain. Kote brain makes a quality spice.”

“We didn’t know. Nobody told us about the brain.”

“Well, now you know.”

With a shrug, I made a pointed observation.

“We won’t be able to recover the brain now. Please accept our apologies.”

“Brain, liver, roe. All these are spices,” Hugo informed us graciously. “And the scales make good chicken feed. Makes them lay larger eggs.”

As he said this, Hugo turned toward Romris and two other fishermen who were barely teenagers. All three were huddled up under their awning, staring at the enormous kote with bulging eyes. The combined efforts of me and Beko had been sufficient merely to drag it to the spot, where we had been met by the top brass, already informed by onlookers that something unimaginable was happening down on the beach.

The fishermen dropped their eyes under management’s scrutinizing gaze. Hugo smirked.

“And what is your haul for the day? Same as always, I bet?”

“Well, uh, you can’t really use dragnet these days,” Satat offered the excuse weakly. “The kote scared away all the fish from the shallows, and the water is pretty cold.”

“Here is your kote,” Hugo pointed at the dead fish. “And your dragnet was put to good use just last night. It caught a few Carps, fat and juicy. Now take a good look at these boys and their haul as compared to yours. They can hardly believe it themselves, but they did it.”

Hugo was dead on about the disbelieving part. I still didn’t fully comprehend how it could have happened. This kote was like a living torpedo—strong enough to sink battleships. OK, maybe that was an exaggeration, but still. It was nearly my height, and weighed at least forty-five pounds, if not sixty-five.

A pity there wasn’t a scale around to commemorate the trophy.

Catching Ash’s gaze on me, I tried to assume a most imperturbable demeanor. It probably looked comical from the side, but I had to try to look serious if I wanted to be taken seriously.

Gesturing at the fish, I spoke with as much bombast as I could muster.

“We said that we would catch a kote, and we did. Now can we forget about last night’s incident?”

“I am not in favor of forgetting such things,” Ash said in an ominous tone. “When things are forgotten, they tend to repeat themselves. And I don’t want you engaging in such antics again. Pranks can be fun and all... But sometimes they can end badly. For all involved. Do I make myself clear?”

I nodded. “Crystal clear. But I was actually referring to something else.”

“I know exactly what you were referring to, boy. You must be putting your attribute marks into your silver tongue, smooth-talker that you are. My word is stronger than the stones upon which this fort was built. If I said that you’re free, then you’re free. And you may take your haul. Or you may not. I’m giving you a choice.”

Ash’s stare changed from heavy to assessing. And it was me he was assessing.

Was he putting me up on the market or something?

“What choice would that be?”

“You can take your fish and do with it what you please. Nobody’s going to force you to clean latrines. Or you can leave the fish for the fort. Our miners will be happy to dine on fried kote tonight—they don’t get it too often. And we can make good use of the spices from its liver. If you leave the fish, you’re not going to get anything for it. You will get porridge for dinner. But the Shiteaters will be pardoned, so they won’t need to clean out the cesspits as their punishment. Now decide who the fish belongs to: you or us?”

“The fish is yours,” I said without hesitation.

At those words, Beko stumbled, as if having been whacked on the head with a club, and mumbled something under his breath. Of all the things he’d said, the only distinct sound was “mine,” uttered through bitter tears.

Was it my imagination or did I see approval flicker in Ash’s eyes?

The fort commander gave a steady nod.

“That was the right choice. The rightest choice. I told myself that if you make this choice, I will make you a good offer in return. Though I should give you a good thrashing, I think you can be of use to the fort. So I will give your team the cellar in the corner depot. Ore used to be stored there—before we moved the furnace. It’s dry and warm, much better than your barn. And you’ll be fed breakfast and dinner. Porridge, bread and butter, cured meats, broth and fried squash from the garden. You’ll eat the same as the miners, hunters and other workers. In exchange, each day you will deliver one basket of kote meat. Standard size, but full.