Limitless by John Gold (best e reader for android txt) 📕

point. I mean, it isn’t divine magic. It’s more raw strength that can take on different forms. Your body isn’t capable of coping with that kind of power.”

“How come he’s okay with it?”

Sagie pointed at the second guy, who was standing at the edge of the drop-off. He was the one radiating the limitless power Kilaya felt. Her fur stood on end, and the totem wolf snarled, putting itself between the shaman and the unfamiliar player.

“I have no idea. His body can definitely withstand enormous strain. Even the power he’s emanating right now is having no effect on him, which means his limit is at least ten times higher.”

“How do you know? Is there some way of identifying development potential?”

“No. I mean, sure, but it’s theoretical, based on rules we already know. There are hundreds of abilities that aren’t registered by the system until they interact with somebody. They impact the real body, depleting its strength. I have a spirit visor that enables me to see your strength as the aggregate of your attribute panel, and it can drain my real body to the point of anemia and hospitalization if I use it for too long or too intensively. But you know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“As a rule, the strength that pools abilities like that depends on how developed your in-game body is and how many attribute points you’ve assigned to stamina.”

“And your intellect determines how strong the effect will be?”

“No, it’s all about mastery, though there is some kind of pattern that links intellect, perception, and mastery. The higher the first two, the faster the third develops. Mages say that this makes it easier to sense strength. Warriors can feel it flowing through their mental body.”

“Reiji’s stamina is a bit better than mine, though I’m nearly double his with my equipment.”

“You don’t get it. Personal attributes are all that matter. Clothes and jewelry aren’t a factor. And why should I even be explaining all this to you anyway? You changed my class, you made me a shapeshifter, and you animated my pet. Do you have any idea what will happen to me if she dies?”

The she-wolf dove through Kilaya’s body into the astral. Her stamina bar as well as her other attributes leaped significantly higher.

“I didn’t think anything would happen. Your pet is chimeric, so it will resurrect in your body if it dies. The rest is whatever. Am I correct in thinking that there are ways to increase your strength pool as well as how much your body can fit and use?”

Question, answer, survival—this was the only rule guiding the conversation, and it was a rule the girl, being an experienced Hunter, understood without needed it to be explained.

Several hours had gone by since Kilaya found Sagie’s group. He wasn’t the tyrant, villain, and brute the media made him out to be, and she was able to figure out that the tree was linked to him in such a way that it projected his emotions. None of the people with Sagie got involved in the conversation. Instead, they hung back in case they needed to protect him from Kilaya, which certainly ran counter to the narrative that he forced everyone to stand in line behind him. The Mystery, as he was called by reporters, was an incredibly lonely young man who hid his pain behind a smile and a mask of calm.

∞ ∞ ∞

The shaman showed up just in time. The closer the battle gets, the more worried I am, so the information about how to manipulate my life aura is perfect. As I approach the subconscious, I’m able to use more strength, though it comes at a cost: my skin dries out, then my muscles weaken, and finally, my arms stop working. When the concentration gets critical, my arms start rotting away, giving me debuffs for my mental body and energy channels.

The first time, I use panacea, and then I have to wait two and a half hours for it to recharge. Constantly using weaker healing, however, fixes that problem. I’m constantly on the brink of death, though the healing keeps me from tipping over the edge. But even like that, I’m ten times weaker than Reiji. Ah, I wish I could see what the mysterious Aurin turned his energy channels into. Reiji can saturate his entire body with strength to use in attack and defense.

There’s a whole army of players gathering below us to remove the seal from the portal but only one in every ten or so has reached Level 9000, the level required to beat the quest. Idiots! Did they not imagine what kind of portal keeper could stand up to a crowd of five hundred players? Maybe, they want to rush him en masse.

There are so many people that they’re able to line the entire portal ring. The first rows step onto it simultaneously, moving toward the center in their battle formations. The buffers surrounding the ring activate magic auras and start casting amplification spells, while mobile battle weapons have been set up outside the ring aimed at the portal. Some of the players were able to go through the rebirth process: angels, demons, giants, draenei, mermen, and even spirits. Whoever can fly over the field does so. Still, they join the players on the ground, slowly decreasing their circles. The first row hides behind shields when it crosses into the activation area, though the astral portals don’t open. Instead, a figure starts to materialize on top of the cube. The devil! It’s the devil from Hell! I recognize him as the same person who told me the trial was complete. He’s wearing the same clothes he was wearing then.

Eru, Idzumi, non-level, non-category, keeper of the portal

 

What’s an Eru?

The players all look at Idzumi for a second, but he just leaps into the crowd and begins to slaughter them. Heads are torn off with bare hands, red spears rain down, and the bodies of the wounded explode. The air is filled with blood, shouts, fire, lightning, and