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

His eyes glittered maliciously at me. Like all of the natives, he did have an intuitive understanding of the basics of mathematics. Without such an understanding, after all, one’s control over the numbers awarded by the ORDER was poor. Yet attempting to teach Beko anything beyond the basics felt like slamming my fist repeatedly into an impenetrable skull. Sometimes, I made rude comments to this effect.

I would have to acquire talents as a Teacher. Otherwise, I feared what might happen to me if Beko caught me alone. The man’s strange appearance could not be the only reason for the moniker of “ghoul.”

There was doubtless some more sinister reason, too.

After collecting the assortment of parts large and small, we set to work. We brought the baskets along, too. I still did not know for sure whether my idea would work. If it failed, I would have to fish using the old methods. We had a trading post quota to fill, and a significant debt to repay. I could repay it right now—but I would have to sell a bunch of ORDER items, which was undesirable.

Assembling the numerous parts took us half an hour. Everything fit and seemed to function—except that the line running to the handle didn’t have enough slack. After connecting the two completed halves of the device together, I secured them and began winding up the line. I didn’t have much to work with. A kote tore off a piece of line, and another portion, we had to cut up and discard when it became hopelessly entangled in the machine.

The ORDER made no reaction to my inventive activity. Creating something useless in the world of Rock was possible but was not rewarded. I had to prove that this contraption was not meaningless, and that I was not trying to cheat the system.

The best way to do that was to look for larger prey. I was not ready to go after the monstrous kotes yet. Only once I had developed my character more sufficiently would I attempt that again. My last swim and lost tackle in Blackriver had convinced me of that.

Reaching the tip of the sandbar, I used my talent several times to convince myself that no overly large kotes were nearby. I spent a good deal of Shadow doing so; I very much did not want to blow my first attempt.

How the ORDER would react to this event was unknown.

As I examined the water, I chose suitable quarry. A solitary fish had set an ambush, lying behind a small rock at the bottom of the river, about a hundred feet from shore. It was no small swimmer, but neither was it a monster. Twenty pounds, by my estimate. Earlier that morning, I would have been unable to reach it, but now I had some options.

The first cast failed. I felt like I was swinging not a fishing rod but a leaden shovel. The second cast also failed. The third hit home.

The spoonbait shuddered from the attack a mere second after it hit the water. The first pulled viciously, forcing me to step forward into the shallows, but its weight was not enough to defeat me.

Pulling it up to the surface was the hardest part. From experience, I knew that a hooked kote’s speed and struggle could drop markedly as soon as it hit the air. Unless it jumped out of the water on its own volition, its will to fight still strong.

I forced it to come up. This was easier now that I could wind the cord up, using the 5-foot reinforced fishing rod. It was rough and heavy, yes, but long and flexible enough to dramatically extend my own fishing capabilities.

And it didn’t mutilate my palms like the line had previously. Gloves had removed all feeling and feedback from the process, so we had needed to catch only the smallest specimens or risk ruined hands early in the day.

You have caught a kote by an unknown method, while making use of a known method. You have dealt significant damage to the kote. You have dealt fatal damage to the kote. The kote is dead. You have defeated the kote (2nd Degree).

You receive:

Unknown Method

Superior Symbol of Chi x5

Superior Standard Attribute Mark x2

Superior Standard Talent Mark x1

Superior Personal State Embodiment, Measure of Order x1

Superior Standard Universal State x2

Kote Defeated!

Lesser Symbol of Chi x15

Personal Attribute Mark, Agility x2

Personal Attribute Mark, Stamina x3

Personal Attribute Mark, Strength x2

Lesser Standard Attribute Mark x1

Talent Mark, Scent of Blood x1

Talent Mark, Detect Poison x1

Lesser Standard Talent Mark x5

Personal Talent Mark, Fishing Instinct x1

Unknown and known methods combined!

Greater Symbol of Chi x3

Greater Standard Attribute Mark x3

Greater Standard Talent Mark x3

You have crafted an unknown item. You have used an unknown item. You have successfully used an unknown item. You have earned an Invention: Unknown Item.

Crafting an Unknown Item

Lesser Symbol of Chi x13

Personal Attribute Mark, Agility x1

Personal Talent Mark, Novice Mechanic x1

Successful Use of an Unknown Item

Greater Standard Talent Mark x3

Greater Standard Universal State x2

Discovery of an Unknown Item

Superior Symbol of Chi x7

Superior Standard Attribute Mark x4

Superior Standard Talent Mark x2

Superior Personal State Embodiment, Chi Shadow x1

Superior Standard Universal State x3

You may now name your Unknown Item

You have discovered an unknown fishing talent. Talent Rank: 2. You must name the new talent.

Taking in each and every number awarded to me, I decided not to postpone the choices I had before me.

Two choices.

You are naming your unknown item: spinning rod with inertia-free reel.

You have named a new item. You receive:

Superior Standard Talent Mark x3

Superior Standard Universal State x1

You have given your unknown fishing talent a name: Trolling with Spinning Rod.

You have named your new talent.