Alpha Zero (Alpha LitRPG Book 1) Arthur Stone (hardest books to read .txt) 📖

going quickly at first, as I was aiming for speed at the expense of neatness. The cord could form into a Gordian knot for all I cared, as long as I got the desired result, meaning the fish. The tackle could always be crafted anew.

There was enough wild leek on the pebbled beach to catch all of the river’s kote.

The cord grew taut again, making reeling difficult. Though the fish looked to weigh maybe thirty-five pounds, my arms insisted that the true weight was two hundred, at least.

The physical and mental fatigue was starting to get to me, as my hands started trembling. Still, I kept pulling and pulling while gasping for air and ignoring the burning sensation on my palms from the frayed cord.

Why would they call this river black when the water was crystal clear? The long ominous shadow creeping up on me gave me a start. It looked entirely too much like a crocodile stalking its prey.

The kote was still dazed, but that tail movement... It seemed to sway from more than just the current and my pulling efforts. Gathering whatever strength I had left, I held on to the cord with my left hand and reached into my pocket with the right.

Bloody hell! Where is it? The damned knife must have slipped out of my shallow pocket while the enraged fish dragged me across the river.

I turned to Beko, who was still standing there. His eyes were no longer round—they were bulging out of his sockets in defiance of physics.

“Give me your knife!” I yelled.

“It’s mine!” the ghoul replied fearfully.

“I said give it!!!” I bellowed so loudly that even the stunned kote jerked in response. Beko started, cowering for a moment, then rushed toward me.

Snatching the knife from him, I strained even harder to pull the fish’s head to the surface. It was starting to recover, and it wouldn’t be long until it took me on another jet ski adventure across Blackriver.

With a furious yelp, I brought down my right hand, burying the flint point into its head. The fish twisted violently, causing one of my feet to slip, but even as I fell into the water, I kept bashing its head again and again. I was lucky that the kote was still disoriented, its movements sluggish and thoughtless. It was merely delaying the inevitable rather than impeding me directly.

The second blow that struck the wound caused by the first made a crunching sound. The fish spasmed, throwing me on my back, but that was the end of its resistance. Only the tail kept quivering lightly—other bodily movements ceased being challenging to control.

I had reached the brain, it would appear.

But I wasn’t done yet. Pulling out the knife, I drove it back into the same wound, pressing as hard as I could. Then, grabbing the kote by the gill cover, I started dragging the prey ashore, but barely made it to the water line. Struggling to stay on my feet, I wheezed in a voice I no longer recognized.

“Pickaxe...”

Almost on autopilot, my grip closed on the proffered weapon’s wooden handle. The next moment, the stone beak smashed into the fish’s head.

And again.

And again for good measure.

The fourth blow wedged the pickaxe deep enough that I could no longer pull it out. It took all my remaining strength to drag the carcass ashore by the weapon’s handle and the cord, dumping it halfway on the pebbled beach, halfway in the water.

My feet buckled and I collapsed on my back, panting as I stared mindlessly at the clear sky—the perfect backdrop for taking in the long list of rewards ORDER was sending my way.

You have caught a kote using an unknown 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 (4th Degree of Enlightenment).

You receive:

Unknown Method

Superior Symbol of Chi x3

Superior Universal Attribute Embodiment x1

Superior Standard Talent Mark x1

Superior Personal State Embodiment, Enhanced Enlightenment x1

Superior Standard Universal State x1

Kote Defeated!

Lesser Symbol of Chi x26

Personal Attribute Embodiment, Agility x4

Personal Attribute Embodiment, Stamina x7

Personal Attribute Embodiment, Strength x2

Lesser Standard Attribute Mark x1

Talent Mark, Scent of Blood x1

Talent Mark, Detect Poison x1

Talent Mark, Detect Traps x1

Lesser Standard Talent Mark x11

Personal Talent Mark, Angler x1

You have crafted an unknown item. You have used an unknown item. You have successfully used an unknown item. Achievement unlocked: unknown item.

Crafting an Unknown Item

Lesser Symbol of Chi x7

Personal Attribute Embodiment, Agility x1

Personal Talent Mark, Novice Jeweler x1

Successful Use of an Unknown Item

Greater Standard Talent Mark x1

Greater Standard Universal State x1

Discovery of an Unknown Item

Superior Symbol of Chi x3

Superior Universal Attribute Embodiment x1

Superior Standard Talent Mark x2

Superior State Embodiment, Equilibrium x1

Superior Standard Universal State x2

Superior Standard Attribute Mark x2

You may now name the unknown item

That was a lot of words. More words by an order of magnitude than I had seen from the Order since the day I had regained Rock’s inner sight.

But I wasn’t reading or studying any numbers. I simply lay there, waiting for my breath and my thoughts to stabilize. It wasn’t until Beko finally stopped his mad dashing between me and the kote and started dragging the fish ashore that I began to take stock of what had happened.

Scanning the numbers as I gasped for breath for entirely different reasons, I said wearily.

“Beko, do you know who we are?”

“I know who you are!” Beko jabbered excitedly. “You’re a madman. A full-on psycho!”

“You’re wrong. Well, you’re not entirely wrong. There’s some of that, too. But no. We are winners, Beko. We have won.”

You have given a name to the unknown item: spoonbait.