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

backpack, a small belt-strapped bag and a protective sleeve for my spinning rod. After all, I had to keep my primary tools safe. I wanted to purchase a bow, but there were none to be found at the merchant’s.

He offered the obligatory alternative, of course. “It won’t take long to get one. Explain what you need and I’ll take care of it. Or take a look at this set of throwing knives.”

“Tell me about them.”

“They’re excellent knives, the best you’ll find here. Six in total, set in sheathes of lizard skin. Their balance is ideal, and their steel tip is forge-hardened. This knife will not break or lose its bite, not even if you hurl it into a boulder. But don’t get carried away. It’s just regular metal, after all, and will see some wear if you continue to repeat the boulder target practice.”

“Why hasn’t anyone bought them yet if they’re so good?”

“No one wants to spend that much money. They’re an expensive acquisition. Our hunters prefer bows, and our guards crossbows. Throwing knives isn’t for everyone. What would you use them for, Ged? Who’s the target?”

“We’re living in tough times. Some bandit is out there shooting people in the eye. Another is leaving people without their skin. A man should have a way to defend himself.”

“Do you know how to use these?”

“I’ll learn.”

“It’s not easy. You’ll have to practice a lot.”

“I’m a capable student. Alright. I’ll take all six, with the sheath belt. But let’s talk about the price. I’m sure you would accept, say, half?”

* * *

It was not the knives’ beauty which captivated me, but their practicality. The former did sweeten the deal, of course. The predatory outlines of the patterned steel, together with the black handles skillfully wrapped in impossibly thin strips of leather. As I wrapped my palm around the handle of one, I felt the threatening weight of the piece, and my blood rose, ready for a fight.

No. I must learn to use these without emotion.

I had not forgotten the lessons of my mother. Once, while she was describing to me various ways of unlocking skills, she mentioned an interesting fact. The basic Melee Weaponry talent was obtainable by using throwing knives, ninja stars, and other small, sharp objects. The ORDER considered all other melee mastery to spring from this source, from two-handed fencing to jousting on horseback. These talents required the appropriate branches, of course, and developing them was long and tedious, but this was the first step.

At some point sooner or later, I would find myself in a fight. That was the simple reality of this world. The sooner I began preparing for battle, the more ready I would be.

And the more likely I would be to avoid a fight in which the only blood spilt was my own.

When we reached the sandbar, we proudly marched past Romris’s group. Despite their new location, their catch so far left much to be desired. We checked our raft and loaded empty baskets into the cargo area. Instead of pushing off immediately, though, I had saved time for an hour of training, first.

Exercising, sparring with Beko, and throwing knives into a branch I dragged out of the shallow water. Most of the time, my blades flew past—or fell short—but sometimes I succeeded. For every ten successes or so, the ORDER gave me a starting talent mark for Melee Weaponry.

I felt great, so I activated it and pushed its value up to 10. That was the maximum before tier 2, where I would need to select a specialization. I wouldn’t do that now. I didn’t want to suddenly feel worse and yearn for a nap. I had fish to catch, not sheep to count. Hours of work lay ahead, and I had to be in the best shape I could be.

We raised anchor, and now, with our first day of experience behind us, we quickly arrived at the ideal location. It was a simple route: push out over the shallows of the sandbar, and continue until the poles stopped reaching the bottom. Then, the current brought us a bit downstream, near the end of the fastest stretch of water in the area. The bottom was conveniently sloped here, making a fortuitous anchor point for us. Coming back would only require a little work with the oars before returning to the poles.

* * *

The day was a routine one. Kotes, kotes, and more kotes. Then, I would hear the splashes made by the garpikes. Activating my talent, I would aim and cast and begin fighting the fish.

Over and over again this happened.

Either I was getting the hang of this or my nocturnal boost of three attributes was paying off, but my quarry’s resistance never lasted long. I even went for a kote weighing nearly 40 pounds—and it barely made me sweat. It took me a long time to work the fish to exhaustion, yes. Once or twice, I started to fear for my spinning rod’s survival, but all for naught. Just a few days ago, a giant like that could have easily yanked me into the water.

Just before lunch, we returned to land and completed another training session. Romris came to watch and called us a pair of pregnant dwarfs—then observed with interest as we moved towards our fishing spot. He very much liked to keep an eye on how we did what we did.

After a satisfying lunch, we lay on the raft for a time, sunbathing. I poured half of the rewards I had left into Equilibrium. The other half would be spent that night. This would boost my Equilibrium to 15—allowing me 6 more attribute levels. Five would go to Perception and to Spirit, and one to Stamina. The mismatch rule prevented me from spending any more on them.

That rule was pissing me off more and more with