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

each hour that passed. I wanted to develop my Strength more—it was clearly insufficient. But before that, I would have to boost my Stamina, and so on. This limit could only be removed by transitioning to the next stage of Enlightenment, and that was the change which most risked my losing this favor of the ORDER. My rewards might revert to normal. I could push my Equilibrium to stratospheric levels. But not soon. My rewards remaining would be gone after this evening’s expenditure.

There was nowhere to buy such trophies at the trading post. Even in the South, such goods were rarely seen for sale, and when they were, they were obscenely priced. Today would be the last of my prizes, all spent on myself.

I regretted nothing. Even at my low state, my degree zero character, I looked pretty good. I had fifteen base attribute levels. Usually, that was only reached by the second or third degree if you were a commoner. Such folks would also have absolute point values far below maximum, but I had put 50 into each.

There were ways to push these even further. But that was a fantasy even for nobles, since obtaining such trophies was only possible by defeating hordes of opponents with Chaos coursing through their veins. Such creatures could be found in the North—if they didn’t find you first. But trophy drop rates were low. You might slay a small army and not find what you wanted.

Prizes in the world of Rock were distributed according to a simple rule: whatever the enemy you killed had plenty of, you received. But only a small portion—usually one unit. And even that, not always. The stronger the enemy, the higher the chances you would be satisfied with the drop. A starter talent mark, a state piece, a chi symbol, or some attribute levels. Battles were very profitable affairs—for the side which didn’t lose.

We ended our fishing day early. Seven garpikes were obtained, more than double the three Ash had repeatedly insisted on. We had so many kotes that I had lost count.

The innkeeper would add them up. He was meticulous.

We did not head up to the post immediately—I organized another training session, to Beko’s amazement. My irrepressible energy was leading him to suspect not all was well with me.

Before dinner, I visited the carpenter and the blacksmith once again. I was requesting a new set of spinning rod parts. I had made some adjustments to remedy the quirks I had experienced the past couple of days. I needed a new rod for myself so I could give mine to Beko. That would significantly increase our chances of bagging more garpikes. Most were too quick and would simply sneak by us. The ghoul was nimble enough, and I’d already let him try. By the end, he had pulled a small kote out of the water with little help from me. After a day or two more of practice, he would obtain the skill. I would help him push to level 3 and life would become easier for both of us. Our catch would grow even larger, and we would have more free time during the day.

In theory.

* * *

I had something else to get at the blacksmith’s, too. After settling the matter of the new blueprints, I pointed to the wall—a spear was hanging there, the one I had noticed on my first visit. The wood was carved with intricate notches. I wanted to hold it. Its head was exorbitantly long, somewhat curved, and sharpened not just at the point but also along the outside of the curve. No, it did not bear much resemblance to my mother’s naginata, but the main principle was similar. Both could be used to stab, to slice, or to chop. It was an excellent weapon against both man and beast.

“How much are you selling that for?” I asked.

“Selling what?”

“The spear on the wall. How much does it cost?”

“That’s not a spear. It’s an ari.”

“The ari on the wall, then. How much?”

“It’s not for sale,” the man smiled. “My son is about to turn two years old. I made it for him. And let me tell you: I poured my soul into this ari. It’s the best craftsmanship I have ever produced.”

“I don’t think your son will be big enough for that weapon anytime soon, but I’m big enough. And I’ll pay for the craftsmanship. And the soul you poured into it. How much will that be?”

* * *

Ash’s word was law here, and executed quickly. Beko and I now had a place in the residential quarter, just behind the bathhouse. It was no villa, but being close to a good bath was a solid perk.

It was furnished only with a table made of split logs and two beds of the same material, with a pair of hay mattresses. A single, semi-translucent window lit the place. The mica obscuring the view was uncommon in the South, but all over up here. A rich vein had been discovered at the mine not too long ago, and so the trading post buildings used the material liberally.

As I visited the craftsmen, Beko moved all of our possessions to our new residence. He was startled to see me carrying the spear. It was such a beautiful weapon indeed.

“What do you need that for, Ged? That looks expensive.”

“Very,” I agreed. “Oro also promised me a crossbow and a quiver of bolts tomorrow. For you.”

“A crossbow? For me? It’ll be mine?!”

“Yes, yours.”

“Are we going to become hunters?”

“Why would we do that?”

“Well, otherwise why do we need so many weapons?”

“Because we’re winners, Beko! Were you planning to kill your enemies with spitballs and insults?”

“I understand, we need a way to protect ourselves. But this is a lot of weapons. Weapons cost a lot of money. You must have spent