Limitless, John Gold [best novels of all time .TXT] 📗

The hounds spread out, and I use a leap spell to get a safe distance away. Then, I dash off toward the edge of the trial zone. While I’m running, three of my chimeric pets heroically lay down their lives, and I realize I’m going to need a better arsenal if I’m going to beat the god of war.

Six hours later, I’m back at my altar at the edge of Crazyman’s Forest. Navigating by the sensation of rage is getting easier.

It takes me another five days to create a new beast. In that time, I sleep a total of just ten hours—there are all kinds of different chimeric pets to create. You can make eleven dogs hoping that they’ll tear your enemies to pieces, for instance, or you can make one monster that will carry you to victory.

Four thousand victims go into making the body. Another two thousand are for the flesh binding ritual as well as endowing the creature with a pseudo-life.

The abomination made of thousands of interwoven bodies begins to move, giving out its first roar to let the world know it has arrived.

Undead, World Eater, Level 2897

A worm! That’s what the creature looks like, and I have to use all eleven streams of consciousness to suppress its understanding. The monster disgusts me with the way it looks, its nature, and even the way it was born. How could I spawn something that loathsome? Its very existence defies the foundations of life. Vile filth!

Eighty meters of undead flesh wriggle off after Bernard, the latter sitting down on an improvised bench. The worm’s dull red eyes stare straight ahead in hopes of finding something it can devour. Its emotions revolt me—I’m a life mage! A mage of nature, earth, water, and the spark of life, not that thing. Still, it owes its incipience and existence to me alone.

Quelling the rage and maintaining my calm is quite the assignment given the feelings I’m experiencing towards my creation. I’m not prepared to deal with such unnatural emotions, and so I quickly feel psychologically worn out.

This time, I notice the giant’s foot much earlier—I know now what to look for. The world eater, wriggling around the god’s leg, starts climbing, and I probe our opponent for weaknesses. If 50 million damage takes off less than 1%, I don’t really have a chance of beating him with my usual methods.

We are barely up to the half-naked giant’s shoulder blade when my transport is thrown off with a single motion of the giant’s arm. A gravitational well keeps me suspended in the air, and then I keep going higher up the god’s back. Judging by the convulsive movements and the world eater’s pitiful-looking health bar, Bernard just squashed it with one foot.

The back of the god’s head is right in front of me, though I can’t reach it. Bernard starts looking around in an attempt to find the worm’s owner. I see my chance, but I turn my gravity off just in time for the giant to stand up, and I land on his shoulder rather than the back of his head. Our eyes meet.

He starts to laugh, his hand reaching up to brush off the little rider. But I’m faster, and that’s exactly what I’m waiting for. Just one shot at this!

My whole body tenses up, I track his stone lips as they move, I wait for him to turn toward me, and then I leap.

After floundering around for a bit in an attempt to get around the teeth and tongue, I wedge myself in by the tonsils.

“Dragon breath! Maximum!”

The giant howls, and the powerful wave of sound rushes through my entire body.

Damage received: 22550130 (ignored: 25000000)

30398/30398

I never would have thought someone could die from a sonic wave. At the same time, the giant’s health drops, and melting stone flows down his throat. I can do 50 million damage across an area expanded by a factor of seven these days. The throat is red-hot, so I turn to face the mouth. Sagie here, with a unique offer to disinfect your oral cavity free of charge using pyrolysis! Today only, and just for you, my dear Bernard.

The giant’s suffering ends twenty minutes later as his head topples off his melted neck. I have to jump as he falls to avoid being crushed to death.

The first thing I do when Bernard’s health drops below 1% is order myself to calm down. There’s still that three-second respawn time. Back on the ground, I wait almost a minute as I swallow my rage. Finally. Okay, where’s the exit?

While I still have my wits about me, I keep going in the direction of the intensifying rage. A worried feeling gnaws at me, and twenty minutes later, I realize what the problem is.

Human, Rachel, Level 10496, Holy Priestess of Leon

Just one look at her, and the dam that’s holding my rage back breaks. No opponent, no saint, no local boss, nobody is going to stop me. The only ace she has up her sleeve is a paladin bubble…which she can somehow use. But I’m still stronger and better in every way.

Chopping her head off, leaving her bleeding to death, breaking her neck, quartering, crushing her skull… I revel in rage and the blood of my enemy.

It’s only a few hours later that I come to, deep in the rest area. A nervous LJ is tiptoeing around a t the edge of my consciousness. He’s worried about my peace of mind, and I think he’s the one who pulled me out of the trial.

I’m covered in blood from head to toe. And it isn’t just spots and dashes, either. Even my hair is soaked and sticking out in all directions. The timer shows that it’s been six hours, and that I killed Rachel…ninety-six times? And I was even taking it slow!

Logout

∞ ∞ ∞

My head hurts, and I’m not hungry. First, my med capsule, then Claude, and finally I notice that my body doesn’t feel good at all. I have a