God Mode: A LitRPG Adventure (Mythrune Online Book 1)

by Derek Alan Siddoway

  I slowed to a jog for the last half mile of the journey, taking care not to push myself into fatigued status again. If the Sylvad chick had found the cave, I hoped she wouldn’t kill the thing in the extra minutes it took me to get there.

  Just like before, the remains of the lesser cave ghouls were scattered around where’d they’d fallen from my axe. I slowed to a slow creep as I made my way deeper, listening for any further signs of life. Even when I made it to the lower floor, I heard nothing.

  Had she already been killed? Had she already killed the cave ghoul? Had she come here at all?

  I sidled along the deeper tunnel, conscious of every single breath I took. The cave ghoul was likely resting in the deepest recesses of its lair, napping on the pile of bones it made its nest on.

  And then I heard it. Around the corner came the dumb shuffling that had been the bane of my existence throughout my previous escapade in the cave. As the monster rounded the corner, it paused, hunched over like the abomination-child of a kangaroo and a naked mole rat. It sniffed the air and a low hiss escaped its twisted fangs. I wondered if the light of the torch blinded its dark-sensitive eyes enough that it couldn’t make me out. Either way, the flickering flames gave it pause.

  Good hell, I hate this thing, I thought as I readied myself. Either the Sylvad was already a ghoul snack, or she’d never come here. Either was fine with me. If — “if” being the keyword — I could kill this thing, all its loot would belong to me.

  I pulled my battle axe off my back. Luckily, I could actually wield the thing with one hand, even if it wasn’t ideal. My hand tightened on the torch in my off-hand.

  Congratulations! You have unlocked the Dual Wielding Pursuit Sphere! Open your Pursuits Menu for more information.

  +1 Dual Wielding Skill Point

  Dual Wielding: Let’s hope you’re ambidextrous; otherwise you’ve just doubled the chances of hurting yourself.

  Very funny, I thought as I mentally wiped the notification away. I was in no mood for the AI’s stupid jokes. Pushing thoughts of pain from my mind, I widened my stance, steeled myself, and yelled, “Hey, ugly! I’m back! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

  I regretted my actions at once. The ghoul roared, and an instant later, it barreled toward me. This was it. I was either going to get mauled within an inch of my life once more, or I would emerge victorious with a cave ghoul head to mount on my wall. No more running.

  I sprinted forward to meet its charge. It took all my willpower not to drop the torch and grip my battle axe with two hands. Actually, it took all my willpower not to run in the opposite direction.

  All at once, the cave ghoul decided it had come close enough to the open flames. Its last bound brought it within striking distance. Before I could land a blow, however, it scrambled backward, hissing and shrieking. Undeterred, I closed in.

  I led with the torch, bringing the flame head down on the ghoul’s head. As soon as the fire struck it, the ghoul’s skin burned and boiled like an egg on a car hood. A moment later, my axe blow struck the ghoul in its shoulder. Rather than the familiar tick, I was rewarded with a satisfying meaty sound. The flames had weakened the monster’s armored hide that had caused me so much trouble just the day before.

  I hacked away at the ghoul, alternating between axe and torch blows. With each successful strike, the ghoul’s health steadily dropped. I was actually making headway with this thing!

  The ghoul lashed out blindly in my direction. Pain shot up my left leg, and it threatened to buckle underneath me. My health dropped down by about a quarter, and blood dripped from a large gash on my quad. But I had experience with bum legs.

  I shifted my weight and landed another crunching blow into the ghoul’s neck. The momentum of the force almost carried me off my feet, but I used the torch to brace myself. Thankfully, it didn’t go out.

  Down to only a handful of hit points, the ghoul realized it was fighting a losing battle. After a desperate sweep of its tail, the monster attempted to hobble deeper into the cave. If the thing hadn’t basically killed me twice already, I would have felt sorry for it.

  Instead, I limped after my quarry. A couple of feet later, the cave ghoul collapsed. I dropped the torch and raised my axe in both hands for the killing blow.

  Before I could begin the swing, an intense pain erupted in my right shoulder. I spun around, collapsing to the cave floor, my wounded leg unable to cope with the surprise attack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an arrow protruding from my muscled shoulder. Still trying to comprehend what had just happened, I groped for my axe to attempt a counterattack against this new threat. A booted foot pressed down on my wrist, pinning it to the ground. Twisting my head, my heart sank when I saw my ambusher.

  “Nice work — I don’t think I would have thought of the fire myself,” Leesha said in her best kindergarten teacher voice. She made it sound like I’d just handed her some noodle art glued to construction paper. “You really know how to try a girl’s patience. I was just about to give up hope that you were coming back.”

  She removed her boot from my arm and disappeared from view. I heard a soft stabbing sound, and the ghoul’s last whimpers of pain went silent. She’d stolen my kill!

  Gritting my teeth, I growled in anger and started to pull myself upright. In a flash, Leesha appeared again, kicking me hard in the chest. I fell back hard, striking my head on the stony cave floor. It wasn’t hard enough to garner a concussion debuff, but, in my weakened state and with my ridiculous pain sensitivity, it still hurt plenty.

  “You don’t know when to quit,” Leesha said in the same condescendingly complimentary tone. “Sorry about this.”

  A cold pain seared my right ribs followed by lancing heat. I gasped, but it was cut short as blood filled my mouth. I vaguely noticed Leesha walking away, whistling. The happy tune faded to an echo as she likely headed deeper into the cave, leaving me for dead.

  But the backstabbing, conniving little kill thief didn’t know that I couldn’t die.

  After several immensely agonizing seconds, the cold numbness in my side and shoulder faded. I glanced at my health in my heads-up display and saw I was almost back to fifteen percent. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for me to start moving around. It wouldn’t be long before Leesha came back, since there was nothing else the cave offered past the cave ghoul’s lair.

  I climbed to my feet as quietly as I could, wincing with each flexing muscle. As I stood, I noticed the arrow in my shoulder fade and disappear. Retrieving my axe, I crept forward until I found a spot where I could press myself against the cave wall and be unseen by Leesha as she emerged from the deeper recesses of the cave.

  Congratulations! You have unlocked the Sneaking Pursuit Sphere! Open your Pursuits Menu for more information.

  +1 Sneaking Skill Point

  Sneaking Pursuit: Sometimes the best way to win is to lie low and take your enemies by surprise. But you already know that, don’t you?

  Amazing. Without even realizing it, I’d unlocked yet another Pursuit. These things really were stacking up. While I was sure a good chunk of them would likely be ignored, I made a note to review them when this was all over. I was sure at least some aspects of the Pursuits would come in handy down the line.

  But that was the least of my worries in the moment. A couple of high-pitched squeals confirmed she’d found and dispatched the last of the lesser cave ghouls. She was likely looking for one of the elusive tournament tokens, but from the sound of her muttered swearing, she’d come up as empty as I. Any minute now…

  I held my breath and readied my axe as soft footfalls approached.

  +1 Sneaking Skill Point

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  I leaned into a southpaw swing as the Sylvad turned the corner. The axe sank into her chest and she let out a very unladylike grunt of surprise. Leesha’s eyes widened in recognition, but she didn’t have a chance to so much as raise her dagger before her eyes glazed over and death took her.

/>   You critically strike Leesha for 12 points of surprise damage. You defeat Leesha.

  “You’re damn right I do,” I said aloud before I could stop myself. I wasn’t one for petty revenge, but this was quite the satisfying kill for me.

  I leaned over her already-fading body and adopted the same mocking tone she’d used with me. “Sorry about this.”

  +1 Two-Handed Battle Axe Skill Point

  A purple, shimmering glow enveloped the Sylvad before she disappeared altogether, my axe clanking on the floor in the process.

  “Damn!” I said, a string of annoyance coursing through my body.

  This was one feature of beta I’d hoped they’d changed. To prevent total anarchy, the MythRune devs made it impossible to loot characters under level thirty. They’d still drop any unallocated Attribute Orbs they were carrying, but as far as armor and weapons went, I was out of luck. Apparently, she was almost broke, too, because if you had less than one hundred RuneCoins on you, they were unlootable.

  Oh well. I’d gotten my revenge, on both the cave ghoul and Leesha. Even better, she hadn’t bothered looting the cave ghoul before exploring the rest of the cave.

  I turned to look at the battered carcass of my old ghoulie pal. It sparkled faintly, confirming that there was something I could get off of it. I made my way over to the body and pulled up the loot screen by touching the corpse.

  Cave Ghoul Head

  Description: The severed head of a cave ghoul. Pretty gross, right? The right folks might see this as a mark of bravery or skill in battle.

  The description was right. It did look pretty gross. Luckily, there was another item.

  Iron Ring of the Defender

  Description: A plain, unadorned iron ring. Increases Defensive Rating by 2%.

  Quality: Good (Can be improved by a journeyman smith)

  I grinned and slipped the ring over my left forefinger. No surprise, it was a perfect fit — and a perfect item for a budding tank. It was as if the game knew my strategy of barreling through the land of MythRune and was handing out class-specific items based on my play style thus far.

  Stowing my axe across my back, I grabbed the severed ghoul head. I knew just the folks who would appreciate a trophy like that.

  14

  Chief Ugola

  I felt ten feet tall trekking through the Horuk hunting camp. Regardless of whether it was the revenge I’d gotten on that awful Sylvad kill stealer or the completion of the hard-earned quest to clear out the cavern, I was on top of the world.

  When I approached Durfa, a grin split across her face before I could say anything.

  “Well, don’t just stand there smiling like a moonstruck bull in rut,” she said, shooing me toward the chief’s tent. “Go tell our chieftain!”

  I was a little bummed she wouldn’t be fulfilling the quest rewards, but particularly savored rubbing this one in the face of the guards. When they moved to block my way, I pulled up my inventory and took out the cave ghoul’s head, tossing it in front of the guards.

  “Your caves are ready for move-in.”

  Quest Complete: Ghoul Me Twice, Shame On You

  You were true to your word and cleared the nearby caves of ghouls.

  Rewards:

  - (1) Health Attribute Orb

  - (1) Attack Attribute Orb

  - Rusted Iron Cuirass

  - Urok Warrior Moccasins

  250 RuneCoins

  +50 Esteem with the Horuk Tribe

  Without skipping a beat, I pulled out the two Attribute Orbs in both hands and crushed them simultaneously.

  Health Increased by 1!

  Attack Increased by 1!

  Character Stats

  Name: Zane

  Title: None

  Race: Urok, male

  Level: 2

  Total Attribute Points: 14

  Attribute Points to next level: 1

  Health: 3 (60/60 Hit Points)

  Attack: 3

  Defense: 4

  Speed: 1

  Agility: 1

  Intelligence: 1

  Luck: 1

  I took a deep breath. That felt really good. I finally felt like I was making headway in this game. I then pulled up the description of the last two items.

  Rusted Iron Cuirass

  Description: A plain iron cuirass that’s definitely seen better days. Nothing like receiving a hand-me-down for a job well done. +15% Defense Rating.

  Quality: Poor (Can be improved by any smith)

  Urok Warrior Moccasins

  Description: Sturdy leather moccasins worn by Urok warriors and hunters alike. Fashionable and functional. +2% Defense Rating.

  Quality: Fair (Can be improved by most smiths)

  I equipped both items without further hesitation. While the Iron Cuirass was rusted and a little tough to look at, it came with a padded vest that prevented pinching and chafing. The Warrior Moccasins were also great. Sure, Urok feet were by default pretty tough, but if nothing else, the moccasins would provide a barrier from something trying to bite, claw or cut off my toes.

  I probably looked ridiculous in my mismatched, worn-out gear, but I didn’t care. The items might not have lived up to some of the armor I’d donned in my previous playthrough of the game, but it was impossible not to be even the slightest bit satisfied by my progress. I’d only just started the previous day in-game in a damn-near-naked state, so finally having my entire body covered was one heck of an accomplishment the way I saw it. They’d certainly get their use as I continued to tear my way through the game.

  Congratulations! You have unlocked the Heavy Armor Pursuit Sphere! Open your Pursuits Menu for more information.

  +1 Heavy Armor Skill Point

  Heavy Armor: Heavy armor can be crafted from a variety of different materials, but its purpose is the same: allow the wearer to take a beating. Those who specialize in this armor classification would rather take a hit head-on than bother dodging.

  It seemed like the perfect time for me to assess where I stood with the rest of my Pursuit Spheres. I popped up the Pursuits Menu and reviewed my list of Skill Points.

  Unused Skill Points:

  One-Handed Battle Axe: 1

  Two-Handed Battle Axe: 8

  Exploring: 1

  Combat Assessment: 1

  Medium Armor: 2

  Assassination: 1

  Unarmed Combat: 1

  Dual Wielding: 1

  Sneaking: 2

  Heavy Armor: 1

  While I’d opened up a solid ten Pursuit Spheres in my short time, I wasn’t exactly making a lot of headway with any them. As it stood, the only Pursuit I was really flourishing in naturally was Two-Handed Battle Axe. I opened up its sphere to see if I could unlock anything else.

  As it stood, the first tier was still the only one unlocked, and within it, I still had three options to choose from.

  Hook and Hack — Hook your enemies with your axe and hack at them once they’re down. Requires 3 Skill Points.

  Lock and Twist — Hook your enemy’s weapon with your battle axe and twist it away. Requires 5 Skill Points.

  Cyclone (Unlocked) — Spin around in circles with your axe in hand, taking your ferocious enemies down in style.

  Swing Speed Increased by 5% Requires 10 Skill Points.

  I’d already unlocked Cyclone and had successfully utilized it in battle. What would be my next decision? Hook and Hack seemed like the obvious choice here. I’d used it before, and it’d served me pretty darn well in battle, and I had enough Skill Points to purchase Lock and Twist, too, which was also quite useful.

  The problem was they were all useful, and that was what made the decision so difficult. The third option especially interested me, though. At a hefty ten Two-Handed Battle Axe Skill Points, I would actually be able to attack a bit faster. It was one of those little things that could make the difference if things came down to the wire while I adventured or in the tournament itself.

  The only bad news? That meant I couldn’t unlock any
thing new right away. In spite of a profitable dungeon dive, I was unable to get a new skill. My inner child groaned in frustration, but my older self knew it would pay off down the road.

  I closed out my menu and found Durk staring at me, a dumb smile plastered across his face.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Clothes,” Durk said, pointing at my newly equipped armor with a finger the size of a regular person’s wrist. “Look dumb!”

  “Hey!”

  Though I needed no defense, Durfa’s ever-present wooden spoon smacked Durk on the temple. When he was standing, it was the closest she could get to the top of his head.

  An unexpected laugh escaped my lips. It wasn’t bad having someone like Durfa on your side.

  “You did well, young buck,” Durfa said. “And you’ve done our tribe a great service.”

  As if on cue, an Urok emerged from the chief’s tent. She was an imposing specimen, as tall and muscular as me, with one side of her hair shaved down to her head. The chief?

  “Ugola of the Horuks would speak with you, traveler,” the female Urok said.

  Ah, so not the chief. Maybe his right-hand Urok? Whatever the case, I was just happy to finally be getting an audience. I followed her in without question.

  I wasn’t sure what I expected in the chief’s tent. Given the state of the camp, it was clear the Horuks were in the midst of tough times. I braced myself for half-eaten chunks of meat, flies — the general filth of a hunting Urok who couldn’t take care of himself let alone his tribe.