《Endless Technique God》


 Chapter One - Lifelink Chip

    He awoke sitting in the back of a wagon, riding across a vast expanse of plains. For a few seconds, he sat there without thinking anything about his situation. For a while, he acted as though he was in a dream. Then, he fully woke up.


    ¡°Huh, where is this?¡± he asked himself, turning his head to look at everything around him. He sat in a large wooden wagon along with five other passengers. The wagon was paused, and every passenger had their head down, as if they were asleep.


    Suddenly, a vision flashed in Kyle Mercer¡¯s head. He saw a man standing at the front of the wagon, looking back at the passengers and saying, ¡°We¡¯re now inside the Thunderstruck Plains.¡± As soon as the man stopped speaking, the dream-like vision stopped and became a memory in Kyle¡¯s brain.


    ¡°So, this is the Thunderstruck Plains?¡± Kyle pondered. The plains around him were exceedingly normal. There was no indication of thunder or lightning being anywhere nearby.


    ¡°Lifelink, tell me where we¡¯re at,¡± he commanded the open air, staring out over the plains.


    ¡°[Unable to position User according to any reference.]¡± A genderless voice responded to Kyle¡¯s command; it came from inside him.


    ¡°The Lifelink Chip is unable to use GPS? How did I even get here?¡± Kyle had many questions, but it appeared that the Lifelink Chip would be unable to help him. If the Lifelink Chip couldn¡¯t determine where he was at, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to tell him how he got there.


    ¡°Lifelink, describe the events that happened before I woke up,¡± Kyle commanded.


    ¡°[One minute ago, User performed an Overflow Calculation. Two minutes ago, User began simulating a perfect Quadruple Graveyard of Gods Raid. Five minutes ago, User began simulating a perfect Triple Graveyard of Gods Raid. Ten minutes ago, User began simulating a perfect Double Graveyard of Gods Raid.]


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough,¡± Kyle said and sighed. Although the Lifelink Chip had told him the last four things he had done, Kyle only needed to know the most recent one to know what had truly happened.


    An Overflow Calculation was something everyone with a Lifelink Chip would avoid. When someone performed an Overflow Calculation, their brain would literally melt due to the speed that which the neurons were firing. An Overflow Calculation was impossible to perform without a brain-augmenting device such as a Lifelink Chip, but almost everyone in the current age had one. By default, Lifelink Chips had safety measures put in place to prevent Overflow Calculations from happening, but Kyle had disabled those safety measures. When trying to simulate a raid in his favorite online game, Kyle had accidentally killed himself via Overflow Calculation.


    ¡°Ugh, this is kinda embarrassing,¡± he thought, thinking about the various files on his computer that he didn¡¯t want anyone to see. Alas, there was nothing he could do about them.


    Kyle quickly accepted that he had performed an Overflow Calculation, but he still didn¡¯t know what to think about the place he was now in. From what he had been told, performing an Overflow Calculation caused the performer to die. From this, Kyle knew that his current situation was much more than his friends playing a prank on him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Maybe, one of these people can tell me something.¡± Kyle spoke, ¡°Uh, hey, are you awake?¡± He waited for a response, then tapped the shoulder of the person who was sitting next to him. After a few seconds passed, he gave the shoulder and little push.


    ¡°This is strange,¡± he thought. He gave the shoulder a harder push, and the body fell over.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Kyle could immediately tell that whoever had been sitting beside him was now dead. He looked at another body and inspected it closely, discovering that it too was a corpse. He quickly investigated the rest of the bodies in the wagon, and they were all corpses. Even the horses that pulled the wagon were dead.


    ¡°What could have happened here?¡± He questioned, but there was no way for him to ever know. He stood up and moved away from the corpse that was near him, then looked around the plains that the wagon was in the middle of. For as far as he could see, there was only barren plains of grass.


    A few minutes later, Kyle calmed down. He resolved himself to ignore his questions which he couldn¡¯t possibly receive an answer for, then thought of what to ask the Lifelink Chip.


    ¡°Lifelink, describe this body,¡± he commanded.


    ¡°[User measurements are inconsistent with previous records. User height has fallen. User weight has fallen. User muscle density has risen. User condition is good.]¡±


    The Lifelink Chip confirmed a speculation of Kyle¡¯s - he was not in the same body that he had performed the Overflow Calculation in.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°If this is a different body, how is the Lifelink Chip with me?¡± he wondered, but he quickly excused the question as something he would never get an answer for.


    Kyle took a look at his body and clothes. He was dressed in exquisitely detailed cotton clothes of various colors. On the floor of the wagon, there were a few swords in sheaths, apparently having been dropped when the riders of the wagon died.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool,¡± Kyle thought and took one of the swords. While picking it up, he looked at the corpses beside him, and he stepped further away once he had the sword in his hand.


    Kyle pulled the sword out of its sheath and examined the blade. It had a length of four feet and a width of one inch. When holding onto the handle and viewing the entire blade, Kyle felt a sense of power coming from the sword. Suddenly, a vision flashed through his head. The vision was of his body sitting beneath a tree, stroking the sword with an oiled cloth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll name you ¡®Isolator¡¯.¡±


    Once Kyle learned the name of the sword, he looked at it differently. When he was still in his previous body, he had never held a real sword, so he was in a state of mild excitement. However, when he learned the name of the sword, he once more began to question the things around him.


    ¡°Why is it called Isolator?¡± Unfortunately, even after asking himself that question, there was no vision to assist him.


    Soon after picking up Isolator, Kyle looked back at the corpses in the wagon and decided it was time to climb out. He exited the wagon, hopping down onto the dirt road that stretched into the horizon. For as far as he could see, there was nothing but grass and that dirt road.


    But, then, there wasn¡¯t. Only a short time had passed since Kyle looked at the surrounding plains and saw nothing besides grass, but he then saw a group of black dots making their way toward the wagon. The dots started as barely visible specks against the plains, but they slowly became larger. When they reached a certain distance from him, Kyle became instinctively afraid.


    A vision flashed in his head. In the vision, he was sitting in the back of the wagon, and the wagon was slowly moving across the plains. ¡°There aren¡¯t many dangers inside the Thunderstruck Plains. The biggest threat to travelers in the Thunderstruck Plains is the Black Grassland Wolves. They usually stay outside the Thunderstruck Plains, but their packs will occasionally hunt inside the Thunderstruck Plains if food is sparse outside or if they smell blood. As such, it is forbidden to hunt or butcher meat while inside or near the Thunderstruck Plains.¡±


    ¡°Black Grassland Wolves? That doesn¡¯t sound like something I want to mess with.¡± Kyle thought for a second, then climbed back into the wagon. He brandished his sword in front of his body, then waited for the Black Grassland Wolves to come closer.


    The Black Grassland Wolves ran extremely fast, and they arrived before the wagon after only a few minutes. Now that they stood closer to him, Kyle could see exactly how large the wolves were. Most of them were around three feet tall, and one was over four feet tall. They were ferocious wild creatures. In total, nine Black Grassland Wolves had approached the wagon.


    Seven of the Black Grassland Wolves - including the obvious leader - went to the front of the wagon. They bit into the dead horses - which were still attached to the wagon - and tore off large pieces of meat. While they did that, two Black Grassland Wolves watched Kyle with menacing eyes.


    Kyle stared down at the two Black Grassland Wolves and occasionally glanced at the seven others. He was vigilant of Black Grassland Wolves coming around the wagon and striking him from behind. He couldn¡¯t estimate how quickly a Black Grassland Wolf could enter the wagon, so he had to be prepared for one coming from any direction at any time. Still, because two were facing off against him, he spent most of his time looking at them.


    The seven Black Grassland Wolves quickly ate through the corpses of the horses. One of the Black Grassland Wolves pulled down the body of the driver of the wagon, and they also feasted on that. Once the horses and the wagon driver were eaten, the seven Black Grassland Wolves circled around the wagon to join up with the two Black Grassland Wolves that were watching Kyle.


    The sight of nine Black Grassland Wolves that were more than half as tall as Kyle was incredibly frightening. The sword in his hand shook slightly. Kyle noticed how he was unable to control the sword properly, causing his hopes to fall.


    Suddenly, a vision flashed through Kyle¡¯s head. It was of his new body swinging a sword, practicing sword moves. Although only a fraction of a second passed in reality, Kyle saw years of time fly past in his vision. He immediately felt a thread of hope.


    ¡°Lifelink, can you autopilot these sword techniques?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°[Error when attempting to use autopilot. Please take your Lifelink Chip to your nearest Lifelink retailer for necessary repairs.]¡±


    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t use autopilot,¡± Kyle frowned. He reaffirmed his grip on his sword. ¡°Lifelink, replay the vision of the sword techniques.¡±


    In his previous body, Kyle¡¯s Lifelink Chip could use an autopilot feature to move his body in certain ways. The autopilot of the Lifelink Chip was great for cooking, exercising, and performing tasks that were difficult to master but well documented. Apparently, his new body was unable to use the autopilot feature of the Lifelink Chip. After learning such, Kyle prepared to put the sword techniques he saw in the vision into action.


    After watching the vision several times, Kyle felt more familiar with the sword in his hand. He raised Isolator and saw it in a different light. Compared to before, the sword now felt like an extension of his hand.


    When the first Black Grassland Wolf jumped toward him, Kyle instinctively tried to swat the Black Grassland Wolf with whatever he had in his hand: the Isolator sword. He stabbed forward, subconsciously using one of the sword techniques he saw in his vision, and he lightly grazed the side of the attacking Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s head. The Black Grassland Wolf immediately pushed against the wagon¡¯s side and jumped back, where it joined the ranks of the rest of the Black Grassland Wolves.


    Kyle¡¯s heart rate began to rise. He had never before harmed a real living being in his life, but he had now nearly stabbed a wolf in the face; it was exhilarating. He had no idea that he would feel such excitement from causing an injury to a giant wolf. Of course, at the same time, he also felt unparalleled fear; the only thing was, his adrenaline was stimulating him to a point where the excitement seemed much more powerful than the fear.

 Chapter Two - First Fight

    Nine Black Grassland Wolves circled around Kyle. His sword already had blood dripping from its tip from when he stabbed one of the wolves in the face. Still, neither party was even close to retreating. The Black Grassland Wolves were all confident in their chances of winning against a lone human, and Kyle had the high ground.


    Time slowly ticked past until a Black Grassland Wolf jumped toward the front of the wagon. It planned to leap off the driver¡¯s seat, then bite Kyle in the back. However, in one fluid movement, Kyle swung the Isolator sword and turned around, cutting the Black Grassland Wolf in the mouth just as it began to push off the driver¡¯s seat. The Black Grassland Wolf twisted its body in midair and fell back, bleeding from the mouth.


    Two Black Grassland Wolves had been injured, but they weren¡¯t put out of the fight. The leader of the pack saw this and knew he needed to make a tactical decision.


    ¡°Wruf!¡± the leader barked, and three of its underlings jumped toward the wagon at the same time.


    Three Black Grassland Wolves at once was too much for Kyle to handle. The sword techniques he learned from the vision were able to make him fast and fluent, but they weren¡¯t enough to allow him to deal with overwhelming numbers. One Black Grassland Wolf came from the driver¡¯s seat of the wagon, and two Black Grassland Wolves came from the entrance to the rear of the wagon.


    Kyle chose to first strike against the two Black Grassland Wolves that were coming from the same direction. He swept out with his sword, but he missed the two of them. After feeling his sword hit nothing but air, he felt a brief instance of dread. He knew that a Black Grassland Wolf was right about to bite him from behind.


    But, then, that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, a golden light surrounded Kyle¡¯s body, and necklace that he was wearing shattered. A vision of a woman placing something around his neck quickly flashed through his head. ¡°Wear this. If you¡¯re about to sustain a fatal injury, the pendant will absorb the blow. Be careful; it will only work once.¡±


    Kyle solemnly watched the vision, then returned his attention to the two Black Grassland Wolves that were still in front of him. They had backed off when he swung his sword at them, and they retreated to the edge of the wagon when the golden light developed his body. He lunged forward and stabbed at the Black Grassland Wolf on the left. His blade burrowed deep into the Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s neck, from which he then pulled it out. Immediately afterward, he slashed toward the eyes of the next Black Grassland Wolf.


    The left Black Grassland Wolf was stabbed inside its throat and out the back of its neck; it was unable to live for much longer. The right Black Grassland Wolf didn¡¯t simply stand around while the left Black Grassland Wolf was attacked. It hesitated for a moment, then bit toward Kyle while Kyle was pulling his sword out of the other Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s mouth. In the middle of its bite, Kyle slashed at the Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s eyes, and the Black Grassland Wolf slightly turned its head. The sword scrapped against one eye of the Black Grassland Wolf, but the second eye was unharmed.


    A fatal wound had been dealt to the left Black Grassland Wolf. A small wound had been dealt to the right Black Grassland Wolf. The condition of the rear Black Grassland Wolf was unknown. Kyle stepped onto the wagon bench, entering the blind spot of the Black Grassland Wolf that had one eye destroyed. After doing so, he heavily swung the Isolator sword at the back of the Black Grassland Wolf, intending to cut off its head.


    The sword¡¯s arc split open the hide of the Black Grassland Wolf, but it stopped after only a fraction of an inch. The Black Grassland Wolf didn¡¯t have miraculous defences, but its bones were very hard. Instead of stabbing the Black Grassland Wolf through a weak spot, Kyle had hit the Black Grassland Wolf directly above its spine, causing almost no damage.


    The Black Grassland Wolf shook its head, then charged at Kyle. It bled from the back of its neck and its right eye, but it was still able to attack. It bit at Kyle¡¯s legs, and it was totally unable to dodge a downward impalement from Kyle¡¯s sword. Kyle thrust his sword into the side of the Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s neck, then pulled it to the side. A large chunk of flesh was cut away, and the second Black Grassland Wolf quickly died. Although the Black Grassland Wolf had gotten close to him, it never actually managed to inflict a wound on his body.


    Now that the first two Black Grassland Wolves were dealt with, Kyle turned to look at where the third Black Grassland Wolf should¡¯ve been.


    Two Black Grassland Wolves were dead. One was cut in the mouth and staying behind the rest of the group. Near the front of the wagon, another Black Grassland Wolf was lying on the ground, not moving. Four of the nine Black Grassland Wolves were out of the fight, and the five remaining ones were spread out around the wagon.


    The largest of the nine Black Grassland Wolves had yet to attack, but it chose this moment to step closer to Kyle. It walked up to the back of the wagon, just outside the range of Kyle¡¯s sword. It had an intelligent look in its eyes - different from the looks of savagery had in the other Black Grassland Wolves.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Wruf! Wruf!¡± The leader of the Black Grassland Wolves barked twice, then turned around and ran away from the wagon. For a short time, while the Black Grassland Wolves were running away, Kyle felt a smidge of relief, thinking that the battle was now over.


    But, it wasn¡¯t. After retreating a few hundred feet, the Black Grassland Wolves turned around and stared once more at the wagon. They watched Kyle¡¯s movements for a few seconds, then charged back toward the wagon. They quickly gained speed, reaching a level where Kyle would find it difficult to react to them if they all jumped at him at once.


    ¡°Lifelink, simulate a counter move against these wolves!¡± Kyle immediately asked his Lifelink Chip for assistance. In an instant, the Lifelink Chip simulated thousands of outcomes, then played a simulated video of Kyle defending against the Black Grassland Wolves.


    Based on the speed of the Black Grassland Wolves, they couldn¡¯t be planning anything other than directly jumping toward Kyle. In that scenario, there wasn¡¯t anything Kyle could hide behind. His best bet would be to estimate where the leader of the Black Grassland Wolves would jump to, then have his sword awaiting the leader¡¯s mouth. Of course, the estimations would be done by the Lifelink Chip, and they would be extremely accurate.


    In the past, Kyle had taken the Lifelink Chip¡¯s estimations on faith, and it had never let him down. As he saw the leader of the Black Grassland Wolves running straight toward him, he made up his mind to act exactly according to how the Lifelink Chip suggested. When the leader of the Black Grassland Wolves reached just a few feet away from him, he thrust the Isolator sword into the air.


    A satisfying pressure pushed against Kyle¡¯s hands, immediately followed by two roaring pains from his shoulders. The leader of the Black Grassland Wolves had jumped exactly where the Lifelink Chip had estimated, and Kyle¡¯s sword went right through its skull. Two Black Grassland Wolves had jumped beside it, but the leader¡¯s large body prevented them from getting too close to Kyle. They ended up scratching his shoulders, then continuing into the back of the wagon. Another two Black Grassland Wolves ran to the sides of the wagon, where they climbed up the sides.


    Kyle pulled the Isolator sword out from the skull of the leader of the Black Grassland Wolves, then slashed toward the Black Grassland Wolf on his left. He swept across the snout of the Black Grassland Wolf, then stabbed toward the Black Grassland Wolf that had jumped past him and hurt his shoulder. He stabbed his sword into the side of the Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s chest and pushed the sword down. Along with Kyle¡¯s sword came a myriad of guts flowing out of the Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s body.


    The leader of the Black Grassland Wolves and the two Black Grassland Wolves on Kyle¡¯s left side were all dealt with, leaving only the two Black Grassland Wolves that were on his right side. He quickly twisted to the side, only to have one of the Black Grassland Wolves bite his left arm. He cleaved his sword against the Black Grassland Wolf¡¯s head, hitting it directly above an eye. The Black Grassland Wolf didn¡¯t let go, so Kyle hit it above its other eye. After being blinded, the Black Grassland Wolf shook its head even more viciously, tearing the flesh from Kyle¡¯s arm.


    ¡°[Warning! User injured! Seek medical attention immediately!]¡± The Lifelink Chip chimed a useless warning.


    The second Black Grassland Wolf didn¡¯t stand around while the other attacked. It jumped off the wagon, circled around to the area that was now behind Kyle, and checked on the injury of the Black Grassland Wolf that had been cut across the snout. Once it determined that the injured Black Grassland Wolf was fine, it turned toward Kyle and jumped onto the wagon.


    Kyle had watched the Black Grassland Wolf circle around the wagon, but he was unable to remove the Black Grassland Wolf that was attached to his arm. He stabbed several more times into its body, but the Black Grassland Wolf wouldn¡¯t let go. He ended up turning around, still having the Black Grassland Wolf clamped onto his arm.


    Kyle¡¯s strength surprised him. The Black Grassland Wolf attached to his arm had to weight at least a hundred pounds, but he was able to swing it around like a damp towel. Kyle slammed the Black Grassland Wolf on his arm into the Black Grassland Wolf that was climbing the side of the wagon, then stabbed it with his sword. He pushed the Black Grassland Wolf away using his sword, and he eventually succeeded in freeing the mangled remains of his left arm.


    The blinded Black Grassland Wolf was unable to continue fighting. All that remained was one uninjured Black Grassland Wolf and a few injured Black Grassland Wolves. Instead of continuing to fight their losing battle, the surviving Black Grassland Wolves fled from Kyle. They left behind the ones who were either blind or immobile, numbering more than half of the group that had originally attacked.


    Kyle¡¯s adrenaline still coursed through his body. He watched the surviving Black Grassland Wolves retreat over the horizon, then dropped the sword from his hand.


    ¡°[Warning! User injured! Seek medical attention immediately!]¡± The Lifelink Chip chimed another warning. In response, Kyle looked down at his bloody left arm, then grimaced and turned away. He had no idea where the nearest hospital was, and he had a feeling that his current world didn¡¯t even have hospitals.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the nearest hospital?¡± he asked, but no vision came to supply an answer.


    The adrenaline throughout Kyle¡¯s body slowly made its way out of his system. As it did, he began to feel fatigue and tiredness. His arm and shoulders started to hurt more and more, until he couldn¡¯t do anything except put pressure on them.


    ¡°There has to be something I can do about this,¡± he thought. He looked down at the corpses of the passengers of the wagon, quickly said a prayer, and began to search through their clothes. After having killed several Black Grassland Wolves, Kyle wasn¡¯t so sensitive as he might¡¯ve thought about rummaging through the clothes of a dead man. He avoided touching the bare skin of the corpses, but he plundered whatever he could from the pockets of the clothes, along with whatever scraps of cloth he could pull off.