Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 133: Book 2: Chapter 47: Failure

Read chapter 133 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 2: Chapter 47: Failure Book 2: Chapter 47: Failure The pain was what woke him first. A familiar, full-bodied throb that didn’t seem to have a source so much as a general ambition to make existence hurt. Then came light. A white canvas into view above him. Whispered voices met his ears, and he vaguely recognized them as his friends. Which meant either he was out of danger, or everyone else was dead and now he was in the afterlife alongside them. The smell of antiseptic herbs and a subtle medicinal funk hit his nose like smack to the face. He crinkled his face in disgust and coughed weakly. “Medic tent,” he croaked, blinking. “Correct,” came Cole’s steady voice nearby. “Very astute of you.” Allie leaned over him with an exhausted frown. “He’s back. Damn it, I owe Zach ten gold.” “...What happened?” “You happened,” Allie muttered, her fingers brushing over the last of his bruised ribs with practiced efficiency. “Collapsed like a heroic idiot and nearly bled out like one too.” Cole sat beside her, wrapping a cloth around some tools, tucking them into a backpack. “You were out cold when Holly reached you.” He explained. “Right before you hit the rocks,” Allie continued. “Good thing she found some kind of item next to you on the ground and used it.” Alex blinked again. “That’s the Ashen Phoenix Feather, I managed to pull it out then?” “Was.” Cole lifted a now-empty golden feather shaft, just the stem of the item remained, the iridescent edges crumbling. “It lit up like a flare when she used it. Burned straight into your chest. Did a clean sweep, bones, muscles, internal tears, everything. The works.” “Everything?” Alex shifted and winced. “No leftover organ damage? Hidden ruptures? Lingering curses?” “Just a mild scrapes and bruises,” Allie deadpanned. “And a god complex, but that was pre-existing.” He smirked. Then immediately wished he hadn’t. While the feather might have healed his physical body, it was still exhausted. The energy he expended in the fight had left his muscles and tissues starving for any source of aether. He still could barely move his head or limbs. But, he could feel his legs again, meaning his spine was no longer kindling. “ I told you that item would be worth it, didn’t I tell you? I was right! I’m always right.” Obby’s large single eye slid down into his blurry vision. You said it would fix me up all the way through Adept Tier. How the hell does the way I’m feeling prove you were right? Still even had some cuts apparently. “Well, you did have some extensive damage. And I might have underestimated the amount of energy your body ate up thanks to your aether attuned tissue. Not to mention, that Wyrm-heart thing gobbled up a lot of the item’s energy as well.” Well, it earned it, damned dragon organ saved my life once again. “Probably did. You got you ass whooped out there.” Obby floated a bit above him, spinning lazily as he ‘talked’. Thanks for the confidence in me, as always. “Alright,” he said quietly, glancing at the flap of the tent. “Anyone around?” “Just us,” Cole replied, catching the shift in his tone. Alex nodded. “Good.” He let his head fall back to the pillow, eyes closed. He looked like he just let himself pass out again, but inwardly, his focus dropped like a stone into the depths of his soulspace. The inside of his soul realm glowed faintly, residue from what he now understood wasn’t just survival instinct, but the Wyrm-heart’s intervention. His constitution had acted without conscious command, just like it had before. However it decided the criteria for making itself known, it looked like his fight with the Aeralith Prince fit the bill. He still wished he could understand more about the strange Draconic ability tied to it, maybe he could find a way to activate it manually in the future. But that wasn’t what he cared about right now. Inside the echoing calm of the soulspace, Obby’s presence shimmered beside him. “You want a breakdown?” “Yes.” “Even when you can’t stand up straight, and energy