Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 42: Chapter 38: Alone

Read chapter 42 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 38: Alone Chapter 38: Alone Alex woke up dizzy, sore, and without a clue what was going on. It was something that happened enough times that Alex was beginning to worry it was becoming a habit of sorts. He got knocked unconscious as often as he got normal sleep since the day he arrived in this world. He very much did not think the former was an acceptable substitute for the latter. "Fucking hell," Alex groaned and rolled onto his back. He looked around, finding that he was alone. The stone altar he had been kneeling on during Doudra's little ritual was broken into many pieces on the ground next to him. The surrounding glyphs looked burnt out and destroyed. His eyes searched the cages along the wall, and even in the low light of the torches around the cavern, he could see that they were empty. All of them. All of his friends were now gone. He looked at where Doudra had been standing. There was no body, but a pool of partially dried blood was left behind. It was smeared to one side, so Alex assumed the other kobolds hauled her away, the same way he assumed they had hauled away his friends. What happened? He tried getting up, but found his head still pounded and had to sit back down. It felt like Doudra still had a grip inside of him and was squeezing on his mind. There was no one he could ask what happened, but there was still a way he could learn a general idea. Alex brought up his most recent system notifications and began to read. He started from his last skill progress notification and went from there. Skills: Glyphcraft: Beginner 29.0% This was when he realized how to break the glyph circle while he was having his core drained from within. This one wasn't a surprise at all to Alex. He seemed to keep making progress in his skill as he studied and learned more about other glyphs. The next notification did surprise him. You have slain Kobold Shaman- Doudra! +1238 Experience Holy hell, Alex looked at the screen with shock. He didn't think he would have actually killed the kobold, only knocked her out. He also couldn't believe that her death had earned him so much experience. He did remember that the other kobolds had given him more than the badgers even if they were weaker in his opinion. Maybe it's due to the fact they were sapient, not just beasts? He ignored these factors for now. There was more to read. Warning! You have sustained irreparable damage to your mage core! Creating a feedback cycle of energy into and out of your core has led to it being over-stressed and your mage core has shattered. Not a smart guy I suppose, but hey at least you are still alive. This was a big fucking problem. Alex knew this was a cataclysmic rift in his plan to get out of this world and back home. He needed magic, he needed to get as powerful as possible, but if his mage core was destroyed that meant all of that plan would be thrown out the window. From what he learned from Celeste, no mage core meant no magic in this world. No! No! Fuck! Alex punched at the ground. The rocks cracked, broke, and split his skin open. His knuckles began to bleed out onto the floor. He sat there, bleeding and staring at the glyphs, wondering where everything went wrong. He was a smart and capable guy. He was a good student in school, athletic, and charming when he needed to be. He was serving his country and doing the right thing. How did he end up here? He was a good soldier, he did his best for his team on every mission. So why was this happening to him? "Damn it! God dammit!" Alex yelled into the empty cavern. He picked up a piece of the stone altar and threw it at the wall. The stone shattered against the wall on impact, shards flew at high speed in every direction. He threw another one and another one. Then a few more. "Fuck!" Alex kept yelling with every piece of stone he picked up and threw. He wanted to destroy every bit of it. To pour his frustration into the thing that sealed his fate and made sure he was trapped, never to return home. He picke