Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 88: Book 2: Chapter 5: Adept-Tier

Read chapter 88 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 2: Chapter 5: Adept-Tier Book 2: Chapter 5: Adept-Tier When the rest of the squad eventually went to bed, all of them sprawled about in a jumble, Tom-Tom talking in his sleep about “vengeance mushrooms,” Alex finally let himself exhale. They were coming along nicely. His friends had grown quite a bit in his absence already and now his we helping them along even faster. So he had more to do himself to ensure he didn’t fall behind. He slipped away into the tunnels, returning to the surface of the village. Alone at the edge of the kobold training circle, he watched the fading shimmer of the large fire at the center of the kobold’s tents. Then he turned, took a deep breath, and said the words that always meant trouble. “All right, Obby. It’s just us now.” “ Oh goody!” The sentient rock’s voice blared in Alex’s mind. He was almost worried someone would hear it given the silence of the settlement, even if that was impossible. “ Are we going to get your wisdom up? You kept complaining about all those unspent experience points in the dungeon. Now’s your time meat-boy.” “Yes, but there are a few other things to look at first.” Alex went into his storage bracelet and began peeling off his clothes. Thanks to the dungeon, his armor and clothing were pretty much trash at this point anyway, but he knew what the refinement process would bring so he took them off in preparation. Keeping clothes on during a refinement was not ideal. “Okay, let’s see.” Alex mentally pulled up his quest log. Quest Complete! Lizard-Break: You have freed you friends, finally. It took some failure, and almost dying a few times, but good on you. Could have done it sooner to be honest though. Reward: +2,500 Experience + Minor Grade Skill Progress Token Alex swiped away the screen with a scowl. The so called Heavenly System was still being a dick in its messages, that was clear. But he couldn’t complain about the rewards, those were still rather fair. The experience point reward had now brought him up to an impressive 12,823 points. He would have a lot of options in his build from that windfall. He held out his hand to accept the quest reward, getting a rush of energy and a small dark coin in return. He looked at the item, finding it to be a simple looking coin an inch in diameter engraved with what looked like a gear-cog being hit by a blacksmith hammer. “Obby?” “ I’d save that for later. Skill Progress Tokens will boost a chosen skill by 10%, giving you a rush of knowledge and understanding. That’s a minor grade one though, so it will only work on Beginner or Novice tiered skills. So you can use it now, but progressing in a skill is like any other path in cultivation. The higher you go, the harder it becomes to make progress.” Obby explained the item in his usual snark. But Alex was thankful for the explanation. “Save it until [Glpyphcraft] or [Alchemy] have reach 90%, got it.” He tucked the coin away into his storage bracelet. From there he knew he had to spend his experience. There was no more stalling. “Okay, Obby, you ready?” “ Oh yessss. ” Alex quickly calculated his options and decided on his choices. He needed to keep his stats within a balance due to his unique condition, but he also knew that efficiency in the cultivation world was key, making thing precarious. “Wisdom first, as promised Obby. From there, well, we got a lot of experience to spend.” *** The first refinements Alex experienced certainly were the worst ones. After four or five though, it wasn’t as bad. He was oddly getting used to having his body squeezed like a slime toy and having black ichor expelled from every orifice, regardless of how horrifying that realization was. He could have used the Hollow Seraph Dust he bought from the dungeon shop, but Alex knew that the tribulations changed eventually, and he would need that for some time later. For now, he simply endured the process the natural way. That being, with gritted teeth and force of will. He pushed through each subsequent refinem