Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 175: Book 3: Chapter 29: Bear Boss (Pt 1)

Read chapter 175 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 29: Bear Boss (Pt 1) Chapter 29: Bear Boss The trees broke apart into a wide and unnatural clearing, the kind Alex had come to recognize as far too convenient. Areas like this, especially in dungeons, were too open, too staged. A battlefield set by dungeon fuckery and not at all natural. Sure enough, at the center of the clearing stood an altar. A stone dais of sorta, its structure crude but domineering, stacked high with bones of varying origin; Animal, humanoid... other. Each of the bones were picked clean of any flesh. Paper talisman-slips hung from sun-bleached ribcages, arms, skulls and more, all dangling and swaying as if in a ghostly wind. The faint glow of their inscriptions cast the whole structure in a sickly, pale light, creating a grotesque mockery of a Christmas tree. And ringed around it were the raid party’s gifts; chimera guardians. Dozens of bear-chimeras stood waiting with tusks jutting from mouths like scythes, vines thrashed lazily at their sides and backs as though anticipating blood. They didn’t charge or attack the raid party, at least not yet. Their glowing eyes were affixed on the would-be intruders, simply waiting. But Alex’s gaze focused onto one of them. It towered over the rest, massive even by chimera standards. It stood twelve feet at the shoulder, its fur darker than the forest shadows around it. The vines at its back were thicker, thorned like dagger blades, and twitched as if they hungry to strike. Most unsettling were its eyes which glowed a roiling purple, and bled smoke that curled up into the air. The aura radiating from it was unmistakable, even before his [Aether Sight] confirmed it. Boss monster for sure. Adept tier, early stage…but pushing higher, very close to middle stage. Eric took command quickly. “Formations! Tanks on front, casters spread wide! Don’t clump!” Lightning already crackled in quick sparks back and forth across his shoulders as he spoke. Kate’s crisp tone followed him. “Stay loose on your feet, pay attention! Prioritize survival and keep eyes on each other, and control the flanks!” At their commands, the clearing shifted into motion. Shields came up, bows nocked, and spells primed. Alex felt his feet moving without thought, Holly moved in a silver streak on his left, Ghrukk loomed like a green tinted wall on his right. The three of them advanced together, all with their sights set on the monstrosity at the center. The air held still for a bare moment. The lesser chimeras waited, muscles twitching and tusks gnashing. Then the boss opened its maw and roared. The sound shook the clearing, a wave of violent aether radiating outward, bending branches and rattling the hanging bones on the altar. Its vines shot skyward, and as one, the pack surged forward. Alex braced, every nerve burning with the anticipation of violence, his body screaming to move faster, to hit harder. The approach of the boss’s shadow swallowed him whole, and for the first time in the dungeon, he felt like they were standing on the edge of true danger, with death sneaking into the peripheral of his vision. The Boss’ roar hadn’t even faded when the first wave of vines lashed toward them; Thick, heavily thorned, and surprisingly fast. He ducked left as one tore through the space his head had just been, a piercing shriek slice through the air like the toy whistle of a middle school gym coach wearing far too short of shorts. Ghrukk planted his halberd in the dirt as he cleaved two of the vines out of the air, with the impact noticeably rattling up his arms. Holly slipped past them both like a streak, jian blade flashing with her [Wind Edge] as she slashed one clean in half. The vine writhed on the ground like a severed serpent, spewing purple blood. The beast just huffed and still came at them. It was large and ugly from afar, but up close, it was worse, the ground trembling under each huge footfall. Alex darted right with his [Aether Sight] blazing, and watched the flow of its energy. Thick a