Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 243: Book 4: Chapter 8: Tabletop

Read chapter 243 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 4: Chapter 8: Tabletop Chapter 8 Alex could only imagine the size of the creature that might be causing such roars to rock the ground. A magma Leviathan? A colossal Mage-Tier Emberworm? He didn’t know for sure. And it seemed that no one else did either. For all the years that the Urhara Empire seemed to be farming out the dungeon, it didn’t appear that anyone had seen what creature was at the heart of it. The Dungeon objective didn’t require anyone to fight it, as it just required defeating a lesser boss. But on occasion, the roars were heard and felt. Not every party that entered the dungeon heard it either. It was almost random in that regard. Perhaps a bit of system-generated ambiance, or additional lore that was added, like the bit Alex had uncovered in the Dark Den dungeon, under the Kobold village. None of that truly mattered, it wasn’t important to know the mystery of the System’s ways, only to conquer and complete the task ahead of them. The team ascended the steps, their feet clacking softly on the almost smooth-cut stairs leading to the open doorway. The steps were larger than typical humanoid ones, indicating they weren’t made by humans, dwarves, or other such creatures, the ones who were known for building into rock or mountain. Contrary to Alex’s expectations, they weren’t attacked as they climbed the steps, nor when they crossed the threshold to the structure. The silence of the space was all the more unsettling following the heart-stopping roar of whatever beast lay hidden miles below, but that didn’t stop them from pressing forward into a large tunnel beyond. It was sloped downward to a noticeable degree, leading the team further and deeper with each step, as if it were a gateway to the underworld, gently guiding them through twists and turns every so often. All the way heading towards their demise. A final twist in the tunnel brought them to a vast, square cavern that was unnaturally geometric after the rough-hewn tunnels before. The walls were smooth and dark stone, their surface as black as obsidian, but not nearly as polished. The stone was marked by ancient fire-burned runes that jittered faintly in the dim glow. In the center of the room rose a stone dais. It was circular and raised a meter from the ground. Upon the dias stood a low, rectangular table , if it could be called that, made entirely of some blackened gray mineral shot through with veins of molten red. The heat was even more oppressive there. It pressed in around them like the hot breath of a gaping monster’s mouth. “Looks… hand-carved,” Kate said as she looked around, pacing along the perimeter. “Not a natural formation for sure.” “No kidding,” Devon said. He stepped closer to the dais and peered at the red lines on its surface. “The runes on the table, they’re connected to the rest of the lines in the walls. Look.” Alex followed Devon’s gestures, his [Aether Sight] flaring to life. At once he could see the threads of luminous energy snap into focus for him. Sure enough, the whole room was covered in complex arrays of glyphs and circular formations intertwined like a web. Lines of fiery mana ran from the table’s surface, down into the floor, and out to the surrounding walls. It wasn’t just ceremonial decoration or flair. Alex had some experience in studying and creating spell-work, so he understood rather quickly that the whole chamber was set up like a spell, but not one he could decipher easily. And it didn’t look like any of the spells he’d learned from scrolls, it used some kind of method much older than what he had learned. Devon crouched down, his eyes glinting behind his glasses as he traced a finger above one of the symbols. “It’s… really complex. Look here, that’s the old glyph for ‘ Combustion’. And that one’s ‘ Compression’. The table’s showing full formula structures for something, I guess must be fire-oriented techniques. Or maybe cultivation methods, even. But the logic’s different than any cultivation method I’ve seen.” Tha