24 Upgrade?

*DING*

In the cold and dark palace, Alex, whose orifices are currently being 'besieged' by the sands, heard the familiar Ding amidst the pain that he was currently experiencing.

It was like his only salvation from the excruciating pain. He clearly remembered the Scorpion Emperor saying 'it prevents us from dying horribly'.

Yet what was he feeling now? Maybe it was just because he wasn't really dying. Then he read the notification that was on his sight.

*Influx of mana detected. Absorb Y/N?*

Since the Emperor has sacrificed himself for Alex, it would be too much of a waste if he died in vain. So he could only grit his teeth and accept the mana.

As soon as he accepted, another unimaginable pain assaulted him. It was quite different though, as the pain came entirely from his mana pool!

The pain felt like his body was bloating and was continuing to expand until sooner or later, it would probably explode.

*DING*

*Foreign System Detected! Absorb Y/N?*

Another dinging sound was heard in his head as the System asked another question.

'The Scorpion Emperor's System! So he was planning to merge both our System to strengthen it?'

Accepting another System just to enhance his' was a no-brainer for Alex.

'Now I can reach the apex pretty fas- Fuuuu-!'

This time, the pain came directly from his head. His head was beating in sync with his heart.

It was like being stomped by an angry stallion during every beat. He didn't know if the pain would turn him into a 'no-brainer'.

Alex didn't know whether his mind will collapse first or his body. It was looking 'good' for him though, as he was still able to think.

Minutes passed and the sweat on his body were like being squeezed out of it. It wouldn't take long for it to accumulate and turn into a puddle.

An hour has already passed and the pain seemed to increase ever so slightly.

Soon, four hours have passed and the pain became unbearable that Alex would soon pass out.

On the fifth hour, his eyes grew heavy and he felt like submitting himself to death. His mouth had already been oozing with blood for quite some time now because he had been gritting his teeth for five whole hours!

Alex closed his eyes hoping for the pain to stop. He really cannot take it anymore. He just wanted to rest.

The next thing he saw was the ancient forest.

This was already the third time he was seeing it, yet it felt quite different each time.

'Everything looks life they were watered daily. They were so lush and healthy like it was supplied with energy. Energy?' Alex thought hard and was standing still at the forest.

'So the mana from the Elemental Core and the Scorpion Emperor goes here? I don't understand. It seems like a separate dimension from the system.'

'Maybe my body was only absorbing the excess mana and everything was transported here. Yeah, that should be it.'

'Then what's the use of the Elemental Crystal if I won't be able to benefit from it? Will I be stuck at the level of a beginner mage forever?'

'Haaaa. I should leave this problem for the future me. I'm still too dumb right now. Once I get into the academy I would bury myself with books. Haha.'

Since he had nothing to do, he strolled around the forest and found changes on the 'temple' of the cocoon.

He quickly ran towards it and did not notice the addition of another black cocoon just a meter away from first cocoon.

The first thing he did was to sit down and look intently at the trembling cocoon. The creature inside the cocoon seemed to be struggling out of it.

Like what he did the last time he was here, he fed it his own mana, since he knew that he was still bloated from absorbing too much mana.

Alex reached out his hands towards the cocoon and sent a stream of mana out of his palms. At first, the creature was very docile and accepted all his mana.

"Rest first little one. Break free from that cocoon once you regain your strength." He whispered as if giving the creature his blessing.

He continuously sent out mana for a minute when the cocoon started trembling furiously.

'Something's coming out of it!' Alex's eyes lit up. He was very excited as it was his first time seeing something give birth to life.

'Not actually giving birth to life, but life evolving. Wait what am I thinking about?' He shook his head to try and dismiss the thought he had just then.

Faint cracking sounds could be heard as the lower part of the cocoon opened. Then the creature came out of it.

"A Gecko? How can a freaking gecko came out of a cocoon!? Ahhhh! My head hurts!" He clutched his head like a madman. He wasn't really expecting a gecko. He thought that since it was a cocoon, it should've been a butterfly or other of its kind.

Alex looked at the gecko once more. 'Wait a minute. This gecko looks like the one that ate my crystal! However this one is a bit bigger and a lot cuter now.'

The gecko he was looking at was still pitch black and there were now golden spots on it. Its length was the same as Alex's forearm.

As if he was sharing his own thoughts with the gecko, it smiled at him to show its affection.

"Awwww. How cute!" He rushed towards the gecko and held it in his hands. He really wanted to hug it but he was afraid that he would squish it. He was only able to use his finger to stroke its head.

'Hmmm. What are these tiny bumps?' When his fingers touched the head of the gecko, he felt tiny bumps on it.

Alex dismissed the thought regarding the bumps on its head. He then held the gecko with both hands like a toy and startes twirling around like a little kid.

Before he got dizzy, he calmed himself. He knew he got too excited open seeing such a cute creature.

When he was twirling around, he finally noticed the other cocoon that was lingering a meter away from the gecko's.