Slime Evolution

Chapter 386 - Fool on TV

In total contrast to the technological and investigative bustle of his vanguard leaders, Lohan found himself in a state of peace and power he’d never imagined having.

The air he breathed was pristine, filtered by hospital grade systems that made the metallic pollution of the Lower Zone feel like a distant nightmare.

Lohan was running through a series of advanced strength exercises, feeling his level 16 integration operating in every fiber of his real body.

His Body Density now manifested as a strength already beyond human limits, he didn’t have the exaggerated bulk of a bodybuilder, but a dense, elongated musculature, practically sculpted to form the body of an apex predator.

He performed vertical push ups with weights on his back using only his fingers, feeling Gravitational Anchoring stabilize his weight against the rubber floor.

With every movement, he felt Mana flow freely through his internal channels, purifying any trace of fatigue before it even formed.

For Lohan, training wasn’t just focused on aesthetics, though he really did love the new appearance he was building, it was actually preparation for conflicts that might arise in the future.

He knew that as Astralis grew within Elysium, it would only be a matter of time before his real world identity was somehow discovered, and various powers would try to reach him both in Elysium and in the real world, and he needed his real world body to be a weapon just as lethal as his Mythic Slime in the game.

"Ouch... mana control in the real world is getting scarily fluid," Lohan murmured to himself, standing up and walking to the gym’s glass wall overlooking the city skyline. He grabbed a Grade S nutritional solution from a refrigerated dispenser, savoring the vitamin density even higher than Grade A, but that his body now processed instantly.

Lohan walked to the living room, a vast space decorated with minimalist furniture and a TV screen that covered almost the entire main wall. He turned on the system and the crystal clear image of an Upper Zone news studio flooded the room with vibrant colors.

Some random talk show was showing the face of a host trembling with excitement as she announced tonight’s guest. In the center of the stage, sitting in a chair that comically resembled a throne, was a man whose appearance silenced Lohan’s living room.

The Player identified himself as Ignis and his aura cut through even the digital broadcast.

His skin was covered in rigid red scales that gleamed under the studio lights, and his eyes were golden slits that exuded a shocking predatory authority.

He had a muscular tail resting beside the throne, which he controlled with great ease.

"Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy the honor of meeting Ignis, humanity’s Legendary Dragon." He said with arrogance, but with an appearance as dominating as that, no one in the audience minded his arrogance, roaring with excitement and giving the man a huge round of applause, which made him smile even more satisfied.

The host then remarked. "As you can all see, Ignis is one of the lucky Legendary Base Players, one of the few known publicly so far. Tell us, Ignis, aren’t you afraid of revealing your identity?"

Ignis looked at her with disdain and scoffed. "Afraid? What would a dragon be afraid of? I’m the top of the food chain, Amanda."

Amanda, the host who also played Elysium, felt a chill run through her body as his gaze bore into her, making it clear that this man really was a dangerous creature!

Sensing it would be dangerous to keep going down that road, she decided to ask about something else instead. "Tell us Ignis, the guild you lead, Dragon Soul, is currently growing at a frightening pace, how do you feel about that?"

"I feel like this is just natural. Dragon Soul isn’t just a guild, it’s the destiny for everyone who longs for glory and success." Ignis said, in a voice that sounded like the low roar of a volcano. "Many of you still crawl on the ground like ordinary humans, but Elysium has given us the fire to ascend, and Dragon Soul is where that flame burns brightest."

WOAAAHHHHH

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP

The audience went wild at a declaration like that, feeling their own blood boil with excitement at such a grand, interesting description.

The show then began playing B roll footage, recorded clips of Ignis in action.

Lohan watched, his own Slime core vibrating in resonance, as the Draconian drew in a deep breath and let out a blast of real fire from his mouth, the flames melting a reinforced ceramic target in seconds. In another clip, Ignis leapt dozens of meters into the air, landing with a kinetic force that carved craters into the ground, and lifting massive shipping containers with an ease bordering on an insult to conventional biology.

"We have the full backing of the Soul Group," Ignis continued, cutting back to the main shot with a smile that revealed sharp fangs. "They understand the value of power. While other corporations fight over copper coins, we’re conquering the mountain peaks of Elysium and this world’s sovereignty. If you have a predator’s blood, Dragon Soul is your place."

Lohan tightened his grip on the nutritional solution bottle, feeling the resistance of the plastic against the strength of his hand as fragile as thin paper, but held himself back from causing a mess in his new apartment.

The Soul Group was a large scale conglomerate that had been gaining traction in the real market, and the revelation of a Legendary Player like Ignis had made their stock spike on the graphs running along the bottom of the screen.

"Really... looks like some groups’ patience is running out... and maybe Astralis’s announcement has something to do with that..." Lohan murmured, his eyes fixed on Ignis’s scales. "His power is impressive for an integrated human. His physical strength seems to be at a level even higher than mine, considering his race is probably geared toward raw strength growth, and that fire isn’t normal either..."

Lohan felt a wave of predatory instinct run through his human biomass.

Seeing Ignis brought no fear, only a renewed hunger for evolution. He realized the race for sovereignty was no longer confined to the alleys of Thalendor or the forests of Mythlorien. The real world was watching the rise of a new aristocracy based on the rarity of one’s soul.

If a Legendary Draconian could do that in front of cameras, Lohan knew his own capabilities as a Double Mythic Slime were something the world still wasn’t ready to process.

But Lohan was in no hurry to expose himself the way Ignis was.

Just as his potential was gigantic, his initial growth was also much slower than what a Double Mythic Base should have.

He didn’t believe he was the only Player with a Mythic Base in Elysium, and if he showed off more than he should, a visit from Players like that would surely happen before long, and he wasn’t sure yet whether he’d be able to handle that for now.

Once his level rose and he evolved a few more times, Lohan would surely fear no one, but for now it was better not to fully expose his power the way that fool was doing on TV.

’With just one Legendary Base he already feels like the king of the world... what a fool.’

"Enjoy your fame, Ignis," Lohan thought, as he turned off the screen and let his penthouse sink into luxurious silence. "But when Astralis Requiem decides it’s time for the stars to descend to earth, your dragon fire is going to look like nothing more than a dying ember. I’m not going to compete for the public’s attention... I’m going to devour every one of your influences until the only light left in the firmament is our own."

Lohan walked to his master suite, feeling the comfort of the heated floor beneath his bare feet.