Slime Evolution

Chapter 103: 103 - Desperate Situation!

If the inside of the tree were flat and without walls, acting this way would be almost impossible, but with the tunnels that the beetles had made inside the tree, the structure of the place was more like an ant nest, with dozens of seemingly ”random” paths leading up, down, and sideways, making the place almost like a maze.

The beetles had no trouble moving around in that place, but they had difficulty finding the invaders, especially now with how many beetles Lohan and Lisa had already killed.

The place could even be a dungeon, but the process of birth, nutrition, and maintenance of the beetle ”colony” was still natural, requiring food for each one, and a natural maturation process as well.

This limited the number of beetles that the Queen could keep under control and well fed.

As Level 10 monsters in a low-level area like the Mythlorien Forest, it was easy to dominate a place like this, but difficult to find prey nutritious enough to expand the size of the colony.

”Okay, we just need to go through two areas and we’ll be out of the tree,” Lohan said excitedly.

Despite her weakness, Lisa’s constant tail movement also indicated that she was excited to get out of there.

But as they passed through the first area, they saw something they didn’t want to see.

Standing over the hole they had used to enter the tree were two huge beetles, swaying their heads to look and smell the environment as if they were searching for something.

Considering the difference in size between these two beetles and the normal ones they had killed earlier, it was obvious that these two were Elite beetles!

”Shit, that fucking Queen must have sent these two Elite beetles to make sure we didn’t escape from the tree, while using the normal beetles to search for where we were hiding!” Lohan cursed mentally, frustrated that the Queen’s intelligence was greater than they had imagined.

”Can we get past them quietly?” Lisa asked weakly, with a hint of hope.

Even with Lohan stemming the blood loss from her wounds, forcing her internal blood circulation and demanding energy from her body through strenuous and constant physical exercise was exhausting the fox’s strength.

At this point, she just wanted a warm, comfortable bed to lie down and rest.

Lohan didn’t even have time to answer when one of the beetles suddenly turned its head in their direction.

Raising the horn on the tip of its nose toward them, the insect screamed and didn’t hesitate to fly toward them.

With the warning from its companion, the other beetle did not doubt its companion and also flew in that direction, using the flight time to finally sense that something was wrong in that area in front of them.

Enraged, it also screamed as it flew, ready to tear apart these intruders who had killed so many of their brothers.

Seeing the two big guys flying towards them, Lohan sighed and replied. ”I think you already have your answer...”

Saying that, Lohan kept [Umbral Mimicry] active, while activating [Obsidian Exoskeleton Lv 4], turning their bodies into a completely dark black mass.

In that place, the only things visible were the fox’s silver eyes and her paws, which began to glow white as her [Spirit Flames] emerged.

Seeing that battle was unavoidable, Lisa didn’t hesitate!

The two Elite Beetles dove in a scissor trajectory, cutting through the air with a low hum that reverberated off the fossilized wooden walls.

Lisa attempted a [Spectral Step] to the side, but the tremor in her injured hind leg betrayed her, causing the jump to lose the necessary amplitude.

The first beetle collided sideways with Lohan’s [Obsidian Exoskeleton Lv 4], throwing the pair against the wall with such brute force that the black plates cracked.

To repair the damage, Lohan had to consume more than 200 Biomass, but he didn’t hesitate to reinforce the shield again.

”Lisa, don’t try to hit them head-on! They’re coordinating their attacks!” Lohan shouted through the mental link as he fired strands of [Magic Weaving Lv 3] to try to create a containment net.

”Do you think I didn’t try to dodge?!” She shouted back, frustrated with the situation.

The elite beetles, however, demonstrated superior tactical intelligence, making it clear that the Queen was personally commanding this battle again.

Instead of getting caught in the threads, they used their serrated mandibles to cut the mana connections before the drain could even stabilize.

The second beetle took advantage of Lohan’s distraction and struck with its front horn, using the superior strength of a Level 10 Elite Monster, piercing the symbiotic armor and hitting Lisa’s shoulder.

The fox’s yelp of pain was agonizing, and reddish blood began to soak Lohan’s blue gelatin as he tried his best to staunch her bleeding.

The situation was becoming increasingly desperate.

Lisa unleashed bursts of [Spirit Fire], but the glow of her flames was flickering, signaling that the fox’s Spirit Energy was coming to an end.

Another cut appeared on her ear, and the accumulated fatigue from hours of invasion made her movements slow and heavy.

”Halon... I don’t know if... I can hold them both...” Her mental voice was weak and laden with a resignation that Lohan had never heard before.

In that moment of utter despair, the pleasant burning sensation Lohan felt in his core turned into an explosion of white heat!

The rare [Basic Life Seed] finally succumbed to [Efficient Digestion Lv 16] enhanced by [Hemolymphatic Tissue Lv 11].

A torrent of pure life energy flooded his mana pathways, merging with the [Magic Core] in a way that ordinary evolutions would never allow!

[Basic Life Seed Digestion Complete!] [Compatibility detected... Initiating Core Fusion attempt!]

A notification flashed in Lohan’s vision, but he didn’t have time to read the technical details.

His core pulsed with an emerald green glow, and just the residual energy expelled by it pierced through his [Obsidian Exoskeleton], and Lohan felt his biomass expand and reorganize at a terrifying speed.

Lisa’s pain seemed to recede for an instant as this green residual energy flowed through his symbiotic armor into her body.

Feeling this great change in his own body, Lohan felt the excitement within him grow, finally seeing a possibility of victory!