Slime Evolution

Chapter 193: 193 - Group Energy

The sun of Elysium was still low on the horizon, casting orange and gold hues over the waterfalls of Thalendor, when the Astralis Requiem group passed through the capital’s main gates.

At the front, Lisa walked with grace.

She still hadn’t gotten used to the idea of carrying him on her back in front of Alice.

Even though they had greatly deepened their relationship in recent days, with the confirmation of their true identities and the deeper, friendlier conversations they were constantly having, Lisa was still a bit reluctant to act as his mount in front of people she knew in the real world.

But glancing to the side and seeing the Slime in Alice’s lap, who wore a broad smile as she stroked the cold, malleable jelly of its body, an unpleasant feeling welled up in the fox’s chest.

Alice didn’t have large breasts like the elf Aeliana, who loved to carry Halon from one place to another in Thalendor, but even with small breasts and her wearing leather armor, just seeing Halon so close to that was making Lisa uncomfortable.

’Calm down, Bella, you can’t let this affect you like this. You and Halon are just friends; you’re an empowered and respected girl. If word gets out that you’re acting like his mount, your reputation will be ruined...’ She tried to console herself, searching for reasons to keep going that way.

But seeing Alice skipping back and forth, gazing at the great trees of the Mythlorien Forest with fascination while speaking softly to Halon, made the flame she was trying to extinguish burn even more intensely.

”This is so amazing! Look at those beautiful birds with purple feathers... I only saw birds as beautiful as those at the Federation’s species preservation lab when I was a child...” Alice said, marveling at how beautiful and diverse the animal species she saw were.

”Yeah, the variety of fauna and flora in this forest is incredible,” Lohan commented, surprised that he hadn’t stopped to observe the beauty of this place before as he was doing now.

Always so focused on leveling up, getting more biomass, and getting stronger, he realized he hadn’t been observing the beauty of that place as much as he could have.

Even if those birds didn’t have any useful Evolution he could absorb, or enough biomass to level up any of his minor Evolutions, these creatures were still unique and beautiful enough to be appreciated for that.

The more he got to know Alice, the more he was charmed by this girl’s friendly and pleasant demeanor.

She was like a friendly childhood friend who, despite having known him for only a few days, managed to fit in seamlessly in every situation in a pleasant way.

’Now it makes sense that even with Lisa’s complicated personality and identities, Alice managed to maintain a stable friendship, even if she still felt a little fear and apprehension toward her identity. My worry about not getting along with Lisa’s friends, at least with Alice, has disappeared; now there’s just one other person left.’

Right next to the trio, the five veterans accompanying them maintained an organized formation, but with a sparkle in their eyes that hadn’t been there the day before.

The silence of dusk was broken only by the sound of boots striking the stone floor and the lively murmur of the new members.

”Honestly, who would’ve thought accepting Alice’s invitation would be this good?” Justin, the archer, remarked in a low voice to the other veterans, with a touch of excitement.

Unlike the distrust and displeasure he’d felt on the first day, after receiving his share of the team’s earnings, much of that had vanished.

He was still a little uncomfortable taking orders from a Slime and a Fox, but considering the money those same little creatures had helped them earn, his dissatisfaction gradually faded.

One of the others, Wyrm Wood, the druid who held a wooden staff and usually kept quiet, let out a sigh of satisfaction. ”Don’t even get me started. Last night, after I logged off, the first thing I did was order a natural food delivery. I ordered a large portion of high-quality salad imported from the farming planet near where I live and a tasty bottle of natural grape wine. My wife almost cried when she saw the account balance increase by twelve hundred credits at once, unable to believe I’d earned that much in a single day.”

Lohan, listening to the conversation through the mental link while observing the group, felt genuine satisfaction. Even though he knew they were part of the Upper Zone, based on what he’d observed in their conversations and the data Lisa had shared with him as Vice President of the Guild, these people were part of the Upper Zone’s lower tier.

Even though they lived in better places and had slightly better jobs than people in the Lower Zone, they still lived like Lower-Middle Class people, struggling to pay the bills without having to worry about going hungry.”

For people who earned monthly salaries of just a few thousand credits, an income of $1,200 was on a whole new level.

”You haven’t seen anything yet,” Lisa’s voice echoed in everyone’s minds, calm but with a hint of pride. ”Today we’ll still focus on power leveling Halon and me, but once we reach Level 11, the money we’ll be able to farm will make yesterday’s earnings look like pocket change.”

”Hahaha, long live Astralis!” Dee shouted excitedly, also happy with his wife’s reaction to the surprise he’d prepared for her yesterday with the money from the hunt.

The group stepped into the shade of the colossal trees and quickened their pace, and Lohan could feel the shift in the atmosphere.

Sensing the danger all around, the group went on high alert, ready for any surprise attack that might occur.

As they made their way to the hunting grounds, every monster that appeared was left to Lisa and Halon, who were on the verge of leveling up.

’Today, we’re definitely going to experience that evolution...’ Lohan thought excitedly.