Slime Evolution-Chapter 96 - Invading

[NunuNote: Enjoy your Bonus Chapter! Thank your for your Power Stones and Golden Tickets!]

"Good luck, come back safely." Elle said with her hands on her chest in a prayer position.

Lohan formed her small hand beside her and waved goodbye to her, while Lisa walked into the tree carrying him on her back.

In the end, Elle just wanted them to do what they would have done anyway. She didn’t even want to go with them because she knew that in combat she would only be a burden, so there was no reason for them to refuse her request.

Feeling the Basic Life Seed inside him, Lohan wasted no time and began to digest it.

Surprisingly, instead of dissolving in a few minutes like everything else he had digested lately, this seed was dense in biomass, to the point that Lohan realized it would take him more than a few hours to digest it at his standard speed!

"Interesting... I’m even more curious about what I’ll gain from digesting this!"

Looking ahead, even before they entered the tree, another group of beetles that was rushing out of there spotted them, and without thinking twice, began to fly towards them with murderous intent.

Lohan didn’t wait for the monsters to approach.

He controlled the Mana to flow within him, synchronizing perfectly with his will.

"Lisa, I’m going to close off the corridor! Don’t let any escape from the sides!" Lohan warned through the mental link as his membrane vibrated.

-- SHIIIING!

He shot three thick strands of [Magic Weaving Lv 3] toward the edges of the tree’s circular entrance.

The bluish filaments, now at Lv 3, were thicker and stronger than the old Lv 1 ones he had used two days ago. They glowed for an instant before becoming almost invisible under the metallic light of the fossilized trunk.

Two of the beetles, unable to swerve in mid-flight, collided with the sticky web.

The sound was muffled, as if they had hit tar, and Lohan immediately felt the passive Mana drain begin to flow back into his core.

With the increase in the level of this skill, the efficiency of the Mana drain had also increased, so that even though the cost to use it had increased, he recovered so much Mana that using the skill was now less taxing.

Lisa, acting with the lethal grace of a Legendary Fox, activated [Spectral Step].

She turned into a reddish-white blur that slid between the roots, appearing under the unprotected belly of the third beetle. Her paws glowed with [Spirit Fire], and she delivered an upward blow that threw the insect against the inner wall of the tree, causing a thunderous impact.

The impact against the fossilized wood made the Beetle crack, but the creature, being a Level 10 monster, still tried to recover, its metal legs frantically scratching the smooth surface of the trunk.

Lisa, however, gave it no chance to react.

"Don’t let it escape, Lisa! I’ll finish off the other two first!" Lohan warned.

While the fox kept the third beetle under pressure, Lohan focused on the two insects he had trapped.

The bluish filaments glowed brightly as they passively drained the prey’s Mana, transferring pulses of energy to Lohan’s core.

Taking advantage of the victims’ immobilization, Lohan stretched out tentacles reinforced by the [Obsidian Exoskeleton Lv 3] and wrapped them around the joints of the carapaces.

-- SIZZLE!

The sound of the beetles’ flesh being dissolved echoed through the room.

With [Hemolymphatic Tissue Lv 10] activated due to the frantic and desperate attacks of the beetles, Lohan smiled, causing the meter-long beetles to visibly wither under his membrane.

Not only that, but the speed of digestion of the seed inside him also accelerated!

Realizing that Lohan was already in control of the situation, Lisa delivered the coup de grâce to the third beetle, piercing the weak spot under the creature’s neck with a flaming paw.

As soon as the monster stopped struggling, Lohan rolled over to it so as not to waste a single drop of nutrients. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

[Experience: +525] [Experience: 1,094 / 12,800]

Lohan felt his core vibrate with the massive influx of power.

The battle may have seemed easy, but the amount of Mana and Biomass he spent was very high, showing the difficulty of dealing with Level 10 monsters.

Lisa let out a gasping sigh, the white bursts of Mana in her fur gradually diminishing as she sat on her hind legs to recover her Spiritual Energy, which had also been greatly depleted in this short battle. "These beetles are much more resistant than the scales of Shadow Serpents... the effort to pierce their shells is exhausting," she commented telepathically, looking at Lohan as he finished absorbing the last metallic parts of the insects.

Unfortunately, he did not receive any new Evolutions, but three new upgrades were very welcome!

[Obsidian Exoskeleton Lv 3 → Lv 4]

[Pack Instinct Lv 9 → Lv 10]

[Body Density Lv 9 → Lv 10]

After two minutes of rest, Lisa got up and looked at the circular entrance in the trunk in front of them.

As they entered the interior of the tree, Lohan was surprised by its internal structure.

The interior of the tree was not just a hollow hole... the space was large, about the size of an average apartment in his previous world, but with fossilized wooden walls that rose in natural curves, forming tunnels and niches where the beetles apparently rested.

"Halon, look up. The exit to the next level must be that hole in the ceiling." Lisa warned, keeping her silver eyes fixed on the side tunnels.

Lohan wasted no time and released three small clones through [Partial Division].

Thanks to [Pack Instinct], he was able to control the four bodies with a mental clarity that the Lohan of a week ago would never have had.

While the main body remained on Lisa’s back, the clones rolled into the side tunnels, using [Selective Viscosity] to stick to the vertical walls and gather as much information as possible for them.

Despite the acceleration of digestion by the [Hemolymphatic Tissue], the Basic Life Seed inside him was still a little far from being digested. But Lohan felt a pleasant burning sensation, indicating that the seed’s biomass was slowly being converted into pure life energy.

Suddenly, through the vision of one of the clones, he saw a large group of seven beetles flying where they were!

Without hesitation, he controlled the clones to return inside himself, not wanting to waste the biomass used in that, and warned Lisa.

"GET READY, A LARGE GROUP IS COMING!"

Lohan’s blue membrane was quickly covered with black, rigid hexagonal scales. The cost of biomass was high, but necessary for the battle that was to come!