Slime Evolution

”Okay, I’m clearly not going to buy this today,” Lohan admitted, letting out an awkward laugh. ”But I’ll pay rent. Under no circumstances will I live there for free. That goes against my principles, and as I said, I don’t want this to strain our friendship in the future. I want to earn my place.”

Isabella was surprised to hear that.

On the surface, she frowned and huffed, feigning displeasure at his ”stupid stubbornness.” But inside, her heart raced. She was used to boys who tried to get close to her just to take advantage of her status or who became submissive servants waiting for crumbs. Seeing Lohan, a boy she knew came from the absolute poverty of Sector 4, maintain such integrity and independence even in the face of a fortune, made her feel a sweet admiration.

”You’re impossible, Halon,” she said, feigning irritation as she adjusted the route on the holographic panel. ”The standard rent for a unit of that category in Sector 1-A is around $100,000 credits per month. Are you sure you want to take on this burden?”

One hundred thousand credits a month. It was an astronomical sum by any human standard, but Lohan began doing the mental calculations through his Parallel Processing Core, taking into account everything he had been through up to that point.

In Elysium, now at Level 12, his and Lisa’s hunting speed had skyrocketed. They were already earning thousands of credits a day just from common materials. On top of that, there was the special agreement where Lisa paid him a 3:1 rate for every silver coin he earned.

’If I farm seriously with the new Astralis members and with ’Little Fox’s’ help, a hundred thousand credits a month is something I can cover in a few weeks of intense hunting, not to mention that this will likely get even easier the higher my level gets.’ Lohan reasoned.

He remembered that, after paying off the $30k loan, he wouldn’t have much use for the money in the real world, since most of his life now took place in Elysium. Improving his lifestyle, breathing fresh air, and having total security to connect were the best possible investments.

Even though he was taking advantage of the fact that Lisa would pay him three times the normal amount, which would make paying that rent three times easier, that was a small perk he was willing to accept.

”I accept,” Lohan said with a confident smile. ”One hundred thousand credits. I’ll consider this my second major financial goal.”

Isabella smiled subtly, satisfied with the response, but decided to have the final say to maintain her authority as President.

”Very well. But since I’m the owner, I dictate the terms of the contract. The first month will be free. Consider it a welcome bonus. Next month, you start transferring the credits to me. And don’t you dare complain, or I’ll double the amount just to see you suffer!” she teased, using the same taunt Alice used to use.

Lohan laughed, relaxing in the luxurious leather seat. He felt that his life was finally moving past the ”tutorial phase” and entering the Open World of reality as well.

”Deal, President. But get ready, at the rate I’m leveling up, I’ll end up buying this whole building from you soon.”

Isabella accelerated the Ferrari, cutting through the clouds and leaving the gray sky of the Lower Zone behind. ”To be honest, Halon... I’d love to see you try.”

The vehicle shot toward the gleaming towers, carrying the Slime and the Fox with it to the place that would become a new center of power for Eden-3.