[NunuNote: A massive Chapter to make up for yesterday’s missed Chapter <3]
Removing the virtual reality headset from his head, Lohan stretched his body and felt his movements become even lighter and more fluid than when he had logged in that morning.
Although a lot had happened after he reached Level 12, it had all taken place in just a single day.
Today was Saturday, so Lohan logged into the game in the morning and only logged out now in the evening.
The first few times he spent so much time in Elysium, Lohan still felt hungry and a subtle weakness in his body after logging out, but over the past few weeks that sensation had diminished so much that today he no longer felt any change at all.
Even while still breathing the polluted, nutrient-poor air of the Lower Zone, Passive Digestion alone, with the various upgrades he’d recently received, already yielded 1 Biomass per hour for him. And not the old 1 Biomass Unit, but the current 1 Biomass Unit, which equaled 1,072 Biomasses!
Adding this biomass to what was actively digested from the surrounding environment, Lohan’s current digestion was at a stratospheric level compared to his first time.
Obviously, this amount wasn’t that large in the real world, since Lohan didn’t have full access to Slime powers, but just as he had noticed in Elysium when he leveled up that his gains had increased, in the real world the effect was the same, or even stronger, since he felt as if he had also accessed a greater portion of the power he already possessed in Elysium.
Without the game’s status screen in the real world to analyze the specific amount of his power with data, it was difficult to fully understand how much he had improved or absorbed, but the sensation was like that of an extremely powerful, hot, and intense magical core within him at all times.
Smiling at the sensation of power and the satisfaction of security, Lohan still had the discipline to get out of bed, drink another nutrient solution, and do his exercise routine.
With his funds growing and the amount of available nutrients increasing along with them, Lohan increased the frequency of his workouts.
Even knowing that the power boost provided by Elysium would likely surpass this, he also didn’t want to become entirely dependent on that synchronization of power between the two worlds.
Lohan breathed rhythmically while maintaining the frenetic pace of his push-ups.
Sweat trickled down his face, but within moments the toxins were isolated, neutralized, and reabsorbed, keeping his skin slightly damp but preventing the liquid from actually pooling.
He felt every muscle fiber working in perfect sync; with each new repetition of the exercise, his muscles adapted to the movement and developed almost visibly to handle it as effectively as possible.
The light from the old TV, tuned to the news channel so the room wouldn’t be so quiet and so he could immerse himself in what was happening in the world, flickered against the peeling wall, illuminating the mold stains that Lohan had already considered removing to make the place more livable.
But remembering how unpleasant the owner of that apartment was, he preferred to keep the place as bad as it was, just so that man wouldn’t profit from his kindness; after all, to the Lohan of today, that mold was completely harmless.
"...and reports keep pouring in from all sectors of the Federation..." the news program’s new anchor said, her voice trembling slightly beneath a veneer of professionalism. "What were once rumors on niche forums are now proving to be an undeniable reality. Citizens who have never played sports are demonstrating levels of strength and regeneration that defy modern medicine. And what is the common denominator in all of this? They are all active Elysium players."
Lohan stopped at his hundredth push-up, holding himself static in a plank position. He felt his internal cores pulsing in his human chest like two powerful engines as he listened curiously to the news.
The report switched to grainy footage of an industrial slum.
"The fever to get into the game has reached alarming levels. Reports indicate that thousands of families are going into debt with black-market loan sharks just to acquire the neural helmets, sacrificing even their essential Breathing Filters in exchange for playing a few hours in Elysium each day." The anchor continued. "This paradigm shift has already begun to affect the infrastructure of some planets. Several waste processing plants on Star HB-761 have halted operations after supervisors were intimidated by workers who have reportedly ’awakened’ superior physical abilities."
Lohan smiled wryly, imagining the scene of these revolts by intimidated employees.
Suddenly, the image on the TV grew darker, showing the charred ruins of a luxury mansion that stood in stark contrast to the decay around it.
"The most serious incident occurred early this morning. The CEO of Vane Metallurgical Industries was found dead in his home. Witnesses claim to have seen a suspect throw bottles of fuel and then generate a small pulsating sphere of fire between his hands, which spun like magic before completely incinerating the place. Security experts warn: what happens in Elysium is no longer staying in Elysium."
Lohan sat cross-legged on the floor, watching the scene on the screen with a raised eyebrow.
Obviously this Player had a Mage class in Elysium, and likely tired of being abused by the inhumane conditions the poor had to accept in that world, he decided to use his new power to take revenge.
’It’s not like I could blame him; I’d probably do the same thing in that situation...’ Lohan thought, not caring one bit.
The world was beginning to bleed power, and the freedom they sought in the game was taking its toll in reality.
He looked at his own hands. As he subtly activated his mana, he realized that he could now maintain a layer of [Obsidian Exoskeleton] beneath his skin for much longer without the previous wear and tear.
Suddenly, a notification sound rang out on his phone.
Lohan picked up the device with the cracked screen, expecting to see a news alert or perhaps another automatic charge. Instead, his eyes widened as he read the header of the Atlas Bank app.
[Atlas Bank]
[Transfer Received from Alice Muller: $50,000.00]
[Note: Loot payment and performance bonus.]
Lohan froze for a moment; his breathing, which had previously been perfectly controlled by his enhanced lungs, now became ragged.
Fifty thousand credits.
Even with rampant inflation and the cost of living in the Upper Zone making that amount seem like nothing to people there, for someone in the Lower Zone like him, that sum was a fortune capable of changing lives, or, in his case, ending a financial nightmare.
He knew that Alice, though someone he trusted, acted solely as Lisa’s financial intermediary.
No one would make a transfer of this magnitude without a direct order from the "President."
Without hesitation, Lohan opened the Syn app and looked up Lisa’s contact.
[Hayes: Lisa? I just received a notification for 50,000 credits from Alice. Is this some kind of typo, or did you decide to buy my entire building and forget to let me know? 🤨]
The reply took no more than ten seconds.
[Lisa: Oh, did you see that? It’s just payment for the coins we accumulated today. I told you Astralis Requiem values its Vice President, right? Don’t make me repeat that time is money, Halon. Accept it and don’t complain. 😂]
--- Hi, I’m a dividing line! ---
Meanwhile, in one of the luxurious residential complexes in the Upper Zone, Isabella Vance was lying on her silk bed, watching Syn’s golden hologram float above her.
Unlike her usual indifference, the golden glow in her eyes reflected a mix of irritation and anxiety that only made her even angrier.
"Idiot... stubborn..." she muttered under her breath, her voice coming out with a slightly high-pitched, "cute" tone that reminded one of the indignation of the little fox Lisa in the game. "How can he act like everything’s fine while carrying a burden like that on his back? If Dylan hadn’t given me that heads-up about his credit history at Atlas Bank, I wouldn’t even know he was being suffocated by 30,000 credits in debt..."
Isabella snorted, kicking the air with her legs covered in white silk. Dylan, as the heir to a family of intelligence and security, had the means to monitor "threats" or "assets" near the Vance Group, and the name Lohan Hayes, though discreet, stood out to him.
"He treats me like a normal girl, but refuses to let me act like the friend who can solve his problems..." She whispered, looking at the screen where Lohan’s message glowed. "At least now he’ll have to accept it."
Hii, I’m another dividing line! o7
Back in the small, musty apartment, Lohan looked at the updated balance.
[Current Balance: $23,659.16] (After automatic deduction of the negative balance of $30,432.84).
He felt a knot untie in his chest, a weight that had been with him ever since he woke up in that body with a rope around his neck.
The $30,000 debt, which had felt like a death sentence due to the 3% interest that consumed $912 monthly, had vanished with a single click.
Even though he was making so much money and was confident he could pay it off at any moment, when the debt actually disappeared, he felt a peace he hadn’t expected.
Lohan realized that Lisa had transferred far more than the market value of the coins, even at the forced 3:1 rate Alice usually used, making it clear to him that she knew about the debt. She knew exactly how much he needed to be free in the real world.
He sighed, feeling the Mana flow calmly through his human veins.
He wasn’t going to argue about the rate this time. The freedom of not having to worry about next month’s interest and the possibility of finally moving out of that dump were too valuable for his pride to get in the way.
[Hayes: Okay, Bella. I won’t complain this time. Thanks... really. For everything.]
Lohan locked his phone screen. He thought about Dylan and the fact that Lisa had managed to get that inside information so quickly.
Lisa had given him Dylan’s work contact, so it wasn’t hard to figure out who was responsible.
’It’s not like I can judge him; I’d probably do the same thing if I saw a strategic ally in financial danger...’ Lohan thought, not caring about the invasion of Dylan’s privacy.
With the world changing so fast, Lohan decided to change along with it.
This house was already getting on his nerves; he needed at least one place that felt like home.