Chapter 298: Back to the Mask |
The soft light of Eden-3 filtered through the smart curtains of the penthouse at Skyline Heaven, bathing Lohan’s room in a glow that seemed better than anything he had ever seen in the Lower Zone.
It was Thursday. Lohan opened his eyes, and for a brief second, the disorientation of waking up in a silk sheet instead of a moldy mattress hit him, but soon a confident smile spread across his face.
As he stretched, he felt every muscle fiber in his body respond with a frightening density and vitality.
For the past three days, Astralis’ routine had been a bloodbath in Mythlorien.
Lohan and Lisa had not only fulfilled their promise to power-level Alice and Dylan’s group, bringing nearly all the Players to Level 13 and some already halfway to Level 14, but they themselves had also reached Level 13.
Lohan sat on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes to feel the Mana circulating through the internal channels of his body. The synchronization between his human body and the character Halon was reaching an even more intense level of integration.
Thanks to the [Sacred Light Core] and the [Superior Magic Core], the energy within him pulsed like a second heart, cleansing impurities and strengthening his bone structure 24 hours a day.
’Phew... if I keep this up, my human body will become a biological weapon before Saturday even rolls around.’ Lohan thought, feeling the firmness of his abdominal muscles, which now displayed a definition that rivaled that of elite athletes from the Federation.
He walked into the minimalist-style kitchen.
Lohan prepared a breakfast that, in Sector 4, would cost an ordinary worker a month’s salary: free-range eggs and bacon, sourced from organic farms on other planets.
The taste of the seared fat and the texture of the proteins were a feast for the senses, but as he finished the meal, Lohan felt his stomach still craving something more substantial.
His biology was changing.
Because he was actively absorbing the powers of Slime and the processing capacity of the Devourer class, a purely human diet was no longer enough to satisfy the nutritional needs of that evolution.
Sure, he could sustain himself that way, but to make the most of his growth rate, Lohan had to eat more.
He grabbed a Grade A nutritional solution from the pantry and downed it in one gulp.
The thick liquid flowed down his throat, and he felt the Digestive Filter and Efficient Digestion kick into gear in the real world, distributing the energy throughout his cells in milliseconds, bringing a sense of fullness that meat and eggs alone couldn’t achieve.
With his energy at its peak, Lohan headed to the private gym on the penthouse floor.
He activated the high-gravity simulator, setting it to 1.5x the gravity of Eden-3. Where he had once easily managed 200 calisthenics reps on the dirty floor, he now struggled through squats and push-ups, using Structural Stability to ensure every movement was perfect.
With every drop of sweat that beaded on his skin, he felt the Mana "wash" through his pores, eliminating any fatigue before it could build up.
After his workout, he treated himself to a hot shower.
The clear water massaged his broad shoulders, which had expanded even further in recent days to accommodate his new muscular bulk.
However, college hours were approaching, and with them, the need for a social mask.
Lohan stepped out of the bathroom and headed to the closet, but ignored the midnight-blue silk outfits Isabella had picked out for him. Instead, he reached into the back of a drawer for his Lower Zone protective gear: a worn black hoodie, thick cargo pants, and the cheap, bulky protective overcoat.
He put on the protective mask, adjusting the filters, and looked at himself in the mirror.
The imposing, radiant boy from seconds ago had vanished, replaced by the scruffy, "poor" silhouette of a Lower Zone dweller.
His posture, however, remained perfectly upright; he had to consciously force himself to hunch his spine slightly and mimic the despondency typical of his social class so as not to attract the attention of sharp eyes.
Lohan left the apartment and stepped into the private elevator. Fortunately, he didn’t encounter any other residents along the way; at Skyline Heaven, virtually everyone owned private flying cars and departed directly from their suspended garages, leaving the common hallways practically deserted.
Upon reaching the main lobby, the atmosphere shifted.
The doorman and the two security guards, clad in high-tech tactical uniforms, stopped what they were doing. They looked at Lohan with a mixture of suspicion and caution, confused as to why a kid dressed like a "Lower Zone rat" walking freely through the glass atrium of the sector’s most expensive building was an immediate red alert for their security protocols.
One of the security guards stepped forward, his hand resting on the holster of a pulse disruptor. Only when Lohan stopped in front of the glass barrier and the system requested his eye scan did the tension ease.
The door unlocked with a beeping green signal allowing him to exit, and the security guards exchanged looks of sheer astonishment, but quickly let their guard down, assuming expressions of professional neutrality.
They probably thought it was just some strange, eccentric hobby of a rich kid who had recently moved into the penthouse and liked to dress up as a poor person for fun.
Lohan ignored the stares and stepped out onto the street. The bus stop was just a few meters from the building.
As he boarded the bus, he was hit by the familiar smell of sweat and saturated filters, but the [Digestive Filter] instantly isolated the chemical soup from the air.
The bus was packed, but the ride was much more pleasant for Lohan.
He only had to stay there for ten minutes until he reached his destination, getting off at one of the express stops in the Upper Zone that provided direct access to campus, remembering with a hint of bitterness the nearly two-hour torturous trip he used to take from Sector 4 to get there.
That’s why he had so much time to eat and exercise before leaving; with so much free time, his day was now much more productive.
As he walked through the college gates, the world returned to normal.
Lohan walked among the hanging gardens and glass towers, ignored by the elite. The Zona Alta students passed him by as if he were merely part of the street furniture or a blemish on the landscape, while he ignored them in return, feeling perfectly at peace with his invisibility.
"Sup, bro..." A low voice interrupted his thoughts.
Lohan turned his head and saw Devon Baker leaning against a marble column.
The boy waved at Lohan with a knowing smile. However, Lohan paused for a moment, surprised. Thanks to Instinctive Perception, he noticed that Devon’s magical aura was much more intense than the last time they’d seen each other.
Devon exuded a dense, vibrant Mana signature, signaling that not only had he leveled up a few times, but his integration with the game was also accelerating dramatically.
"Hey, Baker. I see the grind has been tough on you too." Lohan replied, noticing the gleam in Devon’s eyes before heading toward the classroom.
As he entered the room, the noise of idle chatter about potion prices and parties in Sector 1 filled the air. Lohan sat in his isolated spot in the corner, pulling out his old cell phone with the cracked screen to keep up appearances.
He had no intention of using the hidden communication device at college; it would be too conspicuous for someone from the Lower Zone to have something like that.
A few minutes later, silence fell over the room like a blanket of ice.
Isabella Vance entered, walking with elegance, wearing a white silk ensemble and black pants that seemed to glow with a light of their own under the classroom spotlights.
Isabella swept the room with her golden, unapproachable gaze, but upon spotting Lohan sitting in the corner, dressed once again in the ragged clothes of the Lower Zone, a subtle trace of surprise crossed her face.
Her eyebrows rose for a millisecond, and her lips tightened as if she were holding back a comment.
However, Isabella quickly looked away and walked to her usual spot at the front of the room. She respected his decision not to draw attention and to maintain his social cover, sitting down and ignoring the girls who immediately tried to surround her with the day’s gossip.
Isabella opened the Syn’s holographic interface and, with quick, discreet movements, sent a private message.
Lohan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He opened the app, seeing the little fox icon blinking.
[Lisa: Halon... to be honest, your beggar disguise is getting harder and harder to believe when I can sense your Mana signature from ten meters away, has this evolution also diminished your control over your aura?]
[Lisa: But seriously... did you also feel something strange inside you after leveling up last night? I woke up feeling like... something was wrong behind my back... but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.]
Lohan looked at the message and then at Isabella’s back, watching her red hair sway as she pretended to pay attention to the conversation around her. Thinking about the energy he’d sensed in Devon, an idea popped into his mind.
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