Alex, who had fainted from exhaustion, suddenly opened his eyes. His breathing was ragged, his body still trembling from the effort. Around him, the slimes were bouncing joyfully, happy to see him regain consciousness.
"What… happened…?" he murmured, holding his head, still aching.
Then a memory struck him like lightning.
"Ah yes… that's right. I collapsed after a mana overload, from using too much telekinesis on the obsidian stones…"
No sooner had he spoken those words than a blazing vision of those stones flashed through him. His heart raced. He leapt out of bed, so fast that his body vanished from the sight of ordinary people. He didn't even bother to open the door: he went straight through it, shattering it into pieces. Outside, he stopped abruptly, his feet sinking into the soft earth.
Then, calmly, he returned inside the house, walked to the table and grabbed the dragon egg resting there. Holding it gently against him, he whispered in a deep voice:
"We haven't spent enough time together, you and I…"
The egg trembled slightly in his arms, as if answering him. Alex smiled.
"So, you agree. From today on, we're going to spend more time together."
Determined, he headed toward the forge. Crossing the village, he watched the dwarves and ants working side by side on the renovations. Hammers rang out, mandibles cut and carried, and at the center of this commotion, the queen coordinated everything with a firm hand. Alex greeted the dwarves he passed, and suddenly, the queen rushed toward him.
"You're feeling better, boss?" she exclaimed with concern.
"Yes, don't worry," Alex replied with a smile. "It was just fatigue."
He glanced around and continued:
"So… I see that, just like you told me, you've started renovating the village."
"Of course," she replied proudly. "You need a village worthy of you."
"I can't wait to see it," admitted Alex.
"Well, I'll get back to it, boss," she said, about to leave.
But Alex stopped her with a gesture.
"Wait… queen, what's your name?"
She turned, slightly surprised.
"Emilia."
"Thank you for all this, Emilia," Alex said softly.
Those words struck her like a blow. Emilia's heart leapt, her cheeks flushed, and she began to stammer awkwardly before turning on her heels and running away, too embarrassed. Alex watched her go and sighed:
"She's strange."
At that moment, Asudar came running, red-faced and out of breath. He stopped in front of Alex, bent his knees to catch his breath.
"Haa… boss… haa… emergency… the forge… quick!"
Alex crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You should train with the others. Your cardio is terrible."
"No… time… boss! It's serious!"
Alex's face hardened. Without hesitation, he clutched the egg to his chest and sprinted off. The sudden gust of wind blew Asudar several meters back, but the dwarf endured it without issue thanks to his sturdiness.
Arriving at the forge, Alex didn't slow down. In his urgency, he protected the egg with one hand and, with his shoulder, smashed through the wooden door.
"What's going on?!" he shouted, panicked.
The dwarves froze, stunned by his explosive entrance. On the anvil lay a massive block of dark obsidian, intact despite the blows. In the furnace, the embers glowed weakly, unable to impose their will on the stone.
Asudar shook his head, his beard dripping with sweat.
"Boss… it's impossible to work it. The fire of our forge just isn't strong enough. We can heat the surface, but never enough to soften it."
To prove his words, Mechar raised his hammer and struck with all his might. CLANG! The impact was so violent that the hammer cracked and flew from his hands before crashing to the ground.
"Our tools can't handle it either," added Asudar with a sigh. "The obsidian is too hard."
Alex stepped forward, observed the dark rock, and clenched his fists.
"So… the problem isn't the stone. It's us. We need much stronger heat… and better hammers."
He lifted his head, his eyes shining with determination.
"Let me try. Give me a hammer."
Asudar quickly brought him a hammer, a leather apron, gloves, and a mask. Alex prepared himself, took a deep breath, then seized the tool.
At that moment, a translucent window appeared before him:
[You are touching a forging hammer.
Do you wish to enter your personal space: The Matrix?]
Yes / No
[Next evolution: ???]
Time remaining before evolution: 36 hours.