"SHINY"

Yes, I know Apollo is shiny, but can you please stop chewing on him?

"Shiny mine!"

The [MANAMANDER] [LIEUTENANT] was currently dangling about a meter in the air. The only thing keeping it there was the death grip on Apollo with both its teeth and claws. The only time it releases part of its hold was to proclaim that Apollo was a 'shiny' and 'shiny mine'. Although it seemed that the wisp had finally had enough.

Apollo's eye cracked open as [SOUL TETHER] reached for Lasair's mana affinity. The wisp took a firm hold of the lizard by its mana structure, and pulled it off him. The lizard was hastily placed on the ground, with Apollo flying higher so it couldn't grab him again.

[PROMOTION FINISHING...]

[{UNNAMED} IS NOW A [LIEUTENANT]...]

[PLEASE PICK SKILL PATH.]:

[DIVERSE TASTE]: YOUR [MANAMANDER] CAN NOW CONSUME ANY TYPE OF MANA.

[MINE MINE MINE]: YOUR [MANAMANDER] GAINS A INVENTORY KNOWN AS A HOARD.

[RADIANT OBSESSION]: YOUR [MANAMANDER] GAINS A LIGHT AFFINITY.

Please just pick a skill. I'll give you something shiny if you pick a skill.

"Give shiny? Want shiny!"

The lizard reared back and threw itself at the screen, seemingly uncaring of what it landed on.

[[MINE MINE MINE] CHOSEN. FINISHING PROMOTION...]

That's one way to pick a skill...

"Give shiny now! Want shiny!"

Lasair sighed, but created a gold coin for the lizard to obsess over. It squealed with delight, before starting to chew on its prize. It seemed as if this [LIEUTENANT] was going to be a handful.

What should I call you buddy?

The lizard did not answer, far too absorbed in his gold. Lasair would admit, the coin was quite shiny, even with all the dents from the lizard trying to eat it. It was a small thing, maybe the size of a shirt button. Suddenly it disappeared, likely into the hoard. The lizard seemed satisfied with the coin, and immediately started looking for a new treasure. Thankfully, the display had given Lasair an idea for name.

How about Midas? Does that name seem 'shiny' to you?

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"Yes! Midas shiny! Midas mine! Midas me!"

Now that the name and skill path had been established, Lasair looked over the changes that the promotion had made to the lizard's body. The [MANAMANDER] was about the size of a gecko, about twenty centimeters long. Most of its body was a light grey, but its eyes and back were a nice blue. The stubby little legs ended in claws that, although still quite small, seemed big for the lizard's size.

Upgrading Midas to level five had cost almost nothing, and that was without any bonus energy. Getting him to ten might cost a bit more, but it was still perfectly achievable. Before doing so, Lasair checked the status of her newest [LIEUTENANT].

[STATUS LOADING...]

[STATUS]: MIDAS

[CLASS]: [MANAMANDER], [LIEUTENANT], [MINE MINE MINE]

[LEVEL]: 5

[AFFINITY(S]): MANA

[BONDED]: [DUNGEON CORE]{LASAIR}

[ABILITIES]: MANA GLUTTONY , ADVANCED SENTIENCE

Well, no time like the present.

[[LIEUTENANT] [MIDAS] HAS REACHED LEVEL TEN. [MINE MINE MINE] HAS UPGRADED TO [ALL THAT GLITTERS].]

[INSPECT]: [ALL THAT GLITTERS]: YOUR [MANAMANDER] GROWS STRONGER AS MORE IS STORED WITHIN ITS HOARD.

[STATUS LOADING...]

[STATUS]: MIDAS

[CLASS]: [MANAMANDER], [LIEUTENANT], [ALL THAT GLITTERS]

[LEVEL]: 10

[AFFINITY(S]): MANA

[BONDED]: [DUNGEON CORE]{LASAIR}

[ABILITIES]: MANA GLUTTONY , ADVANCED SENTIENCE

Midas shivered once again, before his body began to change. He grew to the size of a chameleon, although he kept the proportions of a gecko. The blue within his eyes seemed to drip down, drawing the path of two tears down his face until they reached his mouth. There, the color spread to his fangs, which had gotten longer and sharper. As the levels finished taking effect, a small row of spines grew down the center of his back, and the beginnings of two horns appeared on his brow.

"Yes! Feel shiny! Shiny strong! Midas strong!"

Lasair used the small amount of energy she had left to give the little guy a few more coins. Even at level ten as a [LIEUTENANT], the [MANAMANDER] didn't look too strong. She didn't plan on making the little guy fight too much, but it would still be good to get an idea of his combat prowess.

She called over one of the wisps, one that was about level four. The thing wasn't even a [LIEUTENANT], but it had still probably cost more than Midas. It would be a good baseline. Even though she hadn't utilized it yet, one of the wisps' biggest strengths was their hypnosis. Physically, they were just flaming marbles.

Want to test out that 'shiny' feeling buddy?

The lizard stared at the wisp that approached him, before a familiar greed overtook his eyes.

"SHINY. MINE."

Midas leapt at the wisp, grabbing on to it with his claws. The wisp didn't seem to care and began readying its fire for a counter-attack. A thread of flame caught Midas in the shoulder, making him hiss with pain and anger. The lizard reared back, readying his fangs. Suddenly, his blue eyes began to emit a blinding blue light. It grew brighter and brighter until...

The lizard disappeared. From the physical world that was. With her affinity, Lasair could see what had really happened. Midas had converted his entire form to mana. His form was still made of thousands of brilliant blue strands, with his claws hooked into the wisp's mana structure. His fangs flashed forward, and a good third of the wisp's mana disappeared down his gullet.

In the real world, the wisp clattered to the ground. The light within its core had gone out, and its fire was extinguished. Midas slipped back into being, a smug look on his face.

"Shiny tasty. Midas nap."

The lizard laid down right then and there, using the corpse of the wisp as a pillow. Lasair was still reeling from what she had just witnessed. Did Midas just eat that wisp's soul? And then use the dead body to get better sleep?

Thankfully, she was pulled out of that spiral of thinking by an all too familiar sound.

Footsteps.

And meowing.