Aurora Scroll

Viers and Arsène had been spreading Dia’s Gate Plant seeds during their travels at suitable locations. Many of them were unable to fully grow because of various reasons such as discovery by other humans or getting flooded by heavy rain.

Still, there were teleportation points that the people of Viridis could use.

In this sort of base-building, Viers wanted his place to be self-sufficient. Food wasn't a problem because there were plenty of edible plants growing but Viers’ appetite wasn't normal. Also, besides a few special kinds, they weren't enough to satisfy his vitality-rich diet.

To make Viridis a balanced environment, Viers wanted to include those in the animal kingdom in. He had been doing this slowly from the start, by capturing monsters and special beasts with high value then letting them have a new life in the Biome.

With the return of Boram and the revival of Paina and Farley, Viers had more hands on deck and more mouths to feed, so he increased the hunting rate. Like a mission command, he sent people to hunt a quarry with the data that the intelligence division, Arsène soul searching poor souls, provided.

Hunting monsters was a classic form of training, good for Boram and the others. Their reach was wide because of the Gate Plants. Mostly in the Free People Coalition, Viers’ old haunts.

“All right, behave now,” Boram said while bringing in three cows through the portal.

Futon was happy to be home and flew through the sky.

“Thanks for the help. Now then…”

Unlike this time, it wasn't only livestock monsters that they brought here. There were also vicious monsters in the Biome now. Viers’ standards were high. All of them were rare and expensive monsters whose body parts would be flying off the shelves if put on the market.

When possible, they brought a couple of them, so the monsters could procreate and thrive.

Boram heard the sounds of two monsters battling in the forest nearby. It was just like in the wild.

After settling the Rank 1 cows to their designated places, Boram reckoned he should report to his Master. He should be in the Dojo at this time of day.

A job well done. Boram had no idea his Master had such a nice place. He’d come to like his new home.

On the way, Boram had a thought. Paina and Farley called Master Avel Viers. When he asked, Master said he could call him whichever. Boram decided he would just call him Master. It was simpler that way; his name didn't matter anyhow, face too.

When he got close enough, Boram could hear a flute. Must be Paina. The melody was nice.

He watched Master and Farley in a mock battle. Farley, her right eye shining red, let loose a flurry of stabs, but Master was evading each one of them with a paper-thin difference whilst his eyes were closed. Farley was using her Level 2 cultivation while Master suppressed his to Level 0 but she still couldn't land a hit on him. Truly an impressive feat.

Master said he should at least save his life or do something equivalent before he released him from slavery. Boram thought the goal was getting farther and farther away.

He wondered if smashing the head of a Governor-King and gifting a city to Master would be a deed of equal value. At least that Boram believed he would be capable of doing in the future.

***

“Alright, that’s enough.”

“Huuf…” Farley was short of breath. “Thank you for the guidance, Lord Viers.”

Viers was getting a satisfactory field test with his soul sense. “Your control on the demon eye is getting better. Good.”

Farley gave an appreciative nod before stepping back. Gwen gave her sister a towel for her sweat.

“Boram, you’ve returned. Want a bout?” Viers asked.

“Yes, sir!” Boram said firmly.

“Weapon or fists?”

“Fists.”

“Okay. We-”

Viers stopped mid-sentence as he turned to Paina. The fae-blooded girl was still playing her flute but suddenly her music changed into something passionate and uplifting. The person herself was in a trance, lost in the world of melody. The others beside Viers were also enchanted by the audio magic. No one interrupted her until the music reached the crescendo and ended with a spectacular finish.

“Huff, huff… What was I…?”

“Calm down,” Viers placed his hand on her shoulder. “Breathe.”

“I don't know what that was but it felt incredible,” Paina said. “Like my mind became an open sky.”

“You experienced an awakening… Sound 4, huh? Congratulations.”

“Does it mean? I… Truly?”

“Yes. A dual affinity Pathseeker, like me. Water and sound.”

“Congrats, Paina!” Farley gave her friend a hug.

“Congratulations, Miss Paina,” said Boram.

Viers always suspected this day would come. Her experience with the Cardinal in Valkut had already formed the seed. The last thing she needed was to have a body again to complete her whole being. Now she had water 5 and sound 4.

While a dual affinity Pathseeker didn't instantly mean stronger compared to the mono affinity Pathseeker, they had more potential. But on the other hand, they also needed more resources to use both affinity to their full potential.

Water and sound, there’s a synergy to be had there, Viers sagely thought while caressing his chin.

Dia, Faiya, and Futon came because of the commotion and then joined in congratulating Paina. A Pukupuku came bringing Paina a bouquet of flowers.

Viers didn't tell her that her affinity should be sound 3 but Viers did some improvement during her soul and body merging to raise the affinity by one level. It was still one step less than sound 5 but raising affinity was doable. Boram also was still earth 4.

The girls are already Level 2 so I guess it’s time? Only a couple more finishing touches left.

***

With all the cultivation that Viers had in a closed environment, even though it was a plant-filled island, the Biome was in the middle of cosmic nowhere. Viers realized he was like a gamer that hadn't left his computer for a month.

People on the internet had a thing to say to people like that: touch grass.

Viers did just that.

In the middle of the Biome, there was a patch of earth surrounded by a grand-looking, very complicated, magic circle. The earth was barren, except for a single blade of grass.

“My precioussss…”

Viers touched the grass with the same affection Gollum gave to a certain golden ring.

The grass was not green but red, like blood.

Viers’ Nutra supply was running out. With the disappearance of Abby the reincarnated Dungeon Core Viers had no way of gaining more.

It was not an acceptable state of affairs for Viers.

Viers wanted to create his own supply of Nutra. With Dia’s special strain of plants, Viers experimented on the Nutra, trying to create a plant capable of replicating the Nutra’s effect.

It took 79 attempts at experimentation until he had some measure of success. It took another 116 times more to get to something viable.

The red grass only had about a third of the original Nutra’s effectiveness but it was renewable.

The condition for it to grow was very strict, even the Level 5 Biome such as Viridis was not enough. It also needed a very high amount of vitality.

Was it Fate or something else? The solution came from the same place the Nutra originated, the Circle of Life formation. Viers created this formation by copying the dungeon’s ability to absorb vitality from those that got injured inside the Dungeon.

Even though Viers’ version similarly lacked the efficiency of the real thing, Dia’s Biome was much bigger than the Dungeon. When a monster fought with other monsters, when a monster got butchered for eating, when a plant died and rotted, when Boram and the others sparred, not a single speck of their life’s energy went to waste. The lifestream from the Biome was gathered and focused on this small 2x2 meters area.

The more living beings in the Biome, the greater the harvest. That was one of the reasons Viers captured monsters and brought them to the Biome. For now, it was only enough to nourish the red grass but it might change in the future.

Hmm… Perhaps it is possible to entrap my enemies in the Biome before I kill them? By doing that I can get their entire net-worth out of them.

Their bodies and equipment would be his. Their soul and knowledge would be his. Their life would flow to the earth of his Biome. Viers abhorred waste but this kind of very thorough harvest frightened even him.

Viers named the red grass Nutra Grass. The amount wasn't enough for consumption for the time being but more will grow. In the future, there might be more surplus energy from the Circle of Life that he could utilize for other things.

And when the Tyra Xerg came into the equation…

***

The night in Viridis was very tranquil, but tonight something disturbed it. Farley heard the sound of continuous rumbling lightning and flashing lights beyond the trees.

“Sis?”

“Gwen, stay in the house. Don't come out no matter what,” Farley grabbed her spear and went through the door.

“Sis, be careful!”

Farley assured her sister. As she approached the site, she saw Paina. No doubt she was investigating the incident, same as her.

“Farley, is it an enemy attack?”

“I don't know. I've been trying to contact Lord Viers but he’s not responding. Dia’s nowhere to be found either.”

“Then this is their doing, isn't it?”

“Perhaps. But stay sharp. Presume nothing until it is certain.”

“I know.”

The two approached the site, sneakily. The sound of crackling lightning became louder and louder, but when they heard the mad laughter of Viers among all the noises, they sighed in relief.

“What the-” Paina was lost for words when she saw what was happening.

“Hwuahahahahah! Muhahahahaha!”

Viers was bathed in lightning, energy radiating from his body. Dia, Futon, and Faiya were joining their master in his euphoria. As if this was some sort of devilish ritual, the Pukupukus were surrounding Viers in a ring while enacting a synchronized worshiping dance.

“POWEEER! UNLIMITED—POWAAAAAH!!!!!”

“-wer! Wheee!” Dia laughed.

“Yaaa!” Faiya burned bright, just like his elevated mood.

“Fuu! Fuu!” Futon emitted his lightning as if he didn't want to lose to the lightning Viers produced.

Even though Viers knew he shouldn't make a villain laugh as per the evil overlord list, he was only human.

The reason Viers was in such a fine mood was that today marked the end of his Victa generation boosting Arte that he got from Saint Rose.

And the completion of an Arte that could replace it.

Viers had been working on this Arte for years, since he got his soul affinity. It was almost completed but he was lacking the final step to make it work. After his fight with the Dumuzin-possessed Farley, the demon forced the knowledge that he lacked.

Now Viers could convert souls into Victa.

It meant as long as he had souls, he could generate as much Victa as he wanted.

Therefore Viers had unlocked the secret to infinite Victa, to infinite energy.

The Arte - Soul Energon was complete.

“Miss Paina, Miss Farley, what happened? Why is Master laughing like that?”

The new arrival, Boram, was confused.

“Let's go back,” Paina obstructed Boram’s eyes using her hands and led him away. “Good kids shouldn't see this.”

“O-okay?”

The three went back to their house. Viers was aware of their arrival but didn't care. He allowed himself a moment of happiness-induced insanity.

From his humble beginnings in Luxore to Valkut to Monsterland, Viers had turned all of his harvests to strength. He could feel the cultivation momentum pushing on his back. The updated Viers would soon roam the world once again.

Latias Kingdom, here I come.