—Dragon or not, this thing is a ball of aura anyway! Let’s just suck it up like an elixir so we can power up! It was a ridiculously simple idea, but its simplicity swayed the Fire Water Council members. The conference room, now a crater resembling an amphitheater, suddenly filled with murmurs. —Suck a monster that size like we do in aura cultivation? Is that... Is that possible? —But if that monster is actually made out of pure aura, then there is no reason we can’t consume it. Chairwoman Saimeslam slapped the floor with her tentacle. Everyone immediately fell silent. In the council, where the strongest was always right, the chairwoman’s slap was understood as “Excuse me, but you losers who are weaker than me, so please shut up.” Now, a graceful silence hung in the air. Saimeslam turned toward Uburka. —Let me ask you this directly, Uburka. Are you saying we can get rid of that monster using aura cultivation? —Ugor! That is precisely what I think. Saimeslam was much younger than him. Her tone was still authoritative as she spoke to him, but Uburka did not pay any heed. He just grinned like a naughty kid playing a prank. —Think about it. When you eat something, it becomes part of your body. Using the same logic, the aura we absorbed became ours even though it came out of that guy’s lungs. Uburka knocked his fists together with a loud thud. —So you take a bite, I take a bite, we all take a bite. After we consume the aura one bite after another, ugor! That turtle will disappear without a trace. The only ones left will be us, who have become stronger! Saimeslam was deep in thought. A Shellmount was naturally small, smaller than Terras. But after the Terras evolved into hobgoblins, they became bigger. Uburka seemed like a huge tower when standing next to Saimeslam. When standing next to Uburka, it was natural for Saimeslam to look tiny. She only had one tentacle left, even though the high number of the tentacles was the pride of the Shellmounts. Her snail shell was very wrinkled because of her old age. However, even beside a huge green mountain such as Uburka, Saimeslam stood proud. The confidence suited her. —Listen, everyone. The Fire Water Council’s policy regarding this unprecedented situation will be decided now. The demonic cult doctrines had been widespread in this world. The Terras had been trained according to those teachings, and the cult doctrines became the main principles of their council. It had been hundreds of years since the Shellmounts joined the Terras. If Uburka was the first Heavenly Demon, Saimeslam was the four hundred and seventeenth. According to the doctrines, losing all but one tentacle was something to take pride in, not be ashamed of. The more wounds a person had, the number of sword trajectories they could see and use also increased. (The more scars a person had, the more freedom they had )As the wounds left behind scars, the person’s Demonic Heaven Arts would become free. Before long, the councilmen stood up as if they had been waiting for this. —We will take Former Ancestor Uburka’s advice and absorb the aura of the Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea! —Chairwoman, I will summon the entire Sylvan species! —Calm down, long ears. Don’t try to get ahead on your own. Our Viper God went first, so those of us with horns also have the right to go first! —Hahaha... Everyone is surely motivated, but can you guys really get there without our ships? —Gosh, everyone seems to be feeling very greedy today. We, the Opposing the overly greedy. We, the Organization that Firmly Opposes the Exclusive Use of the Energy Dragon, strongly insist on establishing a committee for the fair and equal use of the Energy Dragon... Saimeslam hit the ground again. —Silence! I know you’re here to represent your species, lime! But so is everyone else! Therefore, we will be able to reach a conclusion that includes all species! That is our job! Those words made the councilmen clear their throats. Saimeslam was the first non-Terra to become the chairman of the council. She was not only strong but also had the ability to maintain her authority. Before long, the council reached an agreement. —Let us Bloodborns announce this to the world immediately. We will let them know using the Dream Notice. —We, the Sylvans, will mobilize all our merchant guilds to receive pilgrims. Just announcing it would cause mass confusion. —The Skians will be in charge of security along the way to prevent possible attacks from thieves. —We will gather enough ships for the pilgrims. Please leave the traveling to the Fingills. —The Shellmounts will be in charge of architecture, lime. That turtle is huge, so climbing onto his shell will require some of our construction skills. —Uger, all our Terra troupes will share their intel and plan an educational Cavefire play so that even beginners can practice aura easily. Even though the issues were sorted out, Saimeslam did not appear satisfied. She looked around the councilmen. —You fools! The most important question remains unanswered! To consume the turtle, we need to kill it first, laimu. But that turtle is alive! How can we decide how to deal with him when he’s not dead? Once again, shame bloomed on the members’ faces. Uburka smiled, watching this unfold with joy. —Ugor. Right. We still need to figure that out. —Can’t that fuck up the whole thing, laimu? Uburka smoothed his chin. —You could say that. That dragon has an ego of his own. The dragon whose head you cut off and dropped into the sea a little while ago... —A little while ago? It’s been decades, lime. —Oh, I’m sorry. Uger. Once you become a Constellation and focus only on training, your sense of time will become very different from that of ordinary people. Anyway, the dragon whose ass you guys kicked decades ago had no such thing as an ego. It was basically a beast that howled when it was hurt and fought back when attacked. But that turtle is different. —Well, scholars enjoy racking their brains, so the reason a giant mass of aura would have an ego should be a very interesting topic for them. Uger, although scholars are probably celebrating this discovery, it puts us in a bit of a pickle. —Even if the people who can’t use aura manage to cling to the turtle, he will kick them away as if they’re flies. To stop that, we’ll have to chop off the turtle’s head, like you did with the dragon in the past. Saimeslam scratched her shell. —The turtle is too big for us to deal with. I don’t know how many warriors will die for us to do that. We might not even manage to chop off his head despite the many sacrifices of brave warriors. —Ugor. You could just stick to him and start aura cultivation. Over time, he’ll grow weaker and won’t be able to fight back as ruthlessly as before. —Not all of us are as strong as you, lime. The basic premise of aura cultivation is to meditate with a serene mind while sitting in the lotus position for a long time. Too bad the turtle will constantly throw a tantrum. You can’t exactly sit in the lotus position while the ground is shaking. Saimeslam scratched the back of her head. —Besides, that turtle is huge. His tantrum will affect the whole world. The ships traveling between the New Continent and us will sink without a doubt. On top of that, the damage would be catastrophic if a tsunami swept away the cities near the coast. Actually, the pressure will trigger a series of volcanic eruptions similar to popping pimples, laimu. With that said, she fell deep into contemplation, her worries vivid even through the hologram. The continent’s fate and that of all the species depended on this council. As the leader, she had to make a decision. But that didn’t mean she had the final say in this decision. The Bloodborn representative who had used Dream Notice to tell everyone about the energy dragon’s location and identity raised his hand. —Um, I think I have a good solution. As Saimeslam herself had said, the councilmen’s job was to exchange opinions. —Good solution? What is it? The Bloodborn representative began explaining. His neatly grown moustache moved along with his lips. The other councilmen were left speechless by his suggestion. —It’s definitely a brilliant idea. —Umm. But is that possible? —The turtle has an ego, so I don’t see why not. A lot of opinions conflicted. Saimeslam tapped the table. —It’s worth a shot, lime. The Bloodborn representative grinned, but Saimeslam wasn’t done. —However, for it to work, we have to attract the turtle’s attention. Scoffs resounded from all across the conference room. Since clinging onto the turtle was the same as putting a bell on a cat’s neck, it was a natural reaction, but Saimelsam didn’t mind. —I volunteer to go first. The councilmen paused at her remark. She could only laugh —Think about it, you eczemas. Whoever gets to the energy dragon first and sits in the lotus position will be the luckiest bastard because they will get the biggest slice of the pie. I have no intention of letting anyone else have that slice, so I declare that I will stand at the forefront as the six hundred and twenty-ninth chairwoman. Saimeslam turned her head and looked at Uburka. —What will you do, Ancestor? —Uger, even if the turtle splashes water or throws another tantrum, I won’t have any issues clinging to his shell. —I am older than you, so I won’t be rude. It’s not okay for me to ask for the biggest slice and still claim to be the big brother. Ugor. Besides, you younger siblings will be embarrassed if you call your oldest brother whenever something happens.” In the past, the council had turned down Uburka and I when we offered to help. Even on the thirty-seventh floor stage, Uburka didn’t show up. The Viper, who was worshiped as the Viper God in this world, also refused to actively participate in the battle against the dragon. The people of this world and era took care of the work and problems. This was the most basic principle of the council. However, Saimeslam scoffed. —Resolve is beautiful only when a person has the power to prove it, laimu. It’s nothing more than an arrogant struggle if it cannot be proven. If a king makes the wrong choice, his people will be the ones to suffer, not him, lime. She slapped the table using her tentacle as a whip. —The turtle fucker said he will kill all those who cannot use aura. This is tantamount to saying that he will kill not only those who failed to awaken their aura, but also newborn babies who don’t know how to do that. Saimeslam struck the table again. —Some animals may not get angry when their young are threatened, but we aren’t animals. The councilmen’s expressions turned grim. They spoke up. —Yeeeeeah! That’s right! —That’s right, Chairwoman! —We, the Group Of Those Who Aren’t Beasts, also publicly support the chairwoman’s declaration. Saimeslam hit the table one more time. She looked fed up as she turned to Uburka. —So, I will use everything I can, even dog shit. Can you help us, Ancestor? —Ugor. Are you calling me dog shit? You’re harsh, but fine. I’ll help you. —Good. Then I’ll organize a special operation team to attract the turtle’s attention. The ancestor and I will take the lead. As mentioned earlier, those who volunteer for the team will have the opportunity to be the first to climb onto the turtle shell and start their aura cultivation. The special operation team was quickly formed. Like ants going after a honey cookie crumbs on the floor, countless people volunteered. The council was now both a meeting of councilmen and warriors. There was nothing to fear with the chairwoman taking the lead. However, Saimeslam frowned. —Hmm. We could do better. Our manpower is not enough. I would have nothing more to hope for if slightly more powerful guys just dropped out of the sky. Two hundred to three hundred warriors would be perfect... Just then, new people joined the council. —Hehehe. We’ve been waiting for this. Sunlight streamed in the meeting room when the large door opened, revealing hundreds of warriors holding their chins and pointy horns high. Sadly, they inspired disappointment. —We’re the Viper God’s worshippers. —The Viper God’s Divine Guards! —We, the two hundred and fifty-six True Color Skian Rangers, will help you! Silence followed for a moment. Saimeslam rested her chin on her tentacle while Uburka scratched the back of his head. —You said you would even use dog shit if necessary. —Are you going to use these guys? —Hmm... Give me a moment, lime. A lot is going on in my head now... After a truly long time, the council meeting for the day ended, and people headed to the Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea. This was the beginning of a pilgrimage that would later be named Aura’s Path. The Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea, the strongest of all energy dragons, howled. The dragon that sank into the deep sea was so strong that nothing in this world could beat it. He defeated Uburka, two hundred and fifty-six True Color Skian Rangers, and everyone else who dared to attack him. There was no one like the Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea in this world. Anyhow, he continued roaring. “Ah, this is the end for us!” The worthless who didn’t know how to use the aura fled. But the Energy Dragon was more awesome than them. “Aura... If only I had practiced my aura skill harder!” Their belated regrets were nothing more than a dirge. The Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea crushed and wiped out everyone who hadn’t learned how to use aura yet.[1] —Brother, that turtle bastard is smiling. The Bloodborn leader paused smoking his cigarette to reply. —Leave him be. I guess he’s having a nice dream. Behind him, hundreds of thousands of Bloodborns were flapping their wings and sending out mind energy waves. 1. The weird wording here is very intentional because it is a parody of the source material—Invisible Dragon ☜