Viers was a dragon.

The king of beasts, a monster among monsters, the apex in the food chain.

Last but not least, cool.

Because dragons were powerful and cool, people had idolized them since time immemorial. Some were fearsome, some were divine. Whatever their shapes or sizes, dragons were power given form.

That was Viers now, gliding on top of the sea. Blue scales that put the strongest of armors to shame adorned his serpentine body. The awe-inspiring aura projected his regality, making lesser creatures cower. No one was able to contend with his might.

As a display of his unparalleled strength, Viers opened his mouth and an absolutely terrifying force was condensing in front of his maw. The seas churned and the skies quaked.

The dragon breath became a pillar of light that shot to the heavens, scattering the clouds above and breaking free of the chains of gravity.

And Viers saw something he didn't expect in this world, the ceiling.

…Ceiling?

Viers woke up from his dream.

***

Hmph. To think it is all a dream trope…

Viers felt the dragon dream as if he was getting duped. He unleashed the frustrations in his heart at the bacteria inside his mouth, by furiously brushing his teeth at every nook and cranny much more thoroughly than usual.

Dragon… I wonder how much longer it will take for my carp to leap through the dragon gate and become a real dragon?

As of now, Viers still didn't have a dragon monster form.

The base was there, the Tomalica Carp. A very unremarkable fish monster. The first monster form that Viers got at Level 0.

Because of the similarities with Magicarp, Viers decided he would evolve it as close to Gyarados as he could.

On another note, Gyarados was Viers’ favorite Pokémon when he was in elementary grade. Therefore Viers had sentimental value about evolving his Tomalica Carp.

But it wasn't so easy. The evolution requirement was very high. Viers needed a lot of dragon genetic materials.

From some chump in the Book World, he obtained a dragon heart, however, this heart was from a fire dragon. Precious, but incompatible with Viers’ vision.

At Valkut, when Arsène posed as him and accompanied the Silver Legion to raid the Tower of Doom, the real Viers had an adventure in the mountains. There, he stirred the pot of Radiageus’ nest, a Level 5 true thunder dragon. He gained a way to make Farley’s body and made progress for the dragon evolution from the big dragon’s hoard, at least, the tiny portion that he managed to swipe away.

But he still lacked a vital component.

I need a water affinity dragon heart or core or something of that level. And not any cores would do. It would make my Gyarados mediocre. No. I won't compromise it. The center catalyst for the evolution must come from an extraordinary dragon. True dragon at the least. Dragon god level would be better, like the template xianxia MCs have… If it exists, even above, like the Azure Origin Primordial Dragon God Emperor or something. Xianxia novels love those kinds of exaggerated long titles.

…But where would I find something like that?

Anything related to dragons rarely reached the public market. Even if there were some, it would be bought by others shortly because of the high demand. Viers might be able to buy it because he had wealth on par with Level 4 thanks to his villainous ways but he didn't have any contacts within the market or people he could ask for help.

He was so deep in thought he disregarded the water’s coldness as he bathed.

Viers wondered if there would be any bored dragons willing to raise orphans and teach them dragon slayer magics.

Anyway, thinking logically, where I should go to find what I seek is obvious, right?

The sea.

Specifically, the deep seas, where fearsome creatures of the deep roamed. Obviously, not just dragons lived there, all sorts of leviathans lived in that massive, lightless place with crushing pressure.

Just like on Earth, this world’s people had little knowledge about what was going on under the sea. They knew about the underwater races but the interaction between the surface and the deep dwellers was very sparse.

Although he clashed with the fishmen shortly after he returned from the Book World, he couldn't use his soul power to capture their souls because of how closely he was watched by the Tanael seekers at the time. So he was still blind about what wonders and horrors lay in the deep.

In such an unfamiliar place, Viers didn't think his current Level 3 high cultivation would be enough.

Should I go after I become Level 4? But that’s too long…

“Good morning, Kira.”

“Oh,” Viers just realized he had been walking to the tavern. Jessica was alone, wiping the tables. “Good morning to you too.”

“I hope your sleep was restful. Will you be going hunting again today?”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Nah,” Viers scratched the back of his hair. “I have to accumulate my Victa today and make preparations. I was definitely too hasty yesterday. Got involved in a few dangerous situations.”

“I told you. But it’s good you realized before getting hurt. Recklessness is not good.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Viers replied to Jessica’s advice.

Viers planned to stay in the city today but not for the reason he spoke of. His true reason was he simply wanted to eat the rest of the monster meat that took up so much space in his inventory items.

And although his Victa level was very abundant, thanks to the lack of use and Vigor of Responsibility Arte from the Church, Viers didn't want to show it off to others. He could repeat the monster killing spree just like yesterday but normal Pathseekers couldn't so he didn't.

“Kira, you haven't had breakfast yet, yes? I’ll be going to the market to buy ingredients for the tavern. What would you like to eat?” Jessica asked while untying the cloth that tied her hair up.

“In that case, may I accompany you? I would like to sightsee the city.”

“You're welcome to,” she smiled.

Viers smacked his chest. “You can buy a lot. I’ll be your porter.”

“Hehehe. If I buy them until my ring is full, there will be nowhere to put them in the pantry.”

Just like that, Viers was walking side by side with the hot young mom that looked like Tifa, or at least she looked young. If this was a plot from a romcom Japanese manga, Viers would be awkward to the death. The fat high schooler with the full ten out of ten college idol made such a mismatched couple.

“Even though the city just suffered a major attack barely a few days ago, the people are still lively. Respect,” Viers was not nervous at all. More like, he didn't care what others thought about him.

“We just got used to it. No matter our losses, life goes on. The sooner we get back up, the better.”

Viers sensed a bit of sadness from Jessica. “Thus ‘Heaven Is Cruel’, hm? Sounds like there’s quite the story behind the name.”

“It’s a long and boring story,” Jessica smiled. “Here we are. If there’s something you want, feel free. I’ll talk to the fishmongers first.”

“All right.”

The foreign market had a lot of goods that Viers was unfamiliar with. This was the joy of traveling. Back in the old world, Viers was an introvert but it wasn't as if he didn't like seeing new places. Problem was, traveling cost money, even more so if it was overseas, so he rarely went around as a tourist.

This is part of what makes fantasy adventure stories so interesting.

Viers ordered local snacks from food stalls for a light meal that he could eat while walking. Then he looked around the market using his Euryale Sight. He bought some things that were somewhat precious at a lower price than their market value before joining Jessica.

The pair went around the market for a while. Jessica was known by many of the traders here. Those that were her fans gave Viers a judging look on whether he would be their competitor but most deemed his ordinary face no threat, just like he wanted.

If his fake face was as handsome as Tanael’s, Viers wagered there would be a sub-plot generated then and there.

“Mhhmm! It’s great there’s still a healthy choice of goods available in the market. I was worried it might not be so because of the attack,” Jessica said with a satisfied face on their way back.

“I overheard people say it was because of Mayor Anderson arranging caravans from surrounding towns,” Viers with his sharp hearing overheard many things. “Sounds like a good man that cares for his people.”

“He’s a good man.”

Viers picked up Jessica’s familiarity with the man from the way she said it. It seemed yesterday the Mayor really visited her tavern. Viers didnt pry further.

“Oh? A School?”

On the way, he saw a somewhat large compound with a temple-like or a dojo-like appearance. He saw a Level 3 Pathseeker teaching Pathseekers to be.

“How nostalgic,” Viers muttered.

“You went to a School, Kira?”

“Of sorts. Just for one year though. You?”

“Me too. My family owned a small School in the past. See that boy? I was even about his age when my father started to teach me.”

Viers raised an eyebrow. “Isn't he too young? Shouldn't the Path of Power begin at fifteen years old?”

“Oh they ain't teaching them to make their Intio. That comes after fifteen, as you said. But there are a lot of things that can be learned before the Path of Power truly begins. Their way of fighting for example.”

True, primary schools on Earth are for kids four to eleven years of age. Education can begin early to shore up the foundation. Of course, this is for those who can afford it. Pathseeker School wasn't exactly cheap.

Some of the students were the same age as Luca. Viers wanted to learn their curriculum for the darkness 5 girl. Not only as reciprocation for helping him after his near-death encounter with Freya, the girl was a long-term investment. There was no disadvantage to having a Level 5 seed as an ally.

Viers put the back of his hand under his chin. “Thinking about it, there is a lot of body Pathseekers in this place, no?”

From the Pathseekers he passed by on the streets to those children, forty to fifty percent of them were body affinity Pathseekers.

All people had body, mind, and soul. Other than the elemental affinities, people could awaken to these three aspects of human existence. Among the three, body Pathseekers were the most common by far.

But that was not to say a body Pathseeker would be absolutely weaker than a soul Pathseeker. It depends on the man and woman.

Most body Pathseekers were martial artists, bolstering the effectiveness of their already robust physique. The kids at the School were doing practice punches or running. Viers felt like he was looking at a karate class.

What perplexed Viers was how numerous body affinity Pathseeker were in this city.

“I once heard scholars from the Magisterium that stayed in my inn theorize it was because of the Carfax Peninsula.”

“I see… Well, as for the reason monster tamers congregate here, it was a no-brainer.”

After the body Pathseeker, the monster tamers were the next most numerous. They could be from any affinity. Their ability usually came from their Profound Codex but it could be from other ways. Strictly speaking, Viers could also be called a monster tamer thanks to his familiars.

They continued walking back to Jessica’s place, but not far from the School, they stopped once again.

“Mister Ferdinand?” Jessica asked a haggard uncle with a gloomy aura.

“Oh, Jessica. Nice to see you.”

“You’re selling your place?” Jessica said while looking at the sign that Ferdinand was putting up.

“Yes… I’m leaving this city. It has taken everything from me.”

Jessica looked at him with sadness.

“I‘ve heard about your last son… I'm truly sorry for your loss. When is the funeral?”

“How kind of you but there’s no funeral. There's no body after the monsters got… and I’m too poor to afford it. The Church will give a mass service tomorrow, to all that have fallen, so it will have to suffice.”

“Mister Ferdinand… The price is so cheap,” Jessica said.

“I’m hardly the only one thinking of moving. I know a few are doing the same. I’m leaving after I sell this lot and get the traveling funds.”

“I’m very sorry… Truly,” Jessica looked down.

“Thank you for your sympathies, lassie. Goodbye.”

Ferdinand went back inside the house. His back was so lonely.

“...I used to eat the pies he sold here when I was little,” Jessica said softly. “It was good… Very, very good.”