tensura: I don't know

The cavern was a tomb of shadows and silence, its walls scarred by centuries of stagnation. At its heart, the hexagonal seal pulsed faintly, its golden light dimmed by time. Within it, Veldora—the Storm Dragon—lay coiled like a forgotten relic, his scales dulled by isolation. The slime observed him coldly, his translucent form rippling with calculated intent.

*Pathetic. A True Dragon reduced to this? No wonder Rimuru outplayed him.*

But the slime's voice, when he spoke, was soft and reverent. "Veldora… the Storm Dragon. I never imagined I'd stand before a legend."

Veldora's golden eyes snapped open, magicules flaring. **"A slime? Here?!"** His roar shook the cave, but the slime didn't flinch.

"I've heard stories of your power," the slime continued, oozing closer. "They say you could level mountains with a breath. That nations trembled at your name. And yet…" He paused, letting the implication hang.

**"Yet what?!"** Veldora growled, claws scraping the seal.

"Yet here you are. Trapped. *Abandoned.*"

The dragon's magicules spiked. **"I am not abandoned! My sister Velgrynd—!"**

"—Left you here," the slime interrupted, his tone dripping with mock pity. "Centuries ago. Tell me, Veldora… do you even know what the world outside looks like now?"

Veldora fell silent, his massive body tensing. The slime pressed harder.

"They've forgotten you. The humans, the monsters… even your own kin. You're a myth. A *ghost.*"

**"SILENCE!"** Veldora's roar sent cracks spiderwebbing through the cave walls, but the slime sensed the tremor in his magicules—*doubt.*

"I can help you," the slime whispered, oozing against the seal. "Give me a name. Let me carry your will beyond this prison. Together, we'll remind the world why they feared the Storm Dragon."

**"…A name?"**

"Velnova. 'Eternal Storm.' A symbol of our partnership."

**[Great Sage. Fabricate draconic etymology to reinforce manipulation.]**

Veldora's pride warred with loneliness. Centuries of solitude had eroded his caution. **"Very well! I, Veldora, grant you the name Velnova!"**

Power surged as the naming ritual completed. The slime's core burned, magicules swelling to the level of a Demon Lord Seed.

*Weak. But enough to begin.*

"Thank you, Veldora," Velnova purred. "Now… let's free you."

**"How?"**

"By letting me carry you." Velnova's form expanded, 'Gluttony' swirling like a void. "Just a temporary arrangement. You'll see the world through my eyes. No more darkness. No more… *silence.*"

Veldora hesitated, but desperation choked his pride. **"…Fine. But no tricks!"**

"Tricks?" Velnova pulsed innocently. "We're *partners,* aren't we?"

Tendrils of 'Nothingness' pierced the seal, dissolving its bonds. Veldora dissolved into light, stored safely within the slime's stomach dimension.

**"Hmph. It's… tolerable,"** Veldora grumbled, his voice echoing in the void. **"But hurry! I want to stretch my wings!"**

*Wings? You won't be needing those,* Velnova thought, sealing the dimension shut.

The slime—now named *Velnova*—pulsed faintly as he glided over the rugged terrain, his translucent form shimmering under the pale moonlight. The journey from Veldora's cave to the mountain range bordering the Eastern Empire and Jura Forest had taken several days, even with his enhanced speed.

**[Great Sage. Adjust route to avoid high-tier monsters. Estimated time to destination: 3 days.]**

*Three days…* Velnova mused, his thoughts cold and calculating. *A small price for what lies ahead.*

The landscape shifted as he traveled—dense forests gave way to rocky foothills, and the air grew thinner as he ascended into the mountains. His 'Magic Sense' mapped every detail: the faint hum of magicules in the soil, the distant screech of wyverns, and the occasional tremor of a dragonkin's roar.

*Soon,* he thought, his form rippling with anticipation. *Soon, I'll have what I need.*

To keep Veldora occupied during the journey, Velnova had conjured a peculiar distraction: *Dragon Ball* manga. Not just the original series, but fanfictions he'd read in his past life—*Dragon Ball AF*, *Multiverse*, even crackfics like *Goku Becomes an Accountant*.

**"Hoh?! What is this?!"** Veldora's voice boomed from the stomach dimension as he flipped through spectral pages. **"A mortal named 'Goku' defeats gods?! Ridiculous… yet intriguing!"**

*Good. Let him waste time on fiction,* Velnova mused. *Ignorance is bliss.*

---

The slime reached the mountain range on the third day, his 'Magic Sense' immediately detecting clusters of A-rank Storm Dragonkin circling above.

**[Detection: Storm Dragonkin. Attributes: Lightning Manipulation, Flight. Threat Level: Moderate.]**

*Perfect test subjects,* Velnova thought. He condensed moisture into a watery decoy—a rabbit-shaped lure—and sent it skittering toward a patrol.

A dragonkin scout descended, claws crackling. **"Prey dares trespass? Die!"**

The slime engulfed it with 'Gluttony,' dissolving flesh and magicules.

**[Skill Acquired: Lightning Resistance (Dragonkin Variant). Dragon Factor Analysis: 1.3%.]**

*Too slow.* Velnova's core throbbed with impatience. Even with 'Great Sage' enhanced fivefold, dissecting Veldora's essence was like unraveling a black hole.

Halfway through devouring his 20th dragonkin, 'Great Sage' pinged.

**[Cross-referencing Data: Demon Lord Ascension Pathway Detected.]**

*Explain.*

**[Answer: True Dragon ascension requires a soul capable of handling infinite magicules. Current capacity: insufficient. Alternate Pathway: Evolve into a Demon Lord first. Demon Lord Seed status already achieved via Veldora's naming. Proceed to Harvest Festival.]**

Velnova pulsed with realization. *Like Rimuru… but better.* Rimuru had stumbled into his Harvest Festival; Velnova would engineer his.

**[Requirements: 10,000 souls. Current Count: 53.]**

*Then let's collect,* he thought, dissolving another dragonkin.

---

By dawn, Velnova stood before the dragonkin lord—a towering beast with obsidian scales and magma-like breath.

**"Insolent slime! You dare defy the Storm's legacy?!"**

*Legacy?* Velnova pulsed mockingly. *You're a cheap imitation.*

The dragonkin lord roared, unleashing a torrent of magma. Velnova split into strands of slime, each laced with 'Nothingness,' and dodged the fiery onslaught.

**[Battle Protocol Initiated. Activating 'Stone Skin,' 'Lightning Resistance,' and 'Hydro Manipulation.']**

Using 'Hydro Manipulation,' Velnova created a scalding mud trap, immobilizing the beast. The dragonkin lord thrashed, but tendrils of 'Gluttony' pierced its scales, devouring it from within.

**[Skill Acquired: Magma Breath. Dragon Factor Analysis: 15%.]**

As the lord dissolved into light, Velnova turned toward the Eastern Empire.

*10,000 souls… and then, the Harvest Festival.*

**[Proposal: Head northwest. Human settlements detected near Empire border. Optimal for soul harvesting.]**

*Agreed.*

Velnova glided forward, his form shimmering with stolen power. Veldora hummed cheerfully in his dimension, engrossed in a fanfic where *Goku teams up with Frieza to fight IRS auditors*.

*Fool,* Velnova mused. *But useful.*

**[Dragon Factor Integration: 15.7%. Estimated Time to True Dragon Ascension: 8 months.]**

*Plenty of time to break the world.*