19th September, the year 334 of Dawn Era. It was still night time, the morning rays of the sun had yet to arrive. Waves churned while the Swarm continued to swim across, heading towards the land in a steady file.

From within the gaps between a Frog's legs, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest surfaced, landing on the water before he sprinted towards the land. He wasn't in much of a hurry, taking care to not damage the items he carried in him.

An hour later, he arrived in the vicinity of Marble City, stopping at the foot of the city walls. He landed on the head of an Armadillo, stomping it to death, the shockwaves causing the surrounding beasts to tumble aside.

Psychic Ancestor Marble's voice resounded in his ears, his tone suffused with unease, "How did it go?"

"Better than we had hoped," Rhachis Ancestor Strongest recounted everything that had transpired, wriggling his stomach muscles to fish out two containers. One held the Tier 6 Relic while the other contained the Tier 6 Skep's Heart Crystal.

"Incredible!" Psychic Ancestor Marble praised, the two boxes trembling as he held them, displaying his emotions. His psychic arm inspected them, commenting in praise, "Even though this isn't a genuine Tier 6 Relic, it has already evolved 6 times. We can slowly Nurture it until the Skill in it is elevated to Tier 6."

"Unfortunately, it hadn't Nurtured its Tier 6 Skill," Rhachis Ancestor Strongest lamented, "Otherwise, its value would have been even higher. Elevating its Skill to Tier 6 pales in comparison to a genuine Tier 6 Skill."

"Yes," Psychic Ancestor Marble replied, "But, this is still good enough. If we had delayed any longer, Parasite would have obtained the Tier 6 Skep. Considering the overall situation, this outcome is already for the best. Besides, the Skill in this Relic has incredible uses."

"Have you already figured it out?" Rhachis Ancestor Strongest was amazed, "I thought it would take longer."

With a sigh, Psychic Ancestor Marble replied, "It is because I have been researching in this direction for more than two centuries without any result. But, who would have thought a fusion of a Skep's Skills, from Tier 1 to Tier 5 would produce such a result."

"Before I forget," Rhachis Ancestor Strongest took out another container and threw it in the air, watching it halt mid-flight. "The Skeps had used something to drill their way through the earth's crust. It is like another world down there. I just collected some residue as a sample."

"I'll give this to Atika. She should be able to figure out its mysteries." Psychic Ancestor Marble then focused on the other two containers. "Give me the results of your probe. Using the aura fluctuations, I would be able to narrow down the Skills the Tier 6 Skep possessed."

Hearing his words, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest nodded, watching a marble slab appear before him. He placed his palm on it, unleashing his aura into it, transmitting everything he had sensed and probed.

Once he was done, the surroundings turned silent. Two hours later, Psychic Ancestor Marble replied, "I got it. Once I cross-reference the evolutionary path of this particular Skep, I'll be closer to the truth."

He then praised once again, "I commend you for also bringing its Heart Crystal. Without it, the Relic would have become useless."

"What do you mean?" Rhachis Ancestor Strongest was confused.

"The abilities of the Skeps are hidden within their energy source, the Heart Crystal in this Tier 6 Skep's case. Those abilities are in no way inferior to the Skills of Warriors and they don't have a theoretical limit to the amount they can possess. But, only the Skep it was a part of can wield the abilities in it. To the rest, it is just an unusable energy resource."

He chuckled once, "But, using the Relic, we can draw out the energy from it. With a bit of research, we'll be able to make use of its abilities, in return activating the Skill in it. It seems like the two have become a circuit, only capable of functioning in the presence of each other."

"Seems complex enough." Rhachis Ancestor Strongest nodded.

"It is a million times better than to run in the dark as I did in the past two centuries. At least, I can see the light now." Psychic Ancestor Marble said.

"What is the Skill in it?" Rhachis Ancestor Strongest inquired, gazing at the two boxes hovering before him.

"Energy Heart!"

…

A large bird-type Frenzy Beast flew in the air, its path unhindered. Its beak was mildly curved but was wider than its head. Its throat area consisted of a large sack, connected with the underside of its beak. Its tongue acted as the lid for the sack, sealing something that was squirming within.

Its speed of flight wasn't incredibly fast nor did it possess astonishing might but, not a single Frenzy Beast tried to attack it. Some Frenzy Beasts that flew in the air even changed directions, accompanying it, acting as its guards.

The Frenzy Beasts on the ground became excited the moment they saw its presence, becoming disappointed once it crossed their boundary. At a steady rhythm, the bird-type Frenzy Beast continued to fly. Its strength was only at Tier 3, but powerful Tier 5 Frenzy Beasts guarded it, accompanying it while it passed over their respective territories.

Tier 3 Frenzy Beast—Carrier Pelican!

It was a Frenzy Beast race with almost zero fighting strength. Killing one was easy to the extent a being could skip multiple levels and still emerge as the victor. But, it was the sole race that faced the least number of deaths in the world.

The Carrier Pelicans only had one task; it was to carry the Frenzy Parasites from Rhachis Ancestor Parasite and transport it to the rest of the world. Each Carrier Pelican had a destination where it would deliver the Frenzy Parasites to.

The sack on their throat held the Frenzy Parasites. The sack secreted a certain liquid that allowed the Frenzy Parasites to live comfortably, in a state of slumber. This was how they transported the Frenzy Parasites without any issue.

Their bodies were huge, allowing them to transport a lot of Frenzy Parasites in their sacks. Even a Tier 3 Carrier Pelican was 10 metres in height and possessed a wingspan of 24 metres.

The Carrier Pelican soon arrived at its destination. It was a hill, the sides of which had a large hole leading into a cave. The hole was big enough for it to enter. The Carrier Pelican landed before it, opening its mouth to chirp thrice.

Immediately, many Frenzy Beasts converged around it, expressing their respect for it. The Frenzy Beasts were from the same race, possessing a boar-like body covered by bone. Circulating within the exoskeleton was Essence of Frenzy, copious amounts, the likes of which wasn't present even in more than 10 Frenzy Beasts combined.

They were a dangerous Frenzy Beast race that bordered Dawn City, possessing two Ancestors. Unlike the other Races that were a close-knit community, these Frenzy Bests preferred to roam around, always engaging with the other Frenzy Beasts. In this way, they accumulated more and more essence of Frenzy in their exoskeleton.

Mohr Frenzy!

They were characterised by their desire for the Essence of Frenzy. The Carrier Pelican was only in charge of delivering to the outskirts among their roaming area. Under the stares of the Mohr Frenzies, the Carrier Pelican entered the cave, walking forward for a dozen seconds, arriving before a pool.

Half-filled in the pool was the same substance secreted in its sack. Submerged at the bottom of the pool were Frenzy Parasites, numbering in the hundreds. The Carrier Pelican opened its beak, lifting its tongue while bending its neck forward.

Frenzy Parasites poured out, mixed with the substance in its sack, collecting in the pool. Around 80 Frenzy Parasites poured out from its sack. The Carrier Pelican dipped its webbed feet in the pool, activating a Skill.

It then opened its mouth and poured out some more liquid from its sack. Finished with its task, it exited the cave, gazed at the Mohr Frenzies for a couple of seconds before taking flight. Soon, it disappeared from their sight.

After unloading everything, its sack was no longer a bulge. Moreover, no Frenzy Beast came to guard it when it flew now. It was as if all they had cared about was the Frenzy Parasites it carried with it. Now that it had finished its task, they didn't care about its well-being.

Though, none of them tried to attack it. That was tantamount to suicide. Any Frenzy Beast race that allowed a Carrier Pelican to die in its territory would no longer receive support from Rhachis Ancestor Parasite. There had been some precedents, the related Frenzy Beast races had long been exterminated.

So, even though they didn't actively guard it, they still watched it from afar, intending to come to its rescue the moment they sensed something amiss. Many Espers among the Frenzy Beasts were alert as they watched the Carrier Pelican fly out of their territory. After that, they returned to their duties.

The Carrier Pelican made a couple of rounds in the air, wantonly taking roundabout paths before landing in a valley. After glancing around to ensure no Frenzy Beast was in the vicinity, it unleashed its aura, masking its presence.

Its body then collapsed into a pool of murky fluid that condensed into solid, reconstructing into the figure of Rhachis Ancestor Strongest. Some murky fluid seeped out from his hand, coagulating into a sphere above his palm.

"I can't defend against Parasite's influence, so for the time being, it is best to not keep any Frenzy Beasts with me." With a thought, the murky sphere turned ethereal before vaporising. It was as if an existence had been permanently deleted.

Rhachis Ancestor Strongest then jumped out and ran in a certain direction. Within 10 minutes, thanks to his speed, he arrived before a massive flaming dome that shone with radiance dwarfing the morning rays of the sun.

Dawn City!