Lord Of Beasts

Ethan’s three summoned beasts immediately obeyed, backing away without question. But he still needed more targets to test out Storm’s B Rank Skill, and he had the perfect way to draw them in.

He inhaled deeply before gathering his mana in his abdomen.

’Beast Call!’

His roar boomed across the swamp like thunder, which felt fitting with the blue lightning crackling around his body.

The response was immediate.

Acidic reptiles, mutated amphibians, and serpentine horrors - every beast within earshot began charging toward the source of the challenge.

The swamp itself seemed to surge forward.

Ethan simply waited.

The blue lightning dancing around his body grew brighter.

Kinetic Charge had been building throughout the entire fight, and some of that specialised energy still lingered, ready to feed directly into his next attack.

’Okay, let’s see what happens...’

’Chain Lightning!’

Almost all of his remaining MP poured into the technique, as did the accumulated charge, stacking the two B Rank Skills on one another.

The result was terrifying.

A single bolt erupted from Ethan’s outstretched hand.

At first glance, it looked ordinary and very similar to the C Rank Electric Blast Skill.

Then it struck the first beast.

Boom!

Instead of stopping, the lightning split.

Then it split again.

And again.

The brilliant blue current seemed almost alive.

It hunted.

Leaping from one beast to the next with frightening intelligence, seeking new targets faster than Ethan himself could follow. Each impact exploded into another branch, and each branch created another.

The swamp lit up beneath an endless web of crackling blue electricity.

Crack!

A giant crocodilian monster collapsed instantly.

Boom!

The current jumped into a cluster of smaller lizard-like beasts, their bodies exploding before they even reached the ground.

Zzzztt!

A serpent-like creature convulsed violently before collapsing into the acid.

The chain simply kept going, and every new target became another conduit and every kill extended its reach. From Ethan’s position, it looked less like a skill and more like a literal storm given life.

One after another, dozens of charging beasts fell.

Those that somehow survived the initial strike weren’t much better off, their bodies spasming uncontrollably. Limbs locked and muscles refused to obey. They remained rooted in place, completely paralysed as electricity ravaged their nervous systems.

Only then did Wolfy, Talon and Spark rush back in to finish the few unfortunate survivors. Moments later, silence returned to the swamp that was covered in smoking corpses.

Ethan stared for a moment.

"Holy shit."

That evolution had been worth every shard.

But the moment the adrenaline wore off, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto his back with a tired laugh.

"I’ve got absolutely nothing left."

Which was to be expected after assimilating with Storm and maintaining three summoned beasts while repeatedly using B Rank skills. That was even after benefiting from Kinetic Charge throughout the battle.

Not a single drop of mana remained, his beasts returning to his body one by one. Meanwhile, his body tingled from head to toe as residual electricity still coursed through his veins, causing tiny arcs to dance across his fingertips every now and then.

Everything ached.

Yet a grin slowly spread across his face.

"This power is awesome."

After lying there for a while, Ethan looked up at the murky sky, feeling accomplished.

"System, any chance I can get some cigs to celebrate?"

The response came instantly.

{That is not possible.}

"Tch."

He chuckled.

"Where’s all that sass you were showing in the Gate, huh? All that ’you’re welcome’ stuff?"

The system didn’t dignify that with a response.

Ethan sighed dramatically.

"Thought so."

Eventually, he forced himself into a seated position.

His rags were in surprisingly good condition, well, as good as they could be, aside from a few scorched patches and acid stains. It was a testament to his abilities and how little he’d actually been hit.

His sandals not so much and had long since fallen apart.

By now, fighting barefoot in the Tower had become normal. Thankfully, his Titled physique, especially while assimilated with Wolfy or Storm, made the rough terrain little more than an inconvenience.

And compared to everything else he’d endured, his feet were usually the least of his concerns.

Ethan closed his eyes and focused inwards.

’Beast Recovery.’

His breathing slowed as warm mana flowed steadily through his body. The tingling gradually faded as both his stamina and mana began recovering. But he had no intention of ascending to the next floor just yet.

Not while all this beast meat was lying around.

Once enough mana had returned, he summoned his companions again.

Wolfy appeared first.

The giant Fenrir immediately bounded over before enthusiastically licking Ethan’s face.

"Oi! Knock it off!"

It ignored him completely.

Talon landed nearby with far more dignity.

It didn’t even acknowledge Ethan and simply began tearing into the carcass of the Boss Beast like a proud predator claiming its reward. Spark, meanwhile, zipped excitedly around the battlefield, happily devouring beast meat in its own strange way, little embers flickering wherever it passed.

Watching them eat, Ethan couldn’t help smiling.

When they’d all finished, he unsummoned the trio and summoned his only remaining beast.

Storm.

Lightning crackled as the dragonfly materialised once more. For a brief moment, the two simply stared at one another. There was a silent tension, the memory of their earlier confrontation still lingering.

Storm’s compound eyes watched him carefully.

Ethan folded his arms.

The dragonfly hesitated, then, without another act of defiance, it quietly flew toward one of the remaining corpses and began feeding.

Ethan nodded.

’Looks like you’ve learned.’

There was still resistance in the creature, but at least it now understood exactly who its master was. And while Storm ate its fill, Ethan used Beast Recovery once more to recover as much as he could.

After that, he unsummoned the Lightning Dragonfly and brought up the Tower Tab of the System Interface.

His hand hovered over the option to ascend to the next floor.

’It’s a shame that my condition doesn’t reset when I go up a floor on the same night, but oh well.’

The strain from repeated skill usage still lingered throughout his body, but overall he felt good. No, with his newfound power, he felt better than good...

’I feel fucking amazing!’

How could he not?

He had gained an entirely new set of abilities, cleared a floor of the Tower, and was only getting started...