Lord Of Beasts

{Welcome back to the Tower Of Beasts!}

{Floor Twenty-One: Acidic Swampland (C)}

The familiar blue notification faded.

Ethan stood motionless for a few seconds, taking in the sight before him.

Nothing had changed.

The swamp was every bit as revolting as he remembered.

The humid air clung to his skin like a damp blanket, heavy enough to make every breath uncomfortable. Countless pools of bubbling acid stretched across the marshland, releasing yellow-green vapours that drifted lazily through the air. Every so often, another bubble burst with a wet pop, sending ripples across the corrosive surface.

Somehow, the smell was even worse.

’Is it because my senses have gotten sharper? Or is this place even shittier?’

Either way, it wasn’t great.

Rotting vegetation, burning chemicals, and decaying beast corpses didn’t make for the best scent. It was an assault on his senses and almost made him tear up.

Yet despite the environment, Ethan couldn’t help but grin.

’I never thought I’d be glad to be here again in these rags and sandals.’

His body felt perfect.

There was no lingering fatigue or ache; his Tower Body was completely refreshed. And it had felt like so long since he’d last entered this place, though in reality it had barely been a day and a half.

Ethan left everything in the hands of the two people he trusted most. They’d oversee the repairs after Storm’s little... incident, deal with the Association’s Black Suits, and make sure nothing happened while he was gone.

More importantly, he trusted them to keep his physical body safe, especially Elara.

There were probably only a handful of people in existence who could get past her, so he had nothing to worry about. And if something somehow slipped past her, like that weird hooded man, the system had his back.

Or so he hoped.

’That was one of the Tower’s functions... wasn’t it?’

As though responding to his thoughts, the familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.

{That is correct. Should the System detect that the host’s physical body is in immediate danger, an emergency alert will be issued. Only under those circumstances may a Return Token be used while the host is engaged in combat.}

Ethan nodded slowly.

"Good."

That was all he needed to hear.

His last concern had disappeared, and as obsessive as ever, his focus immediately returned to the only thing that truly occupied his mind. In this place, all that mattered was hunting and growing stronger, slowly becoming more beast-like each time he entered.

His lips curled into an eager smile.

’Where’s the fucking Boss Beast of this place?’

As much as he was thrilled to be back in the Tower, he’d long since had enough of Floor Twenty-One. Objectively, he hadn’t spent that long here, but between the craziness of his life, it felt as though he’d been stuck on this floor forever.

He was ready to move on.

Many more floors awaited him, each more challenging than the last. But before he went hunting, there were two things he needed to do...

-

The first was obvious.

’Storm.’

He immediately opened the Beast Tab, the blue holographic screen appearing before him.

{Name: Storm

Race: Lightning Dragonfly

Growth Stage: Infant

Beast Rank: B

Beast Potential: A

Strength: 41

Speed: 61

Stamina: 45

MP: 67/67

Skills: Volt Sense (D), Electric Blast (C), Thunder Dash (C), Chain Lightning (B), Kinetic Charge (B)}

Ethan couldn’t help but grin as he admired the status of his fourth beast. He had no regrets about acquiring it now. And while its physical stats were lower than Wolfy’s, it was to be expected.

’It’s still just an infant.’

Yet despite that...

Its Speed and MP were absurd.

Even as a newborn, Storm already possessed the attributes of an average B Rank. That was likely the benefit of having A Rank potential. It hadn’t merely evolved into a stronger version of itself; it had been born from a race that naturally stood above almost every other beast Ethan had encountered.

’No wonder its evolution caused that much chaos.’

He could only imagine what those numbers would look like after it matured, consumed enough beast meat, and reached the Prime Growth Stage.

But the stats weren’t what interested him most.

It was the new skills.

’Five! That’s insane, and even more than Wolfy, who has four even though he’s also a B Rank.’

His gaze settled on the description of the first.

{Volt Sense (D) [Passive] - constantly detects electrical signals and disturbances in its surroundings, allowing it to perceive movement and living creatures through their natural bioelectricity.}

"Oh..."

Ethan’s eyebrows rose.

"This is the first passive skill I’ve seen."

All of his beasts had unique sensory abilities, but for this to be a skill, it likely was more than just acute senses. And from the description, it sounded incredible. Storm already possessed enormous compound eyes capable of tracking even the slightest movement.

Now it could literally sense electricity as well.

Living creatures generated tiny electrical impulses with every heartbeat, every muscle contraction, every nerve signal, so in theory, Storm could feel them all. And on Earth, where everyone had at least one electronic device on them at all times, it was even more useful.

’So now I’ve got Wolfy’s instincts and sense of smell, Talon’s vision, Spark’s mana senses, and now electrical senses.’

He chuckled.

’What can’t I detect anymore?’

Trying to sneak up on him was becoming more and more difficult.

Next came the first offensive skill.

{Electric Blast (C): Fires compressed bursts of lightning that explode upon impact, shocking targets and sending destructive electrical currents through their bodies, scaling with MP output.}

"So basically, a version of Ember Pulse..."

He thought for another moment before shaking his head.

"No, they both have their separate uses."

Spark’s flames burned and were good for external damage and widespread destruction. Meanwhile, Storm’s lightning attacked from within. The electricity would surge through muscles and nerves, causing internal damage while making it harder for enemies to move properly.

That could decide an entire fight.

The next skill looked even closer to a skill of his Cinder Wisp.

{Thunder Dash (C): Instantly propels the user forward in an explosive burst of lightning, greatly increasing movement speed while leaving crackling electricity in its wake. Cost: 3 MP per activation. Causes physical strain and muscular numbness.}

Ethan smiled.

"That’s just like Flare Drive."

Instead of explosive power, it was fine speed: one like a rocket, the other a bolt of lightning. Combined with Storm’s already incredible Speed stat, Ethan couldn’t even imagine how fast it’d become.

Then came the first B Rank skill.

{Chain Lightning (B): Releases a bolt of lightning that jumps between nearby enemies, each successive strike carrying overwhelming electrical force. Cost: 10 MP per activation.}

His eyes lit up.

"Now that’s useful."

Unlike Electric Blast, which targeted a single opponent, Chain Lightning excelled against groups. The attack would simply continue jumping from target to target so long as something remained within range.

’It’s costly, but perfect for clearing swarms.’

Considering how many insect-type beasts he’d just fought, he could already imagine how satisfying this would’ve been inside the A Rank Gate, and even more so in the tunnels of the Ant Gate.

Finally, his attention settled on the last skill, and it definitely didn’t disappoint...