Lord Of Beasts

Ethan rolled his shoulders casually amid the fog.

The brief moment of reminiscing faded from his mind as his attention snapped back to the present, in which his two summons were facing Floor Ten’s Boss Beast.

”Alright, break time’s over.”

Ahead, the Mirefang Basilisk thrashed violently, its massive body tearing through the marsh as it lashed out in frustration. Despite being overwhelmed, just like any beast, it fought with everything it had to survive.

But it wasn’t just a brute, it had a skill...

Its throat bulged, then it spat out a stream of thick, greenish venom through the fog that hissed as it cut through the air.

The poison splashed across the ground where Wolfy had been a moment ago, and the mud sizzled as it corroded and melted.

”Yeah... that would’ve been bad,” Ethan muttered.

The Basilisk moved with unnatural ease through the swamp as its body glided through the marsh as if it were water.

As for the fog?

It didn’t affect it at all; it could see clearly and hunted perfectly, a predator completely adapted to its environment.

A month ago...

”This thing would have fucked us in seconds, much more dangerous than that giant rock worm.”

But now?

”It doesn’t seem like anything special.”

As crazy as it was, Ethan had gotten used to beasts.

Creatures that would terrify normal people, and even Titled, were nothing more than prey in his eyes: things to kill, consume, and grow stronger from.

It even made him laugh, but his focus returned to the Basilisk and his gaze sharpened immediately.

’Beast Assimilation: Spark.’

A faint pulse ran through his body, and his eyes flickered, a subtle red-orange glint forming within them.

Energy coursed through his veins.

The energy was foreign and felt hot as it circled around his body, yet it quickly harmonised with his own, and the warmth was comforting.

Ethan exhaled slowly, literal steam coming out of his nose and ears.

He observed Talon and Wolfy using their skills while evading that of the Basilisk, his eyes locked onto each of their movements.

Talon darted through the fog, slicing across the Basilisk again and again, while Wolfy lunged, forcing it back, tearing into its body whenever an opportunity appeared.

Ethan’s summons were in sync and working together perfectly now.

They were clearly winning, and it was only a matter of time before the struggling Basilisk was nothing more than food for them, but...

”You guys are taking too long, and I want to get in on the fun.”

Ethan stepped forward, the swamp squelching beneath his sandals.

”Let me end it.”

Both beasts reacted instantly.

Talon veered upward, and Wolfy pulled back slightly, both trusting him completely as he used his favourite skill.

”Beast Impact!”

Ethan burst forth as power gathered through his body, which he then guided and compressed into his right fist...

-

Beast Impact was a C Rank Skill and was very impactful for him, pun intended. It allowed him to mimic the attack power and type of any beast with which he was assimilated.

At least that’s what he understood from its description.

{Beast Impact - Unleash the power of the beast that the host is assimilated with.}

Ethan remembered when he initially received the skill, and his first thought had been.

’What the hell does that even mean?’

Then there was more information on the skill that on the Skill Tree was branched off of Beast Assimilation and was quite close to the core.

{Stage 1 - Minor Impact (C): Unleash the partial power and traits of the assimilated beast in a single attack.}

{Cost: 10 MP and physical backlash.}

{Status: UNLOCKED}

’10 MP?!’

That was much more than he was expecting.

’Let’s just hope it’s worth it,’ he thought to himself, as he carried on reading.

{Stage 2 - Major Impact (A): Unleash the total power and traits of the assimilated beast in a single attack.}

{Cost: 20 MP and physical backlash.}

{Status: LOCKED}

Ethan didn’t even bother reacting to the cost of Major Impact since he was pretty sure he would be stuck at Stage 1 for a while.

He was more confused than anything.

’What does that even look like?’

This was the least useful skill description so far.

But its vagueness intrigued Ethan and gave him a lot of room to interpret and use the skill as he saw fit. After a lot of experimentation, he was finally able to figure out one application of the skill.

’It’s basically a joint attack between myself and the beast I’m sharing my body with.’

That realisation made him rethink his whole skillset and Title.

’So Beast Assimilation is like a reverse Beast Link, and I need to channel the beast’s abilities through our spiritual connection.’

That led him down the rabbit hole of where exactly his beasts were.

’Spiritual beings that can become physical beings with my MP and grow and develop like living beasts while sharing my body.’

It was the best conclusion he could come to for the creatures that annoyingly stored themselves as tattoos on his body. He then continued focusing on Beast Impact, which was his first direct offensive skill, which turned out to be an ultimate attack.

Beast Impact was different when assimilated with each of his beasts and hinged heavily on his interpretation.

Currently, while assimilated with Wolfy, the skill became a brutal, pouncing attack with varying forms. With Talon, it was a rapid slicing strike of sorts. But with Spark, the beast he had the most success with this skill, it was...

-

BOOM!

Ethan’s fist collided with the Basilisk’s head, and a burst of force exploded outward.

The strike wasn’t the cleanest or most accurate, but it carried unrestrained raw power. It was like a miniature explosion, with sparks scattering from his fist and tiny arcs of energy crackling outward.

A faint flare of heat followed the impact, but it died out with nothing to latch onto and burn.

Not that it was needed.

The Basilisk’s skull caved inward, and its entire body jerked violently as it slammed into the swamp.

It was still, and in a single strike, dead.

Ethan staggered slightly.

”Damn it.”

His right arm smoked faintly: his skin scorched, muscles screaming, and forearm bone likely cracked.

”That hurts like a motherfucker.”

The recoil was no joke, but the damage he sustained was nothing compared to what it dealt to his target.

’Now that’s worth 10 MP.’

It was exactly the skill Ethan needed to fill the void in his abilities.

He was lacking that firepower, that explosive ultimate attack to end a battle, and that was exactly what he received with this skill, especially while assimilated with Spark.

The Basilisk could attest to that.

It looked like its head had been hit with a cannonball.

But before he could bask in the destruction he had caused...

Swoosh!

A blur dropped from above, and Talon landed cleanly on his shoulder.

It then immediately started pecking at his head.

”Oi-!”

Ethan flinched.

”What was that for?!”

A second later, Wolfy slammed into him.

There was a loud and not very pleasant splash as they both tumbled into the muddy marsh.

”You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Ethan groaned, half-submerged in filthy water as Wolfy loomed over him. It pinned him down with its weight that was dozens of times greater than it was when he first acquired it.

The Ulfen let out a low, annoyed growl as Talon chirped aggressively from above.

”What? You guys are mad?”

Wolfy huffed, and Talon pecked him again.

Ethan laughed.

”Is it coz I stole the kill?”

Another growl and another chirp.

”Well, it’s not my fault you two were taking too long.”

That only seemed to annoy the two beasts that seemed to understand him more.

From what Ethan could understand, they had been competing: trying to see who could deal more damage and who would land the final blow.

That’s when he jumped in and ruined it.

’I’m getting pretty good at understanding them, aren’t I?’

Ethan smiled.

”Alright, alright.”

He pushed Wolfy off slightly, sitting up with a tired sigh.

”I’ll stay out of it next time.”

Wolfy snorted, and Talon finally settled down.

For a moment, they just stayed there, and despite the blood, mud, and foggy surroundings, it felt like a wholesome moment.

Ethan had grown close to his beasts, especially Wolfy, who, despite being a giant wolf variant, still felt like the closest thing to a normal pet.

”You’re getting too big, buddy.”

Wolfy huffed again as Ethan rubbed its fur with his left hand. Meanwhile, Talon, prideful as always, stared off into the distance.

That’s when he was bombarded with a series of familiar notifications from the system...