Lord Of Beasts

Looking around, Ethan sighed.

He had genuinely had enough of Floor Twenty-One already, and every time he arrived, it found new ways to be worse. But knowing the system, the next floor would likely be even more brutal.

And honestly, he was glad to be here in these familiar rags, which he never thought would ever be the case.

’Thank God I can enter the Tower while in a gate.’

His body was in a hellhole, and now his mind was in one, but thankfully, at least here his condition was reset. And B Rank beasts like the ones he was currently dealing with would be equivalent to a Boss Beast here.

On second thought, the Boss Beast was still likely more fearsome, but there was only one of it.

Not that the details mattered right now.

He clenched his fists, feeling the tension in his body.

’I have twenty-four hours.’

And in that time, he needed to do something that would make a difference; otherwise...

’I’m fucked.’

Being realistic with himself, Ethan knew there was only one thing he could really do.

’I need to evolve one of my beasts to B Rank, and the system even gave me an Objective for it, so that must be what it’s guiding me towards.’

But he wasn’t close to gaining enough Evolutionary Shards, and getting there alone in that timeframe would be practically impossible.

’If only there were two of me...’

That random thought sparked something deeper.

’Maybe I can make that happen.’

A slow grin spread across his face.

”Well... kinda.”

It was subtle at first, just a passing thought that brushed against his mind, but then it rooted itself there, growing rapidly into something far more significant.

Something abusable.

His eyes slowly widened as the idea fully formed.

’In theory, I can use Beast Recovery constantly.’

The thought alone made his pulse quicken.

Up until now, he had considered his newly acquired B Rank Skill as a situational tool. Something to use between fights, or when he needed to recover just enough to keep going. But that was a limitation he had placed on himself.

Because now he understood that with it...

’I don’t have to be the one fighting. I can just... let them do it.’

His gaze sharpened.

’While using the skill, I basically have infinite MP. And I can just sit there while my beasts hunt for me.’

The realisation hit him like a truck.

’It’s auto-hunting.’

He almost laughed out loud.

There was no restriction on how far his beasts could roam. No leash that pulled them back, no invisible barrier limiting their movement. As long as they were supplied with a constant stream of mana, they could hunt freely.

And more importantly...

They were a part of him, so every kill they made counted for him.

’With even more beasts, I would be unstoppable.’

The image in his mind was almost ridiculous.

Him sitting cross-legged, meditating peacefully, while his beasts tore through everything in the swamp.

It was absurd.

And it was perfect.

Even if they got injured, it didn’t matter.

’I can just unsummon them...’

Or they could retreat.

He would feel it either way.

They were extensions of himself, after all. Their condition, their fatigue, even their injuries echoed faintly within him. Not enough to cripple him, but enough to inform him.

’Then use Beast Mend before sending them back out to hunt.’

That part gave him confidence that he wasn’t sending them out blindly to get killed.

Still, there was one problem.

’If I use Beast Recovery deeply...’

He exhaled slowly.

’I’ll basically be unconscious.’

The deeper the state, the better the recovery, but that also meant vulnerability.

His body would be still, his awareness dulled, and his instincts muted.

If something attacked him...

’Yeah. I’d be screwed.’

And knowing the system, that was not just a possibility.

It was inevitable.

His expression soured slightly.

’It loves patching things so that I struggle the most.’

His mind flicked back to when he had been hiding in the trees on Floor Zero thinking he was safe from beasts, and it was working.

That was until those damned monkeys came.

His jaw clenched.

’I still fucking hate monkeys to this day.’

He exhaled through his nose.

’So yeah. It’ll definitely send something after me.’

That meant one thing.

’I need a guard.’

His mind ran through his options almost instantly.

Spark was destructive and could fly, but wasn’t exactly ideal for protection. Talon had speed, awareness, and precision, but was ideal for hunting.

That left one obvious choice.

’Wolfy stays.’

Ethan nodded to himself.

’This terrain isn’t even good for him anyway.’

The acidic swamp, the unstable footing, the narrow land patches - it was not a place for a large, ground-based predator.

Decision made, Ethan began moving.

He carefully navigated the swamp, stepping across patches of solid ground and avoiding bubbling pools of corrosive liquid that hissed and spat like they were alive. The air itself was damp and foul, thick with the stench of decay and chemicals that burned faintly in his lungs.

Eventually, he found it.

One of the larger plots of land.

It was stable and wide enough for him not to have to worry about bathing in acid.

”This’ll do,” he muttered.

Ethan then focused inwards and summoned Wolfy.

A surge of energy rippled outward.

The massive Ulfen landed beside him with a heavy thud, its form larger than ever before. Its thick fur bristled slightly as it took in the surroundings, golden-tinted eyes scanning the swamp with quiet intensity.

It had grown again.

Its muscles were more defined, its presence heavier and more dangerous. But as soon as it looked at Ethan, it turned into an overgrown puppy and began to pout.

Ethan blinked.

”Seriously?”

Wolfy let out a low, annoyed huff, which he understood completely.

”Yeah, yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his head. ”Sorry, buddy. But look around.”

He gestured vaguely at the swamp.

”That acid would mess you up.”

Wolfy glanced at the bubbling pools, then back at him, before turning away with another puff.

He was like a child that hadn’t been given attention.

Ethan chuckled softly.

Then, after rubbing the Ulfen and making him feel special, he summoned his remaining beasts to begin auto-hunting...