Lord Of Beasts

Ethan had given Darren an offer so unexpectedly generous that Darren almost felt guilty about accepting it. But apparently, that same man had decided he hadn’t caused Darren enough trouble for one day. Because now he had returned while possessing some strange green-feathered creature and was actively tormenting him.

Not that the large tattooed man knew that.

Swoosh!

Every movement Ethan made through the air produced powerful gales of wind. Talon’s body seemed perfectly suited to manipulating the air around him, with each beat of his wings and every sharp turn creating another disturbance in the atmosphere.

It was incredible.

The more Ethan experimented, the more possibilities began running through his mind. Talon’s connection with the air was as seamless as Spark’s with flames and Storm’s with electricity.

It left Ethan with so many ideas, one of which stood out.

’When you think of wind and destruction, what comes to mind?’

The Griffling almost seemed to smile to itself.

Of course, with a beak instead of a human mouth and no real facial expressions, Darren, who was too busy running for his life, couldn’t exactly tell. Not that he even had the time to study the beast’s face.

’A fucking tornado!’

Ethan answered his own question, and the thought alone was enough to make him excited.

He could feel the wind around Talon’s body almost responding to his intentions. It wasn’t merely being pushed aside by his movements. There was something deeper happening between Talon’s mana and the air itself.

Spark was different.

The Cinder Wisp could unleash more powerful flames by feeding mana into its body, essentially turning its already burning form into a more destructive source of fire.

Talon, however, seemed capable of interacting directly with the wind through mana. Even the natural streamlining of his movements seemed to consume trace amounts of energy, allowing him to move through the air with incredible efficiency.

Then there were its skills: Gale Rend and Skyshatter Cry.

Those demanded considerably more mana, but still essentially followed the same principles. So what would happen if Ethan became more intentional with how he used Talon’s mana?

’I can do anything I put my mind to.’

And this time, as crazy as it sounded, that was producing a tornado.

Ethan began circling Darren.

At first, nothing seemed to happen.

He simply flew around the large man, creating increasingly powerful gusts that sent Darren’s clothes flapping and knocking him off balance.

Then Darren’s feet left the ground.

His eyes widened.

”Whoa-!”

He barely had time to react before the wind around him began spiralling.

The air started rotating faster.

A small vortex formed around Darren, initially little more than a violent gust that tugged at everything nearby.

Ethan continued circling.

Faster.

And faster.

Mana began pouring from Talon’s body.

The vortex responded.

What had started as a small disturbance rapidly developed into a miniature tornado, with Darren trapped helplessly in its centre.

”What the fuuuck?!”

Darren grabbed desperately at the ground, but the wind was already strong enough to pull him from his feet.

Ethan kept going.

The faster he moved, the more violently the air spiralled around him. And the more mana he poured into the technique, the larger the whirlwind became. Dust and loose debris began swirling through the air as the miniature tornado expanded directly in front of Darren’s house.

That’s when something happened that caught him off guard.

Even while inhabiting Talon’s body, Ethan suddenly saw a familiar system window appear before his vision.

The system’s voice echoed directly inside his mind.

{Congratulations on creating a Beast Skill!}

{Wild Whirlwind (B) - Creates a whirlwind by rapidly circling a target while channelling mana into the wind. The faster the user moves and the more mana they use, the larger and stronger the whirlwind becomes.}

Ethan stared at the notification.

For several seconds, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

’I can make skills in my beasts’ bodies...’

The implications of what he had done on a whim hit him instantly.

’That means there really are infinite possibilities.’

He could hardly contain his excitement.

Complete Link let him fully inhabit his beasts’ bodies, and those bodies could develop new skills through his own understanding and experimentation; the possibilities were practically endless. With time, he could have more skills than he could count, which he could use himself through Beast Assimilation.

’It won’t be long before...’

Just imagining how powerful he could become made him let out another screechy cackle. But Ethan quickly remembered that Darren was still inside the miniature tornado he had just produced.

He immediately stopped.

The whirlwind began losing its force, the violent winds gradually dissipating as the mana feeding it disappeared. Ethan definitely didn’t want to accidentally kill Darren, but he still had so much to break down.

’The system isn’t tied to my physical body.’

That realisation was almost as interesting as creating skills in his beasts’ bodies.

’It’s tied to whatever this is. My consciousness, my soul, or whatever the hell gets pulled into the Tower.’

He wasn’t sure whether that was reassuring or disturbing.

Either way, thinking about it wasn’t going to change anything.

’I think I’ve had enough fun here.’

Darren had just been caught in a tornado after being attacked by a random beast. Then, before he could even properly process what had happened or attempt to fight back, the green-feathered creature suddenly shot back into the sky.

Swoosh!

Darren could only watch it disappear.

Ethan soared higher and higher, leaving the increasingly tiny house behind.

’I wonder what other skills I can create.’

The thought fascinated him.

There had always been limits to what Ethan could accomplish with his own body. But if those limits didn’t necessarily apply to his beasts, then Complete Link had just opened an entirely new avenue of growth for him.

While Ethan enjoyed himself in Talon’s body, Darren remained sprawled on the ground below after being dropped by the collapsing whirlwind, staring blankly toward the sky.

”Can this day get any crazier?”

For several seconds, he continued watching the clouds.

Then he cautiously looked around, almost expecting the strange beast to return.

Thankfully, it didn’t.

Meanwhile, Ethan watched him from high above.

’I think that’s enough for one day.’

It had been a hell of a day, one of the craziest in his life, and that was saying a lot. But it was also one in which he had learnt the most, including what he had just confirmed.

’I guess the summoning range really is endless.’

That was definitely useful to know.

Ethan had been suspicious of the limitation from the beginning, especially considering that he was constantly supplying his summoned beasts with mana. But logic clearly didn’t apply to his abilities.

He finally ended Complete Link and recalled Talon, his consciousness snapping back into his own body. But this time, an onslaught of questions greeted Ethan, questions it seemed as though his companions were determined to get answers to...