Lord Of Beasts

Ethan lifted his shaking right arm, which now felt like it weighed a ton, and reached for the System Interface

{Would you like to move to the next floor of the Tower Of Beasts?}

{Yes / No}

Despite all the pain and the hell he had endured, he pressed...

No.

”Not yet.”

His voice was barely above a whisper as he turned his head slightly to look at the giant corpse of the Lithoserpent he lay on. The massive beast was now nothing more than a mountain of flesh.

’That much food...’

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

’Wolfy and Talon are going to eat like kings.’

For beasts, consuming stronger prey meant faster growth, and since this was a Boss Beast, its body alone was a treasure.

Not that Ethan had any intention of eating it.

The grey, pulpy flesh looked revolting, and just thinking about it made his stomach churn. His summoned beasts, on the other hand, wouldn’t hesitate and so far had eaten everything Ethan had put in front of them.

Ethan’s vision dimmed further as darkness crept in from the edges.

’I don’t have time for this.’

His Tower Body was literally seconds away from dying of blood loss, and he doubted the system would give him any more second chances.

With the last of his strength, Ethan forced his hand to move.

The System Interface flickered as he navigated to the Tower Tab, and there it was.

{Exit The Tower}

He pressed it without hesitation, the world shattering into blue light...

-

Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

He gasped, sucking in a deep breath as his body jerked upright.

For a moment, he just sat there, breathing heavily as reality slowly returned. The familiar walls of the basement, the faint hum of electricity, and the smell of dust and damp.

Then instinct kicked in.

His right hand shot toward his left arm and squeezed it tightly, feeling solid muscle and bone beneath his fingers.

A long breath escaped him.

”Thank God.”

Even though he knew the Tower restored his real body, actually feeling his arm there again was still an overwhelming relief.

But the relief only lasted a second.

The next thing he did was open the System Interface and immediately navigate to the Beast Tab. He could feel the connection he shared with his beasts was weak and unstable, like two candles flickering in a strong wind.

Ethan’s stomach tightened.

The system confirmed his fears.

Beneath their names in their statuses, a new line had appeared.

{Wolfy’s Condition: Fractured ribs, punctured right lung, severe internal bruising, extensive muscle trauma across hind legs.}

{Talon’s Condition: Burst eardrums, fractured left wing, internal bleeding, shock trauma.}

Ethan stared at the screen.

”...Holy shit.”

It was a miracle they were even alive, and injuries like that would kill most beasts, especially Wolfy’s.

If nothing was done soon...

It was only a matter of time before they did.

His heart sank.

Ethan tried activating Beast Assimilation, curious to see if the skill would still work, but it was rejected immediately.

{Beast Assimilation cannot be used on beasts who are in an unstable condition.}

His heart sank even further.

’And even if I summon them right now, they would be helpless, and I would just cause them more harm.’

Essentially, both of his beasts were completely out of commission. But strangely, what bothered Ethan most wasn’t losing his combat strength.

It was seeing them like this.

He recalled how intensely they fought for his sake, and now they were...

Ethan clenched his fists as he realised just how weak he still was.

Every single one of his abilities relied on his beasts, and if they were down, he was just a slightly enhanced human.

He leaned against the wall and let out a tired laugh.

”Honestly... Mark’s stats might be about the same as mine.”

Aside from the MP, his giant friend would still give him a run for his money. Thinking about Mark in his prime made him grin.

Those muscles weren’t just for show; the guy could throw down.

”Mace definitely knows that.”

Ethan snorted.

Though if Mark faced Mace now, who was clearly a Titled...

”Well, that’d be a very different story.”

Ethan regained focus, and right now, the biggest problem was the condition his beasts were in.

But maybe it wouldn’t stay like that for long.

He opened the Skill Tab, and there it was: his new skill branching off from Beast Summoning on the skill tree. It was his fourth skill so far, and he quickly tapped on it to get more details and confirm it was as the name suggested.

{Beast Mend - Allows the user to gradually restore a beast’s injuries and stamina over time.}

{Skill Rank: C}

{Cost: 2 MP/min}

Ethan stared at the description, then grinned.

”Now, this is exactly what I needed.”

It was a lot more useful than Beast Link, and though its cost was steep, Ethan would do anything to help his beasts recover.

Another line appeared beneath the description.

{Note: Effectiveness and rate of recovery depend on receptivity of the beast, potency of MP, and focus of the user.}

Ethan had no idea what that really meant, but he didn’t care.

’It can heal them, right? That’s all I need to know.’

And it was a C Rank Skill, so he couldn’t complain about that either.

He exhaled slowly.

”Alright, Wolfy first.”

A flash of blue light appeared as he summoned the young Ulfen.

As soon as it materialised, Wolfy immediately collapsed, and it could barely stand. It whimpered weakly, its body trembling from pain.

Ethan’s chest tightened at the sight.

The normally energetic pup looked completely broken.

”Hey, easy...”

He knelt beside it and gently placed his hand on its body.

”I’ve got you.”

Without hesitation, he activated Beast Mend through instinct, the same way he used the rest of his skills.

A soft blue glow formed in his palm, then spread slowly across Wolfy’s body like warm water. It was the same colour as the System Interface and the same light that appeared when beasts were summoned.

The blue glare reflected in Ethan’s eyes as he focused completely on the skill.

Minutes passed, and he didn’t move or look away.

After exactly 6 minutes, his MP hit 0, and Wolfy vanished back to the tattoo on his chest.

Ethan slumped back against the wall as exhaustion washed over him.

But despite the fatigue, he smiled.

Because even in just a matter of minutes, Wolfy’s condition had improved dramatically.

Wolfy was far from being completely healed, but its breathing was steadier, its trembling had lessened, and there was now hope.

Ethan rested and ate something quickly as he waited for his MP to recover, before summoning Talon and repeating the process.

Again.

And again.

And again.

He switched between his two beasts, cycle after cycle, pouring every bit of MP he had into Beast Mend. Each time, their injuries improved a little more: bones slowly knitting together, internal bleeding fading, and strength returning to their bodies.

Ethan watched wounds visibly close as life slowly returned to their eyes.

”This skill is insane...”

He muttered tiredly, chuckling to himself.

”Would be great if I could use it on myself.”

But honestly, he was just grateful he could heal them.

By the end of the day, after more MP cycles than he bothered counting, both beasts were in far better condition. It wasn’t perfect, but it was stable, and both his beasts were able to stand and move around.

Ethan was completely exhausted.

A small notification appeared.

{MP +0.5}

He blinked.

Then laughed.

”Well... I’ll take it.”

It was a shame their condition didn’t reset the same way his body did when leaving the Tower, but at least the system had given him a lifeline.

It felt like that was how the Tower worked: it threw you into the deep end, tried to drown you, but if you fought and pushed hard enough, it would give you just enough to crawl back to shore.

Ethan looked at the Beast Tab again.

Wolfy.

Talon.

Both were alive and recovering.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

”Alright.”

He stood up slowly.

Despite the struggles, near-death experiences, and actual death experience he had endured in the Tower, he still felt drawn towards it.

It was like a challenge he couldn’t ignore.

Something inside him wanted to climb higher, to grow stronger, to see what waited above. As such, after a day of spamming Beast Mend, he returned to the Rocky Plains.

And what he found waiting there surprised him greatly...