Lord Of Beasts

As soon as he stepped outside, Ethan pulled out the phone issued to him by the Titled Association upon registering. It was sleek, minimal, with a user interface so simple that a baby could navigate it.

He tapped into the Gate Listings.

”Let’s see...”

There weren’t many, which made sense.

New York was heavily monitored and one of the most populous cities in the world. By extension, it also had many Titled. As such, most gates were cleared quickly and efficiently.

There was only one that he seemed eligible for, and that was the one that naturally caught his eye. He immediately clicked on it to review its details.

Location: Brooklyn Industrial District, New York

Gate Rank: C-

Scheduled Clearance Time: 12:00 PM - 26/03/2027

Ethan blinked.

”That’s today, right?”

He checked the date and confirmed that it was the case.

”Huh. Good timing.”

His thumb moved, skimming over the information before landing on compensation.

E Rank: $1,000

D Rank: $2,000

C Rank: $5,000

B Rank: $10,000

A Rank: $25,000

S Rank: ”Negotiable”

Ethan let out a low whistle.

”That’s not bad.”

Though in the grand scheme of things, it was insane.

Risking your life for a thousand dollars?

Most people wouldn’t even consider it.

But Ethan?

”I’ve done worse for less.”

Before prison, he had taken bigger risks for smaller rewards, so this didn’t seem outrageous to him. And besides, he wasn’t an average E Rank either.

Not in the slightest.

Ethan couldn’t help but have some confidence in himself; after all, he was far from being what the Association evaluated him to be. He was currently a D Rank Titled, and even then, wasn’t an average one either.

With his beasts and skills...

”I could probably handle C Rank.”

He wasn’t overestimating his abilities.

Most C Ranks, especially unskilled ones, would struggle against 4 D Ranked creatures, which was essentially what Ethan and his beasts were. And with his combat prowess and unique skillset, he at least had a chance.

If he didn’t, the D Tier Floors he still had to climb would be impossible, since there should be a C Rank Boss Beast.

On that note, Ethan was pretty sure there was always at least one Titled that was above the gate’s rank present.

’So for a C- Rank Gate, there should be a B Rank there.’

The rest would be of the ranks below, and would support the higher ranks, though he wasn’t sure exactly what the makeup of the team would be.

”It should be fine.”

His attention returned to the compensation section, where the pay listed was just the base pay. On top of that, there was loot distribution that they would receive small percentages of.

Expectedly, the lower ranks received smaller cuts since they were assumed to contribute less.

Ethan could only imagine the experiments and research they got up to with the bodies of monsters and other materials, but he didn’t bother dwelling on it.

”Yeah, I’ll take it.”

A grand upfront, plus extras, and most importantly, the experience and completing the Objective.

’I’ve been curious about gates anyway.’

Of course, Ethan was planning on being more cautious than usual since this wasn’t his Tower Body that would reset. As great as his recovery was, he very highly doubted he could recover from the loss of a limb in this body.

But once again, it came back to money.

’I’m broke, and it’s time to stop leeching off Mark.’

Without hesitation, he pressed Sign Up.

The screen updated instantly.

Sign Up Confirmed.

He received a message on his phone.

’Please arrive at the outlined location at least an hour before the Gate is set to be entered.’

Ethan laughed as he checked the time.

’Fuck me, I’m late.’

He was supposed to be there an hour in advance, but there was less than an hour already, and let’s just say he wasn’t near the Gate just yet.

Ethan slipped the phone into his pocket and started moving fast.

It felt like an opportunity too good to slip past, and over the past month, he had only seen a couple of Gates show up on his feed.

He ignored them all, more focused on grinding, but now was the perfect time.

Though there was one thing that was a shame.

He should’ve been getting D Rank pay, and with his skill set, he was even deserving of C Rank compensation.

”But it’s not worth the attention.”

Getting reevaluated now and progressing this quickly would definitely raise questions, drawing attention and suspicion.

And Ethan didn’t want that, definitely not yet.

’It’s best to keep a low profile for now if I can.’

But the moment he signed up for the Gate, something shifted in a dark, quiet office. The only light in the room came from a single screen that flickered, causing the man behind it to lean forward slightly.

”Ethan Crowe...”

Detective Holt smiled.

The blue-eyed enigma had constantly been on the back of his mind while he investigated his other cases. He was the only trail he had left on that mysterious Title that took the lives of hundreds of others in their sleep around the world.

But more than that, there was a quiet confidence about him that he was itching to unravel.

”Doing nothing of note this entire month, then suddenly registering for a gate...”

There was a sharp glint in his eyes.

”I guess I’ll be staying in this city after all.”

Ethan had no idea that he was back on the renowned A Rank’s radar, but even less did he know what was in store for him.

His first gate would not go as expected.

It wouldn’t be a simple C- Ranked Gate like those that are frequently cleared around the world without issue.

Not even close.

Because something deeper was involved - something tied to his Title and his System.

And its interference was about to turn what should have been a routine gate clearance into something that would change his life forever...