Lord Of Beasts

Before Mark had collapsed, Ethan was getting thoroughly overpowered during their spar, and it had frustrated him more than he cared to admit.

’Out of the four of us, I’m clearly the weakest.’

That was before Mark had even fully understood the extent of his abilities now that he seemingly had complete control over them. With his newly stabilised condition and monstrous strength, his potential was terrifying, and Ethan couldn’t help comparing himself to his brother.

But there was something else he’d noticed about himself.

’As many skills as I have, I really struggle against defensive types.’

Ethan had fought plenty of glass cannons, Titled, beasts, and monsters with incredible offensive power but relatively weak defences. Even the larger creatures he’d encountered had usually possessed some weakness he could exploit, whether it was a vulnerable body part, an exploitable attack pattern, or an inability to recover quickly from sustained damage.

Regenerative abilities and tough exteriors were certainly troublesome, but neither had prepared him for the Leviathan.

’It’s like an ugly water dragon made of diamonds.’

The damn thing was absurdly durable.

Its scales were practically impenetrable, and the aquatic environment allowed it to unleash its elemental abilities with devastating efficiency. Even when Ethan managed to land an attack, the damage was negligible compared to the effort required to deliver it.

Yet he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

After defeating an A Rank monster inside the strange realm within Mark’s mind, Ethan had been reminded of something important. Sometimes, he didn’t need a clever strategy or the perfect counter. Sometimes, stubborn force was enough to overcome an opponent that seemed impossible to defeat.

’Using Inferno Core, then a massive Variable Beast Impact, I should be able to at least create a vulnerability that Storm and Wolfy can use to finish it off while I recover on the side.’

It was an desperate plan, and there was a very real possibility that it wouldn’t work. The Leviathan was stronger than the monster he’d defeated in Mark’s mind, and its natural defences were on an entirely different level.

But it was the best plan he had.

With a borderline suicidal disregard for the pain and damage he might suffer inside the Tower, Ethan reached out and pressed the System Interface.

{Welcome back to the Tower of Beasts!}

The familiar notification appeared before his eyes, welcoming him back to the very floor that had been troubling him for so long.

{Floor Thirty-One: Aquatic Expanse (B)}

’I don’t care what happens. I’m going to the next floor tonight.’

The System seemed to have a habit of throwing absurdly difficult floors at him whenever he entered a new rank tier, almost as though it wanted to intimidate him into giving up. But Ethan wasn’t going to let that happen.

Especially now that he had lost that sense of comfort.

’I’m not strong enough.’

The realisation had become increasingly painful. Ethan was skilled, resourceful, and capable of adapting to situations that would overwhelm most people, but he still had a long way to go. He had grown accustomed to being the one who progressed at an alarming rate, constantly acquiring new abilities and overcoming opponents far beyond his apparent level.

Now, he was falling behind.

And the thing standing in his way was the Leviathan.

If he was being honest with himself, not much had changed about him since his last encounter with the monster. He’d gained some experience and refined his skills, but his overall ability to damage something with such absurd defences remained insufficient.

And nothing would change if he didn’t defeat it.

Farming on this floor was simply too slow and too difficult to justify continuing indefinitely. He could spend days hunting lesser beasts, gradually improving his abilities, but that wouldn’t solve the immediate problem.

At some point, he needed to take a risk.

’An arm or two and some pain is a little price to pay to get out of this place. Just like I did on Floor One.’

The fact that his physical condition reset whenever he left the Tower was an enormous crutch, allowing him to take risks that would otherwise be unthinkable. Even so, that didn’t make the pain any less real while he was inside.

Whether that advantage would be enough, he was about to find out.

It didn’t take long for Ethan to find the beast he was looking for.

He flew over the Aquatic Expanse with the Ember Wraith’s flames wrapped around his body, using Flame Flight to skim across the vast ocean. Islands passed beneath him, their rocky surfaces and patches of vegetation appearing like scattered specks against the endless blue.

Then something enormous moved beneath the water.

The surface split apart as a gigantic head emerged from the depths, followed by another section of the creature’s body. More and more of its colossal form rose from the ocean, revealing an almost impossible length that continued far beneath the surface.

Its body was covered in enormous overlapping scales, dark and nearly black beneath the Tower’s blue light. Long fins extended from its sides, and every movement displaced enough water to send waves crashing against the nearby islands.

The creature’s head alone was the size of a truck.

Two enormous green eyes opened, fixing themselves on Ethan with a cold, ancient gaze that was unmistakably predatory.

Yet there was something else in those eyes.

Amusement.

The Leviathan seemed to recognise the human who had desperately fled during their previous encounter, and it appeared almost pleased that he had returned.

A familiar System window floated above its head.

{Boss Beast Status}

{Race: Leviathan

Growth Stage: Prime

Beast Rank: A

Strength: 91

Speed: 53

Stamina: 64

MP: 86/86}

Ethan stared at the numbers again, admiring the sheer absurdity of its stats for the second time, which didn’t even do the creature justice.

Last time, he hadn’t been able to scratch the thing.

His attacks had barely inconvenienced it, and its control over the surrounding water had forced him to retreat before he could accomplish anything meaningful.

But this time...

’I’m going to blast the fucker.’

Ethan didn’t hesitate or delay the inevitable.

He descended toward a nearby stretch of land and summoned Wolfy and Storm. Both beasts were alert, their gazes fixed on the Leviathan. Whatever lingering injuries they’d suffered had already healed while they were unsummoned, leaving them ready for another fight.

Ethan turned toward them.

”As soon as I smash that thing and create an opening, I’m relying on the two of you to finish it off.”

Wolfy lowered its head, its eyes narrowing with determination, while Storm’s wings crackled with electricity. Both understood what he was asking of them, and neither showed any hesitation.

’Here goes nothing.’

Ethan had no intention of delaying this any further. If he wanted to accelerate his progress after beginning to stagnate, he needed to return to the kind of reckless insanity that had carried him through some of his most desperate battles.

’Inferno Core!’

The flames surrounding his body immediately intensified.

Heat surged through his fiery form as his mana core began to overload, pumping scorching energy throughout his body at an increasingly dangerous rate. As he poured in more mana, the flames brightened from orange to brilliant white, their temperature rising until the surrounding air began to distort.

He didn’t stop there.

Ethan channelled more and more mana.

With his freshly restored Tower body and Spark’s additional stats, he possessed a giant reserve of energy, and he intended to use almost all of it.

The strain hit almost immediately.

His body felt as though it were being torn apart from within, the influx of mana scorching him even as the flames enveloped his form. His skin burned, his muscles tightened, and the energy coursing through him threatened to overwhelm his ability to contain it.

Ethan gritted his teeth and endured.

’It worked against that monster. It has to work against this thing, right?’

He didn’t give himself time to reconsider.

With his entire body blazing white-hot, Ethan launched himself toward the Leviathan, leaving a streak of fire across the sky. The ocean trembled beneath him as he hurtled toward the enormous beast, determined to turn every ounce of his power into a single, devastating attack...