Ethan headed straight for the shower; the cold water was brutal but refreshing. He exhaled slowly as it ran down his body, washing away the lingering weight of the Tower.

’Two weeks of constant training, hunting, and evolving, not to mention to month grind before that gate.’

In the past fortnight, his body had changed again.

He could feel it.

And now, standing under the stream of water, he could see it too.

His muscles were more defined, his shoulders significantly broader, and sharper lines throughout his whole body. He looked like a social media model, but with actual practical strength.

"Damn."

He ran a hand through his wet hair.

"I’m still putting on some size."

Between the absurd amount of food he’d been eating and the constant training, it made sense.

Though two things baffled him.

"Honestly, how am I not fat?"

He frowned slightly, then shrugged.

"Probably Titled metabolism."

Then again, he had seen some out-of-shape Titled at the Association.

"I guess some people just don’t try."

The other thing was the fact that he didn’t have a single scar on his body, which he attributed to his insane healing factor. As he progressed, there were changes in his body that he couldn’t see.

One of them was his recovery rate, which was still improving. The other was his unnaturally sharp senses, which were also developing, as if he himself was morphing into a beast.

He stepped out, inspecting his tattoos in the misted mirror.

The Ulfen across his chest, the Griffling spanning his back, and the Cinder Wisp curled along his forearm.

They weren’t static and had also changed.

Wolfy looked larger and more defined, Spark’s flames seemed more vivid, but Talon had changed the most. Its feathered form now carried a faint green hue, its wings sharper, more intricate.

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You guys really are growing."

To think he started with a puppy, a little bird, and an insect - since they were all E Rank Infants upon acquiring them.

Ethan ran his hands along each of the tattoos.

They weren’t just markings, but were like living entities he hosted. He was starting to think of them as such, as parts of him and extensions of his being.

Since unlocking Partial Assimilation, he felt even closer to his beasts, and he now had a slot for one more.

’Where’s the next one gonna go?’

A fourth beast meant a fourth tattoo.

The thought lingered as he shaved his face and put his clothes on.

Gone was his patchy stubble, and with his black hair recently cut by Tasha, his face was framed neatly.

A sharp jawline, clear skin, piercing blue eyes...

"I’m quite handsome, if I do say so myself."

He stepped out feeling himself, to which Elara gave him a flat look.

"What?"

She just shook her head, chuckling silently as they headed upstairs.

Breakfast was quick and simple, eaten with Mark. Ethan had been seeing his friend less recently, with this usually being the only time they sat and spoke.

Then, as usual, they headed out.

The Association training facility buzzed faintly with life as they entered.

Ethan went straight to the weights again, focusing on improving his strength, which was the main thing he could train here without drawing too much attention.

Meanwhile, Elara observed quietly before eventually heading into one of the private rooms.

And, as always, he joined her after finishing his many sets.

Inside the room, Elara stood in the centre, staring at her hands with that faint red energy dancing between her fingers.

Ethan leaned against the wall, folding his arms.

"Alright," he said casually. "Let’s see what you’ve got today."

She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes.

As she focused, the energy flickered, pulsed, then...

Fwoosh!

A small burst shot forward from her palm, dissipating harmlessly against the reinforced wall.

Ethan nodded.

"That’s much better than two weeks ago."

She opened her eyes, looking at her hands in slight surprise. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

*It’s easier now, too.*

"Yeah," he replied. "Because you’re not overthinking it."

He tapped his temple.

"Same thing I told you before. Don’t try to control it too much. Just let your body guide you and try to mimic what Sir Demon does when he’s in control of your body."

She nodded and continued working on the energy beams they were calling Mini Crimson Flashes. Each attempt was slightly more powerful, and though it was still far from what the demon could do, it was hers to wield.

And that made all the difference.

While she trained, Ethan sat down and pulled up his own status to review his progress. For him, every ten floors he cleared and was about to enter a new tier was like a checkpoint.

{Name: Ethan Crowe

Title: Lord Of Beasts

Titled Rank: C

Strength: 28

Speed: 29

Stamina: 28

MP: 67/67

Beasts: 3/4}

"Not bad," he muttered under his breath.

But that was an understatement.

Those numbers were absurd compared to where he had started, especially his MP.

"Sixty-seven..."

He let out a low whistle.

"That’s ridiculous."

Then again, with everything he’d been doing, maybe it wasn’t.

What was surprising was that his Speed Stat still surpassed his Strength Stat even though he had primarily been doing strength training.

’I guess I’ll always just be more suited to speed, the same way Mark is just a big guy.’

Ethan shifted to his skill tree next, running through his skills mentally.

’Beast Assimilation, Beast Summoning, Beast Link, Beast Mend, Beast Impact, Beast Call, and Variable Beast Impact.’

"Yeah. That’s the lot."

For a new C Rank, that was stacked.

And that wasn’t even counting what he gained through Partial Assimilation.

Next, he checked on his beasts, starting with his first.

{Name: Wolfy

Race: Ulfen

Growth Stage: Juvenile

Beast Rank: C

Beast Potential: C

Strength: 42

Speed: 42

Stamina: 42

MP: 27/27

Skills: Predator’s Frenzy (D), Cross Slash (C)}

Ethan smirked.

"Still a monster."

Wolfy had grown even larger now, easily the size of a small horse when summoned. It was covered in dense muscles under its thick fur, with unbelievable raw power.

’And it’s still only a Juvenile, so it’s still growing.’

That was the crazy part.

"But at this rate, in a couple more weeks, it’ll probably max out."

He then brought up his third beast’s status.

{Name: Spark

Race: Cinder Wisp

Growth Stage: Juvenile

Beast Rank: C

Beast Potential: C

Strength: 1

Speed: 25

Stamina: 25

MP: 95/95

Skills: Ember Pulse (D), Flare Drive (C)}

Ethan laughed.

’A strength stat of one now, still pretty much useless physically.’

But that MP?

"Ninety-five..."

That was insane.

It also had a new skill after he evolved it to C Rank, which was no joke.

{Flare Drive (C) - Ignites a concentrated burst of flame from the user, generating explosive propulsion for rapid directional movement. Cost: 2 MP per activation and causes moderate physical strain.}

It was very similar to the Explosive Spear’s movements and was perfect for Spark, who used it for evading while wielding Ember Pulse, making it an agile flamethrower.

Though Ethan used it a little differently...

’Slamming into something at full speed while covered in flames.’

He smirked, recalling crushing the skull of a beast by ramming into it with his shoulder.

’It’s useful, especially when I use it with Beast Impact for an insane attack.’

Ethan was smiling just thinking about it.

Then he brought up the Status of his remaining beast that had recently gone through a metamorphosis...