Ethan, overcome by curiosity, pulled up his first beast’s status, and what he saw made his eyes widen.

{Name: Wolfy

Race: Ulfen

Growth Stage: Juvenile

Beast Rank: C

Beast Potential: C

Strength: 40

Speed: 40

Stamina: 40

MP: 25/25

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

"Holy shit."

According to the system, the average total stat pool for a C Rank sat around 150, and Wolfy was sitting at 145 already.

’Just 5 points off and it only just evolved to C Rank.’

Ethan smiled.

The Ulfen was only going to get stronger, and with its perfectly balanced stats, it was an apex predator that was equally adaptable and dangerous. And if he gained half of those stats on top of his own, which would be 72.5 + his 116, he would have the base stats of a B Rank!

That was absurd, and though he wouldn’t be able to maintain it for that long, it literally made it so that all the D Tier and even C Tier Floors he had to clear in the tower would be easy.

Having a C Rank Beast was one thing, but matched with Partial Assimilation, he essentially had the stats of a capable C Rank, if not even a weak B Rank. This was all while only being a D Rank Titled, and officially being registered as an E Rank.

It felt unbelievable.

Despite that, he definitely wouldn’t be confident facing someone like Darius, the Explosive Spear.

’I still have a long way to go.’

But what caught his attention next was the second skill his beast now had.

"Cross Slash...?"

Ethan immediately focused on it, pulling up the description.

{Cross Slash (C): Unleashes a dual-claw attack in a crossing motion, projecting condensed force forward as a mid-range strike. Capable of cutting through multiple targets with overlapping impact. Cost: 4 MP per use.}

He laughed.

"I can’t complain about that."

It was a mid-range attack, perfect for Wolfy, and was efficient and powerful, able to cut down multiple enemies. Most importantly, it could now also be used by him.

"I guess it’s four skills now."

The thought alone was enough to send a pulse of excitement through him, and it seemed like with each evolution, his beasts gained at least one skill. Ethan wanted to try them all and see what they felt like and looked like when he used them.

He was especially eager to use Partial Assimilation.

’Would I grow fur like a werewolf with Wolfy? Am I going to have wings with Talon? And am I going to be covered in flames with Spark?’

There was only one way to find out, but not here or now.

As much as he wanted to experiment, he needed to leave and quickly. He had already taken too much time, and Darius’s condition was worsening by the second.

But ultimately, he was reminded just how important MP was to his skill set, and he still needed much more of it.

Just as he was about to make a move, two more notifications appeared.

{Objective 1: Evolve all beasts to C Rank and officially become a C Rank Titled.}

{Objective 2: Clear all D Tier Floors}

Ethan exhaled slowly.

"Figures."

He was already being drawn back to that damned tower.

But he didn’t feel frustrated or pressured, because that was exactly what he was planning to do anyway. And after everything in this gate, it had only motivated him to keep getting stronger.

’There’s no slowing down now.’

Especially with the unease he was feeling.

As much as he had gained from this gate, he could feel that it was only the beginning of something bigger.

Also, unbeknownst to him, Darius, who had been fading in and out of consciousness, had seen enough. From the fragments, he could piece together what had happened between Ethan and Rina.

It was a miracle in itself that the man was even alive, so it wasn’t even a possibility in his mind. But it wasn’t like he would be able to tell anyone what he had seen anytime soon.

Ethan turned, his body still riddled with deep cuts, and his shoulder punctured. He paused, his gaze scanning his surroundings as an idea formed.

It wasn’t one that he liked or was proud of, but one that made sense.

"Sorry, Darius. I’ll try to be quick."

Without hesitation, Ethan crouched down beside the corpse of an ant beast and began ripping into the crushed shell. His fingers dug into the soft, exposed interior as he tore out chunks of the chewy, pale meat within.

It was disgusting, slimy, and disturbingly cold, as if it had been chilled.

The texture alone was enough to make most people gag, but Ethan didn’t, not anymore. Over the past month, eating beast meat had become a normal and necessary part of his routine.

He could eat anything.

’Well... not anything,’ he thought dryly as he bit down, chewing through the rubbery flesh. ’I’m not eating a beast’s dick. But... yeah. Pretty much everything else is fair game.’

It was a grotesque sight, like something out of a primitive past.

A man crouched over a giant insect carcass, tearing into it with his bare hands. Also, the fact that this wasn’t the tower and was his actual body made it feel stranger.

Still, he kept eating because he needed it.

And he could instantly feel it, that warmth and energy as his wounds began to respond. They didn’t heal entirely, and the gaping hole in his shoulder didn’t close, but it began to seal.

His bleeding also slowed as the smaller cuts around his body knit themselves together.

"That’s good enough."

Ethan stood, rolling his shoulder slightly despite the pain.

’This way... I can actually carry these two fuckers out of here.’

He didn’t bother summoning his beasts; they had already eaten more than enough and would have a constant buffet of beasts in the Tower.

Now it was finally time to leave.

With a grunt, he hauled Darius over his shoulder. There was a sharp pain, but he endured it, cursing Rina internally.

’That bitch really had to waste my instant recovery.’

Still, it had worked in his favour since walking out of a fate uninjured would raise many questions. And she had also indirectly given him Partial Assimilation, the biggest reward he had received since Beast Summoning.

The condition of his real body also wouldn’t affect his progress in the tower, so he wasn’t too concerned about his recovery. And after consuming beast meat, he had already rejuvenated himself enough.

Ethan moved quickly.

He grabbed Darius’s spear, then summoned Talon briefly, directing it to lift the unconscious A Rank before carefully placing her over his other shoulder.

With both Titled in tow, he turned toward the shifting spatial rift.

"Time to finally get out of this place."

But as he stepped through the gate, what greeted him made one thing painfully clear: this was a turning point in his life, and nothing would ever be the same again...