Before heading back into the Tower, Ethan went downstairs one last time and reviewed his status. Throughout the day, he had heard two notifications, and each one had sent a thrill through him.
{MP +0.5}
{Stamina +0.5}
It was real, tangible improvement.
If he gained even one stat point per day on average over a year, that would rival the average base stats of an S Rank.
Ethan knew his progression would likely slow and plateau at some point, requiring much more effort. Nevertheless, he and his beasts were making measurable progress, and he wanted to keep up the momentum.
As such, he stared at the System Interface until the Tower Token reset.
{Enter The Tower}
Without hesitation, he pressed it immediately, and within a split second, he was back in the tower.
{Welcome back to the Tower of Beasts!}
{Floor One: Rocky Plains (E)}
The world slammed back into place: the heat, the yellow sky, the endless rock.
Ethan stood exactly where he had been before exiting the tower.
It took him a moment since everything looked identical: jagged terrain stretching endlessly, stone formations casting sharp shadows under the relentless sky.
But then he noticed it.
The faint remains of the fire pit he had made and the two large rocks leaning against each other, forming a crude patch of shade he had used to escape the worst of the heat.
"Good," he muttered. "So it's not randomised."
Then again, maybe it wasn't so good - if he exited the tower in the middle of a dangerous beast's territory, when he returned...
He didn't bother dwelling on it.
Something else caught his attention.
Ethan flexed his fingers, rolled his shoulders, and twisted at the waist.
There were no aches, bruises, or dehydration.
Not even the lingering soreness from the training he had completed during the day.
He looked down at his arms; they were smooth and unscathed. Even his rags and sandals had returned to their original condition and weren't torn or bloodied.
A notification appeared.
{The host's condition resets each time he returns to the Tower.}
He let out a low whistle.
"That's… very good to know."
He could push himself to absolute ruin, then come back fresh without any permanent damage or accumulated injuries.
That changed everything.
For someone like Ethan, who hardly hesitates to put it all on the line, this would allow him to be even more brazen.
He clenched his fists.
"Alright then."
Without wasting another second, Ethan sprang into motion.
-
The first few hours were efficient, facing only common beasts: Lithoserpent Larvae, Gravetail Scalers, and Stoneback Pikas.
It was nothing he couldn't handle.
If anything, it had become easier, and his rhythm had improved - sharper movements and faster decision-making.
'This is actually becoming easy.'
But of course, he jinxed himself, and it wasn't long before the ground cracked violently.
This wasn't a subtle tremor like with the rock worms; this was a rupture, and from beneath a large rock came a hulking shape.
As soon as Ethan laid eyes on it, he knew he was in for it.
The beast was giant, easily the size of a small car, coated in jagged stone plating. It moved on all fours, and its back was lined with crystalline protrusions that glinted under the yellow sky.
{Elite Beast Status}
{Race: Shardback Ravager
Growth Stage: Mature
Beast Rank: E
Strength: 25
Speed: 10
Stamina: 18
MP: 9/9}
'Fuck me, now this is an Elite Beast.'
It made the Skyrend Hawk that Ethan faced seem like an easy opponent, as its amber eyes glowed faintly.
The beast's giant forearms tensed as it opened its maw and let out a bone-chilling roar. As it did, the crystals along its back shimmered, and he could almost feel it gather its MP.
He was in awe of the creature before him when the shards suddenly launched.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Crystal spikes shot from its body like ballistic projectiles.
'Move!'
Ethan assimilated with Talon instantly.
His body immediately felt lighter, and his vision sharpened, the world almost slowing around him.
Swoosh!
He dashed sideways as shards embedded themselves into the stone where he had been standing.
'That would've been game over.'
After being riddled with holes from those shards, he would be a sitting duck for the beast to eat since he couldn't exit the tower while engaged with a beast.
Ethan had to be careful...
He summoned Wolfy while backing away.
"Distract it!"
The Ulfen darted forward, weaving and snapping at the Ravager's flanks, but the beast responded with a crushing slam of its forelimb, cracking the ground.
There was another shimmer, then more crystal shards launched.
'So that's its skill.'
It consumed MP to fire hardened stone spikes from its own body.
This was the first beast he had faced with a ranged ability that was this dangerous and allowed for area control.
He couldn't remain at a distance, and seeing it speed, he planned to capitalise on the difference.
With Talon's quickness, he circled rapidly.
But whenever he got close, he was greeted by a series of projectiles that would pierce straight through him if they hit him.
'Damn it!'
A series of them grazed his arm and thigh, leaving him with shallow wounds. Even though it was slow, it wasn't easy to get close, and Wolfy wasn't faring any better.
That's when he noticed something.
'Each time it shoots those things, the glow on its back is getting dimmer.'
MP expenditure - there was no way it could constantly use this attack.
But even if it couldn't attack him, how could he attack it?
'Its underside is less plated.'
Similar to those rock worms, its underbelly was the weakness, and he just needed to get close enough to do something about it.
Ethan baited another volley of shards, some of which sliced him as he dodged at the last possible second.
Ignoring the pain and blood, he closed the gap immediately. Wolfy also lunged at its front leg, drawing its attention.
Ethan slid beneath its body without a care for his back, which was torn and burnt as he did so.
'It'll recover next time I'm in the tower, and I can just eat some beast meat in the meantime.'
He drove a jagged rock upwards into the softer underbelly, managing to cut through, before sliding out of the other side and preparing to do the same again.
The Shardback Ravager roared, but Ethan didn't stop.
He attacked over and over again, targeting the weaker areas of its body while Wolfy harassed relentlessly.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Another crystal volley came his way, but this time, only a few weak shards were launched.
'It's running out of MP.'
With that, Ethan gained a second wind.
After a series of desperate thrashing with rocks around him, and Wolfy gnawing on its leg, the Ravager collapsed.
{Beast Eliminated!}
He dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"That was way worse than the hawk."
Not just because of its stats, but because of the awful matchup - if he'd misstepped once, he'd have been skewered. Despite that, in the face of danger, he fought with composure and defeated the stronger beast.
Ethan rested briefly, feeding the creature to his beasts and tasting a small part of it before continuing on his way.
It wasn't long before he encountered another Elite Beast...