Just when Ethan had begun thinking he had lost the Skyrend Hawk in this rocky nightmare, his nose twitched just like a dog smelling its lunch being made.
He caught onto a faint scent, one that was metallic and unmistakable.
'Blood.'
Ethan began moving towards it without hesitation, his body hunched and approaching cautiously. He was truly like an Ulfen, even if only Minor Assimilation.
Eventually, he found the source.
There was a narrow crevice between two rock formations, a small cave-like gap. Within it hid the injured Skyrend Hawk, trying to rest and recover.
As much as its eyes were incredible, perfect vision from the sky. Its other senses? Well, they were nothing special. And before it knew it, Ethan was among it and lunged into the crevice.
The hawk screeched and tried to take off, but it was too slow as he grabbed it by the neck mid-flap. This was the best look he had of the beast, and it wasn't much bigger than a normal hawk.
Though he didn't have the time to admire its appearance.
Instead, he smashed it into the ground, pinning it down with his weight.
'Not so dangerous now, are you?'
Ethan overpowered it easily, especially with Assimilation active, since without its speed and being airborne, it wasn't nearly as formidable.
It thrashed wildly, wings battering his arms, claws tearing at his chest.
But he ignored the pain and the blood.
All he focused on was squeezing with both his hands as hard as he could.
"You're not going anywhere!"
It clawed desperately, even at his face, but he just tightened his grip further, fingers digging into feathers and flesh like a crazed man.
With each passing second, the struggling weakened until...
{Beast Eliminated!}
The body went limp in his hands.
He panted heavily, and it was only after the system's notification that he released the creature.
Another window appeared.
{Would you like to acquire this beast as your own?}
Ethan's lips curled into a satisfied grin.
"Yes."
{Beast Acquired!}
{Beast Capacity: 2/2}
He stared at the message for a second.
'2 out of 2, and pretty decent beasts if I do say so myself.'
Then the adrenaline faded, and his legs suddenly gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the endless yellow sky.
"Worth it..."
-
Moments after acquiring his next beast, the Skyrend Hawk, Ethan ran out of MP, and Beast Assimilation undid itself.
The heightened senses dulled, the strength left his limbs, and the world felt heavier.
He lay there on the scorching stone, chest rising and falling rapidly.
"No bonus?" he murmured after not receiving anything else from the system.
When he first acquired Wolfy, he received 10 MP along with the Beast Assimilation Skill.
He clicked his tongue.
"Guess that was the tutorial bonus."
If the system had given him something extra the first time, it was likely the only freebie he'd ever get.
Struggling to his feet, he began searching his body. He appeared insane as he pulled off his tattered and bloodied rags to reveal his body covered in claw marks.
"Where is it?" he mumbled under his breath.
Ethan was looking for the Skyrend Hawk tattoo he assumed he would receive, but that's when he realised it...
'I don't even have the Ulfen tattoo?!'
He didn't exactly like the tattoo or want any ink on his skin for that matter, but if it was related to his ability, where was it?
Wolfy wasn't summoned, and yet his chest was bare, aside from wounds from the Hawk Beast. But when he closed his eyes, he could still feel that beast within him, and now there was another alongside it.
'So in the tower, or more correctly in this form I'm in while I sleep, I don't have the tattoos on my body. Which makes sense since I didn't notice any tattoo on Floor Zero,' Ethan surmised.
'I guess the tattoos are only on my real body.'
But he had no way of confirming his conclusion until he exited the tower, so he didn't bother dwelling on it.
Instead, there were other things on his mind.
Though he had no MP, his body was a mess, and his stamina was shot, Ethan had no regrets.
A slow grin spread across his face.
'Wolfy and a flying beast…'
He imagined it.
Assimilating with Wolfy for close combat, using its senses, instincts, and well-rounded stats, while using the Hawk for aerial support.
Or reverse it.
Assimilate with the Hawk for vision and speed while Wolfy fought alongside him on land.
And once they were both grown? And even evolved?
'They could fight for me while I sit back and relax.'
The thought made him laugh quietly.
All he needed were Evolutionary Shards, time for them to grow, and a ton of MP - then his beasts would be a force to be reckoned with, and so would he by extension.
With that thought in mind, he allowed himself to rest.
Logically, it should be fine.
At least, that's what he told himself.
This place wasn't a scripted trial like Floor Zero; it was structured like a Gate. The system wasn't actively throwing obstacles at him; he was placed in an environment with beasts.
That meant territory - beasts likely had their own zones, especially elite ones.
He had defeated the Skyrend Hawk here, which meant, for now, this area was vacant. There should be a short window before other beasts begin encroaching.
"Please let that be how it works," he muttered.
Worst case?
A Lithoserpent Larva might suddenly burst out of the ground.
But if he recovered a little more, he could outrun it again and pray he didn't run into another hawk, or something even worse.
As such, he rested in the little shade he could find, and while he did, he pulled up the System Interface, eager to see the stats of his new beast.
{Beast Status}
{Name: N/A
Race: Skyrend Hawk
Growth Stage: Infant
Beast Rank: E
Beast Potential: D
Strength: 5
Speed: 20
Stamina: 7
MP: 0/0}
"Infant..."
He exhaled slowly.
"So they really do reset when I acquire them"
It was annoying - the one he killed had been Prime stage, but now the beast was back to square one.
'I guess they'll grow alongside me over time.'
He was already expecting as much anyway, so what truly disappointed him was something else.
"Beast Potential… D."
He frowned.
That was lower than the Ulfen and hypothetically meant that even if he raised it perfectly, evolved it properly, invested resources…
It would eventually hit a ceiling.
'Not exactly future-proof.'
He would be lying if he said he wasn't beginning to doubt his decision slightly.
'Maybe I should have saved the spot for one of those rock worms.'
Still, for this biome, it was probably even more useful than Wolfy.
It could fly, was incredibly fast, and had expert vision to catch onto any prey and also keep a distance from any beasts that might threaten it.
Maybe he was just coping, but regardless, he resolved himself.
'If I ever need capacity space…'
The thought was dark and brutal, but practical.
According to the skill's Rules and Considerations, if a beast dies, it's gone forever.
If he needed to free a slot for something stronger…
He wouldn't hesitate.
His survival came first, and that meant having the most powerful beasts possible, though he couldn't help but feel guilty just by thinking about it.
As if to further stab his conscience, a notification appeared.
{Please provide a name for your beast.}
He almost said "Birdy."
The next name that came to mind was "Hawky."
He grimaced.
"Come on, I can't name everything like a five-year-old."
He looked down at the claw marks on his arms and recalled the beast's slicing dives.
"Talon," he said quietly.
"I'll call it Talon."
The system accepted it, and the name was locked in.
He leaned back, allowing more of his MP to recover, then after a few minutes, curiosity got the better of him.
"Alright… let's test something."